Okay, seriously - give this guy a nickname

As Rod Allen excitedly blurted into his microphone last night, "CRAIGDIDITAGAIN!!!" (At least I think that's what he said. A bit hard to make out, in all the excitement.)

This has now gone from "Hey, that's an idea" to "Why hasn't it happened already?"

Even Mike McClary has buckled under the recent onslaught of important hits from Craig Monroe's bat, and is now ready to give the man his due status.

Monroe needs a nickname. And we'll have to do it ourselves, because outlets like ESPN apparently think David Ortiz is the only guy who comes up with big hits in important moments.

Ask the other teams in the AL Central what they think about Monroe in the clutch. The White Sox, Twins, and now, the Indians have each found themselves on the business end of Craig's late-inning six-shooter.

Beginning in the sixth, the Tigers began to chip away at the Indians' six-run lead. 5-2. Then, 6-4. How about 6-5? And after Fernando Cabrera (hey, at least it wasn't Carmona, Tribe fans) served up an inside pitch that Monroe hit deep, but foul, he put the next one right over the plate. 7-6. The legend continues.

Give the man a nickname.

And I'm not talking about this "C-Mo" stuff that I heard tossed around the broadcast booth and clubhouse after the game. The whole first-initial-combined-with-first-syllable-of-the-last-name nickname trend is played out. We can be more original than that, can't we?

Samela tagged him with "Craiggers" a couple of years ago, and that's nice, but it doesn't capture the majesty and epic nature of Monroe's latest feats.

So I'll put my brain to it today and if I can come up with anything. I'll be at the Tigers-Twins game on Monday as "media" for Motor City Sports Magazine, so maybe I can see if any nicknames have been thrown around the clubhouse. Otherwise, please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.

Meanwhile, I didn't catch all of the game (a negligence that also afflicted Billfer and Kurt last night), but a couple of arbitary thoughts about the Indians struck me:

1) This Shin-Soo Choo kid can play! Last week, I said "Shin-Soo Who?" (yeah, I'm sure that was original) when I saw that Cleveland had traded Ben Broussard for him. But between the pop he's shown at the plate, and that agonizingly impressive diving catch he made on Magglio Ordonez in the eighth, I'm taking notice.

2) Andy Marte has a gun at third base. I know he hasn't hit for squat since being called up from Triple-A, but did you see the play he made in the sixth? After snagging Brandon Inge's hot shot down the third-base line, from behind the bag - and in foul territory - Marte zings a throw to first that Casey Blake catches chest-high. Inge was safe, but not by much.

Am I overestimating that throw? Too easily impressed by a play other third basemen have made? Are you sure? How many guys would've bounced that throw to first? Again, it hit Blake's glove at his chest. Once that guy starts hitting (and he looks like a 40-homer guy in the making), watch out.