Eight Simple Rules for Following The Winter Meetings

1. It's not a fires sale! The national media has come up with this storyline that the Tigers MUST cut expenses -- and fast! But it is simply not true. Detroit has a solid stream of revenue, an owner who is willing to take on a temporary loss, and future payroll relief as soon as 2011. TigsTown and Billfer at Detroit Tigers Weblog explain more.

2. The Tigers probably won't be heavy spenders. Yes, they don't have to have a fire sale. But no, they can't spend a lot of money either. So don't expect anything too exciting to happen on that angle.

3. Don't freak out at every trade rumor. Over the next few days, I suspect talk about the Tigers will be like the entire previous month-plus squeezed into a four-day period. I'm sure sports talk radio will have a field day with it, but I'd take it all with a grain of salt. Given the fact the Tigers tend to operate below the radar in deals that are actually completed, the more you hear the less you know.

4. Follow the Detroit Tigers Weblog. Bill plans to keep a close eye on all the latest talk and has a few fun things planned. And if you wanted to keep an eye on this blog, well, I wouldn't mind.

5. Even if a deal happens and sounds bad at the onset, it might not necessarily be. I remember quite a few people who did not agree with trading outfielder Matt Joyce for pitcher Edwin Jackson last December -- myself included. By mid-May, we were eating our words. We should definitely speculate whether it will or won't turn out -- otherwise what is the point in having a blog? -- but you just never know until the guy has been on the field with your team. So tamp the emotions a bit either way.

6. Hope the Tigers find an answer to their shortstop woes, or that Adam Everett is still available if they don't. If the Tigers have some combination of Brent Dlugach, Ramon Santiago or Bobby Crosby starting next spring, I will not be a happy camper.

7. Remember as hyped as the Winter Meetings are, plenty of deals are made after they end. As Tigers fans, we should really be used to that -- as both Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez were signed after the new year.

8. Seriously. Don't freak out! Unless the Tigers trade Curtis Granderson for prospects. In which case you'll have to get in line behind me.

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