Those pesky Tigers

The Detroit Tigers' colossal swoon continues. After getting smacked around for two games in Cincinnati, off they went to Cleveland. Where they were given a world-class beat-down by the Indians for a four game series. When the combined scores of four games is 26-3, and you're on the short side of that, you just got taken to the woodshed.

Maybe the Puddy Tats should consider staying out of Ohio for a while. But then they went back home to the friendly confines of Comerica Park to face the Oakland Athletics. It couldn't get any worse -- right?

Not so fast. The Tigers have dropped the first three games, including blowing a six run lead in the second, to extend their losing streak to eight. And don't look now, but the not so good Minnesota Twins have passed them up in the divisional standings.

What was almost comical after losing the third game of that set earlier tonight were the Tiger announcers. Never mind their pitching staff is getting shellacked, particularly the bullpen, all they could do was crow about one Leonys Martin, Tiger center-fielder. He made a couple good, not great catches of deep fly balls.

Here's the thing. When your center-fielder has to repeatedly run back to the wall to grab 400 foot bombs, the other guys are teeing off. A little to the left or right and those balls go deep into the seats for homers. But the "homer" announcers didn't want to talk about that. Better to interview Martin and tell him what a great job he's doing. Then again, when one is grasping at straws, anything is better than nothing. And nothing pretty well sums up the Tigers of late. These guys are bad. Turrible, as Charles Barkley would say.

On the golf front, the ever-faithful Tiger Woods groupies are up to their old tricks. Anything to get Eldrick into the conversation, though he hasn't won squat in 5 years. Today's earth-shaking news is dear Tiger is trying out a new putter. As if that's going to correct all that ails his game.

Though never more than a duffer myself, I know three things about putting. Any idiot does. You have to ---
1). "Read" the putt correctly.
2). Strike it on the proper line you just read.
3). With the right speed.

If any of these are off, you miss. Pretty simple, but hard to do.

And Eldrick's missed a whole bunch of "makeable" putts lately.

But guess what? It isn't the putter's fault. It's HIS. Especially considering he's been putting with a flat blade stick for roughly twenty years he's been out on tour. Does he really think changing to a "mallet" is some sort of magical cure? Worse, are the talking heads gullible enough to believe it?

Evidently so. See another Tiger interview. One way or the other, they'll always find a way to give Tiger face time. It must be in the fine print of their network contracts somewhere. Maybe somebody should take another form of mallet and hit these guys over the head with it. Enough with the Tiger mania already. Wake me up if and when he actually accomplishes something besides flapping his gums.

Tigers, Tigers everywhere.

And none of them are any good.

Sheesh.