betterREDthandead

No. He hurt his wrist last season, which isn't the kind of thing that really lingers. He'll be full health by spring training. I'm with Lou....I'd have preferred to see Sanchez used to get somebody else. Same goes for Whelan. Sheff's risky. Not because of his health, but because of his age. He'll be 38 in a week or so, and we're stuck with him for three seasons. Here's hoping the Tigers aren't thinking first base with this guy. DH all the way. I don't think Dombrowski's done wheeling and dealing though. But for now, lineups anyone? Granderson - CF Rodriguez - C Ordonez - RF Sheffield - DH Guillen - SS Polanco - 2B Monroe - LF Casey (???) - 1B Inge - 3B I know the easy thing to do would be to slide Sheffield in at first base, but he doesn't like it as a full-time spot, and let's face it, he's not a first baseman. And I don't think Leyland would force him to. So my lineup-making is kind of moot without knowing how that'll shake out. MARK TEIXEIRA! Even with Sanchez gone I still think it can happen. Shelton, Monroe/Thames, and a pitcher would do it, especially if Carlos Lee leaves Texas. And I don't even think it has to be Bonderman. Jurrjens and Maroth or Roberton? (even though I'd hate to see Maroth leave).

Draft pick. Anywhere from a 3rd to a 6th depending on how desperate the other team is for a d-man.

Yeah, don't forget that. If Rutgers beats WV, then by all means, they should be in the championship game. If WV wins....I don't know what the BCS is gonna do. I'll pulling hard for Rutgers. Not only would it be crazy to see them in the title game, but I am strongly against a playoff in any circumstance, and I know there would be no end to the bitching if Rutgers loses.

No more worried than when the Wings were on a losing streak to start the season. By the way, I want more of Maxiell. Last night's game was on ESPN, so it was the first I've seen this year, and good god does Maxiell look like a beast out there. This guy needs serious minutes, I mean like 20-25 a game, at least. And I despise the zero tolerance guidelines. Chintzy-ass T's are being handed out left and right. The refs are now allowed to screw up all they want and if a player so much as peeps about it, they T him up and the screw-up is magnified. It's only a matter of time before some team, the Pistons as likely as anyone, blows up on the court and is T'd up so bad they only have four bodies and no coaches left. They're not doing anything to calm guys like Sheed down - mark my words, later on this season, Mt. St. Sheed is gonna blow his stack out of bottled-up frustration.

So I've been playing Blades of Steel. Old-school games are still the best. The game has many flaws, not the least of which is the fact that it is in no way an accurate representation of the game of hockey. Offsides and icing simply don't exist, and passing is almost completely unnecessary. Just skate in the direction of the net and blast away. That strategy is worth 10 goals, at least. Also the fact that they give you 8 teams to choose from, none of which are Detroit. But the game is awesome for three reasons. One: you win a fight, you get the power play. None of this namby-pamby "penalty" nonsense. Two: all-powerful goalies. Guy too close to the crease? Scoot the goalie over his way and knock him over. Of course, the goalie can't leave the crease, or in fact do anything but slide foosball-style back and forth, but he certainly packs a wallop. Three: knocking fools over as they try and shoot. This is even more fun than winning a fight. Blades of Steel is still one of the best hockey games they ever made.

I completely forgot about that draft pick. That'll be nice to have.

Who cares? I wanna know what touchdown dance TO's gonna do next, and what Chad Johnson has to say to the guys covering him, or whether Randy Moss will quit the game at halftime or wait til the third quarter. [/sarcasm]

I'd rather have Sims. Leinart would have ended up just like Harrington. And Batch. And Ware. And Peete. And Long. And every other miserable, mediocre QB the Lions have ever drafted with high hopes of having a franchise QB, only to ruin yet another college star. The Lions are a highly heralded rookie QB's worst nightmare. From now on I don't want to ever draft a QB above the fourth (maybe third) round again. All the fantastic golden boys, Heisman winners, pretty faces, the Lions have had at QB, and Scott Mitchell holds all our passing records. What I wouldn't give to see #19 back under center. He was huge, left-handed, and showed up at the Lions Halloween party dressed up as the Big Buck. What more do you need? And yes, the best we've had since Bobby Layne. Kitna's decent so far. Tough as they come. He's the kind of QB that good teams are always trying to get rid of and bad teams are always willing to ****** up. But he's not as cool as Mitchell.

I gotta give it to Blaha. He and Mickey are both great. But Blaha has a little more style. Very very disappointed not to see Jim Brandstatter on that list though. He is still calling games, yes? I think I heard that he's no longer calling for either the Lions or Michigan, but still doing the other. I like Brandstatter the best.

Just thought I'd bring this post back from the dead. No reason. Seemed like a good time

Yeah, I'm glad the mental meltdown came against Ball State and not Indiana. IU is just good enough to take advantage for real and spoil everything. Now I expect them to lock it down when they travel to Bloomington - there won't be the "last home game" distraction, for one. OSU had a scare too. Who'd'a thunk that of all weekends, Ball State and Illinois would be the ones where Michigan suffers a defensive breakdown and Ohio State can't get anything going on offense?

Today I cooked my dinner with the aid of the microwave, stovetop, and the oven. That hasn't happened in I don't know how long. Plus I required the use of a large-ish pot, a baking sheet, a microwaveable bowl, and a casserole dish, and that's just the cooking portion. So this is definitely rarified air. Dinner for the past week or so has been brought to me by the Stouffers company and therefore hasn't required so much as a dinner plate.

I still don't know the exact dates I'll be in town. Sorry Couple more days should do it though. Leaning toward the 15-27th of December.

I think you might have just posted the new official Favorite Link Ever, not to mention set off another round of "bag of pucks" jokes. Wonder if this is a new development based on Quincey's play these past couple games?

Agree on Sheffield. No thanks. Also no on Soriano. Strikes out too much, not the kind of hitter the Tigers should be looking for. Teixeira's still on the top of my wish list, and Gary Matthews Jr. would also be interesting. But in the case of Matthews, I think we could do a better job of improving, given the embarrassment of riches we have on the mound. There's a Rob Neyer column that said it all: We have pitching, and everyone wants pitching. Fact is, I think if Dombrowski is sharp enough, he can use that fact to underpay some team for someone very good.

Louisville over West Virginia....looks like L'ville moves into the 3rd spot this week (again, barring a ridiculous upset in the Big Ten). If they get past Rutgers, it looks like Louisville in the title game....otherwise, who knows what the hell? Moral bonus for Ohio State - looks like they'll finally get the two missing first place media votes, as there were two deluded crackheads who kept insisting on putting West Virginia at the top of their ballots.

Tigers have extended Dombrowski through 2011. Link. Just as importantly, I think, they've also extended pretty much the whole rest of the front office. Guys like Al Avila and David Chadd (especially Chadd) are huge.

Mike Price is one you won't get, as is Willingham. Willingham is settling in nicely at UW, and Price is coaching at UTEP and doing a decent job of turning that program around. I hope the Spartans don't get Brian Kelly. He's made CMU into a bowl team already. Not the guy I want coaching at Cow College.

True That. You can throw out the records when Michigan and Ohio State meet. There's more than enough upsets in this rivalry's history to prove that. Of course, this year it'll be hard to ignore the records, but once they kick it off, it's just maize and blue vs. scarlet and gray, like always. The implications are for before and after the game, not during.

Yup. I like the idea of DHing Maggs, too. I want to see a spot opened up for Clevlen. He's got a rocket launcher for an arm, he covers the field very well, and he can swing a bat. Not intimidated by some of the pressure situations he was put in. My dream outfield for 2009 is Granderson in center, Clevlen in left, and Maybin in right. But all three are good enough to play center. The News also suggested that Aubrey Huff would be a good fit at first base, but I'm not totally sold. He's a good hitter, but IMO, signing a free agent would be a waste of the glut of talent we have on the mound. If we can go out and trade for a great hitter, better that than to sign a good one.

My wish. I think I read about the idea once. Might have been in the News. Nothing that says the Rangers and Tigers are even talking though. But, the idea makes perfect sense. We need a lefty power bat, we need a first baseman, and the Rangers need pitching. Teixeira switch hits, can slug with the best of them, and is just entering his prime. Price would be high, but we can afford it.

Here's a site with a free agent list. It's not completely comprehensive or accurate, because it omits players whose impact is minimal, and it might include a few guys whose options end up getting picked up, or leave a few who don't. So it's not an official list, but it's close enough for government work. Me, I don't expect any free agent action for the Tigers. There's no need. Certain guys will get big raises and we need to pay them first. There's nobody that's really an upgrade at the positions we need to look at (first base and left field), except for Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano. But those guys will command HUGE contracts and I doubt the Tigers are interested. I was going to try and come up with a trade scenario, but I can't think of anything that doesn't involve trading away a favorite. We need to make room for Andrew Miller, but that means losing either Robertson or Maroth. We definitely need to get Teixeira. That's on the top of my wish list. I'd like to keep Casey as a backup, but I'm thinking he'll find a starting job somewhere else. I would LOVE a scenario where we get A-Rod, though. Detroit has a rejuvenating effect on careers. Ask Kenny Rogers or Sheed.

I've always said that I'm looking forward to baseball next year. It's just that usually, I say it in July

Only because his contract expires this year and he's arbitration-eligible. I don't think it's likely that the Tigers would let him go, but you just never know with arbitration.

Y'know, I can see us going 2-14 again, and that would make me excited about the draft, except we've already done the 2-14 thing, and all it got us the next year was a 3-13 season and Joey Harrington.