After The Majors Awards 2011, we will now unveil The Majors Detroit Sports Awards for 2011. Like most of the The Majors Awards the Detroit version will recognize the best athletes and moments of the year. However unlike the national version, the Detroit version will primarily concentrate on athletes and particular moments within the state.
So without further adieu let’s get to the 2011 winners…
Breakout Player of 2011: Alex Avila (Catcher, Detroit Tigers)
The Tigers’ concerns over the catching position was put to a rest after the season Alex Avila had in 2011. Avila not only was good defensively behind the plate but he was able to produce offensively as well. During the regular season Avila hit .295 with 19 home runs, 82 RBIs and a .389 OBP. He took a beating just about every night but had a remarkable streak of games started.
Honorable Mention: Justin Verlander
Comeback Player of 2011: Matthew Stafford (Quarterback, Detroit Lions)
China Doll, Glassford, we’ve heard all the nick names given to Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford over the past few years. And those nick names probably would’ve been deserving if he missed a significant amount of time this season.
That however wasn’t the case.
This season, Stafford has shown that GM Martin Mayhew made the right pick back in 2009 when he picked him with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
With his 96.6 RAT, 4,518 passing yards and 36 TDs thus far, Stafford finally gives Detroit the franchise QB they’ve been looking for.
Honorable Mention: Miguel Cabrera
Best Rookie of 2011: Greg Monroe (Power Forward, Detroit Pistons)
Pistons GM Joe Dumars finally got some contributions from one of their draft picks when he took power forward Greg Monroe out of Georgia with the 7th overall pick in the 2010.
Even though he wasn’t starting right away, Monroe certainly made his presence felt when he did get the chance. Monroe was .551 from the field and averaged 7.5 rebounds a game. He was also good for a double-double on what seemed to be a nightly basis and provided the Pistons with a good building block.
Honorable Mention: Titus Young
Biggest Detroit Bitch of 2011: Rodney Stuckey (Point Guard, Detroit Pistons)
Bitching, moaning, not listening to the coach and having an ego that greatly outweighed his own game, Pistons PG Rodney Stuckey truly personified the 2010-11 Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately Pistons fans will be stuck with having to deal with this clown for at least another three years.
Honorable Mention: Rip Hamilton
Biggest Detroit Bad Ass: Justin Verlander (Pitcher, Detroit Tigers)
On the summer nights that Tigers ace Justin Verlander was pitching it was a sure bet you were going to see some nasty stuff on the mound. This past season, Justin Verlander not only dominated his competition he flat-out embarrassed them at times. And if he (Verlander) did get into trouble, he would simply dial-up his fastball to triple digits and get himself out of the inning.
Honorable Mention: Ndamukong Suh
Best Performance of 2011: Justin Verlander’s no-hitter against the Blue Jays (May 7th, 2011)
Usually there is a big play that happens in a pitchers bid for a perfect game or no-hitter to preserve it. However Justin Verlander’s second career no-hitter against he Toronto Blue Jays on May 7th had no such play.
Why?
Because Verlander, much like the rest of his 2011 campaign was so dominant he didn’t need the help. His only blemish was a late inning walk which ended up being a non-factor after he was able to induce a double play on the very next batter.
Honorable Mention: Matthew Stafford’s performance on December 24th, 2011 against the San Diego Chargers.
Boner Award for Worst Performance of 2011: The 2011 Detroit Pistons
It certainly was a tough year for the Detroit Pistons during the 2010-11 season however the way the Pistons went about it was truly embarrassing. Practice boycotts, insubordination and poor play is pretty much what summed up the pathetic year the Pistons had.
Honorable Mention: n/a
Top Play of 2011: Kirk Cousins’ hail mary to Keith Nichol (October 22nd, 2011)
With overtime pretty much guaranteed against, Kirk Cousins and the Michigan State Spartans had other thoughts on a fall night in East Lansing against Wisconsin. With seconds remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter and at just about midfield, Kirk Cousin’s rolled back and threw up a prayer which remarkably bounced into the arms of wide receiver Keith Nichol giving the Spartans a 37-31 lead over the Badgers.
Honorable Mention: Calvin Johnson’s sideline catch against the Raiders on December 17th.
Executive of 2011: Dave Dombrowski (Detroit Tigers)
After taking a bunch of ridicule during the first half of the Tigers season, Dave Dombrowski certainly quieted his critics with the moves he made down the stretch for the Tigers. The acquisition of Doug Fister from Seattle quietly become the best deadline deal in Major League Baseball this past year with Fister implementing himself as the number two pitcher in the rotation behind Justin Verlander. Dombrowski wasn’t done though, prior to the waiver deadline, he was able to get outfielder Delmon Young from the Minnesota Twins for one of those tall blue drinks at Comerica.
Aside though from the deals he did make, Dombrowski didn’t go crazy over certain players and sell the farm like Cleveland did with Ubaldo Jimenez.
Honorable Mention: Martin Mayhew
Best Coach/Manager of 2011: Mark Dantonio (Michigan State Football)
After guiding the Spartans to a share of the Big Ten Championship in 2010, Mark Dantonio kept his team competitive in 2011. The Michigan State head coach was able to guide his team to the first ever Legends division championship and a spot in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. All this despite a pretty tough conference schedule.
Honorable Mention: Brady Hoke
Best College Player of 2011: Denard Robinson (Quarterback, Michigan)
Even though he didn’t have quite the season he did in 2010, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson made some huge steps in Brady Hoke’s new offense. This was especially the case at the end of the season when Denard looked more like a quarterback rather than a running back masquerading as a quarterback.
Honorable Mention: Fitz Toussaint
Best Piston of 2011: Greg Monroe (Power Forward, Detroit Pistons)
Not only was he the best rookie in Detroit for 2011 but he was the best Pistons player in 2011 as well. Now this may not be saying much considering what the Pistons had to work with last season but Monroe provided fans with some hope and the team with a building block.
Honorable Mention: n/a
Best Red Wing of 2011: Jimmy Howard (Goaltender, Detroit Red Wings)
Much like this season so far, Jimmy Howard didn’t get a lot of attention last season despite having a very good year.
In 2010-11 Howard finished out the year with a 2.79 GAA, a 37-17 record, a .908 save percentage and 2 shutouts. This season Howard has picked up right where he left off with 22 wins, a 1.95 GAA, .927 save percentage and 3 shutouts.
Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom
Best Tiger of 2011: Justin Verlander (Pitcher, Detroit Tigers)
There wasn’t really any doubt as to Verlander being the Tiger of the 2011. This past season he threw his second career no-hitter, had 24 wins, 250 strikeouts and a .92 WHIP which is just ridiculous.
Honorable Mention: Miguel Cabrera
Best Lion of 2011: Calvin Johnson (Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions)
There has always been the debate as to whether or not Calvin Johnson was the best wide receiver in the league or if he was even going to live up to his potential.
This season laid to rest all the questions and debate.
So far this year, Calvin Johnson has been freakishly good getting himself 85 receptions for 1437 yards and 15 touchdowns. Now a lot of this has been done with double and in some cases triple coverage which has enabled other guys like Nate Burleson, Titus Young and Brandon Pettigrew to get open.
Honorable Mention: Matthew Stafford
Best Team of 2011: Detroit Tigers
Despite not being picked by a lot of the national pundits to do much of anything in 2011, the Tigers proved a lot of their critics wrong. Detroit dominated the Central division down the stretch to finish the season with 95 wins and a 15 game lead on second place Cleveland.
The Tigers also had a nice run in the playoffs finishing off the Yankees in five games before falling to the Texas Rangers in six games.
Honorable Mention: Detroit Lions
Best Detroit Athlete of 2011: Justin Verlander (Pitcher, Detroit Tigers)
Words really cannot describe the type of season Justin Verlander had in 2011. He was a loss stopper for the Tigers, the American League Cy Young winner and the American League MVP. He was a dominating force when he was on the mound and took no-hitters into the late innings just about every night he started.
Honorable Mention: Calvin Johnson
