Tigers Go Fishing - Land Two Prize Marlins

Well, the Detroit Tigers served notice yesterday that they are a force to be reckoned with in the American League. They acquired Marlins stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. All they had to give up were a number five starter with questionable control (Andrew Miller), a talented but unproven young outfielder (Cameron Maybin), a backup catcher (Mike Rabelo), and some prospects. The Tigers now have arguably the best lineup in the majors:

1. Granderson .302
2. Polanco .338
3. Cabrera .320
4. Ordonez .363
5. Sheffield .265
6. Guillen .296
7. Jones .285
8. Rodriguez .281
9. Renterria .332

They acquired a front line lefty starter and perhaps the best young hitter in the majors this side of Pujols without giving up anything significant. For opposing pitchers, this batting order has got to be a scary sight. The most notable thing about this lineup, other than the high level of skill and talent, is the lack of white guys. That's right, the Tigers everyday nine will include six latin players and three black players. Without doing any research, I feel comfortable in asserting that the Tigers are probably the only team in the majors that has this kind of lineup. And I'm not even talking so much about the latin players. Are there any other teams that start three black dudes and zero white dudes (no, Derek Jeter does not count as one of each)? By contrast, my current hometown team, the Astros, had an entire roster last year that included zero black players. Hooray for diversity!

Anyway, the bowl games haven't even started and I'm already officially excited about baseball season.