Ozzie Guillen should be Detroit Tigers' new manager

DETROIT – In honor of the late, great Joe Falls, it's a Fish Fry Friday.

He's not the popular choice. He's not the safe pick.

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But make no mistake about it. Ozzie Guillen is the right fit to be the Tigers' new manager.

Before you're scared off by his strong, sometimes combative attitude, take a closer look at Guillen.

If you're open-minded and honest, it will be hard to deny Tigers' president and GM Dave Dombrowski should hire Guillen, 49, ASAP.

First, Guillen has a relationship with Miguel Cabrera. Both are from Venezuela. That's perfect. It's  important for a manager to get along with the best player on the team.

Secondly, Guillen speaks the language of the majority of that clubhouse. The Tigers have a lot of Hispanic players on the roster, 15 of the 25 players, to be exact. That can't hurt Guillen.

Guillen's not a pushover and demands player's all.

Lastly, and more importantly, Guillen is a winner. He won the World Series in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox, ending an 88-year drought for that franchise.

That's the biggest reason the Tigers should hire Guillen to replace Jim Leyland, who announced on Monday that he was stepping down as manager after eight seasons.

The Tigers are ready to win and haven't won the Fall Classic since 1984.

 That's why the Tigers can't turn this roster over to an unproven manager. This isn't a learn-on-the-job gig. The Tigers' window is closing and they need a closer, a Scotty Bowman, a Larry Brown -- someone to win sooner than later.

Yes, we know all the rants, complaints, mistakes and baggage Guillen brings with him. It wrecked his last job in Miami. He lasted just one season in 2012.

You have to believe, though, Guillen has learned his lesson and will tone it down a little.

You don't want Guillen not to have the fire and passion that makes Ozzie, well, Ozzie.

There are plenty of candidates out there, including Lloyd McClendon, Dusty Baker and Charlie Manuel.

The fear here is that Dombrowski will bypass Guillen because of his personality, not his performance as a skipper in the dugout.

If Dombrowski does, it will be a mistake. The safe pick isn't always the best pick.

Guillen will give the Tigers a real chance to win in 2014. That's exactly the manager the Tigers should be looking to hire.

Lions Have Huge Game

The Lions have their biggest game of the season on Sunday at Ford Field.

It has nothing to do with the opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, although anytime you play Dallas, it's a big deal.

It has more to do with where they are currently.

The Lions (4-3) jumped out to a good start in the season, winning three of their first four games.

But it wasn't against some of the toughest competition. The Lions are now facing much tougher teams and don't want to go into the bye, losing three of four.

Worse, they don't want to lose to a second straight game against a good team at home. They can't afford another loss to Dallas after losing to Cincinnati the week before.

And Dallas (4-3) won't be a pushover. It's a big game for the Cowboys as well. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings.

At some point, the Lions have to start beating good teams if they are serious about getting respect as a real contender.

Lions' fans should want them to not only make the playoffs, but win a playoff game -- their first since 1991.

Stop Calling Favre

Stop it.

Stop calling Brett Favre.

There were the lowly St. Louis Rams calling Favre, the former QB, to see if he was interested in playing again after QB Sam Bradford was injured.

Forget that he's 44 and a grandfather now or that his last go-round wasn't exactly championship material.

Why can't peeps get over the ghost of Favre? Yes, he had some career with the Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings. But does he have to play on every team in the league.

There are other younger quarterbacks looking for an opportunity, including Vince Young and Tim Tebow.

Plus, if you're a Rams' player, you have to question why the organization would go the Favre route, especially since they aren't ready to win this year.

Crazy.