The overwhelming sentiment from baseball’s offseason was that the Tigers made a formidable team practically invincible by adding DontrelleWillis and Miguel Cabrera in a trade with the fire sale-minded Marlins.
And yes, I know it’s only 11 games into the season. But, um, the Tigers are 2-9, almost got no-hit yesterday and put Willis on the disabled list. Oh, and did I mention that Cabrera is hitting .167. Read more…
During Wednesday morning’s Boston-Oakland tilt in Tokyo, ESPN thoughtfully took the time to promote another of its televised events: Saturday’s Civil Rights Game against the White Sox and Mets. Steve Phillips made a compelling argument after the Civil Rights Game promo for the progress of minorities in baseball in the last half-century or so:
Phillips noted the Detroit Tigers could reasonably field a starting nine that did not have a single white person. As he rattled off the starters for such a squad (including Ivan Rodriguez, Magglio Ordoñez, Curtis Granderson, and Jacque Jones), he built a strong case for the widening influence of baseball internationally and shrinking domestic (i.e., African-American) influence.
Gary Thorne’s wizened response? “Pretty good international team.”
• The NEW YORK TIMES reports that gay hockey fans feel uncomfortable at Madison Square Garden. Personally, I find Jaromir Jagr’s mullet extremely inviting.
“My jeweler said you don’t want to spend a lot of money on earrings. So anybody trying to get something for their wife or something, don’t spend a lot on the earrings because they’re just an accessory. You might as well get cubic zirconium.”
TIGERS REELING IN BIG FISH CABRERA & WILLIS FROM FLA: The Tigers must think they’re the Yankees or the Red Sox.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX SPORTS hits home the news that Detroit is finalizing a deal with the Florida Marlins to send 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera & pitcher Dontrelle Willis to Comerica Park.In return, the Fish would be landing six young players and prospects from the Tigers organization, including pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin.
Florida didn’t even talk with the Tigers about any deals until contacting the AL Central club Tuesday morning. Within two hours, both sides had reached an agreement.
Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham was surprised by the big deal, saying, “It was kind of like, wow, when I heard. I halfway expected one of them to get traded, but not both in the same deal. So it’s a little bit of a shock.”THE WORLD OF ISAAC is certainly roaring about the Tigers’ tremendous trade. The happy blog is calling it “the biggest blockbuster in Detroit sports history.”
