Brandon Inge

It’s never easy to predict when a professional athlete will break down physically. Chalk it up to genetics perhaps. Some players are freaks of nature. Who can explain how Brett Favre played one of the most physically punishing positions in sports with Lou Gehrig-like durability?

Why is it that the quarterback Favre played 19 seasons and never missed a start, while basketball player Greg Oden is like a man made of salt left out in the rain?

Week one of the 2011 fantasy baseball season is just about in the books. Some of you may feel quite optimistic; while others may be a bit discouraged. Just remember that the fantasy baseball season is long, just like the MLB regular season. If you panic now, you're probably not cut out to play fantasy sports.

Week one has already been an interesting one. There have been some key injuries including Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria, who just so happens to have been my own first-round draft pick. It appears like he will be out for around three weeks with a strained oblique.

Late last week the Tigers re-signed third baseman Brandon Inge to a two-year, $11.5 million contract (with an option for 2013).  He showed significant power in 2009, but the numbers just weren’t there last season:

Cross another would-be free agent off the list.

With the 2010 regular season coming to a close and the playoff picture starting to become a little clearer every day, there are some teams that will focus on free agency and which players they are going to bring back or which players they could possibly land this offseason.

One of those players that will hit the free agent market is third baseman Adrian Beltre, who seemed to reinvent himself this season as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Are you hurting in the RBI category? Here are some reasonably available players that can help you out.

Brandon Inge, 3B, Detroit Tigers

 Inge has 10 RBIs over the past 15 days while hitting .218 with four runs, two HRs, and a SB. On the year he’s hitting .254 with 37 runs, 10 HRs, 61 RBIs, and three SBs. Brandon is owned in 20 percent of CBS and five percent of ESPN leagues. 

With the Detroit Tigers far removed from playoff contention this September, speculation has already begun about the futures of some of the team's free agents-to-be. Among these players, the most desirable by far is third baseman Brandon Inge.

Last Week: 2-5
This Week: TB (8/9-11); at CWS (8/13-15)

So What Happened?

The Tigers’ freefall down the chute of the AL Central continued in earnest last week.

Last Monday, MMM said that if the Tigers were still in this race, there was no time like the present to make their case for such consideration.

See that guy in the picture? That's outfielder Magglio Ordonez. Do you know why he is sticking his tongue out at you? Because he is not on the field driving in runs. Because the Tigers look more deserving of a berth in a trash heap than in a pennant race.

Anyone out there have any faith that the Tigers are still in a pennant race?

I certainly hope not. If so, I'm sorry to burst your soap bubble, but allow me to disillusion you. The pipe dream you were in has expired, welcome back to reality.

Is the baseball season really a marathon? Or, can injuries, poor play, and bad luck end your season in just a couple of weeks? The Detroit Tigers will be able to answer that question rather quickly.

After a mediocre first two months of the season, the Detroit Tigers scratched and clawed their way to the division lead on June 28. As the Minnesota Twins spun their wheels in first place, objects in their mirror were closer than they appeared.