betterREDthandead

Pretty much the only people who remember that overturned SUV thing are MSU fans, and the only ones who even bring it up are the ones who think Michigan and MSU were founded for the sole purpose of playing basketball. It's not widely known across the country. Webber's most notorious for being unable to count timeouts, which is a far cry from handcuffs and bail that would break the NHL salary cap. And yeah, I think the ESPN TM thing was called My Side. Interesting article on ESPN.com today as well. Clarett apparently called the ESPN writer who did a piece on him back in January (round the time of his mugging arrest), as well as a whole bunch of other people he knows, about two hours before his arrest. The conversation reads almost like a suicide note. Not that I'm implying that's what Clarett wanted to do, but it seemed like he was calling people he wanted to set the record straight with before something happened.

You know what I love? Every single news story about Clarett shows his mug shots (he's got quite a collection these days), him in orange jumpsuits, huge bail numbers, etc. etc.....and then they usually show him in his playing days in an Ohio State uniform Love the association. It's no wonder OSU fans try their damndest to disown him....it's going to be hard for the rest of the world to shake the link. I need to go back and find that ESPN The Mag article on him. Big ol' feature they did a couple years back. I think I still have it. I'm such a packrat for magazines and whatnot.

Not really. The second best team in the AL West has no chance at the wild card right now. Right now the race is Red Sox, White Sox, Twins. The third place team in a division (or even the fourth place team if the race is close enough) can be involved if teams in other divisions are bad enough. But in the end, yes, the wild card will finish second place in their division.

Woooooooo, Zumaya was turnin' and burnin' last night, wasn't he? That strikeout of Joe Mauer was a beauty. Nasty curve on the inside corner, nasty curve on the outside corner, ball high and away, then fastball right down Woodward for strike three. Mauer never took the bat off his shoulder. And Mauer bats left-handed. What Zumaya did to righties last night was not the sort of thing you repeat to small children.

Better?

Much kudos to Ledezma for yesterday's game. Nice pitching work. Miner tonight, too. And much kudos to the Tigers' bats tonight. Don't know what it is, but Francisco Liriano has dominated every team he faces except the Tigers, who slap him around like a rented mule. Or as Rod Allen puts it, they beat him like he stole something. Tigs didn't just hit him tonight, they hit him hard....Monroe and Thames both put rockets into left field that I think would have bounced off the facade above the upper deck in Tiger Stadium. 40 games over .500, by the way. Playing .500 ball the rest of the way would earn them 101 wins. In their 105-year history they've reached 100 wins 5 times: 1984: 104-58 1968: 103-59 1961: 101-61 1934: 101-53 1915: 100-54 So they've got a real chance to set a club record for wins. 110 at current pace. It would have to be the most unprecedented turnaround in baseball history if they could do that, given the club record for losses they set in '03. By the way, it was mentioned by the Cleveland broadcasters during Saturday's game that the Tigers went 36-18 during the first third of the season and 36-18 again during the second third. To do it again would be to finish 108-54.

Nice. I'm totally gonna play it like right now. Starting with the bottom of the 3rd.

If the Tigers face Boston or New York in the first round, it means one of those two is the wild card and the other is the division champ, and Chicago didn't make the playoffs. But still. Clearly, there is no argument: the Tigers' best shot at the Series is to start it off with a team from the West. If the playoffs began today, the ChiSox would have the wild card and it would be Tigers-A's and Yankees-White Sox. But Chicago has a very slim half-game lead on the Red Sox. By the way, Kass, love the avatar....that animation brings back memories, cause if I'm not mistaken, it dates back to the late 80's-early 90's when George Kell and Al Kaline were calling the games on Channel 4....yes?

Ohhhhhhhhh, I see heh, no, my family will be in town the whole time. my bad, I probably was way too ambiguous in my PM. actually that weekend is probably far better for me family-wise now that I think about it, as my brothers will probably come in for the Labor Day weekend but they'll be back at school by the 10th. my youngest brother is starting college this year, it's so cute now all we need is input from the rest of RWN HQ.

Already told you the Tigers would be out of town you even knew that cause you purposely picked a date after the 6th when they wouldn't be in town and it wouldn't have any chance of interfering with a game but I do realize that Dearborn is closer for a lot of people. cheaper parking too, I'd imagine. in any case I'm not picky.

The dates I'll be in town are from the 2nd(ish) through the 12th. 10th would work fine for me. Downtown is closer, but I'm not picky if the group prefers Dearborn. The only thing on my schedule is that I want to take my family to a Tigers game, but no attachment to date on that one yet.

By the way....it may not be too early to start actually rooting for the White Sox and/or Twins. It's like this: since the wild-card plays the #1 division winner unless they are from the same division, we very much want the wild card to be from our division. If the wild card comes from the East and the Tigers are the top division champ, the road to the Series will go through both Boston and New York. Screw that. If the wild card is Chicago or Minnesota, the Tigers will play the West champ instead. Much better.

Took the words right out of my mouth: I love this team! When the Wings won their first championship, I was camping and had to listen on the radio, but all my friends and I grabbed brooms and started parading around the campground singing and chanting when they won. When the Pistons won a couple years ago, I had moved into my apartment the day before and didn't have anything unpacked...but I had already made sure the cable hooked up and the small TV ready to go. If the Tigers carry this success all the way through October and win the Series, I don't know where I'll be or who I'll be with, but I know this: I'll be crying big wet man-tears of joy. (Wouldn't be the first time the waterworks went on at the end of a Tigers season....when I was seven or so my parents had to reassure me round about September that there'd be another season seems I didn't want to have to stop watching the Tigers ) Was glad to read that Miller has been signed. The Royals' pick, Luke Hochevar, signed only yesterday or the day before and I figured with that deal done, Andrew Miller would be just around the corner. On a sadder note, Elden Auker has died. Was sad to see that, as I always enjoyed it when he would provide the papers with anecdotes whenever they were writing about Depression-era and wartime baseball. The last link to the '35 Series champs.

Bobby Bowden thinks a half-game suspension is a harsh punishment.

Comes up in just over a week. Anybody watching? I don't follow soccer much myself, being that MLS is kind of a joke, there's no team in Detroit, and the only leagues worth paying attention to are across the pond. Kind of a once-every-four-years fan, since the World Cup is pretty much one of the coolest sports events going. Guess I'm kind of a soccer fan waiting to happen - I'd probably jump on it if Detroit had a team in MLS. But I'll definitely be following the World Cup closely. USA got jobbed on the draw, of course - Italy is in our group, and if we manage to get to the Round of 16, Brazil will be waiting, unless by some miracle we beat out Italy. The Czech Republic is no joke either, and Ghana has Cinderella written all over them. But this is the highest the US has ever been ranked coming in. I would love to see the reaction around the world if the US were to ever win the Cup, but til then I'll settle for Brazil and Italy not winning.

bummer. the couple of times I've been, OK, it wasn't exactly Bourbon Street, but it was a nice little place. just the kind of place I'd love to have a cottage near. that was 10 years ago though.

Rod Allen brought up a great point about Maggs after Guillen's double....that, with the Tigers up 9-4, 8th inning, and the hit being just a bloop into the gap, most guys would have pulled up at second running from first, no need to risk being thrown out at third or look like you're trying to run it up. Maggs knew what was at stake and had third base in mind all the way so that Guillen would have room to try for the double. Heads-up play. Tigers' baserunning this year has been stellar.

8th inning update: Never seen anyone hit for the cycle before Very cool. 3B, HR, 1B, 2B for Guillen. Last player to hit for the cycle for the Tigs: Damion Easley, who incidentally, wore #9. Casey homers, Clevlen homers. Tigers oughta just start calling people up willy-nilly so they can make their Tigers debut and have terrific games. Clevlen's practically begging for the rookie-pie-in-the-face.

Casey's first at bat, he fouls off about 8 pitches and then smokes an RBI single to center. Right after a diving stop at first to end the inning defensively. Sounds like a winner of a trade so far Real shame, by the way, that the Tigers blew that game in Minny the other day, because it spoiled a beautiful debut by Clevlen. Kind of a little too far to be looking ahead, but what about a 2009 outfield of Maybin, Granderson, and Clevlen?

Chicago didn't quite do nothing. They bolstered the bullpen a bit and reacquired Sandy Alomar for like his 8th go-round with the Sox. But I think they paid just as high a price for their new backup catcher, and again for a middle reliever, as the Tigers did for a starting first baseman. Excellent work by Dombrowski

Didn't they say it was supposed to be a seller's market? The Phillies allowed themselves to be bungholed for Abreu and now Casey for a song. Bummer about Shelton though. I have him on both fantasy teams.

y'know, don't laugh, but whoever starts for the Lions could end up being the division's best QB. Favre and Brad Johnson are fossils, and don't try and convince me that Rex Grossman is an actual NFL quarterback. If there's one advantage the Lions have going into the season, it's that the division sucks.

Clevlen gets the start this afternoon. Gets to make his MLB debut against Johan Santana.

Flashed a little glove tonight and bopped a single and HR. Said it before, say it again: Got yer lefty batter right here. 70 wins tonight. Two more and we officially improve over last season.

O I C. Well good.....because at any rate, the last team I want in the best-of-five ALDS would have been Minnesota. You know they'd have thrown Liriano, Santana, Radke, Liriano, Santana. Moving on....the Tigers called up Brent Clevlen from AA Erie. Strange move. He's not exactly tearing it up down there. I'd be wondering WTF if I were Alexis Gomez, who's been playing pretty decently.