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Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

For the second time in three years, Grand Rapids-reared boxer Floyd Mayweather is No. 1 on Forbes? list of the world?s highest-paid athletes.

Mayweather earned $105 million ? all of it in the ring ? for 72 minutes of work in the past 12 months. Tiger Woods is the only other athlete who has topped $100 million, Forbes said.

Rounding out the top five are Cristiano Ronaldo ($80 million), LeBron James ($72.3 million), Lionel Messi ($64.7 million) and Kobe Bryant ($61.5 million).

Oh, and Woods is next, though he has slipped to $61.2 million, mostly from $55 million in endorsements.

Four Detroit athletes are on Forbes? list of 100, too, led by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, ranked No. 18, at $33 million. He trails only Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan (No. 10, $43.8 million) among NFL players.

Why is Stafford so high? Remember, he signed a $53-million contract extension a year ago that included a $27.5-million signing bonus.

Also making the list are the Detroit Tigers? Miguel Cabrera (No. 32, $24.6 million), Prince Fielder (No. 39, $23.9 million) and Justin Verlander (tied for No. 70, $20.7 million).

OK, Fielder is on the Texas Rangers now, but a lot of that money still comes from Mr. Ilitch.

And Miggy and J.V. have raises coming up, too.

freep
 
Makeup doubleheaders dot second-half slate.
After making it through the month of May without one, the Tigers endured their fourth weather-related postponment of the season on Tuesday night.

Detroit had three games postponed because of weather in April. The Tigers will make up the April 3 postponement of a home game against the Royals on June 19, which cancels an off-day -- meaning the team will play 12 straight until its next day off. Other April postponements from games against the Indians (April 15) and at the Twins (April 27) will be made up with doubleheaders on July 19 and Aug. 23, respectively.

The July 19 doubleheader comes two days after the All-Star break, so the team will at least be well-rested, while the second twin bill is two days before an off-day. The grind of the second half is only made more taxing by such makeup games, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus doesn't seem overly concerned about it.

"I mean, we just kind of deal with it as we come," Ausmus said. "We have an off-day lost next week, then all of a sudden we gain an off-day essentially yesterday, which it does help certain things. It helps bullpen arms, it allows most of our starters to be pushed back a day, but then months down the road we're looking at long stretches of games or doubleheaders where we need to have a sixth starter. So we deal with it as it comes up.

"Generally, when you play in the northern part of the country and you don't have a roof, you're going to have to deal with that."

Plus, Ausmus would rather see games get called early, like on Tuesday, than have to wait around in uncertainty.

"Absolutely. I mean, I would rather have that for sure," Ausmus said. "I think the players probably appreciate that, too, rather than hanging out, maybe playing, maybe not playing, maybe finishing it, maybe not finishing it. I think it's best for everyone really if it's going to be the type of night to just bag it, and we'll make it up at some point in the future."
Tigers official site
 
V-Mart not willing to concede with two strikes.
At age 35, it's highly unlikely Victor Martinez can keep up his first-half power surge. With 15 home runs through 61 games entering play Thursday, Martinez is on pace to hit 40 homers. His career high is 25, set in 2007 with the Indians.

"I mean, he's not going to hit 40 home runs as far as what he's on pace for," said bench coach Gene Lamont. "But he's just hitting the ball so solid, he's going to hit quite a few more home runs. Before, it seemed like he hit line drives in the alleys. Now, he's getting the ball both left and right."

One thing you can count on, however, is that Martinez won't often strike out.

Martinez has a career strikeout rate of 10.6 percent, and has struck out less than 10 percent of the time each of the last four seasons. This season, he's struck out a remarkably low 6.2 percent of the time, well below the MLB average of 17.8 percent.

"Well, to me, he's the best two-strike hitter in our league," Lamont said. "He's probably the best two-strike hitter I've seen. He's always been very, very good. This year it just seems to be even better."

While strikeouts are up across the game, Martinez is part of a dying breed of hitters who can hit for decent power without whiffing often. As Lamont said, some hitters today seem to accept strikeouts as just another out -- after all, it would likely result in the same outcome as a routine roller to short.

That sort of mentality simply doesn't register with the 12-year vet.

"I always say whenever you put the ball in play, anything can happen," Martinez said. "They can make an error, they can make something that helps your team win. Errors are part of the game. Strikeouts are part of the game, but whoever thinks like that -- that's their thinking, but not for me. Definitely not for me."

Heading into Thursday's series finale with the White Sox, Martinez had more walks (23) than strikeouts (16). He's finished with more walks than strikeouts in a full season only once in his career, in 2009, with 75 walks to 74 K's.

Martinez's ability to put the ball in play with two strikes on a consistent basis is as much about his mentality as anything he does mechanically.

"He just doesn't accept it. He struck out last night, I think, but he doesn't want to accept it," Lamont said. "So if you have that mindset and have the ability he has, you're surely going to strike out less."
Tigers official site
 
Miggy at first; Jackson rests against Sale.
Miguel Cabrera returned to first base Thursday night after a two-game stint as designated hitter. Cabrera had been nursing a tight left hamstring, but showed he was back to full mobility in Wednesday's game.

Cabrera led off the fourth with a double, tagged up on Victor Martinez's flyout to right and beat Dayan Viciedo's strong throw to third with aggressive baserunning.

Showing no signs of discomfort, he lobbied Tigers manager Brad Ausmus to put him back at first for Thursday's series finale.

"I think everyone saw how he moved last night. After the game, he looked at me and went like this," Ausmus said while raising his index finger," which meant first base. And I said, 'Yeah.'"

One other move Ausmus made was sitting Austin Jackson, who has struggled in his career against White Sox starter Chris Sale. Jackson is 2-for-30 (.067) with 12 strikeouts against Sale.

"It's just, Jax, really it's a good time to give him a day off. You want to give guys a day off against pitchers they don't do as well against," Ausmus said. "It's good policy just strategy-wise, and I think it's just good for the player."
Tigers official site
 
Worth noting;

? Ausmus said that injured outfielder Andy Dirks (back surgery in March) has started to ratchet up his baseball activities.
"He's been throwing, he's been running bases, some soft toss. Tee work, soft toss, batting practice," Ausmus said. "I don't think he's got the live batting practice, but that's gotta be somewhere here in the near future."

? On Thursday the White Sox signed former Tigers outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo to a Minor League deal. Tuiasosopo hit .244/.351/.415 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 81 games last season for Detroit.

? Martinez has owned Sale in his career. Entering play Thursday, he was 12-for-22 (.545) with an .818 slugging percentage against the lefty.

? Entering Thursday's game, the Tigers led the American League with 126 doubles.
 
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