Todd Jones Fan Club

Since the majority of bandwagon Tigers fans tend to want Todd Jones to get a passport and move out of the country, I figured I'd see if I could find out if there was actually a Todd Jones Fan Club out there of any significance. Various searches have turned up just garbage sites that are nothing more than junk.

So...even though I tend to hear on a daily basis idiot talk show hosts say that Todd Jones is one of the Tigers' biggest problems even though he is 14 out of 14 in save opportunities on the year I am going to give him his props. I find it hard to believe these guys can call themselves fans.

3 Things you should know about Todd Jones if you are a fair-weather Tigers fan:

1. He is not Papelbon. He will rarely come in and strike out the side, or anyone for that matter most of the time. He throws strikes and gets ground balls, or forces a bad fly ball swing. HE gets the job done.

2. He always throws strikes. Even if you were to get the worst possible case for guys hitting against you, as long as you are throwing strikes you aren't likely to get lit up more than 1/3 of the time. With a 2-3 run lead do you really care if a guy gets a hit on you? Todd Jones doesn't and that brings us to point 3.

3. Todd Jones does not panic. Unlike many of the young fireball closers out there, who believe that they aren't supposed to ever see someone come into contact with their 100 MPH heater, Todd Jones does not panic when someone hits his low 90s fastball into the gap. It's just one base runner. He still throws strikes and gets the outs to finish the game. Balls of steel.

Todd Jones is known as the Roller Coaster. I'm sure most of you are all familiar with this. Of course when he does get a couple guys on you tend to panic. Todd Jones is right in his element with guys on base. He does not. He makes them put it into play and get themselves out. He isn't going to walk the winning run in.

I have heard quotes from Todd Jones that are classic. This is not word for word, but this tells you exactly how it is:

"When I come in to finish a game, just go into the kitchen and make yourself a sandwich. When you get back the game will be over one way or the other."

Again, it isn't pretty, but he gets the job done.

At this point I would rather have him than everyone's savior Joel Zumaya out there to close games. A guy who couldn't throw an off speed pitch for a strike to save his life. 100 MPH, or not, big league hitters can hit those a hell of a long way if they know that is the only pitch that is going to cross the plate.

So...Join the Todd Jones Fan Club. It doesn't have a website, or anything, but it does have this one post :).

Well...Zoom and Rodney Are Back

Being used in games at least. They aren't back by any means. Neither of them has had a whole lot of success since they have gotten back from their respective injuries. Rodney has been much worse of the two, but Zoom hasn't exactly been scaring anyone either.

Leyland to his word...er...nevermind. He said he wouldn't throw them right into the fire for their first appearances, yet both were thrown to the wolves in their initial appearances and failed miserably.

Rodney is walking guys like he never saw a strike zone before. Zoom does seem to have kept a lot of his velocity though. The couple times I have seen him out there he has hit the upper 90s, which is pretty encouraging considering that he hurt is pitching shoulder and there were doubts he could ever come close to triple digits again.

At least we are done with the west coast and the California wines for a bit. Hopefully these guys get some form back because if they are anything like they were in 2006, this team just got a whole lot better.

Crazy NBA Trade Rumors

After the Detroit Pistons washed out of the ECF and failed to make it to the Finals again for the 4th straight year, Joe Dumars has stated that everyone is on the block, except for Rodney Stuckey. A kid that probably still needs acne treatments is the only safe bet to stay with the team for next year and become a fixture.

So...what kind of crazy rumors are going around. I only wrote this post because I heard one that was ridunculous.

The Suns and a number of other teams are talking to the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Nets about trading up in (or out of) the draft... The Wolves seem especially ready to make a deal if Michael Beasley isn't on the board at No. 3. This is all preceded by rumors that Chad Ford has heard saying that the Suns want to find a starting small forward and bring Grant Hill off the bench, and then lists several players that are available, Tayshaun Prince being one of those players.

But with the Suns dangling Barbosa, Diaw and the 15th overall pick, there would not be much interest from Dumars. Other players listed are Josh Howard, Richard Jefferson and Gerald Wallace. Mr. Ford goes through the reasons why there are problems with the Suns ability to acquire any of those players. But let's take the column as a whole and see if there is something that can be worked out to the benefit of everyone.

With the Wolves looking to trade down from the third overall pick, the Knicks wanting to trade Zach Randolph for cap relief, the Suns putting Diaw, Barbosa, and the 15th overall pick as trade bait, Joe Dumars saying his whole roster is in play(sans Rodney Stuckey), the Bobcats holding the 9th overall pick and Gerald Wallace as tradable assets and the Mavericks putting Josh Howard on the block, there seems to be the making of a massive trade that could work out for all of those teams.

In a scenario that works, the Timber Wolves could end up with the 6th overall pick from New York, a future first from the Mavericks and their second round pick from the Pistons returned(Ronald Dupree trade), the Knicks get Jason Maxiell, Rasheed Wallace and the 29th overall pick from the Pistons, the Suns get Tayshaun Prince, the Bobcats get Josh Howard and the 15th overall pick, the Mavericks get Diaw, Barbosa and the 3rd overall pick and the Pistons get Gerald Wallace, Zach Randolph and the 9th overall pick.

There would have to be additional players involved as cap fillers, but it's a deal that works for everyone involved. Based on the information that Chad Ford gives in his Insider piece, there could be some big trades during the draft, and finalized in July. This is just one of the many possible scenarios that could occur.

Ummm...so what it boils down to is the Pistons trade Sheed, Max, and Tay for Gerald Wallace, Zach Randolph, and the #9 overall pick in a trade that features every team in the NBA. Riiiiiiight.

Detroit Tigers Are Better Than Your Team

Tigers are finally showing that they are a team to be reckoned with. They have won 8 of their last 9 and 6 in a row. Starting pitching has been solid and the hitting has been,well at least formidable. This is a comeback story that children's book are about. Yup...the Tigers are going to win the next 50 games in a row. Miguel Cabrera will average 2 HRs and 4 RBI in each of those games.

Justin Verlander will now pitch a no hitter for the next 10 starts. He may give up a hit in the 10th game, but I would be shocked. His K/9 will be 15 with an ERA and WHIP of 0.00.

Magglio will hit .450 for the remainder of the season and produce at minimum 140 more RBIs. You heard it here first.

Tigers will win the division by 41 games.