Nine Unassisted: Huff Daddy goes Motown, Chone Figgins times the market
My colleagues have been all over the gridiron news, so I'll give baseball the extra tap as we lay out today's linkage.
The Tigers knew they needed one more thumper for the middle of their lineup, and while Aubrey Huff(notes) isn't in the middle of his best season, getting him for a Single-A pitching prospect (Brett Jacobson) is a smart move. Huff is good third-base insurance if Brandon Inge(notes) breaks down (albeit that's a gigantic step down defensively), and he'll be an adequate DH if Carlos Guillen(notes) is ready to return to the outfield. It also means we can probably start getting Wiggy with it in deeper mixed groups. [Tigers acquire Huff, MLB.com]
We're still in the processes of trying to figure out Yankee Stadium and all those homers, which makes this Mike Salfino piece a mandatory read. [Solving the Homers, SNY.tv]
The Bengals don't want to make a big deal about Carson Palmer's ankle injury, but he's wearing a boot and probably won't play in preseason game No. 2. Geoff Hobson is one of the NFL's best beat guys and takes it from here. [Palmer not on field, Bengals.com]
Brady Quinn has moved in front of Derek Anderson for the Browns quarterback job. Makes you wonder who throws the more droppable catchable pass, doesn't it, Braylon Edwards? [Brady Quinn takes the lead, Cleveland Plain Dealer]
It's not easy for me to say nice things about Chone Figgins(notes), but you can't deny the numbers (perfect timing with free agency looming). Dave Cameron, take it away. [Figgins having a career year again, Fangraphs]
Looks like a broken pinkie for Marc Bulger, which mean Kyle Boller (yes, he's still in the league) will be taking first-team reps for a few weeks. The St. Louis passing game, what a mess. [Bulger to Miss 2 Weeks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
I'll admit, I fell for the Daniel Murphy(notes) hype into the season; he quickly fell into one of those "so underrated he's overrated" types of players, and he might not have enough power or speed to be that important for our purposes. Still, for some reason, I can't completely look away. [The Rise and Fall of Daniel Murphy, Amazin' Avenue]
The well-connected Jay Glazer says the Favre-to-Minnesota thing isn't 100 percent dead yet. Heaven help us. [The vibe at Vikings camp: Favre could come back, Foxsports.com]
Flashback Monday: I don't like to admit it today but back in the 1980s Rick Reilly was just about my favorite sportswriter (trust me, it's swung 180 degrees since then). Here's a sample of what he used to offer us before the wave broke; a fantastic 1989 story on Steve Garvey. [America's Sweetheart, SI Vault]
