(If you want to find someone who isn’t a big Nate fan, look no further than…here.)

Last fall I spoke to Lynn Henning of the Detroit News and asked him what Robertson’s long-term prospects were with the Tigers. (Mind you, this was just after Jair Jurrjens was sent to Atlanta for Edgar Renteria but before the big trade with the Marlins. I thought Robertson could be dangled in an offseason deal.)

My question to Henning: “Is Robertson, Tough Luck Nate I call him, a Tiger next year?”

Lynn Henning: Oh, I think he’s definitely a Tiger for next year because he would rank right now as their number-five starter, and probably if he’s your soft spot in rotation, you can live with that any year.

He is Tough Luck Nate. I think the Tigers are a little concerned that Nate has almost resigned to that being his status and pitches in a manner consistent with being a tough-luck guy. I don’t think that’s necessarily fair to Nate Robertson, but it would sure help if whatever it took he’d win those games instead of losing those tight games. And that just doesn’t seem to be his fate. But I certainly don’t see them trading him at all.

MMc: Well, I’m a fan of his, so I’m glad to hear that.

LH: Yeah, he’s 200 innings, and that’s what counts. He gives you a chance to win every game, and will get you 200 innings. And boy, oh boy, that is a support column for anybody’s starting rotation.

MMc: You think about how many years the Tigers have looked for a durable, dependable, left-handed starter, and they finally got one.

LH: Absolutely, if only because the other guys tend to be a little more impressive in terms of their pitch speeds and repertoires that Nate Robertson is viewed as a weak link. There’d be plenty of rotations where he’d be absolute salt of the earth. But that’s what happens when you get some success, everybody gets a little spoiled.

Amen.

Still don’t believe Robertson is valuable? Let’s talk when Kenny Rogers retires.

There are, of course, two former Tigers on the ballot that have a legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame: Jack Morris and Alan Trammell.

The debate over whether these two Tigers are of Hall of Fame stock continues to rage on across the Internet. Well, rage might be a skosh too strong. Simmer is more like it.

This morning the Detroit News‘s Lynn Henning revealed that Trammell reappears on his ballot in 2008. But what about the peeps? What do they have to say about who’s in, who’s out for this year and who’s out for good.

You can check out the current results here (the ballot is open as of this writing), but in the meantime take a look at how Morris and Trammell fare in the mock voting.

Bottom Line: 85 percent of the voters think Morris is a Hall of Famer, and 58 percent think the same of Tram.

By most accounts, neither Tram nor Morris will be voted in this time around. (Nor will anyone else for that matter.) In time, though, Tigers fans can expect to see at least one of them enshrined.

The only remaining questions are: Who goes first, and is he elected by the writers or the Veterans Committee?

• Spartan Seasons II: More Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports
• Bottom of the Ninth, which he authored with Kirk Gibson, is a fun, coffee-table style book that was published in 1997.
• Spartan Seasons: The Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports

Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here.Comments? Leave a message on the listener line, (480) 383-6350, or leave a comment here!Talk to you next time…on The Detroit Tigers Podcast.Also, be sure to check out The Daily Fungo, my Tigers blog, for more conversations about the team. To stay current with the blog, use this RSS feed.The Detroit Tigers Podcast is not affiliated in any way with the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club or Major League Baseball.

• Spartan Seasons II: More Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports
• Bottom of the Ninth, which he authored with Kirk Gibson, is a fun, coffee-table style book that was published in 1997.
• Spartan Seasons: The Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports

Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here. Once I have the first episode posted I’ll publish it to iTunes and the other popular and unpopular podcast directories.Comments? Leave a message on the listener line, (480) 383-6350, or leave a comment here!Talk to you next time…on The Detroit Tigers Podcast.Also, be sure to check out The Daily Fungo, my Tigers blog, for more conversations about the team. To stay current with the blog, use this RSS feed.The Detroit Tigers Podcast is not affiliated in any way with the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club or Major League Baseball.

• Mario Impemba of FSN Detroit who called the game on TV



• Josh Wallen of The Daily Fungo, and The Podaholics Podcast who was in attendance at Comerica Park



• Lynn Henning of The Detroit News who covered the game.

We also listen to comments from Steve and John in St. Clair Shores, Mich.—> Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here.Improve our iTunes Ranking: If you like the podcast, please leave a comment on our iTunes page!Comments? Leave a message on the listener line, (480) 383-6350, or leave a comment here!Talk to you next time…on The Detroit Tigers Podcast.Support the Podcast!Consider a donation of $1 a month to help offset hosting costs for the show and provide your host with a nice cup of coffee once in a while.Also, be sure to check out The Daily Fungo, my Tigers blog, for more conversations about the team. To stay current with the blog, use this RSS feed.The Detroit Tigers Podcast is not affiliated in any way with the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club or Major League Baseball.

• Tigers: Casey – .255 avg., 0 HR, 10 RBI, .312 OBP, .319 SLG
• Indians: Ryan Garko – .325 avg., 6 HR, 15 RBI, .377 OBP, .516 SLG
• Twins: Justin Morneau – .282 avg., 14 HR, 33 RBI, .358 OBP, .576 SLG
• White Sox: Paul Konerko – .213 avg., 6 HR, 21 RBI, .308 OBP, .369 SLG
• Royals: A platoonish arrangement of Ross Gload and Ryan Shealy (combined stats) – .254 avg., 4 HR, 28 RBI, .298 OBP, .394 SLG

Lynn Henning thinks the Tigers will target a first baseman at the trade deadline. They have to, don’t they?Feliz cumpleaños, Jose. Surely you sent warm birthday wishes to Jose Mesa on Wednesday, right? Hello? One thing’s for sure, he didn’t pitch any better at 41 than he did in the waning days of 40. Here’s the skinny on his last five outings: 12.46 ERA (4.1 IP/6 ER), 7 H, 3 BB, 2 SO. Stellar!By the by… Here’s the line for Jason Grilli over his last five appearances: 7.45 ERA (9.2 IP / 8 ER), 16 H, BB, 8 SO.That’s enough from me.What do you think?

• Spartan Seasons II: More Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports
• Bottom of the Ninth, which he authored with Kirk Gibson, is a fun, coffee-table style book that was published in 1997.
• Spartan Seasons: The Triumphs and Turmoil of Michigan State Sports

Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here. Once I have the first episode posted I’ll publish it to iTunes and the other popular and unpopular podcast directories.Comments? Leave a message on the listener line, (480) 383-6350, or leave a comment here!Talk to you next time…on The Detroit Tigers Podcast.Also, be sure to check out The Daily Fungo, my Tigers blog, for more conversations about the team. To stay current with the blog, use this RSS feed.The Detroit Tigers Podcast is not affiliated in any way with the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club or Major League Baseball.