MICHIGAN SPORTS

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EAST LANSING -- Senior center Goran Suton's limited return to practice gives Michigan State hope for the future, just not the near future.

Suton, who missed the last three games due to a sprained left knee and a significant amount of practice before that because of an injury to his right knee, can't possibly get back up to speed in time for Wednesday's game against No.1 North Carolina at Detroit's Ford Field, as far as coach Tom Izzo is concerned.

AP File PhotoDetroit Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom battles with Jay Bouwmeester of the Florida Panthers.

Update from Tuesday's practice: Wings coach Mike Babcock nixed Tomas Holmstrom's plans of returning to the lineup Thursday against Vancouver.

"He's not playing Thursday,'' Babcock said. "Piet (trainer Van Zant) hasn't told me that he's even on the horizon. Anytime it's a back -- I have a bad back every day of my life, so I know about it -- we got to be real careful and intelligent how we handle it.''

This will come as news to Holmstrom, who minutes before, said: "Thursday for sure, unless I have a setback. If it feels really good tomorrow, why not? No reason not to go.''

Wings defenseman Chris Chelios will play two games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this weekend on a conditioning assignment, Friday against Toronto and Saturday vs. Hamilton, both at Van Andel Arena.

After skating for several days, Chelios got in his first full practice Tuesday. He has been out since Sept. 30 with a fractured right shin bone.

This week's visit with Sam Webb and Andy Evans on WTKA started out with an unexpected discussion of why forcing the Ford family to sell the Lions as a condition of a federal bailout wouldn't really help the car company (but would, of course, help Lions fans). We then talked a little Texas v. Oklahoma BCS controversy, Eastern Michigan football and some Michigan basketball - which I imagine we might be talking about even more if the Wolverines can upset Maryland on the road Wednesday.

Full audio below:

NEW YORK - Michael Phelps achieved another unprecedented feat: the first swimmer honored as Sports Illustrated's sportsman of the year.

Phelps broke Mark Spitz's iconic record with eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in August and became the winningest Olympian ever with his 14 career victories. Olympians in other sports have earned the award before in its 54-year history, but never a swimmer. In 1972, the year Spitz won his medals, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and tennis great Billie Jean King were honored by the magazine.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team will spend next Thanksgiving in Florida as part of the eight-team Old Spice Classic, ESPN announced on Monday.

The Wolverines join a field that also includes Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Marquette and Xavier in a tournament that will be held Nov. 26, 27 and 29 at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.

DETROIT -- The ice pack strapped to his sore right knee after Monday's game provided some much needed relief for Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood.

So did the fact he finally allowed less than three goals in a game, something that has frustrated him this season.

Osgood needed to make only 15 saves in the 2-1 victory over Anaheim at Joe Louis Arena.

Grand Rapids Press columnist Brian VanOchten joined Bill Simonson inside the "GR Press Box" to discuss the latest with the Detroit Lions, who are 0-12 heading into their game against Minnesota on Sunday.

"The pressure is mounting. (Coach) Rod Marinelli can talk about 'we're just going to prepare for one game,' but the pressure has got to be building on those guys individually not to be part of 0-16, not to have that hung on them throughout their careers," VanOchten said. "You'd think Marinelli and his staff would have the same sort of urgency, but they don't seem to understand 0-16 is something you never want to be saddled with."

AP File PhotoLions quarterback Dan Orlovsky could be cleared to practice as soon as Wednesday.

ALLEN PARK -- As of right now, Daunte Culpepper is the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions and will face one of his former teams, the Minnesota Vikings, on Sunday at Ford Field.

Could all of that change Wednesday?

Quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who has been sidelined with a fractured right thumb for the past four games, could be given clearance to practice then and play Sunday. When asked Monday if that meant a change at quarterback might take place, Marinelli dodged the question.

AP PhotoDetroit Red Wings' Marian Hossa (81), of Slovakia, celebrates his game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks with Dan Cleary, left, Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, and Brad Stuart.

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock called out his club after Monday's morning skate, saying he no longer believed they were the hardest-working team in the NHL.

The players responded with a workmanlike effort, the kind of performance they have been accustomed to turning in on a regular basis the last few seasons, but one that's been missing more often than not this year.

The Red Wings spent most of the night in the offensive zone and didn't allow many scoring chances, grinding out a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Mike Furrey is 'disappointed' and 'upset' after the team placed him on injured reserve as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. Furrey tells WDFN that he feels ready to play and doesn't understand why the team made the decision when they did.

"The frustrating part is, there's four games left. If I do have to sit out this week, which I was hoping and thought I wouldn't have to, we still have three weeks left.(As a) competitive football player ... and the guys that I love there and I play with every day, that's where the disgruntleness came from, that's why I'm disappointed and I'm upset because I want to be out there with those guys and end the season,and I felt that I would be able to contribute before this season is over, but this is what they've chosen to do."

AP PhotoAllen Iverson is playing fewer minutes and shooting a lower percentage since joining the Pistons.

AUBURN HILLS -- Of all the shocking statistics in Detroit's 96-85 loss at home to Portland on Sunday, one number stands out more than the others. Ten. That's how many points Trail Blazers point guard Steve Blake had, and he still outscored Allen Iverson.

Sure, everyone expected Iverson to struggle a little as he adapted to the Pistons.

But scoring?

"My rhythm is not there," Iverson said after finishing with nine points on 2-for-9 shooting against Portland.

After a bad loss to Maryland to open up the Old Spice Classic in Orlando last week, the Michigan State players had an emotional team meeting. MLive.com's Steve Grinczel tells Ryan Terpstra on WGHN, the Spartans have lacked a true leader on this relatively young team, and after their 80-62 loss to the Terrapins, Tom Izzo's team may have found one.

"Travis Walton is by far their most vocal leader and I think he finally just took the bull by the horns and asserted himself [after the Maryland game]," says Grinczel. "I think this might have just become Travis Walton's team. It's not the same as being Drew Neitzel's team when Drew was their top scorer or their best player, or the same when it was Mateen Cleaves' team when he was an All-Big Ten player -- Travis Walton probably won't even get an All-Big Ten vote -- but from a leadership standpoint, I think it might have just become his team over this weekend."

Over the last week, there has been a tremendous amount of talk about the Detroit Lions losing their Thanksgiving Day game due to the fact that they've been so bad for the last few years. Lions insider Tom Kowalski tells Stoney and Wojo on WDFN that he believes that the NFL isn't going to budge on this issue.

"You know, the NFL is ditching a lot of their traditions and so they do want to cling to some of them," says Kowalski. "This is really an easy one to do because it's all set up, and again, I don't don't think anyone thinks the Lions are going to be horrible forever. The hope is that next year when they get some new people in the front office that things are going to change and so that they'll be at least competitive again."

AUBURN HILLS -- Just so there's no confusion, Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry wanted to clarify that Tayshaun Prince not playing in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 96-85 loss to Portland had nothing to do with Prince specifically, and everything to do with the ineffective play of Detroit's starters.

None of the starters played well in that game, which was why Curry tried several different combinations in hopes of finding one that would work.

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State center Goran Suton's spirit is willing, but he won't play against No. 1 North Carolina if his knee is weak.

The senior center practiced Monday for the first time since spraining his left knee in the early stages of the Nov. 19 game at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne. He didn't participate in any drills where contact could occur.

"Running up and down the court felt the best and I felt pretty good laterally, I really did," Suton said. "It was kind of hard to accelerate and decelerate, and stopping was probably the hardest.