A TRIPLE THREAT

***TIGERS TAKE 3 OUT OF 4***
What have we learned from this "Disaster in Detroit?" Well, the Yanks can't hit, they can't run the bases and now we see that their defense is unreliable. Eduardo Nunez may be a fine prospect with a lot of speed, but has shown a penchant for making critical throwing errors. There are players like that. I noticed in the past that Nomar Garciaparra could really hit and was a terrific shortstop, but if the ball was hit to him in a game-changing situation, Nomar was a good bet to blow it. Nunez may be the heir apparent for the shortstop position, but he better learn to make the plays in a pressure situation.
Speaking of shortstops, there is a lot of talk about Jeter moving down in the lineup. The most reasonable scenario I've read, compared this to the Cal Ripken situation. After passing Lou Gehrig in consecutive games played, the question was always, "When will it end?" It wasn't really fair to put that monkey on the back of the manager, so it became the unspoken answer that Ripken himself would have to decide. He had earned that much respect by his play over the years. Jeter seems to have that respect, too. If he really cares only about winning and what is good for the team, he must make that move himself. If a manager, any manager, would disrespect him by forcing an unwanted (by Jeter) move, it could fracture the whole personality of the clubhouse. If Derek produces, even if it's not at his previous levels, I believe Girardi has to leave him alone. If he doesn't, then Jeter has to move himself or lose all the respect and admiration he has garnered, not only by the players, but also his fans.

***OTHER THINGS***
There seems to be an awful lot of "name" players who are hitting below the 'Mendoza' line, these days. That line being the .200 batting average. A batting average in the .100's was usually a quick way to find yourself on the bench, but it's a hard thing to do when your name is Magglio Ordonez or Carl Crawford. I discovered there are 10 such players who are in that category, with enough at-bats to eliminate the idea that this is just a statistical anomaly. The averages range from a low of .140 by Jason Varitek to a high of .195 by Kila Ka'aihu (whose name conjures up the vision of a drink with a pineapple garnish). The list also includes Jorge Posada, Vernon Wells, Mike Cameron, Austin Jackson, Alex Rios and Adam Dunn. Somewhere, Ted Williams is turning over in his grave.

***HE'S AT IT AGAIN***
My favorite whipping boy, Bob "Wrong-Way" Matthews, has come out with a list of his All-Time Top Ten major league players. An ambitious project at best, especially since he doesn't just list ten players but actually ranks them. Now this is a list that would start a bar fight in any pub on the American Continent and understandably so. I like some choices and question others. I applaud his inclusion of Stan Musial, who is, in my opinion, the most underrated player in history, and, being a Mickey Mantle fan, believe The Mick should be on that list. What is the strangest thing is not that Nolan Ryan isn't on the list, but that Bob calls him "overrated." Perhaps you should ask any hitter who ever batted against him, Bob. You will probably change your mind. My opinion of you sure hasn't. By the way, Matthews has Babe Ruth as #1.

***FROM THE DESK OF BRAD DICKSON***
"Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins has thrown the first no-hitter of the baseball season. The way their season is going, if anyone on the Twins tossed a no-hitter, I assumed it would've been during batting practice."
"Federal authorities charged some Delta Airlines baggage handlers with conspiring to smuggle drugs from Jamaica into the U.S. Of course because they're Delta baggage handlers, instead of the U.S. the drugs ended up in France and Switzerland."
"A new survey is out on the "10 Least Stressful Professions for 2011." No. 7 is "Philosopher." There's one caveat. Working as a philosopher is not stressful unless you care about receiving a paycheck once in a while. "

CP-