I'm taking a break from the division previews today in light of some news I want to discuss. With luck, the same will happen tomorrow if the NFL lockout is lifted. I intend to finish the division previews over the weekend, however, and if the NFL lockout is indeed lifted, begin some early NFL coverage next week mingled in with trade deadline deals in baseball.
The fall of Brandon Inge.
One of the things that I am most fond of in sports, across all leagues, is when a guy is a career player for one team. Often times, these are our stars - Barry Sanders, Joe Sakic, Derek Jeter, and so on. They're guys that the front office can't afford to let go, because of their skill and because of the public outcry that would follow. That's how the Twins got hamstrung into giving Joe Mauer the richest contract ever for a catcher. Sports are, after all, a business. But that's why it warms my heart a little more when a lesser player spends a career there. A guy like Kris Draper or Jeff Backus. Or Brandon Inge.
Brandon Inge has been a drain on the Tigers this season. But he's also the longest-tenured Tiger and has played his career in Detroit - more than that, he doesn't want to go anywhere else. In light of that, when the Tigers traded a couple Single-A prospects for Royals third basemen Wilson Betemit, and told Brandon Inge he would be waived, a strange thing happened. Inge and his agent spoke and Inge reiterated his desire to remain a Tiger. The organization, also, is fond of him, with owner Mike Illitch even stating his desire that Inge remain with them. So the Tigers offered Inge a minor-league assignment. Inge accepted it.
It's very rare to see a starting player take a minor-league assignment, rather than be waived or traded. On one hand, Inge is a 34-year old third baseman with a career batting average around .234 and this year .177. His struggles are well known this year and the Tigers gave him ample time to figure it out - which he was unable to do. He was the gaping hole in the Tigers' lineup that a division contender cannot afford to have.
To his credit, Brandon Inge understands this. He gets the business side of things and, as the Detroit media is reporting, in his own words, if he were GM, he says he'd have done the same thing. But Inge wants to be a Tiger, loves being a Tiger. And so he goes to Toledo, to play in the minors. And Inge himself says that he'll earn his job and he'll be back.
Brandon Inge is, at the moment, the most polarizing athlete in Detroit. We always have one or two guys that fans are split on, that produce a love-hate relationship among the fanbase. Matthew Stafford's shoulder is a close second, but most of us like the kid and think he'll be just dandy if he can stay healthy (I think he'll be elite if he can stay healthy). And the Red Wings are a pretty solid team, with a goaltender we are comfortable relying on, and there seems to be a certain level of apathy towards the Pistons, who are a mess anyway. So with no one really stoking the fires, it's just Inge that fans are split on. He gives us reasons to love him - his determination and grit, his working man's attitude, his defensive glove, his occasional spurts of exceptional power at the plate. And he gives us reasons to hate him - strikes out too much, tries too hard and makes errors, low batting average. I'm a Brandon Inge fan. I think he fits the Detroit mold well. Athletes who come in with that working man's "I'll earn this job" attitude always tend to win me over. I can always root for them, as I root for Brandon Inge to figure things out and return. Another athlete like that is Kyle Orton, who I think is a fairly talented NFL quarterback who never expects more than he earns. We need more of those guys.
Brandon Inge doesn't need the fanbase to dump on him. He knows the situation and he's been very gracious and accepting of the decisions made. I doubt anything a fan says is any worse than Inge has already thought himself, besides. He isn't clinging to his starting job - or even a bench role - on the Tigers. He's taking his demotion in stride, pledging to figure himself out and return as good as before, all the while staying with the team he loves. Isn't that what sports is about? Isn't that what the best sports stories are about? Isn't this a guy that, love or hate, we should all be rooting for?
Around the MLB -
Boston 4, Baltimore 0 - Andrew Miller made a dominating start for almost-six innings as Jacoby Ellsbury's two solo shots helped power the Sox.
Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 1 - Johnny Cueto's six innings of one-run ball was better than Jeff Karstens offered in this pitchers' duel.
Minnesota 7, Cleveland 5 - Danny Valencia was Mr. Clutch again, with the go-ahead RBIs in the eighth to help the Twins split the series after losing the first two.
Houston 3, Washington 2 - In extra innings, Jason Michaels hit the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh to give the Astros the series win.
Philadelphia 9, Chi. Cubs 1 - Vance Worley continues to be spectacular, throwing eight innings of one-run, four-hit ball, taking his record to 6-1 and his ERA to 2.02.
LA Dodgers 1, San Francisco 0 - Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum participated in this duel, but it was Kershaw's eight shutout innings that dropped the Giants after Lincecum gave up a solo home run.
Oakland 7, Detroit 5 - After a solid first-career start for Tigers rookie Duane Below, the bullpen gave up four runs to let the game slip away.
Toronto 11, Seattle 6 - Brandon Morrow pitched a strong start and every Jays hitter got on base as they routed the Mariners.
NY Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 0 - Freddy Garcia's almost-seven inning shutout start was enough for the Yankees' bullpen to hold as Curtis Granderson provided firepower with a first-inning home run.
San Diego 14, Florida 3 - Ricky Nolasco had a forgettable night for the Marlins, as the Padres recorded 9 hits and 9 runs on him over less than two full innings.
NY Mets 6, St. Louis 5 - It took until the tenth inning for the Mets, when Angel Pagan hit his first career walk-off home run after they had tied it in the eighth.
Kansas City 2, Chi. White Sox 1 - Bruce Chen and John Danks dueled it out in this game, which went into extra innings, until a wild pitch by Sergio Santos brought home the winning run.
Colorado 3, Atlanta 2 - Tied in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Gonzalez laced the walk-off RBI single to lift the Rockies, who hadn't scored since the first.
Milwaukee 5, Arizona 2 - Up 2-0 in the eighth, then tied 2-2 in the tenth, the Brewers bats came out to reclaim the lead for good, putting up 3 runs in the top of the tenth.
LA Angels 9, Texas 8 - Down by five runs, the Angels roared to life in the sixth, savaging Derek Holland for four runs and his replacement for two, securing a lead they held the rest of the game.
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