NOTES FROM GRANDERSONS ESPN BLOG

This past Sunday was Mother's Day, and for the first time since I was in college, I was able to spend it with my mom and dad. They drove up from Chicago and we were able to eat dinner Saturday night at the hotel. Everyone else, of course, went out to dinner on Sunday (Mother's Day), but we chose to do it Saturday night, so we didn't have to deal with the reservations and long waits. I overheard some guys on the team that went out to eat with their families and had a reservation, and still had to wait an additional hour or two to eat. Seemed like everyone was take their wives and moms out to eat and show them how much they love them.

Eating in a quiet hotel on Saturday, with presents and no waiting, ended up working out best for us.

Our game was rained out against the Yankees on Sunday, and my parents went back to Chicago as soon as they found out the game was called.

Now we are in Kansas City, and my dad will actually be making this trip, arriving Tuesday to catch this series along with some of his friends and family. This will be the first time my dad will get to watch us play out here, and I've heard that the Royals have made some upgrades to the stadium, which I'm excited to see -- and I'm sure my dad will enjoy. Since my dad has retired, he has been and will continue to make it out to more stadiums on the road over the course of this season and the seasons to come. Maybe he can be the good-luck charm to get us back hot again as a team.

We are in Phoenix for a three-day weekend series against the Diamondbacks. This will be my first time back here since I played in the 2004 Arizona Fall League in Scottsdale along with current teammate Ryan Raburn, who was actually my roommate. This will be another stadium that I will be able to cross off the list of ones I've played in (remaining: Colorado, L.A. Dodgers, San Francisco and San Diego), so I'm excited for that.

Unfortunately, I haven't played in weather this warm in a long time. The high temp for today here is around 92, which doesn't seem that bad, but that will then jump up to 98 for Saturday and 104 on Sunday. Luckily for us, I've heard that this stadium is open, but also has air-conditioning on throughout the game.

People always say that the Arizona heat is different than most, mainly because it's a dry heat, and you don't really feel it. When I played here in the fall of '04, when it was 100 degrees it still felt like 100 degrees. I will have to agree that 100 degrees here in Arizona is a lot better than 100 degrees in Florida, with 80 to 100 percent humidity, but it's still hot playing out there under the sun.

Here in Arizona, it barely ever rains, so there aren't many clouds in the sky throughout the course of the day to provide relief. We, as a team, just sit out there and bake from time to time.

In the dugout, hopefully there will be those mist fans to provide some short-term relief between innings.

By finishing up our series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks last weekend, I was able to check another ballpark off the list of stadiums that I've played in. I really liked the D-backs' stadium for a number of reasons. First it's a retractable dome, which means a game will be played no matter what the weather is like outside. The playing surface in the outfield is really low, hard and fast. I enjoy that type of surface for playing defense.

I thought the on-field promotion squad was great at getting the fans involved throughout the course of the game, especially in between innings, when there normally isn't anything going on except for both teams switching from offense to defense. I think they also did a great job of using their jumbo screen and their display screens around the stadium to get the crowd nice and loud throughout the game.

For the most part I really enjoyed the stadium, with one exception. The dirt on the infield was extremely soft, so right out of the batters box and also on the base paths it was very likely that you could slip while running. Other than that, the stadium was really nice and is a must see for you fans out there if you haven't yet.

Today at Comerica Park, the Tigers are releasing a bobblehead of myself. This won't be the first bobblehead of me, but it will be my first Tigers bobblehead. In the previous ones, there have been issues in the production process. I've seen bobbleheads of me where I was a white player, one where I was batting right handed and I've heard that in this current one I'm extremely chubby. I think every bobblehead should have final approval from the player. If I had my say, I wouldn't want to just do a normal standing pose. I would want to either be sliding into a base or diving for a ball, and hopefully have it look somewhat like me. We will see what my bobblehead looks like at the end of the day.

He's right about the heat! I lived in the California San Joaquin Valley for 17 years...heat is heat, dry or not!

He's also right about his bobblehead! He looks like a chubby version of himself! The player should get the final say!

I had a chance to finally do something fun after a game this season. We had a Thursday day game against Seattle. A few teammates and I were invited to the Kanye West concert here in Detroit. This year it seems like we really haven't had much going for us to go out and enjoy. But summer is coming with new and big movie releases, and this Kanye concert was a good way to get ready for it.

Marcus Thames, Clay Rapada, and former Tiger teammate Craig Monroe, now with the Twins, came to the concert. Unfortunately, because of our game time and issues related to our tickets, we ended up missing the opening act, Lupe Fiasco, which I'm a big fan of and didn't want to miss. But I was able to catch the end of the second act, N.E.R.D., which I'm also a big fan of; I wish I could have seen their entire act. Next up was Rhianna and to wrap up the concert was Kanye.

I remember Marcus saying he hadn't really been to too many concerts and that he wasn't too sure if he was going to enjoy this one. But after watching Kanye, he kept commenting on how good the performance was. I have to agree. It's amazing how one person can make a crowd of 20,000-40,000 people all sing word for word to your songs, and pretty much do whatever he says for an hour period, from waving your hands to pulling your lighters out.

It was a great concert, and Kanye's next stop is Chicago this weekend. He and Lupe are both from Chicago, so they have a very good weekend and also get a great response from the crowd.

laprimamirala wrote:

He's right about the heat! I lived in the California San Joaquin Valley for 17 years...heat is heat, dry or not!

Big difference I found is without the humidity, you get heat exhaustion easily! Must keep drinking lots of water!

Never really had that problem but I just turned into a sloth when it stayed above 100. One year, it stayed above 105 for 2 weeks. I pretty much hibernated!

laprimamirala wrote:

Never really had that problem but I just turned into a sloth when it stayed above 100. One year, it stayed above 105 for 2 weeks. I pretty much hibernated!

Sounds like my introduction to living in Florida! First 3 weeks in FL it was over 100 every day with high humidity! I keept asking my dad why he ever wanted to live in that hell hole! He said my uncle, who moved to FL 3 years before us, told him don't worry, it rains every day and cools it off....that was a bunch of crap! I never saw the "daily afternoon rains" the whole 13 years I lived there!!!

I always said it was so humid, in the summer, that you needed a shower every day after just going to the street side mail box to get your mail! No malboxes on your house, the mailmen refused walking routes, they only had motor route delivery, even in housing developments with small yards!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

I don't really follow the HOF that much, or people's career stats, but the biggest one would be Pete Rose. I feel that people should be put into the Hall of Fame based on their production on the field during their career, and I feel he had one of the best careers.

How can you say that? I mean, why not give Ted Bundy a Nobel Peace Prize because he was nice to people when he was a little kid.

Pete Rose should be in the HOF.


So what if he bet on his team.
[ to win]


What's so bad about betting on your team to win!


Maybe Leyland should try it

Last night we opened a series here in Anaheim against the Angels, a game that we lost 1-0 in the bottom of the 12th inning. That brings up the argument about whether or not it was an exciting game, from both a fan's and player's perspective.

From a player's standpoint, it's a frustrating game because you want to be the guy who comes up and gets the big hit or makes the big pitch, and sometimes you press a little bit and try to do a little too much. When you have a guy in scoring position, we as players get to the point when you keep thinking to yourself, "This is it. We are finally going to get that run across to take the lead or win the game." Over the course of the game, both teams had a lot of opportunities and neither team could get a run across until the 12th inning.

I had some friends at the game who ended up leaving they felt that a 0-0 tie all the way through the 12th inning was due to a lack of action, and that the game was sort of slow and boring. I did notice that the attendance for the game was around 40,000, and about the 10th or 11th inning you could see a decent amount of empty seats, even with fireworks still to come after the end of the game. So to a fan, are 0-0 games exciting or boring? Would you rather see a lot of scoring, such as a 15-15 score, or a closer, mid-scoring game like 5-5?

We still have two more games left to play in this series in my favorite ballpark, Angel Stadium. Some of the other players like the stadium as much as I do. I had a chance to talk to Torii Hunter during batting practice, and he mentioned how he loves the playing surface compared to the turf he used to play on in Minnesota, just because it's better on his knees and his back. I really enjoy it because it's fast and I love to run on it.

I also noticed that throughout the game the Rally Monkey came out a few times. Matt Joyce and I were watching the jumbo screens to watch when he would sneak into a movie or TV clip between innings (they show movie or TV clips such as "The Twilight Zone" and "American Idol") and then we would watch the crowd reaction. Those are a just a few reasons why I love playing here so much.

Hopefully, we can rebound tonight and even out the series.

gs78 wrote:

Pete Rose should be in the HOF.


So what if he bet on his team.
[ to win]


What's so bad about betting on your team to win!


Maybe Leyland should try it

Who says he never bet against the Reds? Him? He said he didn't gamble at all for decades. Rose is garbage. The worst thing that could happen to him would be election to the HOF. That scumbag has made more money and fame being denied entry than he'd ever get if they elected him.

He's a disgrace to the HOF and no more worthy of election than Mike Hessman.

Rose was an awesome player!


Unless he threw games as a player, he should be in.



Gaylord Perry threw spitballs and is in!


Why not Rose?


Hessman might make Minor League Hall of Fame if something like that existed

A lot of people always ask me about the necklaces I wear when I'm playing. This is not a product endorsement, just clarification about a question I get asked all the time. They are called Phiten necklaces, and I want to correct people by saying they are not magnets. The Phiten necklaces and products are made with liquid titanium (actually a water soluble form of titanium) that is infused into the material. They also make bracelets, T-shirts, tape, lotion, compression shorts, etc., and the titanium is infused into all of them.

The reason I began wearing them started back in 2004 when I was in the Arizona Fall League, and a gentleman by the name of Shiro Nitta came to the field and handed out different Phiten products. I started wearing them and haven't taken them off.

The two big questions that people ask me are, "What are they suppose to do?" and "Do they work?"

First, they are supposed to help reduce fatigue, increase blood flow, reduce soreness in the surrounding area where the product is being worn (for instance, the necklace affects the head, shoulders, and of course the neck). Do they work? I haven't noticed any problems wearing the products since 2004. I've showered in them, I've played in them, and I have slept in them, with no problems at all. I have noticed that there have been a few times when I took them off before bed, and when I woke up, my neck was a little sore. It could have been for a couple reasons -- different bed due to hotels, different pillows, or sleeping in a different position -- but again the next night when I wear them, or the next few nights, the soreness goes away.

I know a lot of guys not only on our team (Magglio, Guillen, Polanco, Dontrelle, etc.) but also on other teams that also wear the Phiten products. If you get a chance to catch a game in Seattle, there is a really nice Phiten store at 1532 7th Avenue in Seattle. A lot of MLB players have come into the store to get information and also products from the great people working there, such as Midori Johnson, who is a very nice lady. She is very informed about all the products. In the store you'll see pictures and autographed balls from some of the players who have visited there (C.J. Wilson, A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett, Bobby Abreu, etc.), picked up products and love wearing the stuff.

If you can't make it to Seattle to see the products in person, the website Phitenusa.com has all the same products as the store and gives great detail about the products as well.

Also, I would like to congratulate the UIC Flames baseball team, which is heading to its fourth NCAA Regional in College Station, Texas. They will open up against Texas A&M today. The UIC Flames are getting better and better each year, with this being their fourth regional in the past six years. Watch out for the Flames!

On Monday, we started our series against the Oakland A's -- and Kenny Rogers took the mound for us. Kenny got a no-decision; the score was tied at 2 when when he was taken out of the game. I know that doesn't really seem like a big thing, but if you didn't know, Kenny has a 25-4 career record at Oakland. So when he left the game, he wasn't in line for a win (after a great pitching performance) but also wasn't going to get a loss, either. Unfortunately, we were unable to pull out the win.

I wonder why it is that some players have absolute success in certain stadiums, no matter the opponent, the day of the week or the weather conditions. It could be the clubhouse setting and level of comfort -- or even the food inside the clubhouse. It could be the team hotel where we stay and sleep. I know Dontrelle said that during his first years in the big leagues he could only sleep in the beds (Dream Beds) at the Chicago Westin. It could be playing in your hometown, or actually not playing in your hometown (being worn down and all from family and friends). It could be your favorite city just because of what that city offers that excites you.

Oakland, for most people, isn't a favorite destination to play for a number of reasons. Part of it for hitters is that in the first few innings of a night game before the sun sets, the extreme brightness finds its way to the batter's eye; sometimes the sun glares off the suites in center field. There is also a lot of foul ground on both sides of first and third base, so with balls that would normally go into the stands, the defense has a chance to make a play on them.

Part of these different things that hitters dislike about playing in Oakland could be why Kenny has had so much success. It could be for other reasons, too, but I'm not sure what those would be.

I wear a Phiten bracelet! They're on eBay!

This is the first time we are playing the Cleveland Indians here in Detroit in 2008. We split the first two games this season, which were played in Cleveland.

These games are big because, as you look at the standings (Cleveland is 6½ games behind the first-place White Sox; we are 10 back) and the records for both teams, we both aren't happy where we are right now. A lot of ground can be gained in the American League Central with a few wins by either team. It can also be used to spark a big turnaround.

The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio makes it a big series, too. It's amazing how people from these two states dislike each other in all sports (Lions vs. Browns, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Pistons vs. Cavs, etc.). It's a short drive from Cleveland to Detroit -- and there are a lot of Indians fans here, which always makes for an exciting series.

It will finally be warm here in Detroit; it's going to be in the 90s and very humid. People have been wondering when it was going to warm up here in Detroit, since it's been in the 50s and 60s for most of the month of May. Well here it is … hot, sticky and muggy for everyone. For all the fans who attend, drink lots of water and stay hydrated. Enjoy the weekend.

Ken Griffey, Jr. joined an elite class by hitting his 600th home run on Tuesday night against the Florida Marlins. This puts him in company with just five other players (Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa) in major league history. Great company for him to be in. It is amazing to realize how many home runs that actually is, and also how many more Griffey could have had if he didn't suffer so many injuries throughout his career.

Griffey missed around 500 or so games due to injuries throughout his career. I remember watching highlights of him and it seemed that at least a few times every season he would go on 5-7 game streaks in which he would hit a home run. The fact that he could get hot like that made me think what his total home run numbers could actually be.

I'm going to keep it really conservative and say for the 500 or so games that he missed, he would have averaged 10 home runs per every 50 games. This number came from looking at his stats and taking some of his high years of 50-plus home runs, low years of over 100 games played with 20-30 home runs, and the injury years where he had less than 100 games (in 70 games in 2002, he hit eight home runs, and in 53 games in 2003, he hit 13 homers). So it's easy to say that 10 home runs every 50 games is a reasonable number. Without Griffey even getting hot, that would've given him at least 100 more home runs, which would rank him fourth all time. (I still think he would have got hot somewhere in that time frame and hit a few more and moved him up even higher on that list). Either way, by hitting 600 home runs Griffey has accomplished a great feat. For that reason along with his great defensive play, he was my favorite player growing up.

I'm a left handed hitting like he is, and when I was younger I tried to hit home runs like him (but I didn't have that power at the age of 12). I tried to collect as many of Griffey's baseball cards as possible and even had his video games. It was just fun watching him make play after play and hit home run after home run growing up, and he's a big reason why I stuck playing baseball. I finally got a chance to not only meet him in 2006 but also to play against him, which was great. He also hit a deep home run over my head, so now I can say I was a part of his chase for 600 home runs.

I also had a chance to meet him, and he is truly a great person. So congrats to him on what he has done, and what he will continue to do.

I want to apologize for not mentioning this earlier, but a belated congrats is owed to the Stanley Cup champs, the Detroit Red Wings. The city really enjoyed their run and the celebration. We've seen a lot of Red Wings shirts and jerseys at our baseball games, both at home and on the road. It really shows how much pride this city has for all its teams.

This Sunday, of course, is Father's Day, and unfortunately my dad won't be in Detroit for it -- but it's cool. He is a player/coach of his 16-inch softball team, and his team needs him. Our relationship is and has been pretty much like that even when I was little, and I think part of it has rubbed off on me. For example, if he had a prior commitment, unless something major came up, he stuck to his commitments. There would be times when I had a game and he also was playing or coaching and, of course, couldn't be at both places at the same time. But I understood that, and at the end of the day I would tell him how our game went and ask how his games went. That's how our relationship was, and I enjoyed it. I never felt pressure from my dad to keep working and trying to be the best. I knew my dad was happy as long as I stuck with what I started and played my hardest.

I've seen so many fathers place all these unrealistic goals and dreams on their kids, and the kids end up hating to play the sport and quit. I saw it firsthand with kids on the teams I grew up with, where parents would fight with coaches and umps about their kids. I know that had to be frustrating for the kid. My dad always just sat back and provided little bits of advice here and there, but really just let me go play. There was one time that my dad actually came on the court, but I'm glad he actually did. It was in 8th grade when we were playing basketball and I was lying on the court hurt, and the refs didn't stop play, so my dad being a dad came out on the court. Unfortunately, he received a technical because he was on the bench as an assistant coach. I have no problem with incidents such as that. The yelling and cursing at kids I never understood; it was something my dad never did.

I still call my dad up almost every day. Every now and then he'll provide some tips or suggestions for me both on and off the field. For that, plus everything he has done to help me grow up to be a man, I'm very thankful for. With that, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to him and all the dads who are there for their kids.

It's time for another Q&A. There were some really great questions this time around, so make sure to keep them coming.

Q: Do baseball players trash talk?
--Matt, Newark, N.J.

It's hard in our sport to talk trash during the game, because I'm not really close enough to the pitcher for him to hear me, unless I start shouting, and then other people, including fans, would hear me. The good thing about other sports (hockey, football, soccer and basketball), is that you can be right next to the player you are defending and talk trash and no one else will know. You are in constant contact with that person, so you could talk the whole game if you wanted. In baseball, we can really only talk trash between innings, when guys are passing each other.

Q: Being a part of the Tigers organization and the long history that the team has, who would be the one past Tiger player you might call your favorite?
--Becky, Parts Unknown

That is a very tough question, and fans from Detroit think that I have a vast knowledge of Tigers history. But I've really only learned about it by being in the organization. The only players I had heard of were Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Cecil Fielder, and the only reason I knew about those guys was from playing RBI Baseball on Nintendo. Of those three, it would be Cecil because he had so many home runs. Some people ask why I didn't know about the Tigers growing up, but you have to remember, being from Chicago, I was swamped with games of either the Cubs or White Sox, and also because of TBS, the Braves.

Q: What do you guys do on days when you don't have a game?
--Steven, Grand Rapids, Mich.

It depends on if that day is at home or on the road. Another factor is if we have to travel on that day. Sometimes we will have an off day, but have to fly to our next city. If it's an off day and we don't have to travel, I try to get stuff done around my apartment (groceries, clean up, laundry, etc.). I'll also try to just rest and relax, maybe get a good dinner and catch up on a lot of phone calls and e-mails. It's nothing too exciting.

Q: As a sports fan, have you ever felt the disappointment that current Tigers fans are feeling? Maybe this year's Bulls, or Kansas back in the day when they struggled so much in the tourney?
--AC, New Baltimore, Mich.

First, I'm not a Bulls fan. I enjoyed watching Jordan play when he was there, but there really isn't a team in the NBA that I'm a fan of. I am, however, a Kansas fan, and there have been years when they didn't play so well or lost early in the NCAA Tournament, but I'm not as diehard a fan as most Tigers fans are, and it's not the end of the world to me if Kansas loses a big game like it seems to be for Tiger fans. I'll never boo or say guys on Kansas or any other team suck because they aren't playing good. There has to be a winner and a loser in every game, and sometimes Kansas will lose just like we, the Tigers, lose -- and I understand that. That's why it isn't that hard on me when Kansas loses.

Q: When you were growing up, did you ever have a favorite MLB team?
--Brett in Newington, Conn.

My favorite MLB team was the BRAVES, not the White Sox. For some reason, a lot of people think because I grew up on the south side of Chicago that I'm a White Sox fan. I was a huge Braves fans; I owned some jerseys and some of my favorite players were David Justice, Otis Nixon, Sid Bream and Ron Gant, to name a few.

Q: Can you name the three pitchers you hate facing the most?
--Norman, College Station, Texas

Bobby Jenks (I think I'm 0-9 with eight strikeouts against him), Kelvim Escobar (he has a great split and change up that I can't seem to pick up) and Gil Meche (he is probably one of the toughest competitors, and never gives in).

Q: What is the craziest thing Jim Leyland has ever said in the locker room?
--Jordan, Slinger, Wis.

We lost a game, and the way we were mentally unprepared caused Leyland to snap on us. We had a bunch of different gadgets and drills that are supposed to help you with hitting. Considering we didn't hit that well that game, Leyland snapped at us about those different things. He yelled at us about how we couldn't have been prepared with all this equipment that we have, and the fact that we had so much stuff to work with it was like we had "ping-pong balls flying out our ---." At the time, of course, no one on the team could say anything, but after we finally realized what he said, we laughed and said, "Did he really say that?"

Q: Have you ever run into a bird or had a bird poop on you while playing the outfield? Do you have any good stories of animal involvement during a game?
--Michael, Troy, Mich.

No, birds haven't interfered with play since I've played outfield for the Tigers. The only animal involvement I had actually happened before a game. We had a huge bird problem before a game last year, and we had dogs out to help scare them away. While the dogs were out there, I went out to see them, and one ended up peeing on my foot. I ended up with two hits that game, so maybe it was good luck.

Q: I was just wondering why some of the pitchers wear their jackets in the dugout on hot days. Does that benefit them in some way?
--Meg, Parts Unknown

They do that to keep their throwing arm warm between innings, because that time could be five minutes or 25 minutes, and a pitcher can't afford for his arm to get cold. It could cause injury or make him lose his touch and feel when trying to command his pitches.

Q: Recently, my husband laughed at me for picking up your current Men's Health magazine. My question is, was it awkward doing a photo shoot, especially a shirtless one? And how does it make you feel knowing that women in Detroit are hanging you on their walls?
--Katie, Shelby Township, Mich.

That photo shoot was pretty tough to do without my shirt, because it was the first one like that for me. The makeup people even joked with me saying that they could do makeup abs on me if I wanted. We used some baby oil found a nice puddle to jump in and out of about 50 times until they got the shot right. It was fun when it was all said and done, but still pretty tough to actually do. As for knowing girls are putting the pics on their walls, that is something I still don't know why they would. I actually haven't heard too many comments about it, except for people who knew the magazine was coming out.

Q: Who was your favorite player from this year's KU team that won it all?
--Patrick, Kansas City, Mo.

There are a bunch of players I enjoyed watching play, and I especially love how most of them play above the rim and also behind the arc. I would have to say my favorite from last year was Brandon Rush. He could go inside, or step out and drain a big three.

Send your questions to grandy@fullathletemarketing.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson
is the starting center fielder for the American League champion Detroit
Tigers. During the 2008 season, he will be blogging twice a week for
ESPN.com.

He is the founder of the Grand Kids Foundation, and holds college degrees in business marketing and business management.

For more information on him, please visit his official MySpace page. For questions or comments, e-mail him at grandy@fullathletemarketing.c

I like the answer to "what do you do on your days off?"
yeah, right!!

laprimamirala wrote:

I like the answer to "what do you do on your days off?"
yeah, right!!

I think he left out the part about strip clubs

and other things.....

Wait a minute, he was in a magazine with his shirt off? We need to find this.....
I think they should all do that

June issue of Men's Health...maybe on eBay?

:curtis: can be Mr. June anytime!

It's interesting to me when writers, announcers and commentators make negative comments about a player. When I say "negative comments," I'm not just talking about a person making an error or a bad pitch/play/swing, but actually criticizing a player's personality or ability when they have never met or consistently seen a player perform in person.

If a player makes a good play or is playing well, why not talk about what that person has done well? Why put the focus on what the player isn't doing or can't do? In our Tuesday night game against the Giants, Ryan Raburn and Marcus Thames both homered in the game. Raburn's home run came during a pinch-hit at-bat to give us a 2-1 lead, and Thames' came later in the game to extend the lead and make it five consecutive games with a home run for him.

The next day in a San Francisco newspaper on the front page of the sports section, there was a story about the game. When it came to the part about Raburn, the story says he is a "scrub" who came off the bench to hit a home run. It also mentions that Thames was an all-or-nothing guy.

I don't see how you can say that a major league utility player like Raburn -- who just hit a go-ahead home run off the bench -- is a scrub, or how a player like Thames -- who has played left field, right field, first base and DH -- is an all-or-nothing player. When other guys are hitting home runs and have a lower batting average than Thames, they are called power hitters. Raburn doesn't play everyday, and that's how he should have been referred to, not as a scrub.

It may seem as if I'm being biased toward my team, but recently I have seen this happening with players around the league. When I was watching ESPNews the other day, Michael Bourn, an outfielder for the Astros, made a great play to rob the Orioles' Nick Markakis of a home run. And instead of just commenting about the great catch, they also mention that Bourn can't hit a lick. Again, the highlight was a great defensive play; why not just talk about the great play?

In all three of these cases, the players made great plays or had big hits, and instead of just complimenting their performance, people found a way to spin it into a negative. The media plays an important role, not just in sports, but in society. Giving your opinion is one thing. Name-calling is another, and editors shouldn't so easily allow it in their publications. Calling a professional athlete a "scrub" would be one of those cases.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curtis Granderson
is the starting center fielder for the American League champion Detroit
Tigers. During the 2008 season, he will be blogging twice a week for
ESPN.com.

He is the founder of the Grand Kids Foundation, and holds college degrees in business marketing and business management.

For more information on him, please visit his official MySpace page. For questions or comments, e-mail him at grandy@fullathletemarketing.c

He seems pissed. I've never seen him that mad before :haha:

This may fire them all up even more! I do think they took care of the Padres yesterday, and from Maggs (slump) and Pudge, who hit only his 2nd homer this year.

Go ahead reporters, make em mad enough, and they may win the WS!!!