The "Untouchables"

Ha! There are no untouchables, naive little Tiger fans. That much should be clear to you now. Do Dave Dombrowski's words "This is not a fire sale" sound too much like "No new taxes" and "I did not have sex with that woman"? Words that are famously proven wrong at a later date, and never did ring true? Words spoken to pacify for a fleeting moment before the ugly reality is plastered all over, and the angry mob comes with fiery torches reflected in their eyes to....Ooops, sorry about that, I may have gotten a wee bit carried away there.

Actually, I'm trying to trust that DD means what he says here. My brain understands why the Tigers are doing what they're doing. We have a lot of bad contracts. I get it. The Michigan economy hasn't hit bottom yet. I GET IT. We didn't make the playoffs. IIIIIII GEEEEEEET IT!

A little lower down, my heart doesn't want to get it. I admit that I get attached to my Tigers. I want to keep them and hoard them. I don't want to see them playing for other clubs. I'd die a little inside every time I saw Curtis Granderson wearing pinstripes. Seriously.

Even further south, my gut has been sucker-punched, and is still reeling in a queasy, unsettled way. This is not how the Hot Stove was supposed to heat up. Couldn't we just ease into things by resigning one of our free agents or something? Sigh.

I heard some talk radio guys self-righteously saying that this should have been expected. It's the "Magglio tax," they say. We let his contract vest, and now we pay the price. Their bleak view conjures up images of decrepit, has-been veterans paired with unproven, wide-eyed prospects, in a most ineffectual mix. Fans were then asked whether they'd go to Tiger games next year if there is a "fire sale." For me, I'll be there in fair weather or foul. Bring your rain jacket. We could be in for the perfect storm.

A Little Perspective

I admit that I've gotten more than a little riled up over hot stove rumors surrounding the Tigers this off-season.  That would be because the rumors have largely involved the Tigers making some very "unsound moves," to speak mildly.

There's nothing like a visit to one's 96-year old grandfather to put things in perspective.  I've heard my share of depression-era stories.  Not preachy stories about how we young kids don't know anything about sacrifice, hard times, etc., but interesting tales that bring the times to life.

My grandpa told me how at the age of nine, he was sent to live/work at a local farm because his mother died of TB, and there was no one to care for the children at home.  My son is nine, and he can't even make his own breakfast!  Maybe that's my fault and not his...hmmm.

Anyway, I'm going to try to insulate myself from the irritation of these pesky "what-ifs."  Whenever I hear a particularly vexing rumor, I'll think about my grandpa, who's happy just to be here, hoping to live to see 100, and enjoys simple things like coffee and conversation with his granddaughter. 

Frenetic Free Agent Forecasting

It's a fun-filled, anxiety-ridden time of year for baseball lovers.  Watching the hot stove, monitoring desirable free agents, trying to protect favorite players from trade via mind control--you know what I'm talking about.

In a piece on ESPN.com, Tim Kurkjian counts down the top ten off-season story lines.  Francisco Rodriguez his the list at number six.  Kurkjian opines that the Mets and Tigers make the most sense, due to their mutual need for help at closer.  He then goes on to say that "it doesn't appear that the Mets are willing to give K-Rod the money and years that he'll be looking for."   He doesn't say word one about what I thought had been overtly iterated by Dombrowski--that the Tigers are equally unwilling to shell out the necessary cash on the free agent market this off-season. 

So I'll go ahead and give the rumor mill a big shove to get it going at warp speed.  Maybe we will be involved in the bidding war on K-Rod!

Really, this is speculation of gargantuan proportions, but it sure piqued my curiosity that Kurkjian didn't say the Tigers weren't interested.

Also, as a side note, and number three on Kurkjian's list, I'm intent on finding out CC Sabathia's new home.  It's hilarity to me that the Yanks are desperate to sign him (and they better well fail, or it'll turn from hilarity to blinding fury), despite the fact that he's indicated his desire to settle on the West coast nearer his California home, and despite his willingness to at least listen to small-market Milwaukee's offer.  My secret wish is that Illich would empty his pockets and sign him, but I know that's only fantasy baseball at its finest.  So, I'll be content to see him sign with anyone but the dreaded Yanks.