2023 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame ballot a reminder of better days in Detroit

Times weren't always so tough in Detroit sports.

It has been a decade since the city last saw a team advance in the playoffs — when the Tigers beat the A's in the 2013 ALDS, after Justin Verlander threw eight shutout innings and struck out 10 in win-or-go-home Game 5. (No need to talk about what happened between Joaquin Benoit and David Ortiz one week later at Fenway Park.) The Tigers currently have baseball's longest postseason drought at eight years.

The Red Wings won a playoff series in 2013 as an underdog 7-seed over the 2-seed Anaheim Ducks; we also don't talk about what happened in the conference semifinals, which definitely was not a gut-wrenching Game 7 overtime loss to rival and 1-seed Chicago. The Red Wings' season ends Thursday, having missed the postseason for the seventh consecutive season, the second-longest drought in the NHL.

It has been 15 years since the Pistons' last playoff series victory, when they dispatched Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics knocked the Pistons out of the postseason the next round in six games, and the Pistons have not won a postseason game since, swept in all three postseason appearances. Their 14-game playoff losing streak is an NBA record.

The Lions haven't won a postseason game since the 1991 season; it's the only playoff win to the franchise's name since 1957. But hey, they're trending up!

Now that we're all cheered up, it's time to mention this is a chance to relive some of those good times by selecting the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 — voting will stay open until May 12.

Finalists are split into four categories: professional, amateur, coaches and media.

Among the professional ranks, Richard Hamilton, Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez, Henrik Zetteberg all either won or played in a championship series for Detroit.

Both Michigan and Michigan State are well-represented in the amateur category, with Jim Harbaugh, Drew Henson, Jake Long, LaMarr Woodley, Lorenzo White, Shawn Respert and Ryan Miller.

Tommy Ivan, a three-time Stanley Cup champion coach of the Red Wings, highlights the coaches portion of the ballot. The media section is littered with greats like Jack Ebling, Terry Foster and Mike 'Doc' Emrick.

The class will be officially announced later this spring, with plans for induction ceremonies at a to-be-determined location this fall. All finalists below.

Professional finalists

Bennie Blades, safety, Lions

Tony Esposito, goalie, Michigan Tech/NHL

Larry Foote, linebacker, Detroit Pershing/Michigan/Lions

Kevin Glover, offensive line, Lions

Richard Hamilton, shooting guard, Pistons

Pat Hentgen, pitcher, Fraser/MLB

Henrik Zetterberg, forward, Red Wings

Derek Lowe, pitcher, Dearborn Edsel Ford/Eastern Michigan/MLB

Ken Morrow, defenseman, Davison/NHL

Ivan Rodriguez, catcher, Tigers

Sandra Jo Shirey, bowling, Coldwater/PBA

Tim Thomas, goalie, Davison/NHL

Amateur finalists

Jim Harbaugh, quarterback, Michigan

Drew Henson, quarterback, Michigan

Jake Long, offensive line, Michigan

Mark Messner, defensive line, Detroit Catholic Central/Michigan

Ryan Miller, goalie, East Lansing/Michigan State

Deanna Nolan, guard, Flint Northern

Shawn Respert, guard, Bishop Borgess/Michigan State

Sierra Romero, infielder, Michigan

Kevin Tapani, quarterback/pitcher, Escanaba/Central Michigan

Lorenzo White, running back, Michigan State

LaMarr Woodley, linebacker, Saginaw/Michigan

Coach finalists

Gary Bryce, softball, Wayne State

Rick Comley, hockey, Lake Superior State/Northern Michigan

Tommy Ivan, hockey, Red Wings

Anita Jo Lake, basketball/softball/volleyball, Flint Holy Rosary/Flint Kearsley

Frank Orlando, basketball, Detroit Country Day

Bob Parks, track, Eastern Michigan

Steve Schmidt, basketball, Mott Community College

Perry Watson, basketball, Detroit Southwestern/Detroit Mercy

Media finalists

Jack Ebling, three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, host of The Drive With Jack

Mike 'Doc' Emrick, award-winning NHL play-by-play broadcaster on NBC and NBCSN

Terry Foster, award-winning sports writer at the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, radio at WXYT-FM 97.1 The Ticket

Reggie Hall, sports producer at WXYZ Detroit

Don Shane, 19-time Emmy winner, sports director at WXYZ Detroit from 1989-2012

Tim Staudt, known as the “Dean of Sports”, longest-tenured sports broadcaster in state history

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2023 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame ballot a reminder of better days