Brennan Boesch you are officially slumping.

Not sure if you noticed during the recent series with the Rays, but twice Joe Maddon walked Miguel Cabrera to get to Boesch. In both of the situations the walk of Cabrera loaded up the bases for Boesch. Boesch is slumping and in a big way. In the last 7 days Boesch is 1 for 17, and since the break he is hitting under .100. This is as big as the injuries to Magglio, Inge, and Guillen. Since Bosch has been called up he has been the guy that has protected Miguel. Would Miguel be having a MVP, possible triple crown season without a solid early season from Boesch?

It might be time for Leyland to shake things up and move Boesch from the 5 spot. Maybe to the 3 spot and make teams pitch to him, but then who hits in the 5 spot to protect Cabrera. Probably the best option at this point is moving Damon there. While Damon is not a typical 5 whole hitter, he a great contact hitter and is the best option available. Bottom line is that this team needs a shake up if it is going to break out of this post all-start break slump (3-12). Maybe Jeff Frazier can provide a spark, he has 23 hrs so far this season for Toledo.

There is still plenty of season to go but the Tigers are near the tipping point on the slippery slope to having this season be a bust. It doesn’t look like the Tigers will make a significant moves to improve the team. Looks like it might be a year to try and develop their young players, which given there good first half is disappointing.

Pistons bring back Will Bynum for 3 years

As reported by the Free Press the Pistons have taken care of business  and resigned Will Bynum for 3 years for $9.75 million.

First off, the dollar amount seems right for a player of Will Bynum’s talent.  I think Will is a good back up point guard.  Bynum has been a one man fast break for the Pistons at time and provides a good chance of pace from Stuckey. He is also much more of a traditional point guard than Stuckey. Unfortunately the Pistons typically pair him with Ben Gordon giving them one of the shortest back courts in the league.

The big question still surrounding the Pistons is will the be able to make a trade this off season? Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are the most commonly name players in rumors. Rip will be tough to trade because the perception is that he is on the downside of his career. Given his injuries last year I find it difficult to judge but given his age and style of play it is very logical that he is on the downside. Prince is much more value as a trade asset. He is in the last year of a contract which means team might just trade for the cap relief. Prince is also the type  of player that fits on just about any roster. Given the Pistons depth at the small forward (Jerebko, Summers, Daye) its unlikely that Prince will finish the season as a Piston. Heck the Pistons might even try Hamilton out at the 3 if they can’t move him.

Tigers Trade for 3B Jhonny Peralta, not waiving white flag yet.

As reported on ESPN.com, the Tigers have traded for Indians 3B Jhonny Peralta.

The banged-up Detroit Tigers acquired third baseman Jhonny Peralta from the Cleveland Indians  on Wednesday for minor league left-hander Giovanni Soto.

Given that Peralta is hitting .246 with seven homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games this is not a move that is likely put the Tigers over the top in the AL Central race, but this moves shows the Tigers are not waving the proverbial white flag and giving up this season.  This move gives the Tigers some flexibility going forward. He should play 3B until Inge gets back, which will be much sooner than Magglio. This will allow Sizemore to play 2nd base until Guillen gets back. Once Ingle gets back the Tigers can use Peralta at DH if they want to play Damon in the outfield. Just depends on the match ups and if anyone gets hot. The Tigers could also have Inge catch again, but I doubt that will happen.

What did the Tigers give up?

The 19-year-old Soto has spent the entire season at Class A West Michigan and will be assigned to Class A Lake County. He is 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts.

While giving up a young prospect for veteran can be risky over the long term (see John Smotlz-Doyle Alexander), sometimes you need to do what is best in the present to try and win now. I am a firm believer that you do what you can to win now when in contention because you never know what the future holds. What would the Tigers look like if Verlander or Cabrera were to get injured and would miss significant time in the next few seasons?

Magglio Ordonez injured, what it means.

As you all know by now Magglio broke his ankle recently. He is out 6 – 8 weeks, and according to them math done by Jon Paul Morosi he will likely be a free agent next year. Magglio is not out of the season, and could come back with about 20-25 games remaining.  Magglio was hitting over .300 with 12 homers and 59 rbi, his production will undoubtedly be missed.  Not top of Inge and, Ordonez, Carlos Guillen also recently join the DL, where he has spent significant portions of the last few seasons.

This potentially frees up an additional 15 million. On top of 6.6 million for Inge, 12.5 million for Bonderman., 10 million for Robertson and 12 million for Willis. The Tigers now have about 60 million in salary committed for next year, down significantly from this year’s near 120 million. If Bonderman and Inge come back next year they both will be at reduces prices.  In my opinion this puts the Tigers in position to take on salary if the trade is right, and if Mr. Ilitch approves.

With the loss of Magglio the Tigers are in a desperate situation if they want to try to compete this year. If they didn’t need a bat before to solidify the line up, they do now. The position that the Tigers are in financially allows them to trade for a player that could be a productive part of the line up for years to come. However, I am not sure if Ilitch is willing to commit any more money this year. Without a trade the Tigers chances of making the playoffs is greatly reduced.

What a difference a week makes

Wow…it has really sucked to be a Tigers fan this last week.  The week started of terrible with a crazy losing streak.  Just when things were looking better after a couple wins, boom, they lose to Toronto, and worse, they lose Magglio Ordonez to a broken ankle and Carlos Guillen as well.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, they get no-hit by the damn Tampa Bay Rays tonight.  Well, it is kind of hard to win games with a lineup full of rookies.  Oh well…this was a very bad time to get hit by the injury bug, but good teams pull through these things.  Not so sure anymore that the Tigers are a good team though.

Big Ten Expansion Thoughts

The Big Eleven Ten Conference recently added the University of Nebraska to increase the league to 12 teams. This move was motivated purely by the Football gods, because well, Nebraska is not a basketball power.  No other college sports are as relevant as football or basketball, so sorry, they don’t warrant discussion. So lets look at how this expansion will affect the Big Twelve Ten

Divisions

I think every one can agree that there will be two divisions in the new Big Twelve Ten. I don’t really care what they call them, be it the Bo and Woody division or the East and West. Whatever it is the name doesn’t really matter. The competitive balance does.

Geographically the Big Ten teams are relatively close except for the two outliers of Nebraska and Penn State so natural East-West would look something like this.  East – OSU, U of M, MSU,  PSU, Indiana, Purdue   West – Nebraska, Iowa,  Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern.   The problem with this set up is that the East is loaded with OSU, PSU, and U of M (if/when they return to form), and the West would turn into Nebraska’s playground. The possible solution to the competitive imbalance is the Bo/Woody division set up that would have traditional big ten powers OSU and U of M being in separate divisions. PSU and Nebraska would also be split between the two divisions. The big problem with this is that it would create scheduling issues to keep the U of M and OSU rivalry which is considered a must. The simple solution to that is just to have select  non-division games be “rivarly games” and lock those in. Based on 6 team division, you have 5 division games, leaving 3 non-division game in the current 8 game format. Locking in 1 or 2 and rotating the remaining games is simple enough. I mean the Old Brass Spitt0on, Little Brown Jug, and Pual Bunyan trophies are important.

Championship Game

With the Championship game its not a matter of whether to have it or not. The debate will be on where to hold it. Two cities quickly come to mind. Detroit and Ford Field and Indianapolis with Lucas Oil Field. Both are state of the art pro football stadiums that will take some of the college feel away from the game. But given the weather in the Midwest during the time of the game indoors will likely be the game. A rotation has been thrown around a solution to that. Chicago would also like to get in on the action.

I think the Big Eleven Ten made a good decision in grabbing Nebraska from the Big Ten Twelve. But honestly a better decision would have been to go after Kansas, Rutgers, Missouri, and Notre Dame and have the first 16 team super conference. Grabbing Kansas and Missouri would have dismantled the Big Twelve causing Texas and Oklahoma to move to the Pac 12. The Pac 10 would likely have gone to 16 as well. The SEC, ACC, and Big East would have been forced to follow suit. Rutgers would put the Big Ten in the New York City area.

Adding Notre Dame and Kansas would significantly improve the Big Ten basketball conference. Kansas is an elite program and Notre Dame has been very competitive recently. Nebraska’s basketball program is garbage and just another Victory for MSU!

Lakers – A quiet but great offseason

All of the fuss this off season has been about the Miami Heat, Bosh, Wade, and “the ego“. No surprise there.  There was also New York over paying on Amare, and the Hawks getting ripped off by giving Joe Johnson a max contract, LOL. All the while the best team got better.

The Lakers quietly added 3 complementary players that will likely put them over the top for a third straight championship. First it was Steve Blake to back up-take over for Derek Fischer.  Blake fits as a  point guard for the triangle. He gives them a better outside shooter then Farmar or Brown. He will also be much more consistent and reliable. Shannon can through it down somewhere else.  Next they added Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff. Barnes gives them a solid back up for Artest or Kobe. Barnes is a selfless team player with a solid outside game. Ratliff gives them another big who can block shots. He is an upgrade over either DJ Mbenga or Josh Powell. The Lakers can bring  Ratliff, Odom, Barnes, and Blake off the bench. Odom and  Barnes could start on over half of the teams in the NBA but they will be coming off the bench for the Lakers.

The Lakers are positioned to continue to be contenders for championships for the foreseeable future, they will just need to find a suitable replacement for Phil Jackson, unless he turns into Bret Farve.

Odd Piece of Good News for the Tigers

A good trade was made today for the Tigers.  No, the Tigers didn’t get Dan Haren or Roy Oswalt.  In fact, this trade didn’t even involve the Tigers.  What the hell am I talking about then?

The Royals traded second baseman Alberto Callaspo to the LA Angels today. Big whoop?  Think again.  Callaspo has burned the Tigers in his career so far.  In 33 games against the Tigers, Callaspo is hitting .309 with 5 HR (he only has 19 in his career), 17 RBI and 16 runs scored.  This kid just flat out rakes against the Tigers.  The Tigers have 9 games remaining against the Royals and only 3 against the Angels.  I, for one, will be glad that we don’t have to see this kid much anymore.

The bad part of this story?  He is even better against the Twins in his career.

Piss off Michael Rosenberg!

In an article written yesterday, Michael Rosenberg states “Tigers shouldn’t trade away future“.   While I agree with the basic premise that the Tigers shouldn’t trade away their future, I whole heartily disagree with his analysis of the situation.

First off he says:

With nine days looming to the trade deadline, the Tigers can’t be buyers and they can’t be sellers. All they can do — or at least, all they should do — is sit tight and hope they pull this off.

I really take issue with the last part. The Tigers are still very much in the thick of things in the AL Central and if the right move presents its self, make it for the betterment of the team.  Remember the Tigers have only made the playoffs once since 1987. The Tigers are not in a desperate situation so they don’t need to get a rental player like Jared Washburn last year but they could get someone like Danny Haren who will be around for a few years.

Next he says:

It doesn’t make sense for the Tigers to go big-name hunting at the trade deadline. In every way, it isn’t worth it. They aren’t good enough to justify giving up top prospects for a star.

So it didn’t make sense to give up Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller for Miguel Cabrera and  Dontrell Willis?  Miguel is currently having a MVP season with a chance at the triple crown. Willis was just a salary dump by the Marlins. The Tigers mistake was resigning him before he ever pitched for the team. The only reason why you don’t make a move involving a big name player is money. Mr. Ilitch  it may be time to raise the price of those famous $5 pizzas. So to me if the right big name is out there go for it. “Prospects” are no guarantee, some pan out some don’t. Bausch was rated something like 28th in the Tigers system and he looks like the real deal.

Lastly he says:

Trade-deadline chatter sweeps the nation at this time of year, and it is mostly harmless fun. But the reality is that the Tigers are not in a position to sell or buy (unless “buying” means a small-scale deal).

I once again disagree (shocking, right?). The Tigers are in position to buy! Yes they need to be smart about it, but this team is right in the mix of weak division. Just look at the 2006 Cardinals, no one outside of St Louis thought they had much of a chance immediately after the All Star break and they went on to win the World Series.  If the right move, big or small comes up, you make it!

Michael seems to have this attitude of  ”the Tigers weren’t supposed to be in contention at this point and so they shouldn’t act like they actually have a chance to win the division”. To me, whenever you have a reasonable chance, you go for it. We have a dominant starter in Verlander and a MVP in Cabrera. I believe the Tigers are one bat and one starting pitcher away from being really serious contenders. I don’t think there is one team in the AL that you can look at and say they the for sure favorite.  Every team has injuries they are dealing with or pitchers that are not preforming up to standards.

The bottom line is that teams only get so many chances at winning  and you have to go after them in my opinion. This is the second article in the last week from a Detroit based writer that is been very ho hum about the Tigers chances in the second half, and I just don’t under stand their attitude towards the Tigers, its like they don’t want the Tigers to win.

And I thought I was pessimistic!

Here I thought I was being pessimistic about the chances of the Tigers in the 2nd half.  But Lynn Henning of detnews.com seems to have taken my pessimism even further.  Here are a few quotes from his article titled “Tigers will take a nosedive“:

The team could easily go 10-30 in its next 40 games…If the schedule were more forgiving, the Tigers would have a shot at being the .500 team they are.

Johnny Damon might not be traded next week, but he could easily be shed in a waiver deal after the trade deadline. The Tigers will be realistic about where they are.

Firing Leyland would be the most hare-brained move this club could make, which is why it will never happen, no matter how many fans believe the manager is somehow responsible for a team’s long-anticipated troubles…the same scalp-seekers will want Dombrowski fired.

Well, Henning’s first comment is pretty much true.  At the same time, they could do much better.  Even if they don’t, they will still be in the race likely, because Minnesota is floundering and missing Justin Morneau with a concussion and Chicago seems to be coming back down to earth.

Trading Johnny Damon wouldn’t be a bad move if the Tigers are out of it and there are some suitors for the aging star.  But, I would hope they get something worthwhile for him, because he seems to like playing in Detroit and I think he would be helpful next year.

Henning thinks that the Tigers will be realistic about their team and where they stand. If this is true, then the Tigers don’t deserve to win anyway.  If the Tigers are even relatively close, they need to make moves to win and win now.  Now, I am not talking about mortgaging the future of the team or anything.  But if the front office has the attitude that there is no chance of winning, then the team will surely follow.

The last couple quotes are the ones that I have the biggest problem with.  It would be a mistake to fire Leyland?  Why?  The guy should have been fired two years ago when his team quit on him.  Heck, he should have been fired last year when his team imploded in the final week and missed the playoffs.  Sure, he helped get the Tigers to the World Series in 2006, but how long is this guy going to get a pass?  He makes bad decision after bad decision all based on his “hunches”.

Now, this Henning dude gives a lot of props to Dombrowski for bringing in Cabrera and having great drafts.  Don’t forget though, that this guy is also responsible for Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Carlos Guillen, and Brandon Inge’s terrible contracts.  Most of those are coming off the books this year, but who is he gonna throw big money at next?  Let me guess…let’s give Armando Galarraga a 5 year deal worth 50 million! That is the kind of stupid moves he has made.

Anywho, this team will be in the thick of things until the very end…I just don’t think they have the team to win it as it is assembled at this moment.  They need to pick up a bat or two, and another proven starter.  I would like to see the Tigers pick up Adam Dunn (not going to happen), and a frontline starter like Roy Oswalt (again, not going to happen).