Detroit Tigers

Who's your Tiger? I loved seeing those commercials on Fox Sports Detroit. That enthusiastic voice always made me grin and say that Mike Maroth was my Tiger.

I still wear the customized t-shirt from the MLB online shop that bears his name and number.

I was not very pleased in June 2007, when Maroth was sent to St. Louis for a player-to-be-named-later. For the rest of the '07 season, I didn't have a Tiger. I didn't know who to go with.

So, at the beginning of last season I held an open competition: Who Wants to be Dave's Tiger?

After a disappointing 2008 campaign, the Tigers will finish fourth in the AL Central this season. The Tigers need Justin Verlander to come through. In addition, Dontrelle Willis needs to come back healthy and ready to pitch. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez need to be on their best game.

Keep An Eye On: Justin Verlander, sp

Effectively wild, anyone familiar with the term?

It's a slang for a pitcher whose stuff is all over the place, yet effectively so to the point that he is able to get outs.

It happens when the batters have no idea what to expect in the batter's box. They step to the plate thinking that they might get walked, beaned, homer or strikeout, anything really, because the pitcher is so unpredictable.

YANKEES
Melky Cabrera CF
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Xavier Nady RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Cody Ransom 3B
Jose Molina C
Angel Berroa SS

The Tigers' rotation is still somewhat in limbo.

Justin Verlander is the staff ace, and obviously Leyland's No. 1 starter. It appears that Edwin Jackson may have pitched himself into the No. 2 slot, to be followed by Jeremy Bonderman (if healthy) and Armando Galarraga.

It is the fifth slot in the Tigers' rotation that has Jim Leyland and Dave Dombroski scratching their heads.

Dontrelle Wills or Nate Robertson was supposed to be the answer for the fifth rotation spot, but until recently, neither has had a strong spring.

This is an article I wrote for RBI Magazine, which can be found here.

Key Additions

SS Adam Everett, C Gerald Laird, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Brandon Lyon, C Matt Treanor, RHP Juan Rincon

Key Subtractions

OF Matt Joyce, LHP Kenny Rogers, SS Edgar Renteria, RP Kyle Farnsworth, CL Todd Jones

Dontrelle Willis still can’t get the ball over the plate. Maybe he never will.

It’s not looking good for Mr. Willis, who’s desperately trying to show the Tigers—and the baseball world—that 2008 was simply nothing more than a ghoulish, chilling nightmare, not the start of the end.

Willis came to the Tigers in Dec. 2007 in the same trade that brought Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins. He was thought to be a major addition to a rotation that needed one more live arm. Willis wasn’t that far removed from a 22-win season.

Yes, Detroit, it has been said before. So much more of the same for a weary Tiger bullpen that has no relief in site.

Yes, look at the picture above. I am still sore that no attempt was made to sign the all time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. It would be spectacular to hear "Hells Bells" blaring in Comerica, preceding the high leg kick and devastating circle change that has secured so many games.

Who will close in 2009? Well, we know it won't be Hoffman. So, what options exist?

I'm getting that Doom Doom feeling about Zoom Zoom again.

Joel Zumaya is feeling some more discomfort in his pitching shoulder. Again. And he's being held out of spring training competition. Again. And the Tigers' bullpen—specifically, who will pitch the seventh and eighth innings?—is back in flux. Again.

Sigh.