Sharp, as we know, is a tool.

You have to love the Writer that rarelycovers the Wings, and when he does, displays a complete lack of understanding what in the hell he is writing about.

Tool, yes; Fool, most definitely:

But the Wings missed an opportunity Tuesday, considering the asking price for some of the guys moved. The Wings should have done more than merely securing Stuart.

Sharp must have missed what the Pens paid the A.T.L. for Hossa, who is guaranteed only to play for them until the end of the season.

He must have also missed the fact that Kenny wouldn’t risk mortgaging his future, nor the fact that he rightly recognizes the majority of the Wings’ scoring woes are the result of their top 4 “D” being on the injured list.

You’d think Sharp (what an oxymoron that is) would at least take the time to do a little research on his topic before he eats his keyboard.  How much effort would it take to check some “beat writers” take on the subject, or perhaps ask Holland his thoughts?

Lazy is what it is.  Lazy and full of hubris!!

Fool, Tool, Moron!

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 02/27/08 at 12:54 PM ET

Just finished reading the paper and came to the site to see if you had a response to Drew’s article….

Exactly what I expected. Drew Sharp is a J-O-K-E!!

Posted by BP29er from Livonia on 02/27/08 at 01:02 PM ET

I honestly can’t believe people read the drivel that Drew writes.  He is the Matt Millen of sportswriters.

Posted by Dave on 02/27/08 at 01:15 PM ET

Personally I think the biggest mistake Holland made was not offering any team in the league a first and second round pick in exchange for also having to take Lilja. 

I would have even thrown in a Zamboni and a Little Ceasar’s coupon booklet.

Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 02/27/08 at 01:32 PM ET

I love the random Pistons reference:

The Pistons are better equipped for a longer playoff run than the Wings primarily because the better teams more often endure a best-of-seven series in the NBA. It’s often the hottest team with a goalie spitting flames that advances through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Uh, what does that have to do with anything?

Oh, and then to cover his butt, he slips in this little sentence at the end:

Holland’s reluctance Tuesday might prove the correct decision.

Wow.  After an entire article blasting Kenny he basically says “well, I guess it actually might be a good move.”

Posted by BuzzFledderjohn on 02/27/08 at 01:34 PM ET

Is Drew Sharp the one that Al at The Wayne Fontes Experience refers to as “the functionally retarded one”?  I get them all mixed up.

Whenever I read these guys, it makes my fingers itch to pick up a red pen and correct their work.

Except I’d wind up with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/27/08 at 01:39 PM ET

Drew Sharp has as much knowledge of the NHL as Barry Melrose does of NASCAR:  N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!!

How that cross-eyed, thumb-twiddling, nose-picking, fourth-grade writing, butt-sniffing, wannabe-controversial-but-miserably-failing, what-about-me, whining pissant of a writer still has a job?

Neal Shine?  Get back with us on that, will you?

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/27/08 at 01:40 PM ET

Now what was that phrase so beloved of Baroque in the days leading up to the deadline?

yesterday’s winner could develop a strong sense of buyer’s remorse

Oh yes.  That’s it.  Thanks Eric.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the black market for players, prospects, and picks on 02/27/08 at 01:43 PM ET

Drew Sharp has as much knowledge of the NHL as Barry Melrose does of NASCAR

SYF: Boy, are you implying what I think you’re implying?  That Barry Melrose has knowledge of the NHL?

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from too far away to kiss anyone's ass on 02/27/08 at 01:46 PM ET

LOL!  Slightly more than Drew Sharp.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/27/08 at 01:49 PM ET

Barry Melrose does of NASCAR?

Could be a reality show….you may be on to something!

Agree with Gabriel on the Lilja matter, except I would keep the Zamboni and double down on the coupon book.

Posted by Rumbear from Sandy Eggo on 02/27/08 at 01:56 PM ET

Just thought I would add these comments from Kevin Allen, on his discussions with Ken Holland; on WDFN radio Tuesday (reprinted in the FREEP):

Dallas made some nice moves – getting Brad Richards. San Jose made some moves. Did the Wings keep up with the Joneses?

I think it’s fair to wonder that. I put that question to Ken Holland, and his responses was logical, he said, ‘Hey the West is tough. And no matter what happened today, it was tough and it’s going to be tougher now.’ He likes his team when it’s healthy. That’s the ultimate decision they made with Fedorov, they felt their forwards would be fine if they were healthy. With Brad Richards in Dallas, even with an improved San Jose team with (All-Star defenseman Brian) Campbell, you don’t know what the injuries are going to be. If you’re confident with your lineup as they were when it’s healthy, then why risk your future? Ken Holland has said for two or three weeks, he believes he’s looking at a team capable of being be a prime contender for a minimum of three years. And he didn’t want to disrupt that. He wanted to compete now for the Cup and still keep the team intact so he can compete for the next three years, and I think he did that.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 02/27/08 at 02:07 PM ET

Okie, as an A2Y reader you would have maintained a helluva lot more credibility with the rest of us if you’d claimed you talked to Holland yourself, then cut and pasted that transcript of “your conversation.” 

I’m just sayin’.

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 02/27/08 at 02:11 PM ET

I think that’s a very astute move.  With the standings as tight as they are, there isn’t any way to add a single component and be a slam-dunk - and it’s a fool’s gambit to try and plan for a flash in the pan run once every few years.  The only way to maximize chances of winning a Cup is to be competitive enough to be in the playoffs year after year.

That’s one of the things that annoys me about the “oh, you didn’t win a Cup every year, you just make it into the playoffs” morons.  Is it better to make the playoffs every year and at least have a chance to win, or better to make the playoffs every once in a while, be lousy the other years, and hope that everything falls your way the few years that you do get lucky?

(Sometimes I do daydream about what it would be like if the team played in the Eastern conference, though.  Might be an easier path - I’d certainly be able to watch more games because they wouldn’t start so late.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/27/08 at 02:16 PM ET

Chief—I’ve got to protect my sources your know!!!

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 02/27/08 at 02:18 PM ET

Sharpe’s just like the rest of the Detroit media, they’re clueless about the sport and even more clueless about it’s inner workings. 1270 was talking about it yesterday and Foster said the same thing, that the Wings didn’t get a top 6 man so it was a failed deadline. Stoney said Hal Gill would’ve been better (wtf?).

For the idiots like Sharp who only pay attention to the Red Wings when it suits their best interest, they’ve become spoiled of the fact that the Wings have usually made big deadline moves.

The deal is very smart and I’m glad Eric picked up on it, it’ll make the Wings that much deeper when the playoffs start, and more importantly it’ll kick either Lebda or Lilja out of the top 6. Meech has shown that he can play very well at the NHL level, so he’s your #7 guy, either put Lebda at forward or give him his walking papers.

Posted by Jeremy from Bowling Green, OH on 02/27/08 at 02:51 PM ET

The only way to maximize chances of winning a Cup is to be competitive enough to be in the playoffs year after year.

Exactly!  I’m tired of the only-playoffs-matter BS that we hear all the time.  Sure I want them to do well in the playoffs.  But, you know what?  I like watching them win during the season, too.  Like it a whole lot, in fact.

Posted by BobTheZee on 02/27/08 at 02:51 PM ET

I am starting to think, as far as journalists go, that no one knows what’s going on with this team.  I am beginning to think that outside of the organ-I-zation, that the fans know what’s best for this team, at least most fans, most of the time.  I really don’t see anything wrong with our deadline acquisitions, or lack thereof.  I think Stuart was a great pickup.  Roughly the same size as Lilja, who sucks by the way, in my opinion, but that’s for another post I guess.  Stuart can and hopefully will, play the point on PP unit #2, cuz I can’t stand to see Sammy out there anymore giving up the puck at the blue or passing it to nobody (except for setting up Pavel’s goal last night.  Credit where it’s deserved).  Stuart will hit, just like in the clips FSN was showing last night.  And getting him for just picks?  Great strategy.  I think we’ll re-sign him this summer as well.  I would do that and let Lilja go to make way for a Griffin to be our #7, whether it be Meech or Ericsson.  I know #52 looked silly on Sanderson’s goal, but made up for it with his own, and bounced back well with his play later in the game.

Posted by Chris, reader #19 from Columbia, Tennessee on 02/27/08 at 02:53 PM ET

I know #52 looked silly on Sanderson’s goal, but made up for it with his own, and bounced back well with his play later in the game.

He has a reason for making rookie mistakes, though - Ericsson is a rookie.

It’s when someone who has been in the league for years makes rookie mistakes that it’s a serious problem.

1270 was talking about it yesterday and Foster said the same thing, that the Wings didn’t get a top 6 man so it was a failed deadline.

Ross McKeon on Yahoo said something similar in his “report card” for all the teams.

Dallas got an A+ for Richards because he was the best player available.

Detroit got a D for not picking up a forward.

Boston got an F for doing nothing - the same Bruins team that was told directly that nothing was done because the organization believed in the team and thought they had grown together well enough to compete as constituted, and then they went out and smacked Ottawa 4-0.

It’s not always about what was done - it’s what was done with respect to what was needed.

(And of course, if the defense wasn’t decimated and Detroit had won eight of their last ten instead of one, there would still be people upset because they didn’t make a splash.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/27/08 at 03:14 PM ET

“He has a reason for making rookie mistakes, though - Ericsson is a rookie.

It’s when someone who has been in the league for years makes rookie mistakes that it’s a serious problem.”

That’s exactly what I was trying to say, Baroque.  I couldn’t agree with you more.  I think that may be the reason people are getting sick and tired of the same crap from Lilja.  That’s why I’m tired of it, anyway.  No matter what Lilja does, he never seems to learn.  I know I’m busting on Lilja a lot here, but I don’t think it’s without merit.

Posted by Chris, reader #19 from Columbia, Tennessee on 02/27/08 at 03:21 PM ET

I love the random Pistons reference:

<blockquote>Pistons are better equipped for a longer playoff run than the Wings primarily because the better teams more often endure a best-of-seven series in the NBA. It’s often the hottest team with a goalie spitting flames that advances through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Uh, what does that have to do with anything?</blockquote>

Oh, Buzz…He does that because Sharp Doesn’t Actually Watch Any Wings Games (SDAWAWG, that could be an addition to the Abel to Yzerman dictionary with a little tweaking, Bill…)

Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/27/08 at 04:16 PM ET

haha, stole this from the detroit news blog but it is funny!!

Posted by christpuncher from Detroit, MI on 02/27/08 at 06:39 PM ET

It’s not always about what was done - it’s what was done with respect to what was needed.

This is the same issue I have with people who aren’t proven pro scouts criticizing an individual team’s drafting.  Very often it comes down to the organization working to a team design and strategy, identifying what is needed, and filling holes accordingly—it does NOT mean picking whomever appears (note that ‘appears’) to be the ‘best’ player still available when their pick is up.  From there it’s all about development because, let’s face it, the draft is less like a controlled lab study and more like penicillin mold on the bread in the cupboard.

No matter what Lilja does, he never seems to learn.

Agreed.  Talk all you want about his physical play, his shot-blocking and PK experience, but the fact is at the end of it he’s supposed to be a defensive defenseman—when he keeps making defensive mistakes that others learn from seven NHL seasons, he’s not even doing that anymore and should be run out of town with torches and pitchforks.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the superstitious village below the castle on 02/28/08 at 03:31 AM ET

torches and pitchforks. that is so funny, and so right on the money. lilja is that bad.

Posted by kate from pa. on 02/28/08 at 09:39 PM ET

I guess what I’m saying is that if he’s not going to take the good aspects of being Dr. Frankestein’s monster—the physicality, the brutality, acting like his body is cobbled together from spare parts and can be easily patched together again, and so on—and is only going to take the bad aspects of being Dr. Frankenstein’s monster—the boneheadedness, the blank stare after a bad play, the bolts in his neck—then maybe we, as suspicious villagers, should take up arms and run him out of Castle Holland.  And get Dracula, or better yet, a hulking great werewolf, to replace him.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from a gothic place of horror and revulsion...my house on 02/29/08 at 03:23 AM ET