B**** Slap

Granderson makes us pay

First off, let me apologize for my absence.
I intended nofrownmotown to be a daily or near-daily dose of Detroit-centric sports commentary. Lately, though, my available time to write diminished. I wrote every other day, then twice a week, then nothing. It's a pattern that I hope to reverse. At what point, I'm not sure. But nofrownmotown will return. That, I promise.

On to the Tigers.
Man, that was ugly. In the first inning of Game 4, I commented to Mrs. Nofrownmotown about how smart the Yankees are. With Jackson on third and two outs, AJ Burnett quickly fell behind Cabrera 2-0. At that point, the Yankees opted to intentionally walk the big man. Most times this season, teams opted to pitch to Cabrera only to regret it later. The Yanks felt no shame in the intentional walk. And, thanks to a stellar catch by Granderson, they escaped the inning with no runs allowed. That would be the theme of the night... at least early on -- great play by Granderson kills Tigers. Whether it's an acrobatic catch or a 2-run clutch double, Granderson simply punished Tiger fans. It's brutal to watch. He was everyone's favorite Tiger. The fans didn't want him traded. And now Curtis is rubbing salt in the wound.

At work yesterday, I overheard a co-worker say, "I guess we're gonna play Texas" after the Rangers took down Tampa Bay. It was at that point, I knew the Tigers would lose. A casual comment like that reverberates loudly in the karmic sporting world. Why jinx it like that? Because the media has piled on AJ Burnett like he's Dontrelle Willis? This is not a perfect Tiger team. They have holes. Man for man, the Yankees are superior. It's really not much of a comparison. Should it be any surprise the Yankees won the game off Kid Rick? Not really. We just all really hoped the Tigers would clinch at home. It would be a feel good story in what has been an incredible autumn season in Detroit.

So now the Tigers head back to New York. Fister matches up against the rook Nova -- the same dude who dominated Tiger bats in Game 1. It doesn't look good. The Tigers must not only beat Nova but also the frenetic Yankee fans, the ageless Derek Jeter, and the superhuman Curtis Granderson. It's a tall order. Still, I contend the Tigers have a chance. They've surprised us all season long. Just when we'd write them off, they'd pull off something special. Is it probable? No. Is it possible? You bet.

Some things need to go their way, of course. The Tiger lineup simply can't afford those wasted at-bats by Wilson Betemit and Alex Avila. Both players look simply lost. I can't believe I'm writing it, but Inge should start at third. I guess Leyland knew what he was doing all along. Inge has been vastly superior to Betemit in this series. With Avila, there's no other option. He must start at catcher. But he's a smart enough player to understand he's got to improve. If he's not seeing the ball well, at least force the pitcher to throw strikes. Maybe he can foul off a couple to ramp up the pitch count. He just can hack away at the first pitch. I'd also bring Maggs back in. The Tigers need to bring their top bats to the table. That includes Magglio. My lineup:

CF Jackson
RF Magglio
LF Delmon
1B Cabrera
DH Martinez
SS Peralta
C Avila
SS Santiago
3B Inge

It's possible Leyland swaps out Raburn for Santiago, but otherwise I think that's what we'll see Thursday. They need to jump on Nova early. Don't let him find a rhythm. And pray that Fister finds some magic.