Above the Fold - Jon Paul Morosi pw3ns Gage and Knobler

As much as I rag on the MSM, and trust me, it's deserved, (Such as the dust up over the News' Chris McCosky lying about bloggers) I also feel the need to give out MSM praise when praise is due.

The Tigers' beat writer at the Freep, Jon Paul Morosi, as been absolutely owning the competition at the News and Mlive over the past couple of weeks, and it's not even close. Rather than depend upon wire service articles, the Freep actually sent Morosi to the MLB GM meetings, and he has come through with daily must read articles for Tigers fans.

Today Morosi has a long piece detailing what possible deals Dave Dombrowski has in the works, the status of a contract offer to Kenny Rogers, that the Tigers may not look for a left hand hitting left fielder, as Dombrowski believes help may soon be on the way from minor leaguers NOT named Cameron Maybin, amongst other nuggets of information.

Morosi has been on fire this week. There was a long piece on Edgar Renteria. The games played by Scott Boras in trying to build up interest from other teams in Kenny Rogers. The Tigers showing interest in Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes. That 3 years ago, Carlos Guillen was willing to move from short if the Tigers signed Renteria. A comprehensive article listing what relievers and left fielders the Tigers have interest in acquiring.

If you just read the News or Mlive, you'd have absolutely no idea what teams and free agents the Tigers have spoken with, what players they are interested in acquiring, or what offers have been tendered. For example, in today's News, Lynn Henning covers who he believes will win the major MLB awards. That's all well and good, but I want to know about the TIGERS.

Considering the Tigers have been busy with contract and trade proposals, it seems kind of strange that Tom Gage, the other baseball writer at the News, has written bubkis since the World Series, other than a couple of blog entries about the Renteria trade and Zumaya's injury. Henning has picked up the slack with an Arizona Fall League review of Tigers prospects, but for the most part, the News has been severely lacking in their off season Tigers coverage.

Mlive has been hit and miss, as Danny Knobler has been all but silent since the Zumaya injury coverage. Since the Zumaya stuff calmed down, all Knobler has written is all of 2 pieces, 1 about the change in ticket prices which was mostly a cut and paste job from a Tigers press release, and a 4 sentence long "Article" stating that Magglio Ordonez won the "Tiger of the Year" award. That's it, nothing about what the Tigers have been up to in the hot stove league.

If it wasn't for friend of TWFE, Quo Vadimus' Scott Warheit and his Cutoff Man blog, Mlive would have no Tigers off season coverage at all during a quite important time, the GM meetings that Morosi has made his own.

The MSM needs more writers who hustle. like the Freep's Morosi, rather than depending more and more upon the national wire services for information regarding our LOCAL teams.