Lots of links to include in the prowl as it makes a surprise appearance this, er, morning? Well it was when I started the post, anyway.
Saturday’s game could be televised after all " Beck's Blog
I think it's too early to panic and cooler heads will eventually prevail. Then again the MLB hasn't exactly made the best publicity decisions the past few days ...
Diamondbacks' turnaround makes Kevin Towers pick for GM of year - Jon Heyman - SI.com
Towers is a fairpick, but Jon Heyman ranks Dave Dombrowski third, behind a guy with a payroll of $165m (second highest in the MLB). I'd still vote Dombrowski first this year, and that's no homer pick. By the way, we discussed this last night on The Knee Jerks. (Listen here).
Best catcher of 2011? Alex Avila - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
Not only did ESPN's Steve Berthiaume give a lot of praise to Alex Avila, but the voters of SportsNation gave Avila a runaway win.
Brandon Inge Pushes Past .200 " Motor City Bengals | A Detroit Tigers blog
JP notes that it took awhile, but Brandon Inge finally made it back to a .200 average.
Tiger Tales: A Detroit Tigers Blog: Where Were You the Last Time the Tigers Won Ten in a Row?
Lee talks about 1968. Detroit won 11 in a row that year, so they're going to need to sweep the Sox to go any deeper in history.
Can Pitcher Volatility Add to the Cy Young Discussion? Pitcher Volatility Part II - Beyond the Box Score
There's some formulas and numbers and such. What it adds up to is Verlander being consistent.
Why The Tigers Now Rule The AL Central - Baseball Nation
Marc Normandin says the Tigers are good and sit in their rightful spot atop the division, but they're not as good as the past 10 games. That is probably true of every baseball team on a 10 game win streak, though.
DesigNate Robertson: Are the Saber Nerds Out to Get Justin Verlander?
Jerry Green makes advanced metrics the bogeyman in Justin Verlander's MVP candidacy. Rogo points out that old-tyme voters who believe the MVP should play every day, not the whippersnappers, should be his real target.
Option Predictions: Relievers: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
No surprise they predict the Tigers to pick up Jose Valverde's option
Daily list: Tigers pennant-clinching pitchers | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
It's a short list and a Tiger is very likely to get his name added to it. Trivia: who clinched in 2006 (playoffs, not pennant)?
Tigers sell out of AL Division Series tickets in less than an hour | MLive.com
Surprised it took an hour, actually.
Tigers fireballer Joel Zumaya works on latest comeback | The Detroit News
Everyone wants Zumaya updates. OK probably not everyone any more. But there's an update for you via Lynn Henning.
Tigers won't look in the rear-view mirror, until they've clinched - theoaklandpress.com
Matthew B. Mowery writes the Tigers will not let down their guard this time. They're on a division-title mission.