Ah, the holiday season.

The time of excruciatingly-cold temps and expanded waistlines.

It’s amazing that so many people shop during the other 11 months on the calendar, yet this is the only time of year a 73-year-old woman will wield a machete if someone attempts to take the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots she wants to buy her grandson for Christmas.

This is the time to reflect on the things — good and bad — this year has brought us, and it’s a good idea to do that with family.

I love this time of year. There’s two days — Thanksgiving and Christmas — where you can eat like Joey Chestnut and nobody asks if you have a tapeworm or assumes you’re depressed.

It’s also one of the few times of year that families get together just to have some fun, reminisce and laugh at things they did in the past. Oddly enough, the only other time this happens on a regular basis is at funerals.

I know people who look at this time of year like it’s the worst thing ever. I’ve never looked at it like that because as people get older, things change. You spend less time with your family (Mother, Father, etc.) because you’re trying to start your own. I cherish this time of year, for no other reason than I get to bother the hell out of my aunts and cousins.

I would put my Mom in that category, but she gets it all the time. I'm not sure, but I could be the only person I know who tells his mother she's, um, "smuggling raisins" when it's cold in her house. Sometimes she deserves it. Once she told me Barry Sanders was a linebacker. She had a thing for Dontrelle Willis, too, but couldn't even tell me what position he played. I didn't expect her to know, though. The only thing she knows about pitchers is that you fill them with lemonade.

People always say they’re going to take more time out of their schedules to spend with family, but these days, that’s almost impossible, what with hectic work schedules and everything else. So this 30-some odd day period — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day — should be reserved for catching up with relatives.

I think I’m pretty good about making sure I allocate time for my family, whether it’s through a phone call, e-mail, or text message. Modern technology has pretty much taken away any excuse anyone has for not keeping in touch with friends and family, so it’s pretty much unacceptable to not take a couple seconds and call someone to talk.

I know it’s cliché, but we all need to learn to cherish the people we say we care about because they could be gone in the blink of an eye.

So enjoy the holidays with your folks.

And watch out for little old lady's in the malls.

This Sunday, during a game NOBODY will see, the 1-8 Detroit Lions will unveil a "Pride of the Lions'' during halftime of the team's game against the 1-8 Cleveland Browns.

Twelve former Lions will be honored during the ceremony, and their names, numbers and years played will be displayed in a portion of Ford Field. All 12 members are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I didn't even know the Lions had 12 "great" players. The Lions are as deserving of something like this as Carl Lewis and Roseanne were of standing ovations after their renditions of our National Anthem.

Why didn't they switch it up and do a Ring of Shame? There's enough names for that list to fill a five-foot high stack of phone books.

Terry Fair (taken one spot ahead of Randy Moss in 1998). Andre Ware. Charles Rogers. Joey Harrington.

You know how bad it is? When you think of great Lions, you always hear the same three or four names: Barry, Bobby Layne, Charlie Sanders, Herman Moore. But there's enough awful former players and execs to fill a couple 53-man rosters.

Dan Orlovsky. Mike Williams. Brian Calhoun. Scott Mitchell. Everybody on the roster of the 1942 team that went 0-11 and scored 38 points the entire season.

This Ring of Horror isn't just reserved for players. Nope. Coaches and front office personnel have spots, too.

Former coach Alvin McMillin, who was hired in 1948 and led the team to a .333 win percentage in his tenure.

Former GM Matt Millen, who, over a little more than a seven-year stretch, ran a football team about as good as a paraplegic would fly a space shuttle. The team was 31-97 under Millen. They went 8-50 on the road. From 2001 to 2007, Millen was responsible for the drafting 53 players. Five are still with the team.

Rod Marinelli: a head coach who was in way over his head and who oversaw the first 0-16 team in NFL history.

None of them compares to owner Bill Ford Sr. Forty-three years ago Sunday, Ford purchased the team for $4.5 million. It's worth about $800 million today. That's about $799,999,999.67 too much. In that $800 million somewhere lies one playoff win since 1957.

So what are they honoring again?

For the second season in a row, Orlando Magic all-star starting point guard Jameer Nelson will miss extensive time with an injury.

After being sidelined with a shoulder injury for most of the second half of the regular season and a large part of the 2009 playoffs, Nelson this season will be out 4-6 weeks after suffering a knee injury Monday in the Magic's six-point win over Charlotte.

Last season, Orlando went out and dealt for Rafer Alston, who played solid ball in Nelson's absence. Nelson's injury this season again leaves Orlando with little depth at the point. Jason "White Chocolate" Williams will be Orlando's starting point guard. He'll be backed up by 35-year-old, career backup Anthony Johnson. That's not good when you're starting point guard looks like he just got done doing a 4-year bid. It's even worse when his backup looks like one of the frequent guests on the Howard Stern Show.

There's an option out there for Orlando, though. He's got a lot of mileage on his odometer. He's a bit of a malcontent (that's an understatement). But he's also one of the best scorers in league history, along with being one of the toughest players in league history.

Orlando should take a good long look at signing newly-cut Allen Iverson. Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways Monday after the man with the sixth-highest scoring average in league history (27 ppg) played 3 games with Memphis. Reports surfaced that Iverson wasn't happy with his role with the Grizzlies, as he was set to play backup to third-year guard Mike Conley.

His unhappiness is his own fault, as Iverson in the last two seasons has refused to realize he's on his last legs. At his size (6-feet tall, a buck 165 soaking wet), it's a wonder he's been able to play at a high level for so long. But you'd figure that at this point in his career, Iverson would be interested in one of two things: mentoring a young guard and/or winning a title.

He wasn't going to win a title in Memphis, or anywhere for that matter because no other team would touch Iverson knowing his Type-A personality. All summer long, I thought he would suck it up and come off the bench for a San Antonio, Cleveland or L.A. Lakers. Iverson doesn't want that. He wants to be the guy he was in Philly who took 35 shots a game. He's not that guy anymore.

Iverson could work in Orlando, though.

You can get him for the veteran's minimum ($1.8 million). He would basically serve as a stopgap until Nelson returns from his injury, which could sideline Nelson for 14-22 games. You could cut bait with Iverson once Nelson comes back. Or Magic GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy could make him an offer.

You know how when someone first gets a job, they have a 90-day probationary period? That'd be what AI gets until Nelson gets back into game shape. If he acts right, keep him on. There's a strong possibility that won't happen, but it's worth a shot. It also helps that it wouldn't cost Orlando that much.

Upon the signing, Magic brass could propose an offer to Iverson. Tell him he's the starter until Nelson gets back. Tell him he'll get his looks, but he needs to understand this isn't Philly circa 2000 and that he can't jack up 30 shots a night. Then tell him he has a spot on the roster once Nelson returns, but that he'll get 20-25 minutes a night backing up both Nelson and shooting guard Vince Carter. If he decides to embrace his sixth man role, he would be able to channel a younger Iverson because he would be the best player in that second unit.

Lastly, and this SHOULD be what seals the deal, explain to him the team has designs on winning a title and that they'd love for him to be a part of that as long as he understands his role. If Iverson doesn't like that, he's done. If he doesn't want a role on what would easily be the best team he's been a part of, he's done.

And it'll be on him. Nobody else. All that would do is prove everybody right about his "Me-First" outlook. Hopefully Iverson doesn't want that to be his legacy.

The firing of now former New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott earlier this week has done a couple of things: let Hornets players and fans know this year is already a wash, made the country's unemployment rate just a liiiiitle higher, and pissed off the team's franchise player.

All-world point guard Chris Paul (23.8 ppg, 9.2 apg, 1.9 spg so far this season) shortly after Scott was given his walking papers told reporters all the blame can't be placed on Scott. The fifth-year guard also said he isn't pleased with how the situation was handled, saying he felt someone would have at least consulted with him and asked how he felt before the decision was made.

Having a disgruntled star on your team is never a good thing. Rarely do situations like the one unfolding in the N.O. end well. That roster, outside of Paul and forward David West, is kind of like the opposite of a pot of gumbo: a bunch of things thrown together that turned out awful.

The man who built that roster, Hornets GM Jeff Bowers, now has to try and make chicken salad out of chicken (you know what) and I think that team is destined to remain a bunch of (you know what).

That means Paul will have to continue to try and be a basketball version of Jason Bourne, but he'll only be able to do that for so long. Paul recently signed a new deal that will pay him about $45 million over the next three seasons (the deal includes a player option for a fourth year). His is a deal any team in the NBA would be willing to take on, even in the state of the league's economy.

But there aren't that many teams that are realistic options for Paul. In any deal, the Hornets would obviously want to receive pieces in return that would keep the team viable. There are some deals out there that would serve as short-term solutions and would work for all parties involved (Paul for Steve Nash straight up comes to mind). But I see very few real options for the Hornets. I say that because other GMs in the league would be calling Bowers and Bowers would be the one holding all the cards.

Paul and Peja Stojakovic to Orlando for Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis
The money matches up just about right, which is important in NBA deals. Both teams would be dealing more than $26 million in salary. Stojakovic and his two years and around $29 million are basically a throw-in in this deal, which amounts to trading all-star point guard for all-star point guard. Nelson was an all-star last season, but missed part of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. So far this season, in 29 minutes a game, Nelson is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 assists. Lewis (currently serving a 10-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug) was arguably Orlando's best player in the NBA Finals and is versatile enough to play both forward spots. Lewis is also coming off a season where he put in around 18 points and 6 board a night. In this deal, New Orleans would be getting two players who are relatively young and who can make big contributions. Orlando would be pairing one player who is the best at his position - center Dwight Howard - with another - Paul. Losing the scoring punch Lewis provides would normally be a blow to any team, except Orlando in the off-season added Vince Carter, who's averaging 18 a game this season and has averaged 23.5 over his 12-year career.

Paul and Hilton Armstrong to Detroit for Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell
The return of Isiah Thomas. Paul would be exactly what Detroit needs: someone to ignite the team's fastbreak offense, which is obviously what the team is looking to do going forward. Armstrong, with one year left on a $2.8 million deal, is basically a throw-in to make the contracts match. On the Detroit side, The Rodney Stuckey as a Starting Point Guard Experiment is heading nowhere fast. Sure, he leads the team in assists at 4.1/game, but backup point guard Will Bynum has the same total in 12 less minutes a night. So far, that has added up to the Pistons being last in the league in assists/game at 15.9. All the teams at the top of that category are either really good, or they run an uptempo offense. Right now, Detroit is trying to be the latter. Imagine Paul on the floor running and gunning with Ben Gordon (who has been a revelation so far this season, pouring in 23.8 points a night on .492 percent from the field), Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva. Paul might be the only man in the league would could possibly make Kwame Brown look good, too. As far as Prince, Stuckey and Maxiell go, they could bring some toughness and hard work to a roster that looks lethargic right now.

There are other possible deals for Paul, but they wouldn't benefit the Hornets at all and some of them would put Paul in the same position he's currently in.

So Otis Smith and Joe Dumars, if you're smart, pick up a phone.

Let people around here tell it, Pistons small forward Tayshaun Prince, if traded, could get you a more than serviceable big man.

That's about as accurate a statement as this: "Oh, no! White Castle doesn't give you bubble guts at all!"

Pistons fans and pundits have been pining for a big man who commands a double team since Bob Lanier left town. They think Prince, who has two years and about $21.5 million left on his contract, can be moved for a big who would allow Detroit to play 5-on-5 on the offensive end instead of the 5-on-4 they've been playing for the better part of a decade.

That talk has gotten stronger since Prince, in his eighth NBA season, all with Detroit, has missed the team's last four games with a ruptured disk in his back, which will keep him sidelined indefinitely. With the drafting of 17 small forwards this past June (OK, it was really three), Prince's injury has given those rookies, most notably Jonas Jerebko and Austin Daye, a chance to earn PT.

Jerebko, the 39th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, has taken Prince's place in the starting line-up up to this point. Jerebko has played 24 minutes a night since Tayshaun went down. His numbers have gotten better with each start. He has also become more comfortable out on the court and more aggressive on offense. Daye has averaged about 14 minutes a game in Detroit's last four. He's shown flashes, as well.

I knew something was up when Pistons GM Joe Dumars drafted three guys who play the same position as Prince (12 points, 5 boards a game in three games this season). Those moves would lead anyone to believe Tayshaun was on the block. Drafting that many players who fit the same mold as Prince would also lead some to think there is a market for Prince, but there isn't. Not for what Dumars will be asking.

The most logical - and most talked about - deal for Prince seems to be a 1-for-1 deal that would bring Central Michigan alum and Grand Rapids native Chris Kaman home to Detroit. The move would allow Prince, from Compton, to go home, as well.

The deal makes sense on the surface. The contracts of the two players are close enough where no other players would have to be added in the deal. Both players would get a new start. Kaman (21.9 points, 9.4 rebounds in 2009-10) has one more year and about $12 million on his contract, but he would just be reaching 30 years old at the end of the deal.

I should have phrased that different. The deal makes sense for the Pistons. Not the Clippers, or any other team Detroit would be looking to deal with.

Kaman is the best center the Clippers have ever had. Him being able to do more than move all his limbs saved jobs after the debacle that was Michael Olowokandi. Kaman's numbers haven't been great. His career averages of 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks don't jump out at you, but he's one of maybe six TRUE centers in the NBA who's a threat to get a double-double every night while commanding a double team.

The Clippers are third-worst franchise in sports (number one plays at Brush and Montcalm downtown and number two is owned by the Cryptkeeper). It's worth a shot because the talk between Dumars and Clippers GM Mike Dunleavy could go something like this:

Dumars: "Hey, Mike. I got a logjam at small forward. Any way I can get Chris Kaman off your hands?"

Dunleavy: "Chris Kaman? Oh, my starting center. Um...he's pretty good. And one more brainfart of a move could cost me my gig."

Dumars: "Yea. I understand that, but we really, really need a big man."

Dunleavy: "I don't know, Joe. We already have Al Thornton and we're not looking to take on anymore money."

Dumars: "Oh, but his deal is up after next season. He's long, a plus defender, gives you scoring, can guard different positions. I think you know him."

Dunleavy: "Do I!!! I'll take him. I didn't even know Scottie Pippen was still around!!!"

Dunleavy isn't even that dumb. You're going to trade a bonafide big man for a guy who isn't even gonna start for you? That's career suicide, especially for somebody like Dunleavy who already isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

There's not that many true bigmen in the league anymore and unless a team is in severe financial trouble, no GM in his right mind would trade his center for a small forward unless that small forward's name is LeBron.

I'm not saying there's nothing you can get for Tayshaun. Can I interest you in Eddy Curry? He works about as hard at his job as the people who work the drive-thru at the Wendy's by my house. How do you feel about Samuel Dalembert. Six points and 6 boards a game...for $12 million/year.

Detroit's best bet is to find a big through the draft. That may take some time, though, because there aren't many great big men coming out in the next couple years. (Really) early mock drafts have the first big man, Kansas center Cole Aldrich, going number 5 to Golden State.

That same mock has the Pistons, at number 12, taking...Ohio State small forward Evan Turner.

Maybe Detroit could be the first squad to field a squad of guys 6'4" to 6'8."

Sports have always served as a distraction for fans.

Watching a football game can, for a little while, make people forget what ails them.

Not around here. Not this fall.

The last couple months have been awful for fans of local teams. I've gotten to the point that I'd rather watch a Maury Povich marathon than watch a football game featuring one of our teams.

The University of Michigan has pulled an MSU: start fast and fade.

The Spartans have performed well below expectations (not mine, though) and will be lucky to play in a bowl game.

And the Lions have been, well, the Lions.

Fast forward to hockey and basketball season, and the Pistons, while they'll be entertaining, likely won't make the playoffs. And the area's one consistently really good franchise, the Red Wings, stumbled out of the gate (tied for second in the Central Division with Chicago, one point behind Columbus) and will be in a fight all year to make hockey's second season.

I know it's extremely early in the game, but if the playoffs started this weekend, fans of the two Detroit teams that have seen the most success in recent years would have to find a second squad to root for because their hometown team would be watching postseason action at Bdubs with the rest of us.

Things could get much better, though, come winter.

The Spartan men's hoops team is ranked second in the nation (behind Kansas, a team MSU beat twice last season) in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. Michigan's hoop squad is ranked 15th in both polls, as the Wolverines will look to build on last season's trip to the Big Dance - their first since 1998.

So there may be some light at the end of this long tunnel, but right now, being a Detroit sports fan is about as fun as watching DVR'd episodes of NOVA on a Saturday night.