Miguel Cabrera should have received more than one first-place vote.

Awarding Miguel Cabrera one first-place vote in the America League MVP voting was moronic, according to more than one blog. 

But was that lone vote really that ridiculous?

Here are their 2009 stats:

Mauer – .365 BA, 28 HR, 96 RBI, .444 OBP, .587 SLG

Cabrera – .324 BA, 34 HR, 103 RBI, .396 OBP, .547 SLG

(Not too dissimilar, eh?)

From May until September, Joe Mauer (after missing the first month of the season) had Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer protecting him in the lineup, while speedster Denard Span got on base in front of him at a .392 clip.

Cabrera, meanwhile, had to endure the two-headed monster of like Clete Thomas and Magglio Ordonez in front of him, with Carlos Guillen making pitchers shake in their boots behind him.  Yet he still managed to finish fourth in the AL in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging.  All of this done when opposing teams’ pitching strategies basically revolved around #24.

I’m not discounting that Mauer had one hell of a season, but I’ve always thought that factoring in the performance of a team if said MVP candidate was removed from the lineup should play a role in the voting.

The Twins would have survived the 2009 season without Mauer, at least until Morneau (the 2006 American League MVP)  went down with his season-ending injury.

The Tigers without Cabrera? I think it’s safe to say we would have turned our attention toward the Detroit Lions a lot sooner.

That’s got to be worth a few first-place votes.

Does Detroit need a professional football team?

There is a prevailing school of thought in Detroit that thinks the city needs a winning football team, as if victories on the field would have equaled proper protocol in the mayor’s office or less jokes on The Jay Leno Show.

My question is: Why?

In the span of time since William Clay Ford, Sr. bought the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Tigers have won two World Series and advanced to another; the Detroit Pistons won three championships while losing two Finals; and the Detroit Red Wings have appeared in eight Stanley Cup Finals, winning four of them.

The Lions? They’ve won one playoff game while wallowing in futility for a half century.

There was a brief period of time in the 90’s when the team was legitimately good, but they were never able to get over the hump. Since the retirement of Barry Sanders, they’ve been downright terrible. It was capped off by last year’s first-time-in-NFL-history 0-16 season.

Management has shown a consistent knack for drafting the wrong players and hiring the wrong coaches. The players who do don the intimidating Honolulu Blue look lost and out-of-place most Sundays. And unless you buy tickets to a game (or it’s Thanksgiving) you can’t watch the home games on television due to the NFL’s blackout rule.

In a city constantly the butt of national jokes for its shady political players and a decimated automotive industry that is sucking the lifeblood out of the region, this is supposed to lift our spirits? I don’t see the point in cheering for a team that has a habit of disappointing its fanbase. Regularly.

Removing the Detroit Lions from the equation would allow us to endure less pain and suffering on account of our local teams, and force us to appreciate the professionalism and talent that our other teams showcase.

And removing the cancer from our fandom that is the Lions might even improve our outlook.

Can the Detroit Tigers afford to trade Curtis Granderson?

To the hardcore Detroit Tiger baseball fan, Curtis Granderson is a solid outfielder with great range and a pretty good arm who displays some power at the dish, and has a tough time against left-handed pitchers.

In other words, he’s Bobby Higginson. 

*beat*

Obviously, I’m kidding, although their numbers through the age of 28 aren’t that dissimilar.

But to the casual Detroit Tiger baseball fan (read: the other 99 percent of the fans) he is the face of Detroit Tigers baseball.

He’s the player they bring their kids to see.  He’s the name those kids scream when he takes his place on that worn patch of grass in centerfield.  He’s the name on the back of the majority of most female fans’ jerseys.

He is everyone’s Tiger.

In Detroit, we pride ourselves on getting behind players who value a work ethic.  And for the past few seasons, Granderson has been that player.  By all accounts, he is a fine, upstanding young man who handles himself properly off the field, and gives his all when he’s on it.

From a baseball perspective, I understand why Dombrowski thinks now is the best time to listen to offers for Granderson since he will probably never have a higher asking price.  And if we want to stay competitive in the future, Dombrowski thinks we have to give to get.  I totally agree.

But little kids and grandparents don’t care so much for the future.  They don’t care if we’re getting the Chicago Cubs number one prospect if that means they have to watch Granderson roaming Wrigley Field in Cubbie Blue.

That might be enough to make them spend their summer nights elsewhere.

With attendance expected to dwindle next season and enormous contracts on the books for one more season, the Tigers are going to need to do all they can to get fans to come down to Comerica Park next season.

That said, can they afford the negative backlash that would accompany trading away their most popular player?

The Week That Was in Detroit Sports – Week of Nov. 9

Every friday, the Spirit of Detroit will post our favorite Detroit links from the past week.

The week started off slow, but news of possible trades involving popular Detroit Tigers blew up the blogosphere in Detroit.  Here’s a recap.

• Bless You Boys wonders aloud (er, via typing) if the Detroit Tigers will have another chance to get J. J. Putz after losing out on the sweepstakes last year. If Rodney departs, I’m on board.
• Rumors that Edwin Jackson is available for the right price was one thing.  But Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge? The team would take a huge PR hit if they unload their two most popular players.
• The Detroit Tiger Weblog sums up these last few days.
• In other, less-exciting news, but just as potentially outlandish, the guys at Pride of Detroit suggest, by way of real stats, that Matthew Stafford mirrors Peyton Manning through their first six games. Hold your laughter. It’s true.
• Finally, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered rails against those who think Joe Dumars wasted the Pistons’ cap space on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. He presents a logical argument.

The Week That Was in Detroit Sports – Week of Nov. 2

Every friday, the Spirit of Detroit will post our favorite Detroit links from the past week.

This is the first entry in what we hope becomes a regular occurrence on the blog.  Only three links this week, but it’ll get better, just as soon as Steve learns how to set up his Google Reader.

• Similar to what we alluded to in an earlier post, PistonPowered ponders whether the Pistons are better than we thought, based on other teams’ ability to perform without their two stars.
• Bless You Boys lists the top 20 prospects in the Tigers system.
• Check out this hit by  Zack Follet. Anybody catch the number on that train?

Enjoy your weekends.