Thoughts for the Day, February 10, 2026: How dare he mess with the Gordie Howe Bridge. Hockeytown is not going to happy.
Verlander is back where he started.
Tigers sign soon to be forty-three-year-old Justin Verlander, 21 years after Verlander first debuted with the Tigers in 2005.
I didn’t see this coming. I am still trying to make sense of it.
Per the Detroit News, The Tigers have shocked the baseball world for the second time in as many weeks Tuesday, signing Verlander to a one-year deal worth $13 million, with $11 million being deferred.
The Tigers now boast a pitching staff that includes the MLB active leader in wins (266) and strikeouts (2,553) in Verlander and the active saves leader in recently signed Kenley Jansen. It includes a three-time Cy Young award winner in Verlander, and two two-time Cy Young winners in Tarik Skubal and recently signed Framber Valdez.
The Tigers appear to be going all in to win in 2026, knowing that Skubal will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Tigers will not be able to afford him in 2027
With Skubal and Valdez at the top of the starting pitching lineup, Jack Flaherty and all-star Casey Mize, holding down the 3 and 4 spots, and Verlander as the fifth starter, there will be very few teams who can match the Tigers projected starting pitching rotation. The Tigers have also significantly enhanced their bullpen with the signing of Kenley Jansen who along with Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan will give the Tigers three pitchers who recorded more than 20 saves last year. Tiger manager A.J. Hinch must be drooling at the opportunities this pitching staff will provide during the season.
This leads to my Question of the Day. What right-handed hitter on the Tiger roster is going to punish left-handed pitchers? This will be the Tiger’s Achillies heel.
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That was then. This is now. Don’t mess with the Gordie Howe Bridge.
From multiple sources. In his first term, Mr. Trump had promoted the Gordie Howe Bridge in a joint statement with Canadian officials as a symbol of the countries’ deep ties and as “a vital economic link between our two countries.”
That was then, this is now.
Matthew Moroun, whose family has operated the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, for decades, met on Monday with Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, in Washington. After that meeting Secretary Lutnick spoke with Mr. Trump by phone about the matter. Shortly afterward, Mr. Trump threatened to block the planned opening of a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, which would take away toll revenue from Mr. Moroun’s crossing, if Canadian officials did not address a long list of grievances.
The Moroun family has for decades mounted legal challenges to block or delay the building of Gordie Howe International Bridge. One of the challenges reached the Canadian Supreme Court.
In a social media post on Monday evening, Mr. Trump threatened to stop the bridge from its scheduled opening later this year, saying that he wants to punish Canada for exploiting the United States and for reviving its trade relationship with China, among other purported transgressions. Mr. Trump on Monday suggested in a post that the United States might seek to acquire “at least one half” of the new bridge and take a cut of the tolls.
“The fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howe bridge, and owns the land on both sides, is unacceptable to the president,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s also unacceptable that more of this bridge isn’t being built with more American-made materials.”
She added: “This is just another example of President Trump putting America’s interest first.”
All of this sounds great, except that the facts tell another story.
The new bridge was fully paid for by Canada but is owned in part by Michigan and is expected to ease congestion in the busiest trade corridor between the United States and Canada.
Anyone who knows anything about the history of the Maroun ownership of the Ambassador bridge and the area surrounding it on the Detroit side of the Detroit River, knows that the Marouns were not much better than slum landlords. It was only after expensive legal battles did the Marouns comply with agreements to maintain the area around the entrance of the Ambassador Bridge. In 2012 Matty Maroun and the President of the Ambassador Bridge Company, Dan Stamper were sent to jail for contempt for failing to comply with multiple court orders surrounding an agreement to complete connections from the bridge to nearby expressways.
These are the same Marouns who let one of Detroit’s landmarks, the Michigan Central Railway Station, deteriorate to the point it was a major eyesore for thirty years until it was purchased by Ford Motor Company, who spent $950 renovating the building back to its original splendor.
The frustrations of federal, state, local officials in the U.S. and Canada in dealing with the Marouns led to the agreement to build the Gordie Howe International Bridge more than eight years ago.
Trump’s threat is a slap in the face to the people of Michigan who have worked hard to make the Gordie Howe International Bridge a reality.
Here are excerpts from Trump’s joint statement with Canadian officials on February 13, 2017. It is my Quote of the Day
“Given our shared focus on infrastructure investments, we will encourage opportunities for companies in both countries to create jobs through those investments. In particular, we look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries.”
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Onion of the Day
The Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons were taking on the red-hot Charlotte Hornets, who had won nine games in a row prior to the game last night in Charlotte. The Piston’s prevailed 110-104
As expected, the game was extremely physical. Physicality peaked at the 7-minute mark of the third quarter following a hard foul by Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate on Detroit’s Jalen Duren. After a brief stare-down, the two players butted heads followed by swinging fists. As the coaches and refs were finally getting things under control, Charlotte’s Miles Bridges decided to go after Duren. This led to the Piston’s Isaiah Stewart jumping of the bench and taking on Bridges in a major scuffle. The four players involved in the two scuffles were ejected and will face additional punishments from the league. Stewart will most likely get the stiffest punishment for leaving the bench and because of Stewart’s previous history of similar issues.
Later in the game, the Hornets head coach was ejected for running onto the court to argue a offensive foul called against Charlotte.
The Pistons and Hornets get my Onion of the Day. There is no place in sports for fighting.
See my Video of the Day.
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Quote of the Day: “Given our shared focus on infrastructure investments, we will encourage opportunities for companies in both countries to create jobs through those investments. In particular, we look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries.” President Trump and Canadian Officials in a joint statement in February 2017
Orchid of the Day: Plymouth’s Kirsten Simms, 21, scored her first goal in her first Olympics in a goalmouth scramble in the second period during the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team’s 5-0 victory over Canada on Monday.
Onion of the Day: The Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets for their fight last night in Charlotte. See my Video of the Day
Question of the Day: What right-handed hitter on the Tiger roster is going to punish left-handed pitchers? This will be the Tiger’s Achillies heel.
Lyrics of the Day: Ready to run I’m keeping my feet on the ground
My arms open wide My face to the sun
I’ll taste every moment And live it out loud
I know this is the time This is the time to be
More than a name Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time This is the time of my life
My life More than a name Or a face in the crowd
I know This is the time
Hint: Think American Idol, Oprah 2008 Olympic Tribute.
If you know the answer, please feel free to use the comment section of the blog to respond.
Lyrics of the Day for February 9, 2026. Our House was written by Graham Nash and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The song was written while Nash was living with fellow singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell.
Video of the Day: The Pistons and the Hornets scuffle from last night.
I write reflective, opinionated essays on leadership, politics, sports, and life—grounded in experience rather than ideology. If this perspective resonates with you, you can subscribe here for free.