betterREDthandead

The top seed always plays the team with the worst record in the first round, unless that team comes from the same division. Pretty well locked in right now that the AL West champion will have the worst record, so the Tigers just need to earn the #1 seed. And among Texas, LA, and Oakland (it won't be Seattle), Texas has the worst pitching. I don't want to see Barry Zito twice in a five-game series.

I grew up a Michigan fan, could sing Hail to the Victors when I was six years old, still am and will always be a Michigan fan....and I hate Florida State even more than Ohio State. I lost my hate for Florida when Steve Spurrier left. Miami...criminals, mostly. But nothing - not scarlet and gray, Yankee pinstripes, cheeseheads, or turnip sweaters, nothing - has me rooting as hard against anyone as I do against FSU.

Pretty happy about that trade. For one, the Rangers have the worst pitching of any playoff contender, so I really do hope they win the West, and that the Tigers earn the #1 playoff seed and meet the Rangers in the first round. For another, Lee to the Rangers means no Lee for the White Sox or Twins.

Ugh. I watched that game with my dad on TV. I was 12. I distinctly remember him predicting Michigan would blow it because their idea of running out the clock was three straight plunges right up the middle, which of course gained a grand total of two yards and forced a punt. He's always been pretty frustrated watching that kind of game management. Also: Florida State can suck it. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Down with the Criminoles.

The Pirates and D-backs are dreaming. Sanchez for anybody at all in those organizations (at least someone who can help for the stretch drive) would give Dombrowski something to laugh about. But whatever. Dmitri's been mashing since his return. HR last night. There's your left-handed bat.

R

Lexington's fun. Used to stop there on the way back from camp. Mostly cause they got a Dairy Queen. Port Sanilac's better though. That town has gotta have the best per capita ratio of awesome ice cream places in the country. There's like three places that'll pile on the scoops for ya.

We shouldn't miss Monroe too much, I don't think. If Dmitri hits like Dmitri should, Shelton and Thames will push Monroe to the bench. But there will still be at-bats for him. It's Gomez that will take the biggest hit. One question that strikes me as I watch Roman Colon give up two runs in the ninth in what should be an easy situation: Why is he not at Toledo and Chris Spurling here with the big club?

Made it to one game this year: June 12 against the Devil Rays. 5-1 loss. Rollercoaster wasted a beautiful pitching performance by Bonderman by giving up 4 in extra innings. But it was a gorgeous sunny evening, we had great seats, and for a moment there in the 9th it was great times as the Tigs tied it up to send it to the bonus frames. Hopefully will be able to go to a game over Labor Day weekend or shortly thereafter. There's something about an evening (or afternoon) at the ballpark that makes you feel like you had the best time of your life, win or lose.

All you can ever ask for is to take 2 of 3. Fantastic series for the Tigs. 5 1/2 game lead on the White Sox as we near the end of July? This is why I want so badly to be back home. Detroit is re-awakening as a baseball town and I'm missing out. With the A's coming to town next, the probables are: Verlander vs. Joe Blanton, Miner vs. Danny Haren, Robertson vs. Esteban Loaiza. In other words, we miss Barry Zito, who pitched yesterday. Aw shucks.

Muse/vladdy16: My dates for being in town will probably be from the 2nd/3rd to about the, say, 13th or 14th of September. Depends on how long it takes to get to San Diego (I have to be in SD for a week for a school to train me up for my next job....that's the 18th through the 22nd....then I have to head up to Seattle to settle in). All of which is driving. So, if the Toast to Stevie is sometime that time, count me in! Otherwise I'd still be definitely up for a Toast to Me for anyone who feels like a more informal get together. I'll bring all my favorite William F. Buckley articles and we can discuss ways to eliminate the welfare system. VIB16: If you wanna bump the RWNW party to 9/19 instead of 8/19 (it's not like they'll be retiring Igor Larionov's number ) I ought to be able to make it! Depending on where. But if you've already got the wheels turning and people RSVPing and everything, don't change it just for me. Coast-to-coast DRW parties, woohoo! Even if I do nothing but go to bed at 10PM and sleep in til 2PM during my break, I can't wait to get offa this boat.

Kenny has been a notoriously mediocre second-half pitcher the past few years, and I don't buy the it's-hot-in-Texas excuse. He's old. I'm hoping he can break the pattern this year, but it's looking like more of the same. But, he doesn't need to be stellar, he just has to win. 4.5 games up on the Chisox! They got railed this afternoon in New York and the Tigers post their 12th shutout of the season. The Royals were having a great summer once May turned into June, but they didn't play the Tigers at all. Til now.

You know my current profession. Trying to get me fired? I have decided that I will not be in town until the beginning of September (or rather, the powers that be have decided)....then, I have approx. two weeks. So, if something is going on then, I'm all ears, otherwise, maybe something less grandiose. Toast to Shanny, maybe?

I'm gonna be the slightly skeptical wet blanket just because of the source. A guy that doesn't take s##t, plays a physical game and brings it his hardest every night - that stuff doesn't have any problems staying with him as he climbs the ladder. But this is the guy's best friend we're hearing from - surely there is a downside. If my best friend were a prospect, I wouldn't post weaknesses in his game on the boards either. Things like his shot and his speed will definitely have to be watched, because flaws in your skating and your shot will be exposed as you get into more and more competitive leagues. We'll see. I like that the Wings themselves think they have a sleeper, because they have the knack for finding those. Let's find out how he does in juniors, I'm definitely intrigued, but not gonna get all googly-eyed just yet.

Materazzi is such a liar. He claims he did not say "terrorist", that he doesn't know what the word means because he's "uncultured". Riiiiight.

Also happened, among other teams and years, in 1993, 1989, and 1986, with the Phillies, A's, and Mets, respectively. Notice the connection? Pennant winners - and in two cases, Series champs. Plus, in 1985, LaMarr Hoyt started the game for the NL, pitching to Terry Kennedy, both of San Diego. Jack Morris was the AL starter and the fans' choice for starting catcher was none other than Lance Parrish. Might have marked the first year that the starting batteries for both leagues were teammates? The defending pennant winners, no less.

First time the Tigers have formed the starting battery for the All-Star Game. I wonder how many other teams have done that? I'll bet the Yankees had Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra do it back in the day, and maybe the Dodgers with Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella. It's possible the Reds, too, with how many times Johnny Bench went, surely the Big Red Machine produced an ASG starting pitcher at least once. The Braves had Javy Lopez all those years, so maybe Maddux/Smoltz/Glavine and Lopez. But Kenny and Pudge - wow - even Lolich/McLain and Freehan never did it.

I was rooting for France even after Zidane's stunt. Whatever Matterazzi was saying must have been pretty dirty. Not to condone the head-butt. But I don't care for Italy. Like the country, hate the soccer. Italian soccer is in the pits right now. One of the filthiest, most corrupt systems in all of sports. Juventus is probably one of the top five clubs in all of Europe, in terms of name recognition, along with clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, etc. Of course, you have to wonder how much of their prestige is due to illegal activities like referee cherry-picking. If they're bumped to the bottom of the Italian pecking order, they deserve it. I thought the ref in the final did a good job of calling that match. Maybe the France penalty kick was undeserved, but it could have gone either way.

for anyone who's interested, the John Heffron show was, naturally, terrific. got a chance to shake his hand after the show, he commented on my (now outdated) Shanahan t-shirt.

It should literally be a crime to file a frivolous lawsuit like that. Since there are none, I'm suing him for the emotional distress caused by how pissed off I am that someone could be that greedy, stupid, and lazy.

I'm seeing John Heffron tomorrow! He's at the Funny Bone in Virginia Beach this weekend. Can't wait.

I had thought that, but I also figure that Guillen is trying to actually win the All-Star Game, because his team has a good shot at benefiting from it with home-field advantage in the Series. And what better way to have a good shot at winning than to have Kenny pitch to Pudge for a few innings? They know each other very well, after all. Surely two or three innings' work in the ASG won't ruin Kenny for the season, and I'll be damn proud to turn on that TV and find that a pair of Tigers are the starting batterymates in the All-Star Game.

If you do it in earlyish September or late August, I might be able to poke my head in and say hi, and share a drink or five. Don't try and schedule around me, though; around that time, I can't even schedule for myself, since that is when I'll be moving/taking leave(?)/trying to travel from Norfolk to San Diego to Seattle and I basically only have a few dates set in stone.

$30 million coming off the bench? Not likely. Mohammed was signed as Ben's replacement, straight up - and kind of a panic move, I think. I hope not. Joe D. has always been a pretty astute judge of talent. We'll see though. There are probably three legit centers in the league, and one just took off. The others, including Nazr, aren't any different from one another.

Well, they lost, but at least Pudge is still a Tiger.