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

Lions to battle Patriots Sunday

The Lions travel to Foxborough on Sunday to take on the red-hot New England Patriots (8-2), who have won six in a row.

Not only has Pats quarterback Tom Brady and crew been winning, but they've been destroying opponents. New England is averaging about 40 points during its winning streak.

Before the season, most Lions fans marked this one as a loss on the schedule. Strangely, despite the Lions' surprising 7-3 start, most haven't changed their minds about the outcome.

It appears as if most of the Lion faithful still don't believe in their team. The Lions have the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Why don't fans believe that they will be the squad to stop Brady?

It's probably because the Lions never seem to be able to beat good teams on the road. Last week was a perfect example. The Lions lost to the Arizona Cardinals (9-1) and their backup quarterback Drew Stanton.

If the Lions are ever going to change the narrative about this franchise, they will have to stop being so predictable and eventually shock NFL America.

A victory against the Pats would be just what the doctor ordered. If the Lions get blown out, most will simply say, "SOL - Same Old Lions."

MLB = Bucks

Scratch that football off the Christmas list for your son.

Instead, parents should go out and buy him a new glove and bat.

Make no mistake about it. That's the correct move if you're trying to steer your future baller to a sport.

If you aren't sure, check out the contract Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton agreed to earlier this week: a record-setting 13-year, $325 million deal.

Did we mention that the entire contract is guaranteed? Yep. Stanton, who is 25, will get every thin dime.

The business of baseball is great. The sport is healthy and has plenty of money to spend.

Last year, Robinson Cano left NYC to join the Seattle Mariners. No one thought Cano would leave the Yankees for the Northwest. But the Mariners spent cash like they were the Yankees, giving Cano an eye-popping 10-year, $240 million deal.

At the time, it tied the third-largest deal in sports history. Not baseball history, but professional sports history. Yes, including the NFL, NBA and NHL. Heck, even those money-rich soccer leagues in Europe.

This large paper is nothing new for MLB. In fact, baseball owns 21 of the top 22 biggest contracts in the history of sports. Only Floyd Mayweather's two-year, $180-million deal with Showtime ranks on that list at 12.

That right there should be enough incentive to get your son signed up for Little League this spring. There are plenty of other jobs in baseball at the minor league level, too.

We get it. Basketball is easier. All a kid needs is a ball, a hoop and all day at the park.  But there are only 400 jobs in The Association and only 30 players get a guaranteed deal each year.

Sure, there are more gigs in the NFL - more than 1,600 job compared to about 800 in MLB.

There are two big differences, though. The average career is roughly 3.5 years in the NFL. Most of the money players sign for in pro football isn't guaranteed.

Secondly, and more importantly, the health concern in football is serious business. There have been so many concussions, and the aftereffects are front and center.

Baseball isn't just fun. It's pays, too.

Buffalo Loves Motown

The Buffalo Bills can go 2-0 in Detroit this season.

The Bills will host the New York Jets on Monday night at Ford Field. The Sunday game scheduled between the two teams in Buffalo was cancelled because of the huge snowstorm that has practically shut Buffalo down.

The Bills came to Ford Field on Oct. 5 and stunned the Lions 17-14 with a late field goal. Most fans here looked at Buffalo as just about an automatic victory.

For sure, some Lions fans will attend the game. You just have to wonder if fans will root for the Jets, who the Lions beat earlier this season, or the hated Bills.