C’mon, admit it. You were blown away when the Tigers not only dispatched the Yankees fairly easily but then ploughed through the A’s with amazing precision.

In this week’s Offseason Lowdown, we examine how this team has become the American League Champions virtually out of nowhere and whether Detroit will be able to keep this team together for the long haul.

We also check in with our usual melange of fantasy notes, including a look at a player who’s tearing up the AFL and may soon be a household name for the A’s.

Read all of this and plenty more in this week’s Offseason Lowdown.

RotoRob was forced to suffer through another unacceptable effort by the Flyers last night, as they were absolutely humiliated in Buffalo, 9-1. Games like this will drive me to drink — unwillingly, I mean. Some observations from the ugliness: Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have been nowhere to be found during the early-season Flyers’ swoon. […] more

Stop the presses. It looks like the Cubbies finally did something right. Hiring Lou Piniella over Joe Girardi, Bruce Bochy and other lesser candidates is a great first step to turn this flailing organization around. While Bochy is a great manager (the job he’s done in a somewhat modest market in San Diego is impressive) […] more

Remember Brad Thomas? Once a shining star in the Twins’ organization, he headed over to Japan two years ago, and his performance this season may earn him a trip back to the bigs. In this week’s Spikes Up, we examine Thomas’ story. We also look at how Michael Cuddyer, finally given an everyday fielding job, […] more

I finally got a chance to sit through a full NBA pre-season game this afternoon, as the new-look Raptors downed the Nets 119-110, in a preview of the season opener on November 1. It was an entertaining game, the kind I expect to be commonplace in Toronto this year — lots of offense, but not […] more