They say baseball is a business. It is also part of my life. And my life the past six years in Detroit have been something I will never forget. This team gave me my chance in the big leagues and you helped carry me through some very difficult times. So many people doubted me and our team during the hard times a few years back but the Tiger fans never lost hope. You stood by us and cheered for us to go back out on the field and just keep fighting. That's what Tiger fans do, they don't quit. I was strengthened and inspired by your words of encouragement in the letters you sent me over the years and I will never forget your loyalty to Detroit. You embraced me and my family as your own and we came to know this great city as a place we called home. Many peope outside Detroit would always ask me how I liked it in Detroit. I said then and I will always say, it is a baseball town. It has some of the most loyal fans in the game who know and love their players. I will cherish my memories here and look forward to making a visit back to Detroit whenever that may be. Thank you so much for the support, the encouragement, and cheers that my family and I have received over the years. There is no way to express to you how deep our love for this city and Tiger fans everywhere is. We will always have a special place in our hearts for the city and fans of Detroit. We have always looked forward to spending our summers in D-town. Thank you for letting it become our home too. God Bless You.

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Its 11:10 am on Friday and Brooke, Nolan, Tate, Brooke's parents, and myself are on our way to the aquarium in Atlanta. We were excited to go because we had heard so many good things about it. But, about ten minutes into the trip I received a call from Mr. Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers GM, asking me to head back to the hotel to meet with him. I immediately knew that this was it. With all the talk of trades and moves that had to be made, I had a pretty good feeling that this was the beginning of the end of my time in Detroit. I met with Dave, Skip (Jim), and Chuck (Pitching Coach). I was nervous not knowing where I was headed. I had different teams running through my head. Then, they told me that I had been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. We spent the next ten minutes talking about the Cards, sharing a few thoughts about my years with Detroit. I was thankful that they met with me in person. I have a great amount of respect for Dave and his front office and they have always treated me with integrity and honesty. They embraced my family and treated us so well. There were so many emotions going through my head.....leaving a team and city my family and I loved, starting over with a new organization, and everything in between. But, I was excited because I knew STL was a great family oriented organization with a rich tradition in baseball. I knew I was headed to a place where the city and its fans loved this game.

Obviously, we never made it to the aquarium. We spent the next couple of hours calling family and friends to tell them the news and trying to plan the days ahead. The first call I made was to my parents who were driving up from Orlando to spend the weekend with us in Atlanta. I actually called them as soon as I got off the phone with Dave but it was already too late. They were only an hour south of Atlanta. They stopped to eat lunch and waited to hear back from me. Once they found out I was traded, they turned around to head back home. My parents spent the entire day in the car and never got to see us.

The hardest part of the day came after I threw a bullpen at the stadium. It was time to tell my teammates good bye. I had been on the other side many times with guys getting traded or released but this was different. This team is special. I had been through a lot with the Tigers and grown up in the Big Leagues with a lot of these players. Some of the guys I have played with for many years and had been through a lot with them. I played with Brandon Inge the longest starting back in AA in 1999 shortly after I was brought over to the Tigers from the Red Sox. My closest relationship is with Nate Robertson and we spent quite a bit of time talking and encouraging each other to press on. I have been used to spending almost everyday during the season with these guys and now that was going to end. The relationships you build in baseball are special. You spend as much or more time with guys than you do most of your family. Essentially, they become your family. So, to say good bye to them was hard knowing that I was leaving the Tigers as well as the AL so there was a good chance I wouldn't see a lot of them for awhile. But, It is time to start new relationships in a new organization and for that, I am excited. See you in St Louis!!!

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Well it has been a week and a half and alot has happened since. Lets start by talking about a rare feat that I had never witnessed until now. I'm talking about J.V.'s no-hitter. The last Tiger to do it was back in 1984 by Jack Morris. As a pitcher, it doesn't take long to realize there isn't any hits on the scoreboard. By the fith inning, most of the guys knew what was at stake. So what do players do when a pitcher has a no-hitter in line? They don't mention anything.....i mean ANYTHING about it, they usually say very little to the pitcher, and do exactly the same routine every inning. In the ninth inning i was so nervous along with every player wearing a Detroit uniform and every Tiger fan watching. My hands were sweating, and I couldn't sit still. i could not imagine what was going on in Justin's head. I was in the same seat the entire game when he was pitching. Once the final out was made, the celebration began on the field. It continued in the clubhouse. It will be a game that I will never forget.

When this road trip ends we will have spent 21 of 28 days on the road. The seven home games in the middle seemed to fly by. I feel like road trips can be exhaustive when we spend this many days on the road. Living out of a suitcase and being away from Brooke and the boys gets old. For Father's day, Brooke bought me a laptop to take on the road. The best thing about it is the built-in web camera. It allows me to not only talk to my family, but to actually see them live. When I talk to them it feels like we are together even if it's only for a few minutes. I get to see what the boys are up to and hear their voices. This technology has brought me close to them when I'm many miles away. I couldn't imagine playing years ago before computers and cell phones. It is easier to stay close with my family even when we're far apart.

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Since this is my first time blogging anything I am not sure where to start. I wanted to start this blog as a way to interact with baseball fans of all ages, everywhere. It is a chance for me to connect with you about my life as a athlete and what baseball life is really about. Reporters try to write about what it is like to be a player but the majority of them have never spent a day in a professional uniform. This blog will be a first hand experience for you to know what really happens in my life on the road, in the clubhouse and in my head as a pitcher. I will try to answer questions you have and give you as much of a insiders view as I can. I want this to be an opportunity for you, the fans, to be as close to this game as possible. So, here goes...

We have been on the road for over a week now, and will be heading back to Detroit late Thursday night after I make my start against the Rangers. We began this road trip in Tampa after being swept at home by the Indians. (that sucked!) I enjoy going to Tampa because it is only a short distance to our off season home in Orlando. I am able to be with family that I haven't seen since the end of spring training and a chance for me to sleep in my bed for a change. Even though my time at home was only about twelve hours I woke up at 6 am to go fishing with my neighbor, Dave. It was a good morning out on our lake. The fish were not only biting, but jumping out of the water. We caught about 15 largemouth bass in the 2 hours we were out. The fish were up to about 4 pounds averaging about 2 1/2 pounds. Being home with my family and going fishing allowed me to get away from the grind of being on the road for a short time.

The second leg of the road trip took us into Cleveland. It was a vital opportunity for us to gain some ground against the Indians. At the time the series started they had only dropped four games at the Jake all season, so we knew we had our work cut out for us. After dropping our 4th straight against the Tribe on Thursday night, I took the mound for Friday night's game. We jumped out to an early lead and I was cruising, or so I thought. Through the first five innings of action, we had a 3-1 lead and I was throwing strikes and making my pitches work for me. For the first time all year, I was able to throw my curveball for strikes early in the count. I had good command of my fastball and it looked as if the game was going our way. We added 2 more runs in the top of the sixth to increase our lead to 5-1. But, in the bottom of that inning the momentum changed in their favor. Things made a turn for the worse after I got 2 outs and a 0-2 count on Peralta. I only needed to make one more pitch to end the inning. Instead, I walked off the mound after giving up 2 two-run homers and our lead. Only one more pitch to Peralta and I would have been out of the inning giving up no runs! I had him dowm 0-2 and couldn't finish him! After being in control of the game for the first 5 2/3 innings, I ended my night in a 5-5 tie after 6 innings. It is one of the worst feelings a pitcher to not be able to get out of an inning when you are so close. That night ended in a 5th straight win for the Indians over us. It was frustrating to have good stuff and to be only one pitch away from a great outing. One of the highlights of the road trip was a bible study I had with Nate Robertson and Todd Jones. I enjoy meeting with my teammates to talk about what's going on in our lives and taking the time to encourage each other. It was a crazy night Saturday night in Cleveland. The Pistons were playing Game 6 against the Cavaliers next door at the "Q". Unfortunately, it didn't go the Pistons way and their season is over. The city went crazy and fans were up all night honking horns in the streets! But, after dropping the first two games of the series we evened it out by taking the last two.

It was onto Texas for the last stop. The first day in was a day off. I was looking forward to Texas because Brooke made the trip and without our boys. Brooke and I don't get much alone time during the season. It was the first trip this year that only she came on. We spent the day off at the mall in Dallas and caught not one, but two movies. That's a big deal for us seeing how we haven't seen two movies on one weekend in a few years! Just spending time with her with no kiddos is always great. It gives us a chance to be focused on one another and needless to say it was a wonderful day. And here we are ready to take on the Rangers. I'm pitching the last day here looking to get back on track and pitching the way I know I am capable of. That is probably one of the most frustrating things I am going through right now..to know I have it in me, that all the pieces are there, but they just aren't falling into place in the order they should or the way I want them to. So, I'll go back to work and do the best I can to give my team a chance to win.

Oh yeah, don't forget to log onto the web and vote for the Tigers for the All Star game. Maggs is tearing it up right now! Stay Tuned!

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