Polanco to start Saturday

That's good news alright. I think we will need to temper our enthusiasm somewhat and not expect too much. I hope Leyland pampers him even a bit more than he feels he needs to. I am hoping we see Omar fill in for Rock tonight and on Sunday. If the club gets to a point where it clinches a spot in the playoffs and 1st place is not an issue I would hope that Leyland rests Guillen the odd game as well. Both of these guys (Guilen & Polanco) at full capacity are wonderful baseball players.
We are the benefactors of a pretty easy schedule right now, though one always has to keep in mind the year end determination of players wanting and needing to impress. K.C can bring in a Double A pitcher no one has seen before and and who knows what kind of results he might get.

Looking forward to the Toronto series as I may be able to pick up some games on TV out here in Western Canada.

Let's hope everyone starts taking their jobs very seriously from here on out. That includes the "Boss" as well as his players.

Viva El Tigre.

Okay, great. He really did look good in the cage yesterday. Not meaning he's going to get three hits, but meaning he looked fluid and healthy. Heck, I got a kick out of just seeing him out there.

While we get our stiff drinks, or take our Prosac, or do our yoga exercises, or whatever we do to prepare for these games, I want to take a moment and share the story of The Jersey.

I have a Norm Cash home jersey that I wear to most of the games. It never fails to draw comment from people of all types. Once at Camden Yards, I heard a loud "Stormin' Norman!" and turned around to see four young men, no more than 20 years old, wearing Orioles gear but with fists in the air. "Yeah, Norm Cash!" they were saying. As we all know, Norm is not in the Hall of Fame, but he seems to be as well known in the ballparks around the country as any HOFer you can name. I've found myself in many conversations with various strangers about the good old days, be it Cleveland, Detroit, or even Pittsburgh.

Yesteday in Baltimore was no exception. With my wife wearing her Chris Shelton jersey, I was joking that we were already in our Halloween costumes. You know, "two guys who used to play firstbase for the Tigers." Well, it wasn't long before a gentleman in Orioles shirt came up. "Hey" he said, "I remember Norm Cash. Back in the days at Memorial Stadium. You had Cash and we had Jim Gentile." "Yeah, Gentile" I fired back, "five grand slams in '61." "Two in one game!" he responded. It was pleasant exchanging memories with him while the current boys took their whacks in the cage, not 50 feet away. As we headed back up the aisle, we were stopped again, this time by a fellow from New York who was making his first visit to Camden Yards. This guy had a crystal clear memory of games he'd seen at Yankee Stadium. He was there on the May afternoon in 1962 when Kaline broke his collarbone. He described the score, the pitchers, the runners on base, and Elston Howard as the hitter, and how Kaline made such a great catch but then didn't get up. He went on to tell about the biggest crowd he'd ever been in, the 70,000 fans who'd crammed the Stadium on September 1 of 1961, as Whitey Ford outpitched Don Mossi, winning it 1-0 on a ninth inning single by Moose Skowron. He even recreated the "Moooooose" call the fans used to do. I told him I'd watched that game on TV and remembered it very well. He went on to rave about Kaline, how he'd gotten the big hit in the 5th game of the '68 Series. I was able to tell him that I had been at THAT game. This went on for quite some time, before we departed for our respective seats.

I realize this gets kind of mushy sounding, but isn't this the entire beauty of the game of baseball? We remember people and events from our childhood as if it were yesterday, in complete detail and clarity. This ability amazes some folks, but we know it's really not all that strange, is it?

I always worry when a player comes back from an injury that he might be forcing things, coming back too soon because he just can't stand to watch helplessly from the dugout anymore. I hope that Leyland will be smart and not push him too much. Having said that I'm awfully happy for Polanco and it is going to be so good to watch him running around on the field again.

In the last section we covered exhaustedly how the intransigrance of Leyland threatens the team's well being at this most crucial time. Through philosophical arguments, metaphor and parable, empirical statistical anaysis and even by the anguished cries of the afflicted in what can only be understood as a form of prayer we made it clear that as Rich said, it's time to dance with the one that brung you. So there is no need to go into that with anymore detail here. However just a few thoughts and questions.

There is no statistical reason to platoon anyone on the Tiger team. The only player with a true statistical difference is Granderson against lefties. If we are waiting for Shelton to make a start against a lefty we are only fooling ourselves. At this point I would be satisfied with Casey not batting third anymore, which I find a little embarrassing. Balls hit hard or no he has left an ocean of men on base.

I can only assume that Nefarious is a lock for a postseason roster if there is one. Who gets left behind? How many pitchers do teams usually carry, 10, 11, 12??? Forgive me but after 18 years I'm a little cloudy on such questions.

Nefarious' effects will also be felt next season because he's due another 2.5 from the Tigers. The notion of trading him begs of course the monumental question of to whom? The Tigers have a whole lot of players making 350,000 to 400,000 who will need to be re-signed next year (Granderson, Zumaya, Bonderman, Robertson, Infante...). If I was an agent for a Tiger the first thing I would say to management is look, if you paying aquaman 2.5 don't even bother talking to me about anything less than 4. Perez could turn out to quite expensive indeed, not just in games lost, morale destroyed but financially as well.

Time to offer Inge 4 years and 18-20 million, hes earned a long-term deal and deserves that respect.

Guillen has 6 home runs in the last 30 games. He also has 6 RBI in the last 30 games. A very disturbing statistic for a 5th hitter. Though lately Ordonez keeps clearing the bases in front of him -- doesn't give Carlito much of a chance to drive in runs does it?

One of the reasons I like Granderson and Inge hitting 9-1 or 1-9 is that when they hit it always seems to ignite the entire team. And they are both so much to watch on the bases. I hope we have a lot of fun tonight.

I know there is not a lot of confidence in Ledezma around here but when his location is right, nobody hits the ball solid of him. The game I saw him throw in the Bronx was amazing. I predict he gives us 6 solid tonight.

Rodney has 0 BS with Rodriguez catching. I'm happy we re-signed Wilson, I think he's great but it is an interesting stat. All 4 of Rodneys blown saves are with Wilson catching. And by the way, its only 4. Lets not forget how fantastic he has been for us all year.

An exercise in futility; or how I learned to stop worrying and love the old coot:

CF Granderson

2B Infante

LF Monroe

RF Ordonez

SS Guillen

C Rodriguez

DH Thames

1B Shelton

3B Inge

Or second choice:

2B Perez

CF Granderson

1B Casey

DH Ordonez

SS Guillen

DH Stairs

LF Gomez

3B Inge

C Wilson

Rodriguez has been playing impassioned basesball lately, even by his elevated standerds. I expect him to take charge the rest of the way. If he also realizes he's not Lou Brock, thats fine too.

C-Mo will be bringing it tonight y'all. He's been so cold he must be ready to burn the place down.

Marty I was profoundly moved by your dream of Norm Cash and spent the afternoon deeply embedded in Freud's The Interpretation Of Dreams. While much of what I read was very interesting, and to be frank, rather troubling, I was not able to unlock the psycological significance and metaphorical displacements of pitch counts with men in scoring position. I did have some ideas this afternoon but they are all rather disturbing. I'd rather not talk about them right now.

I'm going to keep working on it though, I promise. Once I calm down.

Old Caribean superstition says that prognosticatory dreams come in threes and that 3 is a very lucky number. So tonight Marty, may you have the sweet untroubled sleep of children and drunkards, and let it be filled with happy thoughts of you and yours and visions of Willie Horton.

One of the best things this season, is not only are we making the playoffs, but we are also seeing whther some our young players can perform.

Keeping that in mind, I think the Ledezma experiment is over. He just doesn't have what it takes. His stuff is ordinary.

I'm hoping Miner makes the start next time this turn comes up in the rotation. At least he has a clue.

Ahhh--Stormin' Narman. What a guy. That year he had in '61 was one of the best years anybody had ever had. I'm serious about that.
He was a real card. If sean Casey is the Mayor then Cash was King.

(Sidebar--Brandon could've tagged the guy).

One story I heard about Cash was a game with the White Sox (Sidebar #2-Ledezma is "B" team material--sorry Rube--This guy's head is not in the right place and I don't see how it ever will be)

So I think Apariciao is on first and had been giving the Tigers fits forever and particularly in that game.

He takes his big lead--pitcher throws over and there's no first base--Cash had unstrapped it and calmly applied the tag to the stunned baserunner. You gotta love Norm

I heard he died in a baoting accident on Cass Lake.

Back to the game--I have absolutely no confidence in Ledezma he seems to be totally wrapped up in himself and on a "team" that is not a welcome ingredient.

I think Leyland is a closet left hander--seems to have an infatuation with lefty hitters and pitchers!

Monroe hit it hard anyway. No idea what he was thinking about trying to bunt down the first base line with the way he is running tonight.
We're in the danger zone right now. A couple of early runs off a less than stellar pitcher and then they fail to crank it up and apply the boots. We've seen it a lot this year--don't let this guy off the hook!

We're playing politely.

I see Ledezma as a thrower and nowhere near abeing a pitcher. He has no awareness of his position other than throwing the ball to the catcher. I thought Pudge's throw to 3rd wasn't that bad and felt Inge could have come up with that one.

Wilfredo is fine, as long as no one is on base.

The minute some occupies a bag, he acts as if it's the seventh game of the WS, and he loses it.

For a fifth starter, he is just plain bad. No composure.

I remember watching Maroth lose his 21st game, back in '03. He had more class and control than Ledezma has here............

Wilfredo has pitched himself out of this rotation, IMHO. Let's see what Maroth has, these last couple of starts. If not Maroth, then at least Miner keeps his head about him, and won't give it away.

BTW...............why in the world do we hit everything hard the first couple of innings, get a lead, and then go quietly into that good night? Do we forget how we got that lead?? By being somewhat patient, and waiting for a good pitch? Is it concentration? Over-excited?? We seem to go into a coma after the fourth inning.

Hey Tiger Guys. I've been enjoying the bantering lately with no comments on my own. Just wanted to inform folks that Norm Cash died of a heart attack. Go Tigers.

My problem with Ledezma is that he is a two pitch pitcher. He may get lucky and get through a lineup twice without a lot of damage, but basically, until he truly masters a third pitch, he is not a quality starter. Tonight, he has thrown a hundred pitches through six innings. He has walked 3 and basically managed to survive against arguably the worst team in baseball. The only difference between he and Minor, if I am correct, is that he has been back in the minors twice trying to learn a third pitch and shows no improvement. That is probably why Boston dumped him to begin with... no real upside with the guy. As for Maroth, I don't get it. Generally, players do not lose their starting spot due to injury. If he is healthy, why then is Ledezma in his spot to begin with at this point? Are we going to continue to put Perez in there after Polanco is ready to go? I doubt it... ok, I HOPE not. Maroth should be getting his turn as he was before his injury.

I have NO idea, what to think of Pudge, anymore.

First and third, against a pitcher who has a serious problem throwing strikes(in an inning that he has already walked two), and Pudge swings at the first pitch that is anywhere near the plate, basically dumbing our way out of the inning.

Dare I say: Selfish?

Has Leyland undergone some sort of transcendental mystical experience, some sort of metaphysical awakening, was the metrodome his road to damascus???

How else to explain his sudden and extreme conversion to small ball. I think with a new reliever who just walked someone on four pitches you are doing him a favor by bunting on the next pitch, no??? I was sure that was going to a big inning.

Horrible at-bat by Rodriguez, its true. Swing at the first pitch if it's what you want but Rodriguez was so pumped up he was going to swing no matter what.

On Ledezma, I never said he was Sandy Koufax just that he is capable of good stuff when he locates and I thought he give us 6 tonight -- something he had never done. Scratch is right he is a very different pitcher with guys on, like he's waiting for something to go wrong. It wasn't pretty but he almost gave us 6.

I'd love to see Maroth out there but my understanding was his arm doesn't feel up to it. He simply hasn't been an option. I think the Tigers will go to a four man rotation the rest of the way so the 5th starter is a problem for next season.

Rube-I can see them going with 5. Once they clinch then I think we will see Leyland give the ball back to Miner or maybe even someone else.
Thanks for straightening me out on Norm's demise. I don't know where I heard the Cass Lake story--perhaps it was another former Tiger? Could be senility too! It's creeping in sometimes.

Inge has had played a big part in tonights game--like the bunting and the hustle and the nice catch last inning.

It would be very nice to see the Mariners take care of the Sox tonight--the quicker we get this deal done the better.

The Royals look pretty bad tonight and let's hope there is a carryover throughout the rest of the year.

if memory serves me correct;y, Cash was out on a lake fishing when he died of the heart attack. You are still alzheimer's free

Yes, I guess Maroth's arm is not so great right now? Maybe a four man rotation the rest of the way is a good idea if we have to do it, but I think we may have a couple tired starters out there. I just wonder if Ledezma has had his chance, just like Minor, and maybe we have someone else who might give us as much or more. We have been stockpiling pitching, and maybe a Tata (if his arm is up to it) might be worth a try. Twins lost, and we have a little breathing anyway.

I had always understood that Norm was inebriated and messing with his boat while wearing his cowboy boots and fell off the dock. That's not the fact?

My game comments shortly. I know you can't wait. :-)

Shorter than I thought. That was a quick ninth by Mr. Jones.

Okay, Muppet hecklers, that was a good win. They did a nice job of tacking on runs, taking advantage of slipshod play by KC. Hey, I really want Clevlen on that postseason roster for late defense. He really covers ground and I've already raved about his arm.

I don't expect Chicago to lose this one tonight, but if they do, we can clinch a spot TOMORROW night. Did we think this day would ever come? The Twins are now in cool down mode. I still want to chase the Yankees.

About Maroth, I have to believe he's not ready and they're just not saying so. There's no other reason you don't use a proven big league starter. He relies, as I recall, heavily on both a slider and a curve, and if he can't through the breaking pitches, he's toast out there.

Ledezma, I wanted them to trade him earlier this year, when teams might have gone for a lefthanded starter with major league experience and good minor league numbers on the year. I don't think he'll ever amount to much and it's obvious that in four years he's never learned to play the game of baseball. For those of you who haven't watched very closely the previous three seasons, this is what you get with him. He can't handle bunts or much of anything hit back to the mound. That's why they attempt to bunt on him so much. I agree that I'd like to give Miner the final start if Maroth can't go.

The Chisox, win or lose tonight are basically sone for the year. The 9-0 loss to Seattle last night told the story. Our E# is now 8 with the Twins. I sure would like to see us overtake the Yanks for best record. It may be possible with our schedule the rest of the way. Of course, I must admit I am stretching my optimism to its limits. Stormin' Norman's demise wasn't boat related?*****, that made a good story too!

Yes--it has been agreed that he did have a boating accidnet. Consensus is he hit his head and drowned on a lake near Beaver Island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Cash

Wow--Joe Crede has not had a hit in his last 26 at bats. We don't want no slumps here.

Stormin' Norman went out the way true men go out........he had his boots on.

The Royals are really bad.............I can't remember if the Tigers were this bad. Maybe they were..............I choose to forget.

While revelling in this season, I can't help but think about next. An Indians type collapse is totally within the realm of possibility. Only by keeping their top three starters, will they avoid it, but the Indians did that, and look what happened to them. Besides, my paranoia is well founded......the Tigers do not have a Pronk on their roster.

Next season will depend on Bonderman becoming a man, Verlander staying healthy, and someone(Maroth, Miller, Sanchez, Tata?)breaking out.

I don't know how we could hope that Rogers has the same kind of season, he has truly been amazing. The last good year of a very nice career.

Despite us on the verge of winning the division(baseballs toughest), we are still so far away, IMHO. We need hitters. Maybe Grandy will become what I think he can(.290, 30, 100 rbi), maybe Inge will become better(.275, 30, 100 rbi), maybe Maybin will make the jump.

BUT, when you look at the statistics of these Tigers, it is truly a miracle that we have won as many games as we have. One player with 100 rbi's, a lead off hitter leading the league in strike outs, NO ONE else threatening ANY of the stats that one would associate with the best team in baseball. It seems, every run counted. That is really lucky, and luck has a way of evening out.

Maybe we can carry this luck to a championship. Wierder things have happened(think Dodgers, when Gibson had one at-bat, and it was a game winner). BUT......we will not be this lucky again.

We either need some serious signings in the off season(Tejada, Soriano, Texiera, etc), or I fear we are headed to a Cleveland Indians '06 type of season in '07.

Anyway.....this season has been a joy. 3 and out in the first round wouldn't cloud the sunny season we have had!

I stand corrected. There was a boating accident. The cause of death was listed as drowning, probably with drinking too. I don't know wher I got the heart attack story. It's probably caused by the 19 years to get back to the playoffs. I hope Dan is out of the garage. I think i'm home safely. My wife is going to let me stay.
Inge again does the little things tonight that make him a big player.

Hey Rube............when I go to bed, I'm sure not having visions of Willie Horton, bro! :-)

Well I never thought my Norm Cash dream would actuate so much inquiry into the facts surrounding his passing. I meant no disrespect in relating this quiescent vision. But as we all know, we cannot control our dreams. Dan you DID find the truth of the matter. I clicked on your link and found his statistics and the anicdotes very interesting. On paper he looks like a Hall of Famer.
I'm on the verge of a breakthrough discovery, if you will, of the actual meaning of this dream.

Rich, how could I have ever guessed that you were the proud wearer of a Norm Cash jersey? Coincidence? I choose to think not. Great stories of the game yesterday. Based on what happened on the field, I would say all the real action occurred in the stands. I once wore my Tiger home jersey to a halloween party years ago. I have no idea why.

Rube, I had to bring out the ol' dictionary in a feeble attempt to decipher your posting. Sweet baseball poetry is all I can say about that.

I looked up the word "intransigeance" because quite frankly I had no clue. "Uncompromising", "inflexible" is what I found. You nailed it.

Missed most of the game tonight but it looks pretty good right now. Tigers win, Twins and Sox lose, can you ask for more on this fine night?

The original Boys of Summer are all playing tonight. Shelton, Polanco, Thames, all in the lineup against Redman.

Holy **** Curtis. A triple AND a home run in the FIRST INNING? Cycle by the third? (knock on wood ha!)

And it's great to see this lineup again. These are the guys we fell in love with to begin it all.

Dance with the one that brung ya!!!

Very nice to see Rock back where he belongs. Nice hitting and though I missed his 2nd AB I presume he hit the ball hard to third> He does hit the ball and he uses the whole field. Quite literally every square inch of it.
We will be seeing Infante more I am pretty sure but I would like to just say that what he did filling in under extremely difficult circumstance will be remembered beyond this year.

He has been kind of a forgotten man and had to deal with being shoved aside for a veteran utility infielder with limited skills. Thank You Omar.

Great to see Shelton and Thames in there and did you notice they do seem able to hit right handers Jim?

I think we can legitimately expect to see the new young guys in the lineup after the guys hit around this time. 3 AB for the starters and then lets see, Rabelo, Hooper, Clevlen, Gomez, Santiago and after 5 let's see Miller, Tata, Durbin and Maroth.

It's been a long time coming. Thank you Jim Leyland.

I really think JL should be pinch-running for C-Moe here--no point in aggravating his injury---and there quite clearly is an injury.

Yea Dan, I guess we're stating the obvious in saying it's time to take everyone out. Be fun to watch the young guys play. Probably Leyland will salt them in inning by inning.

15 runs, and only one dinger. THAT is offense!

Seeing Shelton banging out hits again, ahhhhhhhhh............it does the heart good.

I believe, that Leyland should put Casey on the pine until Shelton proves this is a fluke. We owe it to him(Shelton, that is).

Now, about Curtis. He obviously has made the adjustments to what "they" were trying to do against him. He has stopped swinging "through" everything, with a quicker bat, and is making solid contact again. I truly believe, he can become a Vernon Wells type hitter. Our future third batter, for years to come. I just admire the way he has hung in there, with a determination and a belief in his skills. Now, if he can just shorten up that stroke a little more.

As I write this, the Tigers have 7 walks, and no strike outs this evening. McFly, hello?????...........lol.

Glad to see the subs in. One interesting thing we might be able to follow up on tomorrow is that Vance Wilson came into to replace Pudge. This may mean that we see the kid Rabelo tomorrow.
I am eager to see the pitching change.

Rogers pitched another masteful game. I can't aimagine many other pitchers being able to maintain their composure in a game like this. The man is a technician on the mound.

I hope we see Miller tonight.

Scratch--I didn't notice the diparity! That is a very telling stat.

diparity? I meant disparity. I am at an age where my fingers are considerably faster than my mind.

Dan.............I passed that age a while ago, so I'm with ya!

Since my MLB ticket did not show this game, it is hard fo me to decide whther shelton has "come out of it". Here's hoping he has. I am still not sold on his ability to be a real productive first sacker in the majors, but I would like to see more of him, and find out. Casey is not the answer, at least for '07.

Has any team in recent memory EVER gotten so much out of so little(statistically)? I mean, this team is fighting for the best record in the majors, yet it'll have only ONE player with 100 ribbies, without anyone else even in the 90's! Their fielding can border on the spectacular, yet they can also look like '62 Mets. They strike out more often than I did when I was in my early twenties and trying to pick up my dream date at 2 a.m. in those 70's discos I was so fond of............

Bonderman went like ten starts without a win, Robertson has been snake-bit all year, Maroth went down as did Polanco and Guillen(for a while), Inge had 8 rbi's in a month and a half of starting, two starters are barely hitting .250(Inge and Monroe), the clean-up hitter went through a month-long rbi slump...............did I leave anyone out?

Amazing. It seems, every run the Tigers have scored this season was not wasted.

Been really fun to watch!

I know some of your guys would expect that no matter what I would have some sort of criticism here. And I do. I realize tha leyland was probably trying to to keep Rogers in a regular pitch count rhythm or maybe he was (though I doubt this) trying to give him a complete game shutout.
I just think it would have been a perfect time to hand Miller the ball and if they are entertaining thoughts of adding the left-hander to the playoff roster what better way to give him the innings.

It really isn't appropriate to be too critical and I do hesitate to mention it.

This game has had another effect though--the coaching staff has to consider Thames and Shelton a little more thoroughly.

Stairs is finished for the season.

Perez may be too unless they feel they want him on that playoff roster. IMO that would be as dumb a move as they could possibly do.

Here is a link I just discovered--very interesting perspective:

http://sportsunleashed.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/was-a-trade-for-neifi-perez-really-necessary/

Polanco was amazing today. It defies logic actually.

Shelton did very well and got sacrificed by the umpire at the end of the game.

Granderson is playing with confidence and really the only thing we need to be thinking about is Monroe. He is hurting and he is not hitting.

Nice to see Maroth again though.

Dan, who is Rock? That was what they called Rondell White.

I was also surprised that Rogers took the mound for the eighth, but his pitch count was ridiculously low at that point. Maroth got knocked around a little bit again. I'd really like to see him take that next turn in the rotation to see if he can be used in the playoffs if, that is, he's up for a start. I'm still not sure.

We pause now for a message to Jim Leyland: HEY SKIP, SHELTON GOT THREE HITS AND A WALK!!!!! Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Looked to me like the ones that brung us can dance pretty good. Man, with Polanco back in there, I don't think anyone should fear any opponent we draw in the postseason. In addition, I've witnessed a drastic improvement in the hitting approaches the past week or so.

If we can get this clinched tomorrow (too superstitious to do it before), I'd like for us to spend part of Monday discussing who we think should be on and off the playoff roster. So get out your pencils and start making up your depth charts, because I don't think this is a particularly easy task.

Way back in June I became almost preoccupied with studying the schedule. I remember looking at July's and thinking "ok we can do all right in this month." But August's shedule looked like trouble. I thought, if the Tigers could just play .500 ball in August, September's shedule looked pretty good. Well, August's schedule certainly played out tough. On top of it all Placido suffered a major injury, Guillen also injured, Shelton got sent down, hitters struggled (it wasn't just Shelton), and the pitching, although it remained strong, certainly lost the dominant edge it had had in the first half. Getting back to schedules, I was studying Chicago's and Minnesota's too.(something we worried fans do) Theirs each looked softer in August, which worried me more, but I thought the Tigers had the edge in all important September. This seems to be finally playing out somewhat.
We were all hoping that they'd come out of this funk and get back to the top of their game by playoff time. Their dive continued well into September, Leyland would not respond to our pleading, it looked as though the team we had followed with such joy had become an aberration. Even if they hobbled into the postseason, it looked like they would have nothing left and would surely get blown out early... (Yeah, we all got to that point).

Now we can hope (with growing confidence)that maybe they've pulled out of the tailspin at the very last, and most advantageous moment. The pieces are all back in place at the 11th hour. Tonight they just looked like the championship team we had marveled at for 2 thirds of the year. Can they run, or nearly run the table, hold off the streaking Twins and leap frog over the Yankees for the best record in baseball? Their remaining schedule is certainly favorable. And I love the fact that Minnesota and Chicago have a final 3 game series with each other.

This last week of Tiger baseball should be fun to watch.

Rich, Sounds like a good idea, comparing post season rosters. I agree, I'm not superstitious, but there is something fundamentally wrong with taking anything for granted. Having said that lets keep optimistic that they clinch tomorrow. They've certainly earned the opportunity.

I am glad to see other fans have looked ahead at the schedule, I was going through August and September and placing W & L's on the schedule and my wife thought I had lost my mind...now she has called DirectTV and added the MLB extra innings and sports paks and listens to sports talk radio in the car....not sure if I am still married to my wife or a strange imposter.

No question, the post season begins today if not before. Home field advantage throughout the playoffs IS definitely worth playing for. Any thoughts?

According to today's scoreboard, it would appear that Detroit will have the best record in the AL at the end of the day. They definitely should play for, and can very possibly get, home field advantage. Most importantly, though, is to avoid having to start the series in Oakland. They're going to have to win games in Yankee Stadium anyway you cut it, if they get there.

I'd like to try to accomplish that with the guys who will be on the playoff roster, but if Stairs gives you the best chance on a given day, go ahead and play him, I guess.

Rich--I don't agree with that. Stairs is excess baggage in my opinion. What is important is the playoffs. Every other possibility such as the division championship and the best record only means that the guys you need to depend on when you are in the show may not be getting their confidecne addressed and their batting eye honed.
I think they need to get Thames playing without regard to who is pitching. I think that is extremely important.

I think Infante needs to playing more. I think we need to get Vance Wilson some game time in case something happens to Pudge. I think you need to Shelton almost as much game time as as Casey.

I think you need to give Miner a start. And Ledezma if you are determined to take him with you to the playoffs. We will need a lefty in the bullpen in addition to Walker. I would prefer Ledezma to Maroth at this point based soley on physical condition. But who knows--maybe Maroth can show he is over the injury trauma--he is a crafty pitcher.

Some guys who could use a little rest are Monroe, Ordonez, Guillen, Inge, Pudge.

I sure like a guy like Santiago around for defensive reasons and also as a pinch-runner.

If they take Perez I will be seriously frustrated with management.

11 pitchers:

Rogers

Robertson

Verlander

Bonderman

Ledezma

Miner

Rodney

Zumaya

Jones

Walker

And as a last resort-Grilli

though they actually could take Miller if he were to show something--I don't know if they could take Maroth though I think he cold qualify bacasue of the 60 day DL replacemnt clause.

They need to bring Gomez or Cleveln along too event thou Omar could fill in in a pinch in the outfield.

Congratulations! And Thank You Tigers!

Nice way to clinch it. The bats have awakened. And there is some time to play without intense pressure.

Rich--you can go to few games now (at least the ones left in September)!

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day.

Dan, I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. I think it's important to attack the rest of the meaningful games, but I want to do it with the playoff roster. My example of Stairs was only to say, if he was something like 40 for 45 off some pitcher, I'd start him that day. I realize he's excess baggage.

I don't see where you can give both Miner and Ledezma a start over the next six games without throwing games away. I don't think we should go into some mode that we've already accomplished our goal, especially now that they're finally playing well.

So there I was, watching the locker room celebration, and I had a power failure. By the time I got everything back up, it was nearly over. Somehow that fits in with my 0-5 record this year.

Well everyone, next week all of us will get the games on TV.

Can someone find out how many players can be carried on the postseason roster? I had thought it was 25, but now someone has said 28.

Yeah Rich, I can empathise with you. On MLB I got cut off when Inge was just being interviewed. Got to see and hear nothing. Reminded me of the old days. Yes next week regular TV! Yahoo! Glad you asked that question Rich, because I was afraid to. Now we can begin talking about the playoff roster.

Hey Rich--I specifically didn't agree with using Stairs at this point except perhaps as a PH. He will not be on the roster and we have a couple of guys who could use the playing time in order for them to be productive in the playoffs. I think they need to play now. That is mainly Thames, Shelton and Infante.
Thames most of all. He is the only logical choice for DH and he will need to be comfortable in that role, feel that management has confidence in him and get some time in against RHP.

I don't care how great Casey is supposed to be able to hit left handed pitching I think it is only right and intelligent to have Shelton playing first more, at the very least against LHP.

If we are taking Maroth, Miner or Ledezma to the playoffs then I think they need some work and maybe give one or 2 of them a start. Our starters don't need to pull up lame at this point in the season.

I don't think Leyland should make wholesale changes all at once but to sit down folks like Monroe, Pudge, Inge, Ordonez, Guillen one or two at a time makes good sense to me. I am especially worried about Guillen's hamstring and , of course, Polanco. They will be very careful with Polanco but Guillen is not the type of player to be able to play giving 80% effort. Blowing that out legging out an extra base against the Jays or Royals would haunt us for years to come.

BTW--you asked who I meant by "Rock"-I thought it was an appropriate nickname for Polanco. Guess it was not all that original as you pointed out that that wasRondell White's nickname. I didn't know that.

Whatever happens here on out will be very interesting and I am sure Beck's Boys will scrutinize eveery moment.

This has been a great season for these guys and from what I can tell it couldn't happen to better bunch.

And for Detroit fans--WOW. We deserve it too.

I think we're thinking basically the same thing, Dan. What I'd like to do, rather than use Stairs, is DH Shelton against righthanders. I don't recall that being a problem for him when he's going good.

The pitching staff is rather problematic. I haven't done any serious roster making, but a quick glance tells me that one out of Maroth, Ledezma, Miner, or Grilli won't make it. I know you've gone on record, Dan, as wanting to exclude Grilli, but that leaves an awful lot of lefties. And you know I've gone on record as saying I don't, and never will, trust Ledezma. The guy I'd like to see get a start is Maroth, just to see how he's really doing. It would be coldhearted to leave him off the roster, but he'd be the first one to volunteer if he didn't think he could get the job done. He's a quality person.

There are also six outfielders in contention, and you can't take all six. Anyway, that's good discussion fodder for Monday.

So I'm just going to congratulate the entire Tiger organization, their announcers, their fans, along with Jason and all the guys on this blog and thank each and every one for making this a load of fun this summer.

If you are wanting to play the people and get at bats for those that will be on the playoff roster, why play Shelton? I have a feeling he will not be on the postseason roster. Of course the question really is, does a player have to be on the active 25 man roster or the DL on Sept 1st to be eligible for the postseason? Or do they have to be on the 40 man roster? If it is the 25 man roster or DL, then neither Shelton nor Clevlen will be on the postseason roster. Both of them were in the minors at the time. We will probably have one extra position player than we carried in the regular season if we are only carrying 11 pitchers. The starting pitchers will be Rogers, Bonderman, Verlander, and Robertson. I imagine Leyland will try to alternate the LHP & RHP in the rotation. In the bullpen, the given relievers are Jones, Zumaya, Rodney and Walker. Then we have 3 spots left if we are taking 11. One spot will be taken by a lefthander. The choices there are Ledezma, Maroth, and Miller. My guess is they will take Ledezma. This may mean both Grilli and Miner are on the team. The other choice is to have 3 lefties in the pen and keep only Grilli or Miner. To me, if you take 3 lefties they would be Walker, Ledezma, and Maroth. Miller does not have enough experience yet although it is not unheard of to have someone with so little experience on the roster.

Dan, I agree Stairs should not be taking any at bats away from any of the young Tigers in need of playing time. I think Rich has been in agreement with you all along. My understanding was that he just conceded that Leyland was going to continue starting Stairs against RHP till the end anyway. The two guys that he replaces do not need any rest, Shelton and Thames. They need some playing time. We all agree on that.
Tiger fan, I don't see how Shelton can be left out of the picture. Power bat against LHP at the very least.

Infante is a no brainer. Can play outfield, can run, bunt, slick infielder, decent power. He will be a key guy at least off the bench.

At this point I think the guys on the bubble are Santiago, Perez IF, and Cleven, Gomez OF. Two of these four can be picked. My choices would be Santiago over Perez, because he will cover much more ground defensively and can be used as a pinch runner. Clevlen and Gomez is a tougher choice for me because I like them both. Gomez probably deserves the opportunity more because he was with the Tigers at the beginning of the season. He has more at bats. Clevlen how ever gives you more power, at least according to the stats.

If Clevlen is considerably better defensively, then you have to give him the nod. Anyone have a rating on Gomez defensively? Speed, arm?

Pitching, 5 guys are on the bubble. Maroth, Miner, Ledezma, Grilli, and Miller. Only 3 can make it, JL has to leave 2 off. At this point I can't make a final decision until I have some difinitive understanding of what is going on with Maroth. Haven't seen him. Is JL holding back, thus giving him the maximum recovery time? Or has JL given up on him for this year? If he's still in consideration JL better give him some pitching time.

Of the 5, Miner, Maroth, and Ledezma are the only 3 who are capable of starting a game or giving you long relief, a very important plus. While Grilli has not looked well on occasion, he generally has given the Tigers some important hold innings this year as well as accepting the necessary mop up role when needed. He has been with the team all year and I think he deserves the spot. The one guy who I would leave off for sure would be Miller. He simply has not earned a spot to this point, and while he could give you a needed strikeout on occasion, I still don't have the confidence that he will be able to throw strikes under pressure. So....In my heart of hearts, I badly want Maroth on the roster, but only if he can help. If he is not ready, give Ledezma the spot. Ledezma has been around for a while now, though he was not with the Tigers when they were so successful early in the season.

Here you go:

Rodriguez Rogers

Wilson Robertson

Inge Bonderman

Guillen Verlander

Polanco Jones

Infante Zumaya

Shelton Rodney

Casey Walker

Santiago Miner

Monroe Grilli

Thames Maroth or

Ordonez Ledezma

Granderson

Gomez or Clevlen

No the above are not assigned roomates, they can pick their own. Somehow my computer did not want to keep the original spaces I created between the names. Sorry.

I AGREE WE MUST THANK TRAM AND THE REST OF THE GANG ALSO.THEY LAYED THE FOUNDATION FOR THIS TEAM.LEYLAND WILL GET HIS THANKS WHEN THE TIGERS ADVANCE THRU THE PLAYOFFS.I KNOW I AM ONLY ONE VOICE BUT THE TIGERS BETTER PLAY CLEVLEN ALL WEEK SO HE CAN GET HIS HITTING STROKE BACK.CLEVLEN IN RIGHT DURING THE PLAYOFFS WILL GIVE THE TIGERS THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN. MAGGLIO AS DH.POST SEASON NEEDS SPEED TO WIN.SHELTON AT FIRST IS DESEVED BY HIM BECAUSE WITHOUT HIS AWESOME START THE TIGERS ARE NOT IN POST SEASON. IF WE FACE THE YANKEES WE SHOULD START ROBERTSEN-OAKLAND START ROGERS-THESE ARE THE TWO TOUGHEST PITCHERS WE HAVE.GOD BLESS THE TIGERS AND THE USA WE BOTH NEED IT