A view from the other side: Bless You Boys

Had the opportunity to exchange e-mails with Ian Casselberry of the Tigers blog Bless You Boys, which truly is one of the better blogs around.

It was something of a dual interview, so if you want the other side of it (the part where I pretend to know what I'm talking about) click here.

The Tigers are being promoted by some as some inevitable force, but besides Curtis Granderson missing the first two weeks, Denny Bautista is now their eighth inning man.

Anyway, the Tigers are in a little different world these days, one in which they could win 92 games this year and have it be a disappointment.

Either way, with the Royals opening their season at Comerica Park (one of the better "new" ballparks around, and I thought that when I went as a fan, even before I covered games there and found that they have Diet Mt Dew in the press box) I thought it'd be interesting to get the thoughts of one of the more popular Tigers bloggers around.

Name: Ian Casselberry
Age: 34
Location:Favorite restaurant: Slows BBQ in Detroit's Corktown, just a few blocks west from the old Tiger Stadium. I realize these could be fighting words to someone from Kansas City, but their barbecue is so good, it almost makes me cry. And I'm pretty sure that after eating their mac-and-cheese, you can see into the future. It's incredible stuff.
Favorite baseball memory: Two years ago, I was at a Tigers game with my sister and we were standing behind the infield box seats, talking to a couple of my co-workers. Dmitri Young hits a foul ball behind home plate that hits the facing of the upper deck and ricochets right at us. My sister reels into me for cover, knocking me backwards and taking me out of any chance I had to get my first foul ball. Running toward us, this kid (maybe 10 or 11 years old) dives onto the concrete to try and catch the ball, but he misses it and it rolls over to my buddy. He picks it up, holds onto it for a few seconds, and then gives the ball to the kid.

I know you have to give the ball to the kid, and he definitely deserved it for his effort, but I'm glad that ball didn't roll to me. I'm not sure what I would've done. What I DO know is that I would've caught that ball in the first place - bare-handed! - if my sister hadn't curled up like the girl she is.

You know the Tigers are playing a different financial game than everyone else in the division, right?

The last couple of years have made that hard to deny. Between drafting kids like Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, and Rick Porcello, while teams that had a greater need (such as one I'm sure we could both name) let them skip by because of draft slot, or breaking out the big boy checkbook for Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, and now Miguel Cabrera, it certainly feels like the Tigers are playing by a different set of rules than other teams in the AL Central.

But if you're thinking any Tigers fans feel any guilt over that, they would likely point to the won-loss records from 1989 to 2005 as evidence that plenty of soul-crushing, bad baseball-watching dues have been paid in full.

Good point. Jim Leyland might be my favorite manager in the game to cover. Do you have any good Leyland quotes or stories?

His rant against the value of clubhouse chemistry last week was full of some classic, expletive-redacted quotes.

"That's the biggest bunch of [baloney] in the history of sports. Every time somebody wants to talk about great chemistry, [forget] the chemistry in the clubhouse. I'm interested in winning games, period. I don't know who came up with it, but the worst word ever used now is chemistry. That's something you take in school. That's a class you take."

But last season, whenever Leyland had a great quote in the paper, I'd run it under the heading of "The Tao of Leyland." (I believe credit for that goes to your buddy, Jeff Passan.) My favorite was before Virgil Vasquez's first major league start, when he said, "I'll just tell him, `Make sure you tell your parents you're going to be on national TV. Tell 'em to turn it on early, just in case things don't work out.'"

If Vegas set the over-under for Detroit to score 950 runs, which side would you take?

As incredible as the Tigers' lineup looks right now, I think I'll take the under. Every team goes through that stretch when they're not scoring many runs. And with some of the pitching staffs in the American League, that's probably going to happen. Plus, Nate Robertson will probably start his usual 30 games or so, and for whatever reason, the Tigers just don't score runs for that guy. So there you have 30 games in which Detroit's only going to score once or twice. That alone might prevent them from scoring 1,000 runs.

On a more serious note, if the wrong guy gets hurt - as happened with Gary Sheffield last year - the run train can get derailed for a while. Maybe that won't happen as dramatically with Miguel Cabrera in the lineup now, and a deeper overall batting order, but it doesn't take much to knock things out of whack.

Are the Tigers so loaded that missing Curtis Granderson for two weeks just isn't a big deal?

Missing two weeks doesn't sound like it'll be that bad, but I think Granderson getting hurt raises more concern because no one else brings his combination of speed and power to the lineup. He's not as indispensable defensively as, say, Pudge Rodriguez. The Tigers have other guys who can play center field, though probably not with the range and instincts that Granderson brings to the position.

But they're really going to miss him in the leadoff spot. Edgar Renteria or Placido Polanco might be able to get on base more, but no one else in the lineup presents the total threat of taking that extra base, going for a steal, or giving you a lead with one swing of the bat. It's not a coincidence that the Tigers' resurgence has run parallel to Granderson's emergence as a legitimate major league ballplayer.

How much better is Kenny Rogers having the experience of pitching with Satchel Paige? Just kidding, but seriously, you have to be worried about his health, right?

You know, Rogers doesn't talk much about his early barnstorming days in baseball. Maybe it's one of those "I'm not here to talk about the past" things that seem so popular with athletes and coaches these days.

Until last year, I'm not sure Tigers fans realized how old Rogers really was. Why would they? He pitched so well in 2006. But age was a much harsher reality last season, first with the season-opening blood clot in his shoulder, then the elbow injury he developed while trying to come back too soon. But Detroit's starting rotation is one pitcher deeper than it was last season, so if Rogers starts to tire out or feel any pain, I think the Tigers are going to be much faster in sitting him down, doing whatever's necessary to keep him fresh throughout the season.

Dave Dombrowski makes the point that he's not sacrificing the future by trading Miller and Maybin. His argument is that by getting Cabrera and Willis, it buys the system time to produce more players. Do you buy that?

I don't know if I can be objective about this, since I'm about to have "In Dombrowski We Trust" tattooed across my shoulders. But he has definitely made the type of sacrifice that needs to bring a World Series championship in return. It's not just trading Miller and Maybin. It was giving up Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez for Edgar Renteria, along with the three pitchers included in the Florida deal. Had those trades not been made, four to five of those players probably would've contributed to the major league club at some point during the season.

However, I think I do buy his rationalization. The Tigers don't appear to have a need that's crying to be filled, as was the case in both the outfield and starting rotation last season. And two of the three players that cost all of those prospects are young enough that they should be staples in the lineup for quite a few years to come. So there's no urgency for the farm system to produce a regular major leaguer, let alone a future superstar, right now.

I'm of the opinion that Dontrelle Willis will have a tough time this year adjusting to a tougher league, when he struggled so much last year (though he had a bad defense behind him). What's the thought in Detroit?

I think most Tigers fans share that opinion right now. Initially after the trade, fans seemed to get caught up in Willis' enthusiasm for coming to Detroit. And many of us probably thought, "Oh, he'll be better because he's going to pitch for a better team."

That could still hold true, with the run support he's likely to get and an improved defense. But Willis hasn't had a very good Spring Training, and that's invoking some of the fears and reservations that some people had about him when the trade was made. The Tigers say all of Willis' problems are due to his mechanics and "funky delivery." So maybe Willis is just "working on some things," which is the classic excuse for bad Spring Training numbers. But I think we'll all be nervous for his first start against the White Sox.

How concerned are you about Detroit's bullpen? And have Zumaya's teammates hidden Guitar Hero from him?

At one point, I almost managed to convince myself that the Tigers' bullpen was going to be okay. There could be some surprises, like Zach Miner, who seems like he's ready to be a good set-up man. And if Denny Bautista continues to pitch as well as he did in Spring Training (1.54 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings), Detroit will have a guy who can come in and get an important strikeout, which they never really had last year, once Joel Zumaya's middle finger exploded.

But it all feels very fragile right now. If Todd Jones isn't reliable - and he's been pretty terrible this spring - this could get really ugly. Of course, middle relief has to hand a lead over to him first. Another guy the Tigers were counting on, Francisco Cruceta, still hasn't been allowed to enter the country. And who knows how long Zumaya and Fernando Rodney will be out? If all those guys eventually become available and stay healthy, watch out.

I don't think Guitar Hero's a worry for Zumaya anymore. Young Joel has been taught the value of moderation in playing video games. The bigger concern is convincing him that he doesn't have to move heavy stuff by himself anymore. Do what everyone else does when they start making some decent money. Hire people to do the moving for you. (And don't play the drum set on Rock Star while that shoulder is trying to heal up.)

So you're buying the "moving" story? Sounds a little fishy to me, like when Jeff Kent was "washing his truck."

There was a brief day or two of controversy when Tigers bloggers were blamed (wrongly) by a local sportswriter for starting rumors that Zumaya hurt himself while dirt-biking. But that was eventually traced to message boards, I think. Anyway, I don't know if any of the Detroit sports media tried to do some investigative reporting on this, but I feel like if there was any truth to the rumors, it would've come out, like it did with Jeff Kent and Clint Barmes. And unless they wanted to protect Zumaya, if the Tigers found out something, they would probably reveal it to the press, as they did with the Guitar Hero stuff.

How long until people in Detroit are worried about the Royals?

They should already be worried about the Royals! Kansas City should be Detroit's most hated rival in the AL Central. This is the team that cost the Tigers the division title in 2006, and no one should ever forget that. Getting swept on the final homestand of the season? Are you kidding me? That last loss at home should be one of those "remember exactly where you were and who you were with" moments for Tigers fans. I should make t-shirts with "Never forget!" printed across the chest and "10-01-06: Royals 10, Tigers 8" on the back. (Would those go well in powder blue?)

And don't even get me started on my fear of Billy Butler. That guy is a Tiger killer.

Sure, but you could argue the Royals did the Tigers a favor. Sure didn't hurt them the first two rounds of the playoffs that year.

You're probably right. Getting swept by the Royals showed the Tigers that they couldn't just show up and be crowned as champions. And maybe it gave Leyland the chance to throw some chairs and yell at some guys again. All that pent-up aggression was taken out on the Yankees.

What's your prediction on the order of finish in the AL Central?

Well, this might surprise you, but I'm going to pick Detroit to finish first in the division. I thought the Tigers would be better than the Indians last year, and they've improved themselves in several areas. Cleveland, meanwhile, seemed to base their offseason around the hope that Hafner and Sizemore would turn themselves around this year. And maybe that's not a bad strategy. But I'd have been much more concerned if the Indians had gotten, say, Dan Haren.

I'll pick the White Sox for third, based on Kenny Williams addressing his needs in the outfield and bullpen. The Royals will finish fourth. I like their starting rotation, and though Jose Guillen could just as easily go after someone with a bat, he also seems like he could bring some fire to the Royals, like he did for the Nationals in 2005.

That leaves last place for the Twins, where they haven't been under Ron Gardenhire. Their starting pitching could be rough, unless Francisco Liriano pitches like it's 2006. And any offense they might gain with Delmon Young or Mike Lamb probably evens out with losing Torii Hunter. That bullpen could push them up to fourth, though.