Nick Shlain

Articles (21 total)

Commentary: New season poses challenges to Tigers despite optimism

It’s hard not to succumb to hyperbole early in the baseball season, but with just a few games in the books and Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch hitting .364 at the time of this writing, I reserve the right to hold off on small, sample-size conclusions until the end of April at the earliest.

Here's an early look at baseball's awards

Major league baseball kicked off its season last week, so it seems like as good of a time as ever to predict the individual awards given out by the league. Here are my predictions:

Rhymes was named starting second baseman for the tigers instead of Scott Sizemore.

Cuts and Bolts: Tigers option Sizemore to minors

As spring training winds down, it becomes time for all 30 major league teams to trim the fat of the 40-man roster down to the 25 guys who get to suit up on Opening Day. Last week, teams sent their top young prospects back to minor league camp to take a longer look at those in competition for big league jobs. For the Detroit Tigers, this meant looking at second basemen Will Rhymes, whom manager Jim Leyland named a starter, and Danny Worth.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander smiles during the team's first official workout for pitchers and catchers at spring training in Lakeland, Florida, Monday, February 14, 2011. (Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Verlander, Scherzer provide dynamic duo

Ever since Detroit Tigers’ general manager Dave Dombrowski has been in baseball he’s targeted power arms in the rotation. This is why he brought in David Chad as his scouting director, why the Tigers drafted Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya and Andrew Miller and why they traded for Max Scherzer.

Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers led his team to a Super Bowl win and was awarded MVP.

Rodgers has stellar Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLV was as eventful as any other Super Bowl, and at the same time just as forgettable. The game had everything you could look for in a Super Bowl: two great teams with great quarterbacks, two passionate fanbases, typically over-the-top commercials, ridiculous performances by stale acts during halftime and a drawn out rendition of our national anthem (this year, some lyrics were optional).

Upsets in this weeks playoffs has left many football fans puzzled.

Bears, Patriots playoffs picks after opening week

When I decided to do an NFL picks column for The Echo, I didn’t want to dedicate much of the content of the column to my picks from last week. Unfortunately, my 0-4 record last week was too ugly to ignore. There is an added degree of difficulty picking games this early in the week, especially without the benefit of the Vegas spread. But I’m better than 0-4. Let’s take a look at what happened last week, and see if I can’t do better this time around.

Lions could have good 2011 season

Last Sunday the Detroit Lions lost to the Chicago Bears 24-20 in a game we have all seen many times before. The Lions came out playing extremely hard in the first half controlling the game with their stout defensive line. Even with Kyle Vanden Boesch out and rookie of the century Ndamukong Suh drawing double and triple teams on every play (not to mention more than a few uncalled holds).

Former Boston Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez walks back to the plate after visiting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Martinez has landed a position at the Detroit Tigers, and will add to the offensive strength, currently lacking in the team.

Commentary: Tigers already busy, recruiting Martinez, adding offensive skill

Tired of baseball? Ready to take a nice long break before easing into the Hot Stove league? The Tigers sure aren’t. Having already signed right-handed setup man Joaquin Benoit to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million last week, they continued to throw their financial weight around coming to an agreement with former Red Sox and Indians catcher Victor J. Martinez for four years and $50 million.

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