DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham led an unprecedented turnaround in NBA history, lifting the Detroit Pistons to relevance after the three-time championship franchise lost its luster.

Cunningham had an All-NBA caliber season, joining elite company with Oscar Robertson, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James.

Detroit’s point guard and those all-time greats are the seven players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a season.

Cunningham’s breakout season helped Detroit become the league’s first team to triple its number of wins from the previous full season.

He didn’t do it alone.

Jalen Duren’s third season was his best and a trio of newly acquired veterans made an impact on and off the court for a team that had the NBA’s worst record the previous two seasons.

When the sixth-seeded and inconsistent Pistons host third-seeded New York on Sunday in Game 4, they need Cunningham to shine and his supporting cast to make shots and stops.

Cunningham is learning a lot in his NBA playoffs debut and his team is, too, in its first postseason appearance since 2019 because every possession matters and little mistakes lead to losing.

“All these things are making us a better team and I think it’s going to make us better to go win this series,” Cunningham said.

Detroit has dropped eight home playoff games in a row since 2008, pulling within one of an NBA record set by Philadelphia from 1968 to 1971.

If the Pistons lose a second straight matchup, they will tie a league mark and be on the brink of elimination going into Game 5 in New York on Tuesday night

The Knicks are expecting Detroit’s best punch.

“They’re going to come out with physicality and aggression,” Knicks guard Josh Hart told reporters Saturday.

In the only game Detroit won against New York, Cunningham was a star with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 12 assists.

In Games 1 and 3, both won by the Knicks, Cunningham was not at his best and his inconsistent teammates didn’t pick up the slack.

Cunningham had 21 points, missing 13 of 21 attempts, and 12 rebounds in the opener.

In Game 3, he joined James, Westbrook and Rick Barry as the four players in NBA playoffs history to have at least 24 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks in a game.

Cunningham, though, also missed 15 of 25 shots and had six turnovers in the potentially, pivotal game.

OG Anunoby had something to do with that.

The 6-foot-7, 232-pound Anunoby, in his eighth NBA season and first full years with the Knicks, used his strength and quickness to challenge Cunningham.

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff is confident Cunningham will find a way to make winning plays in Game 4.

“We’ve seen Cade be able to get where he wants to get to and do what he needs to do,” Bickerstaff said said. “Give (Anunoby) respect because he’s earned it, but I still like Cade’s chances.”

To improve Detroit’s shot to even the series, Cunningham’s teammates have to take advantage of the space he creates by making open shots.

While veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. made a career-playoff high seven 3-pointers and matched a Pistons record, a usually dependable teammate struggled in Game 3.

Malik Beasley connected on six 3-pointers in the opener and made a franchise-record 319 3-pointers during the regular season, ranking second in the league, but was 2 of 10 beyond the arc Thursday night.

Tobias Harris scored a total of 40 points in the two games at Madison Square Garden, then was held to just five points at Little Caesars Arena.

The Knicks, meanwhile, had one of their most balanced offensive postseason performances in more than a half-century.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points, Jalen Brunson had 30 points, Anunoby scored 22 and Mikal Bridges had 20 points.

The last time New York had four players score 20-plus points in a playoff game, Hall of Famers Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley pulled off the feat in 1972.

“What hurt us in this last game was more our defense than anything we did offensively,” Bickerstaff said.

DETROIT – You’ve heard him say it a lot. Everything matters. And if manager AJ Hinch ever needs an abject reference point, he can use the Tigers’ 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the front end of a doubleheader Saturday.

Spencer Torkelson’s opposite-field home run in the seventh inning provided the margin of victory. Casey Mize held a lineup of dangerous left-handed hitters at bay for 5.1 innings with relievers Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton and Will Vest locking it down — Vest earning a four-out save punching out Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg to end it.

Those were the headline moments. But the headline would be different without a handful of other smaller moments throughout the game.

“Knowing we had a second game makes it even more rewarding to win the first one,” Hinch said. “I thought in equal parts we were going to break the game open and in equal parts it was like, ‘Oh (crap), they’ve created some leverage for themselves.’

“Winning the first game of a series is always important. But to win it the way we did was good to see.”

To Hinch’s point about blowing the game open: They worked five walks in the first two innings off Orioles’ starter Brandon Young and came out of it with just two runs. They left the bases loaded twice. But with Mize grinding through the Orioles’ lefty-heavy lineup, allowing only a solo homer to Ryan O’Hearn, they were able to weather some trouble.

“I feel like if I can keep the ball on the ground, good things will happen more times than not,” said Mize, who improved to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 2.12. “We made an error on the first batter of the game and then immediately got a double-play. That’s a huge moment for our team.”

Catcher Dillon Dingler got Mize out of that first inning by throwing out Westburg trying to steal second base. Dingler’s pop time to second base was a season-best 1.86 seconds. It was one of a few small ways that Dingler impacted this win.

He kept the Tigers’ two-run second inning alive, first legging out a ground ball and preventing a double-play. Then he avoided getting back-picked off first base on a strong throw by catcher Gary Sanchez, making a deft slide to avoid the tag.

Dingler played a big role in a pivotal defensive play in the sixth inning.

The Orioles, down 3-1 in the sixth, put runners at the corners with back-to-back singles off Mize. The Tigers pulled their infield in and Mize got Heston Kjerstad to hit a ground ball to the right of Torkelson at first base.

Torkelson fielded the ball on the grass and fired home without hesitation. Dingler not only applied a firm tag as the runner Westburg was sliding into him, he also took the throw in textbook position to avoid getting called for blocking the plate.

“It was a good day for Tork on both sides of the ball and that’s so good to see,” Hinch said. “That is an instinctual defensive play where he’s got to read it. We know we’re in a little bit of trouble there. He may go to second, he may just take the out at first. But he read the play, got the hop and goes home to get a pretty good runner.

“That instinctive play is an indication of he’s playing with freedom and the right balance of know-how and execution.”

Hanifee replaced Mize at that point and retired Ramon Urias and Jackson Holliday to escape the inning.

“Tork saves the run where, if he doesn’t, we’d still be playing,” Mize said. “Huge play. We played good defense all around.”

Riley Greene, as he has so often, gave up his body to make a couple of pivotal plays in left field, too. With two on in the second inning, he raced back to the wall to take extra bases away from Jackson Holliday. He hit the wall awkwardly and came off the wall shaking out his left shoulder.

In the seventh, he took a home run away from Ramon Laureano. Again he tracked the ball to the wall. This time he had to leap and extend as he was crashing into the wall. He caught it and caromed hard to the ground.

“I guess we have to put him in center so he can avoid the fence,” Hinch said, half-joking. “The ball finds him and he finds a way to get big outs. I’ll play him in center in Game 2 and it might be a breather for him because there’s not a fence anywhere near him.

“But I love the way he stays in the play.”

Later in the inning, he nearly stole a single from Henderson with a diving attempt in short left.

“That was a good attempt,” Hinch said. “One of the reasons I love Riley in left, it’s not just because it’s not as much to cover as in center, but he’s actually really good in left. He’s got a good feel for where he is and he can get up over the fence.

“He seems to make great plays when it doesn’t seem like a play is possible. And that’s because he sells out from the jump.”

One big blast by Torkelson and a bunch of lower-key clutch plays — including a two-out RBI single by Jace Jung, his first hit since being called up from Toledo — added to another win for the 16-10 Tigers.

Listed as a 6-foot-4, 245-pound two-star prospect on his high school recruiting profile as a senior at Birmingham Brother Rice, Luke Newman made himself into a pro offensive line prospect.

And now he’s been picked.

Newman was selected in the sixth round by the Chicago Bears, taken with the 196th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 315 pound offensive guard, who played last season at Michigan State after four successful seasons at Holy Cross, will join former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the Windy City, part of the crew — along with former Lions guard Jonah Jackson — protecting last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams.

Newman started 49 consecutive games over his final four seasons of college ball, including 37 at left tackle for Holy Cross, and 12 for Michigan State last season, as a grad transfer. He led MSU with 739 offensive snaps, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten, grading out as the No. 9 offensive guard in the league by PFF during the regular season. Earned FCS All-America honors from different publications each of his final three seasons at Holy Cross.

The Bears have had some experience with Brother Rice players along the line. A fifth-round pick out of Missouri in 2021, Larry Borom played four seasons for the Bears — starting 27 of 47 games — before signing with the Miami Dolphins in March.

Local players who could hear their name called in NFL Draft

Buffalo Bills draft West Bloomfield grad Maxwell Hairston in first round of NFL Draft

The Detroit Lions have been quite active throughout the duration of the 2025 NFL Draft, having pulled off three trades.

Finally, the team addressed the defensive end position. In the sixth round, Detroit targeted Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein.

Last season at Boise State, Hassanein recorded 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in helping the Broncos reach the College Football Playoff.

According to NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler, “Overall, Hassanein is a try-hard edge rusher with plenty of redeeming qualities that will endear him to coaches. He lacks high-level athletic traits, though, and will be low on an NFL depth chart until he improves his predictability as a pass rusher. Given his meager football experience, NFL teams are intrigued by his untapped upside.”

In the first-round, the Lions selected defensive tackle Tyleik Williams from Ohio State. An anchor for the Buckeyes’ national championship team, he projects as an immediate rotational contributor on the defensive line against the run with pass-rush developmental upside.

Holmes was active in trading up on the second day of the draft. He first traded up three spots with the Denver Broncos to acquire Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge. After Kevin Zeitler’s departure, Ratledge appears to be a potential competitor for a starting spot right away.

In the third round, Holmes traded up 32 spots with the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. A Hudsonville native who wore a custom Lions jersey to his top-30 visit with the team, TeSlaa is a big and fast wideout with the potential to contribute either in the slot or out wide on the perimeter.

Detroit’s first Day 3 selection came in the fifth round, as Holmes swapped two picks to move up 11 spots and select LSU offensive lineman Miles Frazier with the 171st pick of the draft.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

By Anne Snabes, The Detroit News

The Rev. Lorn Snow, a Jesuit priest in Detroit, felt a sense of loss for himself and the Catholic Church after hearing the news that Pope Francis had died.

But that sadness later turned to two other feelings, he said.

One was joy, since Francis’ death was amid the Easter season, which is the “highest moment in the life of the church,” said Snow, the pastor of Gesu Catholic Church in Detroit. On Easter, Catholics celebrate the rising of Jesus from the dead after his crucifixion.

“And I just thought it was so beautiful that the Risen Jesus came for Pope Francis in the midst of our Easter season — our resurrection,” he said. “And, you know, he shares in that resurrection now.”

The other feeling was gratitude. Snow said he is thankful for the pope’s years of “shepherding us” and caring for “not only the church, but really in a deep sense, for the world.”

Faith leaders in Metro Detroit are reflecting on Pope Francis’ life and legacy following his death Monday morning from a stroke and heart failure, as well as his Saturday funeral mass. Some Catholic priests remember Francis’ authenticity, his concern for the Earth and the example he set for older adults who are aging.

Some Protestant pastors remarked on his care for the poor and the marginalized, and a local rabbi called him “such a devoted, sincere, humble man.” An imam in Detroit praised Francis’ attention to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The Rev. Elbert Dulworth, pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Rochester, said he was excited to see a pope who “seemed to kind of bring people together.”

“As someone coming from a Protestant denomination, I felt like he really was a pastoral leader for not just the Catholic Church, but for all of us in the Christian church, kind of calling us together ― a more unifying presence for us,” Dulworth said.

Tens of thousands of people came to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to pay their respects to Francis, who lay in state for three days. His funeral Mass was Saturday morning in St. Peter’s Square.

‘In touch with his people to the very end’

The Rev. Terry Kerner, pastor of St. Kateri Catholic Church in Dearborn, noted that on Easter Sunday, Francis ministered to the people in St. Peter’s Square, including blessing babies.

“He was in touch with his people to the very end,” he said.

Francis was “a beautiful example of aging” and how to grow old in “a gracious and faithful way,” Kerner said. His parish has a lot of elderly parishioners, he said.

“I just think his life spoke to them by his example and his writings,” Kerner said.

He said Francis’ message was that the elderly have gifts for the young, and the young have gifts to give to the elderly.

“Nobody is disposable,” Kerner said, adding that seniors are “certainly a gift” to the church and humankind.

He noted that he doesn’t know anyone who disliked Francis.

“They may not have agreed with some of his policies,” Kerner said, “but it was hard to dislike him, because he’s just so authentic and genuine and loving.”

His concern for the environment

In 2015, Pope Francis released an encyclical — which is a letter — on the environment called Laudato Si’. In the letter, Francis called for a global dialogue about how people are influencing the future of the planet through their actions.

Gesu Catholic Church’s Snow said his church is considered a Laudato Si’ parish. Gesu promotes environmental justice and is trying to reduce waste coming from the parish and its grade school.

“It will be his great legacy, I think, as pope — is his care for creation,” Snow said.

At Gesu, students compost in the lunchroom, and the school gives leftover food to local farmers. When the parish provides coffee and donuts to parishioners on Sunday, they don’t use Styrofoam or other plastics.

The parish also has solar panels on its school buildings and electric vehicle charging stations in its parking lots.

“We’re doing everything possible we can,” Snow said. “We don’t use pesticides on our property. … All our landscaping are natural plants that would be here in Michigan, and we don’t utilize any things that would harm the Earth.”

The Rev. Faith Fowler, the lead pastor of Cass Community United Methodist Church and executive director of the nonprofit Cass Community Social Services, said Francis’ stance on the environment resonated with her. She said there should be “a planet for future generations.” Her organization has installed solar panels on its campus, and it harvests rainwater and is replacing grass with native plants.

“I’m a firm believer that although the planet belongs to God, we have the responsibility of being good stewards of what we’ve received, what we’ve been blessed with, and that we should pass it on to future generations as best we can,” Fowler said. “And I think I mirror the pope in that love for the environment and the understanding that we should be good stewards.”

His care for the poor

Fowler said many members of her church are poor, and “they too are feeling diminished” by Francis’ death.

“He was somebody who stood up and stood with and ministered to and was ministered by poor people,” she said. “And that’s not always true in the church ― any church. The higher you climb, the more distant you are from people who are discounted by the larger society. He was a man who stayed connected and stayed caring and reminded the church to be less worried about the things we worry about most of the time.”

She said Cass Community United Methodist Church works with people who need food, shelter and clothing. She said the gestures of Pope Francis’ ministry, including visiting a prison on Holy Thursday last week, were “very inspiring.”

“I really looked up to him,” Fowler said.

Kerner said Francis reminded the Catholic Church of “an incredibly important mission” that it has to the poor and the marginalized.

“We are at our best when we’re serving the poorest and the most vulnerable,” he said.

LGBTQ+ issues

Dulworth, pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, said he was thankful to see Pope Francis take a step in reaching out to the LGBTQ+ community.

Catholic teaching on LGBTQ+ issues didn’t change during Francis’ tenure, including the prohibition on same-sex marriage, but Francis conveyed through his actions and remarks that he wanted the church to be a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people.

Fowler said she “sensed the position” that Francis was in, because many churches in Africa are more conservative than churches in the U.S., Germany and other places.

“And yet they were all a part of his church, so how you maintain unity is a tough call,” she said, adding that progressives “probably didn’t get everything they wanted.”

Fowler said she would have loved to have seen Pope Francis allow women to be ordained as priests or deacons. He did, however, appoint women to top Vatican positions, including Sister Simona Brambilla, the prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders.

Muslim and Jewish leaders share their perspectives

Imam Imran Salha of the Islamic Center of Detroit said he offers his condolences to “my Christian brothers and sisters.”

“And I pray that God replaces him with many others to follow in his example of compassion and wisdom and clarity of choice,” he said.

In Pope Francis’ last speech, which Archbishop Diego Ravelli read aloud on Easter Sunday, he called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza. He also urged Hamas to release the dozens of Israeli hostages it is holding and condemned growing global antisemitism.

Salha said Francis “always recognized the people of Palestine and their suffering on their occupation.” He said the pope regularly called people in Gaza to check in on them.

Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, called Francis “such an incredible man.” He said Francis showed care for immigrants, the weak and the environment, and showed “respect for every human being.”

“These resonated very much with the Jewish community,” he said.

Lopatin, who is the rabbi at Kehillat Etz Chayim in Oak Park, added that the Jewish community appreciated Francis’ denunciation of antisemitism and the love he showed for the hostage families.

“However, I think in the life of the pope, of Pope Francis, all the values that he had could have been reflected in a stronger, more robust support for the Jewish state” and for the struggle that the Jewish state has with “all its enemies,” he said.

He said calls for a ceasefire have to be coupled with a demand for Hamas to release the hostages. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. Some hostages have been released, some of whom were dead, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Some hostages were rescued by Israeli military forces. The bodies of more than 40 hostages were retrieved by Israeli forces.

Lopatin said he thinks Jews expected Francis to “be more of a voice” for getting the hostages released.

“But … there’s always more to do, and I hope the Catholic Church takes from his teachings and becomes that voice of support for the one Jewish state,” he said.

asnabes@detroitnews.com

 

DETROIT – Driving to Sarasota back on March 21, it dawned on Tarik Skubal that he hadn’t faced the Orioles in a while.

“Yeah, I was trying to think, like, ‘When was the last time I pitched against those guys?’” he said.

The last time he faced the Orioles in a regular-season game was May 15, 2022, before he had flexor tendon surgery, before he morphed into Cy Skub. He punched out 11 in six scoreless innings that day at Comerica Park.

He will face them again Sunday in the series finale. But that trip to Sarasota in March triggered one of his favorite memories.

“The last time I went to Sarasota before that, I started against Felix Hernandez,” he said.

True story. King Felix was trying to make a comeback with the Orioles in the spring of 2021. His spring start against Skubal was one of the final starts of his career. The long-time Mariners ace never got back to the big leagues after 2019.

“I went to college in Seattle, right, so I was very familiar with him,” Skubal said. “That was one of the coolest things ever, that I was starting against Felix Hernandez.”

Skubal is coming off a grind of a start a week ago. The Royals took an effective approach against him, essentially selling out to an opposite-field approach. They ended up with seven singles, all up the middle or to the opposite side and paper-cut Skubal out of the game after five innings.

Skubal talked at length Saturday about how he deals with situations like that and the balance he has between relying on scouting reports and trusting that he can win most battles with his elite pitch mix.

Just so you know, he relishes the chess match.

“That’s what makes the game fun,” he said. “That back and forth. I think the game would get monotonous, if not boring, if you just went out and did the same thing. There is always the chess match, the back and forth, the counts, the previous at-bat, the game flow — all of that stuff is what makes the game fun.

“And it’s what pushes you to continue to get better.”

Skubal, despite the Cy Young Award last year, despite being one of the games’ dominant lefties the last year and a half, still sees himself as an unfinished product.

“When my career is done, that’s when I will be a finished product,” he said. “I’m always trying to learn, trying to get better, trying to be a better version of myself. Right now the best version of myself is who I am.

“But like two years from now, what am I going to be?”

For sure he will have a counter move should the Orioles try to replicate the Royals’ attack plan. But he’s still coming with his upper-90s four-seam and sinker, elite changeup, slider and knuckle-curve.

He seeks to find that balance between game plan and attacking strength on strength.

“As a pitcher, you always have to pitch to your strengths,” Skubal said. “You also need to know the hitters’ weaknesses if your strengths aren’t your strength that day. But I’m always going to pitch to my strengths.

“If a guy hammers changeups, I’m still going to throw a changeup. Can you hit mine? Then, oh, you can? Then we’ll flip the script.”

Skubal takes the game-planning part seriously. Not necessarily to map out specific pitch sequences for each hitter, but to reinforce his own pitch decisions.

“They help me mentally buy in a little more with every pitch,” he said. “That helps me execute. When I’ve done my homework and I know they can’t handle certain pitches, it helps me execute at a higher clip than just blindly going up there and, here’s a 2-1 slider.

“Why am I throwing that pitch?”

The scouting report helps bolster conviction. The worst feeling for a pitcher, Skubal will tell you, is to get beat on an non-convicted pitch.

“If you get burned on anything, you want a reason why threw that pitch,” he said. “It helps you kind of move on. Was I throwing that curveball just to throw it or was there a reason to throw it?

“If you have a reason for everything you do, it helps you sleep better at night – good or bad – because you bought in to what you were doing.”

More: Breaking down root causes of Colt Keith’s ever-shrinking role with Tigers

There is a reason, too, that game plans aren’t etched in stone, figuratively speaking. Things happen in the game that can quickly alter the course.

“The scouting report might say this guy hammers fastballs,” Skubal said. “And I throw him a fastball in his first at-bat and he’s way behind. Hey, guess what? You are going to get a ton of them.”

It can go the other way, too.

“It’s day to day,” he said. “Some scouting reports are based on year-long data. But what if a guy is in a slump. (Boston slugger) Raffy Devers got thrown 17 fastballs in a game earlier. If I looked at a scouting report, I guarantee it says he hits fastballs.

“But at that moment, he wasn’t hitting fastballs. So you throw them.”

There are nuances to this stuff within at-bats. Skubal was asked about being fearless and throwing challenge fastballs in hitter-friendly counts.

“Just because you are in a hitter’s count doesn’t mean they’re thinking a heater is coming,” he said. “I’ve probably earned the right to throw some 2-0 fastballs because the at-bat prior I might’ve thrown a 2-0 changeup.

“That’s just stuff that goes on in the game. If I just went out there and did the same thing every game, I’d start to feel like a robot. That stuff is the human element in the game and that’s what makes it fun.”

There is a zone pitchers all strive to get to. Skubal has been there many times. Reese Olson got into one Wednesday. It’s the point where the game planning, conviction and execution all come together and you just start imposing your will on hitters.

“I can throw a fastball at 96 mph with 18 inches of carry and two inches of horizontal break and it gets fouled off because I wasn’t bought in,” Skubal said. “I can throw that same heater at 96 and I’m bought in on it and for whatever reason, there is a little more life on it, even though the numbers say it’s the same pitch.

“You can see it. It just comes out and you are going right after guys. It’s overwhelming. When I’m sitting in the dugout watching other guys do it, it’s like, ‘Holy crap.’ It’s so hard to get in that mode.”

Skubal watched Yankees’ lefty Max Fried get in one of those zones against the Tigers when he punched out 11 in seven innings back on April 9.

“That was probably the best I’ve ever watched from a starting pitcher,” Skubal said. “It was unbelievable and it was overwhelming. I was like, we don’t have a chance. At the end of the outing he started ripping 96 and 97 and we’re way late because he’d slowed us down the whole game.

“I’m getting goosebumps right now. That’s pitching.”

Skubal is due for a goosebump outing of his own.

The Detroit Lions began Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft with five draft selections overall. With two picks in the sixth-round and three in the seventh, it could be assumed the scouting department was comfortable with their evaluations and prospect rankings.

After targeting a defensive tackle, offensive lineman and wide receiver, Detroit decided to trade up again to pick No. 171 to select guard Miles Frazier out of LSU.

Detroit dealt with New England and parted ways with picks No. 182 and No. 228 to move up 11 spots.

Frazier was considered to be a top-100 prospect by several pundits, including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.

According to NFL draft analyst Lance Zeirlein, “Four-year starter who classifies as a physical short-area guard with satisfactory height, weight and length. Frazier has knock-back pop and is capable of mauling in tight spaces. His short pulls and lead blocks around the end are solid. Difficulties with reach blocks and second-level cut-offs on stretch plays could cause zone teams to scratch him. He possesses adequate range and foot quickness in protection and is fairly clear-eyed to recognize gaming fronts. His hand placement is average and he’s tight in his knees, which could be a concern for his anchor. Frazier has things to clean up but carries pro measurables and a play demeanor that gives him a shot to become a starter.”

The Lions began the draft by selecting Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams with the 28th overall pick. Holmes told reporters that he entertained the possibility of trading back, but ultimately elected to stay in place and make the pick.

Holmes was active on the draft’s second day, completing a pair of trades to move up in the draft. First, he traded up three spots with the Denver Broncos to acquire Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge.

Then, he traded the 102nd overall pick along with a pair of 2026 third-round picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 70th overall pick, the 182nd overall pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. With that pick, the Lions drafted Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

ALLEN PARK — Tate Ratledge thinks he’s going to fit right in with the Detroit Lions, and it’s not because of his tattoo.

That part is simply a coincidence.

Ratledge, who has a lion inked on his right forearm, sees similarities between the program he’s leaving — Georgia, which has won two of the last four national titles — and the franchise he’s joining. Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Georgia headman Kirby Smart both “believe in physical football players, tough football players (and) smart football players,” and Ratledge, an offensive guard who stood out as a starter for the Bulldogs over the last three seasons, fits that description.

“I’m here to do whatever helps the team win,” Ratledge told reporters through a Zoom meeting Friday evening, shortly after the Lions selected him with the 57th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. “I’m a team player through and through. If they need me to go kick out to tackle, I’ll go kick out to tackle. If they need me to be an X receiver and run go balls, I can do that. … I just want a chance to compete, and a chance to go out there and do my best every day.”

The Lions moved up three spots to secure Ratledge, trading Nos. 60 and 130 to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Nos. 57 and 230. They leapt over the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens in the process. The Raiders and Ravens went on to select TCU receiver Jack Bech and Marshall pass rusher Mike Green, respectively.

It was the first of two trades on Friday for the Lions, who later moved up for Arkansas receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

Ratledge (6-foot-6½, 308 pounds) made 34 starts in his tenure at Georgia, with each coming at right guard. He’s credited with allowing two sacks and 18 total pressures over 1,180 career pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and his grade as a run blocker in 2024 (74.7) ranked 32nd among the 315 guards who received at least 150 run-blocking snaps.

The Lions already have veteran Graham Glasgow and 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany on the roster, but Ratledge figures to compete with them for a starting role. Glasgow, 33 years old in August, appeared in 16 of Detroit’s 17 games last season. Mahogany, meanwhile, got one start in the regular season and another in the playoffs, impressing in the limited sample size.

“I’m in the spot right now where all I can do is ask for a chance to compete,” Ratledge said. “I think I have a lot of those traits to go to a winning program, coming from one, knowing what it takes; knowing what has to be done to win. Right now, I’m in the position where all I can ask for is a shot to compete. Go in there, compete and give it my all every day and try to make that team better.”

Last year, general manager Brad Holmes affectionately said Mahogany has “got some dirtbag in him.” The phrase was meant as an ode to the mean streak and toughness Mahogany plays with, and Ratledge falls in that same bucket.

Ratledge doesn’t think it’s possible for an offensive lineman to play at a high level without having some “dirtbag” to him. That’s music to the ears of Campbell and Holmes.

“Just like Mahogany fit what we were looking for, Tate fits what we’re looking for — whether he’s got his mullet or not,” Holmes said. “He plays the game the right way. He’s tough; he’s physical; he’s a lot more athletic than you may think, and he’s got a lot more versatility than people may realize. That’s really when he really, really rose through the process for us. Those guys fit. They’re smart; they’re tough; they’re gritty, and they play our style of ball.”

Ratledge’s mullet, which has already begun to develop a cult-like following, was born as a joke during the COVID-19 pandemic. His father gave him the haircut in their front lawn, and he decided to keep it after an “eight-month awkward phase.”

A Georgia native who was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020, Ratledge had been at Georgia for the last five seasons. The Lions never had him in for a visit in Allen Park, but the team met with him while at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Ratledge remembers speaking with offensive line coach Hank Fraley and having “extensive” conversations about the system and “just knowing football.”

“I’ve always been a fan of Coach Campbell and the way he runs his program, just seeing what he has to say, how he runs his team, the way his offensive line plays,” Ratledge said. “Just everything about the way he runs his team, I feel like, is a great fit.”

If you are looking for a new abode that feels like you are able to be away from home, perhaps this residence should be on your search list.

Located at 26918 Koerber Street, St. Clair Shores, the four bedroom, five bathroom home is available for $1,650,000.

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Each bedroom has its own bathroom, which adds to the customizable feel. There is a wet bar upstairs and a laundry area on each level which adds to the ease of  entertaining and living in the home. The home has 5,200 square feet of living space.

There is also a three and a half car attached garage and a 1,700 square foot detached heated four car garage/barn, which only expands the options available with this property to suit it to fit needs.

For the water fun outside, there is a 200 foot steel dock,10,000 pound electric hoist and  ATV ramp.

Plenty of chance to relax inside and out with views and activities for everyone.

The home is viewable on Zillow here: zillow.com/homedetails/26918-Koerber-St-Saint-Clair-Shores-MI-48081/83625427_zpid

— Macomb Daily staff 

 

 

 

ALLEN PARK — Some people were born to be Detroit Lions. Isaac TeSlaa is one of them.

The Lions traded up twice on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, using their second move to go up 32 spots in Round 3 and grab TeSlaa, a wide receiver from Arkansas who grew up in Hudsonville and has been a fan of the Lions since he was in diapers.

Detroit sent multiple Day 2 picks to get TeSlaa (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) on Friday night, giving up both of next year’s third-round picks and this year’s third-rounder (102 overall). In return, the Lions received pick Nos. 70 and 182 in this year’s draft and a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft.

“I don’t know if I have words … I’m still processing it right now. Obviously, it’s been not only a dream to play in the NFL, but to play for my hometown team, the team I’ve been rooting for since I was a baby, so, it’s just an incredible feeling,” TeSlaa told reporters via Zoom.

TeSlaa, 23, attended Unity Christian in Hudsonville. He began his college career at Hillsdale (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) before transferring to Arkansas in 2023. Over 25 games for the Razorbacks, he caught 62 passes for 896 yards (14.5 average) and five touchdowns.

He first got on the radar of Lions general manager Brad Holmes during the Senior Bowl. Holmes immediately noticed TeSlaa’s blocking, saying he “was just being a pest and he was pissing off the (defensive backs).”

“Obviously, it made me just want to completely watch the tape when you see a guy that’s just big, long, smooth strider, can accelerate, can run, he’s a hands catcher, can play special teams, can block,” Holmes said. “He can do a lot of things.”

He’s an uber-athletic receiver with inside-outside ability and said he models his game after Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. Based on NFL Combine measurements, TeSlaa ranked No. 1 in athleticism score, per Next Gen Stats. He received a 9.97 Relative Athletic Score, which ranks 11th out of 3,441 receivers from 1987 to 2025.

“He’s gonna need to develop, but he’s got the tools to play outside and win outside. He’s gonna have to learn getting off press (coverage) and all that stuff, just like they all do, but he’s got all the physical tools,” Holmes said. “He’s got the intangible makeup to be able to overcome that.”

The Lions hosted TeSlaa on a top-30 visit — and TeSlaa showed up in a customized Lions jersey (No. 10) with his name on the back. Holmes thought it was a bit “cheesy” until TeSlaa told him he’s owned the gear since eighth grade.

Just how deep does TeSlaa’s fandom go? He was in attendance at Ford Field when Lions Hall-of-Famer Calvin Johnson set the single-season receiving record in 2012.

“I remember growing up watching Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, all those guys,” TeSlaa said. “It’s cool to be a part of that team now.”

Two of the picks used to move up for TeSlaa were compensatory picks awarded to the Lions after former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was hired as head coach of the New York Jets. Detroit also moved up three spots in Round 2 to draft Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, sending pick Nos. 60 and 130 to the Denver Broncos for Nos. 57 and 230.

Following the pair of trades, the Lions are set to have four picks on the final day of the draft: Two in Round 6 (Nos. 182; 196, via Tampa Bay) and three in Round 7 (Nos. 228, via Dallas; 230, via Denver; and 244). With still one day remaining, Holmes has now traded up in the draft 11 times since 2021.

Entering Day 3, the Lions have yet to address edge rusher, their biggest position of need entering the weekend and arguably one of the deepest positions of the entire draft.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a disappointment (to not add an edge rusher) because we got all guys that we love,” Holmes said. “Like I told you guys before the draft, we could have drafted an edge rusher that plays that position. We could have done it, and y’all would have been happy, right?”

Holmes continued, “All I hear is ‘Edge rusher, draft an edge rusher.’ So I’m like, ‘Well, are you assuming that the guy’s really good?’ Well, that’s a whole different story. Can you get in a position to get one of those? I don’t need to get into specifics, but there’s times where we made attempts to get one, and (he) just got picked before, we couldn’t get up (in a trade). It takes two to trade. Or we just had another player higher, but we did the same thing that we do every draft. We picked the highest-rated player regardless of position.”

At Hillsdale, TeSlaa was named the 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference offensive player of the year and was First Team All-G-MAC after hauling in 68 catches for 1,325 yards (19.5 average) and 13 touchdowns.

TeSlaa joins a receiving room that features two-time All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, Ronnie Bell, Tom Kennedy and Kalif Raymond.

Today is Saturday, April 26, the 116th day of 2025. There are 249 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On April 26, 1986, in the worst nuclear disaster in history, an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused radioactive fallout to begin spewing into the atmosphere. Dozens of people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, while the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning is believed to number in the thousands.

Also on this date:

In 1607, English colonists went ashore at present-day Cape Henry, Virginia, on an expedition to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1865, John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded by federal troops near Port Royal, Virginia, and killed.

In 1913, Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old worker at a Georgia pencil factory, was strangled; Leo Frank, the factory superintendent, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death. (Frank’s death sentence was commuted, but he was lynched by an antisemitic mob in 1915.)

In 1964, the African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form what is now known as Tanzania.

In 1977, the legendary nightclub Studio 54 had its opening night in New York.

In 1994, voting began in South Africa’s first all-race elections, which resulted in victory for the African National Congress and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president.

In 2000, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation’s first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor became the first head of state since World War II to be convicted by an international war crimes court as he was found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and the use of child soldiers. (Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison.)

In 2018, comedian Bill Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at Cosby’s suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. (Cosby was later sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out the conviction and released him from prison in June 2021, ruling that the prosecutor in the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby.)

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor-comedian Carol Burnett is 92.
• Composer-producer Giorgio Moroder is 85.
• Olympic swimming gold medalist Donna de Varona is 78.
• Actor Giancarlo Esposito is 67.
• Actor Joan Chen is 64.
• Actor Jet Li is 62.
• Actor-comedian Kevin James is 60.
• Former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey is 59.
• Actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste is 58.
• First lady Melania Trump is 55.
• Singer Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins (TLC) is 55.
• Country musician Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts) is 54.
• Actor Tom Welling is 48.
• Actor Pablo Schreiber is 47.
• Actor Jordana Brewster is 45.
• Actor Channing Tatum is 45.
• New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is 33.

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. His death set off mourning across the Catholic world and days of ritual at the Vatican. Here are the key things to know about the funeral of the first Latin American pontiff in the church’s history:

When and where is his funeral being held?

His funeral is being held on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square. Francis will then be buried, according to his will: in a simple underground tomb at St. Mary Major Basilica. The church is home to his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

The sealing of the coffin

The night before the funeral, the camerlengo presided over the closing and sealing of the coffin, in the presence of other senior cardinals. A white cloth was placed over Francis’ face.

A bag containing coins minted during his papacy was placed in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy — known in Italian as a “rogito,” a word indicating an official deed. It was read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies and then rolled up and slipped inside a cylindrical tube that was placed inside the coffin. Another copy is kept in the Vatican archives. The covers of both the zinc coffin and the wooden one bear a cross and Francis’ papal coat of arms.

Why not at the Vatican?

Francis had said he wanted to be buried not in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, where most popes are buried, but in the St. Mary Major Basilica across town. His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the people of Rome).

Before and after every foreign trip, Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary, draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus who in turn holds a jeweled golden book.

Which dignitaries are expected to attend?

Heads of state, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, are among those expected for the funeral. Others dignitaries include: Prince William, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Council President António Costa.

How long did the pope serve?

Pope Francis had a 12-year papacy during which he charmed the world with his humility and concern for the poor. But the Argentina-born pope also alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

So, how do they choose a new pope?

The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual to elect a new one, involving sacred oaths by the cardinals, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there’s a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

With the burial, the Catholic Church begins nine days of official mourning, known as the “novemdiales”. The date of the conclave to elect a new pope has not yet been announced.

In the conclave, the cardinals will vote in secret sessions, and the ballots will be burned in a special stove after each session. Black smoke indicates no pope has been elected; white smoke says the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.

Any baptized Catholic male is eligible, though only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age 80 who are eligible to participate.

Francis appointed the vast majority of electors, often tapping men who share his pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity rather than rupture.

While it’s impossible to predict who the next pope will be, some cardinals are considered to have better chances than others.

Is it like the movie?

Yes and no. “Conclave” the 2024 film, introduced many laypeople to the ancient selection process with its arcane rules and grand ceremony, albeit with a silver screen twist packed full of palace intrigue and surprise.

Vatican experts say the movie excels at re-creating the look and feel of a conclave. But there are discrepancies, errors and some outlandish storylines in the Hollywood version. And while the voting process was depicted accurately, the ballots are burned not after each vote, but after each session.

The legacy of Francis

Francis was known for his personal simplicity, from the choice of his name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced wealth to help the poor, to the outward symbols and priorities of his papacy.

He chose to live in the Vatican’s Domus Santa Marta hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace and wore his old orthotic shoes and not the red loafers of the papacy.

In his teachings, he focused on concern for refugees and other marginalized people. His first trip outside Rome as pope in 2013 was to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to meet with newly arrived migrants. His plea for welcome put him at odds with U.S. and European policies.

He also also signaled a more welcoming stance toward LGBTQ+ people, while also making the fight against climate change a priority. Francis became the first pope to use scientific data in a major teaching document and made care for God’s creation a hallmark of his papacy.

He eschewed the grandiose even in his departure, lying in state in a simple coffin made of wood.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — From some of the world’s most powerful leaders to those on society’s margins whom Pope Francis always made a point to minister to, hundreds of thousands of people were expected at the Vatican Saturday for the funeral rites for the late pontiff.

U.S. President Donald Trump and some 60 other heads of state and reigning sovereigns announced their plans to travel to Rome from around the globe. The Vatican said that “a group of the poor and the needy” would be on the steps of St. Mary Major Basilica to pay homage to the first Jesuit and first Latin American pope before his burial in the church.

The Holy See press office added that the poor had a special place in Francis’ heart. He had chosen for his papacy the name of the medieval Italian saint who famously renounced his family’s wealth when he joined the church.

Already, long lines of the faithful have paid their homage to Francis, who died Monday at age 88, over the three days that his body was lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

From the beginning of his papacy in 2013, Francis won over many around the world, Catholic or not, with his advocacy for migrants and the environment. His legacy was more mixed on the topics of clergy sexual abuse and LGBTQ+ outreach, which made waves for increasing inclusion but some criticized for not going far enough.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

ROME (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday was among more than 50 heads of state and other dignitaries attending the funeral of Pope Francis, where he’ll personally pay his respects to the Roman Catholic leader who pointedly disagreed with him on a variety of issues.

Trump arrived at the Vatican with his wife, first lady Melania Trump.

Trump told reporters on Friday as he flew to Rome that he was going to the funeral “out of respect” for the pontiff, who died Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88.

Francis sharply disagreed with Trump’s approach on issues including immigration, the treatment of migrants and climate change. The Argentine pontiff and the American president sparred early in their relationship over immigration. In 2016, Francis, alluding to then-candidate Trump and his campaign slogan of “Build the wall,” called anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants “ not Christian.” Trump said the comment was “disgraceful.”

But after Francis’ death, the Republican president praised him as a “good man” who “worked hard” and “loved the world.” Trump also directed that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff in Francis’ honor.

Trump had said on a couple of occasions before leaving Washington that he would have “a lot” of meetings with counterparts on the sidelines of the funeral. But he seemed to back away from that as he flew to Rome.

“Frankly, it’s a little disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral of a pope,” the president told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One. Nonetheless, Trump said: “I’ll be talking to people. I’ll be seeing a lot of people.”

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Hungary and Argentina are among those expected to attend.

One person Trump didn’t expect to interact with is former President Joe Biden, who planned to attend the funeral with his wife, Jill. Trump said he wasn’t aware his Democratic predecessor would be at the funeral. Asked if they’d meet, Trump said: “It’s not high on my list. It’s really not.”

The pope’s funeral will not be one of those occasions that bring together the current and former U.S. presidents. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush are not attending, their offices said. A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton did not respond to an inquiry about his plans.

Trump didn’t elaborate when asked if he’d just be meeting leaders in passing or holding more in-depth talks. He suggested he might have meetings at Villa Taverna, the U.S. ambassador’s residence, where he spent the night.

“It’s a little tough because we don’t have much time,” Trump said, noting his late arrival in Rome. He was scheduled to head back to the United States immediately after the funeral.

“I think that we’re going to try and see a couple of people that are important in what we’re doing,” said Trump, who is trying to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and negotiate trade agreements with multiple countries.

He posted on Truth Social shortly after arriving in Rome that Ukraine and Russia should meet for “very high level talks” on ending the bloody three-year war sparked by Russia’s invasion. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Friday, and Trump said both sides were “very close to a deal.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Rome on Saturday to attend the funeral, his press office confirmed, joining first lady Olena Zelenska. Putin is not attending.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — As many as 200,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square as he is being laid to rest Saturday.

While dignitaries are to attend, prisoners and migrants will usher him into the basilica where he will be buried, reflecting his priorities as pope.

U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, the U.N. chief and European Union leaders are joining Prince William and the Spanish royal family will be in attendance.

Francis is breaking with recent tradition and will be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica, where a simple underground tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus.

The funeral is set to start at 10 a.m. local time.

Here is the latest:

Giant photographs of Carlo Acutis seen in St. Peter’s Square

Acutis was supposed to have been canonized on Sunday as the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.

The Vatican suspended the ceremony after Pope Francis died, but many people who had made plans to be in Rome for the canonization came anyway to attend the funeral. Announcers asked all flags and banners be lowered as the funeral was getting underway.

Bells toll to signal the start of the procession

Francis’ coffin will be brought from St. Peter’s Basilica to the front of the altar in the square.

Mourners were instructed to refrain from waving flags or banners during the procession.

Mourners led in rosary prayer as dignitaries take their seats at Pope Francis’ funeral

World leaders and royalty were sitting to the right of the main altar.

EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei have all made their way to their seating.

The Argentine and Italian leaders have place of pride in the seating order.

Trump arrives at funeral to pay respects to Pope Francis

The U.S. president clashed with the pope on immigration, climate and other issues.

Mourners remember Pope Francis

They spoke of the pontiff in emotional terms while lining up along Via della Conciliazione for Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square.

Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru, lined up at 7 a.m.

“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,’’ Vaca said. “It’s a very great emotion to say goodbye to him.

Italian pilgrim Pasquale Vezza made his way to the square with his family. He said the pope “was a bit like everyone’s grandfather.”

“He will be greatly missed as a person, as a pope. … Now we hope that there will be a continuation, especially of his message of peace,” Vezza said.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in Rome for papal funeral

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

His press office confirmed his arrival, joining the first lady Olena Zelenska, who preceded him.

Zelenskyy’s presence was put in doubt after a recent missile attack.

Pope’s coffin will be placed on the back of a popemobile used on a Philippines trip

The pope will get one more ride past the faithful on one of his beloved popemobiles.

The Vatican says for Saturday’s burial procession, his coffin will be placed on the back of a popemobile used during his 2015 trip to the Philippines.

The vehicle has been modified so the coffin will be visible to mourners along the nearly 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) route from St. Peter’s Basilica to his place of burial.

The pope reveled in being driven through crowds of faithful whether in St. Peter’s Square or on one of his many foreign trips. His last was on Easter Sunday, when he looped around St. Peter’s Square to the delight of the faithful who had followed his 5-week hospitalization for pneumonia and his recovery at the Vatican.

A Calabria parish group camped out all night to get a good spot

The 13 spent the night in a nearby square. They were already coming to Rome for the planned canonization of the first millennial saint on Sunday, which was suspended by Francis’ death. Instead, they drove up a day early for his funeral.

“The Lord wanted it this way, so we came all the same,’’ said Sandra De Felice of Anoia in the Calabria region. “For me, this is a sign that we need to be truly humble and charitable. Otherwise, we are nothing.”

Mourners race to find a spot in St Peter’s Square

Ordinary mourners streamed Saturday to get a spot in standing room near the rear of the square surrounding the ancient obelisk, behind VIP seating. The area to the left of the main altar, up the basilica steps, is reserved for celebrants and Catholic hierarchy, while world leaders and royalty will be seated on the right.

Many ran toward the square as barricades opened. Some carried banners for the Jubilee Holy Year that Francis opened in December and will continue despite his death Monday following a stroke.

By NICOLE WINFIELD and COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of people poured into St. Peter’s Square starting at dawn Saturday to honor Pope Francis with a farewell ceremony reflecting his priorities as pope and wishes as pastor: Presidents and princes will attend his funeral Mass at the Vatican, but prisoners and migrants will welcome him into the basilica across town where he will be laid to rest.

As many as 200,000 people are expected to attend the funeral, which Francis choreographed himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”

It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election and it explained the name he chose as pope, honoring St. Francis of Assisi “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the official decree of the pope’s life that was placed in his simple wooden coffin before it was sealed Friday night.

Despite Francis’ focus on the powerless, the powerful will be at his funeral. U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and European Union leaders are joining Prince William and European royals leading more than 160 official delegations. Argentine President Javier Milei had the pride of place given Francis’ nationality, even if the two didn’t particularly get along and the pope alienated many Argentines by never returning home.

The white facade of St. Peter’s Basilica glowed pink as the sun rose Saturday and hordes of mourners rushed into the square hours before the funeral. Giant television screens were set up along the surrounding streets for those who couldn’t get close. The Mass and funeral procession — with Francis’ coffin carried on the open-topped popemobile he used during his 2015 trip to the Philippines — is also being broadcast live around the world.

Some mourners spent the night camped out in surrounding piazzas, and the mood was almost festive as helicopters whirled overhead. Italy has deployed more than 2,500 police and 1,500 soldiers to provide security, which also includes stationing a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.

Many mourners had planned to be in Rome anyway this weekend for the now-postponed Holy Year canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, and groups of scouts and youth church groups nearly outnumbered the gaggles of nuns and seminarians.

“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,” said Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who said he had camped out near the piazza. “It is a very great emotion to say goodbye to him.”

The poor and marginalized welcome him

Francis, the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, died Easter Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke while recovering at home from pneumonia.

Following his funeral, preparations will begin in earnest to launch the centuries-old process of electing a new pope, a conclave that will likely begin in the first week of May. In the interim, the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals, key among them Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals who is presiding at the funeral and organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel.

Francis is breaking with recent tradition and will be laid to rest in St. Mary Major Basilica, near Rome’s main train station, where a simple tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus. As many as 300,000 people are expected to line the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) motorcade route that will bring Francis’ coffin from the Vatican through the center of Rome to the basilica after the funeral.

Forty special guests, organized by the Vatican’s Caritas charity and the Sant’Egidio community, will greet his coffin at the basilica, honoring the marginalized groups Francis prioritized as pope: homeless people and migrants, prisoners and transgender people.

“The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” the Vatican quoted Francis as saying in explaining the choice.

A special relationship with the basilica

Even before he became pope, Francis had a particular affection for St. Mary Major, home to a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna, the Salus Populi Romani, to which Francis was particularly devoted. He would pray before it before and after each of his foreign trips as pope.

The choice of the basilica is also symbolically significant given its ties to Francis’ Jesuit religious order. St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass in the basilica on Christmas Day in 1538.

Crowds waited hours to bid farewell to Francis

Over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis’ body lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican kept the basilica open through the night to accommodate them, but it wasn’t enough. When the doors closed to the general public at 7 p.m. on Friday, mourners were turned away in droves.

By dawn Saturday, they were back and ready to say a final farwell, some recalling the words he uttered the very first night of his election and throughout his papacy.

“We are here to honor him because he always said ‘don’t forget to pray for me,’” said Sister Christiana Neenwata from Biafrana, Nigeria. “So we are also here to give to him this love that he gave to us.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

TROY – Rivals Troy and visiting Athens got in just enough softball Friday evening for the Red Hawks’ 9-3 victory to go into the books.

The first game of the planned doubleheader may not have even counted, but the pitching settled in and allowed both teams to roll through the fourth and fifth innings before lightning was registered, and the monsoon followed soon thereafter.

A less experienced Colts team did well to hold their rivals off the board in four trips to the plate, but the Red Hawks feasted for all of their runs in the third inning after Delilah Warlick doubled, then scored off an error to initially put Troy ahead in the bottom of the first.

Addison Pokley legged out a triple to get the big third started for Athens, then Angie Leonard singled in Pokley prior to an inside-the-park home run by Leah Dahlerup, giving the Red Hawks a 3-1 lead. Later in the inning, Dahlerup hit a two-out, bases-clearing double that scored Pokley, Casey McCoy and Addison Cosgrove. Between the pair of extra-base hits by Dahlerup, Cosgrove also had a single to left-center that drove in Sommer Swanson and Molly LaBay.

Following nearly three full frames thrown by Kylie Zoll, Athens turned in relief to Angie Leonard, its ace who the Red Hawks relied on in their run to a district title last season, and she struck out four in her 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work.

“Angie’s just a really consistent pitcher, and Kylie started off the game game really well,” Athens head coach Alina Kirtland said. “(Kylie) put us in a good position where Angie could come in and finish strong for us, so both of our pitchers did a great job of taking care of business.”

Dahlerup, just a freshman, finished just a triple short of the cycle, while Swanson drew three walks and LaBay ended 2-3 at the plate for the Red Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

“It’s just being aggressive and looking for specific strikes that we like, making sure that we’re swinging at our ideal pitches,” Kirtland said. “The girls have been working on discipline at the plate, as well as throwing their hands at the ball, and I think that they’re progressing with that real nicely.”

Warlick finished with two of the Colts’ three hits, improving her team-best average to .600 on the season.

“Delilah’s a tremendous athlete, one of our best players,” Colts head coach Laura Guzman said. “She’s a captain, same thing with Emily Bultynck, she’s starting to come alive, too, and we kind of go as they go.

“This year has definitely been a rebuilding year. We have girls, you know, our skill levels are all over the place. It’s pretty much half my basketball team playing softball. I think they came out with a lot of energy. We were able to score first, we were chipping away at it. The effort was good. But Athens is good. Their pitching is decent, Pokley’s fantastic, (Cosgrove) is good. But I thought we did OK.”

The Red Hawks are now 4-7 in their first year under Kirtland, herself a standout first baseman less than a decade ago for Athens. “It’s amazing, super humbling, and I’m glad they trust me with the program,” she said.

Kirtland confirmed that she and Guzman had plans to reschedule the second game between the teams somewhere down the road.

Until then, the Colts have a pair of games Monday in Pontiac against Notre Dame Prep, while the Red Hawks travel for a doubleheader with Farmington the day after.

The Detroit Lions have been able to target players who have the potential to contribute quickly to a roster that is seeking to win a division title for the third consecutive season.

General manager Brad Holmes made the decision to move up again, this time dealing with the Jaguars. The Lions acquired the 70th pick, the 182nd pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for the 102nd overall pick and two 2026 third-round picks.

In the third-round, Detroit selected Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa with their third selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

TeSlaa grew up in Hudsonville, Mich., and began his collegiate career at Hillsdale, a Division II in Michigan. He transferred to Arkansas prior to the 2023 season and totaled 62 catches for 896 yards and five touchdowns. Last season, he hauled in 28 passes for 545 yards and three scores.

TeSlaa was the quarterback for the Unity Christian squad that beat Portland, 42-7, for the 2018 Division 5 football state championship, running for 111 yards and two scores, throwing for 70 and a score, and picking off two passes.

According to NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein,”TeSlaa is a big slot receiver whose stock might be on the rise after his performances during Senior Bowl week. He can mismatch smaller cornerbacks with his frame and play strength and is a reliable pass catcher when contested. He builds up speed as a vertical slot but isn’t sudden enough to simply uncover as a possession slot against tight man. TeSlaa’s ball skills and ability to work down the field from the slot should carry backup value for teams in the market for help at receiver.”

Detroit fortified its defensive line with the selection of Tyleik Williams out of Ohio State with its first selection, as Holmes drafted him 28th overall. Williams could be an instant contributor with Alim McNeill expected to miss the start of the regular season.

In the second round, the Lions added offensive line help by selecting Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge. With Kevin Zeitler departing, the Lions have an opening at right guard and Ratledge could compete for a starting job immediately.

The Lions traded up to acquire Ratledge, sending picks 60 and 130 to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the 57th and 230th (seventh-round) overall selections.

Barring any trades, the Lions will make their next selection in the sixth-round (No. 182).

 

Lions 2025 Draft Selections

Round 1, pick 28: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Round 2, pick 57: Tate Ratledge, OL, Georgia

Round 3, pick 70: Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas

Remaining Picks

Round 6, pick 182

Round 6, pick 196

Round 7, pick 228

Round 7, pick 230

Round 7, pick 244

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

The Detroit Lions entered the second evening of the 2025 NFL Draft having clear needs at defensive end and along the offensive line.

In the second round, Detroit made the decision to trade up to the No. 57 position. In a deal with the Broncos, the Lions traded pick No. 60 and No. 130 in exchange for pick No. 57 and 230.

With their second selection, general manager Brad Holmes targeted offensive lineman Tate Ratledge.

Last season for the Georgia Bulldogs, the talented offensive lineman had a 74.4 overall offensive grade and a 74.7 run-blocking grade via Pro Football Focus.

According to NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler, “Overall, Ratledge is a self-described ‘dirtbag’ with the contact power, competitive edge and functional movement skills to match up against NFL defensive linemen. He should compete for a starting role as a rookie and has the necessary tools for a decade-long pro career, if he stays healthy.”

The Lions return four of their five starters, with the exception being Kevin Zeitler. The veteran guard departed Detroit to sign a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans.

Ratledge could compete for a starting job immediately along with Christian Mahogany, who started two games last season as a rookie.

Detroit took the opportunity on the first day to address the need along the interior of the defensive line. The expectation is Alim McNeill will miss the start of the regular season and will not be rushed back to action.

On the first night of the draft, Holmes claimed the class of edge rushers was solid and there could be a player available near where the team was selecting in the second-round.

Detroit added defensive line help with its first selection of the 2025 NFL draft, adding Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams with the 28th overall selection. Williams profiles as an early down run-stuffer with the potential to develop as a serious pass-rush threat.

Barring any trades, Detroit will make their next selection later in the evening in the third-round (No. 102).

 

Lions 2025 Draft Selections

Round 1, pick 28: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Round 2, pick 57: Tate Ratledge, OL, Georgia

Remaining Picks

Round 3, pick 102

Round 6, pick 196

Round 7, pick 228

Round 7, pick 230

Round 7, pick 244

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions