Weekend Roundup

There's been a decent amount of activity on all Detroit sporting fronts recently. Here's a quick rundown on the weekend's biggest news:

• The Tigers had five players selected for next week's All-Star Game in San Francisco. Pudge Rodriguez, Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez were voted in as starters, while Justin Verlander and Carlos Guillen were also selected. Jeremy Bonderman also has a chance to participate if he is voted in from the American League "Final Vote".
• Speaking of Bonderman, he threw eight shutout innings last night to lead the Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Marcus Thames hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to break a scoreless tie and gain the victory for Bonderman, who is now 9-1 on the season.
• The Tigers also traded for some bullpen help over the weekend, acquiring Brewers righty Jose Capellan in exchange for single-A pitcher Chris Cody. Capellan boasts a 4.50 ERA in only 12 IP so far this season.
  
• The Red Wings signed New Jersey defenseman (and Dearborn native) Brian Rafalski to a five-year, $30 million contract the same day they lost veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider to the Anaheim Ducks. Rafalski is a three-time All-Star who is known for his skating ability and skill with the puck, and should fit in well on Detroit's back line and first power play unit.
• Yesterday was a huge day for Michigan football recruiting. Tuscola (Ill.) quarterback John Wienke, a three-star prospect who will compete in the Elite 11 quarterback camp, committed Sunday afternoon after a strong showing at Michigan's summer camp two weeks ago. Wienke, a 6'5", 215 pound lefty, is rated the #17 pro-style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.
• The big recruiting news came late last night, however, when Fort Bend (Texas) Dulles wide receiver Darryl Stonum announced his commitment to Michigan. Stonum is a highly regarded four-star prospect and ranked as the #54 overall player in the country by Rivals. It was also announced that Stonum will be the first Michigan player to wear the #1 jersey since Braylon Edwards moved on to the NFL in 2005.
• While the Pistons are still trying to sign Grant Hill to back up Tayshaun Prince, new rumors also have Detroit going after former Michigan State star and current Toronto Raptor Morris Peterson. Peterson averaged 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game last season.
• It also appears that, with the selections of Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo in the first round of last Thusday's NBA Draft, Lindsey Hunter and Flip Murray are unlikely to be suiting up for the Pistons next season. Hunter will probably retire and take a position in Detroit's front office, while Murray will most likely be dealt to another team.

Certainly a newsworthy and exciting weekend for the Detroit sports scene. The commitment of Stonum is certainly great news, and has me excited for the prospects of this year's recruiting class. Hopefully, the rumblings that Cy-Fair (Texas) RB Sam McGuffie (he of the linebacker hurdle) may commit in the near future hold true. Also, don't forget to vote for Jeremy Bonderman for the last spot on the AL All-Star team!