Prince and stuff

I've read 85 pages in "The Shaping of American Higher Education" -- it kept me up until 1:30 a.m. this morning, thank you very much -- and I've finished the written reflection for my graduate assignment this week -- one of these weeks I'm going to work "peachy keen" into a paper as a tribute to Kates. Now I can write about more pressing issues.

Like -- holy crap -- Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers.

Now, let the record show that I thought when the offseason began, if Prince didn't resign with the Brewers, the Tigers would be the next best fit.

Fairly quickly, the Tigers seemed to be out of the picture, thanks to a notion that Prince refused to play there because of a riff with his father. Whatever. (... Hey, Prince, accept the olive branch already.)

There was little doubt in my mind that he'd sign with an American League team because of the advantages he could give a team in a DH role. I never saw the Yankees or the Red Sox as contenders for his services because they didn't need him. Baltimore seemed like a decent fit. So did Anaheim until they swiped Albert Pujols from the Cardinals. I never took the talk of Seattle seriously.

But Detroit. He would stay in the midwest. Detroit is built on hard-working, blue collar fans -- just like Milwaukee. He could rotate playing first base and DH and be part of a fearful one-two punch with Miguel Cabrera. Prince could help Detroit finally reclaim a world series title and get a deserving Jim Leyland one more before he has to hit the road.

I should also say I did love the ideas floated of Prince signing with the Cubs because of his connection to Dale Sveum, but Theo Epstein never let those rumors persist.

As the process drew on, and the Rangers and Nationals seemed to be the only teams hanging around, I was rooting for Prince to accept a Rangers uniform. The Rangers are now a legitimate contender and I see a lot of the same characteristics in their team make-up that the Brewers possess. ... Not for a minute did I see Prince landing with the Nationals and being happy in D.C. In some ways I felt sorry for him, that the process had drawn on so long, that maybe his big-time agent was calling the shots, and that maybe if he could do it over again he would stay put in Milwaukee.

Then, bam. Tuesday afternoon arrives and the reports come that Prince signed with the Detroit Tigers.

I'm already giddy about the idea of catching some Tigers games in Kansas City.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee ... The Division Champion pennant was hung, and there may still be hope for Ryan Braun. (Watch his acceptance of the NL MVP Award)

(Updated: 01.26.2012) Some good reads ...
a Tigers introduce Prince Fielder
a Were it not for V-Mart's injury, Fielder might have been a Dodger ... As I stated above, I felt the Tigers could have made a play for Prince at any time, but the Victor Martinez injury certainly made things more interesting.
a Determined to win, Tigers make Prince fit
a With echoes of A-Rod, Fielder deal gives Tigers a powerful punch
a Still a 'sad day,' Melvin says
a Prince provided Milwaukee many memories ... These are great. So many good memories. Especially the video associated with No. 3 on the list.
a Start your engines: Prince arrives in Motown

* * *

In other news, Ingrid Michaelson announced a new tour today. That literally circles the United States and never comes close to Kansas City, located quite conveniently in the middle of the country. And she's haunting me with ads for her new album appearing on nearly every web page I visit.

Seriously. Kansas City. Music black hole.

A short time later, those feelings were replaced with pure elation brought on with a Facebook posting by Ben Folds that read:

It's happening fo sho - Day 1 in studio with Robert and Darren through March. #NewBenFoldsFiveRecord

The post was accompanied with a photo of Ben and original Ben Folds Five members Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee rehearsing in the studio.

I nearly cried.

For the uninitiated, Ben Folds Five broke up in 2000. Ben Folds has put out some pretty good records on his own, but it's not the same. ... I was fortunate to see them in concert four times, including one incredible night in Omaha, Neb., during the Reinhold Messner period -- for more reasons than the BF5 performance, but that's worthy of a whole different post. Here's hoping the trio can recapture the magic.

(In the midst of my elation, my friend Laura also reminded me The Shins have a new album due out in March ... This is shaping up to be a great year for music.)

When I got into my car to drive home from work tonight, I cranked this.