Michigan State junior goaltender Jeff Lerg and his teammates have enjoyed good times since winning the NCAA men's hockey championship in April. But after receiving their championship rings last week and being honored at halftime of Saturday's football game, the Spartans are ready to put last season behind them.

ST. LOUIS - The Spartans got caught up in the emotion of the moment.

The Big Ten Network released its first widespread ratings this week and touted the success of its football telecasts. But the numbers -- which show University of Michigan games against Appalachian State in September and Eastern Michigan in October as two of the 10 highest-rated programs each month -- are relative.

Ernie Sims spoke with WDFN-AM this week. Some highlights:

The name Alejandro Sanchez might not mean much to most Pistons fans. But Pistons rookies know his story well. He was a training-camp invitee a few years ago. And, apparently, he didn't take well to the usual newbie treatment -- the playful taunts and small demands of buying doughnuts and carrying bags. Sanchez, the story goes, talked back.

He crossed the finish line and vowed that was it. No way would Ed Giroux subject himself to this kind of pain again -- never mind the ridicule. In just under three hours -- the time it took him to complete his first triathlon -- Giroux had been trampled, kicked and punched. And that was during the swimming portion of the race.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Falcons coach Bobby Petrino diffused two potential problems - for now.

Last week, Pizza Hut offered Roy Williams a chance to work as a delivery person to help him understand why they need tips. Williams admitted to WDFN (1130) on Monday that he was in negotiations with Pizza Hut but nothing had been agreed upon.

Lions rookie defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis wasn't sure if he would take an 11-hour flight back home to Hawaii. Veteran center Dominic Raiola said he likely would spend one night in Lincoln, Neb., for the 10-year reunion of the Nebraska Cornhuskers' co-national championship team.

Coach Rod Marinelli walked into his Monday news conference with a bounce in his step and a chirp in his voice. The Lions had lost Sunday at Washington, 34-3. But Marinelli was undaunted. He sounded much the same way he did two weeks ago, the Monday after a 56-21 loss at Philadelphia.

This is how it works in the NFL where its legislated mediocrity clouds your definition of improvement. Bringing down the good while elevating the weak through a hard salary cap and free agency is league-mandated parity. It hides flaws behind disingenuous records.

Highlights from Lions coach Rod Marinelli's Monday news conference:

Chris Osgood will get his first start of the season tonight, when the Red Wings take on the Flames at Joe Louis Arena.

Inside the Red Wings' locker room, all the signs were normal: Mounds of shaving cream dotted the carpet, a sign that Kris Draper had been up to his trademark birthday mischief. The victim Tuesday was Henrik Zetterberg, who got a towel full of shaving cream in his face in celebration of his turning 27. Over the years, Draper has snuck up on nearly every teammate.

Does Stanford's upset of Southern Cal put Jim Harbaugh back on Michigan's radar as future coaching material? That's the premise of a Rob Oller column in the Columbus Dispatch -- in spite of any hard feelings lingering over Harbaugh dissing his alma mater's academic standards for athletes.

Dominik Hasek may have to miss his first game of the season tonight, when the Red Wings host the Flames.

SCORING gp g a pts +/- pim Henrik Zetterberg 3 1 6 7 0 2 Nicklas Lidstrom 3 1 ...

NEW YORK — If the Yankees plan to keep calling on Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning, they might want to think carefully about who would be handing him the ball.

Justin Verlander spoke with WDFN-AM last week about the season and off-season priorities.

Left-hander Edward Campusano was returned to the Cubs. Campusano, 25, was selected in last year's Rule 5 draft. He entered spring training with a chance to make the club but never threw a regular-season pitch after elbow surgery.

A look at the 2008 status of all players on the Tigers’ 40-man roster (plus three who are on the disabled list and infielder Neifi Perez, who is on the restricted list):

Free Press picks its top five at each position.

Thoughts on the league championship series: How hard is the National League series to figure? The Rockies have lost once in their past 18 games. The pitcher who handed them that defeat -- Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb -- faces them in Game 1 tonight.

The Pistons came out of training camp raving that it was the most upbeat, energetic, detail-oriented, consistent and positive camp in the past three years. On Monday night, behind even more optimism-inducing performances from their new faces, the team opened the exhibition season with a 103-86 win over the Miami Heat at the Palace.

Big number 18-8 Run in which Pistons starters opened the game, including nine points by Tayshaun Prince. Rookie raves G Rodney Stuckey The Pistons' first-round pick made most of his baskets by driving inside for lay-ups. He led Detroit with 15 points.

Chauncey Billups’ first preseason game came a decade ago. But 10 years isn’t long enough to erase that milestone memory.

It's easy to be optimistic about nearly anything before the long NBA season. Then there's Piston small forward Jarvis Hayes, who is taking that to a whole new level.

DALLAS — Darvin Ham has won an NBA championship ring in Detroit and busted a backboard in college at Texas Tech. But for the last couple of years, his only claim to fame has been as a television analyst.

It would have been easy for Nazr Mohammed to check out last season. When the Pistons signed Chris Webber in January, Mohammed's role went from starting to sitting. After briefly displaying anger at his demotion, Mohammed turned his focus to being the best teammate possible.

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue defensive end Cliff Avril could miss Saturday’s game at Michigan with a right knee strain.

When he was hired six months ago, Michigan basketball coach John Beilein made no guarantees. He gave credit to outgoing coach Tommy Amaker, but said he was here to take the Wolverines to the next level. Apparently he'll be doing it his way.

Head coach: John Beilein. Associate head coach: Jerry Dunn. Assistant coaches: Mike Jackson, John Mahoney. No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Elig. Hometown 24 Ron Coleman G-F 6-6 210 Sr. Romulus 32 Zack Gibson F 6-10 220 So.

Free Press sports writer Shannon Shelton ranks the teams at the midway point:

EAST LANSING -- Six games into the 2007 season, Javon Ringer is more than halfway to his goal of becoming Michigan State's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2001.

BLOOMINGTON — When Indiana coach Bill Lynch was asked about the last Hoosiers team to post a winning record, the one on which he was an assistant in 1994, he talked about the players and the chemistry it had while avoiding any comparisons to the 2007 team.

The Black Coaches and Administrators association gave Michigan State a perfect score for its efforts to interview minorities for its football coaching position last fall and its inclusion of people of color on its search committee.

Free Press sports writer Shannon Shelton ranks the teams at the midway point:

Alabama's pursuit of Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban after last season drew national attention to the football program, especially after Saban was signed for $4 million a year. But the process that resulted in his hiring did not impress the Black Coaches and Administrators.

It has been a strange season for Big Ten football.

The United States manufacturing sector should continue its current growth trajectory in the near term, according to a recent survey of industry executives.

Donnelly Penman & Partners named C. Kirk Haggarty to president and managing partner of the firm.

Tiger Stadium memorabilia are going, going ... almost gone. Fans have until 11 a.m. Saturday to bid on more than 700 items from the historic ballpark, which is slated for demolition. The items for sale include World Series banners, players' lockers, dugout benches and section and exit signs.

Michigan's foreclosure filings fell by 8.5% in September, but the state remains in the top 10 nationwide, according to data to be released today by RealtyTrac Inc.

The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 is easily the best small sport sedan the world's most revered luxury brand has ever built. It's a tribute to how stunningly good today's sport sedans are that that's not enough to make the C-class the preemptive first choice in its class.

Northwest Airlines said Wednesday it does not expect a delay in the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to affect operations. Boeing Co. is postponing deliveries of the newly developed aircraft by six months until late 2008 due to parts shortages, the company said Wednesday.

The UAW ratified its landmark contract with General Motors Corp. on Wednesday, marking a radical departure in labor relations and providing GM with much of the competitive edge it says it needs to be profitable in its home market. Union assembly workers approved the deal at a rate of 66%, while 66% of skilled trades workers approved it, the UAW reported in a statement.

Chrysler LLC and the UAW, after a 6- 1/2 hour strike involving 34,000 workers, reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract Wednesday, dramatically easing tensions throughout a U.S. auto industry bracing for the impact of a second major work stoppage against a Detroit carmaker in 2 1/2 weeks.

Attention now turns to Ford Motor Co. The Dearborn automaker is widely regarded as Detroit's most troubled automaker and the least capable of absorbing a strike.

Hundreds of workers, many dressed in UAW-emblazoned jackets, T-shirts and ball caps, streamed out of a long row of metal doors at the Warren Stamping plant just after 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The six-speed automatic transmission in the 2008 Cadillac CTS is the latest in a line of gearboxes General Motors sells to another luxury automaker.

Most of the work on this car was done by my friends and me. I bought it on Sept. 13, 2002, when I was only 19 years old. I come from a long line of Ford lovers and employees, so to choose a Ford Mustang was a fairly easy choice.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick plans to officially unveil one of four new career centers today aimed at helping unemployed workers and people on public assistance find jobs in health care, retail, hospitality and other fields.

Electrical workers belonging to the Utility Workers Union of America Local 223 have rejected a tentative contract offer from DTE Energy. Officials of Local 223, which represents more than 4,000 DTE employees, said the electric contract was rejected Oct. 5 by 1,099 to 949. The gas contract was ratified by a vote of 274 to 160.

The Detroit Casino Council voted Wednesday to authorize a strike against the three Detroit casinos should it and the casinos fail to reach an agreement by Oct. 16, the day the current labor contract expires. The council, made up of the UAW, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, International Union of Operating Engineers, Teamsters and Carpenters, represents about 6,100 workers at the city's three casinos.

The Papa Romano’s Pizza and Mr. Pita restaurant chains are merging operations in metropolitan Detroit.

SEMCO Energy said Cap Rock Holding Corp. received final regulatory approval from Alaska to purchase the Michigan-based utility by the end of the year.

The Utility Workers Union of America Local 223 said its members rejected a tentative contract offer on the electric side of the business from DTE Energy and are considering two options on how to proceed, according to a posting on the union local’s Web site.

TiVo Inc. is introducing music to its mix of entertainment services, offering owners of the company's digital video recorders access through their TVs to RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody music service.

This morning, your bowl of cereal and milk probably cost you 49 cents. Last year, it was 44 cents. By next year, it could be 56 cents. It's enough to make you cry in your cornflakes.

A consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland PLC won the battle for ABN Amro Holding NV on Monday, as the largest takeover in the financial industry -- $99.6 billion -- came closer to completion. The RBS consortium said 86% of shares in the Dutch bank had been tendered under terms of its bid of 70.5 billion euros.

WASHINGTON -- The nation's employment health -- it turns out -- is not dangerously deteriorating after all. Tweaking a phrase from Mark Twain, worries about the job market's demise were greatly exaggerated.

The AFL-CIO has expressed concerns with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that board members at General Motors Corp. and 20 other large U.S. firms unethically influenced the companies' health care decisions.

DOW NASDAQ Friday *91.70 *46.75 Close 14,066.01 2780.32 The week *170.38 *78.

At the huge CEATEC 2007 electronics show that just wrapped up in Japan, Sony's new robotic music player called the Rolly was being touted as serious competition for the iPod. Mike has video.

The high-tech scramble to connect our cars to the Internet isn't focused just on getting the latest MP3 for your iPod anymore. It's about saving your life.

Over the course of a year, a Canadian blogger swapped his way from one red paper clip to a two-story farmhouse in Saskatchewan.

Overwhelmed by e-mail? Some professionals are fighting back by declaring e-mail-free Fridays — or by deleting their entire in-box.

For $15, an annoying gizmo called the Drive Alert Master does right now what a whole bunch of big-time auto suppliers are hoping to do - someday - with very sophisticated and costly on-board safety technology. Mike has a video review.

Matthew Dear is a man of multiple musical identities, a secret agent or superhero, if you will, who changes costume from Audion (straight-up techno house very well known in the electronic music world) to False (still techno but "more subversive and dark," as Dear says) to the little-used moniker Jabberjaw (more housey, uplifting beats).

"So how's my buddy Dan John Miller?" is the first question Joaquin Phoenix has when he remembers his interviewer is from Detroit. Miller, the leader of the Detroit country-noir band Blanche was Phoenix's bass player in 2005's "Walk the Line," playing Luther Perkins to Phoenix's Cash.

From the program description, you might think that "Shelter" is all about hot guys in wet suits. But look deeper at this opening night selection at the Reel Pride Michigan Film Festival and you'll find a thoughtful, well-made drama.

There's something about a reunion of Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers that audiences didn't want to see.

LOS ANGELES -- Lindsay Lohan has checked out of a drug and alcohol treatment program in Utah that she entered in August, according to People magazine.

“Feel the Noise” is a reach-for-your-dreams urban musical drama in the tradition of “Step Up” and “You Got Served.

The United States has been steadily shrinking, at least in the movies. With the exception of the occasional Western, nearly all we see of our country is its shadowy urbanity -- New York, Boston, Los Angeles and the mean corridors of Washington, D.C. -- or a suburbia fraught with emotionally damaged families and lost children.

If Leonard Slatkin's concerts at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in July foreshadow his tenure as music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, then destiny is on the side of the home team. His gifts appeared on and off the podium.

In an unassuming brick building in Dearborn Heights, there's a recording studio where you might find rising or established artists in pop, country, rap or jazz. Bob Seger, Eminem and Anita Baker have been here. So have Beyonce and Ruben Studdard.

It's business 101: The key to success is finding a void in the market and filling it. By that standard, you can call Kid Rock one of the shrewdest musical entrepreneurs of our age.

They got their maestro. He got his orchestra. And Detroit has a new musical leader, whose reputation stretches from the American heartland to the music capitals of Europe and the Far East.

They got their maestro. He got his orchestra. And Detroit has a new musical leader, whose reputation stretches from the American heartland to the music capitals of Europe and the Far East.

If you asked jazz musicians, critics and aficionados to name the greatest living jazz improviser, the overwhelming favorite would surely be tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

"Cavemen" (8 p.m., WXYZ-TV, Channel 7, ABC). The producers must have been living in a cave when they wrote this inept, misfiring social satire. Instead of going for it with a walk on the smart, edgy wild side of contemporary comedy, the hairy, ho-hum "Cavemen" premiered last week with the merely tame, lame stories of cultural minority Cro Mags Joel (Bill English), brother Andy (Sam Huntington) and their sarcastic pal Nick (Nick Kroll).

Chris Matthews arrived Monday morning in Detroit with preparation for today's Republican presidential debate in Dearborn on his mind. "I always like to ask questions I figure everybody else wants to ask," said Matthews, who's co-moderating the debate with CNBC's Mario Bartiromo.

"Chuck" (8 p.m., WDIV-TV, Local 4, NBC). Got them work-life, split attention-span blues. New spy guy Chuck Bartkowski's (Zachary Levi) having trouble juggling the demands of his two careers. He's bucking for a promotion to assistant manager at Buy More while carrying out an undercover espionage mission to learn the tango. Say what? Just dance along with this witty fall season fantasy caper, all will be explained.

Lions and cheetahs and rhinos, oh my! Never mind. Despite its exotic South African location, "Life Is Wild" is hunkered down in the middle of the road, a slickly conventional entertainment.

MONDAY: Kid Rock, Letterman; The Shins, Leno

E-mailed by Kathee Sherrill, Davisburg: "That's it. I think I'm done with 'Grey's Anatomy.' Izzie and George are not my favorite characters, but they are even less favored together. It's just not right.

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — Several hospital staffers have been suspended for allegedly peeking at George Clooney’s confidential medical information after he was hurt in a motorcycle accident last month.

Isn't this a repeat of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire"? NBC's prime-time game show "Deal or No Deal" is headed to daily syndication, and host Howie Mandel will tag along for the ride.

Fifteen Michiganders — including a 7-year old girl from Milan and a 62-year old man from Brighton— have won a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter series.

Reflect upon the following, if you will. Syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh (noon-3 p.m. weekdays, WJR-AM, 760) makes $2 million to $3 million -- a month.

In between two Saturday night shows where she stars as a magician's assistant, former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson wed Rick Salomon, according to published reports. Anderson, 40, wore a white denim Valentino dress, according to a report on People magazine's Web site.

Some glamorous helping hands are coming our way Friday for the 8th annual Celebrate the Child fund-raising gala at Birmingham's Townsend Hotel.