I have a solution for Marlins fans!

Hey Marlins fans.
Do you love winning the World Series but hate having to see your favorite players leave?

Well we here at Sully Baseball have the solution:

Root for the Marlins when they have a shot to win, and every other year ROOT FOR THE TIGERS

Detroit seems to be the popular destination of former Marlins

You loved the 1997 team?
Well then your manager, Jim Leyland, is waiting for your cheers in Detroit.

And how about that great finish with Edgar Renteria's single up the middle to clinch the whole thing?






You want to cheer on Edgar and let him know how happy that made you?

Get up to Detroit and give him a standing o.

Who is that on the SI cover holding up Renteria?
Why its former Marlins slugger Gary Sheffield...

Hmmmmm. I wonder where you can see him play these days? I'll give you a hint. It's in Michigan.

The architect of that team was Dave Dombrowski... who is currently calling the shots for Detroit.

You more of a fan of the 2003 team?

Fair enough.


Remember how Pudge Rodriguez got the game winning hit in game 3 against the Giants, held onto the ball to end the series, drove a dagger into the hearts of Cubs fans and celebrated in a silent Yankee Stadium to win his ring?

Guess where HE went?
I'll give you a hint. RoboCop lived there.

Remember how Miguel Cabrera exploded onto the scene in the 2003 playoffs and World Series?

Remember how he looked like the next great MVP candidate?

Well if he is going to win one, it will be in Detroit!



And what about Dontrelle Willis?
Remember how he dazzled everyone, electrified the crowd and did everything the Marlins wanted in the 2003 post season... start, relieve and even hit.

Guess where he is?
Guess!

Actually he is in Lakeland Florida trying to get his act together... but that's not the point.

The point is that by rooting for the Marlins only when they are good and rooting for the Tigers the rest of the time, you can have the World Series experience to go along side with being loyal to your favorite players.

Hey, it's cheaper than building a new park!

This could be going better

GREAT! I love losing the first two after the break!

I love having the Rays overtake the Red Sox!
Thanks for the help Roy Halladay!

And Huston Street! Nice Armando Benitez impersonation against the Yankees.
When you score off of Rivera in the 9th, that should count for a win.

Let's hope tomorrow gives me less suck.

Hey Tigers... SELL

When you are a team that desperately needs to win right out of the post All Star Game gate and you take a 6 run lead before the other team even comes to bat... here's what you should do: WIN THE GAME!

And if you blow that outrageous first inning lead but eventually take a lead into the 9th inning against a non contending team... here's what you should do: WIN THE GAME!

Alas the Tigers did not do that today and a lost to the mediocre Orioles 11-10 in 10.
When Luke Scott homered off of Freddy Dolsi, the Tigers did more than lose the game... they lost any chance of winning in 2008.

Can you imagine the condition of Jim Leyland's lungs?

Yeah I know there is more than 2 months of baseball to make up 8 games in the loss column and neither the first place White Sox nor the second place Twins are powerhouses... but teams that make up ground win games like today.

I admire the fact that the Tigers pushed all the chips to the center of the table with the Cabrera/Willis trade, but guess what? Not every team that pushes the chips to the center wins.

Ask the Mariners about that.

But the Tigers are a mess.
It's beyond the bad 0-7 start. It's beyond being 11 games under .500 in early June.
They've been a solid 24-13 since hitting the low point, yet are going into late July as a sub .500 third place team.

They aren't a playoff team. So take a page from the Billy Beane school of trading and SELL RIGHT NOW!!!!

Bite the bullet, be brave and wave the white flag.
I mean I know it is easy for me to sit in the Silicon Valley, rooting for the Red Sox, and say "Ah the season is done for the Tigers."

And I also know the refrain that will repeated ad nauseum will be "What about the Rockies last year?"

The Rockies run was a once in a lifetime fluke. There's a reason everyone remembers that... it's like the Kirk Gibson homer or the Red Sox beating the Yankees when down 3-0... or Richard Gere actually being good in Chicago.

You just can't count on it.

Take a look at this team.
I know Zumaya and Rodney are back... but can you count on their rotation? And their line up which in the off season looked like a Fantasy Team's dream isn't the consistent force everyone thought it was going to be.

So guess what? The trade deadline is looming and they have three veterans who could fit in with contending clubs.

Trade Edgar Renteria to the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have been playing Nomar Garciaparra at shortstop.
No, that's not a different Nomar Garciaparra.
It's the same dude.

He was great once, but the last time he was an effective shortstop was 2 Red Sox World Championships ago.

I grant you that is a smaller unit of measurement than it used to be, but it smacks of desperation. Maybe the Dodgers will unearth Bill Russell to play short. Either one.

Renteria hasn't been lighting it up in Detroit. Then again he didn't in Boston either. Maybe he's a National League guy.

He's an upgrade at short for a team that despite being 3 games under .500 is only 1 game out.

Trade Gary Sheffield to the Mets


Yeah Sheffield is having a lousy season this year... but he is still an imposing figure in the batters box. The injury to Sheffield's former teammate Moises Alou has led to a revolving door in left. Basically at this point playing left field for the Mets is like Jury Duty. Everyone will be called to do it.

The Mets have righted their ship to a degree but having Sheffield protecting Wright, Beltran and DelGado could go a long way to making Omar Minaya look super smart for firing Willie Randolph.

Besides, it will be fun to see how Sheffield accuses Minaya of racism.

Trade Pudge Rodriguez to the Marlins

Maybe today isn't the best time to propose this since Marlins catcher John Baker homered in today's Marlins win over the Phillies. But catcher is a weak spot... and Pudge has won in Miami before.

And the Marlins have their usual pattern of
- Build up team
- Win out of the blue World Series title
- Tear down team
- Build up team
- Win out of the blue World Series title
- Team down team

Later. Rinse. Repeat.

Maybe with first place within reach they think this could be a "Win out of the blue World Series title" year.

Might be worth a shot for them.


The Dodgers and the Mets are desperate to make a splash and might be able to pry a better prospect than expected from them.

Either way, a good young player for each would help replenish a farm system that took a hit after the Cabrera trade.

But what do Tiger fans think?

How about Ian at Bless You Boys? Do you think the season is dead?

Hey Bilfer at The Detroit Tigers Weblog... are these Tigers really capable of making up more than a week of games?

How about Todd Jones' biggest fans at Roar of the Tigers? Are you thinking that the White Sox and Twins are bound to fall to Earth?

Do the folks at the Mickey Tettleton Memorial Overpass think I am out of line?

Or are you all, along with the Mack Avenue Tigers, already thinking about the Red Wings?

Let me know what you think Tiger fans...
One of these years I'll make it to Comerica Park.
I went to Tiger Stadium back in 1991... may it rest in peace

Nice Job Diamondbacks

The Dodgers tied you guys for first place with their 11th inning win.
But worst of all it insures that the leader of the NL West will have a losing record in late July.

Come on! Make a run!
SOMEONE!

Keep in mind my predictions usually suck

And my prediction that Greg Smith was going to stymie the Yankees was... um... pretty incredibly wrong.

And my mocking of the Richie Sexson signing led to an RBI by Mr. Sexson

That's right... it was MY fault

WHOOPS!

Now that is NOT how to start the post All Star game push for the division.

Nothing like coughing the division lead back at the first opportunity.

Also nothing quite like seeing Clay Buchholz stink up the joint.
I love having our phenoms fall apart.

And meanwhile in Tampa Bay, the immortal Ben Zobrist homered off of AJ Burnett to put the Rays back on top.

Beckett vs. Saunders tomorrow... and these Angels frighten me

Yankee Fans... beware of Greg Smith

The A's just traded Joe Blanton to the Philadelphia Phillies for three guys who will each probably make the All Star team... who will each be traded for three guys who will make the All Star team.

But it leaves the rebuilding A's without a starter for tonight's game with the big bad Yankees.
(Keep in mind the A's are dumping players and the Yankees are adding players... even though the A's have a better record and both teams are 6 games out of first)

So with Billy Beane thinking about the future (and since they are 4 1/2 games behind the fading Rays for the Wild Card, the season is OBVIOUSLY lost) they are without a starter tonight.

Which means someone with the exotic name of Greg Smith will pitch for the A's.
He is a rookie who has never faced the Yankees.

You know what that means?
He is going to throw 7 shutout innings tonight and make people say "How can the vaunted Yankee line up be shut down by Greg Smith?"

Isn't that how it always works?
Isn't there always a young pitcher you've NEVER heard of who pulls it off?

Is it a combination of young adrenaline or is the Yankee line up a smidge overrated?
I mean they are adding Richie Sexson to improve their attack, I guess because they don't have enough DHs.

I hear Steve Bye Bye Balboni is also available.

Actually Smith has pitched pretty well for the A's with a low ERA and a few complete games.
He was one of the players picked up by the A's for Danny Haren... who was picked up from the Cardinals for Mark Mulder.

You see a pattern developing here?

I say final score 5-1, A's.