Greetings from Chicago.  It’s the Tigers and Sox in the series finale.  Here are some general thoughts running through my head as they open the window in the press box and let every shred of air conditioning out into the scorching stadium.  Thanks for that.

Magglio’s return to Chicago has been a positive one.  On base six times in the first two games of the series, he’s has done a great job of quieting the crowd here.  Speaking of the crowd, I was a little surprised at the frosty reception he got from the fans on the first night of the series.  I realize the split was not a very friendly one, but that had more to do with Ozzie Guillen and the front office than the fans.  You would think the Sox faithful would have been more appreciative of what Maggs did for them for eight seasons.  By the way, I will admit I was wrong on how long I thought it would take Magglio to get back into the "swing" of things (pun intended).  He looks like he is close to mid season for which really is remarkable considering he hasn’t played much ball in the last year and a half. 

The news we received on Troy Percival is sad.  It appears that he may be nearing the end of a long and fabulous career.  I’ve already heard people calling him a bust and a bad sign by Dave Dombrowski.  That is a short sighted view of the situation.  Nobody can predict injuries.  The Tigers were willing to pay him more than maybe some other teams, but that’s the situation they were in this past off season.  The Urbina situation was far from being resolved (mothers kidnapping) and nobody knew how well Farnsworth, Spurling, German and Rodney would pitch this season.  The Tigers needed bullpen help and Dave went out and got some.  We all have the benefit of hindsight.  In addition, it’s hard to place a value on the leadership Percival has provided in the clubhouse in the short five months that he has been with the team.  He has impacted this team in a positive way.  More than people realize.

I’m telling everyone right now that Crag Monroe is the most underrated outfielder in the American League.  Entering Sunday’s tilt, C-Mo was hitting .283 with 10 homers and 56 RBI.  Only Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Garret Anderson have knocked in more runs from the outfield position in the American League.  But lets forget offensive numbers for a moment and talk about Craig’s defense.  He struggled a bit with the glove last year, but this season he has been extremely versatile, playing all three outfield positions almost flawlessly.  He has committed only two errors all season in 180 chances.  The common perception is that all outfield positions are generally the same, but it’s a little tougher that most think to move from spot to spot.  The angles are different and each position has it’s special challenges.  Monroe has played them all extremely well.

Jeremy Bonderman again showed how special he is by slamming the door on the White Sox Tuesday night.  He has 12 wins, and assuming he makes 33 starts this year, like he has the last two seasons, he has 13 starts remaining this season.  He needs to win eight of those to get to 20 victories.  Doable?  Darn right.  The Tigers have had only two 20 game winners in the last thirty years.  Jack Morris in 1983 and 1986 and Bill Gullikson in 1991. Jeremy is now 6-0 in starts after he loses a game.  That shows maturity and the ability to put a clunker behind him.

Several people have asked me recently about the status of Nate Cornejo.  After winning 20 games at three different levels in 2001, Nate’s career stalled because of arm problems.  He is currently pitching at AA Erie and his record is 4-11 with a 4.45 ERA.  Injuries have robbed him of his velocity, and the power sinker he possessed when he was at his best, is not as powerful.  He had shoulder surgery last July so he is still only one year out.  Some guys take longer to regain velocity.  Here’s hoping we see Nate back in the big leagues.  He’s a quality guy.

What is it with the Tigers and hurricanes?  Last September the club lost a couple of games here because of Hurricane Francis.  Now, Hurricane Dennis is threatening to dump some heavy rains in the St. Pete area.  I’d be surprised if the final two games of the series are postponed though.  The Tigers have won the first two games in the series and if they take the final two, they could get to .500 by the break.  Certainly possible.  Here in St. Pete, they are talking about their team like we were a couple of years ago in Detroit about the ’03 Tigers.  They have now lost 10 straight and Lou Piniella looks like he needs a straight jacket.  Sorry, I love Lou, but no sympathy here. 

It was interesting to read the quotes today in the local paper about how Tim McClelland did the right thing in tossing out Nate Robertson after he threw behind Crawford in the bottom of the first last night.  Two different sides, two different view points.  I thought McClelland jumped the gun in gassing Nate, while the locales (Piniella included) thought it was the right call and applauded the move.  Nate just can’t buy a break.  He was thrown out for protecting a teammate after his club gets him four first inning runs  That’s a years worth of support compared what he has been getting.

Here are some new pics of "The Trop"   and I will add All Star pictures after the game on Tuesday to the the photo album.  It will be the first ever All Star game I will attend.  What’s your favorite All Star memory?  Mine was the year Sweet Lou wore white shoes during the game.  I can’t remember what year that was.  I’m also not sure why that’s my favorite memory.  It just is.

With apologies to Black Sabbath, there are several Iron Men that have put together lengthy games played streaks in the Major Leagues.  With the Yankees in town this weekend, this series features two players that have not had a day off in quite a while.  Hideki Matsui of the Yankees and Brandon Inge of the Tigers have been playing non stop for some time now.  Entering July, Matsui had played in 403 straight games, while Inge had a streak of 118 straight.  Neither of these streaks will challenge Cal Ripken, but they are impressive nonetheless.

Here is a list of the top current streaks heading into July:

Miguel Tejeda:    835

Hideki Matsui:     402

Derek Lee:         219

Mark Teixeira:   199

Carlos Delgado:  155

Ichiro Suzuki:     154

The all time leader of course is Cal Ripken.  On September 6, 1995 at Oriole Park, Ripken played in his 2131st consecutive game.  Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record that night against the California Angels.  It remains the highlight of my broadcasting career.  As fortune would have it, I was in town broadcasting for the Angels that night and was at the mic when Ripken homered in the fourth inning on his record setting night.  When the game became official in the fifth inning, it was the most surreal sight to see Ripken take his victory lap around the ballpark warning track thanking the fans.  The game was held up for about 30 minutes as they recognized the accomplishment.  It’s a record that will never be broken in my mind.  Cal went on to play in 2,632 straight games.  An incredible feat, considering he played one of the most demanding positions on the field.

Tejada’s streak is impressive enough, but for him to catch Cal, he would have to play in 1,797 more games…straight…without getting hurt…or taking a day off…while maintaining enough productivity to keep his spot in the lineup….good luck.  It takes a special guy to want to play every day.  I asked Inge earlier this year if he ever felt like he wanted a day off.  He said, "No, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself on the bench."

For the record, here is the top 5 list of all time streaks:

Cal Ripken:     2632

Lou Gehrig:     2130

Everett Scott:  1307

Steve Garvey:  1207

Billy Williams:   1117