Previously on Ladies…

It is almost not fair. We have been doing this MLB “Bringing the Heat” series all summer long; team by team, hottie by hottie, forearm by forearm, smile by smile, glute by glute, and I would wager that none – none – of the other teams even come close to stacking up to how hot the Detroit Tigers’ roster is on and off the field.

Our readers have been emailing all summer waiting for this post. They knew that here at Ladies…, not only were we going to find the best looking guys on the team, but we were going make sure to serve it up with something a little special. Well, how about a couple helpings of something special?

In a Ladies… first, an interview with Detroit center fielder and fellow blogger, Curtis Granderson. Followed by a full on smorgasboard of the finest looking Tigers in the land. And for dessert? How about some of cutest yearbook photos of Sean “The Mayor” Casey you will ever see?

I thought you’d be interested.

Batting first, as always, Mr. Granderson.

Curtis, you reached the exclusive 20-20-20 Club and jumped to the elite 20-20-20-20 Club just a couple of days later. Was it overwhelming to reach those two milestones in such quick succession?

It has been interesting to learn more about each milestone as I began to approach them. The history of finding out who the last people were to do it before, and also each day thinking about how my name is mentioned now with some of these greats was pretty special. It’s an honor to be mentioned with them.

Like everyone else, I am amazed at the way you’ve been banging out triples all season. There is something so thrilling and exciting about watching that mad dash around the bases that some how seems more terrifying to me than the leisurely jog around after a home run. Where do you try to look as you go from second to third? Do you yell “AHHHHH!” in fear on the inside as you make that run to third?

If there is a chance for a triple, as soon as the ball is in the outfield, my sights go to where the ball is, and then to my third base coach who is usually determining if I come to third or stop at second. Once he decides to wave me on to third base, my sights switch to the third baseman because I can tell a little bit by is expression if the play will be a close one or not. Finally, if I have made it in safely, I hear the crowd, and try to catch my breath. I do agree with you that the excitement of the triple is greater than that of the home run.

I know you’re a pretty big wrestling fan, and one of the re-occurring jokes we have on “Ladies…” is running away with our WWF Wrestling Buddies since a few of gals had them as kids. Did you have a Wrestling Buddy growing up, and if so, which wrestler did you have?

Junk Yard Dogg, KoKo B Ware, Jimmy Superfly Sunka, Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior were all some of my all-time favs. But I didn’t have the Wrestling Buddy.

What we do at Ladies… is talk not only about the teams we adore and the players we admire, we also discuss how good some of our favorite players look in eye black, jerseys, and covered in dirt. Does it ever cross your mind that by being a Major League ballplayer, you also get to be at the receiving side of many girls’ baseball crushes? Do you know how good you look in eye black? (That last part is rhetorical.)

It is interesting with the crushes, because this is usually what I hear a lot, “Curtis, OH MY GOD, I love you, you are mine and my BOYFRIEND’S favorite player.” So as soon as I get a glimpse of a cute girl wearing my jersey I get back to reality with comments like that.

Everyone be sure to check out Curtis’s MySpace Page and ESPN blog. Thanks again to Curtis and his agent for being such a good sport and responding to our request. You can also vote for him in SI’s “Baseball’s Best-Dressed” category.

Next up, I am going to call in a couple of pinch hitters. Readers Pickle and Lainieb were so anxious to talk Tigers, they could not help but send in their thoughts on more than a few of the players, so I asked them to join me as we scoped out the squad.


Nate Robertson
Pickle – Mountain man hot. Super hot. Hottest pitcher on the team hot.

TSW – I am, and always will be, a sucker for redheads.

TSW – I could reach in for a hug right there.

TSW – Did you also know he had a blog?


Justin Verlander
Pickle – Adorable, obvs. The flat butt takes away a bit, but not enough to make him not hot.

TSW – Pancake butt or not, he still threw a no-no this year.


Carlos Guillen
Pickle – Nickname: Sassy. For the strut, the huge wad of dip and the fact that he scans the crowd a lot, offering my friend who is in love with him hope. Seriously though, watch him, he is a total sassy-pants.

TSW – Tongue-wagging; check.


Brandon Inge
Pickle – Not really a hottie, but his athleticism and effort earn him points.

TSW – Girlfriend is talking crazy. Look at those forearms.


Kenny Rogers
Pickle – Totally dirty-old-man hot.

TSW – I love men in their 40’s. I’m in.


Jason Grilli
TSW – Wears number 49 for his father, former Tiger Steve Grilli, and his nickname is “Cheese Man.” My love of cheese is well documented, which makes him a perfect fit.


Mike Rabelo and Jason Grilli
Lainieb – And for being an admirable backup to Pudge Rodriguez… Mike Rabelo.


Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez
Pickle – Hot ass, hot cheekbones. The guy is cut.

TSW – One of the few former Marlins I can stand. Gets to be called “Pudge” and have it be hot.


Magglio Ordóñez
Pickle – Go ahead and make fun of his hair all you want, but dude is smokin’. If you’ve ever been so fortunate to sit in the first row of the right field bleachers, you will be hypnotized by his ass. Plus, the way he runs on and off the field is adorable, like a lope. And he has kind eyes.

TSW – Inspired The Big Tilde movement, a nicknamed coined by some crazed Cub fan.


Ryan Rayburn
LainieB – Fresh up from Toledo AAA, Ryan Raburn. In which Ryan means “little King” in Greek, and we assume that Raburn means “of AWESOME.”


First Base Coach – Andy Van Slyke with Timo Perez
TSW – Still as hot now as when I loved him as a Pirate. To be honest, he might have become hottter with age. You want to see a really smoking photo of AVS? Go here.

And finally…The Mayor: Sean Casey


Pickle – See Inge, minus the athleticism. You gotta love The Mayor, though, and his patented motorcycle kick before he bats.


Brandon Inge and Sean Casey

TSW – This might be the Sean you guys know, but I remember a Sean that was homecoming king…

…High School Baseball Champ…

…Team leader…

…who once went into the funniest rant about Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” that I ever heard.

And now all the boys I grew up with talk about when they struck him out in third grade.

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37 Responses to Bringing the Heat – Detroit Tigers: Bonus Granderson Interview and Player Yearbook Photos Included!

  1. metschick says:

    I’ve been waiting for these pictures forever! So awesome.

  2. Tuffy says:

    Chicago! UIC, baby! Son of Grander! Woo!

    …I’m only a little crazy.

  3. pickle says:

    Well worth the wait, bravo!

    (I like to think of AVS as the poor man’s Kenny Rogers.)

  4. chasevidwrightley says:

    I like that Curtis Granderson fella. He seems like good people. And he plays his ASS off.

    And Verlander…don’t get me started. (secret!crush)

  5. Clare says:

    Look at Curtis Granderson, all hot in his nice suit and being nice to the kids. Precious.

    You know the Dugout has reached critical mass when you can’t not refer to Justin Verlander as Verlanderlay_Industries. So cute with his little dimples!

  6. Poor man’s Kenny Rogers? I love KR… but AVS is the man!

  7. chitowntiger says:

    Curtis is too precious for words. The Tigers are my favorite AL team – cuties, hard workers, they beat the White Sox on a regular basis… just good people all around.

  8. chitowntiger says:

    By the way, Curtis was just nominated for baseball’s best dressed by SI. Vote for him here:

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0709/best.dressed.mlb/content.9.html

  9. Maggie Mae says:

    Hello hotties. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’ve made this homesick Tiger fan more than happy. I’m stuck out here in Yankeeville, I work with diehard Mets fans, and they’re all laughing hysterically at me as I wipe the drool off my keyboard. They can laugh all they want because my day has just been made. It’s too bad they have to wear pants because I saw my baseball boyfriend Guillen in the store one day last spring and that man seriously has the greatest legs I’ve ever encountered. Swoon…

  10. pickle says:

    TSW, it’s just that they look like brothers and I would venture that AVS is much-less known to the casual fan that The Gambler.

    Doesn’t Ryan Rayburn just _look_ like baseball personified?

  11. metschick says:

    Well, I went and voted for Curtis, but those damn Yankee fans are voting for A-Rod & Jeter.

  12. thistlewarrior says:

    I STILL miss Sean Casey. Damn you Reds!!! :(

    TSW-AVS, really? I always thought Bobby Bo was hotter. (Bit biased though, we share a b-day)

  13. SA says:

    High school photos=so cute! I love the glasses on Casey.

    And I can’t say anything that hasn’t been said about Granderson. I need to become a Tigers fan.

  14. JFuller says:

    Curtis will also be on Rome Is Burning today…

  15. becky says:

    Dear Curtis,
    What is your favorite song off “Shaq Diesel?”

    Dying to know,
    And completely single,
    ~Becky

  16. Texas Gal says:

    Here are a few truths about the Tigers:

    1. Curtis Granderson is smoking hot.
    2. Jason Grilli, where have you been all my life?
    3. Ryan Raburn is the quintessential All-American boy.

  17. tiff says:

    Gals,

    I’m totally tearing up. This is the perfect post. It was totally worth the way times a THOUSAND.

    Curtis, please please please listen… I would never say that you were my Boyfriends favorite player…. because that position is reserved solely for you (and the rest of your adorably hot teammates).

    MAGGIE MAE! I know you are in NY and you can’t come to Birmingham, but there is this MOST MAGNIFICENT picture of Carlos Guillen serving coffee at my Starbucks, and every time I go in I try to get up the courage to just ask for the damn picture off the wall because it makes my heart stop every time. His arm, his smile, THOSE EARS.

    Ahem. Curtis, you didn’t hear that.

    And to whoever said the way Magglio jogs of the field is pure joy? Totally, plus he Swishes his hips.

    Also, to totally spam this post – thanks for showing love to Mike Rabelo!

    I seriously want to snuggle in bed with this post. Good night.

  18. I seriously want to snuggle in bed with this post.

    Tiff – That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about any of my posts.

    I am framing that quote.

  19. Maggie Mae says:

    Tiff, I’ll be very near Birmingham very shortly. Which Starbucks are we talking??!! If the picture is even half as lovely as the one of Nick Lidstrom hanging in the Hockeytown Cafe, I may just try to walk off with it!

  20. R.D. Baker says:

    OMG Journalism! On a Blog!

  21. IJustMadeThatUp says:

    Who would have thunk, a doofy kid on the baseball team would eventually become “The Mayor”?

    Maybe life does hold some hope for me after all! Er, wait. I don’t play baseball. And am about as athletically inclined as allgae. Shoot. Oh well.

    Good post, TSW.

  22. D says:

    It’s the Starbucks at Maple and Lahser. It’s a newspaper clipping and its GORGEOUS. (P.S. tiff is D, I know that may be confusing, but that’s what it is)

  23. John Chevo says:

    Nice pictures!

  24. TSW's M says:

    TSW — How many Detroit Lions used to be Pirates? I think I counted 3.

  25. Becky says:

    I freaking love you guys, I had been away, only to come back to this today.

    Curtis is my love. And my boyfriend’s favorite is Maggs, so you’re safe with me, honey.

  26. Maggie Mae says:

    Thanks Tiff/D! It’ll be a Day One stop on the Detroit visit! If you read that someone was arrested for trying to steal the picture, it’ll be me.

  27. D says:

    Just make me a copy, that’s all I ask!

  28. Becky says:

    Oh, and I laughed so hard at the Guillen crowd scan. Dude TOTALLY checked me out at a game earlier this year when I sat right by the dugout. Funny, a little flattering, but mostly I just wished it had been Grandy.

  29. Maggie Mae says:

    Absolutely, Tiff!

    As for Pudge, I used to think he was smoking hot. Had a run in with him in a Birmingham bar just after he and his wife separated/divorced. Wasn’t a pleasant experience, so he’s off my list.

  30. tiff says:

    Never been a fan of Pudge, this story just reminds me why.

    Did you know Carlos has two sons? They are probably way underage, but a girl can dream.

  31. Maggie Mae says:

    Since you’re not a fan of Pudge, I can tell you without feeling bad that I’m tarnishing his image, but the man refers to himself as “THE Pudge.” Huge emphasis on THE. I kid you not.

    As someone who is Guillen’s age, any child of his falls into the “Go straight to jail” category for me. I’ll happily drool over the original (and pray my boyfriend never discovers this site).

  32. kristi says:

    Maggie Mae – What was the experience with Pudge like? He sometimes seems humble and then other times full of himself on TV. I’ve never had the experience of seeing him up close and personal…

  33. tiff says:

    I fall in between Carlos senior, as in a Hot-older-man kind a way, and his sons, as in a robbing-the-cradle seriously sort of way. For the record.

  34. Stephanie says:

    I love this post! I gotta tell ya…I LOVE Nate Robertson. He is DEFINITly my tiger…along with Grilli and Seay. I love the pis you guys have of him. He is HOT!

  35. tiff says:

    ooh… Maggie mae, a pic for you:

    yummy

  36. Nancy says:

    Hey girls, love your blog. In case anyone was curious, I go to school with one of Andy Van Slyke’s sons (in Missouri). He might be considered jailbait (he’s 18), but he plays on our football team and it looks like he’s carrying on the family tradition of hotness. Here ya go: http://gosoutheast.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/vanslyke_jared00.html.

  37. Nancy says:

    Sorry about the broken link, but if you go to the football roster you can find him on there.

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