"I could care less what those people think," said Young, who admitted some of the criticism has been in the Tigers clubhouse. "Obviously, they're a piece of [garbage] to say that."

"I'm almost thinking of going and [seeing a specialist]," he said. "I know there's no tear, but something has to explain what this ache right there is. It also doesn't help that maybe some people are out there who think I'm faking."

Alan Trammell's fate isn't sealed yet. No decision has been made on whether he will return as Tigers manager next season, the Free Press has learned.

Dombrowski has declined to indicate whether he will keep Trammell, but the front office understands that the Tigers' woes aren't all Trammell's fault. The recent 6-24 collapse has made club officials contemplate more player changes than originally planned for next season -- regardless of who manages the club.

Trammell reiterated Tuesday: "I would like to come back."

Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest said Burnett has been asked to leave the team and will not be offered a multiyear contract during the offseason. The decision came a day after the pitcher said the team plays scared because manager Jack McKeon and the coaching staff are too negative. Burnett popped off after losing his sixth decision in a row at Atlanta.

Yes, Dave had to do a lot of rebuilding, but here's how owners think: ``I'm paying him $2 mill a year. He's been here four years. I just spent $70 mill on this team, and we're going to have about the same record we had when he got here. And we're being embarrassed just as bad. I like the rebuilding, so I'll give you another chance, but you'd better win next year. I'm tired of losing and if you can't win, I'll get someone who can.''

Look, this isn't unusual. Half the GMs in baseball are in some trouble because their owners are pissed that the teams aren't winning. The same thing you said about Dave could be said about Littlefield in Pittsburgh and maybe Bavasi in Seattle.

Bonderman said the elbow has bothered him a little bit the entire second half, but only started to get bad in the start in Chicago. We can only assume that it affected him, but there's no way to know for sure.

Same thing with Dmitri, I can't get inside his head and know how much his hamstring hurts. But you can read whatever you want into him getting hurt the day after his 500th plate appearance. it doesn't look good.

Zumaya has all the pitches. Will he be ready to start in the big leagues next year? Not sure. I wouldn't count him out, because he's adjusted quickly every time he's moved up a level.

I would expect Tram to be fired quickly. I'm sure that would be Dave's preference. And I would think Ilitch would want Tram treated with more class than Ilitch showed in the way Larry Parrish was left hanging for weeks in the fall of 1999.

So you want to dump Pudge because you read on an internet blog that one writer thinks he's a cancer? There are those who think the Tigers would be better off without Pudge, but I can't imagine anyone in the organization thinking it would be a good idea to pay $12 million or so to have him play for someone else.

Look, Pudge can be a pain at times, but he's nowhere near the problem in the clubhouse that Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez are at times. Pedro and Manny really ruined the Red Sox last year, didn't they?

I find it amusing that the same guy who wants to dump Pudge because he's heard he's a problem in the clubhouse also wants the Tigers to sign a free-agent pitcher who is such a clubhouse problem that his current team won't even offer him a contract.

Tata, in particular, would have gotten more attention this year if not for Verlander and Zumaya. He throws in the 90s, even as high as 95 at times. They like him. Don't know as much about Bumstead, although I know they were happy with him this year, too.

But we're talking about guys in A-ball, so chances are it will be a while.

What you have right now is a team that is mentally fried and not strong enough to get over it. They can't wait for the season to end. Sorry, it's not good, but that's the way it is.

Yes, the Tigers are shutting Bonderman down for the year. They don't see any long-term problem, but no reason for him to keep pitching with a tender elbow right now.

Dmitri is available to pinch hit. He was 3-for-3 pinch hitting on this trip, but says he can't run well enough to bat 4 times as the DH.

I don't really see the point in firing a manager with 10 games remaining in a season already lost, unless he forces their hand the way Buddy Bell did in (early) September 1998. I don't see Tram doing that. What would be gained by firing Tram right now?

And your dedication. But sorry, your facts are wrong. The Tigers have more bunts this year than all but three AL teams: the White Sox, the Royals and the Twins. They have 40, and the White Sox lead the league with 48. They have more than the Indians, more than the Yankees, far more than the Red Sox.

This team has a lot of problems, but a lack of bunts isn't one of them.

The biggest question management has to answer in the next few weeks is how much of this September collapse could have been averted by a better manager. Once they answer that question, they'll know how many changes need to be made, besides just changing the name on the door to the manager's office.

No, Gibson will not be back. The front office won't want him around. He is here because of Tram, and he'll leave with him.

Guillen is playing because he wants to play and he has proven to them that he's healthy. You should be happy that the guy wants to play. If he can play a few games without pain, he'll go home with a lot more peace of mind after the season

About Roman Colon's next scheduled start, Friday night at Comerica Park against the Mariners, Trammell said Tuesday, "I don't see it happening."

Colon left his last start after three batters because of biceps tendinitis. If he doesn't start, the choice of a replacement would be [Jason] Grilli or Sean Douglass.

"I hope Curtis hits leadoff basically the rest of the season," manager Alan Trammell said. "I'd like to see it."

It has little if anything to do with incumbent Placido Polanco, whose .329 batting average entering Monday would lead AL leadoff hitters and .383 on-base percentage would be near the top if he had more at-bats. Trammell wants to bat Polanco second, but this is more about Granderson, whose five hits from the top spot on Sunday piqued Trammell's interest enough to go against his first instinct to protect a young player by batting him at the bottom of the order.

Long term, Granderson's deceptive speed, overall athleticism and intelligence at the plate would suggest he'd fit the role, and Trammell sees him as more of a natural leadoff guy than Polanco.

With Toledo winning the International League championship tonight in Indy, the Tigers will have 4 new players tomorrow night.

Marcus Thames, who hit a 3-run home run tonight, will rejoin the Tigers. The other three are pitchers: Mark Woodyard, Jason Karnuth and Jason Grilli.

That man is Placido Polanco. He suits up every night for a team still located in the American League (the Tigers). He has a .336 batting average this year.

OK, now. Check your official American League batting leaders. What do you find?

You see Texas' Michael Young is the AL's leading hitter. Ah, but what's his average? It's .328 -- which would be eight points lower than Polanco's according to our calculator. But it's a funny thing. Look up and down that leader board, and you couldn't locate Polanco with the Hubble Telescope.

Why? Because he had the nerve to spend his first 43 games this season playing for the Phillies. Who play in the National League. And that stodgy old American League refuses to acknowledge that any of the stuff he did in that other league should count.

We're 5½ months into this baseball season. Which means enough baseball has been played that, last time we looked, 69 different players had drawn at least 50 walks. Pudge, on the other hand, had drawn seven. Five of which were even unintentional. [....] If Pudge stays at five, and reaches 525 at-bats, he'll officially have the worst walk rate of any full-time player in the modern walking era.

The Tigers are hopeful that right-hander Jeremy Bonderman -- who missed his second start Wednesday with a tender right elbow -- can return to the rotation in Kansas City next week.

"Jeremy threw for about seven minutes today and didn't report any pain," Trammell said Wednesday.

"It's pride, it's your job," Trammell said Tuesday night. "And if anybody says that they want to go home, that they can't do this anymore, then go home, but know you're not gonna get paid."

Trammell wasn't referring to anyone, specifically. But it has been impossible this week to not interpret his more stinging words as being directed at Rodriguez, who railed again last weekend about his disgust at playing for a team that is about to endure its 12th consecutive losing season.

Trammell has handled the speculation and uncertainty with businesslike dignity. But the possibility that these are his last days as the Tigers' manager can occasionally be heard in his voice, seen in his expressions.

"I'll take the first bullet, but others have to be accountable, too," he said after Tuesday's loss. "That's called professionalism.

"His arm is tired," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said Sunday.

The Tigers reportedly had considered calling up Zumaya for a start, but now will wait until spring training to see him.

"He's too valuable to take any chances with," Trammell said.

"It's frustrating, very frustrating," Rodriguez said. "I'm not used to playing like this. I don't like to play like this. I've been here two years and I don't see any changes. It's hard to be on a ballclub like that, because I'm not used to that. [...] I'm a winner. I'm not a loser."

"I'm just going to play 23 more games left this year, [then] I need to go on a vacation," he said when asked if he'd welcome a trade. "That's what I need. After that, we'll see what happens. That's my answer: I need a vacation."

"I think doing those trades [pulled] this thing apart completely," he said. "That was the key. I don't know why they did that. We were doing so well when those guys were here, and they knew that [Troy] Percival was hurt. They should've thought a little bit better. Earlier they traded [Urbina], and then Percival got hurt, and then they traded Farnsworth. Early in the year, our bullpen was one of the best in the league. Now where are we?"

No, I don't expect you or the Tigers to be satisfied with a record 9 games under .500. Even with the injuries, this team should be doing better. I thought they were about a .500 team when the season started, and I still think that. They have 27 games left. If they go 16-11, they finish with 79 wins, which is about what they should have. And if they truly haven't given up, 16-11 isn't impossible.

The point of the story wasn't that you should be happy with losing, just that the losses shouldn't be read as a sign that the team is just playing out the string. Believe me, I've seen teams do that (and I've written that about many Tiger teams in the past).

I know some people would prefer that I write ``These players don't care, they're all overpaid, and they should get rid of all of them.'' But my job is to write the truth as I see it.

Thanks for reading.

The clubhouse is pretty calm these days. The players believe they should have a lot better record than they have, but I wouldn't say that getting to .500 is a major motivation.

As for your second comment, I don't think you can necessarily relate payroll to record -- although I'll bet that's what Mike Ilitch thinks. ``I spent money, why aren't they winning?''

"I'm not soliciting a manager's job anywhere," said Leyland, speaking from his home in Pittsburgh. "I would like to manage again. If there comes a point in time that an organization -- no specific organization -- had an opening and would be interested in Jim Leyland, I would be interested. But I haven't heard from anybody pertaining to any job with any club.

Leyland, 60, would be a likely first choice if Dombrowski decides Trammell should be replaced.

Asked Wednesday about a possible scenario involving Leyland, Dombrowski responded dismissively: "It's an inappropriate question."

In the fourth inning on Wednesday night, Dmitri Young exceeded 500 plate appearances for the season with his second at-bat of the game. The mark automatically triggered the $8 million option on Young's contract for 2006.

Bonderman has some minor soreness on the outside of his right elbow, so he's going to miss his start Friday. Douglass will start in his place, and Ginter has been called up from Toledo to provide some more depth in the bullpen.

Bonderman saw the doctor, but said he's not worried about it at all, and that it shouldn't be more than 1 start that he misses. If they considered this at all serious, they'd shut him down for the year.

"If they can't make it in August and September, that's not good," Trammell said. "Ultimately, everybody's going to tell you we want to get into the playoffs. Well, if that's the case, then you'd better be up to the challenge in August and September, not just pitching, but with our offense being sporadic. It just tells you about where we're at. We're not there yet. Flat out, after watching us, we still have some things we have to get better at.

"I have to show them what I have," Colon said. "Hopefully, at the end I'll be a starter. I'm looking to be in the rotation next year. ... I've been waiting for an opportunity and now they've given it to me. Now, I have to go for it and enjoy it."

Colon has bounced between starting and relieving but has been forthcoming about his preference to start. He's also a power pitcher who is learning how to be more deceptive with a larger selection of pitches as a starter. He was primarily a fastball-splitter reliever, but also boasts a two-seamer, changeup and slider that he uses more during his second and third turns through a lineup.

So on Saturday, a day after Douglass was roughed up by the White Sox, Douglass was out. Roman Colon will take his spot in the rotation starting with Wednesday's series finale against Cleveland at Comerica Park.

"No big surprise," manager Alan Trammell said. "We have to do something, and I think Roman is the guy we talked about, that we'd like to see pitch as a starter. We'll see how Sean comes out of the bullpen."

Joel Zumaya showed no signs of rust or fatigue for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday night, after his last start was scratched. Working on 10 days' rest, Zumaya struck out nine Columbus Clippers in four innings with one run allowed.

Trammell said the Tigers will "continue to take it slowly" with Justin Verlander this month - which is an indication that after recovering from a bout of dead-arm, he probably won't pitch again at the major-league level this season.

"It's not 100 percent no," Trammell said, "but it's not looking like we'll bring him up. At this point, the (Florida) Instructional League is more likely -- so he doesn't do anything to try to impress here."

Curtis Granderson is going to get more playing time than Nook Logan down the stretch. "At this point, Nook is kind of the odd man out," Trammell said. "He'll get some playing time, but right now, I'd like to see Granderson play.

"He's contributed and I hope he can sustain that. But this gives me the opportunity to see some other guys, too."