Coming into play tonight the Tigers have a 10-7 record against the Royals in 2011. Why doesn’t it seem that way?

Leading Off: Brad Penny demonstrated while he’ll be on the outside looking in come the American League Division Series. If this were hockey, he’d be a healthy scratch for the duration. Penny allowed seven runs in four innings of work. Austin Jackson led the Tigers with two hits, including a double, and an RBI.

Around the Central: Does it matter?

On this date in 1935 the Tigers clinched the pennant with a doubleheader sweep over the St. Louis Browns, 6-2 and 2-0. Elden Auker won the nightcap with a complete game shutout, while Tommy Bridges takes the opener.

With a win tonight, the Tigers will have 90 wins for the 19th time in the club’s 111-year history. In nine of those seasons, they finished second and only once, 2006, did they finish second and still make the playoffs. Twice in Tigers history they finished with 100 wins with nothing to show for it, 1915 and 1961. I wrote about the ’61 season in Tigers Annual 2011.

Happy 48th Birthday to Big Daddy, Cecil Fielder. Today would have been the 63rd birthday of Aurelio Lopez. He was killed in a car accident in Mexico in 1992.

Finally, did you know that Monday Night Football debuted on this date in 1970? It’s true. Oh, and Happy 61st Birthday to Bill Murray.

Of particular note:

5. Mike Maroth, Tigers, 2003

As a rookie in 2002, Maroth had posted a 4.48 ERA in 21 starts and struck out an uninspiring 58 hitters in 128.2 innings. Among pitchers with at least 75 innings, that was the second-lowest strikeout rate in the American League. However, considering the ’02 Tigers had lost 106 games, that was good enough to draw the opener. The Tigers lost that game 3-1 on their way to a 1-17 start and 119 losses — 21 of them by Maroth.

I don’t know, on Opening Day 1996 Tigers fans were treated to the stylings of Felipe Lira. Against the Twins in Minneapolis, he lasted only three innings, surrendered eight hits and six earned runs. The Tigers lost 8-6 in Buddy Bell’s managerial debut. Lira finished that awful season at 6-14 with a 5.22 ERA.

***

The past couple of years the Tigers swung some last-minute trades.

On March 30, 1991 the Tigers acquired catcher Andy Allanson from the Royals for catcher Jim Baxter. In 2009, they picked up outfielder Josh Anderson from the Braves for righty Rudy Darrow. And last year they dealt Nate Robertson to the Marlins for lefty Jay Voss — who hasn’t been heard of since.

***

Happy 55th Birthday to Jack Lazorko, who appeared in three games for the 1986 Tigers.

• I was going to write about how Michael Young‘s contract with the Rangers spurred the Tigers to sign Carlos Guillen — and fast — during the 2007 season. As often happens, Ian beat me to it and no doubt did a better job.
• Who would you rather have in the bullpen: Enrique Gonzalez or Chad Durbin? Me too. The good news? Durbin’s available. Bad news, the Tigers won’t go after him.

  Wait, you chose Gonzalez? Never mind.

• Staying with the former Tigers pitchers theme for a moment, Mark Simon at ESPN’s Stats and Info Blog looked deeper into Armando Galarraga‘s struggles in 2010 and what he needs to do with the Dbacks in ’11 to get back to his ’08 — yes, ’08 — performance:
  

  Our Inside Edge video review data shows that his 90-mile-per-hour fastball got swings and misses six percent of the time, among the lowest rates in baseball.

  When he threw a sinking fastball, he actually had more balls hit in the air than on the ground (the opposite of the desired result)

  When Galarraga threw his slider and an opponent made contact, he allowed a hit 35 percent of the time, well above the league norm (right-handed hitters in particular, had a lot of success against it). He also ranked among the major league leaders in home runs allowed by right-handers on breaking pitches, with 10, twice as many as he allowed two seasons earlier.

  At least he won’t frustrate Tigers fans anymore.

• You might have heard that after a few years off, Maple Street Press will be publishing a Tigers annual, cleverly titled Tigers Annual 2011. You’ll see lots of familiar names in the table of contents including yours truly. Kurt from Bless You Boys edited the project. I contributed a piece on the 1961 Tigers, a club that won 101 games but didn’t win the pennant. The book won’t be published until next month but you can order a copy here.
• Six years ago today the Tigers picked up Kyle Farnsworth and cash considerations from the Cubs for RHP Roberto Novoa, infielder Scott Moore and outfielder Bo Flowers.

Finally, Happy Birthday to the biggest Tigers fan in my family, my Dad.

• When I saw that Casey Coleman was pitching for the Cubs, my first instinct was to see if he was related to former Tigers righty Joe Coleman. Of course, I forgot to check but Big League Stew was all over it. Indeed, Casey is the son of Joe and the grandson of Joe Sr. — both elder Colemans pitched for the Tigers at one point in their careers.

• ESPN.com began its Dog Days of Summer series today and it begins with the Tigers. Take a look at what yours truly had to say about it and weigh in here … or there.

• This one isn’t Tigers related but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. The Diamondbacks are walking away from their first-round pick in June’s draft — and possibly setting a bad precedent for future drafts and draftees.

Finally, Happy 66th Birthday to Richard Belzer, comic and actor in one of my all-time favorite shows, “Homicide.”

• As much as it pains me to make this comparison, the Tigers are almost in the same position in 2010 as the White Sox were at the deadline in 1997.

  The Sox were 53-53 and just three games out on July 31. They traded Danny Darwin, Wilson Alvarez and Roberto Hernandez to the Giants for minor-leaguer Brian Manning, Lorenzo Barcelo, Mike Caruso, Keith Foulke, Bob Howry and Ken Vining.

  I remember that White Sox fans couldn’t believe they’d folded up the tents only three games back. At the end of the season, the Sox finished at 80-81, six games behind the Indians. The next season they finished 80-82, nine games back. In ’99, 75-86, 21.5 games back.

  Are the Tigers headed down the path of the late ’90s White Sox? I don’t think so. I expect their trajectory to be much different direction. Still, it’s interesting to see a somewhat comparable situation in the A.L. Central and how it played out.

  Of course, it’s always fun to revel in any degree of White Sox misery.

• Last night I watched the Tigers game while hanging out in ESPN.com’s Baseball Tonight Live chat room. The question I was asked about a dozen times was some version of “What will the Tigers do at the deadline?” My answer was always some variation of “nothing major” because, really, what can they do at this point to save this season? Ted Lilly would be nice, yes. So would Adam Dunn. So would Mike Lowell or Kevin Kouzmanoff. The only reasonable
  response to the Tigers’ recent troubles is to get all of these guys, right?

  But they can’t do that. As I’m writing this my thinking is that the strategy has to be all or nothing. And the plan with the best chance for lasting success is the one centered around nothing.

• I hope Mark Cuban buys the Rangers.

• How ridiculous is the suspension of Jim Leyland? Almost indescribably so. Leyland and his club has been on the wrong end of umpiring many times this season but this one is the worst. Really, Marty Foster? You thought Leyland was spitting at you? Really, Bud Selig? This is incident is worthy of suspension? Major League Baseball is a joke in so many ways.

• I was bummed out to learn of the passing of long-time Detroit TV news legend Jac LeGoff. He was a real pro.

• Only two Rays players — Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria — have ever faced tonight’s Tigers starter Eddie Bonine. Both are 0 for 1.

Finally, Happy 67th Birthday to basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley.

So, the next best thing, of course, is some Advanced Class-A California League action — Stockton Ports versus Modesto Nuts. (I think the Nuts might have the best logo I’ve seen; I’ve included it after the jump.)

The Ports won the four-hour, 12-inning game 7-5 thanks to a walk-off home run by third baseman Stephen Parker. Apart from the dramatics and post-game fireworks, the most intriguing component was the — I kid you not — asparagus race, which you can see above. They also included bottles of ketchup and mustard in the competition. Not sure why.

Minor-league baseball, major-league thrills.

On to other topics.

• Did you see Jake Peavy‘s injury last night? I did and have to admit the first thing I thought was, Oh, great. Kenny Williams is already on the phone with the Mariners about Cliff Lee. The Tigers aren’t mentioned, however, in this Lee update — but the Twins are, of course. The White Sox are apparently going hard after Adam Dunn.

• Out in Los Angeles, and eight years after being dealt by the Tigers, Jeff Weaver has found his niche with the Dodgers.
  

  When the season started, it was clear the former starter would be used mostly as a situational guy. In his first 20 appearances, he pitched only 15 1/3 innings.

  Lately, however, Weaver (5-1, 3.54 ERA) has begun to be stretched out. In his last nine games, he’s pitched 12 2/3 innings — including 3 1/3 shut-out innings Monday against the Marlins.

  If you were curious, Weaver was 39-51 with a 4.33 ERA in four years with the Tigers.

• Rob Neyer weighs in on Armando Galarraga‘s temporary demotion.

• FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal throws a bucket of ice on the Tigers’ (or any team’s) chances of landing Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew:
  

  The Tigers have expressed interest, according to FOXSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, but the D-Backs control Drew for two more years after this one and lack a suitable replacement for him.

• Browsing the ESPN.com rumors site [$] I saw that Bud Selig has said MLB’s instant-replay policy won’t change. No surprise there, right? But what do you think of this?
  

  Could the classy way that Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce handled the situation taken away some of the push for change? Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic made that point this morning on ESPN Radio.

Finally, Happy 83rd Birthday to Doc Severinsen. And, let’s hope for a completed sweep of the Orioles tonight.

• Baseball Prospectus‘s David Laurilla interviewed Dallas Braden and asked the A’s lefty about Armando Galarraga:
  

  DL: Armando Galarraga threw just 88 pitches in his masterpiece, about 20 fewer than you threw in yours. Given his efficiency, was his game more perfect than yours?

  DB: He was, well… I mean, his wasn’t a perfect game. But he was extremely efficient, yeah. He was filling up the strike zone, pounding the strike zone. To see that guy just… he came out and he dominated a lineup. He was, as you said, extremely efficient and that’s the kind of performance you want to take out there day in and day out, because I can guarantee you that even after the taste that was left in his mouth, he’s probably still OK with the one-hit effort that he was tapped with.

• I don’t usually link to five-year-old articles but here’s a good one from The USA Today about Tigers’ clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel.

• Here’s one final leftover from Armando Galarraga‘s perfect game: a segment on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” program on the game and the aftermath. Host Neal Conan interviews the Freep‘s Drew Sharp and he plays a snippet of an NPR interview with Jim Joyce … from 1998. Listen here. (And here’s one from NPR talking with retired umpire Don Denkinger.)

• If you want to feel good about who the Tigers selected in this week’s draft, don’t read this assessment from ESPN.com’s Keith Law:
  

  It feels like a very un-David Chadd kind of draft, what with the lack of power arms. They took a fringe lefty with a good changeup in Drew Smyly, and some good college relievers in Cole Green and Brian Dupra, as well as bat-control/good-arm catcher Rob Brantly. Tough signs include USC commit Jake Hernandez (a catcher and a personal favorite of mine) and Arkansas commit Dominic Ficociello; if they don’t land one of their tough-sign candidates, including their first overall pick Nick Castellanos, it’s a draft class low on upside.

Finally, you’ll appreciate the Tigers organization even more after you read this column on the disaster that is the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• Speaking of the D-backs, the excitement is palpable in Phoenix. Dontrelle Willis will start on Saturday for the Arizona against the Rockies. Poor Dontrelle; he gets dealt to a club with an offense even worse than the one he leaves behind in Detroit. Manager A.J. Hinch may look to him to pitch well and hit for average. Plenty of tickets available at Chase Field. You first.

• You have to appreciate the Photoshop skills of the folks at ESPN.com — and the speed at which they deploy them. When I posted about Billy Buckner this afternoon, the photo I used showed him in his Arizona colors. Moments later I hit refresh — presto — he’s sporting the old English D.

• In case you were wondering, Carlos Guillen has played 45 innings at second base since his return from the disabled list and fielded all 22 chances without an error. He certainly looks comfortable — and smooth — at second. Would you agree?

• We got only a tasting of interleague play last month and the price we pay is a heaping helping of it in June. But according to the results of last week’s Pulse Check Poll, many of you will be delighted:

  What’s your feeling on Interleague Play?

  • Keep it. (59%, 67 Votes)
  • End it. (21%, 24 Votes)
  • Keep it, but reduce the number of games. (20%, 23 Votes)
  • Total Voters: 114

  If you can, take a moment and click your vote in this week’s poll –>

• I promise this the last Willis reference I’ll make…at least in this post. In doing the every-five-days math starting with his Saturday start against Colorado, there’s a chance that he could start against the Tigers at Comerica Park on June 20. Imagine that scenario.

Finally, remember Colby Lewis? He pitched three innings for the 2006 Tigers (0-0, 3.00 ERA) but is now major part of the Rangers’ rotation. Here’s a nice story by Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan on how Lewis resurrected his career.

• A nice piece on ESPN.com yesterday featuring Tigers radio voice Dan Dickerson. A morsel:
  

  Dickerson is about calling ‘em as he sees ‘em.

  Whether he’s describing a home run or a strikeout, the only difference in Dickerson’s voice is a noticeable rise in pitch when the situation calls for it. Like Harwell, Dickerson is always quick to praise a memorable play — even if it was made by Detroit’s opponent.

• Last week’s Fungo Pulse Check garnered the most-ever responses (thank you!). Here are the results:

  Which of the Tigers [May 16] weekend roster moves surprised you the most?

  • Carlos Guillen’s move to second base (36%, 183 Votes)
  • Scott Sizemore’s demotion (23%, 120 Votes)
  • Danny Worth’s promotion (19%, 98 Votes)
  • Max Scherzer’s demotion (16%, 84 Votes)
  • Armando Galarraga’s promotion (6%, 30 Votes)

    Total Voters: 515

  Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll. –>

• It looks like Max Scherzer is making the most of his time in Toledo. Last night he followed his first dominant outing with another: one run on three hits in seven innings. He now has 17 strikeouts in 15 IP with a 0.60 ERA for the Mud Hens.

  Ian and I talked about this on the podcast this week: How many Triple-A starts should the Tigers require of Scherzer before recalling him. I say four. What do you think?

• Speaking of Mr. Casselberry, his latest dispatch appears on M-Live’s Cutoff Man blog today. As always, he’s got a timely take:
  

  For Justin Verlander, pitching at Safeco Field in Seattle might be his big obstacle. In terms of win-loss record, Verlander’s numbers in the Pacific Northwest look solid. A 3-4 record in seven starts is perfectly respectable. But we know that wins and losses rarely tell the whole story where pitching is concerned.

Finally, RIP Art Linkletter.

• Did you see that Hall of Famer and Detroit Stars centerfielder Norman “Turkey” Stearnes will be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Friday? The article in the Nashville Tennessean begins with this anecdote:
  

  Norman “Turkey” Stearnes could work for Walter Briggs. He just couldn’t play for him.

  During the offseasons between leading the Negro League in home runsseven times, the Nashville native worked in a Detroit car factory owned by Briggs, who also owned the major league Detroit Tigers.could work for Walter Briggs. He just couldn’t play for him.

  Stearnes hit .400+ three times and posted a .350 career batting average with the Stars, the Nashville Elite Giants, the Montgomery Grey Sox, and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.

• I’ve had it with the Johnny Damon saga. Here’s hoping that Dave Dombrowski and Mike Ilitch gave up dealing with Scott Boras for Lent. Assuming they’re Catholic, of course.

• I tweeted about this but it’s worth repeating (at least I think it is): On this date in 1995 Sparky Anderson lit the flame that burned his bridge to Mike Ilitch when he refused to manage replacement players. He was put on an involuntary leave of absence but probably would’ve been fired if someone hadn’t talked Ilitch down from the ledge. Quick quiz: Who managed the faux Tigers in Sparky’s absence? Answer: Tom Runnells.

Whew! I made it.

• I wonder if Dave Dombrowski thinks of Johnny Damon in Detroit and only sees Jacque Jones.

• I couldn’t see the Tigers making room for Jim Thome without eating another big contract — and we know that isn’t happening. Still, it would’ve been fun to see him play at Comerica Park 81 times in a Detroit uniform. But instead we’re left to hope that Carlos Guillen’s power numbers return. Sigh. (If only the Tigers had made a run at Bobby Abreu last offseason…) Oh, and what about Jermaine Dye? He’s still available.

• It bums me out that the Tigers have apparently cut ties with Lou Whitaker (as loose as those ties were). Sweet Lou was always a bit flaky but he was so good for so long — and revered by Tigers fans — the Tigers should not let him vanish. Alas, it looks like it’s a moot point. And one more thing: I still can’t believe he was a one-and-done guy on the Hall of Fame ballot. That, dear reader, is a crime.

• Happy Birthday to Phil Plantier (41), Rusty Meacham (42) and Steve Demeter (75).

Carry on.

Can’t decide.

• Given the Tigers’ suddenly porous rotation, don’t they at least have to consider throwing Jeremy Bonderman out there to start? Even if he goes only four innings or so, at least he’s capable and experienced. I’d take him over the current version of Armando Galarraga.

• And why not start Zach Miner? Jim Leyland says he’s “too valuable” in the bullpen but I just don’t buy that one.

• Rob Neyer digs a little deeper into Curtis Granderson‘s woes and asks an important question:
  

  With the Tigers likely to face both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in a Division Series next month, I wonder if Jim Leyland will have the guts to bench Granderson in two of the first three games.

  What do you think? Will he?

• Kurt tweeted about this late last night and it doesn’t sound good for Jarrod Washburn, does it? As the Fungo‘s Doug Hill noted shortly after Washburn’s arrival, Dave Dombrowski‘s record for acquiring veteran pitchers via trade has been questionable at best.

• I get more bummed about the Ernie Harwell situation everyday.

• Repeating myself: Good for Magglio.

Finally, here’s a heaping helping of Tigers birthdays for today: Chris Pittaro (48), Scott Medvin (48), Mickey Tettleton (49) and Vito Valentinetti (81)

Celebrate Nate! I might be the only person in the Tigers Fan Universe looking forward to Robertson’s return to the rotation. Ian?

Today’s Walewanders are fueled by Almighty Blend coffee from Ann Arbor’s Mighty Good Coffee Roasting Co., sent along by the aforementioned Mr. Casselberry.

• Confession: When the Tigers lose, I don’t read the game stories, I don’t listen to The Baseball Today podcast, I don’t seek out game highlights. Frees up a lot of time and I recommend it.
• Today’s game marks the last time the Tigers face the Angels in the regular season. That means you’ll have to wait until next year to hear Rod Allen gush over Torii Hunter.
• While we wait for Aubrey Huff‘s bat to arrive from Baltimore, let’s review the performance of Tigers players that have worn #19 this decade:
  • 2009: Huff, .083, one RBI
  • 2008-09: Jeff Larish, .242, 6 HR, 23 RBI
  • 2005: Exavier Prente Nook Logan, .264, 31 stolen bases
  • 2003-04: Alex Sanchez .304, 63 stolen bases
  • 2002: Worn by hitting coach (and Flint native) Merv Rettenmund
  • 2001: Roger Cedeno, .293, 11 triples, 55 stolen bases
  • 2000: Juan Gonzalez, .289, 22 HR, 67 RBI.
• Brandon Inge‘s tattoos. Methinks he’ll regret that decision when he’s 65. If not sooner.
• I don’t care that Ramon Santiago and Adam Everett are hitting a combined .247. Give me their defense and occasional base hit (or homer, as Everett showed today) over Edgar Renteria.
• Two homers in Oakland or not, I don’t want to see Ryan Raburn batting third ever again. Ever.
• Enough of the Magglio Ordonez bashing already. The Tigers had to overpay players to come to Detroit in 2004 and ’05 and this is the (steep) cost of doing business. Live and learn. Though, the overpaying of Dontrelle Willis makes one believe the “learn” part of the equation needs more attention.
• Speaking of The Baseball Today, on this morning’s episode, host Eric Karabell says he can’t see the Tigers beating the Yankees or Angels in first-round series. It’s beginning to sound a lot like 2006…
• Marcus Thames isn’t on the 2010 Tigers, is he?
• As for the postseason, I’m dreaming of a Tigers/Rockies World Series – my two favorite teams, baby. Well, Tigers/Dodgers would be sweet, too. In fact, even sweeter. Never mind.
• The Porcello/Youkilis Summit seems like a distant memory and for that we should all be thankful. Here are the results of our recent Fungo Pulse Check poll in which readers ranked the brawls. The question: Tale of the Tape: Which Tigers Brawl Ranks as Your Most Memorable?
  • 1982: Dave Rozema’s Kung-Foolery (37%, 10 Votes)
  • 2000: Sixteen Ejected at Comiskey (37%, 10 Votes)
  • 1980: Al Cowens’ Payback to Ed Farmer (19%, 5 Votes)
  • 2009: Porcello v. Youkilis (7%, 2 Votes)

  Reader Ed reminded me in the comments here about the fight in Kansas City (was it 2001?) in which Jeff Weaver plunked Mike Sweeney. That’s when we all realized how much Weav’s teammates loved him…very little.

Finally, Happy 45th Birthday to Chad Kreuter — who also wore #19 (and hit .263 for Detroit from 1992 through ’94).

Hmm.

Well, it wasn’t as interesting as the 1980 Tigers/White Sox brawl (a.k.a. Cowens v. Farmer Grudge Match), nor as violent as Tigers/White Sox circa 2000. Here’s a refresher on that one:

Sixteen players, coaches and managers suspended. Nine others fined. It was, MLB said, “the biggest mass suspension ever.”

That was the end result of two brawls that erupted at Comiskey Park, one in the seventh inning, the other in the ninth. In the sixth, the Tigers Jeff Weaver hit Carlos Lee with a pitch. In retaliation, Chicago’s starter, Jim Parque, plunked Detroit’s Dean Palmer in the top of the seventh. Palmer charged the mound, throwing his helmet at Parque before the real action started.

…And it wasn’t as wild as Tigers/Twins in 1982, which featured Dave Rozema‘s flying-kung-fu acrobatics on Twins’ John Castino.

What do you think? Take this week’s Pulse Check –>

Other thoughts…

• In last week’s Pulse Check — “What do you make of the Tigers’ recent roster moves?” — “Inspiration” (37%) edged out “desperation” and “exasperation” by a single vote. Time will tell, but so far so good at least from the Alex Avila perspective.

• I think it’s great that the Tigers are injecting some youth into their anemic lineup. I just wish that Wilkin Ramirez had been called up for keeps and not given a ticket on the Toledo shuttle.

• Does anyone else find it strange that the Tigers are skipping down to the Double-A level to tap reinforcements? By “strange” I mean that Triple-A was always where the top talent was — or at least that’s what we were led to believe. Over the past couple of seasons it’s become increasingly common. These are the first times in all the years of my following the Tigers that I remember it happening as a regular practice.

  Of course, the Tigers promoted Andrew Miller from Class A in 2006 and proved that things definitely have changed in baseball. (Miller had a clause in his contract that he would be called up to the majors in ’06.) Oh, and that move also forced me to rethink my lone criticism of baseball reality portrayed in the film “Bull Durham.” I never bought the notion of Ebby Calvin LaLoosh being called up to the big club from the South-Atlantic League. I guess it does happen.

• The last time the Tigers relied on a rookie catcher to fuel a playoff spot was in 1987 when Matt Nokes made everyone forget about Lance Parrish. At least for one season, that is.

Finally, on this date in 1987, the Tigers acquired Doyle Alexander from the Atlanta Braves for minor-league pitcher John Smoltz. Gnash teeth if you must, but it was still a great trade at the time. Few expected Smoltz to emerge as a stud.

Interestingly enough, almost as many votes came in for “Neither” (35 percent, 9 votes) as votes for Halladay. Personally, I’d like to see Rockies’ rightfielder Brad Hawpe in a Tigers uniform but with the Rockies hanging around the N.L. Wild Card race he’s going nowhere.

The Tigers should go after the A’s Holliday but only if they can sign him to a reasonable extension — if for no other reason than to see what a “reasonable extension” looks like from the Tigers.

In other news…

• With Joel Zumaya back on the shelf, don’t the Tigers have to at least consider making him a starter? If we’ve learned nothing else, we now see that he’s not built for the late-innings role but might excel in the rotation — think “marathon versus sprint.” Also, if the Tigers have a young Ryan Perry waiting in the wings, why not try to extend Zumaya’s career? What do you think? Take our latest poll –>

• Great to see Magglio Ordonez go yard with a grand slam last night. Still, it was an off-speed pitch. No chance he gets around on a Joe Nathan fastball, though.

• A report here in the Arizona Republic says the preliminary Interleague schedule for next season has the Diamondbacks visiting the Tigers. Enough with the Interleague already.

• On this date in 2005 the Tigers acquired infielder John McDonald for a player to be named later. If you recall, that player was John McDonald.

Finally, in case you were wondering, 25 years ago the Tigers were 66-29 and had a nine-game lead over Toronto in the American League East. On July 22, 1984, the Tigers beat the Rangers 2-0 at Tiger Stadium behind Dan Petry‘s 8-2/3 innings of four-hit ball. Sparky lifted him with two outs in the ninth with lefty Pete O’Brien coming to the plate with the tying run on base. Willie Hernandez came in and got O’Brien to pop out on the first pitch. (And the game lasted only two hours, 11 minutes. Imagine.)

• Yes, I would’ve preferred that Curtis Granderson got the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award. But, as Ian mentioned on Twitter last night, it was good to see the triples-hitting stroke return for Grandy. Maybe it’ll inject some three-base life into Grandy’s bat in the second half?

• Friend of the Fungo Rob Neyer pours more salt into the wound of yours truly by presenting another case against Jack Morris‘s induction into the Hall of Fame. This time, he points to an article comparing Morris to, ahem, Jamie Moyer. (!)

• Speaking of All Stars, tonight is the Triple-A All-Star Game (10 p.m. ET on ESPN2) and a look at the International League roster reveal a lone Toledo Mud Hens player: Brent Dlugach. Peek at the Pacific Coast League roster and you’ll find two familiar names: Eric Munson and Yorman Bazardo. Must be odd for Munson — the Tigers’ number-one draft choice 10 years ago — starting in the Triple-A All-Star Game representing Sacramento.

• Need a reality check on the Tigers? Tonight, MLB Network will televise 30 Clubs / 30 Report Cards, a midseason report at 8 p.m. ET. According to the network:
  

  The show will include analysis on the second half of the season and potential American League and National League MVPs, Cy Young Award winners and Rookies of the Year. John Hart, former general manager of the Texas Rangers, will also discuss farm reports, giving updates on Minor League players to watch.

• I hope the rumors of the Tigers’ interest in Roy Halladay are exaggerated. Why do the Tigers need another top-of-the-rotation starter who’ll get two runs of support? If there’s a splash to be made, let’s make it a bat. (Take our latest Pulse Check Poll to weigh in on this topic –>.)

Finally, Happy 44th Birthday to former Tigers third baseman Scott Livingstone. He played four seasons in Detroit (1991-94) hitting .286 with eight homers and 97 RBI.

• Despite MLB’s efforts, I realized that I still hadn’t cast my All-Star ballot. Voting ends tomorrow night, so vote late and often.

• As we watch Magglio Ordonez‘s swing atrophy, I’m thinking that he might personify the 2008 Tigers team. That is, we all kept thinking that this game or this series would be the one that got Detroit on the path to its rightful place in the postseason. And we waited and waited… Now it’s Maybe this at bat will get Maggs going…. Alas, it ain’t looking good.

• Speaking of Ordonez, in the recent Fungo Pulse Check poll, only one voter out of 36 would choose to release him over Dontrelle Willis (53 percent) or Nate Robertson (44 percent). Tigers fans sure love their Magglio. [Take our latest poll -->]

• My fandom for (of?) Nate Robertson is well documented here. Over the past two seasons I think I’ve been tainted by Ian‘s anti-Nate sentiment and find myself — at best — Nate Neutral. But, ever the quasi-optimist, I’m wondering if this week’s elbow surgery could inject some zip into the left wing. What do you think?

• Speaking of being a fan boy, last week I was out of town and without my MLB Extra Innings package — thus, no Tigers games on TV. I have to say, the Tigers blogosphere can make a guy feel right at home. BlessYouBoys.com and MackAvenueTigers.com alone made it so I didn’t miss a beat.

Finally, on this date in 1915 right-hander Cletus Elwood “Boots” Poffenberger was born in Williamsport, Md. Ol’ Boots pitched two of his three big-league seasons, 1937 and ’38, for the Tigers posting a 16-12 record and a 4.75 ERA. He died in 1999 in Williamsport, Va. A search of Google Maps doesn’t bring up a Williamsport, Va., but it does show Williamsport, Md., where he was born, which is across the Potomac River from West Virginia — but there’s no Williamsport, W. Va.

If you’re still reading at this point, bless you.

• Rob Neyer yesterday linked to this list of The Worst Contracts in Baseball and, no, the entire Tigers roster does not appear. But there is some significant Detroit representation: five lousy contracts. Take a peek for yourself. What do you think? How bad is it?

• With the positive reaction to Edwin Jackson‘s Tigers debut last week I thought I’d check in on Matt Joyce‘s Spring Training so far. And based on this, it has not been a good one — at least not yet.

• Happy Birthday to former Tigers outfielder Hiram Bochachica, perhaps the best name ever. He’s 33 today. On July 25, 2002, the Dodgers traded Bocachica to the Tigers for a player to be named later and minor leaguer Tom Farmer. The Tigers sent Jason Frasor to the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete the trade on Sept. 18 of that year. Frasor’s still hanging around as reliever for the Blue Jays.

• The no-brainer continues.

• I’ll admit that I was watching the Manny Ramirez saga more closely than I typically would. Why? Because I was bracing myself for Ken Williams‘ and the White Sox’s stealth swoop-in-and-sign. You know they were thinking about it.

• Of course I like Marcus Thames. Who doesn’t? I’d just rather see Brent Clevlen make the team this year.

Finally, a public-service message wrapped in a question. Since launching The Daily Fungo in 2006, I’ve been trying to avoid running the ubiquitous Google ads for two reasons:

1. No one likes them.
2. No one clicks them.

Now the question: If I were to drop some ads into the site — very few and very unobtrusive — would it bother you as a reader? I’m not sure that I am going go to bring in ads, but I wanted your thoughts. (If I did decide to run ads, don’t be afraid to click them.)

Without further ado, here are the first Non Sequiturs of the 2009 season powered, as usual, by a fresh pot of Peet’s Coffee:

• We have our first box score of 2009 for the Tigers. Enjoy it in all its linear glory.

• Did you catch the MLB Network’s “30 Clubs in 30 Days” program focused on the Tigers on Monday? (If you missed, catch it here.) I caught the West Coast replay and, like so many things related to the fledgling network, I was underwhelmed. I enjoyed the interviews, seeing Gary Sheffield‘s beard, watching Al Kaline say absolutely nothing interesting, etc., but if you’ve followed the Tigers even in the most casual way this offseason, chances are you learned nothing new.

  
  But, in the spirit of a positive mental outlook, I determined that these shows likely aren’t produced for the hardcore Tigers fan. They’re for everyone else. If I watch the episode on, say, the Marlins, I’ll probably learn a lot. In the end, the show was worth watching for these three nuggets:

  • Mitch Williams picking the Tigers to win the division.

  • Dan Plesac picking the Tigers again to finish last (this after raving about how great a manager Jim Leyland is).
  • Plesac somewhat butchering a nice attempt at complimenting Ernie Harwell‘s “he stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched that one go by.”

• Not that you care, but I’m booked for three Cactus League games next week in metro-Phoenix and in Tucson. Fungophile John Milton and our friend Steve will be coming to Arizona for games Friday (Indians/Brewers), Saturday (Giants/Rockies) and Sunday (Rockies/Padres).

  The Friday game is of interest mainly because it will be at the Indians’ new Spring Training facility in the middle of nowhere also known as Goodyear, Ariz. We also wanted to attend that game because, let’s face it, seeing the Indians 19 times against the Tigers this summer just isn’t going to be enough. Of course, the Saturday game will give us one more chance to boo Edgar Renteria at close range.

• Be sure you add Ian Casselberry‘s Morning Prowl at BlessYouBoys.com to your daily reading agenda. Ian reads it all, summarizes it neatly and we’re all the better for it. Now if only he’d do the same for The New York Times and ESPN.com…

• Happy 45th birthday to once-heralded Tigers catcher-o’-the-future Rich Rowland. After four partial season and 83 at bats with Detroit, he was dealt to the Red Sox for John Flaherty on April 1, 1994.

Finally, I stumbled on this gem from The Onion. It’s from 2007 but it’s still funny and, very likely, still relevant. Here’s the lede:

Following their game against the Twins Tuesday, Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez and second baseman Placido Polanco stayed in their hotel room all night, giddily discussing their favorite in-game hitting situations.

• I wonder what was going through Tigers’ owner Mike Ilitch head today when Lynn Henning of the News asked him about the team’s off season progress — at a press conference in which Ilitch was committing $72 million to Henrik Zetterberg.

• Remember all the panic from 2006 and 2007 as the Tigers dealt away blue-chip pitching talent? Things are already looking up.

• I was about to crack wise about poor Nationals fans who will be subjected to Rob Dibble as the new television analyst on MASN broadcasts. Then I realized Tigers fans have a problem of their own alongside Dan Dickerson in the radio booth.

• I’m with Ian: Timo Time es muy bueno.

Finally, Yahoo! Sports‘s Tim Brown recently pitched in his two cents on the 2009 Tigers in his Hot Stove Daily column.