Inside Pitch

YouTube of Tom Cheek's most famous call: Joe Carter, Game Six, 1993 (The CBS call by Sean McDonough is in the final 20 seconds).

Tom Cheek will get to touch 'em all again this summer in Cooperstown.

Cheek, the voice of summer in Canada at the microphone for Toronto Blue Jays games from 1977-2005, was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence today at the Winter Meetings in Nashville and will be honored by the Hall of Fame in July.

Cheek called every Blue Jays games -- 4,306 of them in the regular season -- for the franchise's first 27 1/2 seasons before missing a 2004 game in Oakland due to the death of his father. That's why 4,306 is the "uniform number" posted for Cheek on the Jays' Level of Excellence in Rogers Centre (left). He died in 2005 at 66 after battling a brain tumor.

Cheek, who was actually groomed as a broadcaster in Vermont, called some Expos games with 2011 Frick recipient Dave Van Horne before getting the mic from day one in Toronto with Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn in '77. In 1981, Jerry Howarth came on board and the Tom and Jerry Show ruled Canada for more than two decades.

"Touch 'em all, Joe. You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life" was how Cheek called Joe Carter's World Series winner in 1993 in the video above. An unmatched classic.

Howarth remains on the air as the main voice of the Jays now. Mike Wilner of flagship station FAN 590, who does great work as a reporter and on the postgame shows while adding some in-game commentary, spearheaded a grassroots lobbying effort the last couple of years to get Cheek high in fan balloting and at the forefront of Frick committee members. And it has paid off.

I met Cheek several times, both in the Rogers Centre press box and at Blue Jays caravan trips in the late 80s and early 90s to places like the Marriott in Amherst and in Niagara Falls, Ont. He was a huge man (I'm guessing 6-5, 6-6) with big hands and always asked, "how are things in Buffalo?" During the Bisons/Indians heyday of the late 90s, Cheek would see me at the press box soda fountain and joke, "How many more stars does the Tribe have down there anyway?"

And when you grew up in Buffalo in the 70s and 80s, the Yankees and Mets were on cable and the Blue Jays were the only thing that came in clear on the radio (h/t to CJRN AM 710). 

The FAN 590 has a full page up on Cheek, including some great audio I've culled here.

Here are some of Cheek's classic calls

You want a really neat find? Someone -- thank you, whoever you are -- has posted the audio of the entire bottom of the ninth from Game Six in 1993. Great stuff.

And here's another full page of Cheek calls that has popped up, including the first home run in Jays' history by Doug Ault in the Toronto snow on April 7, 1977.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

In today's Inside Baseball column, I tackled the dilemma that is the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot. And as some of you have already pointed out via email and my Twitter page, I have actually mentioned the name "Barry Bonds" and even done a complete 180 and said I would vote for him for Cooperstown.

(Yep, I'm stunned too).

I would vote down the line for Clemens and Bonds, as well as Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell. I would think only Biggio is pretty well set to get in this year, with maybe Morris finally pushing through as well. It will certainly be an interesting vote.

(You can still vote on my post from earlier in the week).

In my column, I mentioned these two items that I found particularly interesting this week and here's links to them.

Pete Abraham's blog in the Boston Globe, where he says he's gone from a no-steroid guy to being totally wide open.

Ray Ratto's column at CSNBayarea.com, where he makes his points at times LOUDLY! (Ratto is a longtime San Francisco writer who covered Barry Bonds)

Ian O'Connor has a similar view at ESPNNY.com. Basically, he's willing to vote in bad guys if they're really, really good. That's pretty much where I am right now. 

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

While most of New York was sleeping, the Mets and representatives of David Wright apparently were not. And neither was veteran beat writer Ed Coleman of flagship radio station WFAN Radio. Shortly before 3 a.m., Coleman broke the story that the Mets and star third baseman David Wright have come to an agreement on a long-term extension.

In the last few hours, the story has been confirmed by Mets beat writers with more details revealed. The Mets and Wright have ripped up his 2013 option and put next season into the new deal, making it worth eight years and $138 million (Wright apparently wanting to slot just above Johan Santana's $137.5M deal).

It's the largest deal in Mets history, points out Adam Rubin on ESPNNY.com.

The Mets had to keep Wright to have any shred of credibility with their fans. And with the All-Star Game coming to Citi Field next July, it would have been a huge embarrassment to have Wright -- the face of the franchise -- in another team's uniform.

Next up for the Mets: A new deal with Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey or, perhaps, a trade of the 38-year-old at next week's Winter Meetings in Nashville.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 
Photo: Associated Press 

I spoke here yesterday about the unveiling of the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot -- be sure to double back to our post to cast your votes -- and here's an update on another Hall.

I sent in my ballot today for the 2013 class of the International League Hall of Fame (I am one of 61 voters), and it had a decidedly Buffalo feel to it. There were 10 nominees to choose from and they included Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer Jeff Manto (right), former Bisons executive Don Labbruzzo and ex-Buffalo manager Marc Bombard.

I voted for those three, along with former Columbus standout Marshall Brant, ex-Rochester Red Wings/Baltimore Orioles star Dennis Martinez and former Durham/Toledo closer Lee Gardner.

Manto, of course, is the most celebrated player in the Bisons' modern era. He still holds the franchise mark for home runs with 79 from 1997-2000 and is the only post-1985 Bison to have his number retired. Manto just completed his first year as hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox and was excited to learn this week the Sox have added veteran Harold Baines, Manto's former teammate in Baltimore, as an assistant hitting coach for next year.

In addition to his time in Buffalo, Manto had an 88-RBI season for Scranton in 1993 and an MVP season in 1994 with Norfolk and Rochester, combining for 31 homers and 100 RBIs. You have to think he's a lock for induction.

Bombard led the Bisons to an 87-57 record and American Association East Division championship in 1992, but he's on the IL Hall ballot for his franchise-record 607 wins and four playoff berths with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from 1997-2004.

Labbruzzo, who died in 1999, was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was the Bisons' GM from 1958-60 and again in 1970, when he took heavy personal losses trying to save the team before it was moved to Winnipeg. He also worked in the IL for Columbus (1955-57), Syracuse (1961-69) and Rochester (1977-78).

I liked Brant because he's the only player in Columbus history to have his number retired and still ranks first in Clippers history in RBIs (302) and second in home runs (86) among a bevy of Yankees greats. Martinez won the IL pitching triple crown for Rochester in 1978 (leading the league with 14 wins, a 2.50 ERA and 140 strikeouts for a first-place team) while Gardner led the IL with 107 saves in the decade of the 2000s and won three titles with Durham and Toledo

The new class will be announced in late January and inductees are honored at games around the league all summer. You can read more about the IL Hall at its main Web page and there are plenty of links there to take you through the years.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
(Buffalo News file photo/Harry Scull: Manto accepts an award from the Bisons Booster Club in 1999)

The Baseball Writers Association of America released the annual ballot for the Hall of Fame election today and let the debates begin because there are going to be some doozies this time. There are interesting candidates who haven't gotten in yet on the ballot again as well as some whopper-size new names that will be sparking all kids of debate.

(Housekeeping/disclaimers: There are over 600 eligible voters and you have to get 75 percent of the vote to be inducted, or 5 percent to stay on the ballot for future years. The voters are BBWAA members for 10 consecutive years; I am a BBWAA member but do not yet have a vote. I will be eligible to vote for the Hall in the winter of 2016.)

So here's my quick rundown:

---Big new names coming on the ballot for the first time: Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa.

---Returnees who got votes last year: Jack Morris (66.7 percent), Jeff Bagwell (56), Lee Smith (50.6), Tim Raines (48.7), Alan Trammell (36.8), Edgar Martinez (36.5), Fred McGriff (23.9), Larry Walker (22.9), Mark McGwire (19.5), Don Mattingly (17.8), Dale Murphy (14.5), Rafael Palmeiro (12.6), Bernie Williams (9.6).

---New names who are no-chancers: Sandy Alomar Jr., Jeff Cirillo, Royce Clayton, Jeff Conine, Steve Finely, Julio Franco, Shawn Green, Roberto Hernandez, Ryan Klesko, Kenny Lofton, Jose Mesa, Reggie Sanders, Aaron Sele, Mike Stanton, Todd Walker, David Wells, Rondell White, Woody Williams.

You can vote for up to 10 players, so you would think there might be some big classes coming up but history shows there has not been many. We have not had three players inducted since 1999 (Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount) and it's been all the way since 1955 (Joe DiMaggio, Ted Lyons, Dazzy Vance and Gabby Hartnett) that we had four inducted.

The issue of course, this year, deals with steroids. What will voters do with Bonds, Clemens and Sosa? By brute numbers, they all should get in but they're likely to get treated the same way as McGwire and Palmeiro. What about Piazza, who has a lot of circumstantial steroid talk but no real allegations? Will he suffer a similar fate as Bagwell, who should be in but suffers from being linked to known user Ken Caminiti?

Do the steroid guys' open the door wider for someone like Schilling, a postseason icon whose regular-season numbers are not normally considered HOF caliber? Or what about the door finally getting kicked in for Morris or Raines, or perhaps an underappreciated SS (Trammell) or the first DH (Martinez)?

And the logjam only gets worse with 2014 eligibles including Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent and Mike Mussina getting into the fray.

What do I say? Sorry, you'll have to wait for Sunday's Inside Baseball column for what my ballot would look like. In the meantime, have your vote here on the six new candidates and the best of the returnees:

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Ken Rowe was the pitching coach when the Bisons won the Governors' Cup in 2004. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News file photo)

The Cleveland Indians have announced the death of Ken Rowe, a longtime minor-league pitching instructor who was the pitching coach of the Bisons for parts of four seasons that included the team's 2004 Governors' Cup championship run.

Rowe, 78, died on Thanksgiving in his hometown of Dallas, Ga., after a bout with pneumonia.

Rowe had spent the last two years as the Tribe's advisor in player development after working for 20 years in the Cleveland chain as an on-field instructor.

Rowe was the pitching coach for the Bisons in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2004-2005. The Bisons won IL North Division titles in 2000 and '05 and won the Governors' Cup in '04, a season that saw Rowe take over in  early June after the firing of Terry Clark.

Tweeted Bisons GM Mike Buczkowski:  "Saddened by the loss of former Bisons pitching coach Ken Rowe. One of the nicest men I've ever met in baseball."

Rowe was a baseball lifer who had been a pitching, minor-league manager, coach or instructor for 52 of the last 56 years. He pitched professionally from 15 seasons from 1953-68 (taking time to serve in the US Army in 1957). He made 26 relief appearances for the Dodgers and Baltimore from 1963-65,  posting a 2-1 record and 3.57 ERA in those games and earning a World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1963. He was the major-league pitching coach for Baltimore in 1985-86.

The '99 Bisons finished second in the IL in team ERA under Rowe (4.34) while the 2000 team improved its win total from 72 to 86 and improved the ERA to 4.29 although it finished eighth.

In 2004, the Bisons won the title despite finishing last in the league in ERA at 4.71 but Rowe had a huge impact: Buffalo's ERA before he came on board on June 2 of that season was a bloated 5.62 but for the rest of the season, it was just 4.23. The '05 Herd, which went 82-62 and stands as Buffalo's last playoff team, had an ERA of 4.48 that was eighth in the IL.

Rowe was a quiet, unassuming guy. He had that folksy Southern drawl and he loved to talk pitching. And the players loved him. Along with the acquisition of Raul Gonzalez and the return of Russell Branyan, the return of Rowe was one of the main keys to the Herd's second-half success in '04.

Rowe is survived by two daughters (Kimberly and Kristina) and three grandchildren (Jeremy, Jake, and Zachary).  The Indians said the family will be holding a private service at a later date.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

It's all in the presentation, really. The Buffalo Bisons are still going to charge you $1 more per ticket for walkup sales next season but that's going to be the advertised price at the box office, so that should stem a lot of the complaints I got from fans last year.

I wish the Herd didn't charge more on gameday but I get it, too. The hope is that fans will decide to go to a game even if the weather is iffy at, say, 4 p.m. if they have tickets in hand. And there certainly figures to be more impulse buying this year from Blue Jays fans in Southern Ontario.

All seats are going up 50 cents from last year's gameday price. So individual special reserved seats (dugout to dugout, red in the diagram above) are $13 for all games. Reserved seats (grey) will be $12 for all days except Friday ($13). General admission seats (yellow) will be $10 for adults and $7 for youths/seniors ($11/$8 on Fridays).

Remember, all tickets for all games are discounted by $1 when purchased in advance at either the Coca-Cola Field box office or online at Bisons.com. The problem last year was that the team used the discount price at the box office -- but people could never get that when they walked up on game day. You walk up now, you pay what you see and that should mitigate issues.

The team is also putting holiday packs on sale (info at this link) and there is no increase in season ticket costs ($530 and $490). Individual tickets go on sale in March. The opener is Thursday, April 4 against Rochester at 2:05.

My annual advice: If you're a downtown worker, walk over the day before and buy (you also get the discount on Bisons.com but pay service charges). And my real annual advice: Other than Friday night, there's a ton of promotional opportunities for discounted tickets and packages. If you're paying the full price Saturday-Thursday, you're probably not looking hard enough at Bisons.com

The Bisons want you in the park rooting on the team -- and spending money on concessions and merchandise. They're not trying to soak you on tickets.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Alex Anthopoulos (right) and John Gibbons were all smiles in Toronto Tuesday morning and then made the quick trip to Coca-Cola Field. (AP)

I've been to dozens of press conferences at Coca-Cola Field since it opened in 1988. The day the Mets came in 2008 was particularly memorable for all the politicos in the house, all the way up to former Gov. David Paterson (it was mostly downhill from there, of course).

But in their two trips downtown since becoming the Bisons' new parent, the Toronto Blue Jays are blowing the Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and, yes, even the Cleveland Indians completely out of the water on the PR end. And the Indians were darn good in that area too.

Now, the Blue Jays have to put a winning team on the field come April to keep the good feelings going. But there's no question they're already far more invested in the Bisons than the Mets ever were.

On the day the teams' new affiliation was announced, Toronto president/CEO Paul Beeston was on hand along with general manager Alex Anthopoulos and minor-league officials. But they also brought ambassadors and franchise legends Roberto Alomar, Pat Hentgen and Cito Gaston. Impressive show.

Then came Tuesday. Marty Brown is back as manager, just as the Bisons hoped from day one. St. Francis product Jim Negrych has been signed to a minor-league deal but has an invite to major-league spring training. So he gets a chance to make the big club or plays Triple-A for his hometown team. The minor-league officials were again here.

But Anthopoulos and new manager John Gibbons show up unannounced -- after stopping for lunch at Chef's -- a scant three hours after their presser in Toronto to disclose Gibbons' return. Yes, a short drive but it was a big effort with plenty of symbolism.

"This is an important affiliation to us, very important," Anthopoulos told Inside Pitch. "I'm not saying any of the others aren't but we want to stay for a long time. We wanted them and this is one of the model franchises at this level. If we lose this affiliation, it's on us because these guys have been the best operators in the minor leagues. They've already established themselves as the best. It's on us to keep it going."

For this trip, the Blue Jays made sure assistant GM Andrew Tinnish was in the house (he was not here in September). Tinnish is signing minor-league free agents for the Bisons and made the first contact with Negrych.

"I wanted him to come up and see this," Anthopoulos said. "I told him, 'See this? We've got to win, we've got to win.' I probably put the heat on him a little too much but I reminded him. I wanted him to see the magnitude of it for himself, the ballpark, the scope of attention, focus, the interest level of this team and the impact he can have on it. I wanted him to feel it to see how this affiliation is."

Charlie Wilson, the director of minor-league operations, echoed those comments after co-signing Negrych's contract for all to see inside Pettibones Grille (left).

"Buffalo and their front office here and all their people are a part of this. We can't do what we want to do without them," Wilson said. "They're a big part of what we want to do here. I am huge on the relationship and so is everybody else in our organization. [Anthopoulos and Gibbons] want to be here today and want to be here for a long time to come.

"Our first trip, we were so excited that it was almost like the people who were back in the office in Toronto felt left out they didn't come. It's a sincere feeling we have, heartfelt. We believe in this relationship and want to make it work."

There are more minor-league free agents to sign, although the Jays have already worked hard on pitching. Another trade or two could shake up the Herd's roster more. But there's no other way to say it: The Blue Jays are off to a great start.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 
(Wilson and Negrych photo: Mark Mulville/Buffalo News)

Here it is, unveiled today at Coca-Cola Field. The Bisons are going with this look for the 2013 season, their first with the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a throwback to their logo from 1988-1997, the red-white-blue with a swinging Buster. The red, however, is a little darker and the blue a shade lighter than that arrangment. Uniforms and caps will be revealed in mid-January.

As part of a wild press conference at the ballpark, the Herd re-introduced manager Marty Brown -- their skipper from 2003-2005 -- as their 2013 manager, and the Blue Jays also announced that infielder Jim Negrych has signed a minor-league with an invitation to major league spring training. Negrych, who played for Syracuse last year in the Washington chain, appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game here last summer.

On top of those items, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos and new manager John Gibbons made a surprise appearance in town less than four hours after wrapping up their introductory press conference in the Rogers Centre.  Anthopoulos' big trade with the Miami Marlins was made official Monday and his free-agent signing of Melky Cabrera was announced as final Tuesday.

Some quick comments from the principals:

Brown: "I've missed Buffalo very much. ... [Going to the Blue Jays] was a lot like the Cleveland organization when I got in with them. A lot of really good talented young players due to the scouting staff and some of the trades the organization did. We're all going to benefit here in Buffalo."

Anthopoulos on the stunning choice of Gibbons: "Players would run through a wall for him. They loved playing for him. The only thing that made me pause was what would the perception be, what are the optics going to be? How would it look? Is it a bit of a downer because he's already been here? But the decisions I've regretted are where I didn't go with my instincts and was more concerned with optics. I haven't done it very often, very few times. This is one that I find the best decisions I've made I did what I felt was right."

Gibbons: "I never expected this to happen. This is so far-fetched. The reality of it. I had to pinch myself to be honest with you. So I'm going to run with it and see what happens. How many times do you get a second chance, especially in a place you've been working with some good people that I know?"

Negrych: "It's always nice to know that you're wanted. They said they were interested, we told them what we wanted and it was important to me to find out it wasn't just to be in Buffalo. It was for my baseball ability, not for my hometown. They said if they were still in Las Vegas, they would be calling me. They had good reports from their scouts, positive things to say. When I heard all that news, their offer was more than fair for me."

--Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

John Gibbons gets his old jersey back from Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. (Associated Press).

So the Blue Jays schedule a 9:30 a.m. press conference with GM Alex Anthopoulos to discuss the big trade with the Marlins and the Melky Cabrera signing. But there's an added guest from news that broke overnight courtesy of Toronto Sun Hall of Fame writer Bob Elliott: John Gibbons is coming back as Blue Jays manager.

One one hand, Gibbons was just a .500 manager in his stint from 2004-2008. But the Jays wanted someone with experience and Anthopoulos was the assistant back then and was close with Gibbons.

And Gibbons will be the anti-John Farrell: He will demand accountability from players on and off the field (no Yunel Escobar eye-black under eyes, no Brett Lawrie running hither and yon on the bases). And he's not looking to use Toronto as a stepping stone like Farrell obviously was.

The Jays are going to have an experienced team and didn't want a rookie manager. You can say  Gibbons didn't win enough but he won far more and is far more respected than deposed Indians skipper Manny Acta, who had a bizarre level of support on my Twitter feed the last couple days (because he was a Mets coach with Jose Reyes perhaps?).

I've dealt with Gibbons a lot. He's a straight-shooter. He's great with a bullpen. The players loved playing for him and the two noted malcontents (Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly) were loathed by most people, especially Hillenbrand. I like the call.

One key note from the presser: Anthopoulos said he expects mega-prospect catcher Travis D'Arnaud to open with the Bisons on the way back from his knee injury. That's barring another trade of course. But that would be great news for the Herd; one of the top prospects to ever open a season in Buffalo.

Stay tuned later today for the unveiling of the new Bisons' logo and the re-introduction of Marty Brown (like parent, like child I guess) as the Bisons' manager. That presser starts at 2.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

This just in from MLB: Bud Selig has approved the blockbuster Blue Jays-Marlins trade by issuing the three-paragraph statement below. I added the underlines for emphasis:

---Mike Harrington

"Since Tuesday, I have carefully reviewed the proposed transaction between the Miami Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays.  I asked our Baseball Operations Department and our Labor Relations Department to compare this proposed transaction with similar deals.  I also consulted with experienced baseball operations executives to get their input regarding the talent involved in this transaction.

"After a thorough examination of this information, it is my conclusion that this transaction, involving established Major Leaguers and highly regarded young players and prospects, represents the exercise of plausible baseball judgment on the part of both Clubs, does not violate any express rule of Major League Baseball and does not otherwise warrant the exercise of any of my powers to prevent its completion.  It is, of course, up to the Clubs involved to make the case to their respective fans that this transaction makes sense and enhances the competitive position of each, now or in the future.

"I am sensitive to the concerns of the fans of Miami regarding this trade, and I understand the reactions I have heard since Tuesday. Baseball is a social institution with important social responsibilities and I fully understand that the Miami community has done its part to put the Marlins into a position to succeed with beautiful new Marlins Park.  Going forward, I will continue to monitor this situation with the expectation that the Marlins will take into account the sentiments of their fans, who deserve the best efforts and considered judgment of their Club.  I have received assurances from the ownership of the Marlins that they share these beliefs and are fully committed to build a long-term winning team that their fans can be proud of."

It was like old home days in Buffalo for then-Las Vegas manager Marty Brown during Triple-A All-Star Week at Coca-Cola Field in July. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News)

If you were paying attention to our coverage of the Triple-A All-Star Game in July, we told you this one would happen months before it actually did: The Bisons and Toronto Blue Jays officially announced today that Marty Brown -- who led the Bisons to the 2004 International League championship -- is returning to Buffalo to manage the Herd in 2013.

Brown, 49, managed the Bisons from 2003-2005 before spending the next five seasons in Japan. He has been the manager for the Blue Jays' Las Vegas club the last two years. The 51s went 79-64 this season, the best record for a Toronto Triple-A team since 1998.

In my column on Brown during All-Star week, it was plainly clear to me he was happy in Las Vegas but would be excited to return to Buffalo in what would be a much more baseball-friendly setting and one that would only be 90 minutes from the parent club.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Marty Brown back to Buffalo to lead the Bisons into this exciting new era as the Triple-A Affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays,” Bisons vice president/general manager Mike Buczkowski said in a statement today. “Marty is a proven winner, having already brought home a championship to the fans of Buffalo, and his passion for the game really resonates with Bisons fans.”

“Marty Brown is a veteran baseball man who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the dugout," said Charlie Wilson, director of minor league operations for the Blue Jays. "He has the ability to teach the game and to get the most out of his players.  Marty has enjoyed great success as a minor league manager and we are delighted that he will be managing the Bisons in 2013."

Brown has a 783-719 record in 16 years of managing in the United States. He went 238-193 in his three years with the Bisons and needs just 16 wins to pass Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Brian Graham as the franchise' modern-era victory leader.

After a 73-70 campaign in 2003, Brown was named International League Manager of the Year and Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year for guiding the Herd to an 83-61 record in 2004.

That Buffalo club, the highest-scoring team in the IL since 1950, had a lineup featuring the likes of Brandon Phillips, Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore.

The Bisons overcame a 2-0 deficit against Durham in the IL semifinals and beat the Richmond Braves in four games to take the franchise's third title of the modern era. After the clinching 6-1 victory in Game Four, the most vivid image of the celebration was Brown parading the Governors' Cup down the right-field line for fans to see it (above-Mark Mulville file photo)

In 2005, Brown won his second consecutive IL North Division title with an 82-62 record and the Bisons had a 2-0 lead in the IL semifinals over Indianapolis but lost the last three games of the series at home. The Herd has not been in the playoffs since.

The Blue Jays have not settled on the rest of the Buffalo coaching staff. Brown will be officially introduced during a 2 p.m. press conference Tuesday in Pettibones Grille, at which time the Bisons will also unveil their new logo. Brown will then greet fans during a Meet the Manager event in Pettibones Tuesday night from 5:30-8.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Trout or Cabera? Cabrera or Trout? It's been a hot-button topic of conversation among baseball fans and media for weeks and we finally get our answer tonight.

In the final installment of the Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards, the Most Valuable Player Awards will be announced tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network and on BBWAA.com. And this is the mostly hotly contested race, the one that pits fan against fan and stat-geek against old schooler.

Seriously now, how can you NOT give an MVP award to a Triple Crown winner like Detroit's Miguel Cabrera? Pretty easy, actually, when you look at the incredible all-around numbers put up by Angels rookie Mike Trout. 

Bucky Gleason made a pretty compelling argument for Trout in his column on the subject last month. Trout is the youngest 30/30 player in history and the youngest to steal 40 bases since Ty Cobb in 1907. And if you're into advanced stats, his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) figure of 10.7 led the majors this year -- and is equal to Ted Williams' career best (1946). It's the highest for anyone since Barry Bonds in 2002.

Call me old school but as I wrote Sunday, I think Cabrera is getting the award on the basis of his Triple Crown and the fact the Tigers won their division while the Angels sat home.

Oh yeah, the National League MVP is getting handed out tonight too. My choice is Buster Posey but there should be a good deal of sentiment too for Andrew McCutchen and defending winner Ryan Braun.

Here's MLB.com's video preview on the MVPs. Make your choices below.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

 

Dickey with the classic knuckleball grip. (Associated Press)

In an historic victory for knuckleballers, R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets was a runaway winner Wednesday night in the National League Cy Young Award voting. Dickey took 27 of the 32 first-place votes in the balloting and finished with 209 points, well in front of 2011 winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (96 points).

Dickey graduated to New York at age 35 in 2010 after pitching eight games for the Buffalo Bisons. He was 4-2 with a 2.23 earned-run average for the Herd after being signed as a minor-league free agent the previous winter.

He's the third former Buffalo regular in the modern era to win a Cy, joining Cliff Lee (Cleveland 2008) and Bartolo Colon (Anaheim, 2005). (CC Sabathia and Dwight Gooden also pitched here and won Cys in their careers but were only in Buffalo on injury rehab). No knuckleballer had ever taken pitching's top honor.

"It's a compliment to the vision and the imagination of the writers who voted," Dickey said tonight on a national conference call. "They didn't see the knuckleball as a trick pitch or see it as some kind of illegitimate weapon. They saw it as a legitmate weapon with one purpose: And that's to get big-league pitchers out consistently. They respected that and had the imagination to see beyond some of the old-school mentalities of what the knuckleball used to be. ... It brings a degree of legitimacy to the knuckleball fraternity. This is a victory to all of us. It brings a real legitimacy to the pitch."

Dickey went 20-6 this season with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 233 2/3 innings. And it was an incredible year for him off the field as well as he published his autobiography, revealing he was sexually abused as a child, and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, blogging about it for the New York Times.

Here's some quotes on Dickey's Cy Young provided Wednesday night by the Mets:

Tom Seaver: "My hat’s off to Mr. Dickey.  I watched one of his outings when I was in town and I was amazed by his control.  I was always looking for new ammunition to bring to the mound so I attempted the knuckleball.  It’s a very difficult pitch to throw and needless to say, I never mastered it.  I congratulate him on his tenacity not only to succeed against all odds but to excel and achieve this very high honor.  I look forward to congratulating him personally.”

Dwight Gooden: “I saw R.A. pitch at least 10 times this year. I’m really amazed how he was able to remake his career. I never even thought about throwing a knuckleball. To win the Cy Young Award at his age is more incredible than when I won at age 20.”

Mets manager and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Terry Collins: “It was an honor to work with R.A. throughout the year and have a front-row seat to his historic season. R.A. is a great teammate, fierce competitor and even a better human being.  No one deserves this award more than him.”

Dickey was the first cut out of spring training by the Mets in 2010 and was assigned to Buffalo. On April 29, 2010, he threw a sensational one-hit shutout for the Bisons in a 4-0 win over the Durham Bulls in a contest at Coca-Cola Field widely referred to as the "Imperfect Perfect Game."

Pitching on a frigid night in front of a sparse crowd, Dickey gave up a leadoff single in that game and then retired the final 27 Durham batters, narrowly missing Buffalo's first perfect game since 1952. Other than Colon's 1997 no-hitter against New Orleans, it's the most dominant pitching performance I've seen in the ballpark's 25 seasons. 

Courtesy of the Bisons, here's video from that game and as well as video of Dickey's postgame chat that night with me and Dave Ricci from the Metro Community News.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
(Dickey in Buffalo by Mark Mulville/Buffalo News) 

It was just 2 1/2 years ago that R.A. Dickey was a journeyman on a minor-league contract pitching for the Bisons. Tonight, the Mets' knuckleballer could become a Cy Young Award winner. 

The Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards continue at 6 p.m. on MLB Network, with both the National League and American League Cy winners revealed during the program and on BBWAA.com, where each voter's ballot will also be listed. Both races are fascinating.

In the NL, the finalists are 20-game winners Dickey and Gio Gonzalez of Washington along with defending winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. The AL race is also a close call, with Justin Verlander trying to make it two straight in the face of stiff challenges from David Price of the Rays and Jared Weaver of the Angels. 

I went with Dickey and Verlander in Sunday's Inside Baseball column and already heard from several readers making reasonable arguments for Price in the AL. Here's MLB.com's video preview and take our polls below.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is the toast of the town in today's Toronto Sun. (Newseum)

It's pretty amazing to think about this one. The Toronto Blue Jays, coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in their history, suddenly became relevant again in the AL East last night. Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buerhle, among others, are coming to Toronto as part of a 12-player deal with the Miami Marlins -- who can't possibly have any fans left.

With two wild-cards, the Jays are instant playoff contenders (they haven't qualified, remember, since Joe Carter's home run cleared the wall in 1993). They'll certainly challenge the Rays in the division as well with the Yankees aging, the Red Sox a mess and the Orioles not possibly living on pixie dust for another season again. Hope John Farrell enjoys life in Boston.

Plenty of doubters in Toronto of GM Alex Anthopoulos have to keep quiet this morning. The Toronto Sun saluted him on its cover this morning (above) and as the cover indicates, veteran Sun columnist Steve Simmons is happy too. As Simmons wrote this morning, "with one stroke of the brush and many phone calls and texts, Anthopoulos has painted a new Blue Jays picture, changed the course of the waffling franchise, brought some optimism to this local land of sporting pessimism."

Hall of Fame writer Bob Elliott has all the details in today's Sun mainbar.  Richard Griffin gives his rundown in the Toronto Star.

Also in the Star, Cathal Kelly says this is Anthopoulos' career right here right now (apologies to Marv Levy. I threw that in). But Damien Cox says it's time to temper the early celebration.

In the Globe and Mail, Jeff Blair says GM AA (what everyone calls him on Twitter) has all kinds of reasons to gloat.

In the National Post, this page has links to stories by both John Lott and Bruce Arthur that say the Blue Jays are now instantly in contention.

You build your farm system to create prospects -- and create prospects to trade. The Blue Jays have done that well here, with four young players going to the Marlins. That's a downer for the Bisons, who certainly would have had two of them in their lineup in 2013. Be sure to double back to my post from last night for the impact on the Herd in this one.

As for the Marlins ... they should just go out of business. The most disgraceful fire sale yet, which says a lot considering what happened in 1998. But you take more than $600 million in public money for a new ballpark and dismantle the team in one year? ONE YEAR? Wow. 

In the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dave Hyde says it's time to ship Jeffrey Loria out too. 

In the Miami Herald, David Neal says "the joke is on us."

And through all this, the trade isn't even official yet until MLB signs off on the money and the teams sign off on physicals. Stay tuned.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Adeiny Hechavarria fields a ball during a workout for the Triple-A All-Star Game here in July. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News)

The details came pouring in Tuesday night and although nothing was made official, the Toronto Blue Jays apparently pulled off a stunning trade with the Fire-sale Fish, aka the Miami Marlins. Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck are all going from Miami to Toronto, instantly making the Blue Jays a 2013 playoff contender and turning the Fish into chum meat in the NL East. Wow!

Incredible stuff. Nothing like this for the Blue Jays other than the 1990 deal with San Diego that brought them Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter and turned into two World Series titles. And now they have plenty of attractiveness to potential managerial candidates.

On this side of the Peace Bridge, however, there are practical concerns for the Buffalo Bisons. Remember, they just signed a two-year deal with Toronto in September -- and they have now lost two of their top prospect starters from their 2013 lineup and two starting pitchers who could have been here later in the year or certainly by 2014.

Adeiny Hechavarria, who played in the Triple-A All-Star Game here in July, was likely to be the Bisons' starting shortstop to open the '13 season. Jake Marsinick, Toronto's No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, was likely to move up from Double-A and open the season in the Buffalo outfield. Among others reportedly going to Florida were likely future Bison starting pitchers Justin Nicolino and Anthony DeSclafani.

Hechavarria, 23, batted .312 last season at Las Vegas with six homers and 63 RBIs. The Cuban was signed as a free agent in 2009. Marisnick, 21, was Toronto's third-round pick in 2009. He hit .320 with 14 homers and 77 RBIs in 2001 for Class A Lansing but struggled last year after moving up to Class A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire, combining to post totals of .249-8-50 at the two levels.

Nicolino, 20, was Toronto's second-round pick in 2010 and one of a trio of young prospects who pitched last year at Class A Lansing (Mich.) of the Midwest League. He went 10-4 with a 2.46 earned-run average in 22 starts there, striking out 119 batters and 124 1/3 innings. DeScalfani, 22, went 11-3, 3.37

The Lansing rotation that included Nicolino, DeSclafani and 19-year-olds Aaron Sanchez (8-5, 2.49) and Noah Syndergaard (8-5, 2.60) was considered perhaps the best in the entire minor leagues. On the plus side, Sanchez and Syndergaard are generally thought to be the top two and Toronto did not part with them.

If the Bisons are pondering the March 31 Blue Jays exhibition here that was talked about the day they signed, they should really go for it now. You'd have no problem filling Coca-Cola Field with fans from both sides of the border. As for 2013, the Blue Jays need to get a couple minor-league free agents signed to fill out the Buffalo lineup. Might be easy, given the short distance to Toronto and the fact a lot of guys wouldn't mind being depth options for a contending big-league team.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

The Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards continue tonight at 6 on the MLB Network with the announcement of the AL and NL Manager of the Year. 

The AL finalists are Baltimore's Buck Showalter, Chicago's Robin Ventura and Oakland's Bob Melvin while the NL finalists are Washington's Davey Johnson, Cincinnati's Dusty Baker and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy. (All voting is done prior to the postseason, so Bochy won't get any bump from the Giants' World Series run.).

The winners are announced live on the air at 6:17 and 6:47 p.m. and concurrently on the writers' official site at BBWAA.com. That site will also list the voter-by-voter ballots, which proved to be pretty interesting in the tight NL Rookie of the Year voting that Bryce Harper won Monday over Wade Miley and Todd Frazier.

I made my picks in Sunday's Inside Baseball column and I think we're going to have a double-Beltway sweep tonight with Showalter and Johnson getting the awards. 

On Wednesday, it will be the Cy Young Awards and on Thursday, we finally get the answer to the Trout-Cabrera question when the MVPs are announced.

Here's MLBNet's look at the Manager candidates. And be sure to vote in our polls below.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

No big surprise, but Rafael Soriano has opted out of the final year of his three-year, $35-million contract with the Yankees and is a free agent.

What a pickle the Yankees are in at closer right now.

Mariano Rivera said last week he's not sure he's returning -- after telling beat writers in May to "write it in big letters" that he was coming back from his knee surgery. Soriano went 42 of 45 in save chances this year and the Yankees would certainly want him back if there's no Mo.

But if Rivera does return, there's no way the Yankees will pay nearly $12 million for Mr. Untuck to serve as a setup man, not when they're trying to cut the payroll to avoid luxury tax payments in 2014. At least you wouldn't think so.

(#Untuck was the Twitter hashtag that developed from Soriano closing games and ripping his shirt out at the final out, as it looks in the picture to the right.)

What do they do? They need an answer quick from Mariano and then they can move on. What do you think? Vote below.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
Photo: Getty Images 

Former Bisons shortstop and longtime major leaguer Jay Bell was named the new batting coach for the Pirates today by manager Clint Hurdle. 

Bell, 46, played eight of his 18 MLB seasons with the Pirates (1989-1996). He scored the winning run for Arizona in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series against the Yankees. See his career stats here, for both the majors and the minors.

Bell was an up-and-coming prospect in the Cleveland chain when he played 110 games for the Bisons as a 21-year-old in 1987, the final year at War Memorial Stadium. He batted .260 with 17 homers and 60 RBIs but also made 30 errors that year. That's his 1988 Topps card to the right.

He returned to Buffalo in 1989, the second year of then-Pilot Field, and batted .285 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs in 86 games. Of note was his defensive improvement with the Herd, making 16 errors and improving his fielding percentage from .945 to .967 before getting the call to Pittsburgh for keeps.

Bell was the starting shortstop for all three of the Pirates' NL East division championship teams (1990-92), and also played for the Royals, Diamondbacks and Mets in a career that lasted until 2003.

By my count, and with an able assist by Bisons PR director Brad Bisbing, Bell makes 29 MLB coaches for 2013 who either played or managed in Buffalo. Here is my current list of ex-Bisons connections:

Managers -- John Farrell (Boston), Eric Wedge (Seattle), Terry Collins (New York Mets), Bud Black (San Diego).
Bench coaches --- Tony Pena (New York Yankees), Torey Lovullo (Boston), Sandy Alomar Jr. (Clevelnad), Jeff Banister (Pittsburgh), Ron Wotus (San Francisco).
Batting coaches -- Lloyd McClendon (Detroit), Jeff Manto (Chicago White Sox), Steve Henderson (Philadelphia), Jay Bell (Pittsburgh).
Pitching coaches -- Carl Willis (Seattle), Dan Warthen (New York Mets), Steve McCatty (Washington), Charles Nagy (Arizona).
Third-base coaches -- Jeff Datz (Seattle), Tim Teufel (New York Mets), David Bell (Chicago Cubs).
First-base coach -- Dave Roberts (San Diego)
Bullpen coaches -- Steven Soliz (Los Angeles Angels), Jaime Navarro (Seattle), Ricky Bones (New York Mets), Reid Cornelius (Miami), Lee Tunnell (Milwaukee).
Infield coach -- Rafael Belliard (Detroit).
Role TBA -- Dave Clark (Houston).
Bullpen catcher -- Alex Andreopoulos  (Toronto) 

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Below is the front page of Monday's San Francisco Chronicle celebrating the Giants' second World Series clincher in two years (image courtesy of the Newseum).

Here's how I covered the finale in today's Buffalo News -- through getting crushed by champagne in the tiny clubhouse (I have half a mind to send Brian Wilson a dry cleaning bill).

Be sure to check Tuesday's paper for my wrap-up putting the Giants' two title runs and their incredible burst through this October into some bigger perspective. And thanks for reading and following the blog during the postseason!

(But don't go away either: Plenty more items to come during MLB Awards week, free agency etc.)

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

----------------------------

Manager Bruce Bochy enjoys the trophy -- and the champagne -- in the Giants' clubhouse. (AP Photo)

Hard to believe what the San Francisco Giants pulled off this month. The Cincinnati Reds had a great chance to put them away and couldn't do it. Neither could the St. Louis Cardinals. Then the Detroit Tigers proved to be no match for them in the World Series.

In my final podcast of the series, click below to hear my thoughts on the Giants' second win in three years, including the work of manager Bruce Bochy and the sudden emergence of former Bison Marco Scutaro, as well as the stunning no-show by the Tigers.

Click here to download the audio

The Giants rush the mound after the final out.

DETROIT -- Crunching some numbers on the Giants' four-game sweep over the Tigers in the World Series:

---The Giants are just the fourth team with as many as seven World Series titles, joining the Yankees (27), Cardinals (11) and Athletics (9).

---MVP Pablo Sandoval (right) went 8 for 16 in the series and became just the ninth player all-time to bat at least .500 with at least 15 at-bats. 

---Sandoval finished the postseason 24 for 66 (.364) with five doubles, six homers and 13 RBI in 16 games. He batted .415 (22 for 53) with six homers and 13 RBI in his last 13 games. The 24 hits left him one hit shy of the all-time single postseason record of 25 set by Marquis Grissom (1995 Braves), Darin Erstad (2002 Angels) and David Freese (2011 Cardinals).

---Game Four was just the seventh extra-inning clincher in Series history and the first since Florida's 11-inning victory over Cleveland in Game Seven in 1997. There were three extra-inning clinchers in the 90s (also Minnesota over Atlanta in Game Seven in '91, Toronto over Atlanta in Game Six in '92) after there had been none since 1933.

---Giants closer Sergio Romo became the seventh player with three saves, the first since Boston's Jonathan Papelbon in 2007.

---Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he was "flabbergasted" his team got swept, and with good reason. The Tigers became just the third team in history to win the LCS in a sweep and lose the World Series in one, joining the 1990 Oakland A's and 2007 Colorado Rockies.

---Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder went a combined 4 for 27 (.148) over four games. Series. Cabrera went 3 for 13, while Fielder was 1 for 14. Cabrera took the final pitch of the series from Romo for a called third strike (left) and that left Fielder on deck.

---The Tigers dropped the last three games to St. Louis in 2006 and have now lost a franchise-record seven straight World Series games, breaking their mark of six set in 1907-1908.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 
Photos: Associated Press 

DETROIT -- The Giants waited 52 years to win their first World Series title since moving out West. They might only wait two to take their second. They have a 3-0 lead heading into tonight's game at chilly Comerica Park. Follow here for my thoughts and updates.

Click here for MLB.com's Gameday pitch-by-pitch. Remember, credential rules prohibit us from doing that but give me one of your browser windows!

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Mid-1st (0-0): The first from Scherzer to Pagan was taken for a called strike at 8:16 p.m. The temperature is 44 degrees, but the wind chill is making it feel like 36. Great start for Scherzer, who tossed a 1-2-3 first with strikeouts of Pagan and Sandoval, throwing eight of his 10 pitches for strikes.

End-1st (0-0): Cain needed 21 pitches for a hitless first, taking 10 before finally retiring Quinton Berry on a grounder to second. Cabrera walked with two out but Fielder fell to 1-for-11 with a strikeout. The Tigers have now gone 19 2/3 straight scoreless innings.

Mid-2nd (1-0, Giants): Is one run going to be enough? It seems like five runs the way this series has gone. Hunter Pence with a ground-rule double to deep left-center and Brandon Belt with an RBI triple to right on the next pitch. Scherzer stiffened, however, to get Blanco on a grounder to second with the infield in and a fly ball to deep right by Theriot.

Second-guess: The Tigers played the infield in to cut off a run in the second inning. Good call given their offense's struggles. Hey Jim Leyland: You should have done that in the seventh inning of Game Two when it was 0-0!!

End-2nd (1-0, Giants): Cain seems to be having a little trouble with his grip in the cold with some pitches kind of floating to the plate. He gave up a leadoff single to Young but then survived to get three straight outs. Will the Tigers ever score again?

End-3rd (2-1, Tigers): For the first time in 80 innings in the postseason, we have a lead change. For the first time in 56 innings, the Giants trail. And for the first time in the World Series, the Tigers have a lead. Maybe thank the fringes of Hurricane Sandy.

Cabrera just took Cain's 86-mph changeup deep for a two-run homer that the wind clearly got a hold of and blew back, back, back. Pence ran into the wall in right and simply ran out of room. It scored Jackson, who had walked with one out. The crowd is alive for the first time in the two days here. Let's see how Scherzer handles it.

End-4th (2-1, Tigers): Scherzer got a strikeout/double play to get out of his inning and Cain was strong with a 1-2-3 bottom with two strikeouts. Cain is at 64 pitches, 41 strikes while Scherzer is at 54-34.

Mid-6th: (3-2, Giants):  Buster Posey gives the Giants the lead by ripping a 1-0 Scherzer changeup just inside the left-field foul pole for a two-run homer. Scherzer's 77th pitch of the night was down and away and Posey went down and pulled it. Scutaro had led off the inning with an infield single, beating out a topper to Cabrera at third, before Sandoval struck out on a full-count pitch. Can the Tigers really come back twice in the same game the way their offense is going? 

End-6th (3-3): There's your answer. The Tigers come back with two out as Young cranks Cain's first pitch deep to right to tie the game. Dirks followed with a single and Peralta flied deep the left --- just missing a go-ahead, two-run shot. So everyone in here is holding off on those Posey hero stories.

Mid-7th (3-3): Scherzer is out and the Tigers use Drew Smyly and Octavio Dotel to get out of the inning after a leadoff single by Blanco. Scherzer's line: 6 1/3 IP, 7H, 3R, 3 ER, 1BB, 8K, 90-59.

End-7th (3-3): Cain at 99 pitches after a 1-2-3 seventh. Gotta figure he goes at least one more. 

Mid-8th (3-3): Cain is out. The count was actually 102 pitches. Jeremy Affeldt is in. The Giants did not score as Dotel got Sandoval to hit into a double play and fanned Posey after Scutaro led off with a four-pitch walk.

End-8th (3-3): This is why the Tigers aren't winning this series even if they somehow pull out tonight's game. Leadoff walk by rookie pinch-hitter Avisail Garcia against reliever Jeremy Affeldt. Then Affeldt strikes out Cabrera (3-12), Fielder (1-14) and Young.

Off to extra innings (3-3): Coke pitches a classic ninth for Detroit, striking out the side to give him seven Ks in seven hitters in this series. The Tigers suffered a loss as Omar Infante was drilled on the wrist by a Santiago Casilla pitch and had to leave the game.

MID-10TH (GIANTS LEAD, 4-3): Scutaro loops a two-out RBI single to center to score Theriot. Giants are three outs away.

IT'S OVER (GIANTS WIN, 4-3): Romo pitches a 1-2-3 10th and Cabrera takes a called third strike for the final out. Giants win their second title in three years.

DETROIT -- Thanx to all for some great feedback on my return to Tiger Stadium in this morning's paper. A fun project all the way around. Kudos to a couple alert readers who emailed me the link to this fabulous Yahoo! Sports video that shows great stills of the old yard as well as video of the site now and interviews with the Navin Field Grounds Crew.

As for tonight's game, it's cold and the wind is howling in advance of the fringe of Hurricane Sandy making it to Michigan. There's rain in the forecast from about 6:30 to 8:30 but the chance drops to 20 percent and only light rain thereafter.

We should be good to go for tonight, even if it goes a little later. But as for Monday and Tuesday if the Tigers force Game Five? Yeesh.

---The Tigers are trying to avoid the first sweep since the Rockies got dumped by the Red Sox in 2007.  They've scored three runs in three games, are batting .165 and just endured the first back-to-back shutouts in the World Series since 1966.

"I can paint a rosy picture, but the picture is not rosy right now," admitted manager Jim Leyland. "I mean, our pitching is set up terrific, but you've got to win a game."

(If the Tigers survive tonight, they can go back to Justin Verlander and Doug Fister in Games 5-6. I'd say the Giants best make sure they win tonight).

---The Tigers have scratched C Alex Avila tonight with a bruised left forearm and Leyland said it's possible the injury is serious enough to keep him out of the rest of the series. Gerald Laird will take over.

---Ryan Theriot will DH for the Giants tonight, trying to win his second straight Series title. He played for the Cardinals last year.

---Leyland acknowledged he was not happy that slugger Miguel Cabrera blew off the media after last night's game. Most Tigers, notably Avila, Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson, spent several minutes with waves of reporters. A huge crowd was waiting at Cabrera's locker but a Tigers PR official said he had left the building.

"I will deal with the situation and check into it, because you have to be there through the good and the bad," said Leyland (pictured above talking to Cabrera today during batting practice). "You can't be on this podium only when you win.  When we're 0‑3, I've got to be up here and I'm not the happiest camper in the world.  However, you have a responsibility."

Leyland said he wanted to make sure Cabrera didn't leave early due to some unknown family issue but wasn't aware of any.

"We're all big boys, and you've got to face you guys whether you like it or not.  You can't just be here when everything is going well.  That's our responsibility.  Nobody from the Detroit Tigers ducks that."

So tonight's lineups look like this:

Giants: Pagan, cf; Scutaro, 2b; Sandoval, 3b; Posey, c; Pence, rf; Belt, 1b; Blanco, 2b; Theriot, dh; Crawford,  ss
Tigers: Jackson, cf; Berry, lf; Cabrera, 3b; Fielder, 1b; Young, dh; Dirks, rf; Peralta, ss; Avila, c; Infante, 2b 

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
Photo: Associated Press 

The rusted gate from Tiger Plaza still stands at the Tiger Stadium site, beckoning you on to the old diamond.

DETROIT -- At this link is my Sunday Inside Baseball column talking about Tiger Stadium. 

The last game at "The Corner" was in 1999 and the wrecking ball finished its job in 2009 but it's great to see a diamond back at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull -- and to see the old center field flagpole still standing.

Click here for my Flickr stream slideshow of my trip back in time to The Corner last week.

And check out my Flickrs on the World Series venues
Comerica Park Flickr
AT&T Park Flickr

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Hunter Pence, Gregor Blanco and Angel Pagan celebrate after Game Three. (AP Photo)

DETROIT -- The numbers are astonishing. We've played only three games of the World Series but this baby is toast.

The Giants lead, three games to none, and the last eight teams to go down, 3-0, have all been swept! No one has won Game Four since the 1970 Reds and no one has EVER won Games Four and Five. Pity the Tigers.

I recorded some thoughts on Game Three below. Hard to process this series so far. Plenty of teams have good pitching at this point. But what the Giants are doing is just about unheard of on the mound, especially from their starters. 

Starting with the comeback from 0-2 in the NLDS in Cincinnati, we're in the midst of one of the greatest miracle runs in postseason history. If this was the Yankees or Red Sox, people would be writing books about it. Oh yeah, that did happen in 2004. Never mind.

Click here to download the audio

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

DETROIT -- We're on the scene for Game Three as the Tigers try to get back in this series. If they lose, the Giants have ace/perfect game hurler Matt Cain going in Game Four. Yikes.

The lineups look like this with Anibal Sanchez pitching against Ryan Vogelsong:

San Francisco: Pagan, cf; Scutaro, 2b; Sandoval, 3b; Posey, c; Pence, rf; Belt, 1b; Blanco, lf; Sanchez, dh; Crawford, ss

Detroit: Jackson, cf; Berry, lf; Cabrera, 3b; Fielder, 1b; Young, dh; Dirks, rf; Peralta, ss; Avila, c; Infante, 2b.

A word on the national anthem: A spirited exchange on Twitter this afternoon about the choice of Zooey Deschanel of FOX's "New Girl". I never heard of her. I got crushed by folks (pretty funny that someone I had never heard of has 3 million-plus followers. My bad). But I hate that FOX plants singers from its shows. An Idol winner sang in Game Two and Demi Lovato goes tomorrow. It's terrible.

(As for Zooey Whoever, she had a nice voice but took waaaay too long to sing. Come on, it's Saturday night and it's cold. Pick it up).

Onward.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

(Remember, no pitch-by-pitch updates as per MLB rules. Open MLB.com Gameday in another window but be sure to keep my thoughts up too) 

End-1st (0-0): It's cold here. Freezing. The temp at first-pitch was 47 degrees and the wind has to be in the 20-mph range. Huge missed chance for the Tigers as Perry walked, Cabrera bounced back from an 0-2 count to get to 2-2 and pulled a single through the left side but Fielder grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

(Apologies as I'm told the blog wasn't posting...It should be now)

End-2nd (2-0, Giants): San Francisco gets the jump as Sanchez was all over the map in that inning. Pence led off with a walk, stole second as Belt struck out and went to third on a passed ball (Avila has to get up out of that crouch more). Blanco then cracked a triple into right-center (left) to score the game's first run. After Giants DH Hector Sanchez struck out, Brandon Crawford singled to center to center and Jackson let the ball roll by for an error. Pagan grounded out to end the inning.

End-3rd (2-0, Giants): A huge missed chance for the Tigers as Cabrera is left on deck. Things looked good with one out when Infante laced a broken-bat single and Jackson beat out a topper down the third-base line. Signs of the good luck the Giants had the first two games. That brought up Perry. One pitch. 4-6-3. Second DP of the game. Cabrera back to the dugout.

End-4th (2-0, Giants): The Tigers look dead, folks. Baseball is a 162-game season but the last few years we've really learned that a) sitting around after the LCS is a very bad thing (think '06 and '12 Tigers and '07 Rockies) and b) teams that win the World Series often get on incredibly hot runs and can't be stopped.

Think of the huge winning streaks in the postseason till by the end by the '04 Red Sox (8), '05 White Sox (8), '07 Red Sox (7). Think of how hot the '11 Cardinals were at the end and look at the Giants now. 

End-5th (2-0, Giants): The Giants have now led for 50 straight innings. Yes, 50! But they needed great work from Vogelsong to keep the lead. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases for Berry. He helped immensely by swinging and fouling back a 2-1 pitch that was clearly high. At 2-2, he swung through a 91-mph fastball for strike three.

That brought the AB of the series: Vogelsong vs. Cabrera, two out bases loaded. Pitch one was a foul looped just outside the RF line. Pitch two was another 91-mph fastball popped up to Crawford at short. Cabrera spikes the bat in disgust and bangs his head at first while the Giants' dugout explodes and the crowd sits down sullenly. Cabrera (right) stunned like everyone else with the Tigers' poor offense.

End-6th (2-0, Giants): Vogelsong was lifted after a two-out walk to Dirks and Lincecum came in relief for the second straight game to get Peralta to fly out. Vogelsong throws 5 2/3 shutout innings, drops the Giants' starters' ERA to 0.49 in the series.

End-8th (2-0, Giants): Lincecum has gone 2 1/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts. Fanned Fielder and Dirks in the eighth, drawing plenty of boos from the crowd.

IT'S OVER: A 1-2-3 ninth for Romo wraps up another 2-0 win for the Giants. First back-to-back Series shutouts since the '66 Orioles. The fork is just about stuck in the Tigers. An incredible about-face after the way they dominated against the Yankees.

The giant script 'D' and the Tigers at the main gate quickly tell you where you are. 

DETROIT -- It's an easy 5-hour drive from Buffalo through Canada via Highways 403 and 401 to the Motor City. If you're looking for a baseball roadie next summer, Comerica Park is certainly worth the trip.

(An aside here: I loved -- absolutely loved -- old Tiger Stadium. I wrote a column that will run in Sunday's paper on my memories of the place and a trip to the restored diamond at the site I took last week. Comerica has moved the Tigers 1 1/2 miles uptown and it's a disappointment in comparison, but it's a typically fan-friendly place like most people expect in this era so I'm fine with that too).

Comerica has tremendous gargoyle Tiger sculptures at the gates with giant baseball bats protruding to the sky, a ferris wheel with cars made of baseballs, and one of the biggest highlights is a carousel with tigers instead of horses (left, click for bigger view) in the middle of a food court.

It has great history displays in the concourse for each decade (right) and a simple and understated statue of legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, who was one of my favorites.

The decade displays have lots of neat memorabilia or replica items. And you have to love the only-in-Detroit theme of putting them on wheels as a tribute to the auto industry.

What Sabres fans would find interesting is the left field sculpture plaza. The big names like Cobb, Greenberg, Kaline and Horton are among the figures out there and it's a great collection.

After the outstanding unveiling of the French Connection earlier this month, I'm sure the Sabres will add another statue or two (Hasek? LaFontaine?) in the FNC Alumni Plaza and it will have a similar impact on fans. I put a look at the giant Ty Cobb statue at the bottom of this post. Gotta love the sliding dirt coming out from under his cleats.

As promised, I created a Flickr slideshow of dozens of shots of Comerica (I cheated and took one of the wondrous FOX Theatre marquee across the street too). 

In case you missed it, click here for Thursday's post on AT&T Park in San Francisco and click here for the Flickr stream on the Giants' home.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

DETROIT -- We know there are issues with downtown Buffalo at times, especially on a weekend when there's no events. But the next time you hear somebody griping about it, send them to Detroit. The ALCS was during the week when workers were everywhere, restaurants and bars were open and the place was pretty hoppin'.

Game Three of the World Series is tonight and downtown is D-E-A-D at mid-afternoon (it should be better tomorrow because there's a 1 p.m. Lions-Seattle game nearby at Ford Field).

At least the Spirit of Detroit statue (above) is all decked out and ready for the big game, as shown in this shot I got on the way to the ballpark. The 26-foot statue is often adorned in the town's favorite jersey (it's had the Pistons for the NBA finals and the Red Wings during the Stanley Cup final).

Stay tuned later today for more from Comerica, where home suits the Tigers just fine. They're 4-0 here in the postseason this year, and have won five straight and seven of eight in October dating to last season.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington