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

Tom Brady fans (and there are plenty around these parts because he played at Michigan) can't feel that good this morning.

In fact, they might be sick with the news overnight that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, not an independent arbitrator, will hear Brady's appeal that was filed by the players union on Thursday.

"Commissioner Goodell will hear the appeal of Tom Brady's suspension in accordance with the process agreed upon with the NFL Players Association in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement on Thursday night.

For his role in Deflategate, Brady, the New England quarterback, was suspended by the NFL for the first four regular-season games in 2015.

The Patriots were also stripped of a first-round draft pick in 2016 and a fourth-round draft pick in 2017. The team was also fined $1 million, the largest team fine in NFL history.

Some, however, still thought Brady, the league's Golden Boy, got off lightly for cheating, messing with the integrity of the game.

Nonetheless, Brady took a hit in the court of public opinion.

Brady, once in the same class as Derek Jeter for their squeaky-clean careers both on and off the field, is no longer there.

In fact, in a recent poll, 54 percent of the people questioned believe Brady cheated. And 63 percent of those polled also endorsed the penalty Goodell handed out to Brady.

It makes sense for Brady to fight back. After all, his resume is soiled now. Worse, Brady is a punished cheater. He's no different than Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds.

Former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson, now an ESPN analyst, said on Monday that the league missed the mark. Johnson, as did I, believed the offense was serious enough that Brady should have been suspended for eight games.

"Make him suffer a little bit more," said Johnson, who hates that Brady lied about deflating the footballs.

Johnson added, "Is all about this, 'I'm perfect. I'm never wrong."

After all, the Ted Wells report, no matter how lamely worded it was, put the blame on Brady after 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs in the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts were under inflated and not up to standards.

It's not just a moment of truth for Brady, but for Goodell, too.

Goodell has had a string of embarrassing rulings that have been overturned later by arbitrators, including those of Bountygate, Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

Goodell can't afford to take it on the chin here. That's why he will be judge and jury against Brady.

Another loss by Goodell would make him look both useless and incompetent.

With the evidence against him and Goodell's future hanging in the balance, Brady won't win his appeal.

Josh Smith: Alive and Well

Some Pistons fans must have thought they were dreaming when they read that Josh Smith helped the Houston Rockets win an epic postseason game Thursday night.

Yes, that Josh Smith. The one some fans said couldn't play. Yes, that Josh Smith who took a $27 million buyout check with him when Stan Van Gundy released him.

Ouch!

Smith scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets erased a 19-point deficit on the road and shocked the Los Angeles Clippers, 119-107.

"We were just riding the momentum," said Smith, who hit back-to-back threes doing Houston's big comeback.

The best-of-seven series is now tied at three games each. Game 7 is in Houston.

Tigers in St. Louis

The Tigers are in St. Louis this weekend. For sure, it's a test.

At times, the Tigers have looked impressive. On Thursday, they beat up the Minnesota Twins, 13-1.

But we've also seen them struggle offensively. Going into Thursday's game, the Tigers had scored two or fewer runs in four straight and nine of their previous 14 games.

The Cardinals, once again, are a very good team. At 24-10, they have the best record in MLB. And the Cards have the lowest ERA in baseball.

Hence, this will be a measuring stick for the Tigers, who are in second place in the AL Central behind the Kansas City Royals.

This three-game series, starting Friday night, will be worth watching.