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Phil Coke tells a federal panel about how he was bullied as a child, Ramon Santiago is still awesome, and Dontrelle Willis is filing a grievance against the Orioles. These stories and more in today's Morning Prowl.
Tigers links:
Tiger pitcher Coke tells federal panel how he was bullied as a child -- The Detroit News, George Hunter
"My last name is Coke, so (being called) 'Coca-Cola' was a constant." Gosh, that must have been so traumatizing. Kidding. In all honesty, it's awesome what Coke is doing. Kids will certainly look up to him.
Tigers' Ramon Santiago gets the most out of his positive attitude -- The Detroit News, Lynn Henning
There aren't enough words to explain how much I love Ramon Santiago. Of course, I'd love him even more if he'd start showcasing that "sneaky power" sometime soon. Strikeouts looking in the bottom of the ninth, down three to the Seattle Mariners, aren't my favorite.
Production of Detroit Tigers' second basemen the worst in majors at their position -- MLive.com, Josh Slagter
"The season is only roughly 10 percent old, but no team in baseball is receiving less production out of its second basemen than the Detroit Tigers." Turns out, I didn't need an article to figure this out.
Drew Sharp: Tigers' lagging offense could use injection of speed -- Detroit Free Press, Drew Sharp
It could also use an injection of ... hits. Ever think about that?
Tigers No. 2(!) in latest espn.com power rankings -- Detroit Free Press, Anthony Fenech
"Despite dropping three of four to the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park this past weekend, the Tigers haven’t moved in ESPN.com’s Week 4 Power Rankings."
It's early! Don't panic, don't overreact -- SweetSpot Blog, David Schoenfield
You don't have to click on the link. I just wanted all Tigers fans to read the headline. Now read it again. OK, one more time. Got it? Good.
In Defense of Ryan Raburn -- Detroit Tigers Scorecard Blog, Alexandra Simon
Yes, Ryan Raburn is having a horrible first half thus far. Which means we can probably expect him to have a career second half. But is it worth sticking it out? Simon believes so.
Austin Jackson Giving Hints of Transformation -- Motor City Bengals, Chris Hannum
"Since Austin Jackson's stellar rookie year, the big story has been his high BABIP and high strikeout rate." And also his awesome range in center field.
Thoughts on a retiring catcher -- Roar of the Tigers, Samara Pearlstein
He may not retire as a Tiger, but for a lot of fans, it's how he'll be remembered.
MLB Scheduler’s Foresaw Disastrous Texas Series, Gave the Tigers Seattle as an Apology -- Walkoff Woodward, Josh Worn
This is not a series preview. I repeat, this is not a series preview.
Around the AL Central:
A's 2, White Sox 0: Floyd gets nothing but a loss -- South Side Sox, Jim, Margalus
"Gavin Floyd threw seven scoreless innings, but a leadoff walk and a complete lack of support from the offense led to his demise."
Bosox Bounce Twins 11-2 -- Twinkie Town
"Boston crushed the Twins on Tuesday night. I really don't know any other way to put it."
Game 15: Indians 4, Royals 3 -- Let's Go Tribe
"The Indians hung on to beat the Royals 4-3. A recap of the action."
Comeback Falls Short, Royals Lose 4-3, Losing Streak at 12 -- Royals Review, Jeff Zimmerman
The photo in this recap is pretty hilarious. Probably not to you men. But to me? Very, very funny.
Elsewhere in baseball:
How Good Was Ivan Rodriguez? -- Baseball Nation, Rob Neywe
"ESPN's Tim Kurkjian ranks the freshly retired Iván Rodríguez as the ninth-greatest catcher in major-league history." Where would you rank him?
Dontrelle Willis is filing a grievance against the Orioles -- HardballTalk, Craig Calcaterra
And the Dontrelle Willis saga continues. Sigh.
Jose Canseco's Twitter account apparently went "missing" for an extended period of time yesterday. But, fear not. It's back, and better than ever. Make sure you follow him. Or else you'll miss such insightful tweets as this:
Ok poop break
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) April 24, 2012