Monday, July 30, 2012

Jimmy Shane wins Unlimited hydroplane event

Jimmy Shane edged J Michael Kelley by less than one boat length to win the Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Series hydroplane racing event at Tri-Cities, Wash., on Sunday.
Dave Villwock, the Detroit Gold Cup champion, finished third in the first ANG event since the race on the Detroit River.
Shane, of Havre de Grace, Maryland, who drives the U-5 Graham Trucking, called the victory, "the fulfillment of a childhood dream."

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Monday, July 9, 2012

Statues give Detroit Tigers' ballpark prime picture spots

Comerica Park does not have some of the features fans loved about Tiger Stadium, like the overhang in right field and the intimate upper-deck box seats, but the downtown Detroit ballpark that opened in 2000 can count several prime picture-taking spots among its assets.
Before every game at the Detroit Tigers' home, fans pose in front of the seated tiger outside the main entrance, at the statue of broadcaster Ernie Harwell that greets them inside the gates, and at the statues of six Tigers greats that stand on the concourse in left field.
National Baseball Hall of Fame members Al Kaline, Hal Newhouser, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg and Ty Cobb, along with native Detroiter Willie Horton, were honored with statues in left field, and their likenesses are popular stopping points for fans strolling the stadium.
Many like to photograph friends and family alongside one of the statues -- Kaline is perhaps the most popular -- with the baseball field in the background.

Ty Cobb
Hal Newhouser
Al Kaline
Hank Greenberg
Charlie Gehringer

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Kevin Youkilis' star rising in Chicago

Kevin Youkilis could probably get elected mayor of Chicago right now.
At least, on the South Side of the Windy City.
Youkilis rounds bases after home run Thursday.
The former Boston Red Sox third baseman cracked a solo home run Thursday to lift the White Sox to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers and a three-game sweep of the back-to-back American League champions.
On Wednesday, Youkilis had the winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning as Chicago beat the Rangers 5-4.
In his first 10 games with the White Sox, Youkilis hit .308 with 10 RBI.
He appears to have solved what had been a glaring problem at third base for the White Sox.
His winning hits the last two days helped Chicago stay 4 1/2 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.

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Monday, July 2, 2012

This 'Babe' got away from Tigers

When Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks hit for the cycle on June 29, he became the second player in the live-ball era of major-league baseball to twice in the same season have a game with a single, double, triple and home run.
The first to turn the trick? Floyd Caves (Babe) Herman, who did so while playing for Brooklyn in 1931.
Herman played part of the 1937 season with the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in only 17 games, and had 20 at-bats, for a Detroit franchise that was two years removed from winning its first World Series championship.
Herman had some superb seasons in the big leagues.
The 6-foot-4 outfielder/first baseman hit .393 with 241 hits in 1930. That year, he had 48 doubles, 11 triples and 35 home runs for Brooklyn.
From 1929 through 1932, Herman, who played for Cincinnati in '32, hit 59 triples.
Herman was property of the Tigers in 1922 when Detroit traded him and three other players to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Rip Collins and infielder Del Pratt.
Collins would go 44-40 in five seasons with the Tigers. Pratt was near the end of his career when he arrived in Detroit.
At the time they traded Herman, the Tigers were on the verge of a downturn in their fortunes, despite a roster that included outfielder Harry Heilmann, one of the better players in franchise history.
After finishing in second place in the American League in 1923 and third in 1924, the Tigers would finish no better than fourth for nine consecutive seasons beginning in 1925.
Herman broke into the majors in 1926. He wound up playing 13 seasons and had a career batting average of .324.

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