Ahhh, September. Arguably the best month of baseball there is. The pretenders have been shorn off and now the division races are clear and coming down to the wire. The mid-tier teams are getting to the point of no return and those weird, bizarre deadline waiver moves are taking place.
Speaking of weird, bizarre deadline waiver moves, Manny Ramirez has found himself a new team, this time in the White Sox. Didn't the White Sox pick up an aging slugger last year, too, in an effort to stay in the thick of the race? Anyone remember how that worked out for them? I do. And while I don't think they'll let the Tigers pass them up this year, I don't think they'll be taking the division from the Twins, or even giving the AL Central its third-straight one-game playoff. Ramirez might give the Sox a little more pop, but if you look around the league, it becomes painfully obvious, as it does every year, that pitching is what gets you in the playoffs and - more importantly - what takes you deep. Just as the Rays or the Padres. So while the Sox picked up a bat, let's give credit where credit is due, to the Minnesota Twins, for picking up a left-handed reliever in Brian Fuentes as they prepare for a playoff series against the Rays or the Yankees depending on how it all shakes out.
In other news, fireballer Stephen Strasburg is undergoing Tommy John surgery after blowing out his elbow. As a Tigers fan, I've watched a reliever - Joel Zumaya - blow out his arm year after year because the primary pitch in his arsenal tops 100 mph. I've read articles lately that mention how unnatural it is to throw a ball overhand with such velocity; the human body isn't built to do that, at least not regularly. Strasburg is a phenomenally exciting player, but even after his debut, I had to wonder if he was built for the long run or not, knowing what I've seen of other high-prospect high-speed pitchers. I hope he makes a triumphant return next year, but to require Tommy John surgery without even completing a whole season, in his first year, well, I can imagine that the Nationals' front office has to be a little nervous about this one, along with the rest of Major League Baseball.
Going back to those wacky deadline moves, I want to take a moment to discuss Johnny Damon. He was claimed by the Boston Red Sox - odd, right, hence the wacky - only to turn them down, as he has a no-trade clause in his contract with the Tigers, allowing him to be the final say in any trade involving him. After turning it down, various columnists in Boston took some affront to the denial, to the point of publicly wondering why someone would choose to live in Detroit when they could live in Boston. Damon retorted to this almost instantly, defending not just the Tigers organization, but the city of Detroit as a whole. As a native who has witnessed the plight of Detroit first-hand, I can't help but applaud Damon for his kind words and spirit. While he has not had the best statistical season this year (which may be the main reason he might no be a Tiger next year...), he has a class act and a clubhouse leader, the type of guy you like to see on your team. So, Johnny Damon, I just wanted to say thank you.
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