A few of our favorite (Lions) sites

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, May 29, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Detroit Lions
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Unless you’re Buzz Bissinger and/or living in Michigan, you’re simply going to have to go online to get a fix on the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, the NFL’s smallest bandwagon reflects its size in cyberspace as well; as Bissinger was reminded on his infamous performance piece hosted by Bob Costas, maintaining a good blog is hard work. And with an unpopular team like the Lions as subject of the labor of love, these reliable writers deserve their props amid the, um, not-so-healthy Lion-centered bit of the blogosphere.

PrideOfDetroit.com. Hardcore Michigan sports fan Sean Yuille updates his Web site just about every day, with substantial posts on the Lions. In lieu of a prose post, Yuille compiles nice lists of news roundups from more mainstream reportage. Admirably if a bit quixotically, Yuille is currently breaking down Detroit’s 2008 schedule game by game. On second thought, perhaps this isn’t so futile on the Lions’ end as the team could essentially submit its 53-man roster and starting lineups today.

FireMillen.com. Have you ever been on either side of this conversation?

Optimist: You’re a pessimist.
Pessimist: I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.

A million times, right? Well, in a nation of a million realistic Lions fans, Seattle Lion Fan is that rarest of all breeds: The optimistic realist. As the editor/writer of a Web site which is by nature supposed to enjoy a hateful mayfly-like timespan yet frustratingly evades death, you’d have to be. FireMillen.com was established in November 2005 with the Spartan stated mission, “This website is dedicated to the Detroit Lions and the future hopeful firing of Matt Millen.” While FireMillen.com has grown enough to include a paraphernalia shop, the vitriol onsite is relatively low, Seattle Lion still manages to believe in his team, and the writer remains the realistic optimist.

What do I mean? Check out charitable stuff like “Millen’s Best Draft?” in which ol’ SLF ultimately proclaims that “All in all, I would have to rate the 2008 as Millen’s best yet with the Lions. Why? On paper, it looked as though the Lions drafted for players they need, not what was the best available.”

Now that’s a guy who should be Lions general manager.

New to the FireMillen.com team – it’s a team now, that is – is Beamo, who officially kicked off his stint as contributor on Wednesday. Good luck, Beamo! Keep things on the bright side over there.

The Curse of Bobby Layne.com. Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the infamous curse that’s on the cusp of discovery by the mainstream, but didn’t know to whom to turn. Hopefully the anonymous author of this one will find more time in the near future, as Layne’s words of woe end this year. Wait ‘til someone like Woody Paige puts this story into the public consciousness.

Curse is a visitable shrine to the man of whom Doak Walker said “never lost a football game,” who “just ran out of time.” Layne’s stats, bio and some sweet bubblegum card reproductions are here, and “The Rules of the Curse” should probably be required reading (and YouTubing) for Lions fans. The stat pages and almanac-type info is very good, but is updated sporadically: The win-loss breakdown of the Lions vs. each team is as of 2005, while a listing of Lions’ draft picks ends with Calvin Johnson. A few tweaks and these pages would be seamless; a necessity for a site that’ll soon be seeing lots of new visitors.

Have fun surfing, everyone, and if you come across any other worthy sites devoted to that most infuriatingly fascinating of teams, the Detroit Lions, please send them my way.

Fire Millen.

Surfing, ever surfing, throughout the year at RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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