1. The Detroit News‘ Lynn Henning hosted an online chat this afternoon and I was able to sneak in a question:

   Me: Lynn, recent injuries notwithstanding, how did Jeff Larish’s star plummet so dramatically? He was viewed as a home-grown power bat until last year. Does he have a future in Detroit?

   Henning: Ah, the Larish mystery. That one’s got everyone puzzled. A year ago, he was a hot ticket. The Mariners wanted him in that Putz deal and the Tigers thought Larish and Joyce were too much to give up. He just fell off a cliff. But it was a cliff some scouts saw coming.

2. Twenty-two years ago today Kirk Gibson left the Tigers and signed a three-year contract worth $4.5 million with the Dodgers. Even though he’d return to Detroit at the end of his career, that day still stings.

Have a great weekend.

…A five-game lead? The 2009 Tigers continue to confound. How this team has managed to pad its lead in the Central is nothing short of baffling. But we shall take it.

Fact is, they could pile-up the Ws over the next two series, this weekend in Houston and next week in Oakland. (Meanwhile, the Twins face the Cardinals in St. Louis this weekend and stay in Missouri to play KC starting Monday.)

Where were the Tigers after 71 games last year? If you must know, they were 33-38, 6 back. How about in…?

• 2007: 42-29, tied for 1st
• 2006: 47-24, +2
• 1984: 52-19, +9

…Lynn Henning adds more fodder for the What Were the Rays Thinking? topic as it relates to Matt Joyce for Edwin Jackson. He also talks about the free-agent choices staring at the Tigers this fall.

…On this date in 1962 the Tigers traded Charlie “Paw Paw” Maxwell to the White Sox for OF Bob Farley. According to Maxwell’s Baseball-Reference.com bio page:

[He] is one of the most popular players for Detroit Tigers of all-time. He excited the throngs with his consistent “Sunday” home runs. A fearsome hitter with mates aboard and the game on the line. He holds the Major League record for most home runs in extra innings in a season with 5 in 1960.

As a fellow Western Michigan alum, I’m proud to report that Maxwell has the most home runs of any of the 31 major leaguers that attended the MAC school. The three-time All Star played eight seasons in Detroit, hitting .268 with 133 homers. Farley hit .166 with one home run and four RBI in his 36 games in Detroit.

…And here’s one general baseball nugget I stumbled upon over at the fabulous Baseball-Reference.com. On this date in 1971:

Actor Kurt Russell makes his pro baseball debut for Bend (Northwest League), getting a single, double, and two stolen bases. Russell’s baseball career would be ended by injury two years later.

…Only six months until Christmas.

• 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.)

• Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 210
• 2008 Stats: 14-11, 4.42 ERA

When the Tigers traded Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jackson, Detroit fans scratched their heads – and not only because Joyce appeared to have a future in the Tigers outfield. Jackson is an unknown quantity outside of the A.L. East and the Tigers have only faced the righthander four times since 2006 for a total of 16 innings (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 12 K). He became expendable in pitching-rich Tampa despite a pedestrian 2008 (14-11, 4.42) due mainly to the emergence of David Price, but from most accounts, the Tigers landed themselves a gem and a durable number-three man in the rotation.

The 25-year-old Jackson features a mid-90s fastball and a devastating slider – and batters hit just above .200 when facing the slider. In 2009, watch for Jackson to stick with his formula for success: working the lower half of the strike zone and the corners of the plate – up and away on lefties, high and tight on righties. And, if he can maintain his low rate of walks per nine innings (2.5), Jackson will pay rapid dividends for the Tigers.

At long last, the Tigers appeared to have developed a left-handed power-ish hitter who could take over one of the corner outfield slots perhaps as soon as 2009.

But, when Jim Leyland announced that left field would be Carlos Guillen’s position next season and when it became more apparent that Magglio Ordonez was going nowhere this offseason, Joyce’s role went from promising to fuzzy — at best.

Nevertheless, Joyce was a sign of progress in the Tigers’ farm system beyond pitching depth and maybe a budding star.

Until he wasn’t…at least in Detroit.

Three weeks ago he was dealt to his hometown of Tampa Bay for pitcher Edwin Jackson. From what we’ve read, the acquisition of Jackson will be a winning one for the Tigers. And in the end maybe it will be.

Still, it would be nice to see a young position player develop into a star — or something close to it — wearing the old English D.

While the Mets, Mariners and Indians were swingin’ a 12-player trade (with J.J. Putz as the centerpiece) the Tigers were not zeroing in on a closer, instead they were dealing for a starting pitcher.

The 25-year-old Jackson won a career-high 14 games in 2008 at the back end of the rotation during Tampa Bay’s breakout season. He posted a 4.42 ERA to go with his 14-11 record, pitching 183 1/3 innings, allowing 199 hits and 77 walks while striking out 108. Jackson’s arrival adds some more certainty to a rotation that faced major question marks at the back end. Justin Verlander and Armando Galarraga are the only certainties from last year, while Jeremy Bonderman is expected to be back to full strength after missing the second half of last season following shoulder surgery.

Ian offers some hefty analysis of the deal here.

Lynn Henning suggests that this deal could be a signal that the Tigers’ are concerned with Jeremy Bonderman’s progress. That or the Tigers are hedging their bets against another poor season by Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis.

Or both. What do you make of this trade?

Matt Joyce is a lefthanded power bat, something the Tigers have needed for a while, who could take over at either of the corner OF spots once Sheffield was gone and either Maggs or Guillen could move to DH. I guess the Tigers think Jeff Larish can play outfield, too.

While the Tigers needed an influx of major-league ready arms, closer was the most pressing need. Edwin Jackson has a great arm, but he’s had plenty of problems finding the plate. Granted, he’s young and could come around.

Someone want to talk me down on this one? I’m all ears.

So, as I wait out this Tigers/White Sox rain delay from bright, sunny Phoenix, it’s time to weigh in on:

• Todd Jones’s Retirement. The decades-old joke in Detroit is that the most popular person in the city is the Lions’ backup QB and/or the Red Wings’ backup netminder. I think we can now add the Tigers’ setup man to that punch line. Detroit is unusually cruel to its closers. Less than a year after Willie Hernandez won the 1984 Cy Young and MVP awards, he started getting booed and it’s never stopped. Mike Henneman did too, but to a much smaller degree. The Tigers were so unwatchable during Todd Jones’s first tour of duty in Detroit, that often he was the only bright spot. Come to think of it, he was a welcome sight then because it mean the Tigers were in line for a rare win.

  But what was it about Jones in his second stint as a Tiger? What made it so infuriating? Sure, he got 93 saves in just under three seasons but his ERA was always around four and … ah, what’s the use? Jones is a good guy and I’m sure he’ll be missed by his teammates. I guess. For me, though, I’ll never be able to forgive him for not being Joe Nathan.

• Inge Returns to Third. This move makes the Tigers’ infield defense significantly better next season. With the range he covers, Inge is essentially a third baseman and a half. So even if they decide to bring back Edgar Renteria, Inge makes the left side if not a plus than definitely not a minus. Now, about that average…
• Guillen to Left. As I wrote here, I think it’s more likely that we see Carlos Guillen back at short than in left field. Why? If they put Guillen in left and a light-hitting guy at short, the Tigers lose the potential production of Matt Joyce. And, if you put Guillen in the cavern that is Comerica Park’s left field, what are the odds on him pulling a hamstring before May 1? Not good.
• Chuck Hernandez Firing. I know that Doug and others have been calling for Hernandez to lose his job as a result of the pitching staff’s tank job. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a wuss when it comes to firing coaches or managers. The rhetorical question I always ponder is: How much impact does a coach have — or can a coach expect to have — at this level? Was Hernandez, the genius of 2006, suddenly a lousy coach? I don’t think so. He was nothing more than a vessel caught in the perfect storm of Jeremy Bonderman’s injury, Dontrelle Willis’s loss of … everything, Kenny Rogers‘ age, Justin Verlander’s growing pains, and Nate Robertson’s wrought-iron physiology.

  I suppose the decision was also based on the bullpen’s lackluster year. Where do you start there? In fact, I think Hernandez should get a raise for having to deal with Fernando Rodney, Joel Zumaya, Aquilino Lopez and the rest. According to an article in the Free Press, Jim Leyland wants to go with a pitching coach and bullpen coach from the within the organization. I’m sure Joe Coleman, A. J. Sager and Ray Burris are good coaches, but if the Tigers want to show their serious, go after rockin’ Leo Mazzone or Rick Peterson.

• Jeff Jones’s Firing. I remember when Lloyd McClendon was named the Tigers’ bullpen coach for 2006. My reaction was “What does he know about a bullpen?” The answer, it would seem, was nuttin’. And if you read into this comment from Leyland, that’s precisely what the skipper wanted:
  

  “It was a weird situation, and I won’t say for sure, but I doubt that I’m going to have a pitching coach as my bullpen coach. It’s worked very well in some places, but I think it makes people uncomfortable from time to time.”

  Hmm. I would’ve thought being a pitching coach would help in guiding the bullpen. But now that I think about it, it probably makes about as much sense as having two hitting coaches – one for day games, one for night. Well, maybe not that example but perhaps there was some yin-and-yang between Hernandez’s approach and that of Jones which made Bobby Seay incapable of retiring a left-handed hitter?

• Sheff’s 500th Homer. The most entertaining parts of the weekend series against the Rays was watching Gary Sheffield’s family — including Uncle Dwight Gooden — stand up and wave homemade signs for every at bat. My favorite: “Gramma Says 500″. I sure hope Sheff gets number 500 today in Chicago. There’s been no player in my years of following the Tigers on which I’ve turned 180° like Gary Sheffield. (By the by, I loved Leyland slotting Sheff in the two spot in the order on Sunday.)

Finally, I relied heavily on DirecTV’s Extra Bases Game Mix channel over the weekend to track the playoff races. It’s one screen with eight games shown at once. I kept going back to the Mets and Marlins game, hoping to see the Mets force a playoff with the Brewers. That didn’t happen, of course, but what I did see was Cameron Maybin catch the final out at Shea Stadium.

Here we are, approaching the third weekend of August, and the Tigers are mired in third place, nine-and-a-half games out of first place. And, as I’m always reminding myself, only five games out of last place. This was supposed to be like 1984, 1968 or even 1945. It was not supposed to be like – gulp – 2005.

The Tigers record coming into this weekend series against the Orioles is 59-62. Entering play on Aug. 14, 2005, the Tigers were 53-61, 21-and-a-half-games out of first.

While the 2005 club was further back in the standings mathematically on Aug. 14, the current team feels about that far behind the White Sox and Twins. Doesn’t it?

Three years ago, Tigers fans seemed more interested in whether or not Alan Trammell would return as manager, who they’d acquire in the offseason, and what on God’s green earth to do with Carlos Pena?

Today, well, the team has probably more questions than the 2005 team did. One thing we can be assured of is Jim Leyland returning as manager. And that’s a good thing. Of course, some may disagree with that, but I believe there are very few buttons he could’ve pushed this year that would make up almost 10 games in the standings.

Here are 17 questions about the 2009 season rattling around in my head:

1. Who’s the closer in 2009?
2. Does Chuck Hernandez return as pitching coach?
3. Is Nate Robertson a Tiger next season?
4. Can Dontrelle Willis bounce back?
5. Can the Tigers deal Carlos Guillen?
6. If the Tigers can get a catcher, do they — and do they move Brandon Inge back to third?
7. Does Vance Wilson return at long last?
8. Who’s the shortstop?
9. Would they deal Magglio Ordonez as some suggest?
10. How does Jeremy Bonderman recover?
11. Is Clete Thomas on the big club to stay?
12. Who is 2009’s Matt Joyce?
13. Are the Tigers counting on Freddy Garcia?
14. Will Brent Clevlen finally break through?
15. What can the Tigers expect out of Joel Zumaya?
16. Do they sign Placido Polanco to an extension before the season?
17. What’s Gary Sheffield’s role — if any?

Ultimately, the 2005 Tigers finished 20 games under .500. Will this year’s team finish that far off the pace? Some days (i.e., against Tampa Bay) it certainly feels as if they could, but I doubt it.

I’m tending to believe that Doug’s right — 81 and 81 for this year’s club. But the fate of the 2009 team lies in how they address the pressing issues hovering over the organization.

The Score: Tigers 8 – Indians 5

The Gist: Armando Galarraga is to the Indians as Paul Byrd is to the Tigers. Well, not quite, but Galarraga beat the Tribe for the third time this year, Tigers hitters were spared batting practice and turned it on, you know, during a game. But back to Galarraga: three runs over 5.1 innings to earn his ninth win of the year — more than Justin Verlander, folks. (For now.) Brandon Inge stroked three hits including a two-run homer and a double. Miguel Cabrera also went yard as he, Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen and Matt Joyce collected two hits apiece.

The Quote: “We keep winning, we can come in at 6:15 every night for all I care. The guys liked it, so we’ll have a little fun with it and keep them fresh at the same time.” — Jim Leyland on the Tigers skipping BP on Tuesday night.

The Stat: 20. The combined number of balls thrown by Freddy Dolsi and Fernando Rodney — out of a total of 36. Both threw 18 pitches, eight of them strikes. Sigh.

Up Next: Tigers @ Indians

Nate Robertson (6-8, 5.63) vs. Cliff Lee (14-2, 2.29)

The Score: Tigers 8 – Indians 6

The Gist:Of all the games I’ve been to at Comerica Park, admittedly not a lot, this one ranks near the top. The fans were asleep one moment and awoke only long enough to express anger for what appeared to be another shutout-after-blowout loss.

Poor Eddie Bonine couldn’t do anything right, whereas Casey Fossum (six strikeouts in 3.1 IP) cobbled together a terrific outing to keep the Tigers in it. But what about Matt Joyce’s clutchitude? I enjoyed his homer more than Miguel Cabrera’s winner only because Joyce’s was a virtual no-doubter. Cabrera’s seemed more likely to punch a hole in the left field wall than clear it.

The Quote: “What do you call that thing you talked about? A corn crib?” — The drunk idiot behind me at the game, trying to remember the phrase “can of corn” used, incorrectly, by his fellow drunk buddy.

The Stat: 0. The number of times the Tigers showed the replay of Cabrera’s homer on the scoreboard.

Up Next: Twins @ Tigers

Kenny Rogers (6-6, 4.60) vs. Kevin Slowey (6-6, 3.78)

The Gist: Hey now! Jeremy Bonderman earns a quality start — and a win — after a six-inning, eight-hit outing against the Mariners. And what do you know? The Tigers beat the Mariners 9-2 to sweep the series. Freddy Dolsi was lights-out over three innings of no-hit relief. The Tigers banged out 13 hits (43 for the series), including three from Gary Sheffield (to raise his average to .202), two from Matt Joyce and a three-run jack from Brandon Inge.

The Quote: “They want me to run on and off the mound. I smoke three packs a day.” — Jim Leyland on MLB’s efforts to accelerate games.

The Stat: .281 – Placido Polanco’s average, despite an 0 for 4 day on Thursday. Talk about flying under the radar.

Up Next: Twins @ Tigers

• Friday: Armando Galarraga (3-1, 3.06) vs. Kevin Slowey (0-4, 5.49)
• Saturday: Nate Robertson (1-5, 6.08) vs. Boof Bonser (2-5, 5.25)
• Sunday: Justin Verlander (2-7, 5.61) vs. Glen Perkins (1-1, 3.44)

The Gist: Armando Galarraga threw a gem, Matt Joyce went deep and the Tigers eeked out a one-run victory, 3-2 over flame-throwing D’backs rookie Max Scherzer. It wasn’t a lot of offense, but the Tigers got enough and were able to overcome some untimely walks issued from the bullpen. The play of the game, at least from our view from section 112 at Chase Field, was Pudge Rodriguez’s coaxing the D’backs into a double play with the old “let-the-pop-fly-drop.” Orlando Hudson didn’t run on the pop-up and was likely treated to an earful from Arizona bench coach and baserunning instructor Kirk Gibson.

The Quote: “He actually reminds me a little bit of Jim Northrup.” — Jim Leyland on Joyce.

The Stat: 1. Saturday night’s win was the Tigers’ first in 2008 when they scored fewer than five runs.

The Gist: Nate Robertson finally showed up but the offense took the night off (do I hear an echo?) and Edgar Renteria, well, Edgar thought it was a good idea. Let’s put it this way: if it worked, a definite top-five Web Gem. If it didn’t, Esteban German would come around from second to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth — and the Tigers would lose 3-2. You know the rest. Matt Joyce hit his second career homer. If only he’d hit his third.

The Quote: “Jose Guillen has had a lot of success against Nate Robertson in his career.” — Royals’ TV announcer Ryan Lefebvre mere seconds before Guillen unloaded a game-tying, two-run double in the third.

The Stat: 4. The number of errors by Renteria in 2008. How many did he have in all of 2007? How about 11?

*Yes, I’ve used this headline before. Not only is it appropriate but it’s also a nod to a goofy sociology teacher fellow Fungo scribe John Milton and I had in ninth grade.