Home Bakery Does It Again

I admit that our state had high hopes for the Lions after last season. Even though the season ended without advancement to the playoffs, there is still a sense of pride in our team.

Last year, the Home Bakery in Rochester, MI created a life-size replica of Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown doing a headstand. The headstand was in celebration of his scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in November of last year. Well, this year they have done it again.

This year they unveiled a life-sized cake of Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs striking his “Spider-Man x Superman” pose, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown hurdling over him. The St. Brown part of the cake is positioned with his arm appearing to go through the front window of the bakery. Tthe cake is modeled after the pose from Gibbs’ Oct. 20 touchdown celebration against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Talk about an amazing piece of work …

The creation of this cake took four hundred hours, 65 pounds of fondant, eight cases of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies treats and four sheet cakes! Heather Tocco, who owns the bakery, said the bakery has also done cakes for the “Barbie Movie,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Wolverine” and “Deadpool.” The consistent production of life-sized cakes makes them “pretty well-known for over-the-top window displays.”

I’ve seen some pretty amazing cakes on the show “Is It Cake?” on Netflix, but these life-sized ones “take the cake!”

One Step Closer

To say that I have been waiting my entire life for this is an understatement! Like many Detroit Lions fans, I wondered if we’d ever get to see a winning season. This season was the best in the history of the team!

My nerves were shot as I waited for the kickoff. So much was riding on this game. The winner would take the #1 seed, while the loser seed #5. I have never really understood how that seeding thing works.

There was plenty of nail biting going on throughout the game, but it ended in a Lions victory! They beat the Vikings 31-9 and ended the season with a 15-2 record. Not to mention that the win gave us back-to-back NFC North Championships.

I saw a piece on the internet that said, “If I am dreaming, please don’t wake me!”

I was on the edge of my seat for much of the game. There were a few times where the Vikings were in position to score, but our defense held them off. Three field goals. That was all that the Vikings got. That lead to one of the funniest memes I’ve seen –

The entire state of Michigan is Honolulu Blue! The excitement and support surrounding this team is electrifying! Sounds of “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Don’t Stop Believing” are all over the radio. Detroit Lions Flags are being flown at homes and on cars and trucks. Detroit Lions shirts, jackets, and hats are all over the place. When a person wearing a Lions hat passes a person wearing a Lions jersey or jacket, there are smiles exchanged between them. We’re all in this together and we’re rooting for our team!

One local bakery really outdid themselves with their Lions support. This weekend in the front window at Home Bakery in Rochester, Michigan, there was quite a site. They displayed a life-size cake made in the image of Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown standing on his head. People were lined up along the sidewalk to take photos.

It is truly a work of art!! Kudos to the creators!

Just two more wins gets us to the Super Bowl. Three wins total to win it all! I’m not a betting man, but I liked to see this headline:

The Lions are off this week and will play the winner of the Vikings/Rams game this weekend. It is entirely possible that we will play the Vikings again. We’ll know soon enough. For now, let me say, “If I am dreaming, please don’t wake me!”

Detroit Grit!

16 years ago today, the Detroit Lions made history. Believe me, it is nothing to be proud of. It is a day that fans would rather forget. As a matter of fact, it is an entire season we’d like to forget. On December 28, 2008 the Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers to go 0-16 on the season. This made them the first team in NFL history to do so.

On the team roster that year was a young fella by the name of Dan Campbell.

One can only imagine what the members of the team felt after each game and after the season was over. Utter defeat? Shame? Embarrassment? A combination of all of those? It is hard to say. I would imagine that it is something they never will forget. I know that when I think back to certain things in my life, I get sick to my stomach remembering them. Maybe they do, too?

What I do know is that young man would return to Detroit in 2021 as the new head coach of the Lions. He knew all too well what this town longed for. He had a vision to take the Lions and turn them around. He has certainly done that. He has a way of motivating this team to go out and win. There is a whole new fight to this team and I am loving every minute of it!

In 2008, the Lions made history for going 0-16. The Lions have made history in 2024 in many other ways:

13 wins (to date) – the most in franchise history.
493 points scored this season (to date) – a franchise record
Amon-Ra St. Brown – first player in franchise history to record 100+ receptions and 10+ receiving touchdowns in consecutive seasons
Jared Goff – first QB in NFL history to complete at least 5 passes to 6 different receivers in a game
Jared Goff – first player in NFL history with 275+ passing yards, 2 TD passes, and a passer rating of 135+ in 5 games within a single season

What an amazing year! I am sure that there are plenty other stats I could post, too.

Keep up the great work, team! We are rooting for you! Go Lions!