Matt Dery: Verlander Deserves To Be MVP

1. Wow is Justin Verlander good. When you watch him pitch and see how uncomfortable hitters are in the batter's box, you realize that this season is special for him. Verlander is out to prove a point and wants to leave no doubt that he is one of baseball's elite pitchers. Darn right he is an MVP candidate too and to be honest, he should win it. He is most valuable to his club, period.

2. The weekend proved two things: The Tigers are clearly the best team in the AL Central and the media here isn't the best at anything. I think the fans get shortchanged when it comes to coverage of the team and for some reason, strong opinions just do not emanate from that press box. A good example is this Rick Porcello situation, which has been barely touched by scribes and columnists. Austin Jackson's incredible catch and throw, and the weekend sweep over the fading Indians is the main story, I get that. But that does not mean that some of these writers cannot work a little harder to dig deep and surprise us once and a while. Porcello's "the ball slipped" explanation is pure comedy, and when Jared Weaver threw at the writers' favorite team's catcher, all hell broke loose. The Porcello/Asdrubal Cabrera incident? Barely a blip on the radar screen. Jim Leyland is playing this beautifully and trying to make sure no one gets fined or suspended and that is smart -- just keep churning out the "happy totals" fellas and the Manny Acta quotes that I can read on the team website.

3. The NFL is king. There is no argument. We yearn for football and the product is still very good. The networks do an excellent job of showing us every replay, every angle, and every possible stat. I get that. I respect it. But where is Roger Goodell to step in and do something for the fans who missed out on the offseason? How come the season ticket holders are still paying full price for preseason games?

My family has tickets back in Cleveland and paid full price to see Calvin Johnson and Peyton Hillis in street clothes last Friday night. That second half was painful to watch, as most preseason second halves are. So what do you do? Do not charge full price. Lift the local TV blackout for the season. Do something. NFL fans deserve better.
Especially in these tough economic times.

4. I have an early Pro Bowl pick for the Lions: Brandon Pettigrew.
Watch for it.

5. I have not been able to confirm names yet, but, the Pistons will likely have a lot of new faces on their coaching staff this season.
It appears Lawrence Frank is starting fresh.