"Who's Your Tiger?" wasn't just a marketing slogan; it was an ice-breaker among fans.  When the Detroit Tigers rolled it out for the 2006 season, the timing seemed perfect, as many more people began following the team and its success became watercooler chatter. 

But these things never last.  Gotta keep it fresh and exciting.  Alas, "Who's Your Tiger?" has been retired, and the Tigers will unveil a new slogan for the 2009 season.  What will it be?  The Tigers aren't saying yet.  But they give a hint at the team's official MLBlog:

The new slogan, is not a "stand-alone" slogan or question. It's more of a statement--about the history and relationship the Tigers have with the City of Detroit.

At several points last season, I found myself wondering if the Tigers were going to revamp their campaign.  (Maybe because it was incessant during commercial breaks, to the point where it just became audio wallpaper.)  And evidently, this has been under discussion for quite some time.

But three years is a good run for something like this.  And even if it's no longer the "official" slogan for the Tigers, I imagine "Who's Your Tiger?" will live on among fans.  Or we'll come up with different ways to express our admiration and support for Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, and other fan favorites. 

Of course, we can't put up a post like this and not solicit suggestions for new Tigers marketing slogans in the comments.  Maybe we can put one of 'em on a BYB Gear t-shirt next season.

(Hat tip to Billfer)

I've said my piece on the Save Tiger Stadium effort before, and would certainly like to see it succeed.  But I was thinking some rather hopeless thoughts upon reading that the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy had been given yet more time (after yesterday's deadline) to submit its renovation plans to the city of Detroit. 

But I don't think I could express my feelings on the matter any better than ShysterBall did earlier today, so I'll cede the floor to Craig:

The Conservancy has now blown through approximately 1,384 deadlines. Each time they claim to be just about there, only to fall short and thus requiring a new deadline. If it weren't for the massive amounts of Ernie Harwell-inspired goodwill, its efforts would have long ago failed and ceased. Good for Ernie, who is a bigger hero to me than Alan Trammell ever was, but I believe that the failure of the Conservancy would have been for the best.

[snip]

Look, if I ran the world the Tigers would still be playing in a lovingly restored cathedral to baseball on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. That ship sailed long ago, however, and what has happened to Tiger Stadium in the past nine years has been nothing short of an atrocity. If any of the Conservancy's members had a loved one who was so abused, they would have called the cops. If my Uncle Harry had required the level of life support the Conservancy has demanded, we would have pulled the plug long before we did. I loved Tiger Stadium like I have loved no other building, but it's time to lop off the final bit that remains standing and begin remembering it for what it was rather than gawk at it with pity as we speed by on I-75.

It's been almost 10 years.  I don't want to read any more stories from visiting writers expressing disbelief and dismay over the old ballpark being left to rot.  And soon, we'll have a generation of Tigers fans that won't even remember that the team played someplace besides Comerica Park.  I know this opinion won't make me popular with some people, but isn't it long past time to let go?

By the way, if you didn't know already, ShysterBall has moved to The Hardball Times site, which is the baseball equivalent of "you stuck your chocolate in my peanut butter, you got your peanut butter on my chocolate."  Two great tastes that taste great together.  

Did anyone else see this article about A.J. Hinch in Sunday's Detroit Free Press and briefly think - even for a second - that the Tigers were looking at him to play catcher next season? 

No?  That was just me?  Okay, I'm reading too many Hot Stove rumors.  Or bad ones, anyway.  With the Winter Meetings coming up, hopefully the good stuff is on the way.  Just some action would be nice.

And if you're thinking, "A.J. who?" he was a catcher on the abysmal 2003 team.  You might remember them from such horrifying memories as "The Team That Lost 119 Games."  Or you don't remember at all because recall of that year has been scrubbed from your brain.  If that's the case, good for you. 

Brandon Inge and Matt Walbeck actually caught the majority of innings for the Tigers in 2003, however, so even if you did watch, but still don't remember Hinch (who batted .203/.247/.392), it's understandable.

Our Thanksgiving holiday was extended a bit here at BYB, so pardon us while we catch up on some of the pertinent news over the next couple of posts.  Could this be the last time I get to use this Edgar Renteria photo?  I've grown kind of attached to it, you know.

The Detroit Tigers, however, would no longer like to be attached to Renteria, and cut the cord with him for good yesterday by declining to offer him arbitration.  And in doing so, they lose out on any draft picks (two, to be exact) that would've been received as compensation for Renteria's Type A free agent status.

Smart move?  Well...

There was obviously a risk in offering Renteria arbitration, in that he might pownce on a one-year contract in which he'd likely be awarded something in the $9 million range (the salary he was paid last season).  If the Tigers were interested in paying Renteria that much - or interested in him being their shortstop again, for that matter - they might have just picked up his contract option.  (Although not picking up the option would've saved Detroit at least $2 million, regardless.)  And we wouldn't have ever had to deal with the words "Julio Lugo."

As Billfer points out, such a risk could've been lessened by releasing (or trading) Renteria during the spring if the Tigers decided they didn't want him.  But really, why go through all that trouble if Renteria wasn't actually wanted in the first place?  Would the draft pick compensation have been worth the hassle?  Perhaps, but possibly bringing two starting shortstops to Lakeland in February seems excessive.

But if Renteria has more lucrative offers on the table (such as the rumored two-year deal from the Giants), he more than likely would pass on arbitration with the Tigers, take the bigger contract elsewhere, and Detroit would have themselves a couple of draft picks to stockpile the farm system with.  Winner, winner, turkey dinner. 

A more troubling possibility was brought up by Lee (and echoed by Big Al), who wonders if the Tigers didn't even flirt with paying Renteria $9 million because they can't afford it.  Otherwise, why not at least offer a contract when the team hasn't found a replacement at shortstop yet?  But maybe Dave Dombrowski is confident he'll get someone who's at least a defensive upgrade, and would therefore prefer to spend that money on that player (or on, say, the bullpen).  Maybe. 

The most vexing thing about this whole situation, of course, is that this now means that Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez were traded for one sub-par season from Renteria.  A starting pitcher who surely could've helped the Tigers last season and for years to come (though I wonder if Armando Galarraga negates that loss), and a center fielder who could've instead been traded for pitching help were both squandered.  Dombrowski took a huge risk, and when the end result wasn't a World Series championship, it blew up right in his face.

Maybe that's made him gun-shy on taking any risk at all this winter.

Can we finally lay these Julio Lugo rumors to rest?  According to the Boston Herald, the deal created in the minds of sportswriters might be dead:

Industry sources report that momentum for such a swap has slowed.  The possibility of a deal is now considered remote.

No word as to what may have killed whatever momentum the trade presumably had.  The headline of the Herald article says the Tigers lost interest in making such a deal, but the rest of the article doesn't detail why.  Was there any attempt by either side to complicate the deal with additional players or contract provisions?  

The idea of a challenge trade with Lugo's remaining $18 million of salary going to Detroit for either Dontrelle Willis's $22 million or Nate Robertson's $17 million seemed intriguing, as it would allow the Tigers and Red Sox to shed unwanted contracts.  But ultimately, neither team would seem to benefit in such an exchange. 

Could the Tigers get a better shortstop (at a cheaper price) than Lugo?  Could the Red Sox get a better starting pitcher than Willis or Robertson?  With the answer such an obvious yes for both sides, why make such a trade, if for no other reason than Dave Dombrowski and Theo Epstein said they made a deal this winter?

So what's next?  San Diego says they don't anticipate trading Khalil Greene now, though perhaps Kevin Towers is just waiting for the shortstop market to clear up.  There's also talk the Tigers could now be interested in Orlando Cabrera, though he doesn't seem to fit the short-term criteria they're looking for.

We've been reading for months about the Detroit Tigers holding back on spending big money on player contracts this off-season.  And for the most part, I think everyone's on board with that in Tiger Town.  The team seems to have enough stars, but needs some role players - some "glue guys" - to help it run more smoothly.

So there won't be a Francisco Rodriguez in the Tigers' future.  Okay, we get that.  No Rafael Furcal, no CC Sabathia, no Brian Fuentes, or Adam Dunn, either.  Fine, we understand.

But if Detroit is going to let Edgar Renteria go, the reasonable expectation (unless the intent is to blatantly dump salary from the payroll) is to get someone better.  Even if the improvement is only on the defensive side.  This is why many fans are fine with the Tigers starting Ramon Santiago at shortstop next season.  And it's why so many turned up their noses at the idea of trading for Julio Lugo.  (We might not have to worry about that anymore, however.)

For all the fretting over getting Jack Wilson from Pittsburgh, at least the numbers say his glove is better.  And he'll give you some offense.

But now, Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that the Tigers are thinking of signing Alex Cora, and pairing him with Santiago next year.  Really?  Alex Cora?  Another Red Sox cast-off?  Should we expect to see Mike Greenwell in left field next season?

Seriously, has it really come to this?  Is the free agent cupboard that bare?  Is the trade market that dry?  Are the extremes of the available shortstops so wide apart that the alternative to signing a potential superstar like Furcal is picking up a slap-hitting journeyman who wouldn't beat out Lugo or Jed Lowrie?

Cora hit .270/.371/.349 with no home runs and nine RBIs, in 179 plate appearances last season.  His defensive range is far below the league average.  This is what the Tigers are thinking of playing at shortstop next season?  And apparently, he'd play quite a bit, because Dave Dombrowski has already made it clear that he doesn't see Santiago as an everyday player. 

You've got to be kidding.  And I'm going to tell myself that Dombrowski is actually kidding with this.  That this is his smart-ass way of responding to all the squawking about trading for Jack Wilson.  "Oh yeah?  You don't think Wilson's any good?  Let me show you how bad it could be.  I got your shortstop right here!"

Or perhaps the Tigers' intentions have been misinterpreted, and they see Cora as the utility infielder he actually is, and like him as someone who could back up at shortstop, second base, and third base.  That might be the most logical assumption to make.  It was Morosi who speculated that Cora could be paired with Santiago as the shortstop tandem. 

Let's hope that's what's really happening here.  Otherwise, if that's how little the Tigers are going to spend on shortstop, they'd better shell out some cash for that bullpen.  Or something's going on financially that we just don't know about.

I meant to write this post after the season ended, but after briefly getting over Tigers-related burnout, hangover, or whatever you want to call it, the off-season began and there hasn't really been a slow period.  (At least for me.)  With Thankgiving here, however, and a long holiday to unwind, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank each of you who takes the time to stop over and read BYB each day.

Even more so, I'd like to thank everyone who's contributed to the community we've been building over the last couple of years.  Comments, e-mails, Facebook and Twitter notes, and most importantly, participation in the GameThreads has made writing for BYB a really enjoyable experience, regardless of how the Tigers played this past season. 

That sense of camaraderie, of shared joy and pain, is what I hoped for when I took over this blog back in the spring of 2007, and I just hope that you've been having as much fun as I am.

I have a few different things I'd like to try next season, hoping to make BYB run a bit more smoothly and consistently, but we'll get to that when it matters.  One idea I had for the winter was to maybe try and have five-question interviews with various regulars here and post one or two each week.  I thought it might be a fun way to get to know each other, outside of our comments and rants.  What would you think of that?

Of course, I'd love to hear any suggestions you have to offer.  This is your site.  Without you guys, I'd just be talking to a wall.  (And don't forget, you have a voice in the FanPosts and FanShots, as well, if there's anything you'd like to post to the BYB community at-large.)

But for now, when we're supposed to remind ourselves of what to be thankful for, I just want to express my appreciation for your participation and support.  It's been awesome. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  And give yourselves a hand.

It's that time of year when we say what we're thankful for, and Dan Levy of the awesome On the DL podcast invited me to chat for a few minutes about what I'm thankful for in sports. 

Strangely enough, I don't think the Detroit Tigers came up once in my conversation with Dan and his co-host, Nick Tarnowski.  Though maybe that shouldn't be a surprise since it was such a disappointing baseball season in Detroit. 

But we talked a bit about those Honolulu Blue-clad gridiron heroes, the Detroit Lions, and since I'm in Ann Arbor, we also discussed the coaching performances of Rich Rodriguez and John Beilein at the University of Michigan.  You might be surprised which of them I'm thankful for. 

The whole show includes five interviews with bloggers such as AJ Daulerio of Deadspin and Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog, which you can download here.  (What am I doing among those guys?  Good question.)  Or you can choose among the individual interviews, as Dan created separate downloads for each of them.  Mine can be found here.

Thanks to Dan for inviting me on the show, which was a very pleasant surprise in my inbox yesterday.  On the DL is one of my favorite podcasts, and if you haven't listened to it yet, give it a shot.  Dan and Nick talk to personalities from all throughout sports media and the blogosphere, and have some great conversations about the inner workings of the media and the sports world at-large.

On his blog, Pat Caputo of the Oakland Press writes that Jack Wilson would be a nice fit for the Detroit Tigers next season:

He is solid defensively and still has above average range.  He’s a pretty good hitter. Wilson had some injury issues last season and missed a lot of games, but there is no reason to believe they will linger.  He is not cheap, but not necessarily overpriced.  A lot of issues would be solved for the Tigers if they were to acquire Wilson.  The question is the cost to trade for him.

If Pittsburgh asks for Cale Iorg, that would obviously be a deal-breaker.  But they might be looking for that type of prospect in return for Wilson.  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the Dodgers are also interested in the Pirates' shortstop.  (As Zappatista wrote to me, it's nice to see another team mentioned in trade rumors with Wilson.)

However, it appears any potential deal may have fallen through because the Dodgers didn't care for the PIrates' asking price.  According to Rosenthal, Pittsburgh wanted Chin-Lung Hu (a shortstop prospect ThaWalrus9 touted in a recent post), along with two other young players, and the Dodgers thought that was way too much to give up for Wilson.  So instead, they might move onto pursuing Edgar Renteria.

Rosenthal also acknowledged that Detroit doesn't have a shortstop prospect in its system that could likely start in the major leagues next season.  (Could Danny Worth be that guy, if his shoulder was fully healed?)  But since the Pirates also wanted Delwyn Young as part of that package from the Dodgers, maybe the Tigers could make one of their young outfielders the centerpiece of a deal?

Shall we file this one under "And That Happened"?  (With appropriate nods to ShysterBall, of course.  And John Mayer.)

How badly do fans of the Detroit Tigers want to get rid of Edgar Renteria?  The Tigersosphere surged with reports of Renteria signing a two-year, $18 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.  Oh, the draft picks that would follow!  (Two, to be exact, since Renteria is a Type A free agent.)

To quote football savant Lee Corso, not so fast, my friend.  What we had here was a case of premature exclamation.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, I'm not saying I wouldn't have posted something about this, and also followed with an update/retraction later.  The only reason I didn't was because I wasn't near a computer from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

The news was initially broken by Sweeny Murti of New York's WFAN.  Should that have raised an eyebrow?  Not Murti's reporting, but a New York radio station getting the story on a San Francisco baseball team signing a shortstop.  Maybe not, but it doesn't seem like something you see (or hear, as it were) very often. 

Then the San Francisco press did their own reporting, and our old friend Henry Schulman of the Chronicle talked to the Giants' director of player personnel, who said that no such deal had been agreed upon.  Strike one.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick then passed along a message to MLB Trade Rumors, noting that Renteria's agent was telling him the same thing.  There was no contract.  (However, there may have been a proposal, which could be how this whole rumor developed.)  Strike two.

Finally, both Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted the unlikelihood of Renteria signing before December 1, by which time the Tigers will have to decide whether or not to offer him arbitration.

If Renteria were to sign before next Monday, if I'm understanding this correctly, the Tigers would then offer arbitration, knowing full well that it wouldn't be accepted, and get the Giants' second-round pick, in addition to a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.  (Goold was also told by Renteria's agent that he'd check back with the Cardinals before accepting any contract offer from another team.)  Strike three?

(All of this comes from MLB Trade Rumors, which became very busy chasing this story.)

Given the amount of smoke swirling around the Giants and Renteria, I'd be surprised if a deal didn't still take place between the two sides.  That depends, however, on where Rafael Furcal decides to sign.  If it's not with San Francisco, Renteria immediately becomes the next choice.  (The same thing might also happen with the Oakland Athletics, though they appear to be the early favorite to win the Furcal auction.)

Regardless, it certainly looks like Tigers fans can now comfortably accept that Detroit will have a new shortstop next season.  Renteria appears to be set on returning to the National League, where he's had his most success, and there hasn't been any talk of the Tigers making an offer to him (though they would surely wait until after Dec. 1 to do so). 

I'm just grateful for the opportunity to run that photo of Renteria at least one last time.  That's one of my favorites.