Bleacher Report - Articles by Eric Rutter

Detroit Tigers: Trading For Need an Unpopular Method

Eric Rutter — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:04:21 -0400

In the MLB, completing a trade has been a rather difficult task these days. There are so many factors that need to be considered: age, salary, and productivity to name a few. That said, when you are able to construct a swap of players that you feel will benefit your ball club, you have to make the most out of that opportunity.

Late Wednesday the Detroit Tigers completed a trade that would send 14-time All Star Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees in exchange for journeyman reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

At first, I can see why many Tiger fans were red in the face upon hearing that beloved catcher "Pudge" Rodriguez would be donning pinstripes. The catalyst of the Tigers lineup for the past four years is no longer playing for the "home team."

What's not to be mad about? Only receiving a middle-of-the road reliever in return surely didn't help.

But when you look deeper into this trade, it's not as bad as it seems for Detroit. Sure, Pudge is one of the best defensive catchers in the game and can hold his own at the plate, but it was unlikely that the upcoming free agent would return to Detroit. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has stated numerous times that he did not expect Rodriguez to re-sign with the club.

With Rodriguez now residing in the Big Apple, longtime-Tiger Brandon Inge will likely get the playing time he has been looking for all season. Before Rodriguez's arrival in 2004, Inge was the Tigers' full-time catcher.

One of the major holes for Detroit this season has been in the bullpen. Fireballer Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney have been injured for most of 2008. Todd Jones has struggled thus far, and is now headed for a stint in the DL.

Farnsworth has performed well this season with a 3.65 ERA and 11 holds for New York. The depth that Farnsworth brings will be greatly needed if the Tigers plan to make a playoff push this season.

Dombrowski has been searching for a solid reliever in past years pre-deadline scrambles, but has never been able to find a reasonable suitor. Farnsworth fits the bill for an ideal trade target: an affordable contract, decent performance, and still has many good years ahead of him at 32.

All in all, the Tigers seem to be one of the winners at this year's trade deadline.

No matter how many disgruntled Tigers fans cursed Dombrowski for trading a fan-favorite, only time will determine if he made the right move.

Ten Reasons the Mitchell Report Was Good Afterall

Eric Rutter — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:37:53 -0400

Now that Brett Favre has captivated the sports media long enough for us to forget about steroids for the time being, I thought it would be a great idea to re-introduce it to sports fans. You can thank me later. I regress...

10. Sylvester Stallone, straight out of Rambo, will be participating in the San Francisco Giants' spring training games. Hey, San Diego Padre fans have to have someone to throw syringes at.

9. Barry Bonds who? Jose Canseco who? Now we’ve got 300+ players knocking on BALCO’s door, sky rocketing tourism in the San Francisco Bay Area.

8. No one is talking about Sammy Sosa and his litany of corked bats anymore. In fact, Sosa is rumored to be starting a winery in the Kansas City, Seattle, and Baltimore areas. Hmm...I wonder why.

7. HGH, oh, excuse me, an injury recovery substance, is all it took for Andy Pettitte to be back in the good graces of New York fans. Evidentially, not enough for him to discuss his slightly illegal new regiment with his best friend and workout buddy.

6. Rusty Hardin has been given a platform to showcase his legal expertise to the world. Following in the steps of good ol’ Johnny Cochrane, and his glove zinger, Hardin opened up with, “He needs to stop smoking his own dope,” referring to Brian McNamee. I bet he would make an entertaining reality show.

5. Marion Jones doesn’t feel so bad about caving into the pressures of performing at unbelievable levels anymore. Wonder if Tim Montgomery ‘just got sucked into the wrong crowd too.’

4. The makers of B12 and lidocaine supplements have seen a considerable jump in stock and have been featured in Edward Jones’ financial report. Chuck Schwab, too.

3. Well, this one isn’t so good: Production of A Game of Shadows has come to a halt. Why read 348 pages about juicing when you can just talk to the nearest teenage clubhouse attendant?

2. I won $10.00 in an office pool because Roger Clemens was caught lying after week two of his investigation.

1. Brian McNamee has opened his own bank. I don’t think anyone is questioning his saving ability after he held on to bloody gauze and used syringes for nearly seven years.

Michigan Football: Dreary Days Lie Ahead

Eric Rutter — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:14:30 -0400

Over the past few months, the attitude in Ann Arbor has been gloomy to say the least. The majority opinion is that without a mobile quarterback, the Michigan Wolverines are destined for a season of disappointment.

For the first time, Michigan will mainly be operating under the spread offense, which promotes the passing game and a running quarterback. In addition, with newly hired coach Rich Rodriguez comes unexpected baggage: that in the sum of $2.5 million that the school had to pay his former employer, West Virginia.

To be specific, the expectations of Michigan took a turn for the worse on May 19, 2008. On that day, the hopes of every Michigan fan plummeted.

Terrelle Pryor, the nation's top-ranked quarterback, announced that he would commit to a school not named Michigan. To make matters worse, Pryor would be attending bitter rival Ohio State come fall.

With a new defensive coordinator, a completely different offensive scheme, and an attention-grabbing controversy, what good could come in 2008?

Well, it might not be as bad as it looks. Lloyd Carr already formed a top-15 recruiting class before announcing his retirement, and Rodriguez has only added to that.

Michigan snagged dynamic running back Sam McGuffie, the nation's second-ranked RB, elusive wide receiver Darryl Stonum, and speedy cornerback Boubacar Cissoko en route to an 11th ranked class according to SI.com.

One of the most impressive freshmen in spring practice was tackle Dann O'Neill. Many have compared him to former Michigan tackle Jake Long, which is not such a bold comparison. O'Neill's deceptively good feet and tenacious mentality make him one of the most coveted prospects in Michigan's stacked class.

Although Michigan's recruiting class is one of its strong suits, the Wolverines boast a strong defense. Leading the secondary is senior cornerback Morgan Trent.

Trent, an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, will start opposite sophomore corner Donovan Warren, who was named to every Freshman All-American team last year.

In the trenches, though, is where Michigan looks to make its greatest impact on defense, with returning starters Terrence Taylor, Tim Jamison, and Brandon Graham leading the way. The Taylor-Jamison-Graham trio looks to pose a significant problem for many offensive lines next year.

With a stout defense in place, the concern lies on Rodriguez's newly imposed spread offense. Now-sophomore Ryan Mallet looked to be the starter coming into the 2008 season before he transferred to Arkansas. With the loss of Mallet and Henne, the only quarterbacks to take a snap for Michigan in 2007, there is a gaping hole behind center.

Freshman Steven Threet should see the majority of the snaps in practice since he has the tools to lead a spread attack. But can a freshman quarterback lead the Wolverines to any notable success in 2008?

Conversely, Columbus, Ohio has been bustling with hope and promise regarding their football program. A favorite to compete for the national championship, Ohio State will be relishing the next few years with Terrelle Pryor at the helm and Chris Wells three yards behind him.

Nonetheless, the mood has been a somber one in Ann Arbor lately as "Michigan Fans" pre-mourn the death of a perennial college football powerhouse.