Friday, July 09, 2010

Cliff Lee Traded to Texas Rangers

GREAT news for us Tigers fans. I don't consider the Rangers a threat to anyone so him going there was the best possible scenario for us. Not to the Twins.

Now...are we in the mix for anyone ourselves? Rumors have been around the last month, or so, and seem to be getting louder this week that we may be into something with Arizona. We've heard quite a bit about picking up shortstop Stephen Drew from the D-Backs, but also a little about Danny Haren as well. This week our youngster Rick Porcello had his start pushed back and speculation is that it was so scouts could take a look. Prompting many to think that maybe he could head to Arizona in a deal with others that could bring back Haren and Drew.

I am not against this scenario at all. Depends on what else we give up, but it isn't going to be significant I'm sure. Porcello is gonna be the prize of that deal for them. Young, and cheap. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon and m,ay as well take some slimming pills to their payroll.

Haren has had an off year so far, but hasn't been awful. He has given up 4 ERs only once in his last 7 starts and is still striking out almost a batter per inning this year. What he brings besides possible Ace stuff is the ability to pitch deep into games almost every time out. Something that is essential for keeping the bullpen fresh the rest of the way.

Drew on the other hand is nothing special really. He is a lefty SS that hits very well against righties. The thought by me is that he can platoon with Ramon Santiago there. Santiago hits significantly better against LHP than Drew does and Santiago can pick up some starts at 2B when Guillen is in the DH slot. Just more MI depth if Worth decides to start hitting like he is supposed to, which is not at all.

I don't even care if we get Drew, but Haren is good for this year and maybe further. He is very established as an Ace.

See ya, Lebron. Thanks for the Central

While the Pistons aren't even close to being a legit team right now, the departure of Lebron from the Central division can't do anything, but help us. It turns a Cleveland Cavs team from a 50+ win team into a 20-30 win team at best overnight. This opens up a path for prime playoff seeding in the next 5 or so years for anyone left behind.

Division winners in each NBA conference get the top 3 seeds on their side of the bracket. This means that even if you were the 8th best team in the playoffs, even though you won your division you are at worst a 3 seed. More home games is your reward for playing in a terrible division.

While the Bulls are probably in the best shape of us all in this horrid division, things change fast in the NBA and the lack of Lebron can only help us reach the top much sooner. Of course the need for a hair loss cure worrying about actually trying to knock off a team that has Lebron, DWade, and Chris Bosh to actually win anything is still a long ways off.

Hey, we knocked off the 2004 Lakers so it isn't unheard of for a dream team to go down to someone nobody expects. I'm sure luck will come into play at some point with injuries from this big 3 eventually and give someone else a shot. Maybe they implode like the Lakers did too and can't play together?

Anyways, SEE YA LEBRON!

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Joe D Courted By the NJ Nets

The 12-70 New Jersey Nets courted the Pistons GM Joe Dumars this week trying to fill the role of their vacant team president position. Dumars declined and said he will stay with the Pistons.

That begs the question. Did you really want Joe D to stay? As a Pistons fan you can't really get on Joe D. HE won 2 titles as a player, and brought in a title as a GM along with several ECF appearances in a row with his acquisitions of guys like Billups, Rip, Big Ben, Tayshaun, and Rasheed.

People will bring up all the BAD moves though and we have to see if those outweigh the good. We got a title. That trumps all of it for me. He is well respected by everyone in the league and he is OURS. A true Piston.

So...he drafted Darko instead of Melo, Bosh, and DWade. HUGE mistake that probably cost us a couple more titles. Other GMs probably would have been fired for that alone. Of course we weren't going 12-70 every year either, but competing for NBA titles.

AI, Gordon, etc. AI turned out to be a pretty awful move as well considering what the money was spent on that trading Billups freed up. Ben Gordon mostly, who plays the same position as our top scorer Rip Hamilton. A head scratcher from the beginning, and something I was not looking forward to. I still don't like it.

Joe D needs to get up off the mattress and bring some more hope to the fans that's for sure. Some of these moves add up to a lot of ugliness recently. Hopefully the sale of the team brings new life and more money available to us.