Whether he is stationed in center field or at third base, Brandon Inge _ the man who made it clear this spring that he didn’t want to catch anymore _  still finds himself calling nearly every pitch in his head.
        “I think, ‘What would I call?’ ” he admits.
        It’s not that Inge misses catching. But he does miss the constant involvement in the game and the competition.
        “I’ve always done that,” Inge says of his private pitch-calling. “Usually, it’s just common sense. You make an educated guess.”
        Well, if I was to make an educated guess, I would predict Inge will once again be the Tigers’ everyday catcher in 2009.
        It only makes sense, especially now that Inge has had his epiphany and decided he doesn’t actually hate squatting behind home plate after all.
        Pudge Rodriguez’s five-year, $50 million contract expires at the end of this season. At 37, Rodriguez, who would like to play until he is 40, will likely be looking for a multi-year deal worth at least $10 million a year.
        But the Tigers, whose $139 million payroll is already nearing the breaking point, will be looking for places to  cut spending, not hike it any more than is absolutely necessary.
        Inge is signed through 2010. At today’s mind-numbing prices, he is a relative bargain with a contract calling for $6.3 million next season and $6.6 million in 2010.
        That makes him valuable in more ways than one.
        There is no question Inge is a capable catcher.
        And there are no outstanding young catchers in the Tigers’ farm system, knocking on the door.
        The Tigers could try to trade for another receiver or spend big bucks on the free agent market, but chances are they probably wouldn’t end with anyone as good as Inge.
        From the day the Tigers acquired Miguel Cabrera, many in the organization envisioned Inge as the logical eventual replacement for Rodriguez.
        Much as he would still love to play third, Inge now agrees with that assessment.