'At least we're not Detroit!'

'We're not Detroit!'
Honestly, watching Jim Leyland manage over the last week, I get the idea that he's the Marty Schottenheimer of the baseball world. He's great at putting parts together over the long haul, but when it comes down to brass tacks, he has major brain farts.  When Zach Miner pitches and Edwin Jackson and Justin Verlander don't... there's a problem.
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The White Sox offseason started with two very easy decisions. Kenny Williams picked up options for:
Freddy Garcia: $1 million base salary, plus up to $2 million in incentives.
Matt Thornton: $2.25 million, which is a raise of $900,000.
I'll go through the rest of the option- and arbitration-eligible players throughout the week.
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At MLB Trade Rumors, Eddie Bajek's reverse-engineering of the Elias formula clears up a few other pictures if the numbers hold:
*Octavio Dotel has fallen to Type-B status. If there were any question about the Sox offering arbitration, there isn't now.
*Chone Figgins is a Type B.  Let the bidding war begin!
*Placido Polanco is a Type A.  And he's exactly the kind of low-ceiling player to get financially screwed by this development (see: Cruz, Juan).
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I posted this to my Twitter account, but it's worth posting here -- Michael Jordan against the Cubs on April 7, 1994: