Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 43

Sunday, April 22, 2007 Sports 313-222-6660, www.freep.corn Detroit Free Press Second to I JOHN LOWE THELOWCDOWN ts fern, none? Todd Jones says Placido Polanco should make the AL All-Star team this season. FIVE CHALLENGERS: 1. Robinson Cano YANKEES He's no Bronx bomber, but his high batting average (.342 last season) and home address in a town known for stuffing the ballot box should keep him in the Midsummer Classic for years to come. 2. B.J.

Upton DEVIL RAYS One of the centerpieces of Tampa Bay's seemingly endless "rebuilding" effort (or is that just this kid can hit. Plus, some Devil Rays have gotta make the team. 3. Ian Kinsler RANGERS Kinsler is second in the AL in homers impressive for a 2B, even if you discount his home park, Rangers Pad in Arlington. 4.

Howie Kendrick ANGELS The youngster has a bit of everything (speed, power and aver-aqe), but an early disabled-list stint will cost him, stat-wise. 5. Aaron Hill BLUE JAYS Urn, he's second among AL second basemen in batting average. THE STATS, ENTERING SATURDAY: PLAYER RHR BIAVG Like father, like son? Not with Hairstons TThen it comes to break-Id ing up no-hitters in the Chicago White Sox's home park, Jerry Hairston Jr. is no Jerry Hairston Sr.

You might remember what Jerry Hairston Sr. did on April 15, 1983. He pinch-hit for the host White Sox with two out in the ninth inning against Tigers right-hander Milt Wilcox. If Wilcox had retired Hairston, he would have pitched a perfect game. Hairston singled.

On Wednesday night in Chicago, Jerry Hairston Jr. of Texas hit a ground ball down the line in his first at-bat against Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle. Third baseman Joe Crede made a diving stop, got up and threw to first to nip Hairston, who might have been safe if he had run across the bag instead of sliding. Hairston thought he was safe, and he protested so vigorously that umpire James Hoye ejected him. That was as close as Texas came to a hit.

If Hairston hadn't been ejected, he could have led off the ninth inning. He could have done what his father had done 24 years before get his team's first hit of the game in the ninth inning on the south side of Chicago. Hairston's replacement, Matt Kata, fanned to begin the ninth. Buehrle pitched the White Sox's first no-hitter at home since Joel Horlen no-hit the Tigers in the 1967 pennant race. Between then and Wednesday night, the only no-hitter on the White Sox home field had been pitched by Tigers right-hander Jack Morris in 1984.

In that one, Jerry Hairston Sr. pinch-hit leading off the eighth. It had been about a year since Hairston had ruined Wilcox's perfect game. This time, Hairston ripped a hard grounder down the first-base line. First baseman Dave Bergman slid to his left to get in front of the ball, made a backhanded stop, then flipped to Morris, covering for the out.

So it turns out that Jerry Hairston like his son, does know how it feels to be deprived of a hit in a no-hitter. Contact JOHN LOWE at 313-223-4053 or JOHN SLEEZER Mr.Clate.ny-Tribune Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco avoids hard-charging Royal David DeJesus earlier this month. Polanco is error-free in his first 17 games. 22) Here arc reasons Polanco should be YOUR Tiger 1 5.381 Polanco Cano 8 0 6.268 Upton 7 1 8.325 Kinsler J27. 14.318 KWck 6 2 4.327 Hill 10 2 11.327 for him to shine.

And, boy, has he. He has been all that and a bag of chips. Polanco was given the security that all players hope for. (He is signed through 2009 after he received a four-year, extension shortly after coming to Detroit.) He was given the starting second baseman job and he took off. The thing we admire about Polly is the way he prepares every day to do his job.

I can assure you that the guys who play every day don't feel great every day. But they drag themselves out there and do what they do. From the travel to the pounding of the See JONES, 14D rjThink Placido Polanco isn't impor-l tant? On a good team, it's hard to deem some guys more important than others, but come on. Polly and only a few others are the difference between being good and being contenders. Polly had his coming-out party last year jn the postseason, batting .529 in the American League Championship Series against Oakland and winning the ALCS MVP award.

The whole country saw this guy take off and show what he can do when it means the most. But that's about half of his story. Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski acquired Polly from TODD JONES OUT OF THE PLN the Phillies in 2005 for Ugueth Urbina and Ramon Martinez. That was a good trade for both teams. The Phillies got a pretty good pitcher and gave second baseman Chase Utley a chance to play every day.

Utley has come into his own and the Phillies did an honorable thing in trading a good player (Polly) to a good situation THE VERDICT: You've gotta love Polanco's average, but Upton, Cano and Kinsler present some stiff All-Star competition. RT AN FORD Last year Gary Sheffield hit below .250 in April He finished 2002 The last year the Tigers had a season-ending batting average leader (Norm Cash 1961 BY THE 1 NUMBERS Placido Polanco's batting average ranking LEAD-OFF Your guide to this week's MLB action ON DECK HOT TOPICS Overview: The Tigers will travel 4,587 miles Monday-Thursday. First stop is AL-favorite Anaheim, where star Vladimir Guerrero leads the Angels with a .388 batting average and 13 RBIs. Jered Weaver, right, brother of ex-Tiger Jeff, is back after starting the year on the DL. After a Hitless wonders TIGERS' NO-NOS Detroit has had five no-hitters in franchise history: PITCHER VS.

DATE George Mullin STL 71412 Virgil Tru(ks WAS51552 Virgil Trucks (3NYY 82552 Jim Burning (8BOS72058 Jack Morris lCWS J734 Note: Current Tiger Kenny Rogers pitched a perfect game for Texas in 1994, caught by Pudge Rodriguez. NO-HITTERS THIS DECADE DATE PITCHER FOR VS. 4401 Hideo Nomo J0SBAL 51201 A.J. Burnett FLA SD 9301 Bud Smith STLSD 42702 Dereklowe EOS TB 42703 Kevin Millwood PHI SF 61103 Astros! H0UJYL 518OjRandyjohnson ARI ATI 9606 Anibal Sanchez FLA ARj 41807 Mark Buehrle CHW TEX Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Sarloos. Brad Lirtqp, Billy Waqner and Octavio Dotel combined for the no-hitter.

Perfect game quick stop in Chicago, Detroit will return home VS. CHICAGO WHITE SOX Day Time TV Today 1:05 Ch.2 Today: RH J. Verlandef (1-0, L42) vs. RH Jon Garland (0-1 4.06) AT LOS ANGELES ANGELS Monday 10:05 FSN Tuesday 3:35 FSN Hoiu LH M. Maroth (2-0, 5.40) RH J.

Weave (0-L 4.50); RH J. Bonilerman (0-0, 2.25) vs. RH J. lackey (2-2, 2.25). AT CHICAGO WHITE SOX Wednesday 8:11 ESPNFSN Thursday 8:11 FSN VS.

MINNESOTA Friday 7:05 FSN Saturday 1:05 FSN Sunday 1:05 FSN to welcome the de fending AL Central Good to be king? Slumping power hitter, injured veteran pitcher and a so-so bullpen. No, it's not the Tigers. Try the St. Louis Cardinals, who are 7-10 after Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Cubs. Even Albert Pujols is batting only .203.

Gripe all you want about the Tigers and Sheffield; but at least Detroit has a winning record. Who's got the prize? The off-season trade between the Tigers and Yanks isn't having a payoff. Gary Sheffield is batting .119 with just one homer and five RBIs. But it's just as bad for the Yanks. Pitcher Humberto Sanchez, the top prospect New York received, is battling elbow problems for the second straight year and is out for the season.

rhamn Tuuine acf Anrit Open and rickety Cedar Point might be a few weeks from opening, but the Tigers are already running The Rodney Roller Coaster 2.0, with more intense highs and lows than ever. This year's version also features the Top Thrill Grilli-ster, which shocks your stomach and the Cedar Creek Mesa Ride currently being repaired. the Tigers erupted for a v-" 33-1 series win over i Minnesota to close out tne montn witn a ib-i -rk record. jf THE The White Sox will miss right-hander Freddy Garcia. Garcia, traded to the Phillies, notched three of his 17 victories last season against the Tigers niT77 and is 15-5 lifetime against them.

"In general, we miss Freddy," first baseman Paul Konerko said. "We have to make up those wins somehow with ui somebo(jy Tney're definitely the team to beat in (the AL Central). They haven't gotten worse. They've added, so it's just the same situation.".