Laird upset to miss hot dog eating competition

1. No confirmation yet as to whether Gerald Lard was thinking about hot dogs when he tossed a perfectly called pitch-out into center field in the second inning. The portly Tigers backstop seemed distracted all morning and Leyland considered starting Avila knowing how much Gerald likes hot dogs. "Sure, I've got a great job but boy would I like a shot at that Nathan's title. I want Chestnut!!"

That being said, Lard's error which sent Gutierez to third base was the type of play that has plagued Bondo's career; more pointedly, his inability to pick a teammate up when something goes wrong. In this case, Bondo showed his new-found maturity by pitching intelligently with only one out. He unintentionally intentionally walked Kotchman, throwing him nothing but junk that he would either not swing at or would swing and miss. With Kotchman on first, Bondo set out to get his double play ball and keep the run from scoring (all the more important with a one-run lead on Cliff Lee). He threw Wilson nothing but sliders and change-ups down in the zone, just the type of pitches that turn into ground balls. Luckily, this lineup isn't good enough to make contact and Bondo's pitches were located well enough for two strikeouts and Lard's wiener dreaming didn't hurt the Tigers on the scoreboard. In this inning at least, Bondo was able to control his emotions when something out of his control didn't go his way . . .

2. This just in, Cliff Lee is good. Of his first 50 pitches, he threw 41 for strikes. An 82% strike ratio is "off the chain" as Rod would say. The difference between good and great major league stuff is the ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes and not get hurt. Lee can make his fastball move in or out depending on the batter and locates his off-speed stuff as well as any left-hander in the game. It took Lee exactly six pitches to strike out Inge and Lard with men on 1st and 2nd in the 4th inning, never throwing the same pitch twice. The contrast between Lee and Bondo is stark. Bondo has to work with deception and pitch out of the strike zone, hoping to fool you into swinging. This is why he worked every inning with at least one runner on base today. Lee attacks the zone with different speeds and confidence that you won't get good wood on the ball. Damn, I hope he doesn't go to the Twins.

3. So much for Bondo's new attitude. In the 5th inning, a few close pitches went against him and he started railing against the umpire. Noticeably rattled and throwing his hands in the air, it was clear that the wheels were coming off. With his attention clearly on the umpire, Bondo served up another three-run shot to right field and was ejected moments later with the game out of hand at 7-1. Crying about balls and strikes is bush league. It screams of desperation and he might as well be yelling "Jesus, I can't make a pitch that good two times in a row! What am I supposed to do now that I'm in a 2-0 hole? My stuff isn't good enough to get out of this situation! You're screwing me because I'm not talented enough to pitch my way out of a jam like the Cy Young winner pitching for the other team!" Look, umpires vary wildly on strike zones but they're typically calling a game the same way for both teams. If you're getting squeezed, man up and fight through it. You like a rookie whining to an umpire about your inability to consistently hit the plate.