Inside Pitch

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 

Pablo Sandoval, left, hams it up for Marco Scutaro during the Giants' workout Friday night in chilly Comerica Park (AP Photo).

DETROIT -- Click below to hear Mike Harrington's thoughts from the workout day at Comerica Park prior to Game Three of the World Series. Included are the struggles of the Tigers' offense, the rise of Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (right) and a preview of a special story in Sunday's paper on the site of old Tiger Stadium.

Mike Harrington on Game 3 workout day

Click here to download the audio

The view from the Comerica Park press box late Friday afternoon.

DETROIT -- Landed in Detroit within the hour and took the loooooooooong cab ride from the airport to the hotel, then high-tailed it here to Comerica Park.

Under a grey sky and light drizzle, the Tigers staged a small workout, with manager Jim Leyland, Game Three starter Anibal Sanchez, catcher Alex Avila and center fielder Austin Jackson meeting the media.

The Giants are scheduled to be talking in the 6 o'clock hour.

The news items of note from Leyland's chat are that Andy Dirks and Quinton Berry will be in the lineup tomorrow (with Delmon Young move back to DH) and that Doug Fister is doing fine but had more tests today after taking the line drive off his head in Game Two last night at AT&T Park.

The weather is supposed to be frigid, and temperatures by the end of the night could be in the high 30s.

Joked Leyland: "This is the World Series and it's cold for everybody.  It's cold for the fans, the beer is cold, everything is cold.  It's great. Enjoy it."

Elsewhere in baseball, the one Buffalo-centric item that developed today is that Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo has officially been named bench coach of the Boston Red Sox, in a move rumored all week since John Farrell left Toronto to be Boston's manager.

You can listen to a couple quick interviews with Farrell and Lovullo at this MLB.com link.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Giants closer Sergio Romo is pumped after getting the final out (AP Photo).

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants are in control of the World Series after a 2-0 win Thursday night AT&T Park. Bounces are going their way. Pitching and defense is in their favor. So is their offense, which has won five straight games by a combined score of 30-4.

They also got the benefit of some braincramps in Game Two from Tigers third-base coach Gene Lamont and manager Jim Leyland. Hear Mike Harrington's assessment of the two biggest second-guesses of the night and other thoughts on the series to date in his daily podcast below.

Mike Harrington on Game Two

Click here to download the audio

SAN FRANCISCO -- We're just about ready for Game Two of the World Series. More outstanding pregame ceremonies as MLB honored veterans' service. Great video narrated by Tom Brokaw, appearances by the likes of Jerry Coleman and Tommy Lasorda (he got only 50-50 cheers-boos). The standard flyover (I've seen it 100 times but it's still impressive -- and ear-splitting).

You want the latest news? Where ya been all day? Lots of updates on the blog -- including a photo tour of the ballpark for the benefit of those who haven't made this trip. Be sure to stay with the blog every day during the series.

Our Internet issues of last night seem to be taken care of and we should have plenty of thoughts during the game. Remember, no pitch-by-pitch updates as per MLB rules but you can follow the MLB Gameday page here.

Repeating the lineups:

Detroit:  Jackson, cf; Infante, 2b; Cabrera, 3b; Fielder, 1b; Young, lf; Peralta, ss; Garcia, rf; Laird,  c; Fister, p
San Francisco: Pagan, cf; Scutaro, 2b; Sandoval, 3b; Posey, c; Pence, rf; Belt, 1b; Blanco, lf; Crawford, ss; Bumgarner, p.

The Giants' screechy PA announcer has done her daily duty of imploring the fans to scream and wave their orange towels for the benefit of FOX's sign-on. It's time to play. Keep it here.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

End-1st (0-0): The first pitch from Bumgarner to Jackson was high for a ball at 5:09 p.m. PT. The temperature is 64 degrees. Very nice. Both teams went down 1-2-3, with Bumgarner striking out the first two men he faced. The crowd roared as Pablo Sandoval came to the plate after his 4-for-4, three-homer Game One performance. And he was hacking but lofted a lazy fly to left on the first pitch.

End-2nd (0-0): The Giants make a great play to cut off the game's first run at the plate but, seriously now, what in the world is Tigers 3B coach Gene Lamont doing sending burly Prince Fielder first-to-home on a double to left with nobody out? Just a terrible coaching move.

Fielder was hit by a pitch and chugged around the bases on Delmon Young's rope into the left-field corner. Scutaro came over from second base to get the relay and make the throw from just on the infield dirt after Gregor Blanco overthrew SS Brandon Crawford, the initial cutoff man, and Buster Posey got the tag down on Fielder's right (rear) foot just before the left one got down on the plate (above). Great play by Scutaro, who can't do any wrong this month.

Instead of second and third with no outs and Jhonny Peralta up, the Tigers had an out. Peralta popped up on the first pitch and Avisail Garcia fanned. No runs. Could have been a big early inning against Bumgarner, who was drubbed in his two previous starts this postseason.

In the bottom of the inning, Fister got out of a two-out bases-loaded jam by getting Bumgarner on a lazy pop-up to Peralta at short but Fister bears watching the next couple of innings. He took a line drive from Gregor Blanco right off the coconut -- top of the head -- and it deflected all the way to center field for a single. He stays in and looks unfazed. Crazy. The trainer came out and checked on him (right) and apparently found no problems.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, who covers the Oakland A's, immediately tweeted shock that Fister was allowed to continue. She covered the scary liner that felled Oakland pitcher Brandon McCarthy in September and McCarthy developed a life-threatening brain bleed a few hours later. 

End-3rd (0-0): Fister trudged onward with a 1-2-3 inning (although Scutaro looked like he beat a chopper to short but was called out after a head-first slide into first). Bumgarner added two more strikeouts in his perfect frame. Fister at 49 pitches, 32 strikes; Bumgarner at 39-25. Two hits for the Giants, one for the Tigers.

End-4th (0-0): Two more 1-2-3 frames, although the Tigers got close against Bumgarner as Cabrera lashed a liner that Sandoval speared and Fielder took Blanco deep the wall in left.

End-5th (0-0): The linescore is 0-2-0 for the both sides. That said, this favors the Giants because of bullpen strength. The Tigers can't possibly use Valverde anymore and the Giants have a full complement of guys down there. Fister is at 86 pitches (58 strikes). Bumgarner is at a stunningly economical 56-36.

End-6th (0-0): Fister at 108. He's gotta be done -- with 13 2/3 scoreless innings in his last two starts. Just like Verlander said after the game last night, the Tigers have other guys too. Drew Smyly and Octavio Dotel warming in the pen. Fister gave up one hit after getting plunked in the head.

The Tigers have to find a way to get to Bumgarner (left, after striking out Infante in the sixth) because the bullpen is not in their favor.

End-7th (1-0, Giants): The Giants take the lead on Brandon Crawford's double-play ball with the bases loaded and no outs. Yes, I know the Tigers are trying to defuse the big innings but playing the infield back when you only have six outs to work with? Wow.

Smyly relieves Fister after Pence pulls a leadoff single through the left side. Brandon Belt walks on a full-count pitch and Blanco drops a perfect bunt that rolls and rolls and rolls and STOPS on the edge of the grass for a single. Giants getting every break. 

Santiago Casilla in for Bumgarner to start the 8th. Final pitching lines:

Fister: 6+ IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1 BB, 3K, 114-76
Bumgarner: 7 IP, 2H, 0R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8K 86-54

Mid-8th (1-0, Giants) Another 1-2-3 inning. Giants three outs away. Cabrera and Fielder don't bat in the ninth if Tigers go down 1-2-3. Leyland will get roasted if they lose 1-0.

End-8th (2-0, Giants): Pence droves home an insurance run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Sergio Romo coming in. Giants three outs away from a 2-0 lead.

IT'S OVER: Giants win, 2-0, and lead the series, 2-0. On to Detroit.

(Photos by Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO -- A few notes prior to Game Two (we're working our pregame print stories as well, of course, so time is at a premium)

The Giants are keeping the same lineup while the Tigers are substituting Gerald Laird at catcher for Alex Avila. Jim Leyland was asked if he thought about Andy Dirks in left field for defensive sloth Delmon Young and his answer was a simple but emphatic "no".

So that leaves the lineups looking like this:

Detroit:  Jackson, cf; Infante, 2b; Cabrera, 3b; Fielder, 1b; Young, lf; Peralta, ss; Garcia, rf; Laird,  c; Fister, p
San Francisco: Pagan, cf; Scutaro, 2b; Sandoval, 3b; Posey, c; Pence, rf; Belt, 1b; Blanco, lf; Crawford, ss; Bumgarner, p

---Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, whose three-homer game Wednesday was just the fifth in Series history, met the media again prior to today's game. He said he had more than 300 text messages on his phone -- and enjoyed being the subject of a tweet from Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela.

"When I was hitting the fourth at bat, he was like, 'I'm just going to say congratulations to Pablo, but I'm just going to see the four homers right now,'"" Sandoval said. "So that was funny."

"I still can't believe it. In the morning when I wake up, all the stuff, my friends keep texting me. But you know, you have to realize what's going on right now in your life, so you have to keep your head up and keep focused."

---Leyland said Justin Verlander will pitch in Game Five as scheduled and not come back in Game Four even though he threw just four innings last night. I disagree in some ways but Verlander did throw 98 pitches. Wonder if that changes if the Tigers go down, 2-0.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

The kids' zone in left field -- including the Coke bottle slide and giant glove -- is a signature element at AT&T Park.

SAN FRANCISCO -- We're three hours before the first pitch of Game Two of the World Series on another beautiful day by the Bay. I have been crushed with what's-it-like questions on Twitter and via email because AT&T Park is widely known as the most picturesque venue in baseball. This is my fourth trip and, yes, it's awesome.

Most common inquiries: 1) Why do the stands in the upper deck in left field look empty? They're not; they're auxiliary media seats and there's giant tables in front of every other row that give the illusion they're empty.  2) What's with all the stuff in left field? The giant Coke bottle is actually a kid's slide and there's a mini-AT&T Wiffle Ball Park out there!!!). 

Gotta love the glove too with the 501-foot marker (right). Another great photo spot. If you've ever wanted to take a look out on McCovey Cove, or stand atop those funky right-field stands, I represented you this afternoon.

To that end, I created a Flickr stream of a few dozen shots around the park. (I'm a relative newbie on that venture so go easy on me). Easily one of the most photogenic places in the majors. All the shots of McCovey Cove, the bay, the marina etc. were all taken inside the park from a food court in center field. Great stuff.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

A leaping Angel Pagan (right) and teammates celebrate the final out (AP photo).

SAN FRANCISCO -- For thoughts on Pablo Sandoval's three-homer game, the struggles of Justin Verlander, the Giants' continued momentum and what's ahead for the Tigers in Game Two, listen to Mike Harrington's podcast from AT&T Park.

Click here to download the audio

Pablo Sandoval rounds the bases after his second home run (AP photo).

SAN FRANCISCO -- No matter what happens the rest of this World Series, we're never going to forget the show Pablo Sandoval put on here Wednesday night. First three at-bats, three home runs. In the absence of hockey, we'll borrow from Rick Jeanneret and say "roll the highlight film":

Here's the list of three-homer games in World Series play:
Babe Ruth, 1926 (Game 4) and 1928 (Game 4)
Reggie Jackson, 1977 (Game 6)
Albert Pujols, 2011 (Game 3)
Pablo Sandoval, 2012 (Game 1)

Here are the other four three-homer games in postseason history:
Bob Robertson, Pittsburgh (Game 2, 1971 NLCS against the Giants)
George Brett, Kansas City (Game 3, 1978 ALCS)
Adam Kennedy, Anaheim (Game 5, 2002 ALCS) 
Adrian Beltre, Texas (Game 4, 2011 ALDS) 

Pretty impressive show. The Giants are red-hot, having not come down from their NLCS high and now on a 28-4 run the last four games against the Cardinals and Tigers. Detroit, meanwhile, looked like a team that hadn't played in nearly a week. The Yankees must have wondered what happened to the team they looked foolish against.

The Tigers' goal for Game Two is simple: Get a split and get out of town. Doug Fister has the ball and has to do what Verlander didn't -- command his fastball down in the strike zone. (This corner's goal for Game Two: Conquering the ballpark wireless system and producing an in-game blog. We got it squared away in the sixth inning Wednesday so we should be good to go).

Madison Bumgarner goes for the Giants trying to rekindle memories of 2010 and erase a rough postseason to date.

This was only one game. The Giants have three more to win. But this is one we'll never forget.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

The field at AT&T Park is set for batting practice prior to Game One.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Where's Tom Jolls when we need him? It's positively salubrious out here by the Bay, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s as we get set for Game One of the World Series. The first pitch on FOX is at 8:07 as Barry Zito pitches against Justin Verlander.

The lineups are out and they look like this:

Detroit: Jackson, cf; Infante, 2b; Cabrera, 3b; Fielder, 1b; Young, lf; Peralta, ss; Garcia, rf; Avila, c; Verlander, p
San Francisco: Pagan, cf; Scutaro, 2b; Sandoval, 3b; Posey, c; Pence, rf; Belt, 1b; Blanco, lf; Crawford, ss; Zito, p

---Be sure to read my story in Thursday's paper on NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro, who was a Bison from 1997-2000. Scutaro was a deadline-day acquisition from Colorado.

"I had no expectations when I got here," he said. "As soon as you get traded, you start thinking about stuff out of baseball. family, where to live, packing quick. Days later, you start really seeing what's going on with the team, the teammates. After a couple days, I was thinking I had a very good opportunity to do something special with this team and to be in the playoffs."

---With no games played yet, there's no burning issues to ponder. A lot of the pregame time was spent talking to Game Two starters Madison Bumgarner and Doug Fister, a Northern California native who grew up a Giants fan.

Bumgarner was downright churlish at times during his media session. Maybe he's got a right to be. A 16-game winner in the regular season, he got drilled twice in the playoffs. But he threw eight shutout innings in Game Four of the 2010 World Series in Texas so manager Bruce Bochy is going back to him.

"I feel good about Madison," said Bochy. "He's had a great year, he's done a great job for us since he's been up here, including postseason. This is a small sample on a couple hiccups he had earlier, and I think he's getting some much needed rest and some time to work on making a couple adjustments in his delivery. 

"Sometimes you get out of sync and it's better off taking a little bit of time and trying to sort that out, which he's done. So I look forward to watching him tomorrow."

---My favorite quote from Media Day was Jim Leyland's thoughts on managing star players: "Whether a guy is making $60,000 or $6 million or $16 million, if he was a good guy, he was a good guy. If he was a jerk, he was a jerk. I've got good guys. My superstars are good guys, and so are my other guys that aren't superstars. They're good guys.

"But I've believed that all my life. The economics of it has nothing to do with it; the superstar status has nothing to do with it. If a guy is a good guy, he's a good guy. If he's a jerk, he's a jerk. Fortunately I don't have any jerks."

---Nothing I've heard in the last two days changes my mind. Verlander is an unquestioned and almost unhittable ace. I like the Tigers tonight. Then we'll see.

---Mike Harrington

Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Tigers ace Justin Verlander was all smiles on Media Day. (Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's a partly sunny morning by the Bay and the weather is not expected to be any issue for Game One of the World Series tonight. There's a 30 percent chance of rain this morning, followed by clearing skies in the afternoon and temperatures around game time (5:07 p.m. Pacific) are expected to be in the high 50s. 

There was lots of chatter going on Tuesday at Media Day and we'll have more with a live chat here at 2 p.m. Eastern.  Here's a look at today's coverage:

---Tigers ace Justin Verlander has the power, passion and poise that has made him the most dominant pitcher in the game.

---The Giants were still coming down of their NLCS Game Seven high when they met the media Tuesday.

---I picked these two teams to be here in our preview section in March, so who do I think ultimately wins the matchup? You'll have to click the link to find out. And be sure to click your choice below in our poll.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Tigers Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera was a popular interview subject Tuesday. (AP Photo)

SAN FRANCISCO -- For a recap of World Series Media Day, listen to Mike Harrington's audio report from AT&T Park.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Media Day has just concluded at AT&T Park (we're on Pacific time, remember) and I got some tight print deadlines but I can give you the key nugget that developed with the pitching rotations:

Game One: Justin Verlander vs. Barry Zito
Game Two: Doug Fister vs. Madison Baumgarner
Game Three: Anibel Sanchez vs. Ryan Vogelsong
Game Four: Max Scherzer vs. Matt Cain

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tim Lincecum would pitch out of the bullpen in this series. Meanwhile, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Verlander would not start three times but would start Games One and Five. That, of course, would leave him available in relief for a Game Seven appearance (think Randy Johnson, 2001).

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

A downpour is no problem to former Bison Marco Scutaro as he celebrates the Giants' victory and holds the NLCS MVP trophy aloft. (AP photo)

28,000 FEET OVER KANSAS -- Tweeting and blogging from a laptop on a plane en route to the World Series. Sometimes, this corner lives an odd existence. 

We're en route to taking our hearts to San Francisco, where the Cardinals had theirs broken last night in a 9-0 bludgeoning in Game Seven of the NLCS. That put the total count at 20-1 in favor of the Giants over the final three games and was eerily reminiscent of the 1996 NLCS when the Cardinals suffered a 32-1 pounding at the hands of the Braves in dropping the final three games. 

OId friend Marcos Scutaro, a Bison from 1997-2000 who didn't make the major leagues until he was 26 years old, was named the NLCS MVP. Quite a story. 

There's no time for the Giants to rest and celebrate, however. Today is Media Day for the World Series at AT&T Park, as the Giants and Tigers meet reporters in a Super Bowl-style setting with each player getting his own table and reporters mingling through the room. MLB started this by accident in 2009 because it had the Great Hall of new Yankee Stadium at its disposal and it's proved to be a rousing success.

But because we'll be on the West Coast, the session will be much later than normal, running from 6 p.m-8 p.m. Eastern time.

Keep it here all Series long for notes and quotes and pictures and podcasts and sights and sounds of the City by the Bay and Motown. Flying onward.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

So you wanna be a sportswriter? Sure, it's fun. You see great games and meet great people. But sometimes you're in a pickle a ton of East Coast scribes like this corner find themselves in: A suitcase packed, two sets of hotels, two sets of airline reservations, nowhere to go until at least 11 p.m. tonight. And maybe later. 

For that, we have the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants to blame -- and to congratulate. The last two World Series winners stage Game Seven of the NLCS tonight in AT&T Park and it's because neither of them will go down this postseason.

This will be the Cardinals' third straight winner-take-all showdown on the road (the wild-card game in Atlanta and Game 5 of the NLDS in Washington) and they've won the first two. Even more incredibly, this is the Giants' sixth win-or-go-home game this month (three in Cincinnati in the NLDS and now three in this series). 

Who has the edge? A tough call. You'd think it would be with the Giants, with Matt Cain on the mound and momentum in hand. But they're just 2-3 at home in the postseason -- and 0-5 overall all-time in Game Sevens. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have won six straight winner-take-alls in the postseason to tie the MLB record they set from 1926-67 (their last loss was in the 2001 NLDS to Arizona). 

I'll pick another miracle finish for the Cardinals, minus perhaps a goofy infield fly call. Make your pick below.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

HIGHWAY 401, ONTARIO -- Made a stop on the drive back from Detroit and got a few tweets that said I had to check this out. Those jokesters at the New York Post were at it again this morning.

How about this for a shot at A-Rod on a cover? A classic.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

Prince Fielder lets the champagne fly in the Tigers' clubhouse (AP Photo)

DETROIT -- Lots of points to ponder after the final installment of the Motor City Mashing. I picked the Tigers to make the World Series in March, so I was not surprised to be in their clubhouse in October as the champagne was getting sprayed all over. But to be in there after a sweep of the Yankees? Unthinkable. Here's some thinking out loud:

Pitching: Detroit starters were basically unhittable, giving up just two runs in the four games. Let's see how the Cardinals (or the Giants, if they can come back) handle them. Power fastballs, sharp sliders. Nasty stuff. Justin Verlander starts Game One Wednesday in the NL city and could go three times in the World Series. The Tigers are a favorite. Also, kudos to manager Jim Leyland for finding a temporary closer in Phil Coke. Jose Valverde has a few more days to straighten himself out.

A-Rod: He's the center of the media attention and you gotta say he handled the masses awfully well the last couple of days. Does anyone really believe Joe Girardi wanted to sit A-Rod and play Eric Chavez in an elimination game? No way. A-Rod seemed to realize that too as he referred to the Yankees' GM as "Cashman" (not Brian) several times after the game. The whole thing seemed punitive. Pretty basic moral: Don't preen for female fans' phone numbers during the game.

Remember, A-Rod was dropped to eighth by Joe Torre for the final game of the Yankees' 2006 division series loss here. He never forgave Torre but it was a seminal moment in his career; he hit 54 home runs the next season.

"I gotta look in the mirror. I sat in this room in 2006 and some of you guys were here and there were a lot of doubtors," he said. "I said I was going to get back to the drawing board and I did. I came back with a vengeance in '07 and I'm looking forward to the same thing."

Oooooooooooooooooook. You're six years older now. Two straight subpar years. (OK, no PEDs either). Don't see it happening.

The A-Rod/Joe Girardi dynamic: Both sides said they didn't see any huge need to mend fences. Rodriguez is clearly blaming management for his benching, not the manager. 

"As far as I know, we're OK," Girardi said. "It's not something I wanted to do all -- you know that. But I don't have any signals that he's mad at me. I know he wanted to be in there. I understand that. But I don't have any signals. Now, if there are things that I have to do, I'm going to do them. "

Robinson Cano: He finished the season 24 of 39, then went 3 for 40 in the postseason. Yes, it was a major slump but he wasn't facing the Blue Jays, Twins and Red Sox anymore either.

"That one is kind of baffling for me," Girardi said. "Because we have seen the type of hitter that Robby Cano is. For him to struggle as long as he did, and it seems a lot longer than it actually was, we're talking about nine games. And nine games during the course of the season you say ahhh, but to see it, it's pretty difficult for me to understand."

Media mob: There's nothing like covering the Yankees in the postseason. The old adage of "no tent big enough for this circus" applies. We were piled into the visitors clubhouse with no noise but the water of the showers when it was announced A-Rod would speak in an adjacent room. Everyone bolted back out of the room and scurried down the hall. Cracked a Yankees security official: "Cue the Bugs Bunny cartoon."

What's next: Media day for the World Series is Tuesday at either Busch Stadium or AT&T Park. I'll be there. Thanks for reading in this series and follow along with our full coverage on the scene next week.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNharrington 
(A-Rod photo: Getty Images) 

DETROIT -- There's been so much talk here at Comerica Park, most of it A-Rod related, that it's easy to forget we haven't seen a baseball pitched for real in nearly 41 hours. 

That's finally about to change with Max Scherzer meeting CC Sabathia in Game Four (it's on TBS). And just like last night, no A-Rod and no Curtis Granderson.

Said Joe Girardi in his pregame media briefing today: "Our decisions aren't made on a whim, they are based on a lot of stuff that we see and information that we have.  ... Would I love to be in a position where I didn't have to make changes?  Absolutely.  But there's been some real struggles in our lineup, and we had to do something."

About all the rumors swirling around A-Rod, Girardi tried to simply bring the focus back to today's game: "Anytime you have a player of Alex's stature, there's ‑‑ it's going to be a hot button.  He is going to be talked about a lot.  And that's something he's had to deal with for a long, long time. I don't get caught up. 

"Our focus is here, not what will happen next year, what will happen two years down the road.  That would be silly for me.  I think it is silly for all of us.  No one knows what tomorrow holds for any of us."

As for today, keep it here for my in-game thoughts. Reminder that we're not allowed to do batter-by-batter updates but you can follow the pitch-by-pitch log here.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

Top-1st: The first pitch by Scherzer (left) to Ichiro was a strike at 4:08 p.m. The temperature is 59 degrees. A real factor now is that we're in bright sunshine. The late-afternoon sun could be a real problem for hitters. It was a 1-2-3 inning, featuring strikeouts of Swisher and Cano, but the Yankees did foul off 10 pitches and Scherzer threw 19. Cano fell to 3 for 37 and Swisher 4 for 27 in the postseason. In this series, Cano is 1 for 15, Swisher 2 for 9.

End-1st (1-0, Tigers): Detroit touches Sabathia for a run on Young's two-out RBI single to right. Game over? The way the Yankees are hitting, don't laugh. The inning started with an infield single from Omar Infante, who beat out a chopper to third. Chavez fielded cleanly but threw late. Of course, lots of would-ARod-have-made-that play? Sabathia fanned Jhonny Peralta to leave runners at the corners but needed 23 pitches in the frame. 

End-2nd (1-0, Tigers): Six up, six down for Scherzer. Four Ks, including Chavez (now 0-15, 7Ks in the postseason). Mind-boggling bad hitting by the Yankees. Sabathia gave up a hit and walk in the bottom of the inning and has left four on through two -- but he's also needed 41 pitches. His offspeed stuff is oddly flat. Tigers left 10 on in Game Three and it nearly cost them in the ninth. They're at it again.

Mid-3rd (1-0, Tigers): The Yankees' first threat goes down as Swisher takes a 96-mph fastball for a called third strike (what was he looking for?) to leave runners at first and second. Nunez reached on a two-out error by Fielder, who simply flubbed a nubber up the first-base line, and Ichiro walked after an 0-2 count. Scherzer up to 55 pitches. Yankees need to keep working counts to get into the bullpen.

End-3rd (2-0, Tigers): Sabathia should sue for non-support, both at the plate and in the field. Teixeira booted a Fielder grounder -- that was ridiculously scored as a hit -- and then booted another one by Dirks that was properly scored an error. Rookie Avisail Garcia, who spent most of his year at Double-A Erie, than overcame an 0-2 count to collect an infield single that Nunez basically spiked into the ground near short, and brought home Fielder. No. 9 hitter Gerald Laird worked the count to 3-1 before flying to right. An astonishing 73 pitches for Sabathia through three. The Tigers have left seven.

Mid-4th (2-0, Tigers): Scherzer has a no-hitter with 7 Ks going. Just whiffed Texeira and Ibanez. 

End-4th: (6-0, Tigers): It's over. Two-run homer by Cabrera on a first-pitch fastball, two-run homer by old friend Jhonny Peralta on a hanging curveball. Sabathia mercifully taken out after a Dirks double. He gave up six runs on 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings -- and ESPN just tweeted he's the first pitcher in postseason history to give up 11+ hits while recording 11 outs or fewer. Incredible. The crowd went nuts when Cabrera cranked his bomb, with the "MVP, MVP" chants rocking the ballpark and he showed them some love in return (above).

End-5th: (6-0, Tigers): Scherzer's no-no intact with nine Ks. But he's at 83 pitches, coming off shoulder trouble and has a World Series to come. No way he goes the route. The Yankees are about to be swept in a best-of-seven for the first time since the '76 World Series vs. Cincinnati. They're going to be the first team in history to never lead in a seven-game series.

End-6th: (6-1, Tigers): Nunez broke up the no-hitter with a triple to left-center and scored on Swisher's one-out double (nice for him to get a hit in that spot, huh?). A two-out walk to Teixeira ended Scherzer's day and he left to a roaring standing ovation as he tipped his hat to the crowd. Drew Smyly came on and faced .... A-Rod!!. Pinch-hitting for Ibanez and with everyone in the park standing, A-Rod lofted a lazy fly to center for the final out. The Tigers have left 12 on base and are 2-10 in RISP situations.

End-7th: 7-1: An Austin Jackson homer on the second pitch from Derek Lowe adds to the rout. Six outs left for the Tigers. Phil Coke coming on in the eighth. Wonder if Jim Leyland runs Valverde out there in the ninth with a six-run lead?

End-8th, 8-1: Old friend Jhonny Peralta took David Robertson deep for his second homer of the day, a solo shot to left. He's had a great series, both at the plate and in the field. I bet Cabrera is named MVP but Peralta is close. After winning the IL MVP with the Bisons in 2004, Peralta came within a game of going to the World Series with the '07 Indians. He's finally going there now. The only other Detroit shortstop with a multi-homer game in the postseason was Alan Trammell in Game Four of the 1984 World Series against the Padres at old Tiger Stadium.

It's over: An 8-1 Tigers win and a long winter of reflection for the Yankees. It's the 11th AL pennant for the Tigers.

DETROIT -- It was windy and drizzling early this morning in the Motor City. By 11:30, it was pouring. But the forecast is holding and less than three hours before the first pitch of rain-delayed Game Four, the sun is out at Comerica Park and we should be good to go for a 4:07 start.

And there's this nugget of news: Both teams are using the same lineups. That means, just like last night, no Granderson and no A-Rod for the Yankees.

It will be Ichiro, lf; Swisher, rf; Cano, 2b; Teixeira, 1b; Ibanez, dh; Chavez, 3b; Martin, c; Gardner, cf; Nunez, ss

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

The grounds crew puts the tarp on Comerica Park as the scoreboard shows an ugly weather radar of impending rain. (AP Photo)

DETROIT -- I've seen plenty of rainouts in 20+ years of covering Triple-A and Major League Baseball. Usually, however, it's raining for a game to get banged.

That wasn't the case Wednesday night at Comerica Park, where MLB decided to call off Game Four between the Yankees and Tigers "in an effort to preserve the integrity of an uninterrupted, full nine-inning game."

Fair enough. Don't blow starting pitchers CC Sabathia and Max Scherzer in a one- or two-inning performance. Problem was they could have easily played five or six innings -- and maybe more -- because it was barely sprinkling at 10 p.m. But I get it. That said, if we had played six and got suspended, the Yankees could have had a huge advantage if things finished with a battle of the bullpens. Won't happen now.

More thoughts from the rainout:

The rotation: The Yankees take a hit here as GM Brian Cashman confirmed there's no way CC Sabathia would pitch on two days rest in Game Seven, if the series actually got that far. The Tigers, meanwhile, would have Justin Verlander on his regular day.

(Yes, this was a big postgame topic. I say there's ZERO chance of Game Seven and you can quote me 2004 -- I was there -- but this Yankees team is simply not hitting. The '04 Red Sox scored seven runs in the opener of that ALCS and eight in Game Three before finally getting their pitching together.)

The lineup: Do the Yankees change their mind and give A-Rod or Granderson a shot tomorrow afternoon? Doubt it. I think Joe Girardi stands pat with the same he was planning for tonight.

The series schedule: The Yankees played five straight tough games in five days -- three in the division series and two in the ALCS. They finally got an off day on Monday and didn't play again Wednesday. They would now need to win four games in four days to take the series, as there will be no off day prior to a potential Game Six in New York.

The forecast for Thursday: It's not good but we can sit and wait all night with a 4:07 scheduled first pitch. It does get better as the day and night moves along.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

DETROIT -- They've just announced at Comerica Park tonight's game will not start on time due to "weather in the area." We had already surmised something was going because CC Sabathia and Max Scherzer were not warming up.

It was a beautiful, 71-degree day full of sunshine in the Motor City. But the forecast deteriorated during the day and rain that was supposed to come at 2 a.m. is now supposed to hit at 9:30 or so. The radar is pretty ominous.

Although it was clear at 8 p.m., the betting is that neither team wanted to burn their starting pitchers playing two innings and then stopping.

Stay tuned.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

DETROIT -- Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a remarkable 14-minute meeting with the media this afternoon to talk a little about Derek Jeter's surgery and a lot about the continued benching of Alex Rodriguez, who is again out of tonight's lineup.

DETROIT -- This just in a few hours before Game Four of the ALCS: The Yankees have announced Derek Jeter is going to have surgery on his injured ankle Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

The kicker here is the recovery time is listed as 4-5 months. That could put Jeter well into March, certainly meaning he won't be ready for spring training and won't play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. It could even put Opening Day of 2013 in doubt.

The Yankees, remember, were hoping Jeter would avoid surgery and listed a three-month timetable when the injury happened Saturday night in Game One.

7 p.m. update: Yankees GM Brian Cashman said this is a more conservative timeline but that the 4-5 months is when Jeter would be ready to play in games.

"There is no new information," Cashman said. "... Nothing seen worse than what our team doctor saw. But in terms of the timeframe, I just think wanted to be more conservative with it. So that's what we're going to go with. My understanding is that it's possible he will be ready earlier than that timeframe, but it is best to at least put out there four, five months as a safer bet."

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington