Tigers Hot Stove Finally Heating?

Reports from my oven say that Carlos Silva and LaTroy Hawkins are on the Tigers' radar. Silva is said to have four contestants in his sweepstakes, Hawkins could have up to five.

So Dombrowski apparently has been doing what we've all been asking of him the last week. Go out and find pitching, young man!

Silva is a right handed starting pitcher that boasted a 4.19 ERA over 33 games last season. He's been a starter since 2004 with the Minnesota Twins, and appears that he's going to continue to pitch at the 4.20ish range. Is he a good fit for the Tigers? Possibly. If the Tigers are serious about Miller being a starting pitcher next year, Silva would have to be plugged in as a number four pitcher or better. He's big and young, and could fill a sizable hole in the Tigers' rotation.

Hawkins is an interesting one of his own. He posted a 2-5 record, blew five saves, but managed to hold 18 and only inflate his ERA to 3.42 in the process. He doesn't walk a lot of guys. Only 16 in 55 innings last season, but he also only had 29 Ks. Truth be told, Hawkins could be a great fit for the Tigers bullpen. He could setup Todd Jones on a consistent basis with success, but I wouldn't count on him to relieve Jones for a night in the closing role. Perhaps Rodney could manage that. Or not.

Silva and Hawkins would each bring a key piece to the puzzle. The Tigers need a bullpen guy, and they need a starter guy. Go get 'em, Dombrowski.

Martz Is Human?

Wow. That's all I have to say. Mike Martz admitted he approached Roy Williams on his own and talked to him. Williams was very frustrated after only catching three balls on thanksgiving against the Packers. My question to the Lions coaching staff is: Who will want the ball more next week? Perhaps they could find a way to run 120 plays, rather than 60, per game, and get everyone 20-25 touches.

Les Miles

LSU Head Coach Les Miles will be sitting down with Bill Martin sometime after this weekend's SEC title game. Miles is considered the front runner to replace the retiring Lloyd Carr as head football coach for the University of Michigan. This job is Les' for the taking. On another twist, there is a scenario where Michigan could face LSU in a bowl game. Now wouldn't that be interesting!

Motor City Bowl

Michigan State should begin lobbying to play in the Motor City Bowl. Yes, the bowl is often considered the lesser bowl for a Big Ten team to go to, but its also a good step for Michigan State's rehabilitation into the winning football world. The positives would be playing near home in front of their fans. This would help get them some face with those who turned their back on them during the John L Smith era. How about CMU for the opponent? I'd buy tickets.