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Kyle Busch gives Toyota 1st NASCAR Cup win | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
HAMPTON, Ga. — Kyle Busch gave Toyota its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory, driving away from the pack in the waning laps Sunday to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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Busch, winning for the first time since last March 25 at Bristol, took the lead for good with 50 laps to go when Carl Edwards, trying for a third straight victory, went out with a broken transmission in his Ford.

Lions near the bottom in 2009 Super Bowl favorite odds | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
How have the Lions’ off-season moves influenced how the rest of the nation feels about them? One place that still isn’t high on Detroit’s star power is Las Vegas.
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Bodog Sportsbook has its NFL Super Bowl odds out, and they aren’t too confident about Detroit’s chances to do much damage this season.

The Lions have 65/1 odds to win the Super Bowl - quite a contrast from favorite New England’s 10/3 odds.

Lidstrom makes immediate impact upon return
Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom was back on the ice Sunday at Joe Louis Arena during a matinee game against the Nashville Predators.

Lidstrom had been out of the lineup since Feb. 18, when he suffered a knee injury in a 4-0 win at Colorado.

The Red Wings had won just two games in his six-game absence.

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It didnt take long for Lidstrom to make an impact. He had an assist on the Red Wings first goal midway through the opening period when they had a two-man advantage.

Lidstrom found Henrik Zetterberg at the right circle and Zetterbergs centering pass was tipped in by Johan Franzen with 8:43 left.

Bonderman pleased with pitching despite Tigers’ loss
He gave up three runs on five hits in four innings. So why was Jeremy Bonderman in an excellent mood on Saturday after his start in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays?

His change-up, that’s why.

It’s the pitch that will elevate him, in manager Jim Leyland’s opinion, from being a good major-league pitcher to something special — but he has to improve it first.

On Saturday, he improved it.

“I’m not happy about giving up three runs,” Bonderman said, “but my change-up was probably the best I’ve ever had. I’m very happy with the way I threw it.”

Said Leyland: “We gave him a few more to throw. That’s the only way you’re going to learn.”

Bonderman couldn’t recall how many change-ups he threw, “but I threw it a lot,” he said. ” I got Vernon Wells with one. I felt really good about it.”

Was it good enough to throw in the regular season?

“One hundred percent,” said Bonderman, who’s impressed Leyland with the way he’s approached this spring.

Tigers’ infield not just full of All-Stars, but Latin Americans, too - Detroit Tigers Baseball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com
The Tigers would like to do better signing players out of Latin America. None of the four starting Latin infielders came up through the Tiger system, and the only home-grown Latins who figure to be on the opening day roster are reliever Fernando Rodney and utility infielder Ramon Santiago (who was traded away, then later returned as a free agent).

Like other teams, the Tigers run a complex for young players in the Dominican Republic. They offer English lessons and other life skills to the kids who are headed into a complete different culture, teaching them how to order food in restaurants and how to open a bank account.

It wasn’t always that way.

John Young, who played in the Tigers organization in the early 1970s and later worked as the club’s scouting director, said Latin players of his generation faced long odds.

“The language barrier was huge,” Young said. “We had a kid named Mickey Medina, and he had tremendous skills. He was a Mickey Stanley-type player, but with better skills.

“It was tough on him, because he was a dark-skinned Puerto Rican, and Lakeland was segregated then. I had guys like Gates Brown and Willie Horton to show me around, but he didn’t have anyone.

“If there was a kid like Mickey Medina today, he’d be a starting center fielder in the big leagues. But he was not a happy camper, and he never made it.”

Public enemy? Inge doesnt deserve wrath of fans | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Theres never any public compassion for a professional athletes disappointment and frustration. All anybody sees are the dollar signs, justifying fan contempt for a guy making millions complaining about any aspect of his life.
Brandon Inge is quickly becoming a public villain.

And its not fair to him.

Anybody who competes at anything doesnt want to be told hes been sacrificed or diminished for somebody better.

Try forgetting for one second that hes making $6 million a year. Try putting the loss of his job as the Tigers third baseman within the context of any average person who works hard at his job only to be told he has been demoted. Pride conflicts with reality and the adjustment takes some time.

Ex-factors: Tigers prospects become Marlins building blocks | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Cameron Maybin still wears the gold necklace with his favorite number, 24, on a coin-size charm. He received it as a Christmas gift from his father in 2005 — a sign of the centerfielders connection to idol and mentor Ken Griffey Jr.

For the first two years of Maybins professional career, though, he didnt have the same numerals on his back. At West Michigan, he wore 30. At Lakeland, he wore 11. In Detroit, during his whirlwind call-up, he wore 4.

Then came the blockbuster December trade in which the Tigers acquired stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins. Detroit surrendered six players: Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo, and minor league pitchers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern.

Unlike Favre, Tigers Rogers still has the fire
The tired old quarterback is 38. The ancient but active hurler is 43.

Theyve both thrown a ball for a living. Different sport, different bumps in the road, but same overall challenge.

When Kenny Rogers heard Brett Favre say, while formally announcing his retirement Thursday, “I know I can play, but I dont think I want to,” he recognized the conflicting thoughts involved because they are what Rogers wrestles with every winter.

Hes always believed he could play. But he waits to make sure he wants to.

Pudge hot; Tigers show interest in Astros catcher | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Catcher Pudge Rodriguez starred Friday, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and a towering home run to leftfield. “When Pudge hits in the strike zone, he’s a good hitter — a tremendous hitter,” manager Jim Leyland said.

Leyland said again that he does not expect catcher Vance Wilson to be ready by Opening Day, and it remained unclear who would start the season as Rodriguez’s backup.

The Tigers have mild interest in Houston’s Humberto Quintero but are giving strong consideration to Dane Sardinha, the starting catcher at Triple-A Toledo last year. Sardinha has three things working in his favor: He is already in camp, he has good defensive skills, and he’s familiar with the pitchers.

Ex-Tiger Dmitri Young still facing weighty problem | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Try as he did, diabetic former Tiger Dmitri Young couldn’t drop any weight before reporting to Nationals training camp this winter.

The 2007 National League comeback player of the year told mlb.com that he exercised, hired a chef to prepare food out of a cookbook for diabetics and even tried to fast for a day. But he still tips the scales around 290 pounds.

“In the past, I could lose weight like that,” Young said. “Not losing the weight this off-season didn’t make sense.”

His doctors’ latest theory is that the insulin he was taking was keeping on the poundage. He’s on new medication, and the Nats have hired a nutritionist.

“There are different alternatives,” said Young, who’s in a position battle with Nick Johnson at first base. “I’ve been on the same medication since I’ve been diagnosed. I would say it’s about time for a change.”

Detroit Tigers | MLB Baseball at CBSSports.com
Location: Detroit, Mich. | Ballpark: Comerica Park (41,000) | Spring Training: Lakeland, Fla.
Owner: Mike Ilitch | GM: Dave Dombrowski | Manager: Jim Leyland | World Championships: 4

Busting out : FoxSports.com Photo Gallery
Busting out

The Mavs Dancers perform during the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.
Layne Murdoch - Getty Images