Hey folks, how's it going? Kind of amazing to have two straight days without baseball, eh? And no All-Star Game comes with it. Since it was raining here yesterday, I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a nap with the drops pitter-pattering outside. A movie was in the plans, as well, but I slept right through that.
Before getting to the (off) topics at-hand, I have some housekeeping to get in order. First, if you haven't checked it out yet, SB Nation has made some awesome upgrades to the search function. Very Googlish in its results. Great job by Tech Lord Trei and his crew, working on that last week. Give it a try, if you're interested.
Secondly, I will be away for two weeks beginning Saturday, while I travel with my family to Malaysia. Was it my idea to take this trip during baseball season? Well, no. But I was never going to win that battle. I'm bummed I'll be missing the Tigers' series with the D-Backs and Mariners, and won't get to see two of my favorites, Eric Byrnes and Ichiro Suzuki (not to mention Indiana Jones on the 22nd), but I'm also very excited about seeing my mother's homeland.
Anyway, we're leaving BYB in good hands in my absence. Both Big Al and Mike McClary have generously agreed to fill in while I'm gone, for which I am truly grateful. The running joke has been that big news breaks while I'm away, but I think we broke that spell during my trips to New York and Charleston. But if something does happen, there couldn't be two better bloggers and Tigers fans to be on it.
So with today's off-day, I thought we'd have an open thread to chat (and I really meant to post this earlier). What's on your minds? It doesn't have to be baseball-related. I'll hit a few grounders and you all can field them as you choose.
- The Tigers have announced that they'll be skipping Armando Galarraga's turn in the rotation with the off-day. And with Dontrelle Willis getting ready to return, Galarraga probably has just one more start with the big leaguers. I think they're skipping the wrong guy. Sorry, Nate Robertson.
- Did you see the feature in yesterday's NY Times on the Tiger Stadium demolition derby? Make sure you check out the slideshow for shots of the now-seatless grandstands.
- I'm told the mosquitos in Malaysia are beasts. Does anyone have a good insect repellant recommendation? Or will I be fine with good ol' Off?
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Billfer and Lee both wrote great posts on Jeremy Bonderman's struggles. Lee took a look at Bondo's downward trend across the stat board, while Bill uses pitch f/x to support his theory on where young Jeremy should be throwing the ball.
- I'm having trouble deciding which candy bar I like more, Take 5 or Kit Kat. What treats cure your sweet tooth?
- The NY Post's Joel Sherman has the Tigers making four of the off-season's worst acquisitions. If Detroit got a player this winter, he's on this list.
- I'll admit it: I was rocking out to some Def Leppard while running some errands this morning. (Not their new stuff, though. That mess sounds terrible. Old school Pyromania over here.) What's your in-the-car guilty pleasure rock?
- More relievers are playing catch in Lakeland, which potentially bodes well for the Tigers' bullpen. Actually, it's better than that for Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya. Both pitchers threw off a mound over the weekend and will face batters this coming week.
- What did you get your mother for Mother's Day? I took Mama Cass out to dinner and gifted her with a DVD player. Yes, she's finally joined us in the 21st century. (Though it's probably just as much for me as it is for her. I want to watch some movies, man!)
- Speaking of movies, what's the last one you saw? I've seen Iron Man twice already (geek!) and am thinking of catching Speed Racer tonight. Or Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I have a free pass (given to me because the film became unspooled at a show I attended a few weeks ago) burning a hole in my pocket.
- How can Derek Jeter call himself a Michigan football fan, only to then say he didn't pay much attention to the Rich Rodriguez hiring? Really, Derek Jeter? Really? Maybe if nobody had told Jeter anything, he would've been really shocked when Michigan takes the field this season. Why is the quarterback running the option? When did Lloyd Carr get so young?
Please feel free to add anything you'd like in the comment thread. As always, just be nice to each other.