A couple of the clips were low quality but if I hadn’t used them I wouldn’t have had enough footage for the video, so.

Not for commercial use. All hockey footage belongs to the NHL and IIHF (I think). “Favorite Star” was written by Rival Schools and appears on the album United by Fate.

Blah blah blah I don’t own anything, I’m just a fan showing some love, etc.

Ha ha. We’ll see.

Oops.

Raburn isn’t a very good player. He has his moments of brilliance, as do most Major Leaguers; he was good enough to make it to the Majors and be a mediocre to downright bad replacement level (or worse) player. There are plenty who never made it that would probably give nearly anything to walk a mile in Raburn’s cleats.

My entirely irrational fondness for Raburn lies in a family death in 2009.

It had been a very difficult summer to that point. Family member after family member, it seemed, was taking ill or even dying. My parents were struggling financially. My brother was out in California. I had my own problems, as well.

On June 9th, I found out my grandfather, who’d long suffered from emphysema, had chosen to end his treatments and accept the inevitable. He couldn’t talk anymore, as he was hooked up on ventilators and monitors and so many machines you could hardly tell where they ended and the man began, but he gave his order and we weren’t about to defy him. My brother was flown in from California.

Two days later, my grandfather was taken off of the machines and he passed away with his family surrounding him. I held my grandfather’s hand, watched him pass peacefully, with a smile on his lips and a dash of J & B Scotch on his tongue.

It was a difficult, frenzied time as the family made viewing arrangements and funeral arrangements, and generally my brother and I were lost in the shuffle. It’s understandable, but it didn’t make anything any easier.

I didn’t know what to do; the pillar of our family was gone in a matter of two days. I grieved, I shut myself off from the real world and my friends and became the Dutiful Mourning Daughter/Granddaughter.

At the funeral home, in the snack room where family escaped for a few moments of stolen peace of mind, someone turned on the Tigers/Pirates game on a tiny TV set. We watched snippets here and there of a bewildered, godawful Dontrelle Willis get hammered by a terrible Pirates team. Somehow, that just added to the hurt I was already feeling; not even the Tigers could pull me out of this for a few hours.

On June 19th, I thought I was ready to throw off my grief and go back to the real world. I was wrong. I cried in public and I was right back to being the Mourning Granddaughter. I was embarrassed and thought there had to be something wrong with me. Back then, I didn’t realize you couldn’t just be done with grief whenever you wanted to. You had to ride it out.

A couple out-of-town friends tried to make arrangements with me to go to a Tigers game. I wanted to go but wasn’t sure if I should because, obviously, the family was still in mourning and my mom and dad probably needed me with them to grieve as a family or something. My mom gave me the okay, but my friends’ arrangements looked like they might fall through, so I decided it was probably a sign from God I shouldn’t go.

On June 23rd, at the last minute, my friends were able to come to Detroit for the first game of the Cubs/Tigers series. I shrugged off my guilt at leaving my family at home for a few hours and told myself it wasn’t wrong to have fun. You can only mourn for so much before it becomes unbearable, and this would be the perfect escape.

It might have seemed weird to go to a ballgame in the midst of all this. They’re supposed to be enjoyable experiences, after all. I’d had enough of feeling miserable, though, and decided to pause real life long enough to go with my friends to the ballpark.

It was a relatively well-played game, and the two teams seemed to be trading runs.

In the seventh inning, Brandon Inge gave the Tigers the lead on a two-run homer. The very next half-inning, Joel Zumaya returned the favor and blew the save on a two-run homer to the Cubs.

Everything I’d been feeling since June 11th seemed to be bottled up in that homerun off Zumaya. I felt like God had taken me and squished me like a bug between his thumb and forefinger. It’s kind of a melodramatic way of putting it, but that’s how I felt. Served me right for going to a ballgame when my parents and brother were at home, dealing with real life and the loss of my grandfather. Right?

Not so fast. An inning and a half later, the Tigers had the tying run on base and Ryan Raburn at the plate. Ryan Raburn, utility outfielder/infielder/backup break-glass-in-case-of-emergency catcher. This couldn’t possibly end well

Raburn lifted the second pitch he saw to left-center and right away, we all knew it was gone. The feeling that ran through me when I saw the ball jump off Raburn’s bat wrapped itself around my heart and carried it straight out of the ballpark. I went from the lowest of lows, feeling as down as Zumaya looked in the Tigers’ dugout like I was the one who had just lost the game for my team, to the highest of highs, to Don Kelly pumping his fists as he rounded third for home, to the Tigers pouring out of the dugout and screaming and jumping up and down like children, to Ryan Raburn grabbing onto Jim Leyland after he scored the winning run and giving him a big hug.

The ballpark has always felt like a second home to me, but this just sealed it. This was cauterizing the wound. Thirty thousand fans screamed with one voice, and the ballpark felt alive, vibrating with energy. I felt energized (reenergized) right along with it. I felt like I could get through the coming days, weeks, even months now as long as I kept this experience tucked away in my memory banks.

I’ve never been able to hate Raburn because of that. I know he really didn’t do much for me, specifically, but he provided something I needed at the exact right moment, gave me a moment to latch onto when I had little else.

Ryan Raburn will never know how much that homerun meant to me, and that’s fine. Very few people will probably understand the connection between that homerun, Ryan Raburn, and my grandfather, and that’s fine too.

I don’t think it’s meant to be completely understood.

It’s irrational and outside the bounds of reason.

That’s fine. That’s good. That’s kind of the point.

(I reworked parts of something I wrote here.)

* * *

[x]

Thanks, man. Really.

All She Wrote from rockthescherzer on Vimeo.

Warning: Eminem. Foul language.

baseball footage © Major League Baseball
“That’s All She Wrote” © T.I., Eminem, Lukasz Gottwald, etc. AKA a bunch of people who aren’t me
Not for commercial use

Cats With Bats is proud to present an exclusive(ish) interview with Twitter’s own (sort of) Fake Boesch! If you’d like to see more of him—sorry, no nude pics this time, guys—read on!

If you were stranded on a desert island with Ryan Raburn and Delmon Young, who would you cannibalize first and why?

lmao like, eat them? well delmon’s dark meat, and that’s better obv lmao, and he’s fat. raburn prolly knows how to cook a human lmao

Who isn’t a pussy?

um, me and miggy and prince, even tho prince going vegan for a while makes him a p big pussy, imo. plus he did it for his wife, lmao

Have you nailed Kate Upton too?

nope, i don’t do that shit. dirks tried to do it, and justin found out and got like 16 people to beat his ass. which is why he was on the dl with an “achilles” injury lmao. it really was a bruised pussy

What is that green square-shaped patch of grass in the outfield really for? Is it a trap door to your secret lair?

me and heather nabozny go under there and play cards, talk about family and friends. i eat thanksgiving there every year, shes a really close friend. in years prior, we accessed it via an underground lair, we had to move it to there to avoid suspicion. it’s so I know where it is.

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

bud light lime chased with a shot of 1800. so incomprehensibly smooth.

Who do you model your game after?

considering my recent lack of success? delmon young, lol. :(

Are you DadBoner?

no way. he’s a huge pussy. first i’m hearing of him. ponytail? earring? middle aged white dude shitting behind a dumpster at work. divorced his wife. always drinking busch. sounds like a loser, but
probably similar to me. karl’s middle aged crisis is hurting his family.

Has Leyland ever reprimanded you for things you’ve said on Twitter?

no, leyland has literally never seen the internet. plus it says “fake” boesch so they don’t think it’s me lmao

Would you wear Leyland’s underwear?

jesus fucking christ are you serious, wtf, lmao, that dude’s underwear is a literal blight on humanity. i srs think it’s like forged from the dead skin of the cutest animals to ever live, who were brought back to life, tortured, and skinned alive

How do you keep your hair looking so good?

I didn’t know it looked good, thanks. I have a stylist — Vesuvio. I see him every week. Pay him 30k a visit, too, cause I can.

Have you ever actually eaten Fenway feces nachos?

Dude, lmao, yeah. They’re rly tasty and they make them good somehow I dunno lmao

What do you attribute your recent struggles to?

Getting serious eh? Well, I don’t know. Pressing at the plate. I miss my family, my daughters, my wife..it’s hard to concentrate at your craft when you’re crushingly depressed and want to die.

What do you think about young female fans who are only into you
because of your dashing good looks?

that’s cool, I guess. Female fans need an ancillary interest to get into the game, and if you can attract them with appearance, that’s good. typical females though, interested in just the surface of a person, and not their actual personality. I’m not a sex figure, I won’t date you, I won’t marry you. I’d love to talk to you, though.

What precipitated the recent change in tone on your Twitter account?

Well, I felt it was time to stop lying to myself. I’ve been crying every day — I’m just now honest about it, because that’s the path to recovery, as @iamaphextwin said on twitter to me today. It’s been lovely to see the support I’m getting — I love you guys. Boo me if you want, but I’m trying.

If you had to choose between eternal bliss in the arms of your beloved or kicking Hawk Harrelson in the balls once without repercussions, what would you choose?

I’ve already had bliss in the arms of my beloved. It’s gone, but I had it. It could never be eternal, so I reject the question on that logic alone. But kicking Hawk Harrelson in the nuts? Shit, that’s eternal. I’d choose that, no fucking question.

What do you have against relaxing?

What impression did you get that I was against it? I don’t get to relax much, due to my job. I relish it, though.

What do you have to say to the people who attack you daily on Twitter?

What can I say? they’re pussies on the level of Andy Dirks. They can hate on me if they want, but they’re just showing their own insecurities. It’s alright, anyone who wants to can send me a DM. I’ve been on that edge. I’ve been there. I’ve contemplated jumping. I backed away, and it’s not because of god, or any intervention, it’s because I realized there’s more to all of this than an outcome of good or bad. Grey areas are where we find our lives, where we live day to day, and you can’t neglect that.

Do you have any advice for kids out there who play ball and kind of suck at it?

Yeah, keep at it. You’re not good enough to play in the Majors — reconcile that. So few of us are. Look at me, I was the best player on every team I’ve ever been on until I became a pro. Just love the game, man. Love it. Nurture it. It will love you back. You can only do it so long. Take any opportunity, any role, and position you can get. Because it ends, and you can’t get it back.

Who is your inspiration?

My inspiration is the kids who go out there every day with more courage than me, the kids who have a smile on their face despite their parents leaving them, or not caring, or pushing them too hard and screw up their childhood. My inspiration is people worse off with me who have better attitudes. Also, dudes fucking girls with fat titties, because I love big titties. Fuck.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

I’d like him to forgive me for all I’ve done wrong, and invite me into heaven. I’d probably think it was some LSD dream though, because lately, Santiago’s been lacing drinks with LSD in here. The other day Ron Gardenhire looked like a fully cooked thanksgiving turkey. I know he normally resembles that, but I could smell it, man.

Thanks to FakeBoesch for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this Q & A. If you want more of Fake Boesch—and how could you not?!—check out his tumblr, as well.

1B: Correlle Prime
SS: John Bushyhead
2B: Joe Sever
3B: Zarley Zalewski

OF: Mallex Smith
OF: Skye Bolt
OF: Torsten Boss

C: Austin Chubb

BENCH:
Spencer Kieboom
Douglas Crumlich
Jamodrick McGruder
Sly Edwards

RHP: Zebulon Sneed
RHP: Storm Throne
RHP: Brock Dykxhoorn
RHP: Buck Farmer
LHP: Max Foody
RHP: Kieran Lovegrove
RHP: Lance Breedlove
LHP: Austin Thrailkill
RHP: Damien Magnifico
RHP: Walker Weickel
LHP: Michael Heesch
LHP: Fernando Fernandez-Beltran

Honorable mentions: Anthony Bemboom, Beau Maggi, D.J. Driggers, Rustin Sveum, Justin Chigbogu

Carlos Correa Jr., first pick overall

To be updated as more picks come in.

The Detroit Tigers don’t pick until the second round, 91st overall.

First Round
1. Houston Astros – Carlos Correa | SS | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
2. Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton | CF | Appling County HS
3. Seattle Mariners – Mike Zunino | C | U of Florida
4. Baltimore Orioles – Kevin Gausman | P | Louisiana St. U
5. Kansas City Royals – Kyle Zimmer | P | U of San Francisco
6. Chicago Cubs – Albert Almora | CF | Mater Academy Charter School
7. San Diego Padres – Max Fried | P | Harvard-Westlake HS
8. Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Appel | P | Stanford U
9. Miami Marlins – Andrew Heaney | P | Oklahoma St.
10. Colorado Rockies – David Dahl | OF | Oak Mountain HS
11. Oakland Athletics – Addison Russell | SS | Oak Mountain HS
12. New York Mets – Gavin Cecchini | SS | Barbe HS
13. Chicago White Sox – Courtney Hawkins | OF | Carroll HS
14. Cincinnati Reds – Nick Travieso | P | Arch Bishop McCarthy HS
15. Cleveland Indians – Tyler Naquin | P | Texas A&M
16. Washington Nationals – Lucas Giolito | P | Harvard-Westlake HS
17. Toronto Blue Jays – D.J. Davis | OF | Stone County HS
18. Los Angeles Dodgers – Corey Seager | SS | Cabarrus HS
19. St. Louis Cardinals (A. Pujols – LAA) – Michael Wacha | P | Texas A&M
20. San Francisco Giants – Chris Stratton | P | Mississippi St. U
21. Atlanta Braves – Lucas Sims | P | Brookwood HS
22. Toronto Blue Jays (T. Beede – unsigned) – Marcus Stroman | P | Duke
23. St. Louis Cardinals – James Ramsey | OF | Florida St. U
24. Boston Red Sox – Deven Marrero | SS | Arizona St. U
25. Tampa Bay Rays – Richie Shaffer | 3B | Clemson U
26. Arizona Diamondbacks – Stryker Trahan | C | Acadiana HS
27. Milwaukee Brewers (P. Fielder – DET) – Clint Coulter | C | Union HS
28. Milwaukee Brewers – Victor Roache | OF | Georgia Southern U
29. Texas Rangers – Lewis Brinson | OF | Coral Springs HS
30. New York Yankees – Ty Hensley | P | Santa Fe HS
31. Boston Red Sox (J. Papelbon – PHI) – Brian Johnson | P | U of Florida

Comp Round A
32. Minnesota Twins (M. Cuddyer – COL) – José Berrios | P | Papa Juan XXIII HS
33. San Diego Padres (H. Bell – MIA) – Zach Eflin | P | Hagerty HS
34. Oakland Athletics (J. Willingham – MIN) – Daniel Robertson | SS | Upland HS
35. New York Mets (J. Reyes – MIA) – Kevin Plawecki | C | Purdue U
36. St. Louis Cardinals (A. Pujols – LAA) – Stephen Piscotty | 3B | Stanford U
37. Boston Red Sox (J. Papelbon – PHI) – Pat Light | P | Monmouth U
38. Milwaukee Brewers (P. Fielder – DET) – Mitch Haniger | OF | Cal Poly
39. Texas Rangers (C.J. Wilson – LAA) – Joey Gallo | 3B | Bishop Gorman HS
40. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Madson – CIN) – Shane Watson | P | Lakewood HS
41. Houston Astros (C. Barmes – PIT) – Lance McCullers | P | Jesuit HS
42. Minnesota Twins (J. Kubel – ARI) – Luke Bard | P | Georgia Tech
43. Chicago Cubs (A. Ramirez – MIL) – Pierce Johnson | P | Missouri St. U
44. San Diego Padres (A. Harang – LAD) – Travis Jankowski | OF | SUNY Stony Brook
45. Pittsburgh Pirates (R. Doumit – MIN) – Barrett Barnes | OF | Texas Tech U
46. Colorado Rockies (M. Ellis – LAD) – Eddie Butler | P | Radford U
47. Oakland Athletics (D. De Jesus – CHC) – Matt Olson | 1B | Parkview HS
48. Chicago White Sox (M. Buehrle – MIA) – Keon Barnum | 1B | King HS
49. Cincinnati Reds (R. Hernandez – COL) – Jesse Winker | RF | Olympia HS
50. Toronto Blue Jays (F. Francisco – NYM) – Matt Smoral | P | Solon HS
51. Los Angeles Dodgers (R. Barajas – PIT) – Jesmuel Valentin | SS | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
52. St. Louis Cardinals (O. Dotel – DET) – Patrick Wisdom | 3B | St. Mary’s College
53. Texas Rangers (D. Oliver – TOR) – Collin Wiles | P | Blue Valley West HS
54. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Ibanez – NYY) – Mitch Gueller | P | W.F. West HS
55. San Diego Padres (B. Austin – unsigned) – Walker Weickel | P | Olympia HS
56. Chicago Cubs (C. Pena – TB) – Paul Blackburn | P | Heritage HS
57. Cincinnati Reds (F. Cordero – TOR) – Jeff Gelalich | OF | UCLA
58. Toronto Blue Jays (J. Rauch – NYM) – Mitch Nay | 3B | Hamilton HS
59. St. Louis Cardinals (E. Jackson – WAS) – Steve Bean | C | Rockwall HS
60. Toronto Blue Jays (J. Molina – TB) – Tyler Gonzalez | P | James Madison HS

Second Round
61. Houston Astros – Nolan Fontana | SS | U of Florida
62. Oakland Athletics (J. Willingham – MIN) – Bruce Maxwell | C | Birmingham Southern Col
63. Minnesota Twins – Mason Melotakis | P | Northwestern St.
64. Seattle Mariners – Joe DeCarlo | SS | Garnet Valley HS
65. Baltimore Orioles – Branden Kline | P | U of Virginia
66. Kansas City Royals – Sam Selman | P | Vanderbilt U
67. Chicago Cubs – Duane Underwood | P | Pope HS
68. San Diego Padres – Jeremy Baltz | LF | Pope HS
69. Pittsburgh Pirates – Wyatt Mathiesen | C | Calallen HS
70. San Diego Padres (H. Bell – MIA) – Dane Phillips | C | Oklahoma City U
71. New York Mets (J. Reyes – MIA) – Matt Reynolds | 3B | U of Arkansas
72. Minnesota Twins (M. Cuddyer – COL) – J.T. Chargois | P | Rice U
73. Colorado Rockies – Max White | CF | Williston HS
74. Oakland Athletics – Nolan Sanburn | P | U of Arkansas
75. New York Mets – Teddy Stankiewicz | P | Ft Worth Christian School
76. Chicago White Sox – Christopher Beck | P | Georgia Southern
77. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Madson – CIN) – Dylan Cozens | OF | Chaparral HS
78. Cincinnati Reds – Tanner Rahier | SS | Palm Desert HS
79. Cleveland Indians – Mitchell Brown | P | Rochester Century HS
80. Washington Nationals – Tony Renda | 2B | Cal Berkeley
81. Toronto Blue Jays – Chase DeJong | P | Woodrow Wilson HS
82. Los Angeles Dodgers – Stephen Rodriguez | P | U of Florida
83. Texas Rangers (C.J. Wilson – LAA) – Jermyll Jarmon | CF | Indian River HS
84. San Francisco Giants – Martin Agosta | P | St. Mary’s College
85. Atlanta Braves – Alex Wood | P | U of Georgia
86. St. Louis Cardinals – Carson Kelly | P | Westview HS
87. Boston Red Sox – Jamie Callahan | P | Dillon HS
88. Tampa Bay Rays – Spencer Edwards | SS | Rockwall HS
89. New York Yankees (S. Stafford – unsigned) – Austin Aune | CF | Argyle HS
90. Arizona Diamondbacks – José Muñoz | SS | Los Altos HS
91. Detroit Tigers – Jake Thompson | P | Rockwall-Heath HS
92. Milwaukee Brewers – Tyrone Taylor | CF | Torrance HS
93. Texas Rangers – Billy Williams | CF | Galveston Ball HS
94. New York Yankees – Peter O’Brien | C | U of Miami
95. Philadelphia Phillies – Alec Rash | P | Adel Desoto Minburn HS

Third Round
96. Houston Astros – Brady Rodgers | P | Arizona St. U
97. Minnesota Twins – Adam Walker | RF | Jacksonville U
98. Seattle Mariners – Edwin Diaz | P | Caguas Military Academy
99. Baltimore Orioles – Adrian Marin | SS | Gulliver Preparatory School
100. Kansas City Royals – Colin Rodgers | P | Parkview Baptist HS
101. Chicago Cubs – Ryan McNeil | P | Nipomo HS
102. San Diego Padres – Fernando Perez | SS | Central Arizona College
103. Pittsburgh Pirates – Jonathan Sanfordt | P | Winter Springs HS
104. Miami Marlins – Avery Ramero | SS | Pedro Menendez HS
105. Colorado Rockies – Thomas Murphy | C | U of Buffalo
106. Oakland Athletics – Kyle Twomey | P | El Dorado HS
107. New York Mets – Matthew Koch | P | U of Louisville
108. Chicago White Sox – Joseph DeMichele | 2B | Arizona St. U
109. Cincinnati Reds – Dan Langfield | P | U of Memphis
110. Cleveland Indians – Kieran Lovegrove | P | Mission Viejo HS
111. Washington Nationals – Brett Mooneyham | P | Stanford U
112. Toronto Blue Jays – Anthony Alford | CF | Petal HS
113. Los Angeles Dodgers – Onelki Garcia | P | NA
114. Los Angeles Angels – R.J. Alvarez | P | Florida Atlantic U
115. San Francisco Giants – Jonathan Williamson | RF | Wake Forest
116. Atlanta Braves – Bryan De La Rosa | C | Olympic Heights HS
117. St. Louis Cardinals – Timothy Cooney | P | Wake Forest
118. Boston Red Sox – Austin Maddox | P | U of Florida
119. Tampa Bay Rays – Alvin Toles | CF | Chipola College
120. Arizona Diamondbacks – Jake Barrett | P | Arizona St. U
121. Detroit Tigers – Austin Schotts | CF | Centennial HS
122. Milwaukee Brewers – Zachary Quintana | P | Arbor View HS
123. Texas Rangers – Patrick Cantwell | C | Stony Brook
124. New York Yankees – Nathan Mikolas | OF | Bradford HS
125. Philadelphia Phillies – Zachary Green | SS | Jesuit HS

Comp Round B
126. Seattle Mariners (K. Cron – unsigned) – Tyler Pike | P | Winterhaven HS
127. Miami Marlins (C. Barron – unsigned) – Kolby Copeland | CF | Parkway HS
128. Colorado Rockies (P. O’Brien – unsigned) – Ryan Warner | P | Pine Creek HS

Fourth Round
129. Houston Astros – Rio Ruiz | 3B | Bishop Amat HS
130. Minnesota Twins – Zach Jones | P | San Jose St.
131. Seattle Mariners – Patrick Kivlehan | 3B | Rutgers U
132. Baltimore Orioles – Christian Walker | 1B | U of South Carolina
133. Kansas City Royals – Kenny Diekroeger | SS | Stanford U
134. Chicago Cubs – Joshua Conway | P | Coastal Carolina U
135. San Diego Padres – Andrew Lockett | P | Providence School of Jacksonville
136. Pittsburgh Pirates – Brandon Thomas | CF | Georgia Tech
137. Miami Marlins – Austin Dean | OF | Klein Collins HS
138. Colorado Rockies – Seth Willoughby | P | Xavier
139. Oakland Athletics – Bijon Boyd | CF | Palo Alto HS
140. New York Mets – Branden Kaupe | SS | Baldwin HS
141. Chicago White Sox – Brandon Brennan | P | Orange Coast College
142. Cincinnati Reds – Jonathan Moscot | P | Pepperdine U
143. Cleveland Indians – D’vone McClure | OF | Jacksonville HS
144. Washington Nationals – Brandon Miller | OF | Samford U
145. Toronto Blue Jays – Tucker Donahue | P | Stetson U
146. Los Angeles Dodgers – Justin Chigbogu | 1B | Raytown South HS
147. Los Angeles Angels – Alexander Yarbrough | 2B | U of Mississippi
148. San Francisco Giants – Stephen Okert | P | U of Oklahoma
149. Atlanta Braves – Justin Black | CF | Billings West HS
150. St. Louis Cardinals – Alejandro Mejia | SS | U of Arizona
151. Boston Red Sox – Ty Buttrey | P | Providence Sr. HS
152. Tampa Bay Rays – Nolan Gannon | P | Santa Fe Christian School
153. Arizona Diamondbacks – Chuck Taylor | CF | Mansfield Timberview HS
154. Detroit Tigers – Drew Verhagen | P | Vanderbilt U
155. Milwaukee Brewers – Tyler Wagner | P | U of Utah
156. Texas Rangers – Alec Asher | P | Polk St. College
157. New York Yankees – Corey Black | P | Faulkner U
158. Philadelphia Phillies – Christopher Serritella | 1B | Southern Illinois U

Fifth Round
159. Houston Astros – Andrew Aplin | CF | Arizona St. U
160. Minnesota Twins – Tyler Duffey | P | Rice U
161. Seattle Mariners – Christopher Taylor | SS | U of Virginia
162. Baltimore Orioles – Colin Poche | P | Marcus HS
163. Kansas City Royals – Chad Johnson | C | Galesburg HS
164. Chicago Cubs – Anthony Prieto | P | Americas HS
165. San Diego Padres – Mallex Smith | CF | Santa Fe CC
166. Pittsburgh Pirates – Adrian Sampson | P | Bellevue CC
167. Miami Marlins – Austin Nola | SS | Louisiana St. U
168. Colorado Rockies – Matthew Wessinger | SS | St. John’s U
169. Oakland Athletics – Maxwell Muncy | 1B | Baylor U
170. New York Mets – Brandon Welch | P | Palm Beach St. College
171. Chicago White Sox – Nicholas Basto | SS | Archbishop McCarthy HS
172. Cincinnati Reds – Mason Felt | P | Hebron Christian Academy
173. Cleveland Indians – Dylan Baker | P | Western Nevada CC
174. Washington Nationals – Spencer Kieboom | C | Clemson U
175. Toronto Blue Jays – Brad Delatte | P | Nicholls St. U
176. Los Angeles Dodgers – Thomas Stripling | P | Texas A&M
177. Los Angeles Angels – Mark Sappington | P | Rockhurst College
178. San Francisco Giants – Ty Blach | P | Creighton U
179. Atlanta Braves – Blake Brown | RF | U of Missouri
180. St. Louis Cardinals – Corey Jones | P | College of the Canyons
181. Boston Red Sox – Mike Augliera | P | Binghamton U
182. Tampa Bay Rays – Bralin Jackson | CF | Raytown South HS
183. Arizona Diamondbacks – Ronald Freeman | C | Kennesaw St.
184. Detroit Tigers – Joe Rogers | P | U of Central Florida
185. Milwaukee Brewers – Damien Magnifico | P | U of Oklahoma
186. Texas Rangers – Preston Beck | OF | U of Texas-Arlington
187. New York Yankees – Rob Refsnyder | 2B | U of Arizona
188. Philadelphia Phillies – Andrew Pullin | OF | Centralia HS

Sixth Round
189. Houston Astros – Brett Phillips | CF | Seminole HS
190. Minnesota Twins – Andre Martinez | P | Archbishop McCarthy HS
191. Seattle Mariners – Timothy Lopes | SS | Edison HS
192. Baltimore Orioles – Felix Rutledge | P | Samford U
193. Kansas City Royals – Zachary Lovvorn | P | Oxford HS
194. Chicago Cubs – Trey Lang | P | Gateway CC
195. San Diego Padres – Jalen Goree | SS | Bibb County HS
196. Pittsburgh Pirates – Eric Wood | 3B | Blinn College
197. Miami Marlins – Anthony Gomez | SS | Vanderbilt
198. Colorado Rockies – Matt Carasiti | P | St. John’s U
199. Oakland Athletics – Seth Streich | P | Ohio U
200. New York Mets – Jayce Boyd | 1B | Florida St. U
201. Chicago White Sox – Kyle Hansen | P | St. John’s U
202. Cincinnati Reds – Joseph Hudson | C | U of Notre Dame
203. Cleveland Indians – Joseph Wendle | 2B | West Chester U
204. Washington Nationals – Hayden Jennings | CF | Evangel Christian Academy
205. Toronto Blue Jays – Eric Phillips | SS | Georgia Southern
206. Los Angeles Dodgers – Joey Curletta | OF | Mountain Point HS
207. Los Angeles Angels – Eric Stamets | SS | U of Evansville
208. San Francisco Giants – Stephen Johnson | P | St. Edward’s U
209. Atlanta Braves – Josh Elander | C | Texas Christian U
210. St. Louis Cardinals – Kurt Heyer | P | U of Arizona
211. Boston Red Sox – Justin Haley | P | Fresno St. U
212. Tampa Bay Rays – Damion Carroll | P | King George HS
213. Arizona Diamondbacks – Jacob Lamb | 3B | U of Washington
214. Detroit Tigers – Jordan John | P | U of Oklahoma
215. Milwaukee Brewers – Angel Ortega | SS | Colegio Hector Urdaneta
216. Texas Rangers – Royce Bollinger | OF | Gonzaga U
217. New York Yankees – Nick Goody | P | Louisiana St. U
218. Philadelphia Phillies – Cameron Perkins | 3B | Purdue U

Seventh Round
219. Houston Astros – Preston Tucker | RF | U of Florida
220. Minnesota Twins – Jorge Fernandez | C | Colegio Hector Urdaneta
221. Seattle Mariners – Taylor Ard | 1B | Washington St. U
222. Baltimore Orioles – Matthew Price | P | U of South Carolina
223. Kansas City Royals – Fred Ford | OF | Jefferson College
224. Chicago Cubs – Stephen Bruno | 3B | U of Virginia
225. San Diego Padres – José Madrid | P | U of Central Florida
226. Pittsburgh Pirates – Jacob Stallings | C | U of North Carolina
227. Miami Marlins – Ryan Newell | P | Shorter U
228. Colorado Rockies – Wilfredo Rodriguez | C | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
229. Oakland Athletics – Cody Kurz | P | Oxnard College
230. New York Mets – Corey Oswalt | P | Madison HS
231. Chicago White Sox – José Barraza | C | Sunnyside HS
232. Cincinnati Reds – Beau Amaral | CF | UCLA
233. Cleveland Indians – Joshua McAdams | OF | Calhoun HS
234. Washington Nationals – Robert Benincasa | P | Florida St. U
235. Toronto Blue Jays – Ian Parmley | OF | Liberty U
236. Los Angeles Dodgers – Theo Alexander | OF | Lake Washington Sr. HS
237. Los Angeles Angels – Andrew Patterson | C | Mary G. Montgomery HS
238. San Francisco Giants – Eduardo Encinosa | P | U of Miami
239. Atlanta Braves – David Starn | P | Kent St. U
240. St. Louis Cardinals – Kyle Barraclough | P | St. Mary’s U
241. Boston Red Sox – Kyle Kraus | P | U of Portland
242. Tampa Bay Rays – Martin Gantt | CF | College of Charleston
243. Arizona Diamondbacks – Andrew Velazquez | SS | Fordham Preparatory HS
244. Detroit Tigers – Hudson Randall | P | U of Florida
245. Milwaukee Brewers – David Otterman | P | U of British Columbia
246. Texas Rangers – Cam Schiller | 2B | Oral Roberts U
247. New York Yankees – Taylor Garrison | P | Fresno St. U
248. Philadelphia Phillies – Hoby Milner | P | U of Texas

Eighth Round
249. Houston Astros – Tyler Heineman | C | UCLA
250. Minnesota Twins – Christian Powell | P | College of Charleston
251. Seattle Mariners – Nick Halamandaris | 1B | Stevenson School
252. Baltimore Orioles – Torsten Boss | CF | Michigan St. U
253. Kansas City Royals – Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado | CF | Pendleton School
254. Chicago Cubs – Michael Heesch | P | U of South Carolina Beaufort
255. San Diego Padres – Brian Adams | CF | U of Kentucky
256. Pittsburgh Pirates – Kevin Ross | SS | Niles West HS
257. Miami Marlins – Drew Steckenrider | P | U of Tennessee
258. Colorado Rockies – Derek Jones | RF | Washington St. U
259. Oakland Athletics – Kristopher Hall | P | Lee U
260. New York Mets – Tomas Nido | C | Orangewood Christian HS
261. Chicago White Sox – Zach Isler | P | U of Cincinnati
262. Cincinnati Reds – Seth Mejias-Brean | 3B | U of Arizona
263. Cleveland Indians – Caleb Hamrick | P | Cedar Hill HS
264. Washington Nationals – Stephen Perez | SS | Miami U
265. Toronto Blue Jays – Harrison Frawley | C | Coastal Carolina U
266. Los Angeles Dodgers – Scott Griggs | P | UCLA
267. Los Angeles Angels – Austin Adams | P | U of South Florida
268. San Francisco Giants – Joseph Kurrasch | P | Penn St. U
269. Atlanta Braves – David Peterson | P | College of Charleston
270. St. Louis Cardinals – Yoenny Gonzalez | OF | College of Central Florida
271. Boston Red Sox – Nathan Minnich | 1B | Shepherd College
272. Tampa Bay Rays – Luke Maile | C | U of Kentucky
273. Arizona Diamondbacks – Evan Marzilli | CF | U of South Carolina
274. Detroit Tigers – Jeff McVaney | LF | Texas St. U
275. Milwaukee Brewers – Edgardo Rivera | CF | Adolfina Irizarry De Puig HS
276. Texas Rangers – Cody Kendall | P | Fresno St. U
277. New York Yankees – Taylor Dugas | CF | U of Alabama
278. Philadelphia Phillies – Joshua Ludy | C | Baylor U

Ninth Round
279. Houston Astros – Daniel Minor | P | Texas A&M U Corpus Christi
280. Minnesota Twins – L.J. Mazzilli | 2B | U of Connecticut
281. Seattle Mariners – Jamodrick McGruder | 2B | Texas Tech U
282. Baltimore Orioles – Brady Wager | P | Grand Canyon U
283. Kansas City Royals – Daniel Stumpf | P | San Jacinto College North
284. Chicago Cubs – Chadd Krist | C | Cal Berkeley
285. San Diego Padres – River Stevens | Allan Hancock College
286. Pittsburgh Pirates – Douglas Crumlich | SS | Cal Irvine
287. Miami Marlins – Nicholas Wittgren | P | Purdue U
288. Colorado Rockies – Zachary Jemiola | P | Great Oaks HS
289. Oakland Athletics – Dakota Bacus | P | Indiana St. U
290. New York Mets – Richie Rodriguez | 2B | Eastern Kentucky U
291. Chicago White Sox – Micah Johnson | 2B | U of Indiana
292. Cincinnati Reds – Daniel Pigott | OF | U of Florida
293. Cleveland Indians – Jacob Lee | P | Arkansas St. U
294. Washington Nationals – Derek Self | P | U of Louisville
295. Toronto Blue Jays – Jordan Leyland | 1B | Azusa Pacific U
296. Los Angeles Dodgers – Zachary Bird | P | Murrah HS
297. Los Angeles Angels – Michael Roth | P | U of South Carolina
298. San Francisco Giants – Shilo McCall | CF | Piedra Vista HS
299. Atlanta Braves – Steven Schils | P | Florida Tech
300. St. Louis Cardinals – Rowan Wick | C | Cypress College
301. Boston Red Sox – Michael Miller | SS | Cal Poly
302. Tampa Bay Rays – Joey Rickard | CF | U of Arizona
303. Arizona Diamondbacks – Jeffrey Gibbs | P | U of Maine Orono
304. Detroit Tigers – Jake Stewart | CF | Stanford U
305. Milwaukee Brewers – Alejandro Lavandero | P | Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
306. Texas Rangers – John Niggli | P | Liberty U
307. New York Yankees – Derek Varnadore | P | Auburn
308. Philadelphia Phillies – Jordan Guth | P | U of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Tenth Round
309. Houston Astros – Joseph Bircher | P | Bradley U
310. Minnesota Twins – Douglas Baxendale | P | U of Arkansas Fayetteville
311. Seattle Mariners – Grady Wood | P | Western Oregon St. College
312. Baltimore Orioles – Joel Hutter | SS | Dallas Baptist U
313. Kansas City Royals – Alexis Rivera | LF | Montverde Academy
314. Chicago Cubs – Chad Martin | P | Indiana U
315. San Diego Padres – Stephen Carmon | SS | U South Carolina Aiken
316. Pittsburgh Pirates – Patrick Ludwig | P | Yale
317. Miami Marlins – Ronald Miller | 3B | Junipero Serra HS
318. Colorado Rockies – Ben Waldrip | 1B | Jacksonville St. U
319. Oakland Athletics – Brett Vertigan | CF | Cal Santa Barbara
320. New York Mets – Paul Sewald | P | U of San Diego
321. Chicago White Sox – Brandon Hardin | P | Delta St. U
322. Cincinnati Reds – Jeremy Kivel | P | Spring HS
323. Cleveland Indians – Josh Martin | P | Samford U
324. Washington Nationals – Craig Manuel | C | Rice U
325. Toronto Blue Jays – Alex Azor | CF | United States Naval Academy
326. Los Angeles Dodgers – Zachary Babitt | P | Academy of the Arts U
327. Los Angeles Angels – Christopher O’Grady | P | George Mason U
328. San Francisco Giants – Trevor Brown | C | UCLA
329. Atlanta Braves – Mike Dodig | 3B | Columbia Green CC
330. St. Louis Cardinals – Jacob Wilson | 2B | U of Memphis
331. Boston Red Sox – James Watkins | C | United States Military Academy
332. Tampa Bay Rays – Sean Bierman | P | U of Tampa
333. Arizona Diamondbacks – Daniel Poma | OF | Hofstra U
334. Detroit Tigers – Charles Gillies | P | Masters College
335. Milwaukee Brewers – Anthony Banda | P | San Jacinto College North
336. Texas Rangers – Joseph Shiver | P | Southern Polytechnic St. U
337. New York Yankees – Matthew Snyder | 1B | U of Mississippi
338. Philadelphia Phillies – Kevin Brady | P | Clemson U

Tigers bid adieu to one-time mainstay. (Detroit Free Press)

As you probably heard, long-time Tiger and lightning-rod-for-controversy Brandon Inge was released following Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners:

Tigers have unconditionally released Brandon Inge. Brad Eldred’s contract will be purchased from AAA Toledo tomorrow.

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 26, 2012

The move was an obvious one (and the right one) at this point. The Tigers are struggling to get anything going offensively right now, and it couldn’t hurt to at least give Brad Eldred a look. No, he hasn’t been impressive in his previous stints in the majors and, yes, perhaps bringing up Danny Worth is the smarter move, but Eldred is hot right now and the Tigers are a team that’s sorely lacking offense and seeking answers. If Eldred doesn’t work out, Worth is just an hour’s drive away.

Anyway, back to Inge. Inge certainly became a polarizing figure amongst Tigers fans at the end of his tenure, but at one point in time, he was one of the franchise’s most popular players. Inge was one of the few holdovers from 2003, someone who went through the bad times and enjoyed the unexpected successes of 2006. He was someone fans rooted for and got behind, because he felt like one of us. The fans could relate to him.

That all changed somewhere around 2009. Inge’s power all but disappeared after two offseason knee surgeries, and so did the support from the fans. Oh, the hardcore Inge supporters stuck around, but it seemed like most fans wanted him gone. In a lot of ways, Inge became the scapegoat for whatever was going wrong for the Tigers at the time.

Yes, the Tigers probably kept him around two years too long. And, yes, it was more than time to let him go. It’s just disappointing and almost sad that a once beloved Tigers figure is leaving in such a fashion, hated by the majority of the fanbase in spite of the fact he gave this team and its fanbase everything he had.

React to the news of Inge’s release however you want. Cry bitter tears, celebrate and throw a party, write an angry letter to Dombrowski on Inge’s behalf, who cares. This blogger will be remembering the good times, remembering the bad times (and there were many), and moving on.

Brandon, thanks for giving the best of your career to the Tigers. Thanks for caring about the people of Detroit off the field, too. And best of luck to you and your family, wherever you end up.

The important question at hand is: Can Ramon Santiago handle the pressure of being the only player left over from the 2003 team? It remains to be seen.

The Tigers go into Yankee Stadium to open a three game series against the Bronx Bombers on Friday. Tigers ace Justin Verlander will look to stop the skid against the Yankees and starter—and ALDS nemesis—Ivan Nova. Game 1 starts at 7:05 EDT and can be seen on Fox Sports Detroit.

Note to bullies: don't mess with Phil Coke. (US Presswire)

While most Tigers fans enjoyed the scheduled off-day following a difficult four game series against the formidable Texas Rangers, left-handed reliever Phil Coke was doing important work—but not on the pitcher’s mound. Tonight, Coke testified in front of the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, and shared his his own history of childhood bullying.

Coke, who was teased because of his last name and his size as a child, told Gina Damron of the Detroit Free Press that he “wants to raise awareness in schools about bullying.” Coke also talked with the Detroit News about how he was provoked into fights by bullies as a first grader. “‘I got into a fight with a fifth-grader who was messing with my older brother, who was in the third grade,’ he said. ‘I wish I could go back and be there for myself. If I had kept my cool, I wouldn’t have gotten into so much trouble.’”

You know how some people say athletes shouldn’t be held up as role models to kids? They’re not talking about Phil Coke. This guy is a class act and a true role model in every sense of the word. I’ve gotten to see it in person, and you can tell Coke truly cares about kids. Way to go, Phil!

The Tigers start a three game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, when Max Scherzer takes the mound against Jason Vargas at 7:05 PM.