Richard Moves Camp

Amari Spievey is starting safety as Detroit Lions open camp

ALLEN PARK - Observations from the first day of training camp for the Detroit Lions:

--- Well, it was weird. Partly because it was inside due to the rain and the Lions almost never practice inside during camp. The other weirdness was the absence of so many veterans who can't practice until Aug. 4 - that includes all of Detroit's free agents, whether restricted or not.

--- With Alphonso Smith in a boot with a broken left foot and newly signed Eric Wright not available yet, the Lions lined up with Nathan Vasher and Aaron Berry as the starting corners on defense. The starting safeties were Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey - more on Spievey later today.

--- Second-year player Jason Fox took the starting reps at left tackle for the injured Jeff Backus while Lawrence Jackson replaced the unsigned Cliff Avril at left defensive end. The starting linebackers had DeAndre Levy in the middle with Zack Follett and Isaiah Ekejiuba on the outside. Seventh-round pick Johnny Culbreath took reps at left tackle with the No. 2 offense.

--- Rookie second round pick Titus Young, a receiver from Boise State, started practice but did not participate in team drills. He appeared to have a slight pull or tweaked something.

After practice, receivers coach Shawn Jefferson kept the young receivers around for extra practice. Young took part in catching passes from the Juggs machine, but didn't run any extra routes. By the way, the things that Jefferson worked on with the young receivers - just some basic steps and routes - would've been done months ago during a normal off-season.

--- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford aired out a 50-yard bomb to Calvin Johnson down the right sideline, hitting Johnson in stride for the touchdown. Cornerback Jack Williams was in coverage. Later in team drills, Stafford threw late to Johnson down the sideline again and Nathan Vasher was in position to make a play. Vasher, though, made the smart veteran move and pulled off, allowing Johnson to catch the ball without risk of players getting their legs tangled.

On another Stafford throw, he was under heavy duress and, throwing off his back foot, floated a pass downfield to Johnson, who was surrounded by three defenders. The ball was precisely on target to Johnson for a 20-yard gain.

--- Undrafted rookie free agent linebacker Quentin Davie, from Northwestern, made a nice play on an underneath route by tight end Richard Dickson. Davie got a great jump on the ball and got a hand in to break up the pass. Looking forward to seeing all of those linebackers in pads - it's supposed to be a group of thumpers. The first padded practice is scheduled for Monday.

Richard Rayner Moves to The Los Angeles Review of Books - GalleyCat

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Rayner had this statement: “It’s a sad indicator of where things stand in the book world that my column ‘Paperback Writers’ was dropped by the Los Angeles Times … But I’m delighted and thrilled that it will now be carried by the Los Angeles Review of Books, a vibrant new publication which has already featured so many great writers and is set on refreshing and expanding LA’s literary landscape.”

His column will continue to focus on “reissues, new titles, classics—especially works that don’t otherwise get the attention they deserve.

Pipe, Bible, and peyote among the Oglala Lakota, a study in religious identity

The politics of hallowed ground, Wounded Knee and the struggle for Indian sovereignty

Where White Men Fear to Tread, The Autobiography of Russell Means

American Indian religious traditions, an encyclopedia

The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge, History and Contemporary Practice