Detroit

It is the spring of 1976, before Mark Fidrych’s mercurial career took off, when “the bird” still meant something not so nice.

My friend Kris Donker and I are loitering in the expensive box seats next to the Tigers dugout at Tiger Stadium, prior to a weekend afternoon game. We take in the majesty of the ballpark, with Chicago White Sox players taking batting practice before us.

Unbeknownst to us, we are blocking the access to a swinging gate/door that leads directly to the field.

“Excuse me, fellas!”

Less than six months into his Tigers career, Jackson is working to dilute Detroit's memory of former fan favorite Curtis Granderson.

From day one, management hoped the 23-year-old would fill Granderson's role: to man Comerica Park's cavernous center field and set the table for the big boppers.

Jackson has quickly surpassed the expectations thrust upon him.

Last spring, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson dubbed him the best athlete in the New York Yankees organization—and there was plenty of evidence to back that up.

Sabermetricians like to compare MLB players to "replacement players." But sometimes it's a hard to grasp the concept. How exactly do they quantify "replacement level?"

Detroiters need look no further than that Tigers bullpen for the perfect example: Brad Thomas.

Thomas is the epitome of replacement-level talent in Major League Baseball.

Mariners 11, Tigers 3

The Good:

It only counts as one game in the standings.

The Bad:

No comeback this time. After giving up three runs in the third, it appeared that the Tigers were going to get right back in the game when they scored two in the fourth. But the comeback bid was stamped out by the M's answer of two runs in the bottom of the fourth and six runs in the fifth.

Swings and misses:

Who does Austin Jackson think he is?

I tell you, these kids nowadays.

Someone should teach this rookie some manners. He’s played about a week and a half in the big leagues, and you’d think he owns the place.

It all started on Opening Day, in Kansas City.

The 23-year-old whippersnapper of a leadoff hitter and center fielder for the Tigers was in the box against Zack Greinke. Yes, THAT Zack Greinke—the one who’s stingier in giving up runs than Jack Benny was with his money.

I’m back.  It feels good.  As  you have probably gathered, I have been a bit too busy to keep up with the site.  However, I’m going to try and do my best from this point on out.

As I write here on early Sunday afternoon, OUR Detroit Tigers sit at the top of the AL Central standings (with those pesky Twins) with a record of 4-1.  I have only been able to watch a little bit so far, but here are some of my thoughts after going through the ol’ rotation once…

To a respectable, married, man, the Detroit Tigers are like a provocatively dressed woman.

You don’t want to look, it’s almost painful in a way, because when you do, you get reprimanded and regret it. But that opportunity to see something amazing is just so great that you can’t help but watch.

And besides, if there were no consequences to face, what would the point of looking be?

The Tigers have a pitching conundrum on their hands.

Two rotation spots remain for three players: Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, and Nate Robertson. All three have had impressive moments in the spring, but all three carry scars of a couple seasons of ineffectiveness.

The question of which two to take has racked my brain the past two weeks, but I think Zac summed it up best a few days ago by saying:

For five months, Miguel Cabrera led the Tigers' charge for first place in the Central division.

MVP, MVP, MVP!

With a beastly average of .330 to support 33 home runs and 101 RBI, Cabrera embodied all that was good in Detroit.

He, the young-blooded Venezuelan, along with Justin Verlander and the upcoming phenom Rick Porcello, was among the successful faces of the 2009 season.

Ah, pure rejoicing—the playoffs seemed inevitable.

Deep breath, cross fingers.

Gerald Laird might have been the best catcher in baseball in 2009—defensively.

But Detroit's catcher forgot to pack his bat when he left Spring Training.

His seventh campaign was his most disappointing at the plate. In 413 at-bats, Laird limped to a .225 batting average, four homers, and 33 runs batted in, all while providing top-notch defense. With an on-base percentage well-below .300 (.278), he was a major blockage in Detroit's light-hitting bottom of the order.

So the Tigers' backstop worked endlessly in the offseason to improve the weak point in his game.