Great ballclubs are built up the middle of the field, and while the words "great" and "Tigers" should remain at a distance, let's give the Bengals credit for putting bona fide major league players in those key positions--catcher, 2nd base, shortstop, and center field.

Let's applaud our good fortune at signing Pudge. He brings baseball savoir faire to an organization that is sadly in need of someone who can play the game. Yes, we may have been his last and only choice, but so what? It's our bad luck that a glut of free agents intersected with owners who finally, (after what? three decades) learned to forget about the Reserve Clause and learned to benefit from an open market for players? Cynics will moan about greedy agents, indifferent players, and colluding owners. It's easy and obvious argument to make, and thus it will be a popular argument. Like many counterfactual arguments, it's strength lies in the numbers of people who believe it, and their need to be consistent, rather than any matter of factual evidence. Instead of belaboring the obvious, let's consider this: Baseball may have, and modern pro sports may be, changing their economics for the better.

One more thing, Fernando Vina is an important signing, too. He plays the game hard, and he plays the game smart. He's a joy to watch. I've followed his career since his All American days at ASU and then when he was with St. Louis. He's a dervish on the base paths, and he can still get to his fair share of ground balls. Look for him to be a steadying influence for the new shortstop we acquired from Seattle and to be one of Pudge's on-field lieutenants.

Opening Day is nine weeks away! The Tigers are back on their way to playing the game the way it's meant to be played. It's our good fortune that the market turned sour for Pudge!

Hail Pudge!