Getting it backward

That's a strange way to begin an argument for putting Alex Avila on the All-Star team, isn't it?

Making an argument for Alex Avila to get a spot on this year's All-Star team is simple: There isn't one. Or there shouldn't be.

The Tigers' 24-year-old catcher enjoys a hefty lead in nearly every offensive category at his position in the American League. In fact, his closest competition is the guy who gives him a day off every once in a while -- Victor Martinez.

One of the advantages of having a full-strength, in-house copydesk is that the editors get used to the writers and their peculiar ways of painting themselves into corners. (Your shop probably had its own versions of Libel Guy and Mangled Cliche Woman.) Here's a lede from last Sunday's sports front to help put today's into context:

Sparky Anderson is widely believed to have said this: "A baseball manager is a necessary evil."

The legendary manager of the Tigers and Cincinnati Reds no doubt believed that when he said it. For his sake, few who watched him do.

What would that last passage look like if you translated it from English to Afrikaans to Serbian and back to English? Let's ask Google:

The legendary manager of the Tigers and Cincinnati Reds no doubt believed that if he did not say. For him, a couple that looked at.

I think I like the new one better. Perhaps Google Translate would be a good coaching technique.

SUNDAY Q&A:
Q: So how bad could it get if Mitch Albom decides to take on Those Pesky Atheists?
A: Very, very bad.