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DETROIT -- There is at least one person in the Tigers organization who manager Jim Leyland does not envy right now, and that is director of team travel Tyson Steele.As the Tigers wrap up the regular season, they know their postseason spot is secure. But the question of where they will head may not be answered until the final night of the regular season. The Tigers were one game back of the Ranger football videos s in the race for the second seed and the right to open at home in the American League Division Series entering Monday.But as he has all season, Leyland has appreciated the resolve and focus of his team."The thing I love about our team is that they're not getting too excited about anything," Leyland said. "We don't really know what to tell them. We tell them to bring a suitcase and hopefully you c football videos an take it home after the game. Our team has been really good about handling it [with all] the distractions. "It sounds like a little thing, but you talk about somebody's family. Do you get them a ticket to New York or do you get them a ticket to somewhere else? Or are they somewhere in between or where are they going? ... This stuff will eat you up if you're not careful. It'll eat you up." Perhap football videos s no Tiger has as much invested in who and where they play than Justin Verlander, who will start Game 1. Although Verlander's performance hasn't varied based on location -- he has a 2.37 ERA at home and a 2.43 ERA on the road -- not knowing the opponent gives Verlander less time to work on a specific scouting report."That's the most comforting thing you can do is just keep doing what you've done a football videos ll year," Verlander said Saturday. "I'm going to work out tomorrow. I'm going to run. I'm going to play catch and throw a bullpen the next day. Everything else is inconsequential. You just don't pay attention to it."Steele is in his first season as travel director, and his work has not gone unnoticed by the manager. As the Tigers wait for their opponent to be determined, Leyland knows at least one football videos part of the organization is dealing with its most difficult time of the season."That poor [guy]," Leyland said of Steele. "He's having a tough time and he's done tremendous, and he deserves some credit." Miggy focused on team goals, not batting title DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera is nearing the career triple crown.Entering the final three games of the regular season, Cabrera led the American Leag football videos ue with a .341 batting average. He led the AL with 37 home runs in 2008 and led with 126 RBIs last season.But with the Tigers headed to the postseason for the first time since Cabrera's arrival, he is focusing more on the team goals ahead rather than his individual numbers."Right now, if I start talking about the batting title or anything, it's going to sound bad because we're working to the playo football videos ffs and winning in the playoffs," he said. "I think that's the mindset we've got to have right now."Michael Young of the Rangers and Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox both trail Cabrera with .338 averages entering Monday. Cabrera and Gonzalez have been friends dating back to their time in the Marlins' Minor League system."He's my buddy and he's one of the best players in baseball," Cabrera said. "It' football videos s fun right now. He's in a tough spot right now because Boston [is struggling]. Hopefully, he can come through."One reason for Cabrera's success this season is the presence of Victor Martinez batting behind him, allowing Cabrera to see better pitches. When asked how key it was to have Martinez behind him, Cabrera grinned and said, "It's big."Cabrera named Mariano Rivera as a player who puts the te football videos am ahead of personal accolades, pointing out when Rivera broke the Major League saves record recently."If you saw the interview Mariano Rivera did a few days ago when he broke the record, to see how humble he is and how he speaks ... it's a good example," Cabrera said. "That's a man you've got to look up to. I've got a lot of respect for Mariano."Cabrera said this season has been the most fun in h football videos is nine seasons. Although he won the World Series in his rookie season of 2003, he said he has a better perspective on the importance of things, compared to when he just wanted to play as a 20-year-old with the Marlins."When you win, it's a lot of fun," he said. "Hopefully, we can go a long way here. We've got a chance." Betemit still has swelling in left knee DETROIT -- Wilson Betemit came to football videos Comerica Park early on Monday with a plan to start at third base, his first start in a week and a half. It was supposed to be his first of three games to get ready for the postseason. Then he tried to push off with his left knee moving for a ball and felt something.Now his situation is a question mark once again, and his manager is increasingly concerned."He's not right," Leyland said. "I'm worri football videos ed about Betemit. And I'll leave it at that."Betemit sounded a little less concerned as he tried to clear up his own situation, but nonetheless anxious. He played in three straight Division Series with the Braves and Dodgers from 2004-06, and he has a very good chance to start for the Tigers in this one coming up. But he has to be healthy to do it.He thought he was. Right now, he said, his knee is football videos "so-so.""I went out today to go work on the field," Betemit said, "and I felt something push on my knee."That halted the plans for his return. Team doctors examined him at Comerica Park later Monday to try to determine why the swelling in his knee persists. Betemit said later that everything was fine.Betemit was diagnosed a week ago with inflammation in the knee. He still has swelling on the insi football videos de of the knee, which is where he felt the problem when he went to push off. He also feels discomfort, he said, when he goes into an all-out sprint. He feels fine when he's batting."Hopefully, I'll be fine," Betemit said, "because I want to play. I have to do everything I can to play."With Betemit out, Don Kelly started at third base for the third time in the last four days and the fifth time in D football videos etroit's last eight games. Cleveland has right-handed pitchers starting every game in this series to end the regular season, so it's uncertain whether Brandon Inge, Detroit's defensive replacement and part-time starter at third, might get a start.Once the postseason begins, that question becomes a lot more interesting, depending on the opponent. The Yankees, for instance, are expected to start lef football videos ty CC Sabathia to open their Division Series, then have a handful of right-handed candidates.Leyland is keeping pretty mum on his postseason roster, and he isn't going to map out how the Tigers would replace Betemit if he can't go. While team officials met Monday to discuss the roster, among other topics, they didn't announce anything. Kelly could be a big part of it, but dedicating him to third b football videos ase would also take a candidate out of right field. The Tigers also have infielder Danny Worth, but he has played all of four innings at third base this month since rejoining the club from Triple-A Toledo. Maroth to be pitching coach at Lakeland DETROIT -- Mike Maroth had been looking to get back into baseball after injuries ended his pitching career last winter. He'll get his start in coachin football videos g with the same organization where he broke into the Majors as a pitcher.The Tigers announced Monday that they've hired Maroth as their pitching coach at Class A Lakeland. He replaces Joe Coleman, who was let go a few weeks ago.It'll be the first pro coaching job for Maroth, who brings a wealth of experience and a strong work ethic into the role. He also brings a good outlook on how to deal with s football videos truggles and adversity. He's best remembered for his 21-loss season on the Tigers' 2003 team that lost 119 games, and drew national attention for the way he handled it and bounced back.There's a side beyond the numbers, though, and it starts with somebody who became a pretty crafty pitcher and adapted his game without a power pitch in his arsenal. He knew how to pitch, just not throw. He also has football videos a high character that seems natural for a coaching job."We're thrilled that he's with us, because I think Mike is not only a knowledgeable baseball person, but he's also a quality human being," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "He's the type of people you want in your organization, and he used to be a Tiger, too. So when you [have] that combination, it's great."Maroth, who live football videos s in Orlando, Fla., had been interested in a coaching career after elbow injuries finally forced him to end his comeback attempt last winter. He talked with team officials, including Dombrowski, in Spring Training about a job in the future. After debating whether coaching or scouting would be the best fit, the job in Lakeland was a logical option. football videos
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