First I would like to say a big welcome to the big new additions to the blog. I am very happy they decided to jump on board.

Secondly, I actually got called "pessimistic" about the Tigers today. Really?

Detroit fans are some of the most fickle fans in the world. Get one game over .500 and suddenly everybody is ready for the playoffs.

Personally, I don't think that I am "pessimistic" at all. Instead, I am just "tentatively hopeful." We witnessed a solid month of great baseball, but, the truth is, we didn't really beat anybody any good other than the White Sox. Beating up on the National League is nothing to be overly optimistic about. Sweeping the Rockies is nothing to run out and buy playoff tickets over.

Instead, now is the time for the Tigers to prove they are the team we expected. We have a big series with the Twins starting tonight. Start winning series consistently against American League teams and maybe I will hop on the bandwagon for good.

By no means am I saying you shouldn't be excited about the Tigers recent winning streak. Instead, I am telling you my position and telling you Im not pessimistic just for being hesitant.

I want the Tigers to prove they are the team who wins series and plays 6-700 ball (the team we all expected), against tough American League opponents.

Then, maybe, I'll give them props.

But, I won't be patting any Tigers on the back for beating teams they should beat.

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Hey my name is Brian Demoray. For those of you who know me or don't know me I hope to fill your mind with a bunch of sports opinions (as if the ones on ESPN and whatever local radio show you support aren't enough.)

Because I really enjoy the Jim Rome show I want to rip off something from his show and encorporate it into this blog. That is a sponsor to every entry I make. Now unfortunately we here at Put it in Stone are not currently paid by any sponsor so I am going to give us one. This will be something that I find horribly annoying or something I really dislike...for a good reason or for no good reason at all.

So todays blog is unofficially brought to you by...my annoyance with the T9 function on cell phones; seriously it does make texting a bit faster on all non smart phones but really...hasn't tecnology come far enough to figure out some better word recognition???

The first topic that is actually sports related that I wish to dalve into is the NBA draft for the Pistons, or should i say the D league draft for the Pistons. As I sat on my couch and wasted 3 full hours of my life last thursday I got to witness the genious that is Joe Dumars. My annoyance/shock at Joe Ds actions is solely surrounded by him not making any attempt to get either Darrel Aurthur or Chris Douglas-Roberts.

Lets set the table. The Pistons had an awesome regular season and ended up with the 29th draft spot overall...second to last in the first round. Even though this draft was quite deep with talented players, drafting someone at #29 is ALWAYS a reach. Darrel Aurthur (the #9 player overall according to Jay Bilas) started to free fall similar to our good friend Brady Quinn because of an undisclosed kidney problem only found by certain NBA franchises. Now I know he ended up going 2 spots ahead of where we were sitting in the draft but Seattle ended up getting his rights from New Orleans for CASH CONSIDERATIONS! Seriously Joe D...the Stones need athleticism at any spot on the floor, and in my opinion, the most at the 3 spot. This guy free falls and you can't offer anything better to the Hornets than cash considerations???

Well since Aurthur was gone Joe D actually made an intelligent move and opted out of the first round as to not have to give a guaranteed contract. So with our first pick we take...Walter Sharpe??? Hello Narcoleptic/drive by victim. Chris Douglas-Roberts, still available and still freakishly athletic, passes us by.

So what do the Stones end up with??? A possible D league starter and some other players that are just going to be shipped over seas to try to get better. Congrats at a sucsessful draft!

I sure hope this draft means that Joe D is certain to land a super star either this year...or possibly next year to make a run at LeBron or Dwight Howard.

As for next basketball season...expect a decent regular season with a bunch more crushed hopes in the playoffs given the Stones current situation.

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Hello all, David Vriesman here bursting on the scene like Tyson Gay at the Olympic Trials. Hopefully the end result isn't the same. . . .
I guess I didn't pick the best time of year to begin assaulting your senses with my ridiculous views on the world of sports considering the Red Wings are all drunk at home off of victory and whatever polish from the Cup slipped into their (obviously) Canadian beer, the Lions are at home peeing their Depends undergarments wondering how many more games they will lose before they are shipped off to the Northwest Territories, and the Joe D. is fielding more calls than a Saigon whore.
Nonetheless, I wanted to bask in the glow of the Red Wings for awhile, especially since as soon as the Cup is hoisted we immediately begin thinking of "next year" and our hopes of dominating the competition once again. The re-emergence of Chris Osgood, Dallas Drake's first Cup, a Swede as the first European captain to win it all, McCarty's amazing comeback, and Zetterberg's overall dominance of the sport make me as giddy as a male janitor working in an all girls Catholic school.
Nothing made me happier than Zetterberg raising the Conn Smythe trophy as Sidney Crosby, Don Cherry, and Barry Melrose had to look on in anguish as the actual savior of the NHL was coronated. Looks like those Europeans can play pretty well too AYE?

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You may remember that I said Gary Sheffield needs to be booed during Gary's slump before going on the Disabled List.

Well now he is back, hit a home run, and tonight went 4-5 with the game winning RBI.

And do you know why? BECAUSE I BOOED HIM LIKE CRAZY on Tuesday.

I was sitting 9 rows back, just ripping into Gary. Booing him, asking him how much Sheff/chef hats were going for on Ebay, and, of course, screaming for Ryan Raburn to pinch hit for him. And what did Gary do? He hit a home run in my face. Everyone around me was point at me and laughing. One lady even told me "Now, say your sorry."

As if I cared. All I was doing was proving my point. I got in Gary's head.

So yeah, I will take credit for the recent good play of Gary Sheffield. He can prove me wrong with every base hit if he wants. But I really believe I got a little in his head.

Gary could carry this team if he wanted to. We need him to get hot now more than ever.

UPDATE: HA! FSN just interviewed Gary and they asked him a question about the fans. He responded, "yeah i heard that they were getting on me a little bit, but if I play well, they will come around." Clearly he is talking about me :)

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Considering this is Probably Kenny Roger's last year and no one really knows what to expect from Dontrelle Willis, I might as well bring it up right? Should Joel Zumaya be a starter?

2008 is also likely Todd Jones last year as a Tiger as well. It was basically a done deal for Zumaya to become the closer, that was until he went dirt biking... I mean helped move his family during the San Diego fires. But, now with the emergence of Freddie Dolsi, could he become the closer instead of Zumaya.

Dolsi is not as electric as Zumaya, and they could certainly be a nice combo at the end of games, but I think the question needs to be asked, Should Zumaya be a starter?

(For your information, the "It worked for Joba Chamberlain argument will never appear in this blog other than now to dismiss it).

If you all remember in 2005, Zumaya started the Futures game in Toledo as a starter. He was drafted as a starter, and expected to be a starter in this organization. He didn't used to throw 100 MPH, that change only happened when he knew he would only be throwing one inning.

So yeah, it has been 3 years since he has been a starter and he might not have the same stuff. But, he has starter stuff. He throws an above average fastball and breaking ball. And as a nice compliment he throws a decent change up. 3 solid pitches. Plus he is young, he could easily be stretched out to be a stater again.

But, Zumaya is that guy who everybody loves to come into the game. When his music gets blasted the crowd loves it. The crowd also loves to look at the radar gun after every pitch. He sells tickets and is very effective in the 7th or 8th inning.

But here is the kicker. The Tigers took a ton of relievers in the draft this year. It may be need based, and considering they have a weak bullpen as is. But, it could be a reaction to trying to make Zoom a starter again.

Dolsi has been a nice surprise. Could he be the starter? Leyland has already expressed that he could. So is Zoom destined to be an 8th inning guy forever? Lets not forget he will probably command a lot of money some day. If he was a starter it would be justifiable, but maybe not for a guy to throw 12 pitches every other game.

Here is what I think. If Rodney proves to be a reliable reliever again, stretch Zoom out. If not, you are locked into keeping Zoom in the back end of that bullpen. The same reasoning surrounds Dolsi, he needs to prove he can consistently get major league players out. Last night he blew the game for us, but he has been solid for the most part since coming up.

Zoom was a very promising starter, who says he couldn't be again?

Porchello is still probably a year away from the majors. Dontrelle is... yeah. So who is gonna fill that 5th starter? Seems like the easiest option's last name starts with a Z.

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I hate the Major league all star game. I really do.

I know, the last two years they have been decent games, and especially relevant to Tigers fans. In 2006, we jokingly watched the game hoping for an American League victory because the Tigers were actually relevant for the first time in years. Little did we know that victory would assure us home field advantage, which later proved meaningless. As for last year, we had 4 all star starters.

But, seriously, what a bunch of crap this game is. Why? Because All Star Starters are picked by the fans. STUPID!

Lets take a look at the latest fan vote:

AL:

RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Youkilis, K.	Red Sox	1,482,011
2.	Morneau, J.	Twins	1,214,603
3.	Giambi, J.	Yankees	828,891
4.	Pena, C.	Rays	455,233
5.	Konerko, P.	White Sox	435,176
Second Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Pedroia, D.	Red Sox	1,286,962
2.	Kinsler, I.	Rangers	1,120,439
3.	Cano, R.	Yankees	830,116
4.	Polanco, P.	Tigers	551,180
5.	Roberts, B.	Orioles	360,545
Third base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Rodriguez, A.	Yankees	1,940,827
2.	Lowell, M.	Red Sox	981,648
3.	Crede, J.	White Sox	597,621
4.	Cabrera, M.	Tigers	567,213
5.	Blalock, H.	Rangers	363,051
Shortstop
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Jeter, D.	Yankees	1,988,251
2.	Young, M.	Rangers	1,140,258
3.	Renteria, E.	Tigers	557,951
4.	Lugo, J.	Red Sox	466,498
5.	Cabrera, O.	White Sox	443,175
Catcher
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Mauer, J.	Twins	1,178,630
2.	Varitek, J.	Red Sox	1,133,855
3.	Rodriguez, I.	Tigers	819,694
4.	Posada, J.	Yankees	771,625
5.	Pierzynski, A.J.	White Sox	470,795
Designated hitter
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Ortiz, D.	Red Sox	1,982,786
2.	Matsui, H.	Yankees	1,207,892
3.	Thome, J.	White Sox	675,775
4.	Catalanotto, F.	Rangers	437,091
5.	Sheffield, G.	Tigers	303,058
Outfield
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1.	Ramirez, M.	Red Sox	1,917,207
2.	Hamilton, J.	Rangers	1,791,623
3.	Suzuki, I.	Mariners	1,120,279
4.	Guerrero, V.	Angels	933,191
5.	Abreu, B.	Yankees	908,935
6.	Damon, J.	Yankees	829,114
7.	Bradley, M.	Rangers	801,708
8.	Drew, J.D.	Red Sox	774,112
9.	Ordonez, M.	Tigers	746,144
10.	Cabrera, M.	Yankees	708,463
11.	Hunter, T.	Angels	645,673
12.	Sizemore, G.	Indians	634,553
13.	Crisp, C.	Red Sox	547,717
14.	Crawford, C.	Rays	534,690
15.	Upton, B.J.	Rays	466,951

Oh my goodness. A Red Sox is starting in 4 almost 5 spots. And the Yankees left side of the infield is gonna make it?!? SHOCKING!!!

The real question is how the heck did Julio Lugo get 466,498 votes and Why isn’t Carlos Quentien even in the top 15??? Oh wait, it's because fans can't vote for him!!! Just like Curtis Granderson last year.... uhhh....

Fans are dumb. They vote for their home team. I bet many members of the “Red Sox Nation” have no idea who Josh Hamilton is. Or at least didn’t find out until they read their late May addition of Sports Illustrated.

Fan vote is not at all representative of who should start. So here is my suggestion:

Keep letting fans vote, BUT, instead offset fan stupidity and homerism by making statistics worth 50% of the determination factor of who should start. Come up with some probably simple formula that takes into account, OBP, RBI, HR, Errors, and hits. Would it really be that hard? Here I’ll even give you a suggestion. Do it exactly the same way that rotisserie fantasy baseball leagues do it. Come up with the 135 guys in each league who start on their respective teams. A guy is leading the league in Home runs? Give him 135 points. Second place: 134, and so on. It may lead to some obscure results which is why the fan vote is just as important.

Look, I heard your argument that the All Star Game is all about the fans. ITS NOT! Do you really think that players aren't honored to be playing in that game? Quienten is an MVP candidate and might only make it because of that crappy "One More Guy" fan vote. Also, the All Star game is a fairly important game to play. It determines home field advantage for the most important series of the entire year!!!

You'll probably also say that I am only writing this because only 1 Tiger is likely to make the team. It's not. My argument says let the ones with the best stats start. No Tiger would get it based on that, which is completely opposed to last year when Polonco, Ordonez, Granderson, and Verlander all deserved to be there on stats alone.

So please MLB, make the All Star game about who deserves to be there, not Yankees and Red Sox vs. the Cubs and Ken Griffey Jr

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I am happy to announce that Put it in Stone is growing!

The blog now has 2 more writers! And as a result of growing content, we will be growing in coverage as well. So far I have tried to focus mostly on the Detroit/Michigan market. Now, we are going to try and expand to cover a more national market. Of course, my bias and majority of posts will probably still favor my local area, hopefully this will accommodate more readers interests.

Also, it will be good because more posts will be coming at ya. Especially when I get busy and neglect the blog...

So anyway, I hope you enjoy the additions, should be interesting to see more opinions than just mine hopefully. I won't be introducing the new writers, I'll let them do that themselves.

So anyway, announcement over. Read below to see why I hate Chuck Hernandez.

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I am a little surprised I have over looked this so far. I am also surprised no one has said anything about it to me either. Does the Tigers' struggles so far this year have anything to do with Chuck Hernandez?

Chuck Hernandez, the pitching coach for the Tigers, is the same pitching coach who got fired from the Tampa Bay (then Devil) Rays before being hired by Jim Leyland. Lets look at the numbers.

An interesting place to start is what pitchers have done while being coached by Chuck Hernandez, leaving the Tigers and pitching for another team under another pitching coach's direction.

Chad Durbin:
2007 ERA: 4.72 (in 36 games)
2008 ERA: 1.48 (in 29 games)

Granted he is now a bullpen pitcher and has only pitched 42 innings, but still, that is a solid stat.

Tim Byrdak
2007 ERA: 3.20 (39 games)
2008 ERA: 1.96 (25 games)

Again, both of these pitchers have the benefit of being in the NL and switching leagues, but these guys are relievers. Its not like they are seeing pitchers up to bat 1/9 of the time. Also, some people say it is hard to switch leagues, no matter which way to do it. See Barry Zito or Dontrelle Willis.

Jair Jurrjens
2007 ERA: 4.70 (7 games)
2008 ERA: 3.20 (15 games)

Andrew Miller
2007 ERA: 6.10
2008 ERA: 5.07

Both of these guys are very young and are starters now in the national league, with the benefit of that automatic out. But still the trend is hard to not notice.

Now and even better comparison. How has Verlander produced with more and more instruction from Hernandez?
2006 ERA: 3.63
2007 ERA: 3.66
2008 ERA: 4.49

Is Justin Verlander getting worse because of Hernandez? Hmm... do numbers lie?

This may not be the best time for this post considering the Tigers are doing pretty well and again approaching .500. But, looking at stats alone it begs for a few questions.

1. Are the young Tigers pitchers (Verlander, Bonderman, Robertson, Galaraga, Willis) being held back by Chuck Hernandez? Have these talented pitchers not yet reached their potential?

2. Should Hernandez get fired in the middle of the season?

In regards to question 1, I say probably yes. Although it is hard to believe that Verlander could be better than his 2006-07 years, it isn't hard to believe someone with his talent could be even better. In addition, I certainly thing that Bonderman could be really good under someone else's teaching. Chuck couldn't seem to teach him a consistent changeup, but then again no one in the minors could either.

In regards to question 2, the answer is no. The Tigers have had so many ridiculous shake ups this year already; they dont need another. Think about it. 9 different players have played left field, almost our entire infield has changed since last year, and half of it has changed since opening day! Oh by the way, other than Magglio hitting 4th is anyone still batting in the same position?

Plus reality sets in. Leyland is the king of loyalty to his guys. Chuck is his guy. He will defend him and keep him around.

But hopefully by next season, i hope we have a new coach. I honestly believe these pitchers have more to give, the Tigers just need to find the guy to get it out of them.

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Im back! Sorry for my long, long absence. I had exams, and moved to Detroit and have not had internet at home for the last few weeks. Luckily I have found a way around paying $100 for 2 months of internet! haha!

Okay, so Michael Rosenberg laid it out very simply and clearly (as usual). Basically the Pistons have 3 options: Tmac, Carmello, or nothing.

I have heard of many other options thrown out there like Micheal Redd, Richard Jefferson, or some package of draft busts from the Bobcats. But I really don't think that Joe will bust up this team for anything less than a proven superstar; and the only superstars available are Tmac, or Melo.

So, who do you want? Both are flawed. Tmac is a little older, but is still only 29. He also is known for choking in the playoffs. But, even that flaw is a bit over played considering he basically averaged a triple double in the first round verses the Jazz. The Rockets were just overmatched without Yao.

As for Carmelo: He does not play defense well at all, or maybe just doesn't try. He also has some off the court problems involving a DUI. He also claimed he quit on his team in the playoffs.

But, face it there is no such thing as a perfect superstar (maybe Chris Paul), especially not one who is available for 2 Pistons' starters.

According to Rosenberg, either Tmac or Melo could be had for the price of Tay + Chauncey. Now personally I hate the idea of trading an all NBA point guard. But, I do see the other side of the argument given that we do have a replacement waiting in the wings for Chauncey who is looking really good, in Rodney Stuckey.

Also, I thought the Rockets wanted a package involving Sheed...

Personally, I think a trade involving Sheed is better for this team. 2 years in a row Sheed has cost us a trip to the NBA finals. He didnt show up in game 6 at all against Boston, and he threw a temper tantrum in Cleveland last year. Not to mention these shenanigans happened just a few years after the whole city of Detroit had forgiven him for coming off Robert Horry in game 5 of the NBA finals.

But, this Michael Curry hiring along with hiring Sheed's old college roommate from his UNC days seems to suggest Joe is doing everything he can to get the most out of Sheed. Will a coach he respects along with his good buddy lead to success on the court? If this was a normal, sane person I would say hell no. But this is Rasheed Wallace we are talking about. Captain I play well whenever I want. So, all bets are off with that guy. But the point is it looks like Sheed is here to stay. So the person you get the most for is Chauncey.

Side note: does anyone think that Chauncey removing his name for consideration for the Olympic Team has anything to do with Trade rumors? I know Billups got traded a lot at the beginning of his career and was real happy to find a home.

This is so random, I am totally losing my train of thought.

So, Carmelo or Tmac? I say the only real option is one of them. The "nothing" option is UNACCEPTABLE. If we do nothing, all that means is we become the Utah Jazz, or the NBA's version of the Buffalo Bills. Detroit is a city that has come to expect winning and championships. That last line was pointed directly at William Clay Ford Sr.

My point is a team consisting of Stuckey, Rip, Melo, Sheed, Dyess, or Stuckey, Rip, Tmac, Sheed, Dyess both look really nice. I think both options make you better.

Many of your will quickly say that Melo is the better option because he is younger and a great young score. But youth may be overrated for the Pistons. You need to remember that Detroit never has and never will be a free agent destination. The weather sucks, Davidson refuses to go over the luxury tax, and the ladies just aren't the same here as they are in LA or South Beach. So, when Melo's contract is up Joe will have to do a lot of convincing to get him to stay. Good luck

So while Youth is nice, it may be overrated in this respect: The younger you are, the less desire and urgency a player has to get a championship. Now I am in no way saying that Melo isn't hungry or competitive, all I am saying is Tmac might have a little more drive and urgency to get there. Plus after this year Tmac will be playing for a contract, so you know he will be great.

But, I am afraid of Tmac's back. Which is why I give Melo the edge. I think Joe will command enough respect from a player like Melo that he will work hard on defense. They said the same things they say now about Melo, about Rip when he first came to the Pistons and now look. Also, I think in a stable environment where winning is what matters and leaders already exist on the team, Melo will settle down.

The Pistons also have had success taking in players with injury problems. McDyess was running on bionic knees when he first got here but he has been great. So, maybe the Pistons have a great conditioning coach/trainer. But Injuries are so unpredictable. Plus it is a back injury. It is kind of hard to avoid re-aggravating that when you are in a sport that involves a lot of jumping.

So, put a gun to my head, Ill pick Melo. But either way, I am a happy Piston's fan because I like Tmac a lot.

I just wish it didnt have to come at the cost of Chauncey...

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