Detroit Tigers/MLB first half Analyst

Well, the Tigers are who we thought they were.  49-43 is right around everyone’s realistic prediction of 82-85 wins.  Cabrera, Verlander, Peralta, and Valverde are all-stars with Victor Martinez being first man out.

However, there are still some of those fair weather fans, including a well-known local talk show host who places blame after each loss.  Most of the blame goes to Leyland and DD, while others go after Inge and Raburn.  Coke got thrown under the bus after two bad starts even after pitching very well for a 5^th starter transitioning to a starting pitcher this year.  A lot of folks want to do fantasy baseball trades or video game trades and think it will fix the team.  It doesn't work like that.

Surprises this early season include Aliva, Peralta, and Alburquerque.  Tigers would be sitting around 35 wins if it weren’t for these pleasant surprises.  Verlander is having his best season thus far and is on his way to a CY Young, barring any setbacks.  It’s also good to see Martinez bounce back from his injury and Boesch getting back his early season form from last year. 

Some disappointments have been Benoit, but seem to be coming through and the rest of the bullpen not named Jose.  Scherzer and Porcello are also struggling to take a hold of being the #2 man.  Inge and Raburn have been horrendous, but with Guillen ailing, they’re not anyone else to turn to.  Kelly and Santiago have been "OK" but it probably doesn’t make much of a difference.  Ajax is striking out too much and isn’t quite the lead off hitter we need him to be.

If DD were to stand pat, the Tigers might not have quite enough because it shouldn’t be expected that Boesch, Avila, and Peralta keeps it together for a full year.  It shouldn’t also be expected that Verlander is going to get 12 more wins.  Twins and Sox will both be creeping along in the second half.

DD needs to make a trade to land another starter and an infielder.  An infielder with leadoff capability would be nice too.  With Benoit catching on and Coke back in the bullpen, another arm in the pen isn’t needed.  There’s no need going after studs.  Little trades like the Guillen and Peralta trades are sufficient.  

 Off the top of my head, potential players that would help are Headley/Latos(Padres), Nolasco/Bonifacio (Marlins), Furcal/Lilly (Dodgers), Encarncion/Morrow (Jays), Espinosa/Lannan (Nats), Kennedy/Fister (Mariners), Keppinger/Wandy (Astros), or Harris/Dickey (Mets).

Bringing up Turner isn’t necessary, but looks like it might happen.  Nevertheless, another starter might light a fire up our pitcher’s butts.  I wonder if Tigers are getting calls for Maggs?  He might have another season or two left in the tank for a buyer.  No matter how Maggs plays, I’d jump all over it just so that we get something for nothing.

I predict the Tigers finish with 84 wins, which is enough because the Indians will have another little collapse and we will help ourselves because we play them a lot.  If they do land a stud, they will probably win more than that 84.    Sox and Twins will both fall just a little bit short.  Verlander will finish 2^nd in CY Young behind Weaver.  Bautista will win the AL MVP.  Over in the NL, Kemp and Lee will win their awards, with Jurrjen fading a little.  Phillies will beat the Sox in a 7 game series.

1^st Half MVPs

1b- Gonzalez and Votto

2b- Cano and Weeks

3b- Young and Ramirez

SS- Peralta and Reyes

C- Avila and McCann

OF- Bautista and Kemp

SP- Weaver and Jurrjen

RP- Kimbrel and Rivera

1^st Half “Fantasy Nobodies to All-Star” Awards

1b- Helton

2b- Kendrick

3b- Headley    

SS- Peralta

C- Avila

OF-Berkman

SP- Ogando

RP- Farnsworth

Biggest Winner of NBA Finals? -----David Stern

It was Dallas vs. Miami.  Two big market sports cities.

It was a rematch of a previous NBA series where the Heat won.  (w/o Lebron and Bosh)

It was NBA's Superteam vs. entire world who hated them.  Ratings GALORE.  Even if your team wasn't in the finals, you were watching cause you hated Lebron or respected Kidd/Dirk.

It was the "Gonna win 8 Championships" vs. 3 big time veterans with no rings (Kidd, Dirk, Terry)

Everyone's favorite owner was showcased (Cuban)

David Stern couldn't even have written a better script.  Lakers vs. Miami?  Nah...Everyone is sick of the Lakers.  Anyone else from the East?  Nah, because who would we root against?

But the biggest win for David Stern was...

Heat Lost.

Had the Heat won, Lebron haters would have given up hating and stopped watching all together.  Other owners would have given up since they know they need to get 3 superstars to win.  Veterans, without rings, would give up because Jason Kidd didn't give them hope...NBA would have been boring again.

What? Paying College Athletes?

The Tressel/OSU disaster has reignited another, never-ending hot topic around the message board world.  Some people seem to think that college athletes deserve to get paid.  WHAT?!?!?!?  

 “Well, but I’m making all this money for this university……”

WELL, GOOD FOR YOU.  YOU SHOULD.  They give you all the FREE stuff so that you’ll compete at your best and put their university on the map, so that all those other POOR suckers come to their university and hand them the big bucks.  You know, the same poor suckers that are spending their own money to attend YOUR games and paying YOUR tuition.

“Some athletes extremely unprepared for the college course work expected of normal students.”

Whose fault is that?  But guess what?  Their athletic department provides them with a handful of tutors for free.  And since apparently they don’t have jobs, they have tons of free time to study.  But let’s be serious though, those “superstar” athletes aren’t taking classes that are difficult.  You know what I’m talking about.  You’ve seen it before on the bottom of screen while you’re watching the big game.  “Sports Management.”  “Sports Studies.”  It’s those scholar athletes that are taking the tough classes.  The ones that are actually prepared for college and then go on to do much, and I do mean MUCH better things that athletes will ever do.  Do I feel bad for them, NOT ONE BIT.  If you weren’t good enough to make it to the big show, then maybe you should have worried more about your “free” education, and not sports.  Only 1% of college athletes go on to make enough money to support a family.

“You don’t have to pay ALL of them, just the good ones.”

WHAT?  Are you talking about the same ones that are going to make the big bucks in the big show, anyway?  What a dumb argument.  Absolutely not.  Most sports at the college level are TEAM sports and everyone on the team should be treated equally.  That 300 pound lineman, who probably won’t make it to the NFL, is busting his hump every day, protecting your “superstar” and academically challenged quarterback so that he can make millions of dollars in the next level.

Sorry, I just don’t see one good argument for it…………………..

On average, a college student pays about $50,000 for a four year degree, give or take a few.   If you really want to get technical, an out of state student pays much more.  (Around $80,000)  This is including room and board.  You know……the things that the athletes are apparently taking for granted, since they don’t have to pay it.  Normal Joes like you and I, had to pay this out of pocket, or are STILL paying this out of pocket.  We didn’t get to play the game we love on a daily basis.  (Unless you count Halo or John Madden Football, but nobody’s paying us to be good at the, are they?)

Tell me again, why can’t these athletes, who are getting educated, eating, and sleeping FOR FREE get summer jobs or out-of-season jobs?  I had too.  So did you.  But let’s be realistic, do they need to?  Probably not, since they are technically making over $50,000 a year.  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the OTHER perks of the athletes like PLAYING COLLEGE SPORTS?  Hotels, free apparels, excused class absences, around the clock tutors, visiting beautiful cities, fans/friends doing anything you want them to do, and possibly getting a chance to move on to the professional level and get paid even more.

The money that the university makes has more important places to be allotted.  University hospitals, research labs, newer and safer buildings, charities, or even to help lower the tuition of other students.  It isn’t rocket science to predict what’ll happen if the university had to start paying athletes.

Jim Tressell and tOhio State Buckeyes

First of all, let me say.  Yes, OSU is the rival of my Michigan Wolverines, and yes this is funny situation that is unraveling in front of us sports fans.  I personally chuckled my butt off for a day because it's Doomsday over there in Columbus.  It was a perfect storm of allegations that's about to ruin the athletic department.  When all said or done, it'll probably a little bit more penalized than USC.  And for what?  Tattoos and free car rides?  LOL.  

Listening to some fellow Michigan fans/OSU haters on the message boards, Facebook, or even my text messaging inbox, you would think Tressel murdered their wife and children.  I think everyone and their brothers knew that OSU players were getting some nice treatment from community members.  Tressel hung around this long, because it wasn't serious until the NEWEST allegations about Pryor.  Even he is finally OVER IT and is going to move on.  Maybe some of the haters should to?  He basically owning up to the fact that the football program has some major issues and he wants to begin the process of cleaning house by leaving.  Others should follow.

However, I feel some of you are really spreading the hate in the wrong places.  The hate period is stupid.  This does NOT make Tressel a bad person.  A lot of you want to throw out that he's dirty and he's had 400+ violations.  Well, think about that for a second.  He's had that many minor violations and neither OSU nor the NCAA did ANYTHING to him.  Immediately when Clarett got busted, he was SHIPPED OUT.  When Smith got busted (for $500), he missed a game.  So why would he change what he does if the program or himself have gotten any heat?  Yes, he's the head coach and he SHOULD know everything that's going on behind his back.  But come on, that's unrealistic.  By the time he hears from it, EVERYONE should know.  The community, the other coaches, the other players, other students, family, friends.....etc    HOW ABOUT THE PARENTS?  Why are we directing hate on Tressel but not the others?  Is Steve Fischer a sleaze ball and a bad coach?  No.  Things just got a little too out of control under his watch.  Same for Tressel.  The funniest part is that OSU is gonna allow the interim coach to continue coaching.  What?  How is it that the "next in line" guy doesn't have any responsibility on this football team?  A great person and man has been turned into the world's biggest scapegoat.  This man is well respected, great family man, great teacher, great friend, good author, and a church oriented person.   I think I read somewhere that he reads the bible every morning with his peers.  I have heard nothing but GOOD about him.  Sounds like a guy I'd like to have as my neighbor.

Are you a parent?  What if your 14 year old son came home and told you that he cheated on his math exam and got a C?  He peeked over to his neighbors and changed a few answers?  Now, some of you can CLAIM that you would run to the school and tell on your son, but I think we know what would really happen.   You would have a talk with your son, maybe get him a math tutor, or even help him yourself.  YOU WOULD NOT squeal on your son and you know it.  Would you turn your daughter into the police if she drove home drunk at 2 in the morning?  It was a TATTOO for Christ sakes.  Tressel acknowledge the incident and forward it to a mentor of T.P.  Personally, I think the whole selling your stuff being an infraction is silly to begin with.  Yes, I acknowledge that it's wrong, but I can't believe it's about to ruin a football program worse than point shaving, steroids, or paying recruits.  Did he handle it incorrectly, he sure did, but does it mean we should hang him and call him the devil like he's O.B.L?  And yes, I'm well aware of bigger things could be in the horizon (maybe paying players) and yes, I would be the first person to say, "Give them the SMU treatment."  For those of you that have no clue, SMU is the last university to get the death penalty in sports.

Any person who thinks their program isn't committing infractions is stubborn.  In this day and age, you don't win without allegations on your butts.  USC, Auburn, Lance Armstrong, Roger Clemens, Tonya Harding, that Nascar driver, Spygate, Marion Jones, etc.  If you aren't winning, you probably aren't "Cheating," or not doing it very good.  Like Wilbon said on PTI, they were caught just like Lebron and Noah were caught slurring on national T.V.   These kids got free tattoos and a few got new cars to drive each month.  LOL.  These are the same stuff that you and I would gladly take for free as well.  Think if some community hot shot came up to you in college and handed you $500 and told you to keep up the good work in your college courses?  Or if a car dealership said, "Hey man, wanna drive a car around for a week?"  Or if a friend of yours needs a book you own for class and said he'll give you a tattoo for it.  Any of you saying you wouldn't, ARE LYING....or just don't really like tattoos (like me).

OSU is not a prestige academic university like Duke, Notre Dame, or Michigan.  They are more vulnerable to get a lot of bad eggs.  Heck, why the hate?  It's college football.  Jeez.  CHILL OUT.  After what happened to our basketball program, I don't think we are in any position to do all this bashing.  Every football program (at least successful one) has infractions going on.    They didn't kill anybody.  They didn't take steroids.  They didn't (well not yet) cheat in their college courses, or spy on other football programs.   NCAA ALLOWED the "Tat 5" to play in the bowl game.  NCAA ALLOWED OSU to stay afloat after the Clarett and Smith situation.  You want someone to hate, hate the NCAA.  Hating kids and coaches for accepting free cars and tattoos is ridiculous.  

As for Michigan vs. OSU.  I don't want to hear, "Well they cheated so we should at least be 5-5."  I'm not playing the WHAT IF game.  OSU, with NO extra advantages has whooped our frigging butts for a decade.  Tressel has out coached Carr and Rodriquez, not OUT-CHEATED.  Yes, some of these so called, "thugs" have done some stupid things since being at OSU, but it did NOT make them a better football team.  The Big Ten is severely damaged without OSU's tradition and Jim Tressel.  It's a sad day for OSU football fans but it's also a sad time for our conference and even more, our rivalry.  Some of you really need to examine your own life and the bitterness that surrounds you.

The Tutor's First Blog

Whether you love me or hate me, you will still LISTEN to me.  You will WANT to disagree with me but it's gonna be awfully hard to get me to sway my opinion.  Do I need much more of an introduction?  Probably not.  You know me from your fantasy leagues (and I'm in a lot of them), you've argued with me on various message boards or Facebook, or better yet, you've known me all your life and you still can't get away with hearing whatever I have to say.  Most of my blogs will be about sports, mostly Michigan pro/college sports or whatever is hot.