Brandon should give Inge a call for Michigan job

If you watched the Big Ten Baseball Tournament the last few days it would be easy to see a familar face in Nebraska head coach Darin Erstad.

Yes, that’s right, the same Darin Erstad who was the former All-Star outfielder of the Angels.

Erstad, who helped the Angels win the World Series a decade ago, retired from MLB after the 2009 season with the Astros at age 35.

Former Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge just turned 35 earlier this month and is near the end of his career.

Sure, Inge had a week to remember – four home runs and 16 RBI in six games – prior to a spot on the 15-day disabled list a couple of weeks ago.

Well, Inge lives in Saline and showed his love for Michigan hockey by showing up at Yost to attend games during past winters.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon is in need of a head baseball coach after firing Rich Maloney earlier this week. Inge could be interested if given a call.

I’m sure Brandon has other candidates on his mind, one could be Michigan State coach Jake Boss. Scott Stricklin, who has guided Kent State to four Mid-American Conference championships and a win over No. 5 Texas in the NCAA regional at Austin last year, could be another candidate.

It should be interesting to see who Brandon picks to replace Maloney. There is no doubt Maloney had success in Ann Arbor, winning an NCAA regional in 2007, along with three straight Big Ten titles (2006-08), but Brandon wants more championships and the Wolverines failed to even make the conference tournament three of the past four years.

Could Inge win at Michigan? Would Inge even be interested in coaching? Who knows, but it sure would be worth it for Brandon to find out.