An unforgettable evening 20 years in the making with the Detroit Bad Boys community
Writer’s note: To get the full context of what was the catalyst that led to this piece, I strongly recommend reading Shawn Windsor’s column in the Free Press.
Where to begin? How does one capture the power of a community that, through thick and thin (mostly thin these days), is stronger than ever? A blog that, while Sean and the staff can’t divulge, HAS to be one of the most popular across all of SBNation?
How does one person speak for a collective community that, for the first time in 6,170 days as of writing, may actually celebrate a playoff victory? How does one person encapsulate the depth, charm, and personalities that have come and gone over such a long period of what can charitably be described as mediocrity?
A community that STILL has members that recall the “good ole days” of posting on an all-black, basic website that constantly battled it out with Need4Sheed.com and MotownStringMusic.com for “top blog” status during the Goin’ to Work Era?
The simple answer is they probably can’t, but contrary to Yoda’s sage wisdom, in this case, there is only try. And so I will try. But first, my credentials…
I first joined DetroitBadBoys.com in college. While the exact date is lost to time, I believe it was around 2004. With 21 years, more than 35,000 comments, a brief stint as a “writer” for DBB (
The Blessing of Basketball), and inexplicably still active moderation powers, not to mention being the genetic offspring of two exceptional journalists, I think there’s a good chance I can capture a small slice of what makes this community magical.
So sit back, relax, and hopefully enjoy. I’m never short on words, so be prepared.
Editor’s note: The following section contains, by my count, at least 17 DBB historical jokes, inside references, and more. This piece is not about that, necessarily, but it’s fun. Keep score of how many of the references you actually understand.
IN ALL THE SCENAIOS!!!!!!
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before ... A minister, a lawyer, an international teacher, and a social worker log onto a Zoom ... shoot, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the beginning.
Back in 2009, DetroitBadBoys.com moved to SBNation and forever changed the lives of many. For me, DBB was always a place for connection, and while the OG site perfectly fit the style of The Bad Boys, the comment section left you wanting more.
As we all learned and grew with the evolution of SBNation’s commenting systems, we shared a steadily decreasing dose of optimism through questionable draft picks, free agency signings, and the period of “
HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED,” (If you know, you know.)
Sometimes, we connected through endless, often contentious debate over trades, lineups, our annual lottery misfortune, head coaches that came and went (
NYCDAT), and offseason training regimens that would send our roster, especially Charlie Villanueva, to the next level.
Were you here for the
“TRADING _______ WOULD BE A MASSIVE MISTAKE?” or the endless debates around our
PGOTF that constantly reminded us of the stupidity of post-Billups Dumars’ front office decisions, where combo guards flocked to the palace like the salmon of Capistrano?
Speaking of trades, I sincerely hope most of you remember
Ron Marshall’s bombastic trade ideas featuring dozens of players and sometimes almost a quarter of the teams across the league. A blessed trading acumen that has since inspired one of the coolest community traditions that any blog has to offer with the
Ron Marshall Memorial Mock Draft.
Maybe you also bought yourself a
“Jason Maxiell eats babies” T-shirt like I once did? If not that T-shirt, maybe you snagged a
“FREE AMIR” T-shirt designed by our very own Sauce1977 (may he rest in peace in a heaven free of teal jerseys), or maybe you’re still rocking a Need4Sheed stylized
“COUNT THAT BABY AND A FOUL” Blaha shirt like our guy Merwinly did for the Grizzlies game last week?
Perhaps you’re familiar with the steady stream of
long, smooth, strokey small forwards like Austin Daye and Walter Sharpe, or still struggle to accept that we drafted “
THE WRONG DAJUAN?”
Maybe you remember
ALL CAPS MODE reserved only for those moments of dominance that came with having two centers, neither of whom was stretchy enough to contend in the fast-evolving era of stretch fours?
It wasn’t always pretty, and there were times when it was downright nasty. Do y’all remember the
rhino gifs? No? It’s probably for the better, even if it in some small way inspired the creator who even had one made for his young daughter to make one of the greatest fan-made T-shirts of all time? (
“GO SHITTY TEAM GO!”)
Being a fan of the Pistons over the past 16-plus years was ROUGH, but no matter how stupid the trades, the draft picks, the coaching hires, or some of the comments were,
we as a community fought through the rhino shit with a collective humor that, in my humble EPINION, is unmatched in professional sports communities.
A Place to Grow Up, for better or worse
I know I’m not the only one with over 20 years of time in this community, but if you can recall even one of these moments, then like me, you too have grown up on this blog.
And if you can’t? That’s okay too. You’re here and you’re a part of this and I can’t wait to experience the memes we’ll assuredly create together as we celebrate these current Pistons on their path to greatness.
For me? I graduated college in 2005, moved to Colorado, and met a girl who convinced me to move to Seattle only a year or so before Clay Bennett stole the team to OKC. I got dumped on my birthday, met another girl, got married,
lost my Dad to cancer, brought three incredible kids into this world, and bought a house. Then in 2021, I went through divorce, left my job of 15 years, moved my family to LA, got laid off, moved my family back to Seattle, and now here we are.
Through every major milestone, DBB was an unwavering community I could rely on, a respite from some of the worst moments a person can go through, and a collective
HIVEMIND (had to slip one more in) where we could be here with one another.
While the details might be specific to me, I know that my experience is anything but unique, which takes us back to the beginning, or is it the end? I guess in my old age I’ve confused myself again.
Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press
Marcus Erwin, his family, and his DBB friends pose for a photo with George and Greg on the court at Little Caesars Arena.
A Minister, A Law Professor, an International Teacher, and a Social Worker walk into a Zoom…
If you have the same passion for connecting with people from all walks of life as I do, then March 2020 did a number on your mental health. I went from chatting up every one of my neighbors, wasting time in the kitchen at work talking sports, and having the opportunity to travel the world through work, to feeling utterly and completely alone.
The isolating effect of COVID did a number on all of us, but for me, it was almost unbearable.
So, when one of DBB’s own,
Merwinly, invited me to a weekly Saturday evening Zoom meeting set up by DBB’s
Toledo Joe with a collection of people that sounded more like the opening to a bad joke than anything else, my curiosity got the better of me.
Meeting
Marcus, Joe, Ken, V, Dave, Robert, Ryan, Scott, Chris, and others along the way was like a weird window into the lives of people I had known for years yet had never seen, talked to, or even been aware of their real names in some cases (not all of us have as original usernames as I do, of course).
We weren’t the only ones during COVID to set up Zoom happy hours, but something about this group, our ability to flow between relentless teasing and being there for each other through the absolute worst times, seemed to stick. For more than five years now, a lifetime in a post-COVID world, each Saturday evening, we’ve gotten together to discuss Detroit Sports, share our lives with each other, and support one another.
Maybe we’re all the type of people who love to pick up the phone. Or maybe we all just have too much time on our hands. I think it all started when
Matt Watson created DetroitBadBoys.com, recognizing the importance of human connection through a shared love of professional sports.
Matt’s original idea, like our Zoom calls, was not unique (we can’t forget that Motown String Music was merged with DBB when it moved to SBNation). However, the continued dedication and passion devoted to this blog from both the staff and the community is one-of-a-kind.
From left to right, Shanna, Evey, and Marcus, getting ready to hop into a limo and head to the Pistons game.
I love it when a plan comes together
Over the past few years, some of our group have had a chance to meet each other, mostly under unfortunate circumstances. The most recent occasion was sadly no different. As some of you may already know now,
Merwinly is doing everything he can to kick the crap out of cancer, but ongoing radiation and chemo over the past 18 months has taken its toll.
When a loved one, someone who you deeply respect, admire, and care about, goes through cancer, you don’t half-ass it. You do everything you can to help them.
So our group came together and decided that with the Pistons FINALLY playing well in 2025, we should make a run at getting everyone we could to a game and see what we could do to make it truly special for
Merwinly, his wife Shanna, and his daughter Evey.
We figured that with the news Merwinly was sharing with us, now was the time to put together a truly special “Night of Magic.”
Tickets were purchased, and the Pistons organization was met with a barrage of inquiries as to how we could make this night truly special for Merwinly and his family, and boy, did they come through.
As the day got closer, I may have gone a little overboard with the logistics and planning, opting to get a limo that, upon arrival, was mistaken for Tom Gores’ potential attendance at the game.
A well placed source is telling me Tom Gores may be at the game tonight (I drove by a limo with Pistons flags on it when I passed by the airport)
— Jasper Apollonia (@BladeCunningham)
April 5, 2025
I also made down-to-the-minute travel plans to coordinate everyone coming together at a Portillo’s in Livonia.
Turns out, I may have gotten this from my Mother, who unbeknownst to me, reached out to a former journalism connection at the Free Press to let them know about the story of connection through DBB (
you can read that story here).
Marcus shakes hands with George and Greg before the game.
A Night of Magic, 20+ Years in the Making
On Saturday, April 5th, 2025, a night of magic 20-plus years in the making began with lunch at Portillo’s. Being in from Seattle, my Mom insisted on driving me for no other reason than not being convinced that any of these “internet friends” were real.
Editor’s note 2: This makes me wonder if James had a girlfriend from Canada lurking in his middle-school past.
As each person showed up, handshakes were swept aside in favor of bear hugs and hearty pats on the back, greeting each other like long-lost relatives. With Sauce having moved on to that Teal-less paradise above, we welcomed his wife and son to the party in the same way. Soon after, Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press arrived, and my Mom was finally convinced these people really existed and they were, in fact, my friends.
For the next two hours, we talked and shared our story with Shawn. He asked some great questions to put everyone at ease, but just like the best writers out there, he gave us space. It didn’t take long before we dusted off some of the meme speak and walked down memory lane.
About midway through, we even Facetimed Robert from Nigeria, who, upon popping on the screen, was shirtless and talking to a neighbor as he was coming back from his daily swim. Apparently, that “Go Shitty Team Go” shirt has been retired for the time being. Hopefully permanently. Joe’s wife, Krusta, would patch Robert in again at the game so that he could be there with us from thousands of miles away, which is just a reminder that DBB goes beyond the people in the comment section and finds its way into the lives of our partners and those close to us.
The next few hours were mostly a blur, but we eventually all made it to Little Caesars Arena, where the Pistons organization was about to put on a show.
Every single person we interacted with from the Pistons and Little Caesars Arena was incredible. You could sense the joy they brought to the job of making Pistons fans’ experiences first-class. You could feel the energy they had with the Pistons having clinched the 6-seed the night before in Toronto.
When we arrived at LCA, our group ticket sales rep greeted us just inside the ticket gate. He promptly walked us down to our seats in section 109 and then straight past them down to court level.
It turns out that having a friend in Nigeria with the patience to pester the Pistons pays off, as they walked us down to the seats below the hoop where Cade, Jalen, and the rest of the Pistons were warming up.
As warmups wrapped up, two Detroit sports icons, impeccably dressed as always, walked up to meet Merwinly and his family. George Blaha and Greg Kelser are class acts, and the main thing I felt from their presence is that they shared the same passion for connection to the community that we did as friends and diehard Pistons fans. Despite a tight pre-game production schedule, they spent time with Merwinly and his family, offering words of encouragement and support in the exact same way that DBB has offered so many of us over the years. The Pistons capped this moment off by sending Merwinly a signed picture of George, Greg, and Merwinly’s family courtside.
We all know what happened next. A forgettable game with horrific shooting where Isaiah Stewart and Dennis Schröeder were SOMEHOW our two most efficient three-point shooters. The game wasn’t pretty, but if you watched, maybe you heard George’s shoutout to Marcus just as the second half started.
After listening to this clip dozens of times, I like to think that we are all “fans from Fruitport, Michigan,” and that shoutout was to every single one of us who has stuck with this team and been a part of this community over the years.
So, how does one capture the essence of a community as rich with personality, history, and passion for the
Detroit Pistons?
They share. They engage. They support.
With respect. With kindness. With grit.
Most importantly, they welcome the
“Bandwagon Ass Cats” that will surely join our ranks in this new era of Pistons success.
So what’s your story DBB? I’d love to hear it.
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