After a lot of press about the Tigers ineffectiveness in one run games, the Tigers go out and win two in a row. Go figure. Urbina has had two nice outings in a row, so hopefully this will boost his trade value a little. Even with this little mini-streak, I think it’s safe to say the Tigers playoffs chances are slim. This shouldn’t diminish the credit they deserve for the turnaround from last year. Regardless of what happens the rest of year, I’m happy with what the Tigers accomplished.

Speaking of credit, what about Atlanta. When we played them, they were around .500. A top notch franchise, they turned things around, and now have a modest 4 1/2 game lead as they go for like the thirtieth division title in a row. I know I’m old, because I remember when Atlanta was bad. Real bad. So bad they ended up with Taylor native Steve Avery with the third pick in the draft back in 1988.

And I know this is so obvious, it’s almost not worth mentioning, but what about another incredible year by Barry Bonds. As it stands, he’s six ticks ahead of his record setting 2002 season with a 1.387 OPS. He stands 15 homers from 700. And he’s a few hits away from getting his lifetime batting average up above .300. And unless something happens and he has a serious drop off, he’ll end up in the top 10 best OPS seasons again. He’ll have four of the top ten spots, while the other six spots are held by only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Not to shabby company.

I’m going to the game tonight. It’s Negro League weekend, so that’s always fun to check out. I’ve been meaning to go back and reread Bill James Historical Baseball Abstact and his chapter on the Negro Leagues. Very interesting stuff.

Have a great weekend.

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