Tigers Meet Harlequin: Love and Baseball

Our Hero: Nick Castellanos

What You Need To Know:  The Tigers drafted Nick out of high school in 2010.  His mother is a native Detroiter, although she and her husband (Jorge - Castellanos is a Cuban surname) raised their family in Florida.  So Nick signing with his mother's hometown team was pretty dang exciting.

He was a shortstop in college, but the Tigers shifted him to third base.  However in 2013, with Migell Cabrera still playing third and Prince Fielder holding court at first base - Nick was a top prospect with no position.  So the Tigers sent him to AAA Toledo to get work in left field.  His name kept getting dangled as possible trade bait, but the Tigers considered him untouchable, so he stayed.  In 2014, the Tigers sent Prince to Texas for Ian Kinsler, shifted Migell to first base and just like that?  Nick was back playing third and made the big league team out of spring training.  Nick had a breakout year in 2016, hitting .285 with 18 homeruns, but limited to 110 games thanks to breaking his hand when he got hit by a pitch.

His Baggage:  Man, it seems longer, but 2017 is only Nick's third full year in the big leagues.  I would say he's been a steady player.  He got ragged on quite a bit in 2014 (his first full season) for his defense and his hitting took some time, but really?  I thought he was fine.  But cranky fans are gonna crank.  Last year was really the start of something special for Nick.  He looked really good, and then he got hit by a pitch and my slim hopes that we might make the playoffs went up in smoke.  Losing him and JD Martinez to injury late in the season really took some wind out of our sails.

Well apparently Nick must feel the same way because this sping?  Holy cow!  My boy has obviously been spending some time in the gym.  He's completely transformed his body.  His chest.  His arms. Sorry, give me a minute.  Here, just look at the picture.  It tells you all you need to know. Somebody bring me a cold glass of water, will ya?

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: He's wanted to be a big league ballplayer for as long as he can remember.  His mother jokes that his first word was "ball."  But he knows that this year is put-up or shut-up time.  He's just signed a one-year deal with the team to avoid arbitration and he was having a great year last year before an injury sidelined him.  There are expectations, his own and the team's.  Which means he needs to focus like he's never focused before and come into spring training with some edge.  He's heard about a dynamite trainer who has worked with several professional athletes - pro ballplayers who were thought to be past their prime, and this trainer worked serious magic.  That's enough for Nick. He just didn't plan on her being so breathtakingly beautiful.  Stunningly attractive AND an athlete?  Nick only has so much willpower.

The Heroine:  She was once a world class athlete, a college track and field star who was working her way towards her Olympic dream when a knee injury ruined everything.  The doctors were able to put her knee back together but a gold medal in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles was never going to happen now.  Crushed by despair she could barely get out of bed until she got some tough love from her older brother, a semi-pro baseball coach.  It ain't the big leagues, but his guys need some help in the strength and conditioning department and his little sister needs a purpose.  It's win-win.

Set on the path by her brother, she sets up her own personal training facility.  She still has some contacts in the collegiate athletics world and her reputation soon starts to grow.  She soon works wonders on a few veteran pros who come to her looking to end their careers on high notes and you know what?  They do. But Nick - well he's something new.  A professional athlete in the prime of his career.  One who is looking to take that next step and become a superstar.  Is she ready to sign up for this?  Especially when she finds herself increasingly distracted by her attraction to him.  No, no - this will not do.  She is a professional and the first rule of being a professional?  Do not fall into bed with your client.

What Harlequin Line?:  A former track star meets her match in a hunky professional baseball player.  Two passionate competitors, a wee dose of glamour and a heroine who has a close relationship with her protective older brother.  That's a Kimani Romance y'all.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Catcher's Pregnant Bride

Our Hero: Alex Avila

What You Need To Know: Born and raised in Florida, Alex is a 2nd generation Cuban American and baseball is the family business.  His grandfather worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers for many years, mainly heading up their Latin America operations.  At the time the Tigers drafted Alex in the 5th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, his father, Al Avila, was the Tigers assistant GM and was hesitant to draft his own kid because, well, this baseball business is complicated.

After Dave Dombrowski was let go at the end of the 2015 season, Al was promoted to GM and his son was now entering 2016 as a free agent.  The writing on the wall, Al let his own son walk.  Alex, fairly beat up now from his years of catching, signed a one year deal with the Chicago White Sox.  During his brief tenure in Chicago, Alex jacked two homeruns against Tigers ace Justin Verlander but mostly served in a back-up capacity for a club that had catching issues last year.  His one-year deal up with Chicago, and Detroit in need of a back-up to starting catcher James McCann, the family was reunited when Alex signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Tigers in the off-season.

His Baggage:  This is Alex's second appearance as a Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star, having been the subject of a Cosmo Red Hot Read in 2014.  At that point in his career the physical toll of the catcher position was starting to show.  Alex has had more than one concussion, and other than a dynamite 2011 season, his bat isn't a whole lot to write home about.  He's very good defensively however, and I think he's one of the more under appreciated game callers working today.  He handles a pitching staff extremely well, and his rapport with Verlander is exceptional.  Alex is no dummy and he's grown up around baseball.  He understands the business side of things probably better than most players.  If we're to believe the press, he's got no hard feelings for his father who simply let him walk away during his free agency year.  It's business after all, and not personal.  Still, reports suggest that GM Al's own mother (Alex's grandmother) was not pleased with her son.

But this is my category romance idea, so yeah - Alex?  You're bitter as hell.  It makes for a better story.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: He's been around baseball his whole life. After all, it is the family business.  He just didn't think his own family would cut him loose for the sake of that business.  His own father didn't so much as sniff in his direction when he became a free agent.  Not an obligatory call to his agent.  Not a single word.  The silence was deafening.  After all he'd done for the team.  The way he brought along the young pitchers.  How he handled the egos of the established aces.  So long Alex.  Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.  Well, now he's back and his old man is acting like it's no big deal.  Suck it up son, it's just business.  Alex's head knows this, but the heart is taking longer to heal.  And it's after a particularly embarrassing tongue-lashing from the old man, in front of his teammates no less, that sends Alex into the arms of the pretty new assistant equipment manager.

The Heroine: Down on her luck she got this job assisting the team's equipment manager through a friend of a friend - and just barely.  Good Lord, the lecture she got about fraternizing with the players?  Let's just say that if she gets something in her eye and accidentally winks in their direction she'll be out on her butt so fast her head will spin.  So falling into bed with the back-up catcher was so not a smart move.  Especially when it turns out that the birth control failed and she's now got a bun in the oven.  So now she has to figure out how to tell her one-night stand that she's pregnant and somehow manage to keep her job.  Sure.  That won't be a problem at all.

What Harlequin Line?:  Oh Alex. You're ticked off at your father and you have a one-night stand that results in getting the heroine pregnant.  You've landed yourself in a Harlequin Presents.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Rancher's Sweetheart

Our Hero: Victor Martinez

What You Need To Know:  Victor was an undrafted free agent out of Venezuela and became the starting catcher for the Indians in 2004.  After a few years with the Boston Red Sox, he signed a free agent deal with the Tigers in 2011.  He has been money for Detroit, pretty much the only pure contact hitter we've had on the roster.  That said, his tenure in Detroit has been marred by injuries - namely an ACL that saw him missing all of the 2012 season and a torn meniscus in 2015.  Oh, and he apparently played all of 2016 with a hernia. Still, he finished the season with a .289 batting average, 27 homeruns and 86 RBIs.  If I had a hernia I'd be lucky to get out of bed.

His Baggage: This is Victor's second time as a Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star, having spent the 2013 inaugural season finding himself an unexpected single father and trying to help his son grieve over his mother's death.  In real life, Victor has known his wife since they were 17-years-old, growing up in Venezuela.  They have three kids and make their home in Florida.

Both Victor and his wife grew up around farming and they've purchased a large chunk of land south of Orlando.  Victor is still one of the best hitters in the league, but he's slowed down considerably and he's in the twilight of his career.  While most guys would likely take up golf in retirement, or look for ways to stay in the game, the Martinezes plan to take up cattle ranching.  Because, of course.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: He knows he can't play baseball forever, and his body has been telling him for a while now that there isn't much time left.  When in a situation like this the smart guys start looking at post-retirement plans.  He loved spending time on his uncle's farm growing up in Venezuela, and he wants that experience for his kids.  Plus, if he's honest, he loves the hard, honest way of life.  After a few minor setbacks, he's finally managed to purchase his dream plot of land in central Florida and is starting out with a small herd of beef cattle. Nothing big yet. He just wants to get his feet wet.  What he didn't plan on was his kids unhappiness at being uprooted from the noisy distractions of city life, the locals' animosity that an "outsider" bought up so much land, and the local veterinarian talking to him like a simpleton when he asks her to come out to take a look at an ailing heifer.  He should be insulted by her attitude, but all he can think about is how tempting her lips are and how long it's been since he's had a woman in his life.

The Heroine:  Vet school was not a walk in the park, but she somehow managed to graduate from Cornell, top of her class.  She's a bit of an anomaly, a female vet specializing in large animals.  But farming is in her blood, having grown up on her family's small farm in central Florida.  Now she's back, having taken over the practice from good ol' boy Doc Andrews.  It took her some time to win over the locals (a large animal vet with boobs seemed to throw them off at first), but they're starting to come around.

 Besides, they've moved on to bigger distractions, namely the big name baseball player who has moved into the area.  She's seen types like him before.  Likes animals, thinks ranching will be a lark, "really, how hard could it be?"  Ha! He's in a for a rude awakening.  Or is she?  Because the minute she meets him, and his adorable, albeit slightly surly, children she can't help but be charmed.  But the locals are just starting to accept her.  Getting tangled up with an interloper baseball player who thinks he's a rancher won't do anything other than derail all the hard work she's put in.  Or will it?

What Harlequin Line?:  Back in 2013 I put Victor in a Harlequin Special Edition and here we are again in 2017.  I'm sorry Victor, you're just a Special Edition kind of guy.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Handyman Can

Our Hero: Michael Fulmer

What You Need To Know:  Mr. Fulmer was a standout pitcher for his Oklahoma high school and committed to play college ball for the University of Arkansas.  Well, that is until the New York Mets drafted him in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.  Fulmer said farewell to Arkansas and joined the Mets minor league system.  He kicked around the minor leagues until 2015 when, in one of his final duties as Tigers GM, Dave Dombrowski sent former Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets in exchange for Fulmer.

Turns out Dave totally did us a solid.  Fulmer was optioned to Tigers AAA-affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens to start the 2016 season.  However, when starter Shane Greene got a blister, Fulmer was called up to make his Major League debut on April 29 against the Minnesota Twins.  It was pretty much magic after that.  Fulmer became the first Tigers pitcher since 1913 to allow one or zero runs in eight consecutive starts.  He also pitched his first career complete game and shutout.  He finished the season with an 11–7 record, 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 132 strikeouts in 159 innings pitched.

Oh, and he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

His Baggage: By all accounts, which is backed up by this feature in Sports Illustrated, Fulmer is an understated kind of guy.  Even though he pitched his heart out once called up, he didn't allow himself to get too comfortable, realizing that the Tigers could send him down the minute Greene's blister was healed.  He spent the rest of the season living out of a hotel room.

He's the kind of guy who, on the day after he found out he was drafted in the first round by the Mets, still showed up to help his coach with a Little League camp and his footwear of choice is a pair of beat-up cowboy boots his wife bought him.

But by far my most favorite Fulmer fact is that, in the off season, he works as a plumber.  Seriously.  A good friend's uncle needed some help at his plumbing company, and there was Fulmer ready to dig ditches, lay pipe, whatever.  He likes it because it gives him something to do and allows him to not think about baseball for more than five minutes.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: He's coming off a magical season.  His first full season in the big leagues and he won Rookie of the Year?  It's hard to imagine.  His teammates are happy for him, determined to get him to go out and party like a superstar.  But that's not really his style.  He's looking forward to going home to Oklahoma.  Maybe buy a new truck with the bonus he got.  Maybe mend some fences on his uncle's ranch.  Instead he gets roped into doing a solid for someone on the team's grounds crew.  Well, the guy's sister at any rate.  What the heck, right?  Why not spend the off season staying in Detroit?  It seems like a good idea, until he meets the sister.  He knows she's still smarting over her divorce, and he does not need any added distractions.  But dang, she's so smart and sexy and Lord her ex was obviously a complete idiot. He's there to fix the pipes, but he finds himself distracted by thoughts of bedrooms.  Hey, how many bedrooms are there in this building anyway?

The Heroine:  She should have known her rat-bastard ex was no good when the family dog didn't like him, but she never seems to learn.  She worked in dive bars to help get him through college and spent too many nights alone while he was working his way up the corporate financial ladder.  What she didn't know is that he was climbing that ladder with his secretary and hiding assets, preparing to dump her sorry butt when the timing was right.  She found out before he could totally blindside her, but dang, he was good.  Finally, just to be done with him once and for all, she takes a payout (which she knows is likely paltry) and an apartment building.  She figures she can either flip the building or go into property management.  Either way, she has options.  Well, that is until she finally gets into the building and does a full, warts-and-all inspection.  Good Lord, her ex was a slumlord!


What she needs is help, and fast.  But with little capital, she needs people who will do quality work and not expect a whole lot in the way of salary in return.  She's desperate, but not without connections.  She puts out the call and luckily her brother totally comes through.  For reasons she can barely fathom, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year has agreed to help her out and fix the mess that is the building's plumbing.  But how is a girl expected to concentrate on resurrecting a wreck of a building and keeping her tenants from suing her when all she can think about is the handyman crawling under her ahem sink?


What Harlequin Line?:  That beard, that blue collar attitude, a heroine who isn't dead below the waist but a little vulnerable?  I want this to be a Blaze.  Just think of how much trouble this couple could get into with all those ahem tools at their disposal?

The 5th Annual Tigers Meet Harlequin Extravaganza!

That's right kids, it's that time of year again.  When hope springs eternal and even Chicago Cubs fans think their team can win the World Series (oh yeah...that's right...).  Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season kicks off on Monday, April 3.  Seriously, probably my absolute favorite time of the year.  Hands down. Bar none.

I can't believe it, but that "brilliant" (depending on who you ask...) idea I had back in 2013 is now celebrating it's 5th anniversary.  Once again I will be taking four lucky players on the current Detroit Tigers roster and spinning them their very own Harlequin romances.  Per usual (for any lawyers reading this...) these stories are 1% truth and 99% pure Grade A malarkey.  I love Harlequins and I love Detroit Tigers baseball - so why not throw them both in a blender and see what kind of half-baked idea is the result?

This year brings us two new editions to the Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star roster and two returning players getting brand new stories.  We'll kick things off tomorrow, but in the meantime, why not catch-up and/or relive the previous four years of shenanigans?

2016 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
Miguel Cabrera, first base - The Slugger's Family Promise
Daniel Norris, starting pitcher - The Pitcher's Second Chance Romance
James McCann, catcher - The Catcher's Sexy Revenge
Brad Ausmus, manager - The Secretary's Dreamy Bombshell

2015 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
J.D Martinez, outfield - Someone to Come Home to
Ian Kinsler, second base - The Texan's Redemption
Yoenis Cespedes, outfield (NY Mets) - The Woman He Couldn't Forget
David Price, starting pitcher (Boston Red Sox) - Reunited with the Pitcher's Sweetheart

2014 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
Rick Porcello, starting pitcher (Boston Red Sox) - Angling Towards Danger
Alex Avila, catcher - Collision at Home
Jose Iglesias, shortstop - The Shortstop's Secret Baby
Max Scherzer, starting pitcher (Washington Nationals) - His Brother's Keeper

2013 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
Victor Martinez, designated hitter - The Single Dad's Homerun
Austin Jackson, outfield (Cleveland Indians) - Action Jackson
Phil Coke, relief pitcher (Japan) - Good Time Phil
Prince Field, first base (Retired) - Daddy Doesn't Love Me
Justin Verlander, starting pitcher - Bring the Heat
Miguel Cabrera, third base (now first base) - The Venezuelan's Sexy Bodyguard

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Secretary's Dreamy Bombshell

Our Hero: Brad Ausmus

What You Need to Know: In a Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star first I give you - our manager.  In his playing days Ausmus was a catcher and enjoyed an 18-year big league career.  He made one All-Star team (1999) and won three Gold Gloves ('01, '02, '06).  He attended Dartmouth college and while he was never a "superstar" during his playing days, he had a reputation for being a solid player, smart guy, and all around good teammate.

He's probably best known for his tenures with the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres - but he also played for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers.  After retiring in 2010, he coached the Israel national team in the World Baseball Classic in 2012 and was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 which means that yes Jewish romance readers - you could bring Brad home to meet Mom.

His Baggage: The Tigers named Ausmus their manager in 2013 after Jim Leyland retired.  This news was met with...skepticism.  While Ausmus had stayed in baseball (working as a special assistant in the Padres front office) his leap straight to managing a team that was loaded and primed to "win now" was seen like giving your 16-year-old son the keys to a Ferrari on prom night.  Plus, just look at this guy ::dreamy sigh::. The Tigers have always played their best under crotchety old white guys who like to smoke (see: Sparky Anderson and Jim Leyland).  Hey, I love Sparky and Jim but dreamy isn't an adjective that really applies.


Just how dreamy is Brad?  So dreamy that some jokester in the clubhouse last year had T-shirts made.

So dreamy that photos he did for a fitness magazine years ago once again surfaced online.  (No, no - feel free to thank me later).  And yes, Brad surfs and (at least he used to) lives in San Diego in the off-season.

Honestly, if I didn't know for a fact he was married with grown daughters I would take up stalking San Diego beaches in my free time.

And then last season happened.  The wheels fell of the team, we went from first to last in one season, star players like David Price and Yoenis Cespedes were traded away, and everyone started pointing fingers.  Rumors started flying and everyone was calling for Ausmus to get canned.  Instead?  We waved so-long-farewell to our GM and Brad survived to manage another season.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: The spotlight is shining bright and it's starting to get uncomfortable.  As one of the youngest managers in baseball, he realizes how lucky he was to land his first managerial job with a team that was loaded to the gills with talent.  The first year was OK, they made the playoffs.  Last year was when things got ugly.  Fans, the press, everyone seemed to be calling for his job.  He somehow survived, but he knows he's on a short leash with the owner - who has one foot in the grave and is ready for a World Series ring already.

So he understands the pressure, the spotlight, the glare of unwanted attention.  And while he knows he can't afford any distractions (especially now!) - he can't help but feel sorry for his personal assistant, who is surviving her own public nightmare.

The Heroine: She made the mistake of falling into a workplace romance and it ended very, very badly.  Not only did her accountant ex lie to her and sleep with every baseball groupie sniffing around hoping to score with the players - he also got up to shenanigans with the team's financial records.  On his way out the door he tried to foist the whole thing off on her, which blessedly - didn't work.  When his back was truly up against a wall and jail time became imminent?  He decided to go out with a blaze of glory by posting nude photos of her online - some of which landed temporarily on the team's web site.  They were taken down quickly, but by that point?  The damage was done.

She's managed to keep her job (barely), and while the organization has stood by her, things have still been uncomfortable.  There have been hastily halted conversations when she's entered rooms, pitying looks and a few overheard "poor girl" whispers murmured through bathroom stalls.  What she needs is a protector.  Someone to help shield her from well-meaning coworkers and gossip.  So when the hunky manager proposes they pretend to be a couple - she knows she should say no, but can't help but say yes.  It's sure to fuel even more gossip, but dating the boss means the chatter will die down at the office and wait for Happy Hour cocktails at the local pub.  Besides - dating the hottie manager will be the ultimate revenge against her no-good, jail-bird ex and maybe her parents will stop looking at her like she's such a disappointment now that she's linked to the most eligible bachelor in town.

What Category Romance Line?:  Oh Brad. Hunky and a protector of damsels in distress?  Could you possibly get any dreamier?!  I don't think so!  A boss/secretary romance merged with a pretend relationship means I think we have ourselves a surefire Harlequin Desire.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Catcher's Sexy Revenge

Our Hero: James McCannn

What You Need to Know: Taken in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Tigers, McCann was one of four catchers Detroit drafted that year looking for the guy who would carry them into the future.  McCann won the race, having a cup of coffee in Detroit in 2014 then making the big league roster to back-up starter and Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star Alex Avila in 2015.  He hasn't been down to AAA Toledo since.

He's also a big reason why Alex was sent packing when he became a free agent.  McCann has come into his own and he's seen as a leader in the clubhouse.  What does Wendy think?  I think he's young and the jury is still out.  Also, I'll be blunt.  While Avila was plagued with injury issues, that guy calls a damn fine ballgame.  I wasn't all that in love with McCann's game calling last season - but then my whole team turned out to be a dumpster fire, so I'm probably not being fair.  I think this will be a telling year for McCann and I hope I fall completely in love with him.

His Baggage: So...last year. Last year was not good.  OK, it was awful.  After four years of American League Central Division titles in a row - the Tigers went from first place to last place.  First to worst.  For a team that was loaded with talent - but, you know, with a crappy bullpen (among other issues).  It was hard to watch and I'm sure hard for the players and coaching staff.

Tensions bubbled over in early August when McCann and former Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star Jose Iglesias got into a shoving match in the dugout.  On camera.  It was depressing.  I really like Jose so I spent a little while simmering over McCann and just generally being disgusted with the whole lot of them.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot: Catchers are not only leaders among the pitching staff, but also the clubhouse and he's trying to get his feet under him after replacing a popular teammate.  The fact that the team, and some of the pitching staff, are struggling this year has not made the transition any easier.  After a stinging defeat at the hands of the Red Sox, he loses his temper and comes to blows with one of his teammates.  He knows it was stupid, but dang - the guy has been rubbing him the wrong way.  He needs to stay focused.  He needs to right the ship.  But seeing Jose across the clubhouse every day has proven to be irritating.  And then in walks the man's all too sexy twin sister and he comes up with a plan...

The Heroine:  As twins she and Jose were really close growing up.  So close that when he made it to the big leagues she moved in with him to help take care of his house, help with his travel arrangements, and basically act as his personal assistant.  Normally it's great fun, but this year?  With the team doing poorly?  It's been less than happy times.  And now her hot-headed brother has gotten into an altercation with the team's new catcher.  Ugh.  She knows Jose isn't blameless but seriously, McCann could have backed off.  And while she knows she shouldn't get in the middle of it?  Her own hot temper boils over one night when she runs into James at her favorite restaurant.  Even though she knows she should stay far away - she can't ignore the attraction.  But is he just using her to get back at her brother?

What Category Romance Line?:  A hero who is possibly using the heroine to get revenge on her twin brother?  OMG, if this isn't a Harlequin Presents story I'm not sure what would qualify.  McCann's not a Greek tycoon, but hey - none of us is perfect.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Pitcher's Second Chance Romance

Our Hero: Daniel Norris

What You Need To Know: Young Mr. Norris is 22 years old (23 at the end of April - but yes, we are all dirty old ladies) and a starting pitcher we picked up from the Toronto Blue Jays when we decided to trade former Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star, David Price, during the dumpster fire that was last season. (The less said about that the better.)

At the time of this writing, it's unlikely that Norris will even make the Tigers roster out of spring training. But just look at this guy.  Besides the fact that he's dreamy, his baggage is such great romance novel fodder that I don't care if he ends up starting the season in AAA Toldeo.  Welcome to the big leagues Mr. Norris!  Well, at least as far as this blog goes.

His Baggage:  At the start of last season Norris was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  His doctors assured him he could delay treatment until the end of the season, which he did.  The Tigers and Blue Jays were aware of his medical issues at the time of the trade, but made it happen anyway.  In the off-season Norris successfully had surgery and is now cancer-free.

He is also the resident "free spirit" of the team.  He spends the off-season traveling around the country in his 1978 Volkswagen camper van he's nicknamed "Shaggy."  He's an amateur photographer, he surfs, he lives on very little money and possessions.  He's a hippy with a hipster beard and he's in Detroit.  God help us all.

The Proposed Category Romance Plot:  He's pretty good at baseball, but the accolades have always made him uncomfortable.  Everyone keeps telling him it's time to grow up, to act like a "big leaguer" - but that just ain't him.  He's a rolling stone.  He wants to see the country.  And that's what he's done.  Footloose, fancy-free, surfing his way along the west coast and spending time with a surfer girl who is just as much a free-spirit as he is.  No ties, no attachments, just a good time.  Until he finds out he has cancer and everything changes.

The Heroine: When her last boyfriend vacated her beach bungalow taking her vintage vinyl music collection and favorite board with him (out of nothing but spite - what a jerk!), she's vowed to stay away from men for a while.  Obviously her judgement is severely impaired.  She's going to spend the winter focusing on herself and surfing her troubles away.  A plan that gets a wrench thrown in it thanks to a hunky nomad ballplayer who might be a bigger hippy than she is.  The attraction to much to ignore, they decide it won't hurt to share some laughs, and more than kisses, for a brief fling.  Besides, just because her last boyfriend was a jerk doesn't mean that a girl has to give up all fun.  They part as friends and while she misses him, she knows it could only be temporary.

Then she gets a call at the start of the baseball season.  He has cancer and while he's soldiering on, he's scared.  He wants her by his side even though they both agreed, "only a fling."  And now she's scared and her whole world is turned upside down.

What Category Romance Line?:  I envision flashbacks and given the medical conflict I'm thinking we need a longer word count.  Harlequin SuperRomance here we come!

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Slugger's Family Promise

Our Hero: Miguel Cabrera

What You Need to Know: Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera is one of the premier players in all of Major League Baseball.  A World Series champion with the 2003 Florida Marlins, he's a 10-time All-Star, 2-time American League MVP, 6-time Silver Slugger winner, 4-time American League batting champ, 2-time American League homerun leader, 2-time American League RBI (runs batted in) leader and he won the Triple Crown (lead the league in RBIs, homeruns and batting average) in 2012 - the first time that had been accomplished in 45 years.

Yeah, Miggy is pretty good at baseball.

His Baggage: So the last time we saw Miggy as a Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star he was overcoming some wee issues he was having with alcohol and falling for the sexy head of his new security detail in a Harlequin Presents story.  By all accounts Miggy has put the past behind him and in recent years we've gotten Fun-Loving Miggy.  Nobody has a better time at the ballpark than when Miggy is being Miggy:


Then there was this great interaction he had with a young Cleveland Indians fan last season.  After the kid makes a sweet snag on a foul ball, he takes the opportunity to talk a little trash with the opposing team's first baseman.  Well, just see what happens next:



The Proposed Category Romance Plot: The last couple of seasons have been rough. His numbers were still respectable, but with the team vastly under performing all eyes are on him, the team's superstar, to put everyone on his back and carry them towards the promise land.  But he's getting older and nagging injuries the last couple of years have slowed him down.

Now, fully healthy, ready to rock n' roll, he decides that this season will be different.  This season he is determined to have fun.  To learn to embrace the game again like he did when he was a young boy growing up in Venezuela.  And helping him find his groove?  A young fan for one of his team's biggest rivals.

The Heroine: It's just her and her nephew.  Her parents long past, her brother-in-law killed in a freak car accident, when her only living relative, her baby sister, is diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, she quits her job in Michigan and moves to Ohio to take care of her sister and help raise her nephew.  Her sister now gone, she's completely unprepared to raise a 12-year-old boy on her own.  She never thought she'd have kids.  In fact, had no plans.  And now here she is, a mother (of sorts).  It's been a bumpy adjustment.  The only time they seem to connect is when they're watching baseball - even if he is an Indians (::shudder::) fan.  But taking him to the ballpark is the only time the kid seems to come out of his grief, so for that she'll soldier on and watch (::shudder::) the Indians.  When the Tigers come to town she scrapes up enough money to get insane seats and before you know it?  They're meeting the star player and she's getting dazzled by his charm and charisma.  But what would a big time ballplayer want with a woman who has lost everyone dear to her and who is holding on by a thread?

What Category Romance Line?:  Awwww, Miggy helping a family heal from grief.  What a guy!  Sweet and lovely, plus we have a kid.  So yeah - Harlequin Special Edition.

The 4th Annual Tigers Meet Harlequin Extravaganza!

Yes, it's that time of year again.  A most wondrous, magical time of year.  When spring has sprung, baseball fans everywhere have hope, and Wendy once again decides "Hey, I haven't been sued yet - let's throw caution to the wind!"  It's time, once again, for Wendy to take players from her beloved Detroit Tigers baseball roster, make up a whole bunch of nonsense, and mold them into perfect Harlequin romance hero material.  Besides, we all need something to read before the regular season kicks off on April 3.  I'm doing a community service here!

What's on tap for this year?  Besides my fervent prayer that my team doesn't finish in the basement of the division again (sigh) - I've two new Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Stars, a returning All-Star with a brand new story and a hunky surprise in store.

All new stories will launch tomorrow, but in the meantime here's your chance to catch up with the stories featured the past three years:

2015 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
J.D Martinez, outfield - Someone to Come Home to
Ian Kinsler, second base - The Texan's Redemption
Yoenis Cespedes, outfield (NY Mets) - The Woman He Couldn't Forget
David Price, starting pitcher (Boston Red Sox) - Reunited with the Pitcher's Sweetheart

2014 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
Rick Porcello, starting pitcher (Boston Red Sox) - Angling Towards Danger
Alex Avila, catcher (Chicago White Sox) - Collision at Home
Jose Iglesias, shortstop - The Shortstop's Secret Baby
Max Scherzer, starting pitcher (Washington Nationals) - His Brother's Keeper

2013 Tigers Meet Harlequin Roster:
Victor Martinez, designated hitter - The Single Dad's Homerun
Austin Jackson, outfield (Chicago White Sox) - Action Jackson
Phil Coke, relief pitcher (Atlanta Braves) - Good Time Phil
Prince Field, first base (Texas Rangers) - Daddy Doesn't Love Me
Justin Verlander, starting pitcher - Bring the Heat
Miguel Cabrera, third base (now first base) - The Venezuelan's Sexy Bodyguard

Back In The Saddle?

OK, so now it's been over a week since I last blogged.  Did Wendy fall off the face of the Earth?  Did her TBR Mountain finally collapse on top of her and she remained trapped under the crushing weight of paperback novels until a hunky Greek Tycoon arrived (don't I wish) to pull me free, sweep me in a passionate embrace and bruise my lips with punishing kisses?

Yeah, no.  Mores the pity.  No, I fell down the work-sleep-work-sleep-maybe-I-should-eat-something rabbit hole.  So to fill the blog void, I thought I'd provide updates.  I promise to keep the whining to a minimum (hey, first time for everything, right?).

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Reading.  What's that again?  I haven't really been reading.  At all.  And this is probably not a good thing since I promised two (count 'em two!) First Looks for Heroes and Heartbreakers for end of February releases.  You know, the shortest month on the calendar.  I foresee some power reading in my very near future.

What has been keeping my interest is audio books.  I discovered that work has three Barbara Michaels books on audio and I've been a swooning nostalgic mess ever since.  I pretty much read all the Barbara Michaels I could get my hands on during my teens, avoiding the books with blurbs that were more overtly woo-woo-ish.  I started with the audio book of Be Buried in the Rain, only remembering from my teen years that it was one that "I really liked."  I really liked it as an adult too, and was struck much more by the romance this second time around.  As a teen I read Michaels for the Gothic mystery "stuff" - the romances were incidental to me.

I'm now listening to Black Rainbow, which is a historical and well....not nearly as good as Be Buried in the Rain.  But it's amazing how nostalgia colors the reading experience.  I think if I was entirely new to Michaels and Black Rainbow (although I read it SO LONG ago, this is almost like I'm reading it for the first time) I'd be entering Minor Rant Mode, but here I am.  Swooning Nostalgic Mess.  After I wrap this one up, I need to take a break (my hold for the Burt Reynolds' memoir on audio came in - don't judge) and then I'll dive into Someone in the House.

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So I still haven't seen the new Star Wars.  And now I've just started watching Downton Abbey.

Yes, Wendy is JUST NOW starting Downton Abbey.  This is what hype does to me folks!  I bury my head in the sand until it dies down, y'all get ticked off that the show/movie/whatever "jumped the shark" and THEN, I figure it's safe to start watching.

I've got one episode left in Season One.  I figure by the time I'm through all five seasons on Amazon Prime, the final season will be available for me to stream or download or buy or whatever.

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Yoga.  Yeah, I was doing so well with yoga for a while.  I am a librarian, but these days my job is mostly administrative work which means Wendy sits at a desk.  A lot.  Yoga is a nice counter-balance to desk work.  Loosens up the hips, opens up the shoulders, and by the end of a nice one hour session I'm relaxed, loose and sleep like a baby.  A baby that had bourbon and Xanax slipped in with her formula.

But then work got busy, I got lazy, and fell off the wagon.  With a thud.  And not that I'm a svelte young thing anymore, but honestly it is possible, even for me, to let myself go even more.  So....

Back on the yoga wagon.

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Here in the States it's Super Bowl Sunday.  I have no pony in this race but will watch the game anyway while consuming completely regrettable junk food and hoping for some decent commercials.  It's also the signal that the most magical time of year is almost upon us.  That's right Bat Cave followers....

BASEBALL SEASON!

Depending on the team, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training starting February 17.

Huzzah!

You Can Thank Me Later

I began to find ways to waste time online back during my college years (we're talking mid-to-late 1990s), when I spent entirely too much time on message boards and in chat rooms because I was addicted to soap operas.  Then, of course, came the discovery of romance novels and listservs and more bulletin boards and now we have the eternal time suck that is social media.  Which means, prioritizing.

I do not have an Instagram account.  Mostly because after I downloaded the app to my phone I couldn't figure it out in three seconds so I ended up deleting it.  If I can't figure it out in three seconds?  Wendy don't got time for that.  I can live without Instagram.

But if anyone were going to change my mind?  It might be Anibal Sanchez - a pitcher for my Detroit Tigers (and no, he hasn't gotten a Harlequin Meets Tigers story.....yet).  Because really, how could I get tired of gazing upon these tasty morsels?

Sanchez in front then (l to r) Jose Iglesias, Yoenis Cespedes, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Hernan Perez

Sanchez in front then (l to r) Iglesias, Perez in back, Victor, Cespedes, Miggy

Our closer, Joakim Soria.  I have no idea what's going on with the hair but *OMG* ::fanning self::

And yes, apparently trolling the Internet for pictures of cute baseball players is more important to me right now than, uh, say.....reading.  Sigh.  But hey, at least I shared the eye candy.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: Someone To Come Home To

The Hero: J.D. Martinez

What You Need To Know: Julio Daniel Martinez grew up a Florida Marlins fan and was a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference player during his three years of college ball at Nova Southeastern University.  He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 20th round of the 2009 draft and in 2012 he was the first player ever to hit a homerun in the garish nightmare that is the Marlin's new ballpark.  After a mediocre career in Houston, they released him outright.  So long, farewell.  On the recommendation of new Detroit Tiger's third base coach Dave Clark, formerly of the Astro's coaching staff, the Tigers signed J.D. to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training.  He didn't see a ton of playing time and was optioned to Triple AAA Toledo and that's when things got interesting.

In 17 games for the Toledo Mud Hens, J.D. posted 10 homeruns, with 22 runs-batted-in (RBIs). When a guy is hitting like that in AAA?  Your hand is forced.  J.D. was called up to Detroit and played his first game with the big club on April 21.  He's been a mainstay in the outfield ever since. He finished the season with a .315 batting average, 23 homeruns, and 76 RBIs.  Meanwhile, Houston went 70-92 finishing fourth place in their division.

His Baggage: J.D.'s story isn't all that uncommon.  Guy breaks into majors.  Guy is mediocre and gets shuffled back and forth between minors and big club.  Guy gets cut in favor of shiny new prospects.  Except what the smart guys do is that they take their "change of scenery" and do something with it.  J.D. knew that if he wanted to keep playing baseball he was going to have to change....everything.  And the first step was his swing, which he completely altered.  He worked out with a friend in California, he fine-tuned the swing while playing winter ball in Venezuela, and once he was in Toledo, seeing regular playing time, he didn't miss "his pitch."  For his part, Martinez holds no ill will towards Houston and is thankful they cut him outright.  In his words, "they could have buried me in AAA."

Proposed Category Romance Plot: Houston is over.  Houston is dead to him.  The veterans had always told him, baseball is a business and only the superstars get to feel settled in one place for any stretch of time.  He didn't listen, had started to build a life for himself and now?  That life is over.  He's not ready to give up baseball and that means he's going to have to go chasing that dream far away from the home, the life, he was starting to make for himself in Houston.  A hard pill to swallow when he looks into the eyes of a certain pretty woman and her 6-year-old son.

The Heroine: She knew it was stupid to fall in love with a baseball player, but she couldn't seem to help herself.  In the sort of outing they can rarely afford, she took her son to his first baseball game last year and after he ran the bases after the game, he wanted to wait in the parking lot and try to meet some of the players.  When he met J.D. he was awe-struck and she found herself dazzled by the handsome ballplayer.  It has been a slow, steady courtship.  He travels a lot, she's worried about protecting her son's heart, even as she's beginning to lose hers.  And now he's leaving.  Off to chase his baseball dream and that means leaving her behind.  He says it won't change anything.  That he loves her, and wants to be with her.  But after years of regret, of being badly burned by her ex, she's not sure she can take the risk of believing every word this man says to her - no matter how much she wants to.

What Category Romance Line?: Home, family, love?  We've got another Tigers Meet Harlequin first time appearance folks - Harlequin Heartwarming!  J.D. has his work cut out for him.  I sure hope his heroine will be willing to take that leap of faith....

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Texan's Redemption

The Hero: Ian Kinsler

What You Need To Know: Ian Kinsler might be the most determined (or most stubborn) hero to land on the Tigers Meet Harlequin squad.  Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school, Kinsler declined his 29th pick status feeling he wasn't ready for big-time baseball. The problem was that no Division I schools recruited him.

After a year at Central Arizona College, he was recruited by Arizona State, he transferred and then found himself thrown over for Dustin Pedroia.  Frustrated, he caught the eye of the coach at the University of Missouri, where he posted a .335 batting average and 16 steals on 17 attempts.  In the 2003 draft Kinsler fell all the way to the 17th round where, after being convinced by their area scout, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers.  That scout knew something a lot of other scouts didn't - which was Kinsler had been playing on a stress fracture in his foot the previous season at Missouri.  Kinsler proceeded to make his presence known to Rangers fans, a three time American League All-Star at second base, he hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, homerun in the same game) and joined the 30-30 club (30 stolen bases, 30 homeruns) twice (2009 and 2011) and he currently holds the record for the Ranger's in stolen bases (172).

In 2014, in a trade that rocked, well, everybody - Detroit sent Tigers Meet Harlequin fan favorite, Prince Fielder and a boat load of cash to Texas in exchange for Kinsler.

The Baggage: Let's just say that Kinsler wasn't all that pleased with Texas in the end.  Things seem to have started to go south after they traded Michael Young (a rock star for the team) to the Phillies in 2012.  Then they requested that Kinsler move to first base to open up second base for hot prospect Jurickson Profar, which Kinsler declined.  Not thrilled with the changing dynamic in the clubhouse or the front office, the straw broke the camel's back when Kinsler found out he'd been traded to Detroit not by the team GM....but by a Dallas sports radio personality.  Ouch.

Prior to the start of Kinsler's first season in Detroit, he gave an interview in ESPN The Magazine and got his money's worth, calling the Rangers GM "a sleazeball" and saying he hoped the Rangers went 0-162 that season.  There was also a whole lot of talk on who "won" in the blockbuster deal with Detroit.  In the end?  Detroit.  So far at least, as poor Prince had to have season ending surgery on a herniated disk in his neck and ravaged by a slew of other injuries the Rangers went 67-95 in 2014.  Kinsler was once again an All-Star, although Detroit got their butts handed to them by the Baltimore Orioles in the postseason.

Proposed Category Romance Plot:  They say you can't go home again, and in his case they just might be right.  Upset and frustrated with the way he left the state of Texas and the former team he gave a lot of great years too, he's back.  The boos that rained down on him when his new team visited Texas last season were a pretty good indication that he'd burned a few bridges on his way out of town.  But after many years of remission, his mother's cancer is back.  Which means more chemo for a woman who isn't a spring chicken anymore.  So he's coming home to help take care of her, and will just learn to ignore everybody in town giving him dirty looks.  What he didn't plan on was the fact that his high school sweetheart is also back in town.  Oh dear Lord, please don't let her hate him.

The Heroine: They dated in high school, were homecoming king and queen, and if this were a storybook he would have opened a feed store in town and she would be teaching kindergarten.  But that's not what happened.  He left to chase dreams of baseball and not eager to stay in a town where she'd constantly be seeing his ghost, she left for New York to chase dreams of dancing on a Broadway stage.  She chased those dreams, did her best to avoid Yankee Stadium when Ian's teams were in town playing, and had some minor successes.  If you count appearing in a few off-off-Broadway productions and getting a gig in a chorus line for a major show that closed after one week "successful."  Burnt out, and with no desire to resort to doing soft-porn, she heads home to Texas.  Mom and Dad aren't getting any younger and they need help scraping by on what's left of the family farm.  It won't be so bad.  She's been over Ian for years now.  She's moved on.  And then she ends up literally running into him in the meat department at Thompson's Market.  Saints deliver her!

What Category Romance Line?:  That's right folks!  Making it's first appearance in the Tigers Meet Harlequin universe, I give you......Harlequin American Romance! OK, so Kinsler is from Arizona and not Texas, but hey - he played for the Rangers for a long time.  I say close enough!

Tigers Meet Harlequin: The Woman He Couldn't Forget

The Hero: Yoenis Cespedes

What You Need To Know: In 2011, after some serious bidding for his five-tool services, to the shock of everybody (OK, maybe just me?) Cespedes landed with the Oakland Athletics.  Billy Beane obviously found some extra coin under the sofa cushions and Cespedes' career in Oakland, which began in 2012, was highlighted by winning back-to-back Home Run Derbys and a slew of sick outfield assists.

Then in 2014 Billy Beane decided to push all of his chips in and, in a blockbuster deal to land pitcher Jon Lester, Cespedes was sent back to Boston.  In the off-season, in need of pitching help and frankly with a crowded outfield, Boston sent Cespedes packing to Detroit for former Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star, Rick Porcello.

His Baggage: He's Cuban and defected with ten of his family members in the summer of 2011.  Getting out of Cuba is never a picnic, but after establishing residency in the Dominican Republic, he was able to declare himself a "free agent," that's when the Oakland contract came through, and the trouble began.  Now signed with Oakland, Cespedes was able to secure a visa but his family members were on their own with theirs.  Complicating matters, Cespedes and his agent got in a wee tiff over how much money said agent should be receiving from the Oakland contract. Fearing the agent would use them as leverage, the family took off - afraid of being deported back to Cuba.  You can read all about their struggle to get to the US in this San Francisco Chronicle article.  12 months later, the family was finally reunited in the United States.

Proposed Category Romance Plot:  He's in the United States, he's playing baseball, he just cannot remember how he got there.  He remembers leaving Cuba.  He remembers making a shady deal with equally shady characters.  What he doesn't remember is the journey to Arizona or what happened to his family.  The team doctors have declared him physically healthy and ready to go, but fear that his mind will crack under the pressure.  So they send him to a specialist who deals in post-traumatic stress and repressed memories.  Hoping she's as smart as she is pretty, his fears are soon realized.  Because the smart doctor has started to unlock some answers to the questions he's been asking himself for months - and now some very bad men are looking to silence them both.....permanently.

The Heroine: She's spent her whole life trying to convince people that the pretty package contains actual brains.  After her father came home from the Gulf War, a changed man, she was determined to help people just like him - people who had suffered from trauma that left them mentally, although possibly not physically, scarred.  She's worked with countless crime victims, veterans, and first responders.  A baseball player is a new one for her, and even though she finds him attractive and interesting, her ethics keep her firmly at arm's length - until they're thrown together when dangerous men storm into her office one quiet, sunny afternoon.  Running for their lives, sharing close quarters, and trying to unlock the secrets of his mind finds her succumbing to an attraction she knows she needs to deny.

What Category Romance Line?:  Amnesia! Wendy finally cooked up an amnesia plot!  So for that reason I'm skipping the Intrigue line and going with the longer word count in the Harlequin Romantic Suspense universe.  Oh Cespedes - bad men, hired goons, a missing family, and a sexy doctor?  Baseball is so much easier.

Tigers Meet Harlequin: Reunited With The Pitcher's Sweetheart

The Hero: David Price

What You Need To Know: While he was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Price opted to spend three years playing college ball for Vanderbilt that paid off handsomely when he was drafted #1 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007.  He pitched his first major league game in 2008, giving up a home run to Derek Jeter (incidentally Jeter also got his 3000th career hit off Price - another home run in 2011).

But giving up home runs to Jeter aside, Price was money for Tampa Bay - winning the Cy Young Award in 2012, being named the starting pitcher for the American League All-Star Team in 2010, and was a big reason this expansion team started to become credible after posting it's first winning season ever (in 2008) and advancing to the World Series (they lost, to the Phillies).

The Rays on a downhill slide (and looking to dump payroll) in 2014, Price came over to Detroit as part of a three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners.  We lost Drew Smyly (a promising young pitcher) and past Tigers Meet Harlequin All-Star, Austin Jackson.  This move was huge news at the time, since it put three Cy Young winners in Detroit's starting rotation.  Price's time in the second half of the season for Detroit was a little uneven, but he's bounced back sufficiently to be named this year's Opening Day starter.

His Baggage: Active on social media, the real story isn't David Price but his French bulldog, Astro. Astro is a regular fixture in the clubhouse and was so popular in Tampa Bay he even got his own bobble-head promotion.  Look at that face.  How could you not love that sweet, goofy looking face?  Both of them.

Proposed Category Romance Plot:  Looking to recoup after a long, grinding season of upheaval, he heads back to his Tennessee hometown to spend time unwinding and relaxing.  However, instead of family barbecues and playing catch with his nephews in the back yard, he finds himself getting roped into doing charity work for a no-kill animal shelter.  They want him, his dog, and the celebrity power of  them both to raise funds in a hurry, or else one of the very few shelters in the area is in danger of closing it's doors for good.  He's happy to help, until he realizes that he's going to have to work with his former college sweetheart, the girl he done very, very wrong.  But that was a long time ago.  He's a changed man.  Certainly she's still not carrying a grudge?  Uh, hopefully?

The Heroine: Oh boy. How did she let herself get talked into this nightmare?  She's poured her blood, sweat and tears into the shelter, but it's never quite been enough.  In danger of losing the place forever she lets her sister talk her into seeking out David, the man who broke her heart into a million pieces back in college.  She was over the moon for him,  Crazy in love.  Until the day she walked into his dorm room and found him in a compromising position with a girl she thought was her friend.  He left school soon after for the big leagues, and she graduated with a fancy diploma that has led her to fulfilling, albeit poorly paid, work in the non-profit world.  As much as she's not ready to let David back into her life?  She's a different person from the girl she was in college.  And besides, she'd do anything for her shelter, even if that means she has to put barbed-wire around her heart in order to save the place.

What Category Romance Line?:  Oh David, how could you!  Cheating on your college girlfriend!  With a baseball groupie!  Dude.  You've got some fast talking and fancy tap-dancing to do.  Angst, cute puppies and kitty-cats?  A hero who will have to get on bended knee and grovel his face off?  Harlequin Romance.

The 3rd Annual Tigers Meet Harlequin Extravaganza!

This blog has been in existence for 12 years and by my count I've had two great ideas in that entire time.  1) Starting the blog in the first place and 2) Imagining players from my favorite baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, as heroes in category (specifically Harlequin) romance novels.  Long-time visitors of this blog acknowledge the existence of two universal truths:

1) Wendy is insufferable about baseball
2) Wendy is insufferable about Harlequin category romances

And Lord help us all, I seem to have developed a very loyal (Dare I say it? Slightly obsessive?) following to these posts.  Which means I guess I'll be stuck doing them every spring until people grow to hate them, I run out of ideas or players.  Whichever comes first.

For those of you who are new here, it's really quite simple.  I take a real life player on the current Detroit Tigers roster.  I look at him as a person, a player, co-op a bit of his real life story, and throw in a bunch of completely made-up stuff to concoct a category romance novel around him.  Yes, it's as twisted as it sounds.  No, I haven't gotten a cease and desist letter from anyone yet.

Dear Tigers: I do what I do out of love.

Here's a recap of the past two years:

Miguel Cabrera in The Venezuelan's Sexy Bodyguard (Harlequin Presents)
Justin Verlander in Bring the Heat (Harlequin Blaze)
Prince Fielder in Daddy Doesn't Love Me (Harlequin SuperRomance) - now with the Texas Rangers
Phil Coke in Good Time Phil (Harlequin Kiss) - currently with the Chicago Cubs
Austin Jackson in Action Jackson (Harlequin Desire) - now with the Seattle Mariners
Victor Martinez in The Single Dad's Home Run (Harlequin Special Edition)

Max Scherzer in His Brother's Keeper (Harlequin Romance) - now with Washington Nationals
Jose Iglesias in The Shortstop's Secret Baby (Harlequin Intrigue)
Alex Avila in Collision at Home (Cosmo Red Hot Read)
Rick Porcello in Angling Towards Danger (Harlequin Romantic Suspense) - now with the Boston Red Sox

This year I've got four new players, four new stories, and gird your loins girls - this year Wendy tackles an amnesia plot.  Relive the passion, relive the glory, the 2015 roster gets kicked off starting tomorrow.

Dear Mr. Verlander

Dearest Justin,
Last night was your night.  The night it finally happened.  You not only got your first major league hit, but you got two major league hits and came around to score your first run.

I know, those silly National League teams.  Making pitchers have at-bats.  It's cruel.  It's unusual.  I'm pretty sure it defies the Geneva Conventions.  And as interleague play has rolled around every year, you've had to toil away at the plate and encounter nothing but futility.  You've had to contend with reporters pestering you with "So, is this the game you think you'll get your first major league hit?"

Now I know you're a professional athlete.  I know you are THE Justin Verlander.  I know you must work very hard at your job.  But let us reflect for a moment on WHY you got those first two major league hits and scored your first run all in the same game.

A game played a San Diego.

A game that THE Super Librarian, along with the added punch of the Super-Parents just happened to be in attendance for.

That's right Justin.  Ma, Pa and most importantly - me, me, me - just might be your good luck hitting charm.  I mean, I know you're rumored to be dating Kate Upton, but honestly what does she have that I don't have?

Oh.

Yeah.

But was she ever RWA Librarian of the Year?  Can she create whole plots of Harlequin novels based on your teammates?  Oh sure, she may look OK in a bikini but really, what's more important to you?

Wait.  Don't answer that.

But hey, I was there Justin.  I was there for those two hits.  I think we both know that me being in the stands had everything to do with everything.  You know, just like in The Natural!

Just replace the hat with a tiara and add a cape.  You'll get the idea.

Sincerely,
SuperWendy

Angling Towards Danger

The Hero:  Rick Porcello

What You Need To Know:  The 27th overall pick fresh out of high school, Young Mr. Porcello was pitching in the big leagues before he could legally have himself a beer.  He's getting ready to begin his 6th year in the big leagues and the guy just turned 25 years old.  Seriously, wrap your mind around that for just a moment.  Anyway, Ricky has had an up and down career with Detroit, most of which has been attributed to his youth and having to learn as he goes, all while facing down Major League hitters.  He's also what is known as a "ground ball pitcher."  He won't strike out a ton of guys.  He gets guys to swing and hit the ball ineffectually.  Pitchers like Ricky are only as a good as the defense behind them, and Detroit's defense hasn't always been super spectacular - but that should be better this season with a much improved infield (on paper at any rate, we'll see what happens once the season is underway).  He's a Jersey kid, and when the Tigers signed Torii Hunter, Ricky was wearing Torii's preferred jersey number.  Ricky told the veteran he could have the number on one condition - he had to make a donation to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts - which Hunter did.

Also of note, Ricky is constantly rumored to be on the trade block.  Seriously, even as I type this he's rumored to be traded.  But I don't think our GM is going to pull that trigger just yet (we'll see what mid-season brings). I happen to like Ricky.  Yes, power pitches who throw 95 mph are sexy, but that's not the only way to win the game.  Plus, he's a cutie-patootie (Wendy, thou art a dirty old lady).

His Baggage:  OK, sure.  Ricky hasn't exactly lived up to the spectacular hype he generated coming into the draft, but it's not like he's been a vortex of suck.  For his baggage, I'm going to that most wonderful of inventions, the Internet.  What does the Internet tell us about Rick?  He likes to fly fish.  Seriously.  He apparently likes the intensity and solitude of it, which I "get."  Even though baseball is a team sport, being a pitcher is different.  You're one person, out on the mound, all by your lonesome.  Sometimes the game is all on you.  Fishing and pitching, they have a lot in common.

Proposed Category Romance Plot:  After the long grind of the season, he's finally ready to enjoy some time off.  Plus he's more than ready to get away from the trade rumors that constantly seem to follow him.  He's heard rumors of his own, about a legendary fishing guide working in remote areas of Montana.  But chasing the guy down has not been easy, which in this day of cell phone cameras and social media is practically unheard of.  Finally, calling in favor after favor from friends of friends, he's found him.  Sort of.  Turns out "Terry" is short for Theresa.  When flattery doesn't work, he resorts to begging and outright bribery.  Terry agrees to take him out on a fishing holiday, only to find themselves stranded thanks to unseasonable weather and running afoul of some drug smugglers working in the area.  So much of his relaxing holiday.....

The Heroine:  Her old man taught her two useful things: 1) how to live off the grid and 2) how to fish.  Other than that?  She doesn't mourn the man who was like the Unabomber, just without the penchant towards violence.  Living off the grid means she doesn't need a whole lot, and when she does have need for money, she has a few select (in other words, rich) clients who like to fish and pay well.  She's learned that these people are willing to pay handsomely and don't mind confidentially clauses so much because it makes them feel "special" that she's willing to grace them with her presence.  Still, word has gotten around - and she's loathe to take on a baseball player, who is sure to attract attention.  But she needs the cash to get through what is promising to be a harsh winter and the guy is willing to pay her extremely exorbitant (even for her) price.  She can't believe they're stranded now though, all thanks to a storm that turned out to be a lot worse than anyone predicted.  Sure, it had been a while since she'd taken someone to this part of the back country to fish, but damn if drug smugglers didn't find her secluded fishing hideaway.  They're like locusts, and also none too pleased to have their operation found out by a backwoods woman and a professional baseball player.

What Category Romance Line?:  Harlequin Romantic Suspense, with a hat tip to author Jill Sorenson.  Her more recent romantic suspense novels for HQN might have influenced this plot just a wee bit.