He's now 3 for 7 in The Bigs. With a name like Dusty Ryan, this guy is destined for superstardom.

Mark it right now - MoTown said it first.

He's 24 and he's already slept with more women that Wilt Chamberlain.

So would you say that Dusty Ryan has um, the MoTown Seal of Approval?

I wouldn't say it as much as I would, umm, EXPRESS IT:

:motown soa:

(This peace of history sponsored by Glenn)

So he's going to be a HoFer for the Twins since MoTown is endorsing him? Just judging by what I read in another thread....

and there's the snark

Zek's just excited to have the heat off him and Cleveland for a little bit. Don't worry, it will return...

Got to take advantage where I can.

FYI - His .429 batting average is good for best Tigers average ever.*








*minimum three games

LOL:

http://www.wtfdetroit.com/index.php?page=Bleachers41807

Dusty Ryan
Catcher Dusty Ryan only hit 6 homers in 98 games last year at West Michigan but he already has 4 in only 33 at-bats so far in 2007. He's only hitting .267 but if he can develop into a legitimate prospect it could go a long way in helping the Tigers' system's serious lack of catching depth. If you're an optimist, you could acknowledge that his numbers last year may have been significantly hindered by the notoriously tough hitting environment of West Michigan and the rest of the Midwest League. The 22 year old Ryan still has time to grow into a legitimate part of the club’s future but he’ll need to sustain and expand upon this seasons’ early gains if he wants to do so.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/SPORTS02/809150383/1048


TIGERS CORNER
Dusty Ryan is making case to '09 No. 2 catcher
BY JOHN LOWE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • September 15, 2008



CHICAGO -- The No. 2 catcher's job on the Tigers is open for next season. Every time rookie Dusty Ryan gets to catch in these final few weeks of the season, he'll get a chance to show he deserves to be the backup.

On Sunday, he got two such chances. Ryan probably would have started one game of the doubleheader no matter what. But with starting catcher Brandon Inge away for his grandfather's funeral, Ryan started both games against the White Sox.

"We're looking at him, obviously," manager Jim Leyland said. "(The doubleheader is) a little bit of a showcase for him."

In Sunday's opener, for the third time in as many starts, Ryan made a positive impression.

He displayed his strong arm when he threw out both runners who tried to steal against him. Then the right-handed Ryan batted against right-hander Javier Vazquez with two outs in the eighth, nobody on, and Vazquez working on a three-hit shutout.

Ryan fell behind 0-2, but drew a walk to bring up Curtis Granderson as the tying run. That was something -- a rookie working a walk after falling behind, 0-2, against a veteran pitcher who earlier in the game had recorded his 2,000th career strikeout.

In Ryan's first start, eight days ago in Minnesota, he hit his first homer and caught Chris Lambert's first win.

Then Ryan got raves for his work in catching Nate Robertson last Tuesday when Robertson, in his first start since being knocked out of the rotation, allowed Oakland one run in seven innings.

"As far as calling a ballgame and setting up back there, he does a heck of a job," Robertson said after that game. "He's very intelligent. He's got a quiet confidence."

Justin Verlander felt the same way after he threw to Ryan for the first time in Sunday's opener.

"He's a great catcher to throw to," Verlander said. "He gives a big target. He called a good game.

"There's nothing I can say bad about it. He did an outstanding job."

And Ryan has impressed two former catchers who watch from the dugout.

"He's getting a cram course with big-league pitchers," Leyland said after the first game Sunday. "That's not the easiest thing. I think he's handling it very well."

"He has looked relaxed," Tigers coach Gene Lamont said a few days ago. "He looks relaxed. He's caught the ball well. He's made good throws."

Ryan's emerging power also makes him an intriguing candidate for the No. 2 catching job next year. After never hitting more than seven homers in a minor league season, he hit 24 this year.

"He's burst on the scene," Lamont said. "He's such a big guy (6-feet-4). He'd never hit for much power before this year, but you can see that he's got pop."

PLAYING IN THE RAIN: If eagerness is playing catch in the rain, then Dontrelle Willis and Freddy Garcia are eager. As the rain fell during Sunday's three-hour delay, Willis and later Garcia came out into rightfield for a game of catch.

Willis is scheduled to make his first Tigers start in three months in tonight's series opener in Texas.

Garcia is scheduled to make his first Tigers start -- and first major league start in more than a year -- Wednesday in Texas.

If Carlos Guillen can return from his back trouble by Wednesday, then he and his good friend Garcia could appear for the same team in the same game for the first time since they played together with the Mariners in 2003.

NOTEBOOK: The three-game Tigers-Texas series that starts tonight will provide some head-to-head competition in the batting and RBI races.

Entering Sunday, Texas’ Milton Bradley was second in the batting race, four points behind leader Dustin Pedroia of Boston. The Tigers’ Magglio Ordoñez was fourth in the batting race, eight points behind Pedroia and four behind Bradley.

The Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera was third in the RBI race entering Sunday. He was eight RBIs behind the co-leaders, Josh Hamilton of Texas and Justin Morneau of Minnesota. Morneau caught Hamilton on Saturday after being 27 RBIs behind him at the All-Star break.

If Carlos Guillen can return from his back trouble in time for Freddy Garcia's Tigers debut on Wednesday, then he and his good friend Garcia could appear for the same team in the same game for the first time in five years. The last time they did so was with Seattle on Sept. 23, 2003. After that season, the Mariners traded Guillen to the Tigers.

Ken Griffey's double in the nightcap was the 500th of his career. This day brought Griffey a bit closer to his first World Series. The White Sox took sole possession of first-place in the A.L. Central. They lead Minnesota by 1 1/2 games.

One play summed up the Tigers’ inability to do much against Javier Vazquez in the first game. With the Tigers down 1-0, Matt Joyce hit a wind-blown pop-up with one out and nobody on in the seventh.

Third baseman Juan Uribe missed catching the ball, and it landed on the mound. But Uribe grabbed it on the bounce and threw to first to nail Joyce, who had rounded the bag and made an unsuccessful dive back to it.

In seven of Justin Verlander’s 16 losses, he’s gone at least six innings and yet the Tigers have scored one run or fewer while he’s been in the game. Three of those seven losses have now been in Chicago.

Verlander fell to 10-16 and into sole possession of the league lead in losses. He’s tied for the major-league lead in losses with San Francisco’s Barry Zito and Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang.

Contact JOHN LOWE at 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at www.freep.com/sports.

"He has looked relaxed," Tigers coach Gene Lamont said a few days ago. "He looks relaxed. He's caught the ball well. He's made good throws."


"That is an interesting quote," WTFDetroit poster Glenn said today. "That's an interesting quote. He's stated it well. He's said some good things."

You can't tip on Gene. Dude's so old he doesn't remember where he is anymore.

4 for 5 last night.

5 RBI in 7 games, BA at .400.


Cooperstown is already clearing out some space for him.

This thread is Flip Murray-esque.

He's already guaranteed the backup catchers role next year...

Hopefully he can push Inge out of town...

I'd rather have Inge starting at 3rd next year. If Guillen has anything left at short, park him there. If not, move Guillen to DH.

Another homer today.

The next Johnny Bench? Or the first Dusty Ryan?

Bump.

Dusty Ryan's real name is Switchblade Killingsworth. He changed it to "Dusty Ryan" because it sounded tougher.