Why not?

A quick word to soft J...my friend Jhonny.  Congrats on the twin girls, welcome back, good job hitting better in the month of June, but you need to spend some time on the field this week taking some grounders.  At this point, I'm really glad you aren't My Tiger, because I'd be getting a lot of crap right now from my fellow Tiger fans.  AJacks on the other hand, is so clutch despite not winning the title of My Tiger.  I'll make him my backup since Fister has been less than healthy.

Good, I'm glad that's off my chest.  Now, on to my actual point today.

Can we give Danny Worth a solid chance at playing 2nd base everyday?  I mean, why not?  His fielding is the best out of the 10 (OK, probably more like 4) 2nd basemen on the team.  He certainly has more consistent throws to 1st than Jhonny.  That's not saying much though.  His hitting has started up, which is happening for a lot of other Tigers too.  So, come on, let's give him a chance!  I know I was just clamoring for Tigerberry to get the job, but with Dirks being unhealthy and the strong possibility of a Delmon trade (you know they are thinking it), we probably need him for outfield.

One more piece of logic for you.  Mario hates country music.  Ipso facto, he hates Ryan Raburn.

Hottness in the NL

The Tigers took a series.

I'm going to let that sink in a little.

Even more surprising, I would say it was Bboesch that really got the clutch hit when he needed too (2nd place goes to AJacks, but we've come to expect great things from him).

Even more MORE surprising?  Benoit and Valverde delivered in the 8th and 9th!  This is the team that people thought would run away with the AL Central.

So, in honor of a Tiger series win, continuing inter-league play, an off day, and because all of my faithful readers ask me about it (OK, one person asked), I'm going to delve into the...Hottest Men of the National League!  Now, the last time I did this for the AL, I didn't have a "system" per se.  So this time, I wanted to have a process.  I used the All Star ballot as a guide.  A tiny picture of each player pops up when you select him.  If he was dazzling enough in small form, then I did a search for a larger image.  I ordered things from there.  So, without further ado...

1st base- Overall, not bad looking guys.  Actually, I think this is a vast improvement over the mugs at 1st base in the AL.
Boiling Point- Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona)

Sizzling- Joey Votto (Cincinnati)  He's the Italian Stallion of the new era.

Fever- Gaby Sanchez (Miami)

2nd base
Boiling point- Neil Walker (Pittsburgh)- What's he indicating the size of?

Sizzling- Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati)- What's he indicating the size of?  It's not as big as Neil's.

Fever- Aaron Hill (Arizona)- He doesn't need to brag.

Shortstop- I think it's a universal truth that shortstops are not only the captains of the infield, but also the stud muffins of the team.

Boiling Point- Ruben Tejada (New York)- Meet the Mets, step right up and greet the Mets...OK!

Sizzling- Brandon Crawford (San Fran)- I'm loving the upside down Oakleys on his hat.

Fever- Zack Cozart (Cincinnati)- Upside down sunglasses must be a trend.  I want in on this!

3rd base- They don't call it the HOT corner for nothing!

Boiling Point- Chris Nelson (Colorado)- He's going for the bad boy look.

Sizzling- Hanley Rameriz (Miami)- I think you look "A-OK" too.

Fever- David Freese (St. Louis)- Part of his appeal is his last name.  If we had kids together I'd name one of them "Tasty" and one of the "Arctic."

Catcher- Let's just say that these guys wear a mask for a reason.  There is one guarantee with catchers though, amazing leg muscles.

 

Boiling Point- Yadier Molina (St. Louis)

 

Sizzling- Josh Thole (New York)

Fever- Jason Castro (Houston)

Outfielders- I'll pick six here.  In the All Star Game, three center fielders could start.  Crazy, I know.  Instead of fighting the logic, I'm just going to roll with it.

Boiling Point- David DeJesus (Chicago)- He's sexy and he knows it.  That might be an issue.

Boiling Point 2- Alex Presley (Pittsburgh)- He looks like a boy I might have tortured in kindergarten.  You know, old school flirting...gum in the hair, notes on his back.  Actually, my tactics haven't changed that much.

Sizzling- Giancarlo Stanton (Miami)- Seriously, I'm jumping on the Oakley website next and getting some sunglasses.  I wonder if they come upside down or if you have to place them that way.

Sizzling 2- Brian Bogusevic (Houston)- He has a neck like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast!  He can flex his neck and break a belt that is attached.

Fever- Dexter Fowler (Colorado)-  A chick walks by you wish you could sex her

But you're standin on the wall like you was PoinDexter

Fever 2- Carlos Beltran- An oldie but a goodie, and by oldie I mean he's 35.

So that's it folks!  Pitchers are going to have to wait for another day.  Pitchers have extra swagger that needs to be taken into consideration.

See you tomorrow at Wrigley!

Skinny and Fatty spells Cincinnati

First of all, welcome back AJacks.  I missed you.

The boys (you know, Mario, Rod, John Keating, even Ryan Field) are way more entertaining when Verdiggity is on the mound.  They become playful children enjoying America's pastime.  Here's a rundown of some of the ridiculousness:

• John Keating hates mascots...he said it, not me.  I'm with you John.  Ryan Field, on the other hand, gets shoulder rubs from female mascots.  The ladies can't resist the Field.
• Mario sits at home with a thesaurus thinking of adjectives for when he tells people to switch over to the HiDef channel.  Rod remarked that since tomorrow the game is on ESPN and Monday is an off day, Mario will have two days to think of a great adjective for Tuesday.
• Jhonny lives in Cleveland still?  That's unfortunate.  But hey dude, congrats on your upcoming paternity.  He's having twins.  Tigers called up Hernan Perez from single A Lakeland... I guess we are out of players to call up from Toledo?  Couldn't go to AA either?  Don't tell me it's just time to give up.  I'm not ready for that yet.

• Rod claims that Santiago's "sweet shades" helped him with his home run.  Santiago also had "sneaky power" shirts made, but only signed Mario's.  How do I get one of these?

• In general, the items on the "Rod Allen Drinking Game" are more frequent when JV pitches.  I haven't done any scientific research, but I believe my hypothesis is true.
• Rod admitted during the game to coming up with crazy stuff!  Granted it was while accusing a Reds player of being crazier than him on Twitter though.
• Keating is Rod's "Road Dawg", mainly because of his hook up with the food.  Way to hang Mario out to dry!  Is it because John Keating is the name of Robin Williams' character in Dead Poets' Society?  Or just because he's the epitome of cool?
• Right after the "Shout Out" to Mary Agnes in Kalamazoo for her 100th birthday, Fielder hit a homer.  Guess they need to mention Kalamazoo more often!
• Mario makes a quip about the Tigs only hitting solo homers.  Ouch, you know it hurts extra when it's true.
• Is Delmon Young the worst outfielder...ever?  Let's all vote and just agree that it's true.  Had I been keeping score, his little miscue with the "sun" would have been an error.  Just saying
• 100 MPH in the 4th for Verdiggity.  I'm thinking Rario needs to get on board with this "ninja" quote.  He was totally NINJA in the 4th.
• The boys also explored the musicality of the Tigs.  Smokes sounds like Sinatra when he sings (must be the damage the smoke has done to his vocal cords).  Worth and Delmon bring guitars and play on the road.  Bboesch plays some unknown instrument (the didgeridoo?).
• Dougie Fresh threw today, so that's always good.  Come back Dougie, I miss you.
• WHA?!  Fielder started chucking seeds at Bboesch after he started the two out rally.  I'd LOVE to know what started all of that.  Here are some guesses:
• Bboesch only asked Fielder to pass the seeds, but Fielder only knows how to throw when he is excited
• Bboesch made a joke about switching to left because he's tired of looking at Fielder's butt all game
• Bboesch joked that now is the time to start his campaign for the All Star Game and Fielder was just showing his feelings about how ludicrous that is.
• Smokes says that Bboesch "twisted" his ankle a little on his slide home and Fielder might have just been gently telling him to "man up."

 Keating was all smiles and giggles after the game in the Call Sam Studios.  I can see now why he's Rod's Road Dawg.

Is that water? Or something a little stronger?

Player rotation

As mentioned in the previous post, Tigers are hurt.  Forget the metaphors, no licking wounds, no limping around...just hurt.  Here's the transactions for this week:
On Wednesday:
 Tigers place Avila on 15 day DL with a right hamstring strain

 Tigers designate Omir Santos for assignment (told you he knows I75 well)
 Tigers sign free agent RHP David Kopp
Tigers call up catcher Bryan Holaday from the Mud Hens (he's younger than Santos, is that what we are going for?)

Tigers recalled RHP Jose Ortega from Mud Hens

On Friday:
 Tigers get Santos back to Mud Hens

I don't know about you, but my head is spinning!  One thing is for sure, Dombrowski and Smokes are feeling the pressure to get some Ws and are mixing it up.  I like it.  BBoesch was back hitting in the number 2 spot, which makes sense!  Better than some nobody up from Toledo.  Then, Matt E. got to show his versatility by playing both 2nd base and right field.  I'm liking inter-league play and want to see Smokes mix some things up for a win.  That's right, we can get some wins.  You know what the Monty Python boys always say.  No, not "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition."  They say (or sing actually), "Always look on the bright side of life."

Verdiggity gets to pitch today and the club is hyping up his quest for his first major league hit.  How about a win JV?  Let's shoot for that instead.

Hello new friend

The Tigers are licking their wounds.  Fister, Martinez, Alburquerque, Dirks, AJacks, Avila always seems to be on the brink.  It's probably easier to list who is healthy than on the DL.  So with every new injury (or in the case of Suckburn, demotion) comes a new face to Detroit.  The boys are told to pack their bags and take the journey up I75 to D-town, leaving behind their comfy beds in Toledo to possibly live out of a suitcase for months at a time.  Sometimes they come and go so quickly (where did you go Eldred?) or sometimes they linger (yes, Danny Worth is still on the team).  Poor Omir Santos has been up and down I75 so many times that he has rated the rest stops along the way and times his drives to only use the best bathroom facilities.

Let's take a look at the new face in the club house today:  Matthew E. Young...or Matt-E

Not a looker ladies (although I just saw a shot of SchEYEzer with some facial hair growing in and this guy is looking better already).
He's played 20 games in the majors (all with Atlanta) and 899 in the minors.  Minor career average of .285 and OBP of .390, which is why Rod claims he was batting 2nd tonight.  Really?  We can't give the new kid a break and find someone who might actually get a hit to be in the 2nd spot?

He's 29, pushing 30, which is Old (with a capital O) for the minors.  From what I can see, he's a warm body, who is a decent outfielder (better than the other Young on the team), and will probably be sent directly to jail, do not pass Go, once Dirty Dirks gets healthy.  Especially with Tigerberry (or Q for you RAllen fans)  looking for an outfield spot, I just don't see this guy sticking.  But, I'll say this with all my Mud Hen friends, prove me wrong kid (or in this case, dad).

On a side note, this is the quote I found in a Detroit paper about Suckburn:
According to the Toledo Blade, he was cheered loudly upon his introduction for his first at-bat, and then he grounded into a double play. He finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout, walk and a run.

That will teach you Mud Hen fans.  Don't cheer him!  He does his best work when people despise him.

Tigerberry

When Austin Jackson comes back, Quintin Berry's spot in the line up (I like to think of him as the Tigerberry...kind of like Tigerlily, but a fruit instead of a flower) is put into jeopardy.  Here are some solutions on how to keep him in Detroit:

Scenario 1: Jackson goes back to center, Dirks in right when he's healthy, Berry in left, trade Delmon, and make BBoesch the 4th outfielder.  This is also hoping that VMart can come back sometime in July or August and be the regular DH

Come back Victor, come back

Scenario 2: Get rid of Santiago and try Tigerberry at 2nd.  How hard can it be?  Everyone and their mom has tried to play 2nd this year and no one has been even remotely impressive.  Tigerberry would at least be a reliable bat and make the same number of errors as Suckburn and Santiago.  Although to be honest, I'm not too mad about giving Worth a chance there.  Everyone else has had a chance there, let him too.

Is he Worth-y?  (giggle)

Scenario 3: Trade BBoesch AND Delmon, get an actual 2nd baseman, and put Berry in left or right.  This is also assuming that Dirks can stay healthy enough to play outfield everyday.

With these in mind, here's a dream batting order:
1. Tigerberry (he's faster and has proven he can get on without excessive power)
2. AJacks
3. Cabby
4. Prince
5. VMart (again, this is best case for him since he didn't think he'd be back at all this year)
6. Dirks
7. BBoesch, Worth, or actual 2nd baseman depending on above
8. Avila
9. Jhonny (this would be great leading into the top of the line up, especially if Chinstrap starts hitting like he did last year)

The other day Dombrowski was not on the road with the club.  I'm thinking he had to be scouting some 2nd base options.  I say we start the "Tigerberry for 2nd" campaign.

Sad Kitty

Yesterday at Polish American Night was one of the most fun times I've ever had at a Tigers game.  Sitting in left field (almost center) under the score board gives a whole new perspective to watching the game, and I felt like I saw the ball better coming off the bat.  I would definitely sit back there again.  Of course, former Tiger, Curtis Granderson, had to hit a grand slam and ruin a great PAN.  Here's what Father Tiger was sporting at the game:

So tomorrow is the day that Magglio Ordonez officially announces his retirement.  His 2006 home run is forever imprinted on my mind.  It's one of those questions Detroit fans ask each other...where were you when he hit that homer?  And people are able to tell you.  I was at my friend's house, wearing Tiger ears, having just come home from the bar.  I mean, look how excited Pudge is below!

Yesterday at the Detroit Tiger team store, there were Ordonez shirts on clearance. I went to purchase one so I can pay tribute to the man.  This is the part of story from yesterday where I also schooled some people about things that have been happening with the Tigers.  I pointed a man and his wife over to the clearance rack because they were going to the game on Sunday, yet had NO IDEA that a tribute was going to happen.  They also didn't know who was pitching, that Suckburn went down to AAA, and who the heck Berry and Santos were.  COME ON!  I told the lady working at the door, "Those people didn't know anything!"  She just laughed at me.

Because of his greatness, I named my cat Magglio the summer following the 2006 home run.  This past year, when Mags wasn't going to return to the Tigers, I asked if he wanted a new name.  Maybe Miguel, or Prince, or Jackson?  No he said. I like my name.  I think he made a good choice.  Mags is a weird kitty.  He recently found an IPod cover and started throwing it around and chewing it up.  So Mags wanted to show a couple of his best moments in honor of his namesake's retirement.

Look how sad that kitty looks in the last picture!  His eyes say, I'll miss you Ordonez, but thanks for the memories.  I agree kitty.