There's joy in Motown -- Millen fired

It only took 84 losses in seven years, but someone in Detroit stepped up to the plate and did the right thing by firing Matt Millen, the Lion's GM. Fox Sports is reporting that Millen was shown the door today.

This from Bloomberg.com

  Millen learned of the firing last night and was packing his office and telling employees this morning, the News Corp. unit reported without saying where it got the information. Lions spokesman Matt Barnhart didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

The firing comes two days after Lions Vice Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. told reporters that Millen should leave his post. The Lions have the worst record in the 32-team league since Millen took over as president in 2001, and fans have staged protests against him and petitioned for his removal.

Here's an interesting blog post from deadspin:

Every legendary movement begins with one daring act of civil disobedience. As close as I can tell, the Fire Millen phenomenon began one crisp December day in 2005, when a fan was manhandled by stadium security for brandishing a "Fire Millen" sign during a home game with Minnesota. Had Lions officials not overreacted that day, the most dramatic grassroots effort to get a person fired in the history of the NFL may never have been born.

But it did happen, and the beatdown of the "Fire Millen" guy served as the movement's Boston Massacre. It didn't take long for idea to gain traction, and before long "Fire Millen" was, seemingly, the official slogan of the state of Michigan. It turned up on banners, on Tee-shirts, and appeared at Pistons games and on college campuses. On Dec. 11, 2005, the crowd chanted "Fire Millen!" at a Lakers-Pistons game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A "Fire Millen" sign was shown in the background of a February 3, 2007 broadcast of ESPN College Gameday at the University of Kansas. A web site sprang up. There were marches and other organized protests. "Fire Millen" became the new millennium's "John 3:16."