Photos from Emerge and See - 9/11/09

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A fusion of live art and entertaiment... Emerge and See put local musicians and artists in the spotlight for a night at The Crofoot in Pontiac on September 11th. Live graffiti artists, DJs, and a handful of local bands displayed their talents as local vendors, journalists, and fans alike took notice.

- Mo Tray

Photos by Mo Traylor
Music by Dcipher - http://www.myspace.com/dciphermusic

A Tale of Two Tigers Teams

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Published on BleacherReport.com
(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/206727-tigers-ride-win-streak-and-1st-place-into-all-star-break)

It was the best of the season, yet it was also the worst of the season. The Detroit Tigers found themselves atop the American League Central Division heading into the second half of the season with All-Stars Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Brandon Inge, and Curtis Granderson leading the way.

However, the magic that seemed to propel them to the top of the division seemed to diminish as well as their lead when their plaguing injuries and severe lack of offensive production rose to the surface.

After pealing off three of four wins in a recent series with the White Sox to break a tie for the division lead, Detroit went on to lose three of four in the following series against the Texas Rangers.

The seemingly only bright spot of the series for the Tigers came off the arm of Justin Verlander in a dominating 13-strikeout performance in the closing game of the series.

With Magglio Ordonez seemingly on the decline of his offensive prowess and no signs of Carlos Guillen returning to form, the lineup needs some sort of power injection to force opposing pitchers to challenge lone .300+ hitter, Miguel Cabrera.

As the trade deadline gets closer with each passing hour, the general consensus around town is that the Tigers are in desperate need of an offensive boost. Rumors surrounding slugger Adam Dunn and other potential trade candidates have yet to come to fruition.

Whether or not Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski adds another bat to the lineup still remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Tigers fans are pleading for some consistency for the ballclub as they enter the final third of the season.

Tigers Ride Win Streak and 1st Place as All-Star Break Approaches

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Article published at BleacherReport.com

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/206727-tigers-ride-win-streak-and-1st-place-into-all-star-break

The Detroit Tigers have surpassed early expectations as they carry a lead in the AL Central into the approaching All-Star Break. Their weaknesses in the past that once exposed them to the league after that magical 2006 season are not only steadily becoming signs of improvement, but also their core strengths as they ride a current seven-game-winning streak. Despite shaky play during the early part of the season, the Tigers have been able to string together solid play as they make their run to win out the AL Central. Led by their pitching staff, the Tigers are poised to have an even better second half. If the play during their series sweep of the Chicago Cubs is a preview of the second half, the American League Central will have problems; especially with Knapp’s rejuvenated pitching staff.

The past few seasons have presented problems for the Tigers’ Pitching Staff especially. For the past few years their bullpen, lead by Tigers’ All-Time Saves Leader and Nightly-Roller-Coaster-Ride, Todd Jones, developed a reputation based more on putting runners in scoring position in the late innings than shutting down games. However, this season has been anything but a repeat of the last few seasons. With the departure of Chuck Hernandez and the infusion of Rick Knapp as pitching coach, Justin Verlander has returned to form as Ace of the squad. Leading the staff in strikeouts with 118 K's, Verlander is in the process of once again establishing himself as one of the more dominant pitchers in the league. Coming into the season, Verlander was one of the main players feeling the heat from below average play the past few seasons. With the exception of a dominating 2006 playoff performance and a 2007 no-hitter, his reputation for walking players and unraveling on the mound had become one of the major headlines concerning the Tigers at the time. His success this season has shown those same flashes of dominance exhibited during the 2006 postseason run. His ability to not only take the ball into the late innings but also bring his high 90’s fastball with him there as well has been just one of the many positive signs coming out of Knapp’s staff.

Knapp’s influence has had a huge impact on the success on the younger players as well. Hyped prospect Rick Porcello is having a solid start to his career with an 8-4 record to start the season. Righty Edwin Jackson is also having a strong season so far with 100+ innings tossed already and 79 K’s. However, the biggest bright spot of the pitching staff this season is Fernando Rodney. Known for blowing leads and causing headaches over the past few seasons, Rodney is perfect this season. For those that have just arrived late to the party, Fernando Rodney is perfect this season with 16 saves in 16 opportunities. His arrival in filling that closer role as a dominant, shutdown pitcher is something that both the Tigers and fans alike have been begging of Rodney. With Joel Zumaya showing his ability to hit that 100 MPH mark right out of the pen, the 8th and 9th innings should become something that Tigers fans should become accustomed to looking forward to instead of dreading.

The strong performance of the Tigers staff has unfortunately been the only positive of their season so far. With a lineup that should feature power and run-generating hits on a nightly basis, the Tigers have not only underachieved offensively but also have suffered injuries of Carlos Guillen and a missing case involving the hitting ability of Magglio Ordonez. Mags slump recently landed him a seat on the bench that drove up much controversy with his at-bats bonus in his contract. Nevertheless, the pitching staff has been able to keep the Tigers in games long enough to secure the one- and two-run-wins that eluded them for the past few seasons. Detroit has also been winning lately with late inning rallies including a recent walk-off comeback win off the bat of Ryan Raburn against the Cubs. This season is steadily showing those same flashes of brilliance that led the Tigers back to the World Series in 2006 after a series drought of twenty-two years. If the offense can live up to the performance thrown by their arms in the pen, we can expect to see Jim Leyland's team playing those night games in 40-degree-weather in late October this year.

It was good while it lasted...

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Within a span of days, Detroit sports fans were stunned by two very big loses - Tiger Stadium and the Wings' subpar performance against the Penguins in the cup finals. Granted that Tiger Stadium has become yet another eyesore in the city, its mere presence (what was left of it anyway) was alone enough to keep hope alive in fans of the possibilities of the restoration of the old ballpark on Michigan and Trumbull. However, a final vote was taken to ensure its complete demolition. As far as the Red Wings are concerned, their performance can be subbed up in three words: lack of heart. Pittsburgh showed they wanted it more by pulling off a must-win in Game 6 and then stunning the Wings and their sea of red fans in their own backyard in a Game 7 that did not live up to the hype. (Does hockey even really get hyped up anymore though?) Regardless, Detroit fans are left to ponder what's next as we endure a long summer of Tigers Baseball and yet another high-blood-pressure causing Lions season until the Wings hit the Joe again.

Movement 2009 Video I shot on the last day of the festival...

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Whether you call it Movement 2009, DEMF, or Techno Fest, the one thing that remains the same is its impact on the city of Detroit. Since its inception, DEMF has not only provided a very eventful holiday weekend for Metro Detroiters, it has also made a name for itself as being one of the most elite music festivals in the world. Techno heads flock to Downtown Detroit from across the world to lose themselves in the music for a few days. Does it sound cliche? Of course it does, but it's pretty easy to lose yourself when you're part of a mass stoned-tripping balls-type crowd that's only concern is having a good time. Sounds like something the D desperately needs more of if you ask me.



Vimeo link: http://www.vimeo.com/4909664
YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eLlKBwNQZo


© MoTray

Tutorial video I cut together for the man, Mike Chav

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Check him out at www.MikeChav.com and follow him on twitter @MikeChav.

How to Mix Basics: Lesson 2 Parallel compression from Mike Chav on Vimeo.

89X Interview - Jay Hudson and Taking Back Sunday

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Filmed before show at Clutch Cargos on May 17th, 2009



© MoTray

Wings Win Big For the City

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Diamonds in the Rough - Detroit Red Wings

Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images North America @ http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/

When much of the talk around town is of the usual dreary conversations about the failing auto industry and the complete and embarrassing lack of organization within ranks of the politicians in local office, the Wings have once again become the bright spot for the city. Generating the seemingly only positive national media attention to the city, Babcock's 2009 squad has fought ferociously through the playoffs, including a memorable series with the Ducks culminating in a Game 7 win tonight off the stick of Dan Cleary at the end of the 3rd period. Osgood has also come to the forefront with impressive goaltending throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs holding off opponents with a 1.97 GAA and 7 wins with only 3 losses thus far. Fans around the city are feeling confident about the current run of the Wings as they attempt to repeat as Cup Champs once again.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals is Sunday @ 2pm

Detroit Video put together by Mike Green and I

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Photos taken by Mo Traylor and Mike Green
Original Music by Mike Green

HQ version can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmomgae4tP0

Michigan Central Station

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Michigan Central Station, otherwise known by most as the ‘Old Train Station,’ was once a thriving Amtrak station that served the city for over 75 years. Since its closure, the building has fallen apart; slowly becoming another relic and the site of many urban legends within the city. However, this once gorgeous piece of architecture is on the brink on being demolished very soon.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Photo by Beat Autopsy

Tigers Stadium

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Image and video hosting by TinyPic
One of the most obvious signs of this is what is left of the old Tigers Stadium. Our hometown stadium that once filled thousands is now starting to look more like the ancient Roman Coliseum as the seconds elapse. After its closure in 1999, the stadium has become a victim of neglect. Once a shining example of baseball architecture in the major leagues, Tiger Stadium has eroded into a shadow of what it once was.

Photo by Mo Tray