Detroit Tigers Links: Austin Jackson gets snubbed & Brennan Boesch struggles

Austin Jackson gets left off the 2012 All-Star team, Brennan Boesch isn't having the greatest year ever, and a list of 18 awful MLB-licensed caps. These stories and lots of All-Star Game analysis in today's Morning Prowl.

Tigers links:

Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander: 'It sucks' that Austin Jackson, Joaquin Benoit are not All-Stars -- MLive.com, Chris Iott
"With three surefire All-Stars, the Tigers had focused their attention on Jackson and Benoit, two players who are having fine seasons but were not can't-miss All-Stars. Neither of them made the team."

Austin Jackson, Bryce Harper lead All-Star snubs -- HardballTalk, Matthew Pouliot
"You knew it was coming. In truth, I think those in charge did a better job of picking this season's All-Stars than they have in recent years. Still, I have some disagreements, even if none of them are quite as vehement as last season's."

Prince sounds like a go for Home Run Derby -- Beck's Blog, Jason Beck
"Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera have a home-run derby opposite each other every day in batting practice."

Tigers Roundtable, Volume One -- DesigNate Robertson
"Hello, friends. Miss me? Didn’t think so."

How Bad has Brennan Boesch Been This Year? -- Tiger Tales, Lee Panas
"A poster at MotownSports.com (TigerBomb13) asked today who had the most negative Wins Above Replacement (WAR) ever and was wondering whether Tigers right fielder Brennan Boesch had a chance to fall that far."

Juicy Home Stretch Awaits -- Motor City Bengals, Chris Hannum
"After defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 this afternoon to finish their 10-game road trip with a 5-5 record – not too shabby considering the quality of the competition – which combined with a loss from the White Sox leaves Detroit only 3 games behind once again."

Around the AL Central:

Flailing Royals Implode in Minnesota -- Royals Review
"Any attempt to describe this game without a stream of expletives and a complete exhaustion of the synonyms for putrid and asinine does a disservice to both the memories of our spurned ancestry and any Royals fan who sat through the last four innings of this game."

Yankees 4, White Sox 2: Settling for a split -- South Side Sox, Jim Margalus
"A pair of two-run homers helped the Yankees take the series finale."

Game 78: Indians 6, Orioles 2 -- Let's Go Tribe
"The Indians scored 6 more runs, winning today's game in Baltimore 6-2 and taking three out of four the Orioles. A recap of the action."

Twins 10, Royals 8: Plouffe, Willingham Entering Private Home Run Contest -- Twinkie Town
"Twins power past the Royals with four bombs, taking three of four against the team directly above them in the standings."

Elsewhere in baseball:

(Oh No! Not Another) 18 Awful MLB-Licensed Caps -- Baseball Nation, Jason Brannon
" Has it really been a year since our first round-up of revolting caps? ["Not a slideshow." - Fark.com] And who can forget the highly-acclaimed* sequel?"

Eight early thoughts on the 2012 All-Star rosters -- Big League Stew, Mark Townsend
"The rosters for July 10's All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium were unveiled to the public this afternoon, and already you can hear fans from coast-to-coast stating their opinions on who got snubbed and who doesn't belong."

All-Star rosters full of hits and misses -- SweetSpot Blog, David Schoenfield
"My favorite All-Star selection in the past decade was reliever Mike Williams of the Pirates in 2003. At the break, he had 25 saves ... but a 6.44 ERA."