OT: What Michigan Pro Sports Era do you have the fondest memories of?

I loved that team. No team since had the grit and determination starting 5 on through the bench. I hated the NBA for cowering to MJ. Commish Stern wanted the bulls run to begin and they changed the league. It was no secret that Rod Thorne hated the Pistons. When i was 13 my cousins and I were flying back to DTW with a layover in MSP. When we got to our gate there sat the Michigan Wolverines fresh off of a loss at Minnesota. Rumeal sat dejected with his hand wrapped. Terry and Loy were next to him. One of the first people i recognized was Frieder. They were all very gracious and signed autographs for us.

Yzerman and Lidstrom led Wings.  4 cups and trips to the playoffs every year.  

1968.

For anyone who was alive then and conscious of sports in the city of Detroit, I think 1968 -- and particularly the World Championship of the Tigers -- is the most interesting year in Detroit pro sports history.

TIGERS: Denny McClain 31 wins.  Mickey Lolich.  Utility man Mickey Stanley moving to the infield from the outfield to make space for Al Kaline in the batting lineup.  A World Series against the most feared pticher since Walter Johnson; Bob Gibson of the Cardinals.  Mickey Lolich's three world series wins.

And; 1968 was the middle one of three years in which the American League pennant race came down to the last couple of games of the year between some amzing teams.  The Orioles with Frank and Brooks Robionson; the Red Sox with Carl Yazstremski; and the most-loaded Tigers lineup in modern history.  Arguably still the best era for the Tigers since WWII.

LIONS:  In 1967, the Lions had just drafted the Offensive AND Defensive Rookies of the Year: Mel Farr and Lem Barney.  1968 was the year that they both cemented themselves in Lions history, and even more interestingly was the year that Barney and Farr struck up their lifelong friendship with Marvin Gaye at Palmer Park Golf Course, leading to the hilarious story of Farr and Barney singing backup on "What's Goin' On," and Marvin wanting a tryout at WR for the Lions two years later:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/13464184/marvin-gaye-tryout-nfl-detr…

RED WINGS:  The Wings were still playing at the best place Detroit has ever known for hockey; Olympia.  The NHL's original six teams still played in one division (the East) with all of the then-new expansion teams (St. Louis, Philadelphia, Minnesota, LA, Pittsburgh and Oakland) in a "West" Conference.  It was the best; all the Original Six teams still slugging it out together, with new tv money from expansion.

The Wings had 3 goalies that year, all in the tail ends of amazing careers.  Terry Sawchuk, Roger Crozier and Roy Edwards.  We had a line of Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Frank Mahovolich.  Peter Mahovolich was on the team too, and so too Pete Stemkowski, Gary Bergman, Bruce MacGregor, Norm Ullman and Nick Libbett.  I haven't counted the number of Hall of Famers on the team.  At least a half-dozen.

PISTONS:  Dave Bing led the Pistons, just a couple of years out of Syracuse.  It was a kind of an amazing all-Detroit team.  Not terribly successful in the era of the Lakers, Bucks and Celitcs with Chamberlain, Abduil-Jabbar and Russell; but still really interesting.  The Pistons had some great shooters in Dave Debusschre, Walt Bellamy, Happy Hairston and Jalen Rose's father, Jimmy Walker.

COLLEGE:  Our Wolverines had an interesting year.  We lost the home opener to Cal.  Went to Duke and won handily, beat Navy and rolled through the Big Ten season undefeated up to the last week of the season.  We were ranked No. 4 in the country (with a win over No. 12 MSU) until we ran into Rex Kern and the '68 Buckeyes in Columbus.  And on December 27, 1968, with Bump Elliott later standing by in solidarity as a new assistant athletic director, Bo Schembechler was hired by Don Canham with a handshake as Michigan's head football coach.

Fifty years ago, this year.

Just because I was young and went to a lot of games, the Tigers and their mid-'80s run. Working in the grad library after game 5 in '84 - a storm of people came in and trashed the place. We didn't even bother trying to clean up. I think the entire card catalogue ended up on the floor. The crazy comeback against Toronto in '87 - I was up in the press box for that 1-0 Frank Tanana game that won the division. I remember talking to Larry Herndon afterward (he hit the home run that provided that game's scoring). I don't think he said more than a dozen words to the press all season, but that night he was genuinely happy and willing to take questions.