lidstromania

Garret Stafford? Francis Pare? Francis Lemieux? Tom Galvin?

pretty decent first night, only missed 4! Duke, Gonzaga, G Washington, and Texas Tech

i agree with you on almost everything! B.J. Ryan and Tom "Flash" Gordon both got just ridiculous contracts, and they will both end up pitching an inning every other game. i wouldnt mind seeing Millwood come over to Detroit, but you said it, hes not an ace, which is fine as the Tigers have Bonderman. but i seem to be the only one who wants to see Bob Wickman sport the old english D next year. face it, they really need a true closer, as Rodney, German and Walker will most likely all be needed in the set up role next year, leaving a hole in the closer spot. As for the ones who WONT be tigers next year, i would hate to see monroe get traded, but i dont think we have to worry about that. and we will definitly NOT be trading Pudge with his $10 million salary, but unfortunitely he will not be that good anymore. Johnson is for sure gone, but im not so sure about White. why not take him back? Higginson is out the door as well. They will most likely end up trading away Carlos Pena, despite his late season surge last year. I would just love to see Zito end up in Detroit, but i dont know how we would pull off a trade like that. we just dont have enough to give! Some of the free agents hitters that are still out there that the tigers could sign are Johnny Damon, Jacque Jones, Juan Encarnacion, and Kenny Lofton. Center field is the biggest concern to me, with the two CFs on the roster right now being Granderson and Logan. I would think they would be courting Johnny Damon, as he is a decent center fielder, and he is also capable of holding the lead-off spot. Jacque Jones and Juan Encarnacion could be valuable pick ups as well though because they both are capable of playing center. My projected lineup for next year: 1. Johnny Damon/Curtis Granderson (CF) 2. Placido Polanco (2B) 3. Carlos Guillen (SS) 4. Chris Shelton (1B) 5. Magglio Ordonez (RF) 6. Pudge Rodriguez © 7. Dmitri Young (DH) 8. Craig Monroe (LF) 9. Brandon Inge (3B) Bench: Marcus Thames Nook Logan wow, for having such little talent, its actually kinda hard to make a batting order for the tigers! As for the rotation: 1. Jeremy Bonderman 2. Mike Maroth 3. Nate Robertson 4. Justin Verlander 5. Jason Grilli Bullpen: Fernando Rodney Jamie Walker Franklin German Chris Spurling Craig Dingman Doug Creek

Im looking forward to his game this week, i heard on ESPN he has something special in store this week!

it defineitly wont hurt for Thome to get a fresh start with a new team, especially after his last season in Philly.

This is how I see the situation the Tigers are in: i would like to see Juan Encarnacion in a Tigers uniform again. hes a solid outfielder capable of hitting .260-.280 with 15-20 HRs and 60-80 RBIs. Since both closers they were chasing are gone now, (Wagner to the Mets, and Ryan to the Blue Jays) i wouldnt mind seeing them get Bob Wickman or Todd Jones. they dont have a true closer right now, so signing either one of these guys would be a big plus. The way things are right now, they are saying Curtis Granderson will be taking the lead-off spot. I'm not completely convinced that he is ready for full time in the big leagues, and that is why they should be chasing Johnny Damon. He is 32, capable of handling the lead-off spot, he has decent speed, always hits right around the .300 mark, and capable of hitting 10-15 HRs. Another one that would look great in a Tigers uniform would be Jacque Jones. They play against the Twins a lot every year, so they know what this guy brings to the table. I am pretty much shocked that they havent done a thing yet this offseason, but then when I think about it again, its not that much of a shock.

did you see the top post??? whats up with that??

As it stands right now, after taking 3 out of 5 from the wild card leading twins, the Tigers are exactly 4 games out of the wild card, with a three game series with the 42-55 Seattle Mariners starting tonight. Right now, i would say our downfall is the middle of our starting rotation (Maroth and Johnson). If they could pull a few quality starts, we could defineitly be talking about the playoffs. Granderson has been amazing, with 2 HRs in 4 games, plus a shot off the wall in right for a triple. This has been a good year for the Tigers callups! We have Sean Douglass who has been pitching like he could be our #2 or 3 starter instead of 5, then we have Chris Shelton, whos average is right up there around Derrek Lee's(triple crown!!!) numbers. and now, Curtis Granderson. Our bullpen is defineitly in good shape right now too, with Walker, German, Rodney, and Farnsworth as the closer, since it appears that Percivals career is now over. If not this year, i would dare say next year, but regardless, THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT IN DETROIT!!!!

If you ask me, i personally dont hate the tigers chances of making a wild card run. They just took 2 out of 3 from the best team in the league, and if the pitching stays strong and hitting can stay healthy, i seriously think they have a good chance at the wild card. Next up, a 5 game series with the twins, including a day-night doubleheader on saturday, then a 3 game set with the hot oakland a's. these next 2 series will make or break our playoff chances IMO. BTW, does anybody like Chris Shelton as much as i do????