Detroit Tigers Links 1/8/14: Ausmus teases, 2014 question marks, Lombardozzi an upgrade, and George Kell

Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers’ Brad Ausmus, in toasty San Diego, rubs it in a little bit – Steve Schrader, Detroit Free Press

"“I’m doing better than you guys, it’s 75 in San Diego,” [Ausmus when asked how he was doing on 97.1 the Ticker] said. “I will say, though, with the wind chill it’s about 72.” Besides his cruel sense of humor, Ausmus revealed a little of what to expect this year: a marathon approach. “You can’t get overly excited about one pitch, or one inning, or even one play …” he said. “You know, I’ll get mad, I’ve gotten mad as a player, I’ve yelled at my teammates as a player, but generally speaking it’s steady as she goes. It’s a long season.”"

The 2014 Detroit Tigers Season Is Full of Question Marks – Mike Sullivan, Yahoo Contributor Network

"These five points will determine if Detroit lives up to the expectation of being one of the best teams in baseball:1. What production will the Tigers get from Nick Castellanos at third?2. How will the platoon out in left field work out?3. Will the bullpen hold up?4. How much will the Tigers rely on speed and stealing bases?5. How balanced will this offense be?"

Detroit Tigers’ Steve Lombardozzi Will Be An Improvement Over Ramon Santiago – Brad Faber, Rant Sports

"Even though Lombardozzi has only started two games at shortstop in the big leagues, he will have plenty of time to polish his skills at that position in Spring Training. He has a lifetime .987 fielding percentage at the four positions he has played and has not committed a single error in the 18 big-league innings he has logged at shortstop. He will be able to handle shortstop when called upon."

Top Tigers Countdown #17: George Kell – Rob Rogacki, Bless You Boys

"George Kell doesn’t have an elite nickname like George “High Pockets” Kelly — Kelly’s name also pops up when you search for “George Kell” on Baseball Reference — but he did have a whale of a career. He only spent about half of it in Detroit, but he racked up 23.4 fWAR in a Tigers uniform, third-most among third basemen in club history. Kell would go on to serve as a Tigers broadcaster for almost 40 years, including a few alongside the legendary Ernie Harwell. Kell’s popularity among fans is a big reason why he won the vote to become the #17 player on our countdown."