Like stripes on the fur coat of a tiger...

▪▪ Mack Avenue Tigers echoed a thought I had during the Tigers' 6-4 comeback victory over the Royals last night. Should we read anything into Fernando Rodney pitching the 7th inning, and Joel Zumaya pitching the "set-up" 8th before Todd Jones came in to close it out?

▪▪ Here's a quote to make Tiger fans smile, if you didn't read it in this morning's Free Press. When asked about possibly being the new left-handed bat for Detroit, Kansas City's Matt Stairs said, "Everybody talks about Detroit needing a left-handed hitter. Why? That team's stacked. They're scarier to face than the Red Sox."

▪▪ Something else to make you smile: Check out Billfer's post on the pre-game atmosphere surrounding Comerica Park last night. Consider that we're talking about a Thursday night game against the Royals, too. If you have Tigers tickets, you'd best plan to get down to the Foxtown area early. Tip your hat to those who have often insisted Detroit is a baseball town.

▪▪ I used to drink a shot of whiskey every time Buster Olney said "no question" on "Baseball Tonight," but when that resulted in me waking up in the neighbor's backyard, sprawled on their picnic table, remote control in hand, it was time to stop. When Buster says he doesn't "have any question that the Tigers are going to make the playoffs" on his blog, however, it's enough to make a guy go back on the sauce. I just hope I remember to bring a blanket this time.

▪▪ And kudos to Mike McClary for scoring an interview with Tigers TV play-by-play man Mario Impemba for The Daily Fungo Podcast. The man's been working hard to get some more "insiders" on the show (the Detroit News' Lynn Henning was interviewed last month), so it's nice to see that labor bear some fruit. Go give it a listen; Mike gets some interesting insights on Mario's day-to-day routine.