More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

2 months ago: Former Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell walks onto the field at Comerica Park during a tribute in his honor in the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, in Detroit. The 91-year-old recently announced he has inoperable cancer. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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In today's Detroit Free Press, Rochelle Riley writes about a grass-roots campaign to add Ernie Harwell's name to Comerica Park.  The effort was started online (via Facebook) by a Michigan firefighter.  

The website makes it sound as if the campaign is to get Comerica Park's name changed to Ernie Harwell Field.  But the man behind the movement, Kevin McNutt, says he'd actually prefer the Tigers to name the field after Harwell, making it Ernie Harwell Field at Comerica Park. 

(The Detroit Pistons did something simliar last week, naming the basketball court at The Palace of Auburn Hills after their late owner, Bill Davidson.) 

Showing his typical modesty, Harwell thinks this might be a bit too much.  The Tigers told McNutt that the ballpark's media center is already named after the legendary broadcaster.

But is there anybody who would actually be against such an idea?  It would be a wonderful tribute to Harwell.  (Though I suppose you could argue that Harwell is already memorialized at Comerica Park, with his photo atop the main entrance and a statue just inside the gate.) 

If you'd like to join the cause, here's the link.

So that's the topic for this week's poll question:

Should the Tigers name their field after Ernie Harwell?

You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block.  Or you can vote here.  Please add your thoughts in the comments.  And if you have suggestions for future poll questions, shoot me an e-mail.  

How did our last poll go?

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More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

5 months ago: Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello throws against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Tuesday, June 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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As much as I'd prefer not to have poll questions centered on Rick Porcello for two straight weeks, we're a little dry on topics at the moment.  So even though this might be a question better suited for later in the offseason or sometime around Spring Training, we'll go with it now. 

I don't know who was the first to coin the "Kid Rick" nickname in our GameThreads.  Maybe the person who used it here saw it someplace else first.  (You know who you are.  Raise your hand.)  But it stuck.  Even the guys at Big League Stew dug the nickname when I threw it out there during the AL Central tiebreaker.  And rightfully so, because it's kind of brilliant, playing not just on Porcello's rookie status, but on a pop culture figure with Detroit ties.

But the nickname can't last forever.  Kid Rick grew up before our eyes this season (sporting a pretty impressive pennant race beard), but eventually he will develop into adulthood.  (And the "Tiger Beat" contingent of the BYB community can voice their feelings for him without looking kind of lewd while doing it.)  And when he reaches that point, will the nickname no longer stick?

So that's the subject of this week's poll question:

When should the "Kid Rick" nickname for Rick Porcello be retired?

You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block.  Or you can vote here.  Please add your thoughts in the comments.  And if you have suggestions for future poll questions, shoot me an e-mail.  

How did our last poll go?

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More photos » AP

Did Rick Porcello make a late-season push among voters for the AL Rookie of the Year award? Or had the decision largely been made beforehand?

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Since Sunday night would've been Rick Porcello's turn in the Tigers' starting rotation, had Detroit made the playoffs, I thought maybe we'd make him the focus of this week's poll question.  (Plus, we just need a new poll question.)  

I get the feeling that Kid Rick's candidacy for AL Rookie of the Year lost some steam as the season progressed, especially while pitchers like Andrew Bailey, Ricky Romero, and Jeff Niemann equaled or surpassed him in terms of performance. 

Yet I also think Porcello may have gotten some renewed support among voters toward the end of the season, as it became apparent that he was one of the Tigers' best starting pitchers and a big reason they were in the AL Central race until the very end.  Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman was particularly outspoken with this view on Twitter.

Of course, many voters may have decided long ago that other rookies had done more this season.  Especially those who believe that position players such as Elvis Andrus or Gordon Beckham deserve more consideration for playing everyday, rather than every fifth day

So just for the sake of discussion, that's the subject of this week's poll question:

Where do you expect Rick Porcello to finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting?

You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block.  Or you can vote here.  Please add your thoughts in the comments.  And if you have suggestions for future poll questions , shoot me an e-mail.  

How did our last poll go?

Continue reading this post »