Yes, he's even bigger than the Tigers

Stats Incredible: the Tigers are undefeated in the ALDS.

They haven't played the division series for all that long. And Lord knows Detroit hasn't played in that many of them anyway. Yet with Thursday's series win over the Oakland A's, the Tigers have improved their ALCS record to a sterling 4-0. A streak that began with 2006's thrilling three-games-to-one conquest of the New York Yankees, and has grown over the past three seasons with another win over the Yanks in 2011 and back-to-back wins over the A's, each delivered by Justin Verlander in lights-out game 5 performances.

Stats Incredible: With the ALDS win over Oakland on Thursday night, Jim Leyland has now won more series as manager of the Detroit Tigers than the Detroit Tigers have won without him.

Since the birth of the Detroit franchise in 1909, the Tigers have four World Series championships under their belt, as well as their lone ALCS win over Kansas City on their way to the 1984 world championship. In Leyland's first season at the helm, the Motor City Kitties won the AL pennant, defeating the New York Yankees and Oakland A's along the way. That, coupled with last year's pennant run and Thursday's ALDS win, brings the grand total of series wins under Smokes to six.

Stats Incredible: the Tigers have never lost to the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs.

You couldn't have lost to someone you've never played. This is the first postseason series between the two storied franchises.

A mind-boggling level of sustained suck

The Detroit Lions take the field this afternoon against the Washington Redskins (or as the locals call them, the football team from Washington). Three hours and change later, they will be on losing end of the final score.

This has nothing to do with the team itself, and it's not pessimism. It's science. The Lions have never won in Washington. Ever. Last time they defeated the Redskins, they were the Boston Redskins. Since the team relocated to Washington over a half century ago, they’re 0-19. Not even the late great Alex Karras (pictured, chasing Sonny Jurgensen) could rally the Kittens to victory in the nation's capital.

They’ve never won in San Diego either. Not once. In Miami, the Lions just recently won for the first time (in 2010). All this misery got me to do more researching. And thinking.

My son is 20 years old. In his lifetime, the Lions have not won in 14 NFL cities: Green Bay (whom they travel to play in two weeks), Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Washington, New England, Baltimore, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Kansas City, Tennessee and Cincinnati. Repeating for emphasis: the Lions have failed to beat nearly half the league's teams on the road since my son was born two decades ago. The interesting question isn't merely whether they've ever won in an opposing team's city. It's whether or not they were wearing leather helmets when it happened.

The Lions have won just once in five other cities: Kansas City, Buffalo, Carolina, Phoenix and St. Louis. They have won once in Cleveland since 1970. Once in Seattle since their inaugural sesaon in 1976. Once in Phoenix since 1990. Once in Atlanta since 1989. Once in Philadelphia since 1986. Once in St. Louis since 1973. Once in New England since 1971 (when they were the Boston Patriots).

This is an ecological level of suck the likes of which we can barely comprehend. Around here it's just easier to shake our heads, roll our eyes and call it Lions football.

How bad is it?

It's not "the timeout." It's not pulling down banners. It's not six seasons of Amaker. Yet still, it's not good. How not good is it? Five losses in their last 11 games not good. Losing a 13-point lead in the last 10 minutes to 0-14 Penn State not good. At this point Michigan's best hope at a deep tournament run is for coach Beilein to take a job at Arizona State. *pause* Arizona State. *pause* Hello, is this thing online?!?