Another special Verlander viewing

The Cleveland Indians probably saw those Justin Verlander dips in his curve ball all night in their sleep. I sure got a good look at it even hundreds of feet away in suite 236 in the second deck of Comerica Park.
When Verlander is on it is must watch television. When you see it in person, it is even more of a marvel to watch. I took in the game with the gang from 971 The Ticket. It was boy’s night out and all the radio talk show host were there to witness Verlander's near gem.
Verlander believes he shouldn't give up a hit every time he walks out to the mound. It sure looked that way from the stands. I thought I was going to witness history again. Verlander didn't give up a hit until the eighth inning when Orlando Cabrera lined a sharp single to center field. Verlander gave up two hits and already this season he has tossed a no-hitter and two other times took no hitters deep into the game.
After every weak swing by the Indians I looked up at the monitor to see if my eyes were seeing correctly. They were.
We've debated over the years whether Verlander is an ace? Is he a top 10 pitcher? Is he one of the best in the game? When he's on only a handful of pitchers can compete with him. He has a fast ball that he can churn anywhere from 94 to 101 miles per hour.
His changeup is wicked and that curve ball appears impossible to hit. He stands on the mound with a cocky attitude, almost as if he owns the world. Currently with an 8-3 record he owns the American League and we are certain to see him in the All Star game next month.
When you talk about the best pitchers you usually talk about speed, as in the speed of their fast ball. But Verlander is better because he is slower. He's slowed down the game by taking a little bit more time between pitches. He's fast but he doesn’t look like he’s rushing trying to catch the red eye.
He's toned down his fast ball. When Verlander's entire mission statement is to strike people out, he gets in trouble and runs up his pitch count with bad balls. When Verlander focuses on getting people out, the strike outs just sort of happen.
And when he needs that special fire ball, he can reach into his back pocket and smoke it.
The most interesting thing is the reaction of teammates. When he first threw a no-hitter they were like giddy kids. Now they expect magic from Verlander every time he steps on the mound.
"We expect him to give us a chance to win every time he is out," said catcher Alex Avila. "And our job is to give him the (offensive) support to win."
I know what I am doing every fifth day. I am sitting down and watch Verlander go to work. It might not be from suite 236, but every time he steps to the mound something special can happen. And I don't want to miss it.