Why Curtis Granderson is my prototypical lead-off hitter

Anyone who knows baseball may scratch their head at that, but for my money, Curtis Granderson is one of the best lead-off hitters in baseball. Now, don't read that as lead-off HITTER, because it's more than just the hitting (besides, he's only hitting .284, which is ok, but not great, as you would rather have your typical leadoff hitter at around .300). No, the real reason I like Granderson leading off is because of his first at-bat. At the beginning of any baseball game, the best lead-off hitters take as many pitches as possible before either getting a hit, walking, or getting out. That allows the rest of your teammates to see all of the pitches that the opposing pitcher is throwing, and watch arm speed, pitch speed, location, etc., and allows them to have a good read on the pitcher. Plus, the more pitches thrown per batter, the easier it is for teams to get to him, and knock him around a bit. The Tigers, for the most part, have employed lead-off hitters who swing away, making it impossible to get a good read on a pitcher, decreases our productivity (especially in the early innings), and allowed pitchers to last longer in the game. Granderson is good for about 6+ pitches per at-bat, fouls off many good pitches, and keeps his at-bat going, which forces the pitcher to use all of his pitches to try and record the out. It gives your team a huge advantage when your lead-off hitter can get a lengthy at-bat in the first inning. It also explains why the Tigers have scored more than twice the amount of runs in the first inning than their opponents. So you can keep your Johnny Damon's and your Ichiro's, I hope we stick with Grandy.

In other 'earth-shattering news' (lol), the Red Wings are reported to have signed D Danny Markov to a free agent deal. Well, at least it's something. Also, the Lions have reportedly signed 7th rd. OG Fred Matua, but the rest of the rookies' contracts are more difficult to complete...just what the Lions needed, a bunch of hold outs...