All Brandon Inge wants to do is play baseball. No crap should be spewed about him getting paid millions for sitting on the bench and doing nothing, because that isn’t the kind of person Brandon Inge is. To say so is an insult to a player who is probably the most underrated on the Tigers team. While Inge struggled with the bat during the 2007 season, he’s come back with a new outlook and a new batting stance that seems to have made him a more powerful hitter than he was before.
Brandon’s never been to an All Star Game. He’s not a Gold Glove winner, though he should have been. Overall, he’s not as appreciated as he should be and it is easy to see why he’d be so frustrated with losing his starting position at third base. He isn’t nearly as good a catcher as Pudge Rodriguez nor is he as good at catching as he is at third base. The whole thing is a mistake on the part of Jim Leyland.
People who question Brandon Inge’s authenticity as a hitter need only look at the fact that he has the most home runs ever hit in Comerica Park. In his career, he has 89 in total, 200 less than Pudge Rodriguez (who has played 18 long seasons as a starter). This is in less than seven whole seasons for Brandon. Likewise, while Inge is batting just .217 he has a slugging average of .400. His career numbers show a .240 batting average and a .395 slugging average. The guy has power and when he’s on his hitting is superb.
What is most impressive is Brandon’s ability as a third baseman. Some may be surprised to know that Brandon was a pitcher in college and he wasn’t half bad at it. However, he has found a way to shine in nearly any position he plays, though his real ability and talent come through the most when playing at third. I’ve been saying Carlos Guillen just needs to become the DH and Brandon needs to return to third, but Leyland just isn’t listening to me.
It’s been said by some that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the best player to come out of Puerto Rico. Some may agree and others won’t. It’s also been said that Pudge is the best defensive catcher in MLB history. Once again, that’s open to interpretation. When compared to the man many consider baseball’s greatest catcher, Johnny Bench, there is a lot that could be said about Pudge Rodriguez and his abilities. Johnny had his strength and Pudge had his, but when it comes to catching, as opposed to overall career, I think Pudge has the edge.
Born on November 27, 1971 in Manatí, Puerto Rico, Pudge (sometimes called I-Rod) showed his baseball prowess early on, and at the age of 16 he was signed by the Texas Rangers. That was back in 1988 and he played with the Rangers for 12 seasons, from 1991-2002. In 2003, he was traded to the Florida Marlins and from 2004-the present he’s played for the Detroit Tigers.
In all, Pudge has played 18 seasons. In that time he has a .302 batting average. In comparison, Bench was a lifetime .267 hitter. While Bench has more homers than Pudge (Bench had 389 in his career, Pudge has 289 in 18 seasons). Pudge is less known for his power hitting and more known for doubling. In 2008, he hit 2,500 career hits and he now has 2,539 in total as of today. Bench may have had 100 more home runs than Pudge has thus far, but Pudge has already surpassed the slugger in hits, with Bench only hitting 2,048 times in his entire career. Of course, that’s just a comparison of their hitting abilities. There is no doubt that Bench is the better slugger, but what about on the field?
I don’t want to say that Kevin Youkilis looks kind of prissy when he’s up at bat, but honestly, he does. Ashtyn pointed out his little, rotating hip wiggle (frankly, I wasn’t really paying attention to him hitting) earlier this year during a Boston-Detroit baseball game. Since then, I honestly get the giggles (I know, not very manly of me), every time I see him bat. All I can say is wow!
While this isn’t the best footage of it, and you can certainly see it better the next time you see Boston play on television, check out this video of Youkilis at bat to see what I’m talking about!
If you haven’t voted yet, you should head over to the MLB website to vote for your favorite MLB All Stars, to give them a chance to play in the 2008 All Star Game, which is set to be held at Yankee Stadium (the last year it will be open to the public) on July 15, 2008. Also known as the Midsummer Classic, the All Star Game voting will be open until July 2, 2008.
Early numbers for the All Star Game show the AL is being dominated by Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees players. This is no surprise since these two ball clubs seem to have the biggest fan base. Still, if you’re a fan of the smaller teams or prefer to choose players by their abilities and not the name on their jerseys (leading AL team Tampa Bay has no player selected for starting positions - for example) then you need to get in your votes.
I love the Tigers, but I know some of them are struggling. I had to consider their abilities on and off the field when voting and I’ll admit I didn’t vote for all Tigers. I want the AL to win the All Star Game so I had to put my personal feelings aside and vote for who I thought would do the best job. The Tigers I did vote for include Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, who is the best catcher in the MLB. He isn’t always on when it comes to hitting, but when he is, he’s amazing. When it comes to his performance on the field, there isn’t a better catcher in the MLB. He knows how to call pitches, how to throw players stealing bases out and he is consistently good in his role.
The Detroit Tigers shouldn’t be struggling. They brought in Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrell Willis, and even the former Tiger, Jacque Jones, to make their already strong lineup an even stronger powerhouse. Still, the Tigers are struggling to win against even the most mediocre of teams. I’ve spoken about the inconsistent pitching, but the problem is much bigger than that.
There are several things that could and should be fixed to make the Tigers more powerful and productive. It’s not just the pitching that has been showing lackluster performance value. Infield boggles, sad at bat performances and unproductive hitting with batters on base have led the Tigers down the road towards being at the bottom of the AL’s Central division, and second to last in the entire AL. Luckily, there is still hope for the Tigers and here is what I think Jim Leyland should do to get his team back in the game:
First, Jim needs to seriously sit down and look at his pitching staff. Most of his starters, with the exception of Jeremy Bonderman, have been consistently inconsistent. Kenny Rogers pitches well early on, but he must be taken out when he begins to show signs of fatigue. This will prevent 5th-7th inning scoring that Rogers has consistently been giving up. Verlander can handle it to the 7th or longer in most games, but he has inconsistent backup. Galarraga has amazing days and not so amazing days, but overall does well.
Leyland needs to pick up a new starter. He needs to drop Nate Robertson. The only wins he’s gotten this season have come from the bats coming alive and the fielders backing him up. I think they know he needs the extra boost of assistance, so they play extra hard. Robertson doesn’t have the ability to strike people out consistently (or at all). It’s time to say goodbye to the pitcher that most of Michigan is sick of seeing mess up.
Why is it that Kyle Busch can’t seem to finish a race without hitting someone? Tonight it was Greg Biffle, who should have spun out, but managed to straighten up and overtake Busch. The whole day Busch berated his crew for his “sucky” car. I can’t imagine why they’d work with such a jerk. He’s obviously a danger to himself and to his team.
Despite a penalty and multiple other issues, Busch managed to win the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington, but not even this victory seems clean. He cruised past others, in a dangerous, weaving way. It’s pretty clear he’s not good at controlling his car. He only managed to win by luck and reckless driving. He bumped into the wall more than once and luck was on his side, allowing the careless driver, who refused to listen to his crew chief, and slow down, to keep the lead.
I’m waiting for karma to come kick Kyle in the keister, but as of yet that has yet to happen. I fear for the other racers. I know they call him rowdy because he drives “wild”, but I really fear that one of these days his terribly wild driving is going to cause a death…and it might just be Kyle’s. Every week, I hold my breath, just waiting for him to flip himself or someone else over, to spin out of control or to ram himself into the wall hard enough to set his car on fire. He can only be described as lucky because that’s the only thing, and not the driving of a winner (despite his win I don’t see him as one) that got him the win today.
The Lakers breezed through the first round of the NBA playoffs as they swept Denver in four games. Their last game was on April 28 as they waited for other teams to win before the second round started. This gave the Lakers more than a few days to prepare for their next game, which was today against the Utah Jazz. The rest paid off because the Lakers won 109-98.
It is no big surprise that the MVP of the game was Kobe Bryant. Playing on his home turf, Bryant went 8 for 16. He scored a total of 38 points. He had 6 rebound and 7 assists. He also hit 21 of 23 of his free throws and had 1 3-pointer. The boy was on fire.
Magic Johnson had complimentary words for Bryant who he claims deserved all the credit because he’s really the one responsible for rallying the team together this season. Pau Gasol, the Lakers center, had an excellent game. He went 8 for 13 in field goals and 2 for 4 in free throws. In all, Gasol scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Lakers, as a whole, had a successful game, but Kobe really stole the show tonight. Kobe seemed to live on the foul line and the Jazz coach, Jerry Sloan, while cordial, didn’t seem to happy about that. When asked about his success at scoring so many free throws, this is what Bryant had to say.
“You’ve got to be able to knock those free throws down. They’re open looks. It’s my responsibility to knock them down.”
The Detroit Tigers went into the series against the Minnesota Twins having just swept the New York Yankees in their last series ever at Yankee Stadium. This is a feat that hasn’t happened for the Tigers since 1966, so perhaps they came in overconfident to face a Twins team they struggled against early in the season at Comerica Park.
In the first game of the series on May 2, the Tigers lost 11-1. Liván Hernández got the win for the Twins and Armando Galarraga had his first loss of the season. In the May 3 game, struggling hot shot, Justin Verlander pitched well until later in the game. The Twins won this one 4-1 while the Tigers offense slept through the first two games. Verlander accepted another loss as Brian Bass got the win (starter Scott Baker was injured and had to be taken out in the third) and Joe Nathan the save.
Today, Kenny Rogers looked good and the offense was alive during the first inning. From there, everything went downhill in the 7th and the Tigers were unable to recover. The offense is either alive or so sleepy nothing happens. When they sleep, players make mistakes. Marcus Thames couldn’t catch a ball Magglio Ordonez probably would have caught had he been in his usual position at center field. Carlos Guillen botched up a catch they teach little leaguers how to perfect. Miguel Cabrera stretched for a ball and couldn’t make it and all in the same inning that gave the Twins the lead the Tigers had carried throughout most of the game.
In the first, Boof Bosner gave up six runs and things didn’t look so well for the Twins. The inning started and ended with Curtis Granderson. He homered in the first at bat of the game. Placido Polanco singled. Miguel Cabrera singled. Magglo Ordonez had an RBI single as Polanco scored. Carlos Guillen singled as Cabrera scored. Renteria singled as Ordonez scored and Guillen made it to third. Pudge Rodriguez struck out, but it was on a wild pitch so he was able to steal first as Guillen scored and Renteria made it to third. A throwing error got Renteria home and the Tigers held a 6-0 lead over the Twins until the 7th inning.
The Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, are known for caring about the residents of Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. The Mud Hens, who are currently ranked in first place of the INTL West host baseball camps for kids every summer. This year is the first year the Mud Hens are going to be offering a camp specifically for kids with special needs.
The one hour camp is open to every child between the ages of 5 and 18 who has a disability. The one hour camp costs $20. During camp, kids get to interact with the Mud Hens players and coaches as they take to the field. The Mud Hens Special Needs Clinic is going to be held on July 26, 2008 from 4:30-5:30 PM. Participants receive a souvenir baseball and a ticket to the Mud Hens game held after camp. You can find out more details about this camp at the Mud Hens website or you can call (419)725-HENS.
This isn’t the only camp available to kids who want to attend baseball camp. There are two three-day baseball camps. These are open to kids between the ages of 7-14. The camps cost $130 per session. The two sessions available are June 10-13 and July 28-31. Children will be divided up into three age groups 7-8, 9-10, and 11-14. During camp, there will be in depth teaching by the Mud Hens players and finally each age group will play a game before awards will be given in the Roost Banquet Hall. By attending the camp, kids get free lunch every day of camp, a Mud Hens Tee, a souvenir baseball and a ticket to one game played after the daily camp session. Campers will also have the chance to interact extensively with the Mud Hens players and coaches.
Why is it that Kyle Busch can’t win a race on his own? He leads the Sprint Cup series after stealing a win away from Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Crown Royal’s Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond and finishing second to Clint Bowyer. Bowyer’s win was overshadowed by the shenanigans of Busch who turned into Earnhardt’s car and then blamed Earnhardt for the loss. According to the arrogant, pre-pubescent looking Busch, had Earnhardt moved out of his way and let him pass, then Jr. would have taken second place. Yeah, okay Busch. We all know you have to cheat to win, but frankly, you aren’t that good to deserve to beat Earnhardt in a fair race. You give NASCAR racing a bad name.
Earnhardt Jr. was set to win the first race in a 71-race losing streak. When Busch turned into Earnhardt Jr. (and I could see it coming because Kyle has a habit of hitting people to win a race or take a top ten placement), his fender forced Earnhardt to spin out and into the wall. He had to return to the pits and managed to take a 15th place finish, but Busch opened up the lead for Clint Bowyer, who was in third and sailed past Busch. This is Bowyer’s second Sprint Cup win.
Busch made it clear in his post-race interviews that he was willing to do whatever it took to try and get a win even if that meant intentionally hitting another driver.
“If I went out there on that final restart and just gave way to the 88 car, then that would not be a true race car driver. I had to do what I had to do to win for my team. That’s what I was out there for and to do, to try to get a win. Unfortunately, circumstances happened.”
All Brandon Inge wants to do is play baseball. No crap should be spewed about him getting paid millions for sitting on the bench and doing nothing, because that isn’t the kind of person Brandon Inge is. To say so is an insult to a player who is probably the most underrated on the Tigers team. While Inge struggled with the bat during the 2007 season, he’s come back with a new outlook and a new batting stance that seems to have made him a more powerful hitter than he was before.
It’s been said by some that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the best player to come out of Puerto Rico. Some may agree and others won’t. It’s also been said that Pudge is the best defensive catcher in MLB history. Once again, that’s open to interpretation. When compared to the man many consider baseball’s greatest catcher, Johnny Bench, there is a lot that could be said about Pudge Rodriguez and his abilities. Johnny had his strength and Pudge had his, but when it comes to catching, as opposed to overall career, I think Pudge has the edge.
If you haven’t voted yet, you should head over to 
The Detroit Tigers shouldn’t be struggling. They brought in Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrell Willis, and even the former Tiger, Jacque Jones, to make their already strong lineup an even stronger powerhouse. Still, the Tigers are struggling to win against even the most mediocre of teams. I’ve spoken about the inconsistent pitching, but the problem is much bigger than that.
Why is it that Kyle Busch can’t seem to finish a race without hitting someone? Tonight it was Greg Biffle, who should have spun out, but managed to straighten up and overtake Busch. The whole day Busch berated his crew for his “sucky” car. I can’t imagine why they’d work with such a jerk. He’s obviously a danger to himself and to his team.
The Lakers breezed through the first round of the NBA playoffs as they swept Denver in four games. Their last game was on April 28 as they waited for other teams to win before the second round started. This gave the Lakers more than a few days to prepare for their next game, which was today against the Utah Jazz. The rest paid off because the Lakers won 109-98.
The Detroit Tigers went into the series against the Minnesota Twins having just swept the New York Yankees in their last series ever at Yankee Stadium. This is a feat that hasn’t happened for the Tigers since 1966, so perhaps they came in overconfident to face a Twins team they struggled against early in the season at Comerica Park.
The Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, are known for caring about the residents of Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. The Mud Hens, who are currently ranked in first place of the INTL West host baseball camps for kids every summer. This year is the first year the Mud Hens are going to be offering a camp specifically for kids with special needs.
All Hail Juinor Nation!