CURTIS GRANDERSON missed the Tigers’ first 21 games with a broken bone in his right hand, but he has rebounded quickly and is picking up where he left off last season.- Dan Graschuck photo 
“We have a long way to go,” Tigers Manager Jim Leyland said recently following yet another loss. “(Winning is) about players performing. The bottom line is we need to start winning. The thing we have to do is just keep grinding.”

Well, one player that is “grinding” is center fielder Curtis Granderson.

After missing the team’s first 21 games with a broken bone in his right hand suffered during spring training, Granderson has come back with a vengeance.

In his first 17 games back from a rehabilitation stint in Class A West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo, he has five home runs, three doubles and a triple in 65 at-bats.

Granderson, however, noted that he was surprised he had broken his hand after getting hit by a pitch.

“I did not think it was that serious when it happened, because I stayed in the game,” Granderson recalled. “But when I went to shake the trainer’s hand, I knew that something was wrong.”

Granderson said the hardest part of rehabbing was watching the team and not being able to contribute.

It was difficult, too, because he was anxious to start the season after putting together one of the most versatile seasons in Major League Baseball history in 2007 when he produced 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 home runs and 26 stolen bases.

In implementing the remarkable baseball quadruple, he became only the third player in major league history to accumulate, in one season, over 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases – joining Willie Mays in 1957 and Frank “Wildfire” Schulte in 1911 in the 20-20-20-20 club.

“I was not trying to set any records or do anything special,” Granderson, 28, said. “I step into the batters box and if there is something Leyland wants me to do (bunt, hit and run, squeeze, etcetera) I try to execute it. Then I just relax and try to not over think the situation. So far, this approach is working, but I realize I have a lot more to learn to get good at this game.”

In keeping with the prospect of continued learning, Granderson worked overtime in the offseason to be ready for 2008.

“I followed the conditioning regiment, like lifting, hitting and running,” he said. “I thought I came into the 2008 season in excellent shape and maybe as strong as I’ve ever been. However, the injury set me back, because I could not do anything for three weeks.”

Without Granderson, the Tigers started the highly-anticipated season 0-7. They since have been clawing to get back to .500.

“We all feel we have a good team here,” Granderson said. “We just have to stay positive and, hopefully, it will turn around. There are so many games left we have no need to panic.”

With Granderson back at the top of the Tigers’ lineup, it restores some semblance of order to a team that has been hit with numerous injuries.

“He’s the key to the team,” Tigers shortstop Edgar Renteria said. “He can make it happen. He can steal, hit for power or get extra bases hits.”

Added first baseman Miguel Cabrera: “He’s a complete player. He’s the first hitter, so he establishes himself and the rest of the team feeds off what he does.”

Outfielder Magglio Ordonez, the 2007 American League batting champion, said Granderson is the “heart and soul” of the team. He also noted that Granderson is still young and he’ll only get better as he gains more experience.

While hitting, throwing and base running are the things that make a player a player, it appears that Granderson has that something extra that endears him to the fans and his teammates.

“He has an infectious personality,” pitcher Dontrelle Willis said. “The first time I met him I knew there was just something about him that made me like him. He’s a great person and a positive figure on this team.”

Outside of baseball, Granderson is trying to make an impact in the community with his Grand Kids Foundation – an educational-based organization.