- The Tigers got a huge break on the call at second base. Second base umpire Jeff Nelson blew that call badly. Robinson Cano tagged Omar Infante out. It was clear. But Nelson is the same umpire, behind the plate in the game at Fenway Park in Boston this season, who ruled a foul tip strikeout was not valid because it hit the dirt before it landed in Tigers' catcher Gerald Laird's glove (after checking with first base ump Bill Welke). Replay showed Laird caught the ball cleanly. Mike Avlies, the hitter for the Red Sox at the time, lined an RBI single, which led to a three-run rally. It was the key hit in the Tigers' loss to Boston late May. It was afterward, that Tigers manager Jim Leyland went on his rant about how the umpires "like everybody else in this game" need to be held "accountable."
Nelson was held "accountable" for blowing that call at Fenway, all right. He was rewarded with a spot in the ALCS anyway, where he badly blew a call, this time in the Tigers' favor, leading to a two-run rally. Amazing.
- "From The Outhouse to The Penthouse, Where I stand with Tiger fans." By Phil Coke. It's like he is a completely different pitcher. His performance in this series has been so key because the Yankees are so loaded with left-handed hitting. They will likely leave him in to start the ninth.