Physically, Chauncey Billups was feeling better Friday morning. Mentally, not so much.

“I am feeling a little better today, but it’s still tough to say (whether he will be ready to play in Game 4 Saturday),” said Billups, who continues taking treatment around the clock on his strained right hamstring. “It’s a soft tissue injury and it’s tough. It’s very restrictive. Even when I just try to walk fast, it’s restrictive. I have to be careful.”

Pistons physical therapist Arnie Kander said he was encouraged by Billups’ progress and the goal was still for him to play Saturday.

• Billups feels ‘better,’ so Pistons hopeful

While former Detroit Lions receiver Charles Rogers waits to hear whether he owes the Lions $10.1 million, there’s a chance he might begin a new football career.

According to a story in the Globe and Mail, Rogers could join the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

“I would say there’s about an 80-20 chance of him being at training camp, coming in and competing for a job,” Montreal general manager Jim Popp told the newspaper. “It’s not completed yet, but he can come in as a CFL rookie and we’ll make an assessment of him, where he’s at in his career and his life.”

• Charles Rogers headed to Montreal? - Detroit Lions: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com

Justin Verlander’s arm may be healthy, but his statistics are smarting nonetheless.

Five days after a tough defeat at Minnesota, Verlander was served with his American League-leading sixth loss of the season. Jason Varitek’s two-run single in the second inning put the Red Sox ahead before Kevin Youkilis homered yet again off Tigers pitching, this one a two-run shot in the fifth to send the Tigers to a 5-1 defeat on Thursday at Comerica Park.

• The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News

A week off did nothing to slow down the Detroit Red Wings.

Johan Franzen continued to be the NHL’s hottest playoff scorer with his League-high 12th postseason goal and Detroit scored three times on the power play as it rolled over the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Thursday night in the opener of the Western Conference Finals.

• NHL.com - 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Point guard Chauncey Billups walked onto the Amway Arena court for Thursday’s practice without a visible limp, but when asked about his hamstring injury, the first thing he said was, “It’s sore, man. It’s just sore.”

He wouldn’t wager whether he’d be ready to play on Saturday for Game 4, mainly because he said he’s never had a hamstring injury and isn’t sure what to expect. All he knows is right now, it hurts.

But here’s the bright side. Team strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander sounded very optimistic as he described the nature of the injury, how he plans to treat it and what the prognosis could be.

“My goal is to get him ready for Saturday,” Kander said. “It’s feasible, of course.”

• Billups says he’s sore, still listed as day-to-day | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Finally, the Tigers offense broke out of its May swoon. Then they did it again.

Three hits from the slumping Gary Sheffield and a two-run double for Ivan Rodriguez helped Detroit build a four-run lead, but it took Placido Polanco’s fifth hit of the night to end the Tigers’ five-game losing streak with a 10-9 walk-off victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.

The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News

The Orlando Magic won’t be swept by the Detroit Pistons again. Rashard Lewis made sure of it Wednesday night.

Lewis scored a career playoff-high 33 points and the Magic broke down the Pistons’ stout defense in a 111-86 victory. Detroit leads the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-1, but it may have to play without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups.

The Pistons lost Billups just four minutes into the game when drove to the basket and got tangled up with Orlando’s Jameer Nelson. Nelson’s leg caught Billups’ foot, and the Pistons guard fell hard to the court with a strained right hamstring. Billups, Detroit’s steady floor leader and clutch 3-point threat, was averaging 17.5 points in the postseason and had 28 against the Magic in Game 2.

• NBA.com Lewis Scores 33 to Lead Magic Past Pistons

CBSSportsline.com’s Dennis Dodd is giving Michigan State some serious respect in his post-spring Top 25. He isn’t a big fan of the Big Ten, though Ohio State got his No. 1 spot. Illinois came in at No. 12.

• Dodd: MSU No. 23 in post-spring rankings - Gang Green - MLive.com

Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna has two fairly significant expectations for the upcoming season: One, he expects the team to win 10 games this year and, two, he expects to be the guy who triggers those 10 wins.

Kitna caught some flak last year when his expectation of 10 wins was turned by some media outlets into a prediction or guarantee, but that didn’t stop him from saying basically the same thing this season.

• Kitna confident about role as Lions’ starting QB - Detroit Lions: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com

Brandon Inge still dreams of playing third base. That hasn’t changed.

What has changed is Inge’s attitude towards catching. He has gone past just accepting it, and now says he actually likes it.

“My heart’s definitely into it now, and that’s a big step,” Inge said Tuesday, before the Detroit Tigers’ 5-0 loss to Boston. “I’m enjoying it. I really am. And I realize it might be the best thing for my career.”

• Inge coming around about catching for Tigers - Detroit Tigers Baseball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com

Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball was dipping and diving at a Tigers offense that continues to sink.

More than once following Tuesday’s 5-0 shutout to the Red Sox, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said that Detroit is a good team. He said some similarly positive things to his players immediately after the game. In contrast to the stereotypical image of the fiery skipper trying to tear down his players for what’s going wrong, this was a manager trying to build his players up.

• The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News