Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

I pulled this blurb about Curtis Granderson from a Yahoo! Sports article by Matt Ronig. You can find the entire article here.

Whether you call it a “Grand” entrance or a “Grand” opening, or whichever play on words you prefer, Curtis Granderson’s 2005 debut was something to remember. He singled Friday in his first at-bat of the season and hit a game-winning homer Saturday in the opener of a double-header – but both hits were merely a prelude to his breakout performance Sunday. After misplaying a fly ball into a three-base hit early in the game, Granderson hit a two-run triple off the wall in the fifth and blasted a 426-foot homer two innings later to lead the Tigers past Minnesota. The rookie is batting .429 in four games since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

So who is this guy? He was a stranger to most before the weekend, but Baseball America did name him the top prospect in the Detroit organization – ranking the outfielder higher than heralded pitcher Justin Verlander. Through 94 games at the Triple-A level this season, Granderson was batting .297 with 13 homers and 17 stolen bases. According to the Oakland Press, he was brought up to form a center-field platoon with the struggling Nook Logan. That, of course, was before he played an integral role in taking three of four from the Twins. Scouts say the left-handed hitter has the perfect hitting style for Comerica Park and its cavernous outfield gaps. He clearly has more power than Logan and should stick in the lineup if he can top Nook’s .319 on-base percentage. At the very least, AL-only managers should be getting to know this 24-year-old real soon.

My View: It’s nice to see Tiger prospects have impact and none has had a bigger impact lately than Granderson. The guy is a player and I for one am excited about his potential in centerfield at Comerica Park. He has enough offense to be a very capable major league hitter, is solid defensively and dangerous on the basepaths. Look for big things from in the second half as he carries it into a starting spot next season.

I created a group at tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com.

If you want to go up against the Detroit Sports bloggers and show us what you have, please signup.

It’s group name: Detroit Sports Group (id# 20569)
and password: detroit1

Let’s see who’s the best in this year’s March Madness!

Grand Prize: A congratulatory email from Dan Joseph.
Runner-up: The satisfaction of being 2nd best and not having to read an email from Dan Joseph.

Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman pitched to teammates on Saturday and earned strong praise. If you just chopped his head off,” Dmitri Young told the Detroit News, “you could have replaced it with Curt Schilling’s or Roger Clemens’. Same kind of body structure, same demeanor on the mound. I feel sorry for all our opponents. His stuff today was absolutely filthy.” Catcher Vance Wilson added, “He had awesome stuff. You don’t see many guys that young (22) with a bulldog, not-afraid-of-anything attitude. He obviously has what it takes to be an ace, for sure.”

FANBALL’S VIEW

We’re just one of many web sites and publications that believes Bonderman is on the brink of greatness, possibly in the manner of Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, and Jake Peavy. This news only helps generate more excitement about the youngster, and fantasy owners better know his name coming into their drafts and auctions.

SWEET!

Tigers top 10 Fantasy picks for ’05
MLB.com article

If you’re looking to load up on Tigers at your Fantasy draft this spring, and you want to make a serious run at a Fantasy title this fall, here are 10 players you should be targeting. While you probably won’t be able to land everyone on this list, those of you who just can’t live if your roster isn’t full of Tigers should keep these guys in mind:

1. Magglio Ordonez
2. Ivan Rodriguez
3. Alex Sanchez
3(t). Troy Percival
5. Carlos Guillen
6. Dmitri Young
7. Jeremy Bonderman
8. Carlos Pena
9. Ugueth Urbina
10. Omar Infante

Read the entire article featuring stat predictions and more!

My view: I don’t know if I would have Sanchez so high, but those stolen bases can be helpful in certain leagues. I like Guillen to have another strong season, he (along with Pudge and Bonderman) was one of the reasons I had a strong team last season. Those were the three Tigers I carried consistently throughout the year. I had Urbina for a while and Young also, both can help your team as well.

I play alot of fantasy baseball, so I am always reading Fanball.com. Here’s an article about the Tigers signing of rightfielder Magglio Ordonez and the impact he will have on the lineup and the entire team.

Maggs Moving to Motown
Fanball.com article by Ted Carlson

The Tigers made a 29-game leap in 2004, improving from 43-119 to 72-90, and now the club has their eyes on the AL Central crown. On Saturday, the team agreed to a five-year, $75 million deal with free agent outfielder Magglio Ordonez. According to the Associated Press, the contract could be worth up to $105 million over seven years.

The deal could be officially announced as soon as Monday, but neither Tiger officials nor Ordonez’s people have confirmed the deal.

Ordonez, 31, carries a big bat and big injury concerns to Motown. He injured his left knee and calf in a collision with Willie Harris on May 19. He eventually underwent surgery in early June to repair torn cartilage in the knee. After rehab, Ordonez returned to action on July 9, but he developed bone marrow edema and appeared in only 10 more games.

Read the entire article

I have a few teams (yes I am a fanatic), and it seems like they all ran into Priest Holmes this week. There is nothing worse than that. My teams had solid weeks but Holmes blows up and I lose. I guess that’s what makes Fantasy Football fun. Although it would be more fun if I had Holmes on one of my teams.

Two other players that I have on a couple of my teams are in my doghouse.

Matt Hasselback – 4 picks against the Cardinals. He is now officially on my bench.

Reggie Wayne – Fighting with Manning will either hurt or help. My guess is hurt.

Any of you guys have some fun fantasy football stories, post them here.