My Kingdom For a Prince... Tigers and Rangers Turn in Blockbuster Deal

Not at all like trading a kingdom, but when you get a chance at a title like that, you have to go for it.

Just when you thought baseball news was hitting a lull, two American League teams burst of the scene to save the day.  The Detroit Tigers have traded first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

The Rangers seemed tentative at first, and who could blame them with 7 years and $168 million left on Fielder's contract.  According to Rangers general Manager Jon Daniels, "Both sides were interested and we got the money where both sides could live with it."

A strange way to phrase that, "both sides could live with it."  But with Detroit giving them $30 million of salary relief, it could be worse.  Oh, and their infield is stacked now.

The Rangers will boast one of the most potent infields in the game in 2014.  Prince will man first as he has done in Milwaukee and Detroit, and with Kinsler gone, it will give the Rangers a chance to slot Jurickson Profar as the every day second baseman.  On the left side, the tandem of Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre will continue to goof off and hit bombs swinging from one knee.

And its not like the Tigers are hurting in this deal, either.  While they are giving $30 million to Texas, Kinsler is only owed $62 million, bringing their grand total to $92 million, which Texas pays $138.  The extra funds could set up nicely for say, a Max Scherzer re-signing?

With first base open and a bad hip to worry about, the Tigers will most likely shift two-time defending MVP Miguel Cabrera over to first base, with Kinsler, Jose Iglesias and potential rising star Nick Castellanos rounding out the remaining positions.  So no real question marks for the Tigers on the field, but in the dugout, how will 44-year-old rookie manager Brad Ausmus fare with the perennial postseaon powerhouse Tigers?

Over in Arlington, is this the year manager Ron Washington can finally get the monkey off his back and get that 11th win in October?

Tigers Beat Mariners In 14-Inning Game Featuring 40 Strikeous

Records on records last night in Seattle.  Detroit's Max Scherzer and Seattle's Felix Hernandez took the hill inside Safeco Field last night, and led a pitcher's duel for the ages.

For the first time in Safeco Field history, both starting pitchers struck out 10-plus batters.  For the first time since 2001 -- when the Padres and Giants faced off -- two pitching staffs have combined for 40 strikeouts in one game.  For the first time since 1992, two starters have struck out at least 12 batters and allowed one earned run or less.

For the Tigers, they needed another great pitching performance as their bats struggled again.  They became the first team in MLB history to win back-to-back games despite their batters striking out at least 16 times per game.

The game was a 1-1 tie after the ninth, and bonus baseball lasted until the 14th inning.  The Tigers added a run to take a 2-1 lead, but in the bottom of the inning, the Mariners weren't going quietly.  With Justin Smoak standing on first, Dustin Ackley roped a double down the right field line.  Smoak was attempting to score from first, but an excellent relay got the ball to Tigers back-up catcher Brayan Pena as the Mariners first baseman came barreling in. 

Pena, seen in the video above seemed shaken up by the hit, but held on for the Tigers win.

Red Sox Considering Brennan Boesch?

The Red Sox have signed some interesting names this offseason, but have not found that left-handed outfielder they have been searching for.

Less than three weeks away from Opening Day, the Detroit Tigers have released under-performing left-hander Brennan Boesch, and the Red Sox are among the teams with their eye on him.  The Mets and Yankees have also reportedly shown interest in the 27-year-old.

Boesch would bulk up the outfielding corps with his glove and playoff experience, but his offensive stats from 2012 are lacking: a .240 average with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs in 132 games.

Boesch was on the books for one year at $2.3 million after he avoided arbitration, and the Tigers will only be paying around $390,000 of that whether he signs elsewhere or not.

The Red Sox have signed some other under-performers this offseason like Mike Carp or Jonny Gomes, but maybe they're building up a monster intangibles list?  Its tough to say how this season is going to look whether Boesch signs or not, but if he does, it will be interesting to see where all the players fit in their first years in Boston.

It's Taiwanimation, Cap!

What's better than the Giants winning the World Series?  The Taiwanese Animation video of how things really went down!

It's been a while since I've seen a Taiwanese animation video and like all of the others, this one did not disappoint.  Whoever comes up with these things, thank you.  As always, its a good-natured video, featuring Sergio Romo throwing fastball's with tongues and human bodies and Pablo Sandoval as a literal Kung Fu Panda.  It takes a wrong turn at Alberqueque however when Kung Fu Panda cuts off the tiger head and hangs it next to the Ranger...

And in case you were fact-checking, that quote in the title isn't a real quote.  The actual line is "It's Afghanistanimation, Cap!" from Super Troopers.  Close enough.

The Giants are World Champions Again

For the second time in just three years, the San Francisco Giants are World Champions.

Finishing the season with a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, they ended a seven-game win streak with a championship title.  The Giants outscored the Tigers 16-6 in those four games, with outstanding starting pitching performances from Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain.

I was hunkered down for a great series between these two, predicting the Fall Classic would go at least six games.  The Tigers also featured usually dominant pitchers in Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer, but the baseball gods denied the Tigers yet another title.  Prince Fielder and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera never found their grove, and by the time Cabrera started up -- blasting a two-run bomb in Game 4 -- it was too little, too late.

Pablo Sandoval earned MVP honors, mostly stemming from his record-tying three home run performance in Game 1, not to mention his .500 average.  That NLCS momentum the Giants carried into the World Series was ultimately too much to handle for the Tigers, who had been sitting around after their sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS.

The way the Tigers performed, roaring back -- pun intended -- at the end of the regular season, then stifling a white hot A's team before sweeping the 5-to-1 favorite New York Yankees made them seem like a perfect match-up for the Giants.  Having already stopped a team with that much momentum in Oakland, it was strange to see how they played against another team with the same "advantage."  Any day of the week, if you give me Verlander vs. Zito, my money would be on Verlander.  Cabrera vs. Marco Scutaro? Cabrera, and I'd bet the farm on it.

But now that the World Series is over, we can look back on this postseason for another list of why baseball is the greatest sport under the sun.

Kung-Fu Panda-monium

The Giants took a 1-0 lead over the Tigers in the 2012 World Series Wednesday night thanks to a dominant pitching performance by Barry Zito and the bat of Pablo Sandoval.

The game ended 8-3, with the Tigers getting their last two runs all the way in the ninth after a Jhonny Peralta home run.  The Tigers never had a lead in this game, due to a very rare pitching performance by Justin Verlander.  He went just four innings giving up five runs.  Two of those runs came off of the bat of Sandoval, who homered to center and right in his first two at-bats.

This isn't the first time these two have matched up and Sandoval has come out on top.  The man they call "Kung-Fu Panda" was the one who cracked this year's All-Star Game open in Kansas City, legging out a triple to put the game's first runs on the board.  The National League's win gave the Giants home-field advantage in the Fall Classic, and if you've watched any of the NLCS or World Series games, that advantage is paying off.

Sandoval wasn't done after two home runs, however.  He crushed a third solo shot, his second to straightaway center, that traveled 422 feet.  His three home runs in the World Series was not only a personal accomplishment -- it was the first time he had ever hit three home runs in a game -- but it put him among a very select group of sluggers to do it before him.  Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols are the only other three in MLB history to accomplish this.

Tonight's pitching match-up is still in favor of the Tigers, but the Giants put that to bed last night, so we're in for another great game.  Detroit will go with Doug Fister as the Giants will counter with Madison Bumgarner.  Gametime is 8 p.m. ET.

Giants-Tigers World Series - Where is the Momentum?

The San Francisco Giants completed a three-games-to-one comeback Tuesday night over the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals with a 9-0 Game 7 win.  The Detroit Tigers made quick work of the New York Yankees, sweeping them 4-0 and getting some crucial days off to get their starting pitching staff in order.

The Giants have a full head of steam going into the Fall Classic which starts on Wednesday night when they host the Tigers in San Fran, thanks to the National League's success in the All-Star Game.  Led by the NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro -- who hit .500, averaging two hits a game for all seven games -- the Giants offense put up some big numbers on a proven Cardinals' pitching staff, scoring 15 runs in the last two games of the series.

The Tigers have arguably the most dominant starting pitching in the game, anchored by Justin Verlander.  Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez combined with Verlander and the bullpen to hold the Bronx Bombers to just six runs in four games of the ALCS.  And it doesn't hurt that they have the 3-4 combination of the Triple Crown winning Miguel Cabrera followed by Prince Fielder.

But regardless of what the league's newest bash brothers can do, the Tigers starters have a 1.02 ERA the entire postseason, taking a lot of pressure off of the bats.  The Giants starters put up a 3.88 ERA and have been led by two unlikely heroes in Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong.  Zito has been suspect since he got a seven-year, $126 million contract -- at the time, the largest ever for a pitcher -- but critics have said he earned his keep with the Game 5 win.  Vogelsong is in just his first postseason of his young career, but has a 1.58 ERA in 29.1 innings.

Both teams played all five games in their respective Division Series, and San Francisco played an extra three in the Championship series.  They faced elimination in six straight games, and have fought their way into the World Series.  That's a scary start to look at, especially when those teams were the Cincinnati Reds and the Cardinals.  The Tigers faced a struggling Yankees lineup who did not have the tenacity this Giants order will possess.

It's tough to call a favorite here, really.  I would love for the Tigers to win, since they've come so close but have not won since 1984, and how can you bet against Verlander?  Delmon Young won the ALCS MVP with four game-winning RBI.  It's tough to get more clutch that than, and it doesn't hurt that he hits directly behind Cabrera and Fielder.  The Giants have been a really impressive team, though, doing the little things well and not letting the pressure of the postseason get to them, even those young players.  They won just two years ago, but are they poised to win another?

The San Francisco Giants will win in six of what could be the best baseball games in recent memory.

Unfortunate Order Is Restored to MLB Postseason

The League Championship series have been set with the Tigers taking on the Yankees for the AL crown, and the Giants and Cardinals chasing the pennant in the NL.  All of the headlines entering the postseason have been erased with a very familiar four teams still remaining, taking away from what has been one of the best playoffs in recent years.

The four teams remaining are very capable of playing good baseball, so the games should prove to be just as entertaining.  But think about everything we had heading into October and how it has panned out so far.

The Atlanta Braves made the first Wild Card spot in the NL, hoping to go the distance for third baseman Chipper Jones, in his final season with the club.  Jones earned a World Series ring in 1995, but in a season where he was honored at nearly every park he went to, this would have been the ultimate icing on the cake for a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.  The Braves were bounced after a very questionable call in the Wild Card play-in game to the defending champion Cardinals.

The Oakland A's erased a 13-game deficit from July 1 to take the AL West crown.  A team that hasn't been relevant since 2006 was surging ahead of the Angels and right on the heels of the AL Champion Rangers.  Josh Reddick acting like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Grant Balfour "Ragefest," a pitching staff that impressed time and time again even though the average fan couldn't name more than two members.  They were the ultimate underdog story, the second-coming of Moneyball.  Coco Crisp, Brandon Moss, George Kottaras and Josh Reddick were all former Red Sox players, so that even gave them a little momentum back east.  After a stunning 3-run comeback in Game 4, they got crushed by ace Justin Verlander and the Tigers in Game 5, leaving the craziest fans in baseball sitting at home til next April.

The Baltimore Orioles went 69-93 last season.  In 2012 they flipped it around, coming out of nowhere to finish inches behind the Yankees in the AL East at 93-69.  Oriole Park at Camden Yards has been referred to as Fenway and Yankee Stadium South when those teams visited, with the hometown fans usually getting drowned out by the opposition.  For Game 1 of the Division Series, every seat was filled with an orange shirt waving an orange towel, chanting "Seven Nation Army" like they do across the street at M&T Bank Stadium.  The team hadn't made the postseason since 1997, and with a collection of young talent backed by veterans like Jim Thome you couldn't help but root for them against the Evil Empire.

Finally, the Nationals.  A team that received more criticism than congratulations.  General manager Mike Rizzo made the decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg because of a strict innings count he put on the starter to begin the season, which unnecessarily riled up competing GMs.  Other young stars like Jordan Zimmermann and Bryce Harper mixed with the veterans Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche gave the Baltimore-Washington area more reason to gear up for the postseason.  The Nats had the best record in the league, and blew a 6-0 lead to fall 9-7 to the Cardinals Saturday night, cutting the franchise's first playoff appearance since 1981 short.

Now, baseball is right back where it always has been, where four of the bigger market teams remain.  With the except of 2008, the Yankees have been in the postseason every year since 1995.  The Tigers have a marketing machine in Miguel Cabrera after he won the Triple Crown, and have already finished off the Yankees' season twice since 2006.  The Cardinals have won two World Series since 2006, and are the least interesting team to watch.  As for the Giants, well they're the best of a bad situation in the NL West, and after losing Melky Cabrera to a steroids suspension, they have proved to everyone their offense is still a force to be reckoned with.

Best case scenario is Tigers and Giants in the World Series with the Tigers capturing glory.  The ALCS starts Saturday night at 8 p.m.

Boo-Hoo: Yankees Cry Over Teenager Running on Field

I once played in a club baseball game in college over in Roxbury.  Around the 4th inning, I was standing just outside the first base dugout, when a man spilled into right field.  As the umpire approached him, asking him to leave, the man waved a gun, and at least nine police cars moved in shortly thereafter.  That was scary.  An adolescent male giving Nick Swisher a fist pound? Not scary at all.

But Joe Girardi sat on pins and needles in the dugout while the guy ran around during the ninth inning of the Yankees-Tigers game at Comerica Park.

“That can’t happen,” Girardi said. “People have got to get out there and get it. You worry about your guys. I don’t know what he was doing with Swish, tagging him or whatever he was doing. But I worry.”

Apparently the Yankees took issue with how long it took security to get out there and corral the looney.  I don't blame them, I would've waited til he went over and bitch-slapped Alex Rodriguez across the face.

“Luckily that guy was harmless. But you can’t let a guy run out there for a few minutes and go up to players," Mark Teixeira said.  "Most stadiums are great, and security is on them in seconds. That took way too long. I think they were corralling him. I guess that’s their way of doing it here.”

That's pretty much the way they do it in any circumstance, whether the fan is a drunk guy, or a raging bull.  They'll send out multiple people to corral the vigilante and then someone will take him down.  So thank you, Teixeira, for making a really dumb comment.