The Shield VS Courtroom

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

My late Grandmother Sophie Morganroth used to tell me that there is a time and a place to say or do something---take action.

But she never would imagine the recent actions taken by former NFL Wide Receiver Chad Johnson.

Johnson found out that Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh is much different than NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

When Johnson celebrated after scoring touchdowns, the only discipline he'd receive would be small fines which are a mere slap on the wrist.

But Johnson took the slap to a different level in downtown Fort Lauderdale as he slapped his attorney on the butt in court and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. What appeared to be a harmless act where his plea deal was accepted and he was happy with his lawyer's performance, turned out to be quite the opposite outcome.

The courtroom erupted in laughter, but McHugh wasn't laughing. She was extremely angry, rejected the plea deal, and thought Johnson's actions were disrespectful and dropped the hammer.

Wearing a tan jumpsuit with his hands shackled at the waist, Johnson apologized to the judge and served seven days. He had plenty of time to evaluate his flamboyant behavior, plus realize his domestic violence case is nothing to take lightly.

Whether Johnson gets another NFL job remains to be seen.

But McHugh did something Goodell hasn't been able to do and force Johnson to eat Humble Pie.

She took away his freedom which is much worse than any discipline he'd receive in the NFL. Johnson's white flag had more impact than the yellow flag officials use during the game.

Hopefully, this will make Johnson a better person.

He definitely knows the difference between the gridiron and a courtroom. McHugh's responsibility is to protect the integrity of the legal system "Courtroom" while Goodell's job is to protect "The Shield." (The NFL Logo).

If he needs some advice as to how bad things can get behind bars, Johnson should contact Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick, who turned his life around after being locked up for animal cruelty for dog fighting. Vick spent 548 days in jail.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Old Guard VS New Guard

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I never thought I'd see the day that Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra would defeat San Antonio Spurs Boss Gregg Popovich in the NBA Finals.

On Thursday Night, Miami closed out San Antonio 4-3 at the American Airlines Arena.

The 42-year old Spoelstra, a native of Evanston, Illinois., has won two straight titles as a head coach (2012-2013) plus another as an assistant under Pat Riley in 2006. Three titles in this time span is impressive.

He's never had a losing season in five years compiling a 260-134 mark with a .660 winning percentage in 394 regular season games.

In the playoffs, Spoelstra is 50-29 with a .633 winning percentage in 79 games.

The future has never looked brighter for him.

Meanwhile, Popovich, 64, is old enough to be Spoelstra's father. His Spurs were just seconds away from a fifth title in game six.

The East Chicago, Indiana., native has won four NBA Championships.

Popovich has only had one head coaching job that began with the Spurs in 1996.

In 1,328 games, Popovich has piloted the Spurs to a 905-423 mark with a .681 winning percentage.

During the post-season, he's 133-83 with a .616 winning percentage in 216 games.

Popovich's legacy is cemented and he's gone on record saying that when Tim Duncan retires, they'll leave the NBA together.

But what a great coaching match-up.

Now the Miami Heat has more titles than the Miami Dolphins overall, holding a 3-2 edge.

Spoelstra has more titles than the legendary South Florida icon and NFL Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula with three. They're tied at two as head coaches.

Shula is the NFL's all-time winning coach with a 347-173-6 record.

Shula won his first Super Bowl at the age of 43, on January 14, 1973 as his Dolphins won the first of back-to-back championships.

Ironically, Spoelstra and Shula have repeated as champions in their early 40's.

Shula's also from the Midwest. The 83-year-old was born in Grand River, Ohio.

It's amazing that Spoelstra has only been a head coach for only five years and has two titles at such a young age. He's two titles away from catching Popovich and has LeBron James and Dwyane  Wade leading the way.

To be mentioned in the same breath as Popovich and Shula is truly remarkable.

Riley must be amazed and proud that the way he's mentored and groomed Spoelstra.

His rival Phil Jackson must be taking notice because he's hoping that Brian Shaw becomes the next Spoelstra.

It looks like we're seeing a new trend with great coaches mentoring up and coming stars.

As for Spoelstra, he couldn't be in a better situation with an owner that will spend money to get the best talent in Florida, where there is no state income taxes.

Next up for Spoelstra, a contract extension.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Top Five Wonders

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I couldn't be happier for Jason Kidd. I've only met the guy one time and he was a class act. I've seen him play at the University of California and again with the New Jersey Nets. He led the Nets to the NBA Finals twice and is the best player in that team's history.

If he was going to land a head coaching job, the Nets organization is a good fit. But 10 days after retiring from the New York Knicks seemed faster than the speeds in auto racing. But I do wish him will in Brooklyn and in the Metro New York Area.

This move made me think of some things that I wonder about. I've decided for starters to compile a short list to determine what would have been or what will be to activate those thinking caps.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame Defensive Tackle "Mean" Joe Greene was not only known for his tenacious play on the field, but he had good acting skills in a Coke Commercial. A big part of four Steelers Super Bowl titles, Greene would spend 16 years as an assistant coach for Pittsburgh, the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. He learned from Chuck Noll, Don Shula and Dave McGinnis. I wonder how he would have done with his own gig. Too bad the "Rooney Rule" which established in 2003, requires teams to interview minority candidates, wasn't in place.

2. I respect Patrick Ewing Jr. for speaking on his Hall of Fame fathers behalf when Kidd landed the Nets gig. Ewing Sr. was hired by the Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant coach. He has been an assistant coach for 10 years and I'm surprised that he hasn't landed a head coaching job. He's worked with Jeff Van Gundy's  Houston Rockets and Stan Van Gundy's Orlando Magic. Ewing played for Pat Riley and John Thompson at Georgetown. He was a big part of the development of Lakers Center Dwight Howard. Ewing's paid his dues and is ready to run his own team. I wonder if his low-keyed demeanor is the reason he's been overlooked since the head coach has to deal with the media to sell his team to the fans.

3. Kobe Bryant has been watching the NBA Playoffs in street clothes and been sending occasional tweets via Twitter. During past injuries, I've seen Bryant sit on the bench and he jumped on his teammates during timeouts. It seemed like he was another coach. For some reason, I have a feeling that when his playing days are over, that due to his ultra competitiveness and knowledge of the game, Bryant will be roaming the sidelines as a head coach with the Lakers. I like his fire and he's learned from Phil Jackson. His Olympic experience with Coach Mike Krzyzewski can only benefit him down the road. Bryant seems like a guy that would want to win a title as a player and a coach therefore thrives on new challenges.

4. If Bill Laimbeer is going to ever have a chance to land a head coaching job, he better make a good impression coaching the New York Liberty of the WNBA. He won championships for the Detroit Shock and then proceeded to land an assistant coach position with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Kurt Rambis' staff. Laimbeer hasn't been able to get a sniff in the NBA with the rash of openings the past few years. It appears that he'll always be classified as a lady's coach and I wonder if he'll ever get a shot in the NBA. His hardnosed demeanor served him well during his playing days, but I wonder how many bridges he burned with coaches, general managers, owners and players that went on to new positions in the league. Laimbeer's personality with the press undoubtedly has cost him dearly from a political standpoint. Nonetheless, I'd like to see him get at least one chance in the NBA.

5. I wonder if  Fort Myers, Florida will acknowledge former Minnesota Twins Owner Calvin Griffith with at least a street name at Hammond Stadium. Griffith's statue is in front of Target Field in Minnesota. I was surprised there was no recognition of Griffith when I visited the place in January. I'll never forget the way I met Griffith in 1987 when the Tigers faced the Minnesota Twins in the American League Championship Series. I was outside Tiger Stadium trying to buy a ticket to the game. I attempted to buy one but the person took my $20 and never gave me the ticket. Luckily I bumped into My Highland House Employer Gene Ryeson , who I also referred to as an adopted uncle. He loaned me $30. I bought another ticket and as it turned out, I sat next to Griffith. We talked all game and I remembered everything Griffith said. I wrote a story for the Detroit Monitor and received a thank-you note from Griffith weeks later. When I told this to Ryeson, he gave me a big smile and hug. He told me to not pay back the money that it was a gift. The Twins went on to defeat the Tigers in the ALCS and won the World Series.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.
Photo By Candice Ebling

Sonny Hirsch's Dream In Miami

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I think of the Miami Marlins, it was a totally different era.

The team's General Manager was my late friend Sonny Hirsch. The Marlins played at the now demolished Miami Stadium.

In 1949, the cost to build Miami Stadium was $2,200 and it was located at 2301 Northwest 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33127.

This building was within a couple miles from the historic Orange Bowl  and also used to hold concerts. The stadium held 13,000 and was demolished in 2001. The Miami Stadium Apartments now occupy this address.

The Orange Bowl's address was 1501 NW 3rd Street, Miami, FL, 33125 and opened on December 10, 1937.

The Baltimore Orioles called Miami Stadium their Spring Training Home from 1959-1990. Their Class A Florida State League (FSL) team the Miami Orioles produced young talent like Hall of Famer Cal Ripken among others from 1971-81.

The history of the Miami Marlins dates back to 1956-1960 when they played in the AAA International League.

From 1962-1970 they played in the FSL and after the Orioles departed the Marlins returned from 1982-1988. They were affiliated with the San Diego Padres and produced Benito Santiago in 1983 during their lone season affiliated.

Hirsch, who was a South Florida Sports Radio & TV Personality, loved baseball and once told me that in order for this area to land major league baseball that there had to be a team in Miami.

The Florida Marlins inaugural season was in 1993 and Hirsch was the official scorekeeper up until his death due to a heart attack at his Miami Lakes home on March 25, 1999. He was found by his longtime companion Betty Sands, and had no survivors. Hirsch was 65.

When I was covering the Fort Lauderdale Yankees from 1982-84, Hirsch and I used to talk baseball all the time.

My best memory of Sonny was back in 1983 when there was a double-header on a Sunday night which started at 6:30 p.m., and ended around 3:30 a.m. at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

There were numerous rain delays and the umpires never called the game. But everyone in the press box never cared. When the food at the concession stand wasn't available, we found a place to order out. Sonny and I just talked baseball all night.

Hirsch has a street sign named after him and he was the voice of Miami Hurricanes Sports for 28 years.

When I returned to see baseball on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 as the Marlins faced the Milwaukee Brewers, It was a totally different feeling. I have seen games in the past with the Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The last time I saw a MIAMI MARLINS game was with Hirsch.

My last trip to the Orange Bowl was on November 24, 2007 as the Florida Atlantic Owls blasted the Florida International University Golden Panthers 55-23 to win the Don Shula Bowl.

Only 6,122 fans showed up in a stadium which had a capacity of 72,319. Needless to say, there were plenty of good seats available in a venue, that from 1977-1980, held 80,045 fans.

The Orange Bowl closed on January 26, 2008 and was demolished on May 14, 2008.

Marlins Park holds 37,442. There are 39 premium suites, and the stadium is 928,000 square feet on the former Orange Bowl site. The cost to build this facility is $634 million.

The roof opens and closes in 13 minutes. The glass wall opens and closes in 4-5 minutes and Marlins Park is the sixth retractable roof facility in Major League Baseball.

It's constructed on 17-acres of the 42-acre Orange Bowl site with parking garages very convenient.

As for less congestion with the final football capacity, there is a difference of 34,877 less fans on game day.

In the Marlins 5-4 win over the Brewers, a season low of 13,110 fans saw the contest.

But it was a different feeling for me on this night. I've covered the Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes many times. To see a baseball diamond take the place of a gridiron took some getting used to.

This is a beautiful stadium and now the question remains will the area be able to support Major League Baseball?

During their history, the Marlins have won a pair of World Championships in 1997 and again in 2003. In both cases, the team got rid of its star players.

If only the Chicago Cubs could have such luck since they've been without a championship for 104 years.

The Detroit Tigers reaped the benefit of the Marlins salary dumps by landing Ivan Rodriguez, Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Triple Crown Winner Miguel Cabrera. They also had to eat Dontrelle Willis' salary as part of a throw in to acquire Cabrera. Willis struggled with Detroit and was eventually shipped out of town.

President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland are a big part of Marlins history.

The former Tigers that are a current part of Marlins history include pitching coach Chuck Hernandez (former Fort Lauderdale Yankee), infielder Placido Polanco, catcher Rob Brantly, pitchers Brian Flynn and Jacob Turner. Against the Brewers, Turner earned a no-decision.

Detroit will get a chance to see Marlins Park for the first time during a season ending series from September 27-29. I'll be curious to see how many Detroit fans show up for this series. We'll see if Cabrera is on the verge of repeating as a Triple Crown Champion and whether the Tigers will win another division title in hopes of returning to the World Series.

Will Cabrera alone be able to draw more than 13,000 being a former Marlin with star power? We shall see.

But once again, this is a very nice ballpark!

I do wonder down the road if this building should have been built more centrally located towards Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Considering the fact that the Marlins got a sweet deal on the land and concessions deal,  I get that.

Also, anytime a historical sports site gets replaced by a new one, it does enhance an areas tradition connecting generations and past memories.

However, down the road, I still have doubts as to whether this team can keep the fans interest.

As I've seen over the years, in South Florida, if teams win, the fans will come out. The Miami Heat does pack their stadium downtown as they continue to be in the hunt for an NBA title.

But the fans in Miami are furious because a year ago Owner Jeffrey Loria spent lots of money to land veterans. He spent $108 million and has slashed the payroll down to nearly $35 million which is one of the lowest in MLB getting rid of its star players.

Now his 20-47 team looks like a squad of minor leaguers playing in front of paltry crowds. To date, the Marlins have used 14 rookies.

Yet, in Miami, it's still baseball and Hirsch would be proud to see a major league team in a stadium where he had many memorable sports moments.

Baseball is alive in Miami, but is it well?

Now the question remains, will the Marlins be able to do what the Dolphins and Hurricanes did and that's win championships at this historic location.

The Hurricanes have five National Championships while the Dolphins own a pair including the only undefeated season in NFL history.

When will No. 8 come? Stay tuned, but rest in peace Sonny because you're the Real Reason Baseball is back in Miami.

Because of your hard work decades ago, Your Dream Came True.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.
Photos By Candice Ebling.

A Great Save

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the Detroit Red Wings lost a heartbreaking classic 2-1 overtime contest in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals Wednesday night to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City, I turned the television right off after the goal.

My girlfriend Candy said "I'm sorry your team lost" then she gave me a passionate kiss on the lips with her million dollar smile.

I thanked her with a hug and said My NHL Season is over. It's time to take care of other business and challenges this summer.

What I took away from the Red Wings stretch drive was they extended their consecutive playoff streak to 22 years. They had to win their final four games to get into the tournament and made it on the last day of the regular season.

Detroit upset the Anaheim Ducks winning their series 4-3.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard has given Red Wings fans hope for the future.

There is no question that Coach Mike Babcock did his best coaching job ever compiling a 24-16-8 record with a team saddled by injuries and incorporating younger players into the line-up.

It's tough enough to be a team in transition, but to do it with a week of training camp coming off a lockout is an amazing story.

This is a great momentum builder now that Detroit is finally moving to the Eastern Conference.

As much as the NHL infuriated and alienated a lot of people, the league rebounded real well as all of the "Original Six Teams" made the playoffs. I can't remember the last time this happened.

There were some great "Original Six" match-ups. The Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers faced the Bruins while the Detroit Red Wings did battle with the Chicago Blackhawks. It's very possible there could be an "Original Six" battle in Stanley Cup Finals.

The Red Wings and Blackhawks have now faced each other for the last time in the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Indeed, the NHL rebounded and made a "Great Save" in the playoffs.

The next winning goal is Conference Realignment next season as well as the numerous "Outdoor Games" scheduled. The NHL has found a new way to market, get larger crowds and have hit a home run with this idea.

My goal for next season is to cover all the Red Wings games in Florida, then go back home for the "Winter Classic" January 1, 2014 as Detroit faces "Original Six" rival Toronto at Michigan Stadium (The Big House) along with 100,000 others. This game figures to set the all-time attendance record for a hockey game.

I'm sure by then, Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland will have upgraded the roster as Detroit can prepare for a fresh start with an entire season as well as much less travel, in addition to building new rivals, rekindling old rivals and enhancing their fan base on the East Coast.

It's been an enjoyable Spring and I look forward to seeing the NHL's return in the Fall.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Men's College Basketball Silly Season

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

How do you explain the most recent college basketball coaching moves?

Hall of Fame College Basketball Analyst Dick Vitale's philosophy is go where you're happy? In some cases, that can mean stay put. What drives these coaches to not honor their contracts? When opportunity knocks, take that big job, get a substantial pay raise and be set financially for life.

Butler's Brad Stevens and Virginia Commonwealth's Shaka Smart have been pursued heavily in the past few years. But their universities have managed to find a way to give them raises and these two would prefer to build a legacy with their respective programs.

It's called being a "Big Fish in a Little Pond."

If they stay long enough and there will be a statue outside the arena or a floor named after them.

At FAU, the basketball program is stable under Coach Mike Jarvis. He falls into the category of "Been There and Done That." Jarvis' main stops were at George Washington University and St. Johns.

What helped FAU land and keep Jarvis is before he was hired, Mike was living in Boca Raton.

In fact, I met Jarvis at the Festival Flea Market in Pompano Beach, Florida. We exchanged phone numbers.

When Rex Walters departed for the University of San Francisco, although FAU had to go through the interview process, when it was all said and done, Jarvis became an easy choice.

His family lives here and he was able to hire his son as an assistant coach to groom him as a future head coach.

Former FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos once told me that he'd probably have to negotiate higher buyouts to prevent his coaches from leaving in order to prevent instability in the program. But that never became the case when he hired Jarvis.

Now we're going to look at some of the most interesting coaching moves in college basketball's version of Silly Season.

1) It looked like the Minnesota Golden Gophers made a major mistake when they fired Tubby Smith after making the NCAA Tournament. Smith guided Minnesota to a 124-81 mark and three NCAA Tournaments. In the six previous years, Minnesota was 95-93 with no appearances.

But Smith wasn't out of work long as he was hired by Texas Tech. In the past six years, the Red Raiders were 69-104 with no NCAA Tournament bids. Prior to that under Bobby Knight, they were 138-92 with four NCAA Tournament Appearances.

But I give the Golden Gophers credit on Smith's replacement. They hired a young stud.

When I saw Richard Pitino (30) coach against FAU in March, this kid looked like his father Rick. He respectfully gets in his players faces, maintains their attention and FIU was exciting to watch.

In Richard Pitino's only season, he was 18-14 during his first head coaching job. He was one victory away from reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Richard learned his lessons well from his father, who was selected to the 2013 Hall of Fame and is the only coach to ever win an NCAA Championship with two different schools. Rick Pitino has seven Final Four Appearances and was a solid NBA head coach.

The Big Ten could be looking at a rising star, who will give Tom Izzo, Thad Matta, Bo Ryan and John Beilein future headaches.

2) Northwestern made a good young hire naming Chris Collins (39) as its new head coach. He brings energy and a good background to his home area.

Collins has served as an assistant for Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski since 2000. His dad Doug has been an excellent player, coach and television analyst. Chris is a basketball lifer with a basketball in his hand since childhood, just like Richard Pitino.

3) USC hired Florida Gulf Coast Coach Andy Enfield to see if he can breathe life into a Football School.

Two NCAA Tournament wins turned into an incredible raise. Going from $146,000 to $1 Million would be a good reason to trade the Gulf or Mexico in Fort Myers, Florida, to the Pacific Ocean of Southern California. He wrecked 97 percent of the nations brackets.

Enfield was 41-27 in two seasons with Florida Gulf Coast. He built the program from scratch and in its second season made the NCAA Tournament.

That was good enough to impress USC Athletic Director Pat Haden, a Rhodes Scholar, that was a practicing attorney, who was a solid NFL QB with the Los Angeles Rams from 1976-81, and an excellent college football analyst.

The raise turned out to be $24,390 per-win to get to USC.

4) UCLA wasn't happy with Ben Howland, so they went to New Mexico to find their next coach. Steve Alford was mentored by Knight.

He has been a winner at every stop.

From 1991-1995, he was 78-29 at Manchester.

Next came SW Missouri State and Alford posted a 78-48 mark from 1995-1999.

The Iowa Hawkeyes knew he was a good player that had success against them. Alford was 152-106 from 1999-2007.

Alford took his act west and landed with the New Mexico Lobos. From 2007-2013, he posted a 155-52 record. Alford's overall record is 463-235 for a .663 winning percentage.

For many years, there has been a pipeline from Albuquerque, NM to Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a AAA affiliate named the Dukes from 1972-2000. Now the Isotopes are the newest AAA affiliate beginning in 2009-present.

Las Vegas was the Dodgers AAA affiliate from 2001-2008.

Now Alford has a challenge to put an exciting brand of basketball on the floor at Pauley Pavillion in a much larger sports town. So many others have failed following icon John Wooden.

It will be a different situation since the Lobos owned the entertainment dollar in New Mexico having no problems filling "The Pit" versus the metropolis of Southern California.

Since USC made a splash with Enfield, UCLA had to answer back with Alford.

5) New Mexico promoted from within to fill their vacancy by hiring Alford's top assistant Craig Neal. The Lobos wanted to keep continuity and did a great job with Neal, who followed Alford to New Mexico from Iowa. Both led the Lobos to three NCAA Appearances and one NIT Tournament.

Neal, 49, has a vast amount of coaching experience, he's played professionally, and been an NBA scout. This opportunity is long overdue for Neal.

6) It looks as though Rutgers is on the verge of naming Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach Eddie Jordan to take over for the fired Mike Rice.

Jordan has NBA head coaching experience and played for Rutgers so Scarlet Knight fans will get one of their own to clean up the mess Rice left behind. Jordan also has to get Rutgers competitive as it joins the Big Ten in 2014.

The abuse with his players should get Rice blackballed from coaching. Rice A Roni isn't the Rutgers Treat and looks more like a New Jersey Devil.

I like the Jordan hiring. He can sit in a recruits home then tell the kid and his parents that he has the connections to fulfill the students dream of getting to the NBA. That's a powerful sales tool.

The Big Ten will be even more interesting to watch with these new coaches entering the conference competing against the old and established guard.

I really hope that Smith does well at Texas Tech where he'll be appreciated, bring integrity and stability to the Red Raiders program.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers have their own city rivalry. Now UCLA and USC's coaches are dynamic hires and it will be interesting how their styles and personalities mesh trying to create their own version of "Showtime."

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com. Photos by Candy Ebling.

Tigers Spring Training Questions Not Fully Answered

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What did we learn about the Detroit Tigers during Spring Training?

There were several questions going in. Who would be the closer? Were there going to be any surprise additions to the roster? Would Rick Porcello or Drew Smyly become the team's fifth starter? Would Porcello get traded by Opening Day?

These were the story lines that Tigers Manager Jim Leyland had to face daily. In the two games I attended on March 16 in Jupiter versus the St. Louis Cardinals and on March 24 in Port Saint Lucie against the New York Mets, the skipper had no answers during his pre-game meetings with us in the Tigers dugout.

Going into Spring Training, he didn't know much about infielder Matt Tuiasosopo? By opening day, Tuiasosopo made the team's final roster. In 30 games, Tuiasosopo hit .283 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 30 at bats. I saw three of those homers at the games I attended.

Fox analyst Ken Rosenthal told me that he thought the Tigers should make room for both Porcello and Smyly on the roster. A team can never have too much starting pitching on the roster in case of an injury. The Tigers have kept both which was a wise move and one could be traded later to fill a need.

For all of the hype that surrounded Bruce Rondon as the next closer, the Tigers were smart giving him more time to get some seasoning in the minor leagues. Despite a 2-1 record in Spring Training in 13 games in 12.1 innings pitched, giving up 17 hits with a 5.84 ERA would not have accelerated his development.

Now that Leyland knows how to text message, you can rest assure that there will be another outlet for him to find out if his 22-year old right-hander will be pitching in Comerica Park soon.

The Tigers are 7-5 thus far and the expectations have never been higher with the return of Victor Martinez, addition of Torii Hunter, along with a full season of Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez.

Now that the Tigers have signed Justin Verlander to a long term contract, at least they won't have to deal with that question anymore. If Miguel Cabrera doesn't duplicate his triple crown season of 2012, the key will be for him continue to be a threat in the middle of the order with Prince Fielder and now Martinez protecting him.

If Cabrera was playing in New York or Philadelphia, these towns would boo him for not having another Triple Crown or an MVP Season.

It's hard to believe that Cabrera's first season in Detroit produced his lowest average at .292 changing from the National to the American League in 2008. For pitchers to have to face Cabrera when the guy is hitting  .324 in 2009, .328 in 2010, .344 in 2011, and .330 in 2012, only one can wonder what the 2013 season will be like.

But for the Tigers home opening season series versus the New Yankees to be televised on Fox and TBS during the weekend, despite the fact that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez aren't in the Bronx Bombers line-up, this means one thing. Not only are these two teams big rivals, but indeed there are  high expectations for Detroit.

When I spoke to Tigers Radio Announcer Dan Dickerson, he felt that former closer Jose Valverde should have signed a minor league contract. Not getting signed by the Miami Marlins (2-10) must have shaken Valverde's ego because now he's back in the Tigers organization having signed that minor league contract.

I will be curious to see which pitcher emerges in the closer by committee. Thus far, no pitcher has emerged in that role. Brayan Villarreal is struggling with an 0-2 record with nine earned runs in four games. Phil Coke and Smyly each have one save and the team has two for the year.

But we've got a long way to go and it's amazing that we don't know anymore now than we did at the start of Spring Training.

Thankfully, at least baseball isn't a 16-game regular season and 162 games gives a team time to come up with answers.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com. Photos By Candy Ebling.