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

▪▪ When Mike McClary suggested Magglio Ordonez play more at DH during The Daily Fungo Podcast roundtable a couple of weeks ago, I asked where Dmitri Young would play. Obviously, that problem's been taken care of. And Marcus Thames showed what he'll do with more playing time last night, didn't he?

▪▪ If you didn't catch it already, Terry Foster's mole in the Tigers clubhouse has reopened the lines of communication. Some interesting thoughts about Maggs in there, as well.

▪▪ Jon Paul Morosi and Drew Sharp have more on the situation - and the question of how Young's demeanor affected team chemistry - in today's Detroit Free Press.

▪▪ Tom Gage, Lynn Henning, and the aforementioned Foster quote three (anonymous) team sources - each of whom say they're not surprised by Young's seemingly abrupt release - in the Detroit News.

▪▪ I've joked about this in several places now, but if cutting DaMeatHook had this effect on the Tigers, Dave Dombrowski should consider re-signing him over the weekend and then cutting him again. Here's your obvious question of the day: How big a win was that?

▪▪ Did Justin Verlander strengthen his case for AL Rookie of the Year last night? Billfer thinks so. And is he actually getting stronger late in the season?

▪▪ In his online column for the Washington Post, Thomas Boswell doesn't imply that Ryan Church could be the player to be named later in the Nationals' deal for Nook Logan. But if he's fallen out of favor in D.C. as Nook looks better in center, maybe that's the guy the Tigers should be interested in. (Boz believes the Nats should hold onto Church, however.)

[Edited at 6:30 p.m.]