Rookies

Laird takes that familiar walk back to the dugout

Like the Pistons and Red Wings earlier in the year, the Tigers suffered significant injuries that severely impacted the season (Maggs, Guillen). In addition, the Tigers pinned their hopes on a handful of players that never panned out (Sizemore, Everett, Laird, Damon). Filling the void was an endless stream of rookies who at times thrilled (Boesch, Jackson) and confounded (Avila, Boesch). To date, the Tigers have 80 wins, and the fact is they wouldn't have come close to that number if the rookies hadn't saved their hide.

Dombrowski fashioned a team this season that was built for injury and disappointment. He knew coming into the season that Adam Everett, Gerald Laird, Scott Sizemore, and Austin Jackson were unproven MLB hitters. Jackson turned out to be a gem, but the other three were dreadful. Laird spent most of the season below .200. Everett was released after a month, and Sizemore found himself in Toledo by May. Those four comprise 44% of the starting lineup. Dombrowski also had to know that Carlos Guillen could not be counted on to stay healthy. After playing 151 games in '07, Guillen's appearances dropped steadily each season -- 113 games in '08, 81 games in '09, and 68 in this year. Ultimately, Dombrowski had four "reliable" starters in his opening lineup: Maggs, Inge, Damon, and Cabrera. Strikeout King and Damon typically stay healthy, while Maggs and Cabrera put up consistently good numbers and stay healthy (at least in recent seasons).

The roster was a gamble, but don't get me wrong... I don't blame Dombrowski entirely. This was the last year of his penance for the dreaded contract extensions. Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, and Jeremy Bonderman all received over $10million each from the Tigers this year. In fact, they likely have at least one check still coming. So Dombrowski's hands were tied, and when things blew up (Guillen's repeated injuries, Everett's errors, Magg's broken ankle), Dombrowski's rookies came to the rescue.

DD can feel both shame and pride in the results. Shame in that he put himself in this mess with those dreaded contract extensions and pride that he drafted most of the rookies.

Going into the 2011 season, the rookies will play a significant role. But they're certainly not all keepers. Who should stay and who should go? The only sure-fire keeper is Austin Jackson. After that, it's a crapshoot. Let's start with the biggest conundrum:

Brennen Boesch

His perplexing numbers speak for themselves.

Before All-star break: .339 BA, 12 HR, 49 RBI

After All-star break: .167 BA, 2 HR, 17 RBI

We all kept waiting for him to break out of his slump, but it never happened. I wanted the Tigers to send him to Toledo in August, but that didn't happen. The kid stayed in the bigs and suffered through the humiliation of having managers intentionally walk Cabrera just to pitch to Boesch. If you've read this blog throughout the summer, you know how much I hoped this kid would succeed. The Tigers desperately need a power-hitting lefty, but I fear they may have killed his confidence. We can all hope he rebounds next year, but my guess is he'll open the season in Triple-A.

Will Rhymes

Busta Rhymes answered the call at 2B and made folks wonder why he wasn't the opening day pick instead of Sizemore. Rhymes showed a more adept glove and a knack for big hits. He doesn't have power, but he knows how to lay down a bunt. He worked well batting behind Austin Jackson, and he gives the Tigers an option at 2B if they want to move Guillen elsewhere. I'll be surprised if he isn't on the opening day roster in 2011.

Danny Worth

This kid's season was cut short by a major injury in early August, but he did fill in perfectly for the disappointing Adam Everett. Worth provided decent hitting (.255) with superior fielding at the shortstop position. I'd imagine Worth's defensive acumen would've guaranteed him at least a backup role next season, but the major injury hurts his chances. Whether he makes the squad in 2011 depends on his performance in Spring Training.

Casper Wells

Incredibly, Casper Wells picked up where Boesch left off. With Boesch struggling in the 2nd half, Wells received the call and delivered some massive hits. For the season, Wells is batting .353 with 4 HR and 17 RBIs in just 33 games. With such a small sampling, he hasn't guaranteed himself anything for 2011, but his numbers certainly help his cause. My guess is he and Boesch will battle for the left field position in Spring Training. Leyland will ride whoever is hot.

Scott Sizemore

I certainly wouldn't write this kid off just yet. He may turn out to be a serviceable second baseman. He's got good bat speed, but he just didn't show enough behind the plate or with his glove. He's hitting .234 with almost no power - 3 HR, 14 RBI. He posted Inge-like strikeout numbers with 1 strikeout for every 3.8 at-bats. Not good. Without his bat, he'll have trouble sticking in the bigs because he's not a world-beater in the field.

I'd be surprised if Sizemore starts anywhere other than Toledo next year, but he will get the call-up at some point.

Oh yeah, T-Mac's a Piston

Beware

Buzz

[buhz] - noun

Slang

a. a feeling of intense enthusiasm, excitement, or exhilaration.

b. a feeling of slight intoxication.

Is there an opposite of buzz? Anti-buzz? An anti-buzz surrounds the Palace these days. Coming off two dreadful seasons, a ho-hum offseason, and with a maxed-out salary cap and a no-confidence owner trying to unload the team, the Pistons in 2010-11 are a tough sell. Nobody is excited about this team (except perhaps Rodney Stuckey).

Those, like myself, who waited patiently for Dumars to thin out the herd at the 2 and 3 spots, found Joe Dumars actually adding another 2/3 hybrid in Tracy McGrady. Just so everyone has their facts straight, the Pistons can now go five deep at the 2 (Hamilton, Gordon, McGrady, Stuckey and Terrico White), five deep at the 3 (Prince, Daye, Summers, McGrady, and Jerebko), and zero deep at Center. Poor 6'7 Ben Wallace and his 35 year old knees will have to once again bang with Dwight Howard and the other behemoths.

This is not a team built for success. It's a team built for competition for playing time... and, if I know the NBA, in-team squabbling. How did it get to this point?

It started the summer of '09. Dumars felt he landed the gem of the free agent class with Ben Gordon. Gordon was coming off a star-making performance in the '09 playoffs, where he almost single-handedly lifted the Bulls past the Celtics in a dramatic seven-game series. Then Joe D signed fellow UConn Huskie Charlie Villanueva, who would give the Pistons the inside scoring threat they've lacked since Buddha Edwards.

The strange thing about the Gordon signing is that Gordon plays the same position as the Pistons best, most consistent, most expensive player - Rip Hamilton. So, either Joe thought he'd be able to trade Rip, or he figured Rip and Gordon could play together in a 3-guard set. Neither happened. Both Rip and BG got injured, and, when healthy, neither resembled an All-star, posting career lows in points. Villanueva was an even bigger disappointment. Instead of providing much-needed inside scoring, Charlie V, like Rasheed and Memo before him, inexplicably fell in love with the 3-point line, where he finished 86th in the league in 3pt FG%.

Rodney Stuckey struggled mightily in his second full season as point guard. He had little difficulty driving the lane, but the dude could not finish. He quickly earned a reputation as an out-of-control player and rarely received the bail-out calls from the refs. Stuckey's frustrations grew as he saw younger, less-established guards march to the line, while Stuckey was stuck on the paint. To further complicate matters, Stuckey seemed to excel when playing as a 2-guard.

The Pistons one pure point guard - Will Bynum - was a breath of fresh air during the '09 playoffs, and he opened the '09/'10 season with a bang. Bynumite averaged 15.0 pts and 5 assists per game in October. Most of his points were of the crowd-pleasing, dramatic, circus-like variety. Then the injury bug hit, and Bynumite became just regular ol' Bynum.

Thankfully, there were two positives from last season - Big Ben and his sidekick JJ. Jerebko came out of nowhere to display an NBA-ready aggressiveness and nose-for-the-ball. Not since The Worm have the Pistons had such a tireless rebounder, defender, and unconventional scorer. Jerebko was often forced to defend the opposition's top player, which exposed his weaknesses. Yet, for a rookie, Jerebko fared well, and he was rewarded with an invite to the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge during All-star week. Big Ben, meanwhile, proved his tires still had tread. Perhaps the best veteran-minimum signing of all time, Ben was the Piston's MVP. When he was in the game, the Pistons could compete with any team. The problems began when Ben sat. Nobody could match his defensive acumen. The drop-off was tangible and painful.

And the man forced to oversee this circus was rookie coach John Kuester. Coach Q displayed both a savvy offensive acumen and a deer-in-headlights ineptitude... often in the same game. Perhaps not wanting to continue his coaching carousel, Dumars allowed Coach Q to return for a second season. Barring a dramatic Carlisle-esque rebirth, I doubt he'll be back for a third.

So much went wrong for the Pistons last year. From injuries to sheer bad luck, the season was just a train wreck. Nothing illustrated this more than the final few games. With the Pistons clearly in the lottery hunt, they finished the season winning four of the final six games. With those wins, the Pistons jumped the Wizards and tied the Sixers in the standings. To decide their place in the draft order, the Pistons and Sixers had an old-fashioned coin-flip. The Pistons lost. So, in a matter of days, the Pistons went from fifth spot to the seventh.

What happened next just added salt to the wound. The Wizards won the lottery, and the Sixers won the second pick. The Pistons were forced to wait until pick #7. Thanks to their late season surge, the Pistons took themselves out of the top two picks. No John Wall. No Evan Turner. No DeMarcus Cousins. The Pistons did land Georgetown's Greg Monroe, who could contribute. I just don't know if he's ready to contribute any time soon.

Later that summer, Joe D added Tracy McGrady to the mix, to zero fanfare. While T-Mac is still quite young (31), he's got the knees of an AARP member. If T-Mac could've signed anywhere else, I'm sure he would have.

Those are your 2010-11 Detroit Pistons. They've got significant talent still but zero chemistry. I still don't know how Rip and Gordon can coexist. With Gordon's prolonged salary, many fans want him to start. I just don't know how you can sit the best, most experienced, most accomplished player. Makes no sense. Instead of shopping Hamilton, perhaps Joe D should shop Gordon. He might actually find a taker.

Era of Good Feelings Over

The tide has turned on Jim Schwartz. I guess Lion fans decided his 2-17 record as head coach was not acceptable. Folks around here are not pleased, and, for the first time in two years, his coaching ability is now under the microscope.

Puh-lease.

So, we're gonna blame the head coach again? I will admit that Schwartz made some bone-headed decisions against the Vikings, and I do fault him for some draft picks. Yet, is firing the coach really the answer? It seems to me that bringing in a new coaching staff just sets this franchise back another few years. If Lion fans want something to feel good about, how about the fact that they haven't once this season found themselves down 21-0. They're also not last in Team Defense (they're 3rd to last). So at least they're moving in the right direction.

The problem is that fans of the NFL are repeatedly told that the league is geared for quick turnarounds. Barry Sanders retired in 1998. That's 12 years and counting for the Lions' turnaround. It's nowhere in sight. The fans want wins. They don't care that Stafford is out. Or that Calvin can't get open. Or that the secondary is populated by my middle school teammates. They just want a taste of that elusive W.

Foolish, foolish fans. Have they learned nothing? I didn't claim to be any Nostradamus when I said the Lions would lose to the Bears. Nor was I any wiser when I guaranteed they'd lose to the Vikings. Folks, predicting the Lions will lose is like predicting the Earth will rotate around the Sun. It's just a given. The franchise is the worst in all of sports. No coach, no quarterback, no running back will change that. I'm sorry... that's just the way it is. And guess what? They're going to lose next week too. I know... shocker.

In happier news, the Tigers swept the Twins. If ever there was a time for the Tigers to actually beat up the Twins, you knew it would be in late September after the Twins already clinched the division title. Damn them. Regardless, I'd still rather have the Tigers win than lose, even if the wins don't mean much. James Schmehl of MLive wrote a good piece on the Tigers' offseason. Should be interesting.

And, oh yeah, Brandon Inge is the new strikeout king of the Tigers. Huzzah!

Vikings will roll

Jared Allen wills Orlovsky out of bounds with his fist
Today, I'm going to write about the Lions' next opponent, the Minnesota Vikings. For our reader in Minnesota (yes, I know you're out there cuz I got Google Analytics!), perhaps this will make up for all the anti-Twin postings.

The Vikings are 0-2, just like the Lions. But that's where the similarities end.

The Vikings are a perennial playoff team with a Hall of Fame quarterback (Favre), a Hall of Fame lineman (Hutch), and potential Hall of Fame running back (AP). In 2009, the offense also sent Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, and Bryant McKinnie to the Pro Bowl. That's over half the team on offense!

On the other side of the ball, they've got a Hall of Fame lineman (Kevin Williams), who partners with two other Pro Bowlers - Pat Williams and Jared Allen. Another Pro Bowler, Antoine Winfield, patrols the secondary. While he doesn't have the same accolades, the Vikings strongside Linebacker, Chad Greenaway, is significantly better than any Lions' LB. To top it off, the Vikings' boast superior Special Teams as well. Percy Harvin is one of the best at returning kicks, Longwell is better than Jason Hanson, and even their punter is better!

Oh, and the Vikings will be playing the Lions at home, where the Lions haven't won since 1997.

So, why oh why did I spend my evening drive listening to countless Lion fans proclaim their team will win? Where does this blind faith come from? Certainly not past or current performance.

Curiously, most of the blind Lion fans added that they expected the Lions to lose the following week to the Packers - who, like Minnesota, are superior to the Lions in every facet of the game. So why did they single out Minnesota? My guess is because of Brett Favre. After watching this man singlehandedly destroy the Lions for close to 20 friggin' years, Favre may finally be showing signs of age. It's my belief that Favre will get young in a hurry against this piss-poor Lions' secondary, but many fans hold a glimmer of hope that Favre may indeed be succumbing to Father Time. They believe Ndamukong Suh will get one of his nasty paws wrapped around Favre's neck and fling the QB to the turf like a crash-test-dummy. They believe Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best will cause nightmares for the Minnesota D. And they believe, at long last, that the Lions are due for some good fortune.

Folks, my father is 67 years old and has been waiting almost as long for the Lions to get their good fortune. After Sunday, he'll still be waiting.

The Lions will lose Sunday because life doesn't work like a Hollywood script. This matchup strongly favors the Vikings, and, while "on any given Sunday" any team can beat any other, that simply doesn't apply to our beloved Lions. They're the one constant in the NFL. They can always be counted on to disappoint. They're the North Star of ineptitude.

Something Positive

I decided after my last post that I should counter the negative Lions post with something positive. Unfortunately, there's nothing terribly positive about the Lions, so I'll have to look to another team, another sport. In this case, the Tigers.

While the season was a sad disappointment, I was pleasantly surprised by Justin Verlander. Back in April, I questioned his ability to be a true ace. Folks around here like to lump him in with the Cy Young winners like Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia. The truth is that Verlander rarely delivers on the road. Until he overcomes that obstacle, he'll be stuck in the 2nd tier. Regardless, I think Verlander performed very well in 2010.

He rarely had his best stuff, and yet he somehow managed to get 17 wins and post a 3.46 ERA. Teams often beat up on him early, but he usually settled down and delivered 7+ strong innings. In fact, since his forgettable April, he started 26 games and went 7 innings or more 18 times. These aren't Hall of Fame numbers, of course, but I think they illustrate that Verlander was able to fight through a sub-par season, both for the team and personally, and deliver quality starts.

Greinke

Why must they haunt players like this?
I heard rumblings near the trade deadline in July that Kansas City was listening to offers for Greinke. Last weekend, Ken Davidoff of newsday listed Greinke as one of three big-name players that may be dealt in the offseason, with the Tigers as one of his suitors.

From a financial standpoint, the trade of Greinke makes sense. Greinke, with a 4.00 ERA is well off his Cy Young pace from last season, but he's due $13.5M each of the next two seasons. The Royals rarely make a splash in free agency, and their team is far from contending. I imagine the Royals' brass would welcome an offer to unload a potentially fading Greinke and his $27M for an army of top-tier prospects.

Yet, if I were a Royals fan, I'd be pulling my hair out. I don't believe you improve by trading away your best player. Prospects are unproven. Greinke is a Cy Young winner. Prior to this season, Greinke posted ERAs of 2.16, 3.47, and 3.69. Even this season, with his "lofty" 4.00 ERA, Greinke's WHIP stands at a solid 1.23. It's not Hall of Fame-worthy, but still good numbers for a starting pitcher. If the Royals trade him now, though, they'd be selling low. Last season, they could've commanded a King's ransom. Now, with a down season, Greinke won't bring back nearly as much. So it all depends on how desperate the Royals are to avoid paying his $27M for 2011 and 2012.

If history is any indication, the Royals will indeed be desperate. This is the organization that traded away 27 year old phenom Carlos Beltran in 2004, after he posted 20+ HRs and 100+ RBIs in 4 of his first 5 seasons. They traded 26 year old Johnny Damon in 2000, after he stole 46 bases and hit .327 with 88 RBIs. Why would they shy away from trading Greinke?

So, assuming Greinke is available, what would the Tigers have to give up? The Royals would likely ask for Scherzer, but the Tigers would surely balk. Statistically, Scherzer was better this season, and he's infinitely cheaper. No way the Tigers do that. The Royals would then want Porcello and/or Jacob Turner. After a down season, Porcello's value is significantly less, and the Tigers still see him as part of the future. They'd be more willing to part with Turner. Turner is 19 and started 23 games in single-A this year. His numbers were good - 3.28 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and an impressive 8.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. As such a young player, his ceiling is extremely high. The one problem is the Royals already have hot pitching prospects, but Turner is still the Tigers' top prospect. He'd have to be part of the deal.

The Royals would also want a big bat. They might be interested in Boesch, but that's about the best the Tigers could offer. Almost every top Tiger prospect is a pitcher. Unless KC is willing to take perhaps two pitching prospects (Jacob Turner, Andrew Oliver) and one bat (Boesch), I don't see the Tigers in the mix.

My guess is that other teams would be able to offer more, at least in terms of hitting. It's possible the Tigers would consider trading Austin Jackson for Greinke, but that seems a bit counterproductive. I don't see how trading the cornerstone centerfielder for another starting pitcher actually helps the team.

Bottom line - it all depends on what holes KC wants to fill. If they're looking for pitching prospects, the Tigers could offer a sweet deal (especially if they include Porcello). If not, Greinke will continue haunting the Tigers in another uniform.

Inge=HOF

With the Tigers officially out of contention, there remains one more reason to watch:

MLive poster neifiperez commented that Inge is shockingly close to setting the Tigers' record for most career strikeouts.

I couldn't believe it, so I checked baseballreference.com. Indeed, it's true. Lou Whitaker, the brilliant Tiger second baseman through the 80s and 90s, currently holds the dubious strikeout lead at 1099. Sweet Lou played 19 seasons, was a 5-time All-star, and won 3 gold gloves. His Hall of Fame chances took a massive hit when he failed to receive enough votes to stay on the ballot, but the former Rookie of the Year could still sneak in with the Veteran's Committee. The same will likely not be said for Mr. Inge.

The one pockmark on Sweet Lou's resume - Tiger strikeout leader - will soon vanish, perhaps as early as this week. Brandon needs a mere eight more Ks to surpass Whitaker and set the Tiger record at 1100. And it may only take Brandon eight more at-bats to accomplish this feat!

Now, I don't want to pile on Inge=HOF. He's been a decent Tiger. But that strikeout record took Whitaker 19 full seasons. HOF will do it in 10.

HOF will be a free agent in the offseason, and Dombrowski will likely make him an offer. I'd vastly prefer DD seek out a different third baseman. Yet, HOF is so dang popular. Folks love this guy, and I do love what he does for the community. I'd love him more if he could hit a friggin' sacrifice fly.

Still reeling

This man doesn't care about you
It's now Friday, and folks are still talking about Calvin's non-catch. It's not the typical, "Screw them!" banter. Rather, it's general disbelief. Both talk show hosts and callers echo the same thought "Yeah, it's been five days, and I still can't wrap my head around it." There's no anger; just confusion. And the disgusting call continues to haunt the Lions organization.

It wasn't simply a missed opportunity for a team desperate for a win (2 wins in the last 33 games). The ruinous call by the referees (and later backed by the arrogant NFL brass) demolished the brittle Lions' good cheer. The disheartening way that game played out - compounded by the loss of Matthew Stafford - sent fans' expectations plummeting. The cry you heard late Sunday afternoon was "Same old Lions."

The result? The team can't even sell out their first home game. This is a fan base that sold out 50 straight games during the Matt Millen regime! These fans love their Lions, almost to a fault. Yet, they're beaten down. By Millen. By Marinelli. By Barry Sanders. By Favre. And by the friggin' NFL and their referees. And this isn't anything new. The referees have been punishing the Lions for years. As a bad team, they never get the benefit of the 50/50 call. This isn't the first time the NFL overruled a Calvin catch. That 0-16 season would not have happened if not for referee intervention. Case in point, the fifth loss of that season - at Minnesota - the referees first took away a great Calvin catch. That's not entirely true. The referees actually determined he made the catch and then fumbled, giving the Vikings the ball late in the 4th quarter and down 10-9. The Lions challenged the ruling on the field. After numerous replays showed Calvin caught the ball and then hit the turf and THEN the ground caused the fumble, the head referee decided there was not ample evidence to overturn the ruling on the field. Thanks. But it gets worse. On the Vikings ensuing game winning drive, another ref awarded the Vikings a 42 (!!!!) yard pass interference penalty where the Lions player (Leigh Bodden) never actually touched the receiver. Think my take on this exhibits a Lions' bias? Perhaps you should see what the Vikings fans said at the time. Or perhaps the national media.

The league has been hating on the Lions for years. And now, the Fords are finally feeling the pinch. And if the Fords are feeling the pinch, the NFL will too. Ford is one of the NFL's biggest sponsors. But the NFL is still the all-powerful deity. If Ford gives them fewer advertising dollars, there's plenty of other automotive companies ready to fill the void (Hello, Kia!) and target that elusive adult male demo.

So, chalk another one up for the establishment.

City of Yesterday, Today

"Detroit can't continue to follow the same path and expect different results."

- Detroitworksproject.com

Dave Bing is a quiet man. In his 16 months as mayor, Bing's displayed a tendency toward extremely deliberate decision-making. He spent months sifting over the city's finances before proclaiming earlier this year that he'd have to slash the budget and lay off countless city workers. This was dire news for a city already steeped in employment (25% as of July 2010). Bing's logic was simple: "We can't spend more than we take in."

To date, the massive budget cut was Bing's most significant action. The city needs massive restructuring, renovation, rebuilding - it's needs a true renaissance, not just a symbolic one built on a shaky foundation of SUVs. Bing was elected largely due to his popularity as a business leader. He was a tough-as-nails entrepreneur who knew how to create jobs.

Yet, for months, Bing remained silent. What was he doing? The city was crying for help.

Yesterday, Bing held the first of five town hall meetings to discuss his DetroitWorks Project:

The DetroitWorks Project's goal is to redesign the City. The City was built for a population of 2 million, and it's now under 1 million (and still dropping). They've got a surplus of land. Yet, Bing wisely sees the land as an asset. Real estate is always valuable, and the Detroit brain trust needs to decide how best to organize it.

As evidenced in the video, the reorganization of the City's land has folks nervous about forced relocation. My guess is that most families will want to move to better neighborhoods if they existed. The difficulty will be creating and fostering these safe, vibrant Detroit neighborhoods. They simply don't exist today. But that's the goal of the Project. They're attempting to seek input from the citizens and rebuild from scratch.

The "input" phase of the Project will last 18 months. Then we'll see if any action occurs.

My hope is that the citizens of Detroit throw aside their (justified) cynicism and push for change. If the people can relocate into manageable neighborhoods, the populace will be that much easier to manage with regard to police, schooling, and utilities. The City can then focus on leveling the myriad of structural eyesores. With a blank slate, I have no doubt hungry businesses will eat up the cheap, plentiful land. I've seen it happen before in the even more ravaged city of Berlin. That once-beautiful city was demolished in WWII, and then the east spent 50 years under Soviet rule, that had zero interest in renovation.

With focused, hardworking citizens behind it, East Berlin rebuilt itself into a modern city masterpiece. In 2-3 years time, this is what I hope to see in Detroit's skyline:

Just miles and miles of cranes. New buildings. But the question will be whether the City can shake its decades-long lethargy. Can Detroiters exhibit the passion and work ethic of the Berliners? Recent past says "no." I think it's about time to shake that reputation.

No Fun League

If you read this blog often, you know I'm no Lions apologist. In fact, I'd say I veer toward the other extreme. If it was up to me, the Lions wouldn't even be in Detroit. They'd have left years ago to become some other city's curse. As it stands, they're still the sad-sack franchise for the beaten-down city of Detroit. And the folks who had the displeasure of watching yesterday's game against the Bears had yet another reason to feel sorry for themselves.

By now, most people have seen Calvin's non-catch against the Bears. In case you'd like to relive the absurdity...

The non-catch was in the waning seconds of the game and, barring a miraculous kickoff return for TD by the Bears, the Calvin catch would've clinched the win. Like so many sporting events this year, the fate of the game was in the hands of the officials. But why did this play even require review? The official present in the above video had a clear view of the play and signaled "Touchdown". Nope. Because of some bizarre NFL rule, the play required the dreaded "Booth Review".

In any other league or sport in the world, Calvin's catch is legit. Yet, in the NFL, it's incomplete. It truly makes no sense. Why would the league have a rule in place that negates a perfectly decent completion? It seems to go against the spirit of the game. The rules of sports (and officials for that matter) were put in place to ensure fair-play and equality. Apparently, the rules have taken over. The spirit of the game means nothing.

If I were a Bears' fan or player, I'd feel a bit sick to my stomach. That's no way to win. It's like USSR's basketball team stealing the Gold from the US in the '72 Olympics. It makes me long for the days of Bobby Jones who called a penalty on himself when nobody else saw it. Alas, those days are long gone. The Bears open the season 1-0 and won't care a lick about how they won.

For shame, NFL.

Whoa!!! Not so fast there, Bub!

Expect to see a lot of this
Driving home yesterday, I heard not one but two radio personalities predicting a Lions victory over the Bears on Sunday. I know hope springs eternal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's look at this situation logically...

First, the offense. Many foolish Lions' fans believe the Lions actually possess the superior offense. Not true. The Bears are not sexy, but they're effective. First, the quarterbacks. The Bears have former Pro-Bowler Jay Cutler with a career QB rating of 83.8. The Lions have bright young thing Matt Stafford, who led the Lions to a 2-14 record last year as a rookie and posted a 61.0 QB rating. The Lions may have the supreme Calvin Johnson at WR, but who on the Lions can keep up with Devin Hester (2 Pro-Bowls) or even the unheralded Johnny Knox whose 5 TDs matched Megatron's total last season?

Supporting Cutler and Hester, the Bears have Olin Kreutz (6 Pro-Bowls). That gives the Bears 3 former Pro-Bowlers on their offense. The Lions? Zero. Now, I know Pro-Bowls are not the end-all-be-all, but it shows the Bears un-sexy offense is significantly more accomplished.

The defense just gets uglier. Tommie Harris (3 Pro-Bowls), Julius Peppers (5 Pro Bowls, 81 career sacks), Lance Briggs (5 Pro-Bowls), and Brian Urlacher (6 Pro-Bowls). The Lions do counter with 2 Pro-Bowlers of their own with Kyle Vanden Bosch (3) and Julian Peterson (5), but the drop in talent after that is stark. The Lions front four might be solid, especially with new addition Ndamukong Suh, but the back seven is brittle to say the least. Rookie standouts from last year - Deandre Levy and Daniel Bullocks - are dinged up. Neither practiced yesterday and may miss the game. Without Bullocks, the secondary could easily be the worst in the NFL. In fact, they could be the worst in the league even WITH Bullocks. Folks, they're dreadful, and Hester should have no difficulty running wild.

Oh, and the Lions are also playing on the road, where they haven't won since 2007.

Still feeling good about Sunday?

Now, my point is not to poke holes in the Lions. I do believe that Schwartz & Co. are doing the right things. But, the fact is that Marinelli and Millen left this team in worse shape than an expansion team. At least an expansion team has the "Expansion Draft" where they can pilfer players from other rosters. The Lions had no such luxury, so it'll take even longer for them to build a winner. They've got too many holes, and the opposing teams will have no difficulty exploiting them.

Bears 38

Lions 13

And, since we'll be seeing Devin Hester on Sunday, that's all the reason I need to re-live this gem:

Feel Good

For Tiger fans, there hasn't been much to feel good about lately. Sure, they crawled back to the .500 mark recently (only to fall back behind), but they have stabilized the ship to a certain degree. With the injuries and slumping sluggers (Damon, Boesch, the catchers), the 2nd half "heroes" have to be the rookies. For the most part, the rookies and Mud Hen call-ups aren't setting the world on fire, but they have earned their Tiger stripes and led the team back to respectability.

Casper Wells and Will Rhymes appear to be keepers. Neither were highly touted, but they've shown that they deserve at least a shot to be on the roster next season - especially Rhymes. As a fielder, Rhymes is every bit as smooth as Polanco at second base, and he may even have more range. Leyland must've noticed the similarity as well, as he consistently bats Rhymes in Polanco's traditional 2-spot. In 32 games, Rhymes responded with a .310 average and a miniscule 7.8% strike-out percentage (Polanco's is currently 8.6%).

Also flying under the radar is the truly special season of Austin Jackson. During the first half, Jackson's successes were overshadowed by the towering power that was 1st-half Boesch. Since then, the Tiger's massive fall-from-grace took away any momentum Jackson had as a feel-good story. But the kid may have just wrapped up Rookie of the Year. Check out this stat, printed in mLive today:

Austin Jackson doubled and scored in the first inning to reach the 90-run and 160-hit marks this season. In doing so, he becomes the seventh rookie since 1960 to collect at least 90 runs, 160 hits, 30 doubles and 20 steals in the same season. Hanley Ramirez was the last rookie to accomplish the feat (2006).

Jackson does have one glaring flaw in his game (he leads the league in strikeouts), but otherwise the kid has been a revelation. Defensively, Jackson is a potential Gold Glover. We all thought Granderson was the cats-meow, prowling the Comerica outfield. Yet, Jackson showed an even wider range, and a true highlight-reel ability to race down line drives.

In any other year, Tiger fans would be ecstatic to have the American League Rookie of the Year. Perhaps as the season winds down, he'll get the acclaim he deserves.

Life Post-Zumaya

Why is this man so bored?
I imagine most Tiger fans were dreading this series with the Twins, and thus far the games have truly delivered the dread.

Last night, after Peralta hit the clutch game-tying hit in the 8th, Mrs. Nofrownmotown asked me, "When do you think they'll blow it?" My response, "As soon as Scherzer sits." Scherzer did last nine full innings and left with the score tied at 1. Ryan Perry entered in the 10th and lasted one out before serving up the game winning hit. I mention this not because I see myself as some sage prognosticator. Predicting when the Tigers would blow the game took about as much skill as predicting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would occur on Thanksgiving Day.

Strangely, the Twins barely celebrated. In fact, it was the most tepid celebration I've ever seen after a walk-off win. I suppose the Twins are human like the rest of us. They must know that every game against the Tigers is a guaranteed win. The Tigers will find some way to lose (such as the previous night with Coke plunking the bases loaded and then Perry walking in the tying run - truly original).

The Twins domination over the Tigers is obviously one of my baseball fascinations, but today I'm more interested in the demise of the Tiger bullpen. A few days ago, I detailed Valverde's post-All-star break decline. But Valverde is just one member. For the bullpen to go from tops in the league to 17th less than two months later takes a full team effort. The turning point, I decided, was not the All-star break. It was the Zumaya injury.

Bullpen regulars Phil Coke and Ryan Perry have soldiered steadily through this season. Neither seemed terribly affected by either the Zumaya injury or the All-star break. They have great nights and horrible nights. While both seem to have hit the wall recently, I'll chalk that up to overused arms. Without Zumaya's overpowering fastball to eat up innings, Leyland was forced to use those other two guys as the primary set-up men. So, if Coke/Perry took up Zumaya's innings, who did Leyland use for Coke/Perry's regular innings? That's the trouble spot.

Since Zumaya's injury, Leyland paraded out an army of young arms, and not a one fared well. Robbie Weinhardt led the disappointment express with an angry 9.68 ERA. Triple-A fireballer Daniel Schlereth received the call-up right after Zumaya went down and responded with a 6.75 ERA. Recent call-up Alfredo Figaro fared no better with a 6.00 ERA, and Enrique Gonzalez, with his 5.17 ERA, was already sent back down. Those are some dreadful numbers for relievers.

I can beat up Perry and Coke for their recent failings against the Twins, but both are significantly stronger than their replacements. The drop-off is stark and scary. In spring training, Coke said this bullpen could be the best in the league. I laughed that comment off at the time. But, at the time of Zumaya's injury, the bullpen truly was best in the league. It's just a shame that one injury derailed the entire train.

By the way, I should also mention that Max Scherzer's ERA - since May 30th - stands at a sublime 2.21. What a revelation he's been in the second half. He's experiencing a Boesch-like run of success. Let's hope it's not a Boesch-like fluke!

Take it to Vegas

Is there a safer bet in sports than the Twins vs Tigers?

That is all.