Congratulations, Mr. Peralta!

I don't know why, but I was overly excited when I heard the news that Jhonny Peralta would be the Tigers' 5th Allstar. Peralta is hitting .313 with 14 HRs and 50 RBIs this season at SS. He also appeared to lettting the world know that he should have been there as a starter in the first place with an incredible throw to first base in last night's 6-4 win over the Royals.

Its a tale of popularity, solidity, and a history of winning. Winning on a personal level, and the biggest stage in the world. Derek Jeter is a perenial Allstar, well deserved, and his yearly play almost always warrants the pick. But this year I couldn't help but think that part of the voting process had let down true MLB enthusiasts everywhere.

I don't want you think that I'm writing an anti Jeter piece. I'm not. I love Jeter. He's a Michigan native. A great ball player. I remember sitting in Yankee stadium watching him play, and thinking "Wow, I'm watching one of the great Yankees of history!"

So what's the deal?

It drives me completely crazy how the reserves are picked. Yes, I think the coaches and players should decide. Yes, I think the coaches try to get it right. Yes, I think the coaches have jaded views of things, and make the wrong decisions most of the time.

James Shields should be starting the Allstar game, not Josh Beckett. I'm starting to doub that even Justin Verlander would have been the starter if he had been eligible. Perhaps its time for the fans to start voting on Pitchers. I don't know, maybe that would just make things worse.

But back to the Peralta matter. Asdrubal Cabrera is a deserving Allstar SS. But let's face it, he should not have been picked over Peralta. Peralta has been better in the field, and behind the plate. He's an intregal part of a fragile lineup, and he keeps his pieces moving on a nightly basis.

Still even with all the flaws in the process, I am happy with the AL roster, now. Through some help from aging, rotations, and other factors, the roster is in good shape. I'm still not convinced the NL isn't the better league this year, but I think the pieces are in place for a competitive game.

And as far as the bad rotation luck for Verlander, I'm sure he'll be sitting there rooting on his teammates. When is the last time five Tigers made the team? This is a summer to remember for them.

Back to Winning!

Three wins in a row, and the chance for the Tigers to take all 4 games in the series is a great way to launch themselves into the Allstar break. The Royals were the nemesis the Tigers weren't happy to face for the last couple seasons, but they seem to have sent away all those guys that make them tough.

Carlos Guillen returns next week. That could plug up a much needed hole at 2B, and shore up another weak spot in the lineup. Maybe Don Kelly will start playing 3B again, and Leyland will finally bench Inge. Its probably a long shot, but we have to have hope.

Game 3 tonight against KC, 7:10 PM. Furbush vs Hochevar. I'm looking forward to Furbush building on his first start.

Jurrjens wouldn't be an allstar?

I don't agree at all with this, but its worth reading.

Drew Sharp: Jair Jurrjens wouldn't be an All-Star with Tigers

Jurrjens was a rising star with Detroit. He continued his path in Atlanta, and now he's finally broken out. The NL hitters aren't softer than the AL hitters anymore.

Mid Summer Classic?

I can't remember the time I missed a Home Run Derby, or the Celebrity Softball Game. Sure, the derby takes hours to complete, but what's so bad about that? Why do people and organizations always have to feel so rush when it comes to doing business? Have the TV guys put us on such a schedule that we can't retain things that make people smile?

This year's MLB HR Derby will be half the game it use to be. Only four per side will bat. And to top it off, the the line up isn't even that spectacular. The AL has Two Red Sox, a Yankee, and Bautista. The NL has Two Brewers, a Dodger, and a Cardinal. To his defense, Prince Fielder said he wanted to pick some other guys. I'm pretty sure Ortiz only wanted to pick guys who couldn't beat him.

I've never understood why we mess with tradition. I remember when the Slam Dunk contest didn't have do-overs. I remember when the NHL put North American against the World. We hear the media constantly talking about how we need to change this, and change that, yet in the end, the fans are left scratching their heads, and turning off their TVs.

Dear MLB, please stop messing with things that shouldn't be messed with. Put the rotating World Series schedule back. Put the HR derby roster and selection process back. Please air more than just some of the Celebrity Softball Game.

Not bad, Charlie.

Charlie Furbush made his first MLB start last night. He went 4.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs. He had a few K's, and looked better than Coke. He ended up with the loss, and couldn't go far into the game, but I think so far its a successful change. He pitched a tough game against a good Angels team, and he did it on their territory. Nice job, Mr. Furbush!

Please #votevictor!

Justin Verlander has launched a #votevictor campaign on twitter. The same type of campaign that launched a much deserving Alex Avila into the starting line up. You can vote for the final spot as many times as you want. Don't forget to also vote for Shane Victorino, this year's NL matchup on the ballot for the Tigers.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2011/fv/ballot.jsp?tcid=nav_mlb_asgballot-FV-2011

Congratulations, Mr. Avila!

Who would have thought Carl Rove could be topped as the best campaign guy in the world? Just last week, Russell Martin was already planning his speech when he would be officially announced as the AL starting catcher in the mid summer classic. Then came the new campaign sensation Justin Verlander.

A simple concept of #VoteAvila sparked a flurry of tweeting. Verlander gave away autographed memorabilia in return for some help on twitter getting his friend and teammate elected to the allstar team. A few days later, and it was announced that Alex Avila would start.

I must admit, I was completely shocked. I know the power of social networking can spread a good cause far and wide, but I never imagined it could erase a 400,000 vote deficit in a 3 day period. Still, I retweeted and told others about the campaign, and managed to drum up a handful of votes. Apparently there were thousands of others doing the same thing.

Tough Loss, Good Win.

It was miserable night in every regards. Hot, humid, sticky, unpleasant. Then came the thunderstorms that left a few thousand people without power for several hours and more. Max Scherzer had been pitching good this season, but he had one of those nights where even a good pitcher looks back and asks "What happened?!".

Two pieces of ball game with a rain delay wedged in the middle ended in a 15-3 loss for the Tigers. It was the 3rd time in a week that they had given up 14 runs or more in a game. Clearly interleague play needed to end.

Today was a much better day. Porcello bounced back from a bad outings with a quality start. Boesch hit another HR. Ordonez had a key hit. Raburn bailed out Benoit with a diving catch that almost ended with him being impaled by his sunglasses. It was a good win for the Tigers. A must win.

Charlie's First Dance

Charlie Furbush kicks off his MLB starting pitching career in Anaheim on Independence day. I'm personally excited to see how he does. One could say that if he pitches as well as he did the last couple of weeks, he'll be successful. However, we've also learned recently from Phil Coke that guys coming out of the pen don't always make it as a starter.

Furbush has a couple things going for him. He was a starter recently in AAA Toledo, and he's use to pitching more than 2-4 innings. Coke had been a pen guy for a long time. He was good there. Personally, I'm glad he's back there.

Goodbye, Knapp

None of us will ever truly know the reason for the firing of Rick Knapp. We'll read and hear how he had the 3rd highest ERA in the AL under his guidance. But let's face it, he also had a lot of guys who weren't good, weren't ready, and aren't there anymore.

I have to question the wisdom of making such a move in the middle of the season. Its not necessarily the fact that Knapp was fired, but the fact that he was replaced by a long time bullpen coach. If you're putting yourself into a penant race, wouldn't it make more sense to hire a top notch guy outside the organization?

I have a conspiracy theory. It may be completely off the wall, but its worth telling.

Dave Dombrowski has pressure on him to win this season. He picked up some good relief throughout the offseason and the season, but he's not been able to put together a winning rotation. Instead of admitting defeat, he's put pressure on Leyland to make changes, and put the blame for his bad decisions on Knapp.

Again, its probably completely off the wall. Its up there with Inge makes so much, he ordered Kelly benched in his favor. And Raburn has pictures of him committing a large felony, so he gets to play too. Yah. Its all true...

Let's face it. The Tigers need a shake up. Moreso than a pitching coach change. They need a face lift in the rotation, and a bit of an overhaul of the bottom of the line up. Once a rally starts, they end up in the Raburn/Inge black hole, and walk off the field with their heads hung. Its also starting to become an anxious stretch of counting down the days until Verlander pitches again.

So maybe Furbush can plug one hole. Its possible Scherzer will fix his mechanics and get back to wining. Porcello looked great today, but can he keep it up? Then there is the every other game Penny. I guess having a .500 pitcher is fine. Perhaps Kelly will play more at 3B than Inge. I wonder if Rhymes will make another appearance, and Raburn will go down to Toledo to figure out what's going on.

Commodore and White

I was a little surprised when I saw the headlines that Mike Commodore had signed with the Red Wings. I wasn't sure if I should happy, or disappointed. Still, at only $1 million, he'll plug in nicely into the Red Wings system.

Ian White was another surprise, but for completely different reasons. He was a good defenseman in San Jose. He's not a huge goal scorer, but he's a good defender. He's tough, and really, that's what the Red Wings were lacking in the playoffs.

Happy 4th!