OK so maybe the Tigers’ playoff hopes have vanished off the radar, but there has still been plenty to talk about. After sweeping the Twins there was hope, but the Tribe put an end to the dream — still, one has to appreciate that the Tigers actually played many meaningful games in the month of September, which is more than any club from between the mid-1990’s or so and 2004 can say for itself.
- One of the Tigers’ Single-A affiliates, the West Michigan Whitecaps won their league title. They took the deciding game of the Midwest League Championship about a week or so ago. [Detroit Tigers Weblog]
- Curtis Granderson joined Willie Mays and Frank Schulte as the only players in MLB history to post at least 20 homers, 20 triples, 20 doubles, and 20 steals. [Mack Avenue Tigers]
- Justin Verlander is the first MLB pitcher to have at least 17 wins in each of his first two seasons since Dwight Gooden in the mid-1980’s. Jack Morris was the last Tigers pitcher to have 17-win seasons back-to-back. [Beck's Blog]
- After many trips around the roller coaster, veteran closer Todd Jones has tallied his 300th career save by holding on during the ninth inning in one of the games against the Twins. [Tigers.com]
- On Friday, Ivan Rodriguez caught his 2055th game, which tied him with Gary Carter for third on the all-time list. Pudge has two more seasons to go before he can catch Carlton Fisk or Bob Boone at the top of the list, but at age 36, we could certainly see him around for a few more years. Even with lower numbers this year, the Tigers are handcuffed and will likely pick up Pudge’s option to play in 2008. [Tigers.com]
- After it appeared as though he would be shut down for the season, Jeremy Bonderman looks ready to take the mound on Tuesday. I would just feel better if he took the rest of the season off now that the Tigers are out of the playoff race, but if he goes out on a high note, I suppose it would not be a good morale boost for 2008. [Beck's Blog]
- If you want to buy your own seats from Tiger Stadium, or perhaps a urinal, head over to the auction action that’s going down. Bidding action ends on October 13th. Anything unsold by that point will just be tossed aside from what I understand. There are plenty of signs from inside the stadium, though much of the memorobilia is quite expensive, which is to be expected in a niche auction such as this one. [Motown Sports Forum]
- There may finally be a test for HGH in the Major Leagues by 2008. [ESPN]
- Speaking of performance-enhancing, Barry Bonds’ 755 & 756 home run balls have been sold off at auction. Between the two they sold for nearly a million dollars, with 756 being sold to Marc Ecko. Fans can vote on the fate of the ball at Vote 756. I had trouble deciding between blasting the ball into outer space, donating it to the Hall of Fame, or branding it with an asterisk and then sending it to Cooperstown. Voting ends in two days, so cast your e-ballots soon. [Vote 756]
- Barry Bonds is not a happy fellow. He has called Marc Ecko an “idiot” and the San Francisco Giants have just informed him that he will not be asked to return to the team in 2008. Will any other team sign this egoistic poster boy of juice? Time will tell, but he is still a threat in any batting order, so I wager someone makes an offer, though Barry cannot expect anywhere close to the money he made by the bay. [Sports Illustrated]
