"This is as big as it gets, as stunning as it gets, as resounding as it gets. And the truth is, we probably shouldn't be shocked anymore.

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch said he would do this, whatever it took, whoever was willing to listen. And here it came Tuesday, a blast that rocked the baseball world, as the Tigers landed free-agent star Prince Fielder with an expected nine-year, $214 million contract.

Go big, go now, or go home. That's the philosophy for Ilitch's Tigers these days, with the owner openly wondering how long he can wait for a World Series championship. From the disaster of the Victor Martinez season-ending knee injury, the Tigers extracted an incredible boost. I dare say, Ilitch delivered something we've almost never seen in Detroit sports history — a free-agent superstar in his prime added to an established contender."