DETROIT - Justin Verlander is doing his best to take Max Scherzers departure in stride.Yes, the Detroit Tigers will miss Scherzer, one of the games top right-handers. But his exit via free agency was by no means a shock.Obviously you dont want to see a teammate go, but you can kind of see it coming too, Verlander said Thursday. I think once that deal was turned down last year, I think the probability of him coming back went way down. Thats the nature of the sport.Scherzer signed with the Washington Nationals this week after a five-year run in Detroit that included four division titles, a Cy Young Award in 2013 and strikeout totals that even Verlander had a hard time keeping up with. Now the Tigers will try for a fifth straight AL Central championship with a retooled rotation that also lost Rick Porcello. This may be the first time in a while that Detroit isnt a solid favourite to win the division.Scherzer turned down a lucrative deal with the Tigers before last season, and he ended up signing a $210 million, seven-year contract with the Nationals.Obviously, you lose a player of that calibre, its always tough. I think this organizations been preparing for that since last year, and I think if anybody, this staff has the capability to lose a guy of that calibre and still not miss a beat, Verlander said at the start of the Tigers winter caravan. I think were still going to be one of the best staffs in baseball, if not the best. Youve just got to perform. I know Ive got to pitch better and I will.Verlander was the American League MVP in 2011 and remained dominant the following year as well, but his performance dipped a bit in 2013, and last year he went 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA. At this time last year, Verlander was recovering from core muscle repair surgery, so hes hoping a more normal off-season will help.The rotation has been the backbone of the Tigers success over the last few seasons, but it looks a lot different than it did at the beginning of 2014. Detroit acquired star left-hander David Price at last years trade deadline, sending starter Drew Smyly to Tampa Bay in that deal. The Tigers then traded Porcello in the off-season for Boston outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.Detroit also traded for right-handers Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon this off-season, and its those two newcomers who now face the daunting task of replacing Scherzer and Porcello.I have a lot of expectations for myself, and theyre probably higher than most peoples expectations for me, said Greene, who went 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA as a rookie for the New York Yankees last year.Price may be the key to Detroits division title defence. The Tigers can look forward to having him for a full season, although he can become a free agent at the end of it.Price went 4-4 in 11 starts with the Tigers, but he ended last season on a good note, shutting down Minnesota in a division-clinching victory in Game 162. He also pitched well in his lone playoff start, although the Tigers were swept by Baltimore in the AL Division Series.We want to pick up, not where we left off last year, but we want to continue the success that the Tigers have had in recent years, Price said. We want to build on that as well and be the last team playing in October.Losing Scherzer was certainly a setback, but it doesnt have to be a crippling one.I talked to Max the day it kind of broke. Max is a good guy. Hes got a great sense of humour, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. I was happy for him. I kind of knew, it kind of seemed all along that he wasnt going to be coming back here as a Tiger, so Im just glad he went to the National League.NOTES: Ausmus said hes been in touch with slugger Miguel Cabrera, who had off-season surgery on his right ankle. Hes out of the boot, as of a week ago maybe. Hes in shoes, Ausmus said. Hes got another appointment mid-February, just before spring training, and were hoping that all goes well, and the doctor says he can really start doing some stuff on it. Stitched Lakers Jerseys . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/.com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. Lakers Jerseys 2020 . The Cavaliers first-year forward will miss at least three weeks with a strained left knee, the latest setback for the No. Los Angeles Lakers Gear . For Sweed, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, this will be his second go around in the CFL after previously having spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is still in the process of waking up from an induced coma following a skiing accident more than six weeks ago, his manager said Thursday. The Bild newspaper reported Wednesday -- without citing any sources -- that Schumacher had developed pneumonia, but Sabine Kehms emailed statement Thursday made no mention of that. "As often in such situations no day is like the next," Kehm said, adding that Schumachers family does not wish to disclose medical details in order to protect Schumachers privacy. "We will continue to communicate any decisive new information on Michaels health state. We are aware that the wake-up phase can take a long time. "The family continues to strongly believe in Michaels recovery. ... The important thing is not the speed of the recovery but that Michaels healing process progresses in a continuous and ccontrolled way," Kehm said.dddddddddddd Schumachers doctors started waking up the German driver one month after his crash in the French resort of Meribel. The 45-year-old Schumacher suffered serious head injuries Dec. 29 when he fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock. The German has been treated in the Grenoble University Hospital since then. His condition has stabilized following surgery after initially being described as critical. Experts have said it will likely be months before Schumachers prognosis becomes clear -- and that lasting brain damage is a possibility. Schumacher earned universal acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which led to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after garnering an unmatched seven world titles. His accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son. ' ' '