CHICAGO – Phones may be ringing across Chicago after the Chicago Cubs Opening Day 16-5 loss in Atlanta yesterday. “The Cubs are horrible.” “Zambrano is awful.” “We were robbed by that call — we need replay.”Well, two out of three of those comments might be correct and some may say all three are correct.

The Cubs scored three runs on a Marlon Byrd home run in the top of the first, but Zambrano was not on his game. The Cubs No.1 starter gave up six runs in the bottom of the first, three on a three-run home run by rookie Jason Heyward in his first at bat.

In all, Zambrano was rocked for a total of eight runs before being yanked in the second inning. It was the earliest exit for Zambrano in his career. While his pitching was far from perfect, there were a couple of times when defense was lacking as well.

Z didn’t handle the pressure of an Opening Day start on the road and has toned down his fiery temper, at least in front of the cameras. Regardless, the fans cannot point the finger only at Z. The Cubs as a team totally fell apart in the 6th inning after a blown call by umpire Marvin Hudson on a Byrd fly to center was called out.

Replays showed the call by Hudson incorrect, supplying more ammo for those who are calling for instant replays to have a greater role in Major League Baseball.

“Replays support the #cubs in bad call in 6th on what should’ve been a hit for Marlon Byrd. Ramirez was doubled off,” Tweeted Cubs MLB beat writer Carrie Muskat.

“Absolute BS. Yet another reason replay MUST be adopted. #Cubs got screwed,” Tweeted Bleedcubbieblue.

Even Lou Piniella wasn’t on his game today. He did come out to challenge that call in the sixth, as he should have, but the fiery Lou that Cubs fans expected never materialized — even after the umpires had a meeting and refused to overturn the original call.

If this is a glimpse of things to come for the season, it will be a long season. The Cubs need to get over this game and Lou needs to show he’s really in it. If the skipper of the team loses his fire, it may trickle down the ranks and this season will be another very long one for Cubs fans.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Jason Heyward who is considered to be the No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball for the 2010 season is making a big impression in the Atlanta Braves organization as well several vehicles parked in and around the Kissimmee stadium they call home during spring training.

During a recent batting practice, Heyward damaged a Coca-Cola delivery truck then later sent another ball out of the park that smashed the sunroof of Assistant GM Bruce Mannos’ car. That ball is said to have caused $3,400 dollars damage to the vehicle but Manno handled it well saying “If I knew what happened to the ball, I would have Jason sign it.”

Heyward who stands 6’5″ and weighs a stout 245 pounds was selected 14th overall by the Braves in the 2007 draft and the then 17-year-old signed a reported $1.7 million dollar deal.

After being assigned to the Gulf Coast and Appalachian minor league system he hit a combined .302 with one home run and 6 RBI’S in 12 games. In 2008 he had a strong showing and over the course of 127 games he hit .316 with 11 HR’S 52 RBI’S scored 91 runs and even stole 15 bases.

This spring training, Heyward’s power is drawing a lot of attention and gives him a shot at earning the starting spot in right field. ” I just try to hit the ball hard, I’ve got a big frame and I guess that’s what does it.” said Heyward.

Like many others in the Braves’ clubhouse, teammate Eric Hinske is impressed. “[Heyward] is all he’s made up to be. He has got a unique sound when the ball comes off his bat, and he can hit the ball really far”.

Braves manager Bobby Cox who is in his final season as the skipper for the Braves has high hopes that he will have Heyward on the 40 man roster in this his last season.

Heyward started last season at single A Myrtle Beach team but ended at AAA Gwinnett playing in 99 games hitting .323with 17 HRs, 63 RBIs and 69 runs scored.

Expected to be in the line-up sometime this season, local Braves fans may want to update their car insurance when Heyward brings his large frame and big swing to Atlanta.

LAKELAND, Fla. – It’s finally official; Johnny Damon is a Detroit Tiger.

After reports first surfaced this weekend on SI.com on Saturday night that Damon had signed a one year deal for approximately $8 million with the Detroit Tigers pending a physical, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com that “significant progress” had been made in talks with Damon but he could not confirm a signing.

Today, in a press conference held at the Tigers’ spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida, Damon was officially presented as the newest Tiger.

The 36-year-old outfielder has an impressive resume that includes being a part of two World Series winning teams, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

A two-time American League All-Star, Damon hit 24 home runs and drove in 82 runs for the Yankees last year and since 2007 has batted .325 at Comerica Park.

Over the past couple of weeks, rumors were flying that the Atlanta Braves had thrown a hat into the ring along with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. Both Atlanta and Detroit hold spring training in Florida near Damon’s Orlando area home so they were the front-runners when the bidding began.

According to MLB.com reports, when the Braves learned Damon was interested in the team, he was offered a one year contract that included deferred funds. However, according to one MLB.com report, the Braves made the offer “with an understanding that they would likely be outbid by the Tigers or another Major League club.”

Other reports surfaced that Damon’s wife wanted to go to Chicago. During today’s press conference when Damon was introduced and given a Detroit Tigers No. 18 uniform, he said repeatedly that Detroit was where he and his family wanted to be.

He also warned that talk that his wife did not want to go to Detroit was untrue and that if the quotes did not come directly from him or his wife, then they probably were not true.

“This is where I wanted to be. Detroit is the team I wanted to play with. It finally worked out, “said Damon.

In addition to writing her Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com, Miriam Romain has been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is a contributor to SportsClimax.com . She is also writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax™

Previously published in The Sunday Paper – Atlanta November 16, 2008

ATLANTA, GA. – There’s a buzz around the ATL, and it’s gaining momentum by the minute. For some it’s a cure for the stress brought on by billion-dollar bailouts, drawn-out wars, historic home foreclosure rates, the threat of recession. This fix comes in the form of two birds: Hawks and Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-0 at the Georgia Dome, 6-3 overall) and Atlanta Hawks (6-1 as The Sunday Paper went to press on Thursday) both sprinted out of the gate with ferocious starts in 2008, and are putting Atlanta back on the sports map. The Hawks are enjoying their best start since 1997.

And after underachieving seasons by both the Braves and Thrashers, the timing couldn’t be better.

For years, sports fans have leaned on their teams to provide an escape from the pressures of everyday life. When those teams are winning, it helps pull the city and fans out of their funks.

Detroit is a perfect example. The Motor City holds the crown for most troubling economy and severe collapse in real estate values. But when their Red Wings or Pistons take home a crown, millions take to the streets to celebrate, leaving their troubles locked up at home (if it hasn’t been taken by the bank yet).

That’s what Atlanta is experiencing right now. In the coffeehouses and on the streets of this city, sports chatter is picking up steam. Spirits are being lifted.

“The sports bars have been packed with local fans,” says Vinings resident Megan Harpring. Megan is no stranger to sports-she played basketball at Georgia Tech, and her brother plays for the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

“It’s filling everyone’s lives with something positive, something exciting,” she continues. “The success of the Falcons-it’s a motivator. We’re getting excited about the next game, the next weekend.”

Lawrenceville resident Derek Wheeler, another avid sports fan who played baseball for UGA, attended the Falcons’ miraculous last-second comeback against the Bears this year at the Dome and the Hawks’ Game 6 win against the Celtics last season. He is thrilled with his local teams. “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?” he says. “I never would have thought the Falcons would have a year like this. And the Hawks-last year wasn’t a fluke at all.”

DOOM AND GLOOM

This aura of excitement stands in sharp relief to the dark clouds that have hovered over the city in the recent past.

When Atlanta’s All-Pro quarterback Michael Vick was sent off to live behind bars, doom and gloom set in for the city’s sports fans. And it only got worse. Their star player in shackles, their team a laughingstock, their head coach Bobby Petrino snuck out of town in the dead of night with his tail between his legs. Many of the Falcons’ star players abandoned ship or were traded away for pennies on the dollar.

A lot has changed since then. The Falcons, under the leadership of rookie general manager Thomas Dimitroff, rookie head coach Mike Smith and rookie-of-the-year candidate Matt Ryan at quarterback, continue to find ways to overcome their underdog status and win games.

No longer are fans wondering whether the Falcons have what it takes. The new questions on the street are: “Michael who?” “Bobby who?”

The NFL is certainly taking notice of the new Falcons. The league pushed the Nov. 23 Falcons/Panthers kickoff to 4:15 p.m. and upgraded the matchup to a national game. “I think that … is confirmation that we are doing things right,” Coach Smith said during a press conference last week.

The 23-year-old Ryan, fresh out of Boston College, has replaced Vick in the hearts and minds of Falcon fans and the general public. Vick is still listed as “suspended” on the Falcons’ team roster, but most expect him to be officially released soon after he swaps his prison garb for civilian clothes sometime next year.

At the Falcons’ side are the overachieving Atlanta Hawks, led by All-Star Joe Johnson, who always manages to shine while coasting under the NBA radar.

The Hawks’ performance in last year’s NBA playoff series against the heavily favored Boston Celtics brought life back to the lackluster franchise. Those young, inexperienced Hawks were expected to be swept off the planet in four merciless games. But they refused to go down without a fight, taking the Celtics (who eventually took the championship) to seven games.

Seven games into the 2008-09 season (at press time), the Hawks are continuing where they left off. Before Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics, they were the only unbeaten team in the entire Eastern Conference-that’s right, a hotter start than the Celtics, Pistons or Cavaliers. The 2009 NBA All-Star ballot includes five Hawks: Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, Al Horford and Marvin Williams.

HOMETOWN HEROES

Local sports-talk radio programs have been bombarded with excited callers, heaping praise on the Hawks with comments like “They’re playing with passion” and “it’s awesome to watch.”

As Christopher Rude, co-host of the “Rude Awakening” morning show on 680 the Fan, put it: “Sports fans in Atlanta are guardedly optimistic.”

Marc Stein’s Week Two NBA power rankings on ESPN.com had the Hawks ranked fifth out of 30 teams in the league. “Atlanta has deservedly gate-crashed the top five with its first 5-0 start in a decade,” Stein wrote last week.

Considering that both teams’ rosters were recently stuffed with unknowns and rookies who were considered fortunate to be wearing pro uniforms, the fact that they’ve both stepped up and are quickly making names for themselves while returning a sense of pride to Atlanta fans seems nothing less than incredible.

I was at Ryan’s first game against the Detroit Lions, and witnessed his first NFL pass in front of his new hometown fans. The ball was snatched up by Michael Jenkins, who galloped 62 yards into the end zone. Last weekend against the New Orleans Saints, 22-year-old rookie Chevis Jackson intercepted a Drew Brees pass and raced 95 yards for a TD with 1:17 left to play, sealing another victory for the Falcons at the Dome.

Plays like these are like paper shredders, taking the heart-wrenching negative headlines we’ve been force-fed all week and slicing them to ribbons-at least for a moment.

We all need heroes. The larger-than-life champions in summer action films sweep us away from the doldrums of our current realities. And young, enthusiastic athletes like Matt Ryan and Al Horford, and men like Joe Johnson and John Abraham-guys who show up every day and play their hearts out, determined to overcome adversity-are doing the same.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Previously published in The Detroit Free Press and Baseball Digest on May 28, 2008.

ATLANTA – The last time Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox said, “This kid can pitch, he’ll be around here for a while.” he wasn’t kidding. The year was 1988, Cox was the GM for the Braves and the “kid” he was referring to was John Smoltz, a young, hard-throwing pitcher who had just been obtained in a trade with the Tigers.

Since then, Smoltz, who still pitches for the Braves, has blossomed into a sure Hall of Famer, posting 210 wins, 154saves and over 3,000 strike outs.

In May, 2008 as manager of the Braves, Cox made a similar statement, “This kid can pitch, he’s gonna’ be a good one”. This time the “kid” Cox is referring to is another acquisition from the Tigers, 22 year-old starting pitcher, Jair Jurrjens. After eleven starts this year, the rookie pitching phenomenon, is taking the National League by storm.

After being part of an unpopular trade that sent hometown favorite, Edgar Renteria to the Tigers, Jurrjens is now being referred to as the most impressive rookie pitcher the Braves have had in over a decade.

The Braves were at home on Memorial Day Monday and Cox, again showing confidence in Jurrjens, put the rookie right-hander on the mound against the first-place Diamondbacks and their ace Brandon Webb (9-1). Going into Monday’s game, Jurrjens had a 5-3 record with an impressive 2.64 ERA.

At that time, Jurrjens ERA was 4th best in the league and better than Webb’s (2.69).

Against the Diamondbacks, Jurrjens, out-pitched Webb during the Braves 7-3 win, but was pulled with a 5-3 lead because of a blister developing on his throwing hand, just one out shy of recording his 6th victory of the season.

During his post game interview Monday, Cox said, “Jurrjens pitched incredibly good. He’s a young kid; he’s pitched a ton of good innings for us this year.”

Yes he has and his record should indicate that. In two of his past outings, the rookie walked away with no decision after giving up no runs in one game then only one run in another. It is safe to say both of those outings deserved to be victories as well as Sunday’s game if he were left in for one more out.

Jurrjens record could easily be 8-3 right now which would only rub more salt in the wounds of Tiger fans as they watch their team’s starting pitching staff struggle throughout the year.

Jurrjens who has not given up more than four runs in any of his outings this season, is way ahead of Smoltz’ pace, thus far, as Smoltz struggled his first year as a rookie in 1988 then went on to win 12 games in his second year, posting an ERA of 2.94. Jurrjens’ performance is creating a buzz around Atlanta and talk about the possibility of him taking home the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year award.

While Renteria is having a respectable season hitting .279, the Tigers sit near last place with one of the statistically worst starting pitching staffs in baseball, it’s hard not to notice what contributions Jair Jurrjens could be making for the Tigers at this point of the season.

This season, only one of the Tiger’s starters has more than three wins and with the Tiger starters having ERAs between 4.58 and 6.66, they could use a young right arm like Jurrjens’. While the top four starters for the Tigers have given up at least seven home runs each, Jurrjens has given up just a total of two long balls in his 11 outings.

Many Braves fans hated to see Renteria get traded and were bitter and questioned the move. Over the years, Bobby Cox has shown he has a knack for recognizing talent, and the Braves manager liked the potential he saw in shortstop Yunel Escobar.

When Jurrjens’ name came up in trade talks, he jumped on the opportunity to land the great prospect, even at the expense of Renteria, his all-star shortstop.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Escobar was hitting .310 compared to Renteria’s .279. Both players each had 4 home runs, 4 errors and almost an identical number of RBI’s.

Clearly the Braves have not lost any offense from the transaction and have made a huge gain in their starting rotation. With John Smoltz on the mend from typical aches, pains and injuries of a 40 year-old pitcher and Tom Glavine turning 42 years-old this season, Jurrjens success coupled with the evolution of Escobar is making Braves fans forget about the loss of Edgar Renteria.

With solid starting pitching hard to acquire in Major League Baseball, this trade appears to be an excellent move by the Braves.

Time will tell if the Renteria/Jurrjens trade will haunt the Detroit Tigers and their fans, like the Smoltz trade of the 80’s.

In the meantime, in Atlanta, the team and fans are reaping the rewards.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA – At All-Star break the Atlanta Braves were poised to make a run. Their schedule allowed them a realistic opportunity to create a tight, four-way race in the NL East.

Being in the hunt for a playoff spot would put the Braves in the position most analysts expected them to be in throughout this season. Being in the hunt could also convince Braves GM Frank Wren to stop accepting calls inquiring about a Mark Teixeira trade.

On July 16 with the Braves sitting 6.5 games behind first and the last-place Nationals coming to town, it wasn’t time for the Fat Lady to sing just yet.

A lot has occurred since the Braves laced up their spikes and took the field after All-Star break and most of the news is bleak.

The underachieving Braves lost the first series after break to the overachieving Nats, allowing one of the worst offensive teams in MLB to score 29 runs at Turner Field.

Scurrying out of Atlanta with their tail between their legs, the Braves went on the road where they regrouped and won a three-game series against the division rival Florida Marlins.

Although the Braves lost just one of those games, their biggest loss occurred during their Game 3 win when All-Star third baseman Chipper Jones strained a hamstring hustling to beat out a throw to first base.

Taking the momentum from their road series victory in Florida, the Braves continued on to the City Of Brotherly Love for their much anticipated series against another NL East division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies; a series they would have to play without Jones who was still nursing his hammy.

Citizens Bank Park is known as a hitter’s ballpark and is an intimidating place to take the mound, even for seasoned veterans. That didn’t seem to faze Braves rookie phenomenon Jair Jurrjens who started Game 1 and hurled eight innings of shutout ball, leading his Braves to an 8-2 win for his 10^th victory of the season.

In Game 2, capitalizing on the hitter’s park theory, the Braves scored nine runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 9-3 lead and were primed to win back-to-back road series for the first time all season.

The Phillies had other plans. They answered with seven in the bottom of the fifth to take a 10-9 lead and steal that game from the Braves.

The Braves bats stayed alive for most of that Phillies series. Offensively, they averaged nine runs per game, scoring a total of 27 runs in the three games . . .  but that wasn’t enough; not when your bullpen squandered every lead they are handed.

The Braves blew dominating leads of five and six runs during Game 2 and 3, their bullpen collapsing both times and causing the Braves to surrender the most important series of the year. They were clearly in position to return home in the thick of the NL East playoff race.

Instead, the Braves returned home for seven games against tough opponents, the Cardinals and red-hot Brewers, and will be playing without their All-Star cast.

Brian McCann suffered a concussion during Game 3 from a collision at the plate and is listed game-to-game while Jones and No. 1 starter Tim Hudson were placed on the 15 day DL beginning July 28^th.

This is deflating news. Even the most optimistic should consider throwing in the towel.

There is a window of opportunity in sports and the Braves window is slamming shut. After this past week of blown opportunities, GM Wren is expected to not only answer the phone when it rings, but also place a few calls of his own.

With the deadline looming just hours away, Teixeira should be packing his bags. And as for The Fat Lady . . . it’s time for her to warm up her mic.

Previously published in Baseball Digest on July 15, 2008.ATLANTA, Ga. – It’s the bottom of the 6th inning with two outs and a man on base for the Arizona Diamondbacks who trail the visiting Houston Astros 7-5. Diamondback’s Manager Bob Melvin decides to call on a right-handed pinch hitter.

Houston manager Cecil Cooper makes a trip to the mound and counters Melvin’s move by making a pitching change, bringing in reliever Dave Borkowski to come in to get the important final out of the inning.

The raucous crowd of Diamondback fans at Chase Field rise to their feet as the pinch hitter digs in, staring through Borkowski awaiting the delivery. Borkowski, confident, rears back and fires the ball, challenging the hitter.

The ball is greeted with a solid crack of the bat and the crowd erupts as the ball sails into the right field seats for a two-run pinch hit homer to tie the game. In a matter of seconds, one pitch, one crack of the bat. . . and two runs on the board for the Diamondbacks.

Unusual? This time it was.

The pinch hitter was Micah Owings, a member of the Diamondback’s starting rotation. A pitcher who many believe may be the purest hitting pitcher ever to play the game.

Last year while playing in front of friends and family at Turner Field in his home state, Owings had a record-breaking night at the plate going 4 for 5 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI’s and 4 runs scored while earning the win against the Atlanta Braves. His 11 total bases for a pitcher is a feat that had not been accomplished in nearly 50 years. Those are numbers A Rod would call home about.

Owings went on to hit .333 last season with 20 hits, including 4 home runs, 15 RBI’s and a .683 slugging percentage in 60 at bats. It’s no wonder Bob Melvin felt confident to give Owings the call at a crucial time in that tight game against the Astros earlier this season.

In addition to Owings, baseball fans expect a solid at bat whenever Chicago Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano steps to the plate. At the time this article was written, Zambrano was hitting an astounding .362 this season with 17 hits including a home run, two doubles and a triple.

Zambrano exhibited a solid swing throughout the 2006 season when he belted 6 home runs escalating his major league career total to 13.

Zambrano and Owings have both compiled impressive stats and have proven they are not automatic outs like most other pitchers. When these great hitting pitchers step up to the plate, it seems to turn up the volume of the hometown fans and create uncommon pressure for the guy on the mound, adding a unique element to the game.

Before being traded to the American League where the DH is used, Dontrelle Willis ran up some great numbers at the plate for the Florida Marlins while being placed as high up as 7th in the batting order.

Like Owings, he once hit two home runs in the same game. He did it in 2006, the same year he connected for a grand slam in another contest. During the 2007 season, his final year on the Marlins, he hit .286 with an on-base percentage of .348.

Rick Wise is another member of this elite group. In 1971, the Phillies starter pitched a 4-0 no-hitter against the Reds while hitting two over the fence at Riverfront Stadium. Again in the same year, he added a second two home run game to his record.

Throughout baseball’s long history, other pitchers have evolved into serious threats at the plate. The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a few, like Orel Hershiser who batted .356 in 1993 and Don Drysdale who hit .300 and connected on 7 long balls in 1965.

In recent history, Jason Marquis now pitching for the Cubs accrued some real impressive numbers when he batted .292 in 2004 followed by .310 in 2005; both seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals while winning 28 games as a starter during that same span.

When these great hitting pitchers are in a game, opposing pitchers have the task of studying an additional hitter in the line-up. Today, pitchers have learned not to throw three quick fastballs over the plate to Owings or Zambrano or they may end up on the bad end of an ESPN highlight reel.

When these starters get the call, NL managers Melvin and Lou Piniella have the luxury of having the additional bat in the lineup; like having a DH. In fact, during spring training Melvin used Owings in the DH slot during some inter-league games.

These athletes are MLB’s rare breed of hitters. A strong hitting pitcher adds an exciting element to the game and pumps up the volume when they step to the plate in front of their hometown fans.

Makes some baseball fans wonder, how great is the DH rule?

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

DETROIT – This year, star MLB players are learning there are no guaranteed positions on the rosters. Despite receiving enormous salaries and long-term contracts, All-Star players and fan favorites are being forced to trade in chartered flights and room service at five-star hotels for Greyhound bus rides and overnights at low-budget motels.

Dontrelle Willis, $29,000,000 over three years, discovered that in June when the Detroit Tigers tossed the All-Star left-hander out on his ass and shipped him to their Single A affiliate in Lakeland.

How’s that for a kick in the nuts.

The organization couldn’t even trust the former All-Star at their AAA or AA affiliate.

Willis was booted off the Tiger sqaud after posting a dismal 0-1 record with Detroit over four starts, lasting a total of 11.1 innings. His problem seems to be a major one–he couldn’t throw strikes and walked 21 (almost two per inning average) while posting an ERA of 10.32.

After reporting to sunny Florida, Willis (see his photo in our Sports Mugshots Gallery) and his control problem got even worse. He couldn’t come close to the strike zone in Lakeland while facing teenagers struggling to make it to AA ball.

$29,000,000 over the three years equals $185,897.43. Let’s see . . .  at $10 a pop, the first 18,589 medium Little Caesars pizzas that owner Mike Ilitch sells each week goes into this underachieving flop’s pocket while the rest of us bust our asses trying to make ends meet.

Another victim of demotion is the Atlanta Braves’ Gold Glove winner Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur. After batting a miserable .121 over an 18 game span, Bobby Cox relegated the starting outfielder to AA affiliate Mississippi, the same team Francoeur played for before his MLB debut in 2005.

Over the past two and a half seasons, Francoeur has started 408 games and was settled in as a regular for the Braves until the surprising news came after the Braves lost to the Phillies on Thursday. He was held hitless in four at bats that game, swinging at the first pitch in his last three at bats for routine outs.

Francoeur who hit .293 last year couldn’t hit a watermelon tossed to him underhanded right now. He visited an eye doctor in late June and began wearing a corrective lens in his right eye hoping to break out of his slump but that worked about as good as whatever Willis has tried lately.

After that doctor visit, Frenchy’s performance at the plate got even worse. His average before the corrective lens was .246 and dropped even lower to .234 over the next few weeks.

His mechanics were horribly out of synch during Thursday’s Philly game; so bad that Cox had finally seen enough and immediately after the game, demoted Francoeur.

The Tigers responded to the Willis move that occurred on June 10th by winning 15 out of the next 18 the rest of the month of June.

Talk about putting the fear in the rest of those players! Those remaining guys wearing the “D” in Motown weren’t gonna give up those steak dinners for Denny’s. 

Both of these transactions are justified and they send a strong message . . . get off your ass and produce or don’t let the door hit you in the ass.