NOTES FROM GRANDERSONS ESPN BLOG

I can't believe how quickly this season has flown by. Unfortunately, I won't have another month left to play this year, but hopefully that changes next year. I'll have one final blog next week, but I decided to pull some more questions out of the hat this morning before I head to the field and try to keep the Rays from clinching their division with a win. It's fine if they do it by Boston losing, but not by beating us.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for reading this blog and keeping it going along with sending in your great questions all season long. I've had fun with this again this year, and it wouldn't be possible without all the great people at ESPN and ESPN.com. They have made this blog really easy, and they are also helping out my charity, which I don't think can be stated enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Q: Love the blog. You do an outstanding job. I loved the photo of the rookie initiation. My question is, at what point during the off-season do you start preparing yourself physically and mentally for the next season?
--Sean, Conyers, Ga.

I'll usually take about three full weeks to a month off from baseball both mentally and physically. I will be covering the playoffs right away at the end of the season, but I consider that more fun than work. Once that time has come and gone, I start back in the gym, just building my strength back. I won't start baseball stuff until about Christmas time or right after the New Year.

Q: When players consider home away from the city you play, where do you live when you are with your team?
--Nick, Bay Area, Calif.

I think you are asking where do I live when I'm not in Chicago in the off-season. If so, the answer is a couple of places. I'm in Lakeland, Fla., for two months for spring training, then when I move here to Detroit for the season, I'll usually stay somewhere fairly close to the ballpark, but each year is different during the season. It all depends on who will give me a six-month lease, which not too many places will do.

Q: I always hear about the troubles batters or pitchers have going from the AL to NL or vice versa. There was a lot of talk about [Miguel] Cabrera coming from the Marlins to Detroit and hitting the AL pitchers. Also, CC Sabathia going from Cleveland to Milwaukee now facing NL batters. Can you explain some of the things that would trouble a player?
--Joe, Parts Unknown

The rumor is that in the National League, pitchers throw more fastballs, so if you are a good fastball hitter you tend to have more success moving from the American League to the National League. I don't know if this is true or not, but I do remember in a spring training game, Joel Zumaya was throwing against the Reds (National League team) and guys were able to catch up to his 95 mph fastballs with ease. Now, I know it was only spring training, but usually guys tend to have slower bat speed in spring training than the regular season. I remember when Bronson Arroyo went from the Red Sox (AL) to the Reds (NL), too, and was dominating for a while down there, because he threw a lot of offspeed pitches. Miguel Cabrera got off to a slow start here in the American League but has had a great season, and it could have been the switch or a number of reasons why he started slow. CC is off to a great start in the National League as well because he has two great offspeed pitches (changeup and slider), but remember he was a Cy Young winner in the American League so he can pretty much pitch anywhere.

Q: What does Marcus Thames write in the dirt in the left field warning track before each game he starts?
--Tristan, Windsor, Ontario

Not too sure, and have never asked him. Some people do certain things that are just for them, and as a teammate you just don't ask.

Q: Have you ever asked for an autograph of another player, coach, manager, or front office executive?
--Christopher, Fullerton, Calif.

I have asked my teammates for autographs for friends and charities. From other teams, I have only asked Ken Griffey Jr. I do have a ball by his dad, Ken Sr., but someone gave that to me without me asking for it. I also asked Willie Mays for an autograph. I'm more happy about the picture I have with him, though, than the autographed ball.

Q: I am a Cardinals fan and whenever there is a pitching change in the middle of an inning, the outfielders huddle together in center field. What do you talk about? Is it more of a serious conversation talking about the game, or do you make jokes and try to have fun?
--Matt, Parts Unknown

Usually, it is never serious talk. We look around the stands, we make a lot of jokes about each other, things like that. Magglio and I always are laughing about something when we meet up in center.

Q: What road clubhouse is the best and why?
--Ryan, Atlanta, Ga.

Seattle. They have the best chef in the big leagues. He makes the best chicken with cheese and bacon sandwiches, with french fries on the side, plus his post-game meals are great. They have plenty of snacks, drinks, gum, and magazines of all types to read. They also have the batting cage in the locker room, so you don't have to worry about sharing with the other team. There is also a weight room in there.

Q: Many of us call you our Tiger, but the truth is, just as happened with Pudge, tomorrow, next year, any time you could be traded and have to be at home in a new city. Does this keep you from getting comfortable in a place that isn't "home" (i.e., Chicago)?
--Carolyn, Ann Arbor, Mich.

It does keep you from wanting to call a place home where you play during the season. You think about buying a house, because you spend so much money on rent, and then as soon as you close on it, you end up getting traded. When talking to fans around Detroit, some are shocked to hear that as soon as the last day of the season is over, guys head back to their hometowns. You have to remember we have been away from our homes for almost eight months (two months for spring training and six months for the season), and we are ready to head back to our actual homes. As much fun as Detroit is, there is still no place like home. And no, I didn't click my heels when I typed that.

Q: Do the Tigers have a team jet or do you all fly on a charter plane?
--Jake, Portland, Ore.

We actually share a plane with the Red Wings. Our plane has both logos on it, and it's our own plane. If there is a conflict with the hockey season and baseball season, then we will take a charter plane. I surprise my friends and family with how quickly we arrive in the next city. As soon as the last game before a road trip is done, we are headed straight to the airport. Once the plane is loaded up, we take right off. No checking in, no checking luggage, just park and a few hundred feet to the plane.

Q: At lower levels of baseball, players are taught to communicate verbally on cut-offs ("Cut 3," for example), let the catcher know if a base runner is stealing, etc. Is this still done at the major league level with all the crowd noise, and, if not, how is such communication done?
--Dave, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

A lot of the same communication is done up here at the major league level. In the outfield, I'll call off the infielder by saying "I got it, I got it, I got it." In the infield, if I steal a base, I hear the first baseman or even someone from the bench yell "runner." As for cut-offs in the infield, I'm not 100 percent sure, because I haven't played there since high school, but if the fielder doesn't want the ball to be cut, then they don't say anything. If they want the ball to be cut, then they yell which base to cut the ball too. Now the cutoff man also makes a decision without having to be told anything either. If the ball is offline, it's his judgment to cut the ball off. Even though it is pretty noisy with the crowds, we end up so close to each other when we are communicating that for the most part we can still hear each other.

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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.com