We're asking ClickOnDetroit users to select the MVP of Detroit's sports modern era through an NCAA-style bracket tournament.
The Southeast Region's 7-10 match-up between Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio and former Tigers pitcher Willie Hernandez is shaping up as one of the first round's tightest contests.
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As of writing, the 10-seed Hernandez is poised to upset the 7-seed Dantonio. Let's take a look at both of their careers.
Dantonio, entering his ninth season in East Lansing, has taken the Spartans to a bowl game every year to date. He's compiled a 75-31 record, including four bowl wins. He led Michigan State to their first Rose Bowl victory in 26 years in 2014. Dantonio's teams have also finished in the top 5 each of the last two seasons. Against cross-state rival Michigan, Dantonio's Spartans have won six times in eight contests.
If the case for Dantonio is based on rock-solid numbers, Hernandez's strength comes from putting together one of the most exciting seasons in Detroit sports history.
Hernandez was nearly unhittable as the Tigers primary relief pitcher in 1984. He threw 140 innings in 80 games, finishing 64. Hernandez went 9-3 with a 1.92 ERA and 32 saves. He was the 1984. A.L. MVP and Cy Young winner.
Hernandez also made the 1985 and 1986 all-star teams, but by 1987 he was putting up pedestrian numbers. Having once been one of the most beloved Tigers in the 1980s, Hernandez became one of those guys fans loved to hate by the time his tenure in Detroit ended in 1989.
So what's your call, the consistent success Dantonio has brought to East Lansing or the epic season Willie Hernandez delivered in 1984?