• I was looking at my notebook of random Tigers thoughts and here’s one leftover from the fall. The 2007 Padres lost a Game 163 and began a downward spiral that’s still in motion, more or less. Are the ‘09 Tigers following a similar path? What might the Padres look like if they had beaten the Rockies — and has Matt Holliday yet touched home plate? How would the 2010 Tigers look had they beaten the Twins in Game 163?

  My initial thoughts on the subject led me to believe the Tigers’ competitive window was just about shut and locked. Now, I’m not so sure. A month after the Curtis Granderson trade, I’m more confident that the Tigers are on footing that’s much more solid than the Padres of recent years. What do you think?

• Found this on Baseball-Reference.com yesterday:
  

  In a story in the New York Times, Detroit Tigers President Frank Navin blames the length of the games on the coachers (sic) boxes. Navin, reacting to American League President Ban Johnson’s complaint that too many games the previous season had taken two hours to play, says the boxes should be moved back so that the catcher can give the pitcher his signals more quickly. From where they are now, he said, the coaching players can detect the catcher’s signals unless he takes a lot of time to hide them. Navin said this slow signalling (sic) is the reason for the longer games.

  Two hours to play? If only we had that problem today.

• Were you as surprised as I was that the Giants signed Aubrey Huff to be their starting first baseman and cleanup hitter? Here’s what general manager Brian Sabean said of the Huff signing:
  

  “The more we examined what he has done and what we need, we thought this would be a good fit. He’s a fourth hitter who’s been a run producer and quite frankly he’s got the track record we were looking for. Even in a down year he drove in 85 runs which is something we needed.”

  You have to admire the man’s optimism.

• In our recent Fungo Pulse Check we asked: If only one of these Tigers could be elected to the Hall of Fame, who would you choose? Here are the results: Alan Trammell: 85 percent (33 votes); Jack Morris: 15 percent (six votes). I guess I’m in the distinct minority on Morris. Be sure to take our current poll in the sidebar –>.

• Happy Birthday to Jose Macias (38) and the late Vern Ruhle.

Have a great week.

• The Republic’s Nick Piecoro (who, by the by, has one of the best team blogs out there): A long, hard look at The Big Deal. A snippet:
  

  Before we go any further: I’m not crazy about this deal, either. I’m not sure I hate it as much as some people; I’m just not entirely on board.

• Long-time Valley sports-radio guy Dave Burns: Breaking down the trade with pros and cons.
  

  Pro: You just added starting pitching to your rotation without having to pay a lot for it.

  Con: Of the four guys the D-backs have just added or subtracted, none of them have as high a ceiling as Max Scherzer does. And it ain’t even close.

• D’backs.com/MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert: Analyzing the Jackson Deal:
  

  [Scherzer] still needs to improve his pitch efficiency so that he can pitch deeper in games, needs to further develop his secondary pitches and also needs to show that he can cross the 200-inning barrier.

  The D-backs must have felt that the above were real challenges for him and felt more comfortable with the combination of Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.

  As for Schlereth, the potential is there, but there have always been concerns about his command.

As for yours truly, I got over the Jason Thompson trade. I survived Kirk Gibson’s departure. And I guess I’ll eventually move past Curtis Granderson in pinstripes.

• So where were you two years ago today? You were probably glued to ESPN or the Web reading all you could about the eight-player deal that brought Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. Time flies. (And just a year ago today Edgar Renteria spared Tigers fans a second season of his mediocrity by signing with the Giants.)
• I’ll miss Placido Polanco more than I’ll potentially miss Curtis Granderson but I still don’t want the Tigers to deal him – or Edwin Jackson. (For what it’s worth, I own the bobblehead shown here. Guess I’ll have to store it alongside my Pudge bobblehead.)

• On Dec. 4, 1952 the Tigers traded Virgil Trucks, who tossed two no-hitters during the year, along with P Hal White and outfielder Johnny Groth, to the Browns in exchange for second baseman Owen Friend, outfielder Bob Nieman, and outfielder/ catcher J.W. Porter. How could they trade a pitcher good enough to throw a pair of no-no’s? Easily it turns out. Apart from his no-hitters, Trucks won only three other games that year — against 19 defeats. Somehow he kept his ERA below four (3.97).
• On this date in 1976, Aurelio Rodriguez became the first American League third baseman since 1959 to beat out Brooks Robinson for the Gold Glove Award.
• Yesterday you might have seen him on C-SPAN railing on Fed chief Ben Bernanke, but on this date in 1963 you would’ve seen Jim Bunning pack his bags as the Tigers traded him to the Phillies for catcher Gus Triandos, pitcher Jack Hamilton and outfielder Don Demeter.
• About a year late, MLB Network will be broadcasting from the Winter Meetings next week in Indianapolis. (Why they didn’t launch the network at last year’s meetings is still a mystery. No, go ahead and launch on January 1. Nothing else is on TV that day…) Anyway, here’s a preview of the network’s “Hot Stove at the Winter Meetings” program. And be sure to weigh in on the latest Fungo Pulse Check poll in the sidebar –>
• Here’s a question: When are we going to find out which member of the White Sox was in the bar with Cabrera during that dreadful last weekend of the year?
• Speaking of a year too late, I’m glad that Chip Caray will no longer be allowed to butcher baseball games for TBS. However, if you are a glutton for punishment you can relive Game 163 from the Metrodome by purchasing it for $1.99 on iTunes.

We’ll be back with more on the Winter Meetings next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend.

I couldn’t watch the Twins celebrate, again, on their turf. (Still can’t.)

Think about it: the last time the Tigers were a division champion, they (and we) had to watch Dan Gladden and the suddenly despicable Twins celebrate on Tiger Stadium’s infield.

And the time the last two times the Tigers got close (2006 and ‘09), we had to watch Joe Nathan and Co. dance a jig on the Metrodome concrete.

Sickening, really. This time I showed a rare combination of maturity and resignation all at once. Sort of.

So anyway, after a week of stewing and fretting, devouring three servings of sour grapes, followed by a weekend of Schadenfreude, I’m almost ready to move on. More or less.

Three things are still rattling around in my head a week later:

1. Andy Van Slyke. What a weird development this was. At first, I assumed it was not unlike when Don Slaught resigned after ‘06: He didn’t want to be away from his family anymore. But the more we read about Van Slyke, and the less that was articulated, it became clear: he was fired. Why fire him? Because Curtis Granderson got picked off in a crucial moment of Game 163? Let’s hope not.

   If any coach were to be canned I would’ve guessed it was hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. Still, I liked Van Slyke as a player and liked having him on the staff; let’s see if the outfielders suddenly get better next season.

2. Placido Polanco. Reading Lynn Henning’s recap of Dave Dombrowski’s postseason “address”, one comes away thinking we’ve seen the last of Placido Polanco in a Tigers uniform. Read John Lowe’s version in the Free Press, however, and we’re led to believe the door isn’t closed tight on Polanco’s return. I sure hope it’s not. This is one player who I do not want to see the Tigers cut loose. I think they’d regret it in the short term. Yes, some change has got to happen eventually, but is Scott Sizemore the answer? And are the Tigers prepared if the answer is “not quite”?

   I admit that I’m change-averse when it comes to roster overhauls — which usually equate to the dreaded rebuilding period — and when they involve good players that are also good guys. Then again, I do not want the Tigers to be in a position they were 10 seasons after the 1984 championship: still penciling Lou Whitaker in as their everyday second baseman. What do you think?

3. Tigers Pitching. I might be delusional, but even if the Tigers squeezed into the postseason last week I believe they could’ve given the Yankees more of a battle than the Twins did. Sure, the Tigers could’ve been the victim of some horrific calls as the Twins were, and the offense would’ve continued its slumber, but I simply don’t believe Detroit would’ve been swept away by New York. But we’ll never know.

But enough about me. How are you coping?

The Score: Tigers 5 – White Sox 3

The Gist: You couldn’t ask for more than Justin Verlander delivered on Sunday afternoon in the Tigers’ home finale of the as-yet-undecided 2009 season. Ryan Raburn went yard twice and the resurrected Magglio Ordonez went 4 for 4 to power most of the offense. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Tigers game without a wasted inning with a starter, this time John Danks, on the ropes. A win is a win, though this win would’ve been better on, say, Thursday.

The Quote: “I wasn’t sure right away I was going to get there.” – Curtis Granderson, referring to either his diving catch in the eighth which saved the game from looming disaster OR the Tuesday playoff game in Minnesota.

The Stat: 12 and 13 – The Tigers’ record this year on Tuesdays

Magic Digit: 1

Up Next: Tigers @ Twins – Tuesday, 5 p.m. ET on TBS

Rick Porcello (14-9. 4.04 ERA) vs. Scott Baker (15-9, 4.36)

Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

The Score: Tigers 6 – Twins 5

The Gist: Justin Verlander looked like a man on a mission but despite his terrific outing the Twins kept coming. And if it weren’t for Curtis Granderson’s homer in the eighth, the Tigers would’ve come to bat in the ninth inning of a tied game for the second time in 12 hours. Miguel Cabrera launched a bomb to open the scoring in the third and Magglio Ordonez had a key double to left — to left — later in the inning to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

The View: The Tigers are fortunate to go to bed with a two-game lead. If Joe Crede were healthy and playing for the Twins, I’m not sure that would be the case. Nevertheless, savor the split.

The Quote: “I don’t have anybody better than you.” — Jim Leyland to Verlander during an eighth-inning visit to the mound.

The Stat: 0 – The chances we’ll see Wilkin Ramirez on the field again this season.

Magic Number: 4

Up Next: Twins @ Tigers

Eddie Bonine (0-1, 4.60 ERA) vs. Carl Pavano (13-11, 4.86)

Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

The Score: White Sox 8 – Tigers 4

The Gist: Curtis Granderson hit the second pitch of the game out of the park and…game over. Edwin Jackson got his usual pittance of support but unlike most of the year he allowed quite a few runs himself. Then the offense went back to sleep, apparently assuming that some of the 20 hits from Saturday night could be used kind of like, I don’t know, rollover minutes.

The View: As Ian says, nothing’s been easy all year for this Tigers team, so why start now? Still, I mean, you know, it’s just, couldn’t they…ah, forget it.

The Quote: “Today was pretty much our offense, which has been mind-boggling.” – Jim Leyland

The Stat: 2 – The number of Brandon Inge errors in this series.

Magic Number: 6

Up Next: Twins @ Tigers

Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.14 ERA) vs. Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.18)

Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

The Score: Tigers 12 – White Sox 5

The Gist: The Tigers swatted 20 hits — four from Miguel Cabrera, and three each from Curtis Granderson and, of course, Placido Polanco — scoring 12 runs after being down 5-0 in the fourth. Cabrera also had a homer and four RBI, giving him 100 for the year.

The View: For a while it looked like two pitchers falling into old (and opposing) habits: Freddy Garcia looked like the front-line starter he was from 2001-05 and Nate Robertson, well, looked like more like ‘08 Nate: a bullpen mop-up guy. Ultimately, both guys cratered but Nate just left earlier in the game. Thankfully.

*The Quote: from Jim Leyland.

The Quote II: “And I’m going to make it clear. It’s a bunch of [expletive] out there watching football games like a piece of [expletive] with no pride the way they play the [expletive] game, and that’s embarrassing. If you don’t have pride to play this game and you don’t care about it, get another job because I know I’m going to be all over the stinking place when I talk about this.” — Ozzie Guillen, showing all class once again.

The Stat: 5 — The number of double plays turned by the Tigers.

Magic Number: 7

Up Next: Tigers @ White Sox

Edwin Jackson (13-7, 3.25 ERA) vs. Daniel Hudson (0-1. 3.38)

Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

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)

• 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.

The Cleveland Clinic: Justin Verlander is once again proving that when his stuff is on, there are few better in the AL… And Edwin Jackson has proved my (and others’) skepticism about this deal unfounded. He seems to be the pitcher everyone in LA and Tampa’s front offices thought he would be.  Score another coup for Dave Dombrowski…Can Curtis Granderson have a better weekend than he did in Cleveland? This one will be tough to top, but it’ll be a blast watching him try.

Rodney Being Rodney: Watching Fernando Rodney is infinitely more nerve-wracking than Todd Jones EVER was! Watching the Tigers game Sunday, I was just about to tell my dad that seeing Rodney come in from the ‘pen didn’t make my stomach hurt as much as it used to.  The he started to do Fernando Rodney things. My favorite is when he walks guys after getting them down 0-2.  He’s a free agent after this year. For the sake of my stomach, and my heart, I hope he tests the market.

He’s My Tiger: Can we please get some love for Ramon Santiago? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Every time he plays, he does something to help the Tigers win a ballgame. Nothing against Adam Everett, but Santiago is more than the fill-in that Jim Leyland and the brain trust see him as. He deserves to be playing most of the time at short.

Tattoo You: Or me. On Saturday, I put my Tiger fandom where my…er…arm…is…

It’s real, folks.  What should my next one be?

• 7-5, Tied for 1st Place in A.L. Central with Chicago and Kansas City
• Streak: W2
• Home Record: 4-1
• Road Record: 3-4

Streaks:

• Last 10 Games: 7-3
• Last 5 Games: 3-2

Who’s Hot from the Past Week:

• Josh Anderson: .545 avg., .615 OBP, .818 SLG, 4 RBI, 2 SB
• Miguel Cabrera: .455 avg., .478 OBP, .591 SLG, 10 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI
• Gerald Laird: .400 avg., .500 OBP, .400 SLG
• Magglio Ordonez: .353 avg., .522 OBP, .353 SLG

Who’s Not:

• Carlos Guillen: .190 avg., .261 OBP, .190 SLG
• Placido Polanco: .182 avg., .250 OBP, .364 SLG
• Curtis Granderson: .174 avg., .240 OBP, .174 SLG

Up Next: Angels

• Today: Off Day
• Tuesday: Armando Galarraga (2-0, 0.68) vs. RHP Jered Weaver (1-1, 3.09)
• Wednesday: Justin Verlander (0-2, 7.88) vs. LHP Joe Saunders (2-1, 2.18)
• Thursday: Edwin Jackson (1-0, 2.14) vs RHP Dustin Moseley (1-0, 4.30)

Tigers vs. Angels

• All-Time Record: 297-275
• All-Time at Los Angeles: 137-150
• All-Time at Detroit: 160-125
• All-time at Comerica Park: 14-23

• 4-3, 1st Place in A.L. Central, .5 games ahead of Chicago
• Streak: W3
• Home Record: 3-0 / Road Record: 1-3

Who’s Hot:

• Miguel Cabrera: .520 avg., .586 OBP, .960 SLG, 3 HR, 10 RBI
• Placido Polanco: .346, .393 OBP, .462 SLG
• Gerald Laird: .318, .400 OBP, .455 SLG
• Brandon Inge: .304, .448 OBP, .870 SLG, 4 HR, 7 RBI

Who’s Not:

• Carlos Guillen:.182, .345 OBP, .273 SLG
• Adam Everett: .238*, .333 OBP, .286 SLG
• Curtis Granderson: .241, .281 OBP, .483 SLG

*Though, wouldn’t we all be happy with .238 for the season from Everett?

Up Next: White Sox

• Today: Zach Miner vs. Gavin Floyd
• Tomorrow: Rick Porcello (0-1, 7.20) vs. John Danks (0-0, 0.00)
• Wednesday: Armando Galarraga (1-0, 1.29) vs. Jose Contreras (0-1, 7.20)

Tigers vs. White Sox

• All-Time Record: 990-979-15
• All-Time at Home: 523-458-5
• All-Time at Comerica Park: 32-49
• All-Time at Chicago: 467-521-10

Great day today! The weather was nice. Not perfect, but a lot better than anticipated. And I’ve definitely seen worse.

Didn’t make it inside for the player introductions, so I didn’t hear what kind of reception Lyon received. The first pitch ceremony was nice. It was nice NOT to see the usual local politicians and the ritual booing that accompanies them.

Bummed that I missed the George Kell tribute, but there was just so much going on outside the park. There really is nothing like Opening Day around here.

Nice moment for Nick Adenhart. Tragic story, and so senseless.

Okay, enough with the appetizers, let’s get to the meat:

Galarraga: Doesn’t look like he’s planning on any sophomore slump. Seven strikeouts, and the run he gave up was a result of three bloop hits.

Perry: Didn’t look as sharp today. Command wasn’t there.

Cabrera: If the Tigers stay in contention, Miggy will be in the running for MVP. He is simply one of the best hitters in MLB. It is scary how well and how hard he is hitting the ball.

The whole offense: Did exactly what this team needs to do, which is punish mediocre pitching. Nice to see them taking a few walks. That game was actually cruising along before the bottom of the 7th.

Granderson: Way to work a walk after an 0-2 count! Two years ago, he’s carrying his bat back to the dugout.

Inge: How about getting those throws up a little?

Laird: Nice triple! With Sardinha’s three-bagger last year, the Tigers have cornered the market on most unlikely triples hitters.

Texas bullpen: Back to the drawing board, Rangers braintrust. Five straight walks! Ouch!

This was a typical Tigers-Rangers game (with a little less Rangers offense than I’m used to seeing), with plenty of runs, and a lengthy time of game.

All in all, a great Opening Day. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go file my scorecard and read my new Tigers yearbook.

Neat stuff.

• Height: 5′ 10″ | Weight: 195
• 2008 Stats: .307 – 8 HR – 58 RBI

Like most of his teammates, Placido Polanco struggled at the outset of the 2008 season. The usually fast-starting second baseman – he has a .307 average for April spanning 2006-08 – was expected to pickup the slack at the top of the order left by the injured Curtis Granderson. But as the weather warmed, so did Polanco finding the stroke that delivered a .341 average in 2007. He hit .330 in May and a torrid .386 in June.

Widely considered one of the toughest outs in baseball, Polanco confounds pitchers with his knack for hitting the ball virtually anywhere it’s pitched. Even on pitches down and away, Polanco hit a solid .286 in ’08.

This year Tigers fans can expect from Polanco what they’ve enjoyed since he came to Detroit in 2005: consistent, durable performance in the field and at the plate. But with a strong crop of middle infield prospects in the minors, 2009 could be his final season in Detroit. Though, I for one am hoping it’s not.

• Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 185
• 2008 Stats: .280 – 22 HR – 66 RBI

If anyone doubted Curtis Granderson’s value atop the Tigers lineup, the first few weeks of 2008 likely convinced them. Without their leadoff hitter – Granderson suffered a broken finger at the end of Spring Training – the Tigers’ offense sputtered and, in case you’d forgotten, the team started the season 0-7.

When Granderson returned to the team, he started strong, hitting .375 in April before a May slump brought his average down. In June, though, he hit .364 followed by a .324 month of July.

One area in which the Tigers wanted to see improvement from their centerfielder was in the number of strikeouts, and since 2006, Granderson has made a dramatic turnaround, slashing his strikeouts from 174 in ’06 to 111 last season. What’s more, in 2008 he boosted his success against lefties by nearly 100 points from 2007’s dreary .160 average.

Entering his fifth major-league season, he continues to show power to all fields with a stroke that has few holes. The bottom line: As Granderson goes, so goes the Tigers’ lineup. Expect that trend to continue this season.

ESPN highlights available here.

The Score: Angels 7 – Tigers 1

The Gist: Well, Kenny Rogers certainly looks finished, doesn’t he? At least he lasted this long, which is more than can be said about his teammates who packed it in about six weeks ago. It wasn’t like watching Rick Ankiel lose it during the playoffs but this outing was painful enough. Rogers pitched two innings, faced a dozen hitters, allowed eight hits and six earned runs. At least he was democratic, giving his defense a chance to participate: he allowed no walks or strikeouts. If not for Curtis Granderson’s eighth-inning homer, his 17th, you would be hard-pressed to confirm the Tigers even showed up for this one. Then again, the seven Angels runs had to come from somewhere.

Bonus Gist: Even with a modicum of luck, the Tigers can’t cash in:

With the Angels leading, 6-0, on their way to a 7-1 victory, home-plate umpire Tim Welke reset the count at 1-2 when the scoreboard showed 2-2 after consulting with Rodriguez and Tigers catcher Brandon Inge.

Rodriguez took two balls to take it to a 3-2 count officially — when he should have walked. He remained in the batter’s box, and on the next pitch, Tigers right-handed reliever Aquilino Lopez struck him out for the second out in the inning.

The Quote: “I’m really getting sick of seeing Aquilino Lopez,” Ian Casselberry in an IM exchange.

The Stat: 10. As in 10th place, the Tigers’ standing in the 14-team American League.

Up Next: Tigers @ Twins

Armando Galarraga (12-4, 3.17) vs. Francisco Liriano (4-3, 3.45)