Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 18

28 WWW.FREEP.COM MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009 SPARTANS Recruiting: Danto-nio's crew shifts focus to adding to offensive line fdr class of 2010. LIONS In with the new: See ifCBSSports.com thinks Julian Peterson is overrated or underrated. WOLVERINES 'The Get Read: Watch David Mer-rltt's YouTube clips that preview his new business venture. PISTONS Getting to know you: Familiarize with new signees Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva via photos. REDWINGS Watching the pros: Ken Holland takes a break a short one to watch the Jamie Farr in Ohio.

Even more C0Ver3ge at along as the Galarra-ga and the Detroit 9 ireep.COm host Kansas City in first of three tonight. Your favorite teams every day Check back for daily coverage of your favorite Michigan teams, in the Free Press print and online editions. mi mniv TMiri nmi ni timeii miinn if mm mam 0h Red Wings Hockey Pistons Basketball TiUT Wallace bound for Boston after Celtics put on full-court press Rasheed Wallace helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA I NOTEBOOK: Holland chose watching tennis over golf Sunday. He had spent part of Saturday in Sylvania, Ohio, watching the Jamie Farr Classic from the box seats of tournament host Jamie Farr. Holland said he thought about going back for Sunday's round, but couldn't pull himself away from the Wimbledon men's final on TV.

Roger Federer won a record 15th Grand Slam title, defeating Andy Roddick in a 16-14 fifth set CONTACT GEORGE SIPPLE; 313-2234796 OR GSIPPLE9FREEPRESS.COM. "I'm hoping to finish that off early in the week and go to work on Hudler." Hudler is expected to receive a significant raise from the $1.15 million he earned last season after scoring 23 goals and 34 assists in 82 games $3 million to $4 million. Holland said he expects to be at or over the salary cap after signing the two players. Valtteri Filppula was headed for arbitration last season, but the two sides avoided it by agreeing to a five-year, $15-million contract. the next day or two.

Hudler was one of 20 players to elect salary arbitration before a 5 p.m. Sunday deadline, according to the NHL Players' Association. Arbitration hearings will be July 20 to Aug. 4 in Toronto. Holland said he remains hopeful that a longer deal can be worked out with Hudler's agent, Petr Svoboda, so the arbitration hearing won't be necessary.

"Ville Leino's agent and I are really close," Holland said about reaching a new deal. By GEORGE SIPPLE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER This week Ken Holland will try to keep intact his streak of never having an arbitration hearing decide a player's contract under his watch as general manager of the Red Wings. "In my 10 years as manager, I've avoided arbitration," Holland said in a phone interview Sunday. Forwards Ville Leino and Jiri Hudler are restricted free agents. Leino is expected to agree to a two-year contract in id Tigers Baseball STAR REUNION Wallace before the trade deadline in 2004 from the Atlanta Hawks in a complicated deal that also involved the Trail Blazers and Celtics.

The Pistons took off and went on a thrilling playoff run, which ended when they stunned the heavily favored Lakers, four games to one, to capture the title. Wallace could be a polarizing figure, however. He was among the league leaders in technical fouls during his 5'A seasons with the Pistons, and fans called for him to be traded after his meltdown in Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against the Cavs, when he was ejected with two technical fouls, and the Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs. This season, heavy minutes and injuries robbed Wallace of his legs by the time the playoffs rolled around, and his scoring average of 12 points per game was his lowest since his rook By VINCE ELLIS FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER When Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars traded away Chaun-cey Billups last November, the heart of the 2004 world champion team was gone. And with Rasheed Wallace severing ties with the Pistons on Sunday by giving an oral commitment to sign with Eastern Conference rival Boston, the soul has left the building as well.

Multiple media outlets reported that Wallace, 35, agreed to the mid-level exception for $5.8 million per season, and it's believed to be for two seasons. The Celtics pulled out all the stops to get Wallace, an unrestricted free agent. It was reported that a contingent of Celtics that included Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, team president Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers traveled to the Detroit area last week to recruit Wallace. "Rasheed took the first meeting very well and was impressed once it became clear we were talking about the same financial situation," Wallace's agent, Bill Strickland, told the Boston Herald. "He obviously likes the team, and the meeting was very effective." The Pistons acquired Spartans Football ie season.

He might thrive in a lesser role at this point in his TV analyst says Dantonio building something special On deck: Royals Series: Kansas City at Tigers for three games, today through TVradio: Tonight FSD, WXYT-AM (1270), WXYT-FM FSD, WXYT-FM; Wednesday 7:05, FSD, WXYT, WKRK. Pitching: Tonight -RH Armando Galarraga (5-7, 5.34 ERA) vs. RH Gil Meche (4-8, 4.20); Tuesday -RH Justin Verlander (8-4, 3.54) vs. LH Bruce Chen (0-2, 4.38); LH Luke French (0-0, 2.35) vs. RH Zack Greinke (10-4, 2.00).

Another college football accelerated growth of the CHRIS O'MEARAAssodated Press "I'm so pleased for Edwin," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of the Jackson, who played for the Rays from 2006-08. Jackson will be managed by Maddon on AL team analyst is praising Michigan State's turnaround under third-year coach Mark Dantonio. Big Ten Network and Fox College Sports analyst Charles Davis shared his thoughts about the Spartans on Wednesday at the Junior World Championship football tournament in Canton, Ohio. Two MSU players, linebacker Chris Norman and offensive lineman Micajah Reynolds, participated in the tournament as part of Team USA. "I'm a huge fan of Mark Dantonio's, and I have been from the word go," Davis said.

"I thought it was a tremendous hire by Michigan State in December 2006. The program has been remarkable. Michigan State backs down from no one on its schedule. Michigan State is so fundamentally sound that it no longer beats itself with mistakes." Davis predicted future success as well. "Coach Dantonio is building something special, and his work has not gone unnoticed on the national scene," Davis continued.

"He has built a winning program at Michigan State, and bowl games now are an expectation, not a hope. With Coach Dantonio leading the program, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Spartans competing for Big Ten championships on a regular basis." SHANNON SHELTON has played little with Tampa Bay this season and is now in the minors. Maddon said the Rays "really like" Joyce. "You've got to wait a bit, because we think Matt Joyce is going to be an impact player in the major leagues, too," Maddon said. "Having said all that, I could not be happier for Edwin Jackson.

He's a wonderful young man, and he did great service for us here with the Rays, and I'm really pleased and will be happy to see him in St. Louis." Jackson said he looked forward to his reunion with Maddon, his manager for the last three seasons. "It's going to be a lot of fun to play with him managing again," Jackson inning outing Sunday. Ni said that he got Leyland's message. It was about throwing strikes.

Ni answers some questions from reporters in English. He said through his translator that he studies English vocabulary every night before he goes to bed. Today, Ni will put on the Tigers' home white uniform for the first time in the regular season. "It's an honor to wear the home jersey," Ni said through the translator. "I will show my ability to the fans and the coaches." I GUILLEN ON THE MEND: Carlos Guillen, who was the Tigers' lone All-Star last season, is due to resume taking batting practice with the team today, Leyland said.

But the manager cautioned that Guillen's return to the lineup isn't imminent Leyland said that because Guillen has been out a while two months he will need a rehab assignment in the minors. I CONTACT XWN LOWE 313-2234053 OR JL0WEOFREEPRESS.COM. By JOHN LOWE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER MINNEAPOLIS Joe Maddon admires Edwin Jackson, and now he'll get to manage him again. Maddon, the Tampa Bay manager, will be the AL skipper for the All-Star Game in St. Louis next week.

On Sunday, Jackson made his first All-Star team. "I'm really happy, you have no idea," Maddon told the St. Petersburg Times on Sunday. "I'm so pleased for Edwin. He was very maligned with us actually a couple years ago when we were working him through his early professional moments.

"And last year he put up the wins but still had some inconsistencies about him, but we always thought that this guy could be good, really good." Maddon then spoke about why the Rays traded Jackson to the Tigers in December for Matt Joyce, the outfielder whom the Rays think will be a big-time power hitter. Joyce Wolverines I LANGUAGE BARRIER? Fu-Te Ni's translator isn't allowed in the dugout or on the field during games. So the rookie left-hander from Taiwan was listening to English on his own when manager Jim Leyland visited him on the mound during his scoreless two- Harris' mid-range game impresses scouts at Pierce Skills Academy Lions Football Injury behind him, Schweigert eager for training camp It was the first part of the Christopher and Harris stood out in the eyes of NBA scouts at the Pierce camp. "He's got a pretty good mid-range game," Pierce told Goodman. "I like the way he comes off screens.

He has tremendous upside and has a good basketball IQ. He's also one of the guys that picked things up right away." Goodman's analysis: "Christopher sat out the final session with a minor knee injury, but Harris was the best player of the group and was making shots more consistently than he has shown in his college career." -MARK SNYDER Michigan wing Manny Harris chose an unconventional summer route entering his junior season, turning down an invitation to trials for a USA Basketball summer national team. That would have meant missing out on his other opportunities, working as a counselor at the Paul Pierce Skills Academy last week, and, as expected, this week's LeBron James Skills Academy. It seems the decision is already paying off for Harris, who bypassed early entry into the NBA draft. FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman said Cal's Patrick a three-day rninicamp.

Making it back was important for Schweigert, who is competing with rookie Lonia Delmas and veterans lika Daniel Bullocks, Marquand Manuel and Kalvin Pearson. "As everyone knows, there's a limit to how many people you can bring to camp," Schweigert said. "So I mean, I at least wanted to show the coaches that by training camp I would be 100 ready to go and let them know that I have a concept of the defense. I know the plays. I know the calls.

Physically, I'm going to be there. "You can sit there and know every call in the classroom, but you've got to get out there and see it with live motion and bullets and players calling calls and all that type of stuff. I'm still getting acclimated to it" Schweigert, a Saginaw native, played 63 games for the Raiders in 2004-07, starting 42. But he didn't have a job last year until he signed with the Lions on Nov. 19 and played sue games for them.

He wasn't 100 during the last rninicamp. "Actually, the calf is probably the thing that feels the best," Schweigert said. "Just getting back into it everything else is sore right now. But that's expected. This is really my first football this off-season." NICHOLAS I.

COTSONIKA first practice of the first min-icamp of the off-season. Lions safety Stuart Schweigert was going through individual drills April 17 when he tore a calf muscle. "I didn't even get a chance to do anything," Schweigert said. Schweigert missed all the Lions' organized team activities. He didn't return until June 23-25, when they wrapped up the off-season program with 1' J-.