IRON MOUNTAIN — We’ve finally made it to spring sports. However, something big has happened in the world of the Detroit Lions.

On April 18, the Lions revealed their new uniforms for the 2024 season — eerily reminiscent of the uniforms they wore in the ’90s — including a black and blue alternate uniform.

While I’m normally not a fan of change, I have to admit, these new uniforms are beautiful.

I was hoping to see something that harkens back to the Barry Sanders’ era in Detroit and that’s exactly what we got.

The big, bold stripes are back on the arms. The block numbers are adorned in a silver stripe. And best of all, the blue face mask has made its return to the Lions’ helmets.

Now that may not seem like a big change to some. And in some respects it is not, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan that hasn’t been dreaming of the day they return.

The only thing we are missing is No. 20 lining up in the backfield, once again.

While I’m partly joking, it is awesome to see a black uniform back in the Lions’ rotation. It may not be our primary colors, but every Detroit fan holds the previous black uniforms in high regard.

And those didn’t have that beautiful Honolulu Blue helmet.

It’s a great year to be a Lions fan. Let’s just hope that the success continues. Because if not, fans will be calling for these uniforms to meet the incinerator quicker than they called for the end of Matt Millen.

Now that I’ve touched on the news in Detroit, I want to talk about someone who is near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts in Iron Mountain. … Steve Mariucci.

On Friday, a YouTube channel called “Secret Base” dropped a video about Mariucci’s impact on Terrell Owens’ career.

They start by talking about the size of shoes Mariucci had to fill as he took over in San Francisco.

After laying out the situation Mariucci inherited, they quickly devolved into a discussion about Owens placing blame for his struggles on Mariucci.

It is an informative video about the whirlwind of emotion going on with the early 2000’s 49ers.

It also reminded me of Owens’ controversial trip to the star in Dallas.

At the moment, that seemed like a momentous slight to the Cowboys. However, looking back, it really wasn’t half as bad as the celebrations that have garnered acclaim.

However, my main reason for bringing this up is it feels like Mariucci has gotten an unfair portion of the blame for the 49ers’ struggles.

The San Francisco organization saw Owens as the second coming of Jerry Rice, and there is no doubt he had talent. But, he let his ego overshadow his skills as a tumultuous relationship with his coach played out in the newspapers.

Also, basketball season may be over, but Iron Mountain’s other favorite son, Tom Izzo, had a great interview release on March 29 with Pardon My Take of Barstool Sports.

Izzo sits down with the PMT crew for nearly an hour and what results is a candid look into his life as the head basketball coach in East Lansing.

Not only that, but Izzo shows his humorous side, which I didn’t know existed.

Although he is a local hero up here, I didn’t know much about him outside of his achievements at Michigan State University.

So it was cool to see him break down what he believes made him successful while shouting out his Italian heritage.

He also mentions the iron mining history of his family.

Whether you like him or not, I think this is an interesting interview if you want a closer look at who Izzo is off the court.

Plus, he gives a great perspective on the transfer portal and how it is impacting college basketball.

Before I wrap this up, I want to touch on something incredible that happened in the local sports world recently. … Niko Burgoon’s perfect game.

I was covering a soccer game that day and didn’t get over to the baseball field.

But to talk with the Mountaineers head coach Jeff McLean after the fact it was interesting to learn how similar Burgoon’s performance was to the Michael Jordan flu game.

Battling a sickness, Burgoon went to the mound and fanned 14 of the 15 batters he faced in the five-inning game, including striking out 10-consecutive batters.

There’s no doubt how impressive of a feat this is. It definitely deserves recognition. He is also up for the SBLive’s National High School Boys Athlete of the Week, where he was leading with over 95% of the vote.

You can vote for him at https://highschool.athlonsports.com/national/2024/04/22/vote-who-should-be-sblives-national-high-school-boys-athlete-of-the-week-4-22-2024.