• Texas Tech has given Pat Knight, son of current men's basketball coach Bob Knight, a five-year contract to replace his dad once he retires.

No word yet if MSU has made a similar promise to Tom Izzo's 5-year-old son, Steven.

• You could say the Tigers limped to the finish line of another disappointing season this weekend. They definitely didn't walk there.

Detroit finished last in the majors this season in number of walks drawn as a team, becoming the first squad in three years to draw fewer than 400.

And you thought you had a hard time getting to first base.

• Steve Smith, one of the all-time greats in Spartans basketball history, announced his retirement this weekend at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, ending a 14-year NBA career.

Smith was still contributing to the Miami Heat last year as a 35-year-old, which might seem amazing to some.

But consider this - 43-year-old Kevin Willis, another former Spartan and leader of all active players in games played, is still looking for a place to play next season. Maybe the Detroit AARPistons?

• This week marks the triumphant return of the NHL after a yearlong absence due to a labor dispute.

Here's hoping it also isn't the return of Fox's glow puck, the failed mid-90s sports invention whose lack of popularity has since been rivaled only by the XFL.