Morning Prowl: Sizemore's Recovery, Polanco's Departure, Best Play-By-Play Guys, and Jacque Jones Wants Work

  Second baseman to-be Scott Sizemore appears to be on the good road to recovery, according to the Freep's George Sipple. Doctors examined his broken leg (broken ankle?) yesterday, and project Sizemore to be out of his walking cast in approximately three weeks.

  SB Nation's Phillies blog, The Good Phight, wonders if the defending National League champions overpaid for Placido Polanco. Is $18 million too much "for the decline stage of a player with very little power or speed, being asked to shift positions"?

  Jason Beck, meanwhile, explains the Tigers' thought process in not offering Polanco arbitration. The feeling was that Polanco would've accepted Detroit's offer, and that likely would've led to the Tigers paying more than the $6 million the Phillies will give hiim next season.

  At the press conference to announce his signing with the Phillies yesterday, Polanco said he "always wanted to be" in Philadelphia and "never wanted to leave."

  At Tiger Tales, Lee Panas writes about the decision to let Polanco go as a free agent. I love this sentence: "Fans will also miss his grimace, his large head and his cold weather clothing." Indeed.

  ESPN's Buster Olney mentioned on his Twitter feed that the Phillies might be after another Detroit Tigers free agent. The Fightins need a late-inning reliever, and Brandon Lyon is apparently on their radar.

  Curtis Granderson's 2007 season, which included 23 home runs and 23 triples (as part of something we liked to call the "Quad 20"), is one of ten noteworthy statistics from the 2000s listed by Big League Stew.

  At Fanhouse, Matt Snyder ranks his top 10 play-by-play announcers. Check out who made the list at #10. (And I think everyone will agree with Snyder's first two picks for his bottom five broadcasters.)

  Cross one potential suitor for Adam Everett off the list, now that Marco Scutaro has officially signed with the Red Sox. (It would've been interesting to see Dustin Pedroia take a crack at shortstop, if that's the way the Sawx were leaning. Not with Polanco as his double-play partner, of course.)

  Jacque Jones apparently doesn't want his failed stints with the Tigers (.165 average) and Marlins (.108) in 2008 to be the last note on his career. After playing with the independent Newark Bears this year, Jones will be cruising next week's Winter Meetings looking for work.