My mouth literally waters at the thought of Andrew Miller improving to the point where he can match Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander for class in this rotation. Just think- Verlander, Miller, and then Bondo back-to-back-to-back in about two years. Two legitimate Cy Young candidates and one who could get to that point as well. It's stunning to think about.
Miller was awesome tonight. Even with David Ortiz missing from the Boston lineup, it's pretty potent. Final line against Miller- 1 run, 3 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts. Advantage Miller.
I had the distinct pleasure of sitting behind and next to several Boston fans making the trip to watch the series. Even they stood and applauded Miller with me when he left the mound after single-handedly decimating their team, making at least three different players look like complete idiots on strike outs. It says something about your talent when people from the other team are clapping for you.
Funniest moment of the game for yours truly- Once Tavarez gave up Granderson's homer, Polanco's single, hit Sheffield, and struck out Magglio, everyone decided Terry Francona would make the trip out to the mound to pull Tavarez. No dice. He did do a nice job on Carlos Guillen, but surely with a lefty warming up in the bullpen, Tavarez wouldn't be facing Sean Casey.
So, with Sully The Boston Fan screaming "GO GET HIM TERRY!" Francona loads the bases by intentionally walking Casey. My dad and I and the Tiger fan he was with both look at Sully The Boston Fan and say "Marcus Thames is going yard here" and "Tavarez should be pissed right now" and "Julian might murder Terry Francona when he gets back to the dugout". Five pitches later, we're screaming and laughing as Thames rounds the bases and Tavarez tries not to lose his mind in front of almost 44,000 people. Once Francona actually goes to get him, Sully The Boston Fan lets loose on him and screams every name he can think of at Francona. The crowd felt it coming, we expected Marcus to hit it out, because we knew. Terry Francona? Terry doesn't know.
One more win for the goal for this week (4 out of 6), and the Tigs are tied for first place. Gotta love this game some times.
Friday, July 6, 2007
NFP Strikes Back!
Welcome back, Neifi Fucking Perez. Or should I say, good-bye Neifi Fucking Perez.
Neifi Fucking Perez tested positive for a banned stimulant and starting today, he is starting to serve a 25 game suspension. Sure, in reality this means he'll miss four to five actual appearances, but nonetheless, this is what it took to get Fucking back to his middle name.
Ryan Raburn was called up from Triple-A Toledo yesterday, breaking the news himself since the Tigers organization still hasn't said anything about it. There were questions, certainly in my mind, if Craig Monroe had finally earned his trip 45 minutes south to figure himself out, but NOPE. Raburn must be Neifi Fucking Perez's replacement on the roster, which explains why the Tigers haven't discussed the move yet- their worst player just tested positive for a stimulant.
All right, everyone together now- goddammit Neifi Fucking Perez, you fucking suck.
Neifi Fucking Perez tested positive for a banned stimulant and starting today, he is starting to serve a 25 game suspension. Sure, in reality this means he'll miss four to five actual appearances, but nonetheless, this is what it took to get Fucking back to his middle name.
Ryan Raburn was called up from Triple-A Toledo yesterday, breaking the news himself since the Tigers organization still hasn't said anything about it. There were questions, certainly in my mind, if Craig Monroe had finally earned his trip 45 minutes south to figure himself out, but NOPE. Raburn must be Neifi Fucking Perez's replacement on the roster, which explains why the Tigers haven't discussed the move yet- their worst player just tested positive for a stimulant.
All right, everyone together now- goddammit Neifi Fucking Perez, you fucking suck.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Another 180 Degrees
The emotional roller coaster that is the Detroit Tigers is climbing upwards once again.
Last night's win was the kind of grind-it-out-and-hold-on-for-dear-life type of game that the Tigs don't win very often. After being victimized by poor pitching, poor hitting, and poor defense in the first game of this series, the Tigs got a solid performance out of Kenny Rogers and the bullpen. However, it was a performance that would have been much less solid without spectacular plays from Carlos Guillen, Marcus Thames, and Magglio Ordonez.
Needless to say, it was the type of game that would set the stage for what would seem to be a amazing pitcher's duel between C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander. In the words of Lee Corso, NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!
THESE are the type of games were used to seeing the Tigers have. Justin was shutdown, showing more and more that he is rapidly becoming one of the top pitchers in the big leagues. Seven strikeouts and just three runs allowed over seven innings, not to mention a little shake after striking out his final batter to end the seventh. The kid just exudes confidence when he's on.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the innings, the Tiger bats finally woke up on this homestand. 17 hits, 12 runs, three homers, and driving out the arguably best pitcher in the bigs after just 4 innings. This was an exclamation point, a statement that no matter what, this team won't be held down for too long.
The only thing that saddens me is that this easily, easily could have been a sweep for the Tigers. If Pudge Rodriguez sends his 10th inning foul ball three feet to the left on Tuesday, the Tigers are up by a game in the division right now. Instead, they are a game back and greeting the best team in baseball to Comerica tomorrow night.
Thank god this is the last series before the All-Star break- I don't know how much more of this up and down emotional swinging I can take. I need a break.
Last night's win was the kind of grind-it-out-and-hold-on-for-dear-life type of game that the Tigs don't win very often. After being victimized by poor pitching, poor hitting, and poor defense in the first game of this series, the Tigs got a solid performance out of Kenny Rogers and the bullpen. However, it was a performance that would have been much less solid without spectacular plays from Carlos Guillen, Marcus Thames, and Magglio Ordonez.
Needless to say, it was the type of game that would set the stage for what would seem to be a amazing pitcher's duel between C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander. In the words of Lee Corso, NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!
THESE are the type of games were used to seeing the Tigers have. Justin was shutdown, showing more and more that he is rapidly becoming one of the top pitchers in the big leagues. Seven strikeouts and just three runs allowed over seven innings, not to mention a little shake after striking out his final batter to end the seventh. The kid just exudes confidence when he's on.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the innings, the Tiger bats finally woke up on this homestand. 17 hits, 12 runs, three homers, and driving out the arguably best pitcher in the bigs after just 4 innings. This was an exclamation point, a statement that no matter what, this team won't be held down for too long.
The only thing that saddens me is that this easily, easily could have been a sweep for the Tigers. If Pudge Rodriguez sends his 10th inning foul ball three feet to the left on Tuesday, the Tigers are up by a game in the division right now. Instead, they are a game back and greeting the best team in baseball to Comerica tomorrow night.
Thank god this is the last series before the All-Star break- I don't know how much more of this up and down emotional swinging I can take. I need a break.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Instant (Bad) Karma!
John Lennon's principle of "instant karma" is understood to violate fundamental rules of Buddhist understanding of karma. The Tigers may have disproved over 2,000 years of that way of thinking tonight.
Bases loaded, bottom of the tenth inning, 40,000 screaming people, a .320 hitter up, two opportunities to win the game. A pop out and a ground out later, the score remains tied and the winning run is still ninety feet away. Carlos Guillen and, to a lesser extent, Pudge Rodriguez dropped the ball when it could least afford to be dropped and that right there sealed the Tigers fate. Casey Blake's monstrous home run to put the Tribe up 5-4 seemed like a mere formality, as did the Tigers' automatic 1-2-3 plate appearances in the bottom of the 11th.
The bad karma from having the bases loading and not being able to knock in the winning run with just one out is overwhelming. There was no way the Tigers were going to win after that, the Baseball Gods simply do not let teams have third chances. The Tigs wasted their first two in fabulous fashion, why would they deserve a third?
This game was the closest thing to a playoff game the Tigers have seen in early July in a longtime. Fans of both teams screaming at each other, at the players, at the umpires. The atmosphere was electric and each pitch seemed like a big time play. And the Tigers choked. Badly.
The tone was set early when Nate Roberston allowed Casey Blake to get a base hit when he had him down 0-2 with Grady Sizemore on first with the fourth pitch of the game. It's a stupid mistake that led to an early Indians lead.
Nate worked his ass off tonight to leave the game with a lead, and he did that. It was a questionable decision by Leyland, in my mind, to even put Nate out for the fifth inning after he had already thrown over 100 pitches. Luckily, he didn't make my fears warranted. Zach Miner pitched well in two innings of scoreless relief, even though the guy gives me a fucking heart attack some times.
Indians fans should be thankful that the world's worst umpire, Darryl Cousin, even allowed their third run to be on base. Travis Hafner nearly stands directly behind home plate when he bats. He rubs out the back of the batter's box and is about a full-step towards the catcher. Now there's a weak ground ball to first and, SURPRISE, Cousin rules it Catcher Interference, when the runner at third was tagged out on the play trying to score. So, instead of runners on first and second with two outs, Hafner singles in the runner and the game is tied. Bullshit.
In Part Two of the "Darryl Cousin Is The World's Worst Umpire" series, comes the third out of hte bottom of the fifth. The Tigs take the lead on Guillen's single to left that scores Polanco, but Gary Sheffield is called out at home plate when he slides into Kelly "I have a girl's name" Slobbach or whatever the fuck his name was. I'm pretty sure WTFHNW (Whatever The Fuck His Name Was) dropped the ball, but that's without seeing a replay yet seeing as I just got back from the game, so correct me if I'm wrong. But, Sheff slid over the plate. Without a doubt. And was called out. And then he and Placido nearly murdered Cousin. So I'm thinking I'm justified in my belief that he was safe.
In episode nine million and thirty-three of the Tiger bullpen blowing a game, the 4-3 that the Tigers had was blown on the very first pitch from Chad Durbin in the eighth. Seriously, one pitch. Durbs has now ruined my trust in him, running the count of Tiger Relievers I Believe In to a grand total of 1. Number of healthy Tiger relievers I trust- 0. Zoom Zoom come back soon.
Finally, part three of "Darryl Cousin Is The World's Worst Umpire"- WGAFWHNI (Who Gives A Fuck What His Name Is) Betancourt's repeated balks in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. When he came set, Betancourt's leg would have a seizure. This is a balk. Cousin WARNED Cleveland manager Eric Wedge about it. What is this, fucking Little League? IT'S THE DAMN BIG LEAGUES! IF HE BALKS, CALL IT. But does Cousin ever call the balk on Betancourt? No, the second base umpire does, WHO CAN'T EVEN SEE THE LEG FROM WHERE HE IS! He just knew it was going on! Why isn't Cousin making that call?
So after all that, what else are we left with for me to bitch about?
Oh yes, Jose Capellan will fit right in with the Tigers' bullpen. One very, very impressive inning and then two thirds of a good inning, and then one HUGE mistake. Sounds about par for the course. I think that bullpen is just fucking cursed.
Craig Monroe is becoming the equivalent of Chris Shelton. He needs to go down to Toledo and figure out what the hell is wrong with him. He looks awful. Butt Fucking Awful. I love C-Mo as much as any Tiger fan, but he's killing the team right now. The bottom part of that order was always, always a strength last year. Now, not so much. Craig needs to get right, and needs it in the worst way.
Speaking of Monroe, is Marcus Thames dead? Did he leave the team between Sunday and tonight? Does Marcus just not pinch hit late in ball games? Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but he did hit the winning home run in the eighth inning on Sunday right? Now, you're Jim Leyland and you've got a guy who hasn't hit jack shit in a month or a guy who's coming off one of the biggest home runs of his life and also happens to play the same position. WHY, WHY, WHY DON'T YOU PINCH HIT THAMES FOR MONROE? Is there not a spot on this team for Marcus?!
Brandon Inge continues to cause me to loathe his existence. What other Tiger looks at a called third strike fastball that's knee-high and over the plate and then argues with the home plate umpire about it? Seriously, what the fuck Inge.
Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, and Gary Sheffield might be the only hitters worth having on this team in a clutch situation. Why? They aren't trying to hit home runs. Every other Tiger was looking to smack the ball out of the park to get that walk-off, whereas Polanco and Sheff started the should-have-been-game-winning rally in the tenth by hitting the ball on the ground and taking what they were given. Mags was walked, but he was putting good swings on the ball as well. Everyone else looked like shit.
This loss hurts way more than it should. It's going to take a while before I can speak sanely about this team again.
Bases loaded, bottom of the tenth inning, 40,000 screaming people, a .320 hitter up, two opportunities to win the game. A pop out and a ground out later, the score remains tied and the winning run is still ninety feet away. Carlos Guillen and, to a lesser extent, Pudge Rodriguez dropped the ball when it could least afford to be dropped and that right there sealed the Tigers fate. Casey Blake's monstrous home run to put the Tribe up 5-4 seemed like a mere formality, as did the Tigers' automatic 1-2-3 plate appearances in the bottom of the 11th.
The bad karma from having the bases loading and not being able to knock in the winning run with just one out is overwhelming. There was no way the Tigers were going to win after that, the Baseball Gods simply do not let teams have third chances. The Tigs wasted their first two in fabulous fashion, why would they deserve a third?
This game was the closest thing to a playoff game the Tigers have seen in early July in a longtime. Fans of both teams screaming at each other, at the players, at the umpires. The atmosphere was electric and each pitch seemed like a big time play. And the Tigers choked. Badly.
The tone was set early when Nate Roberston allowed Casey Blake to get a base hit when he had him down 0-2 with Grady Sizemore on first with the fourth pitch of the game. It's a stupid mistake that led to an early Indians lead.
Nate worked his ass off tonight to leave the game with a lead, and he did that. It was a questionable decision by Leyland, in my mind, to even put Nate out for the fifth inning after he had already thrown over 100 pitches. Luckily, he didn't make my fears warranted. Zach Miner pitched well in two innings of scoreless relief, even though the guy gives me a fucking heart attack some times.
Indians fans should be thankful that the world's worst umpire, Darryl Cousin, even allowed their third run to be on base. Travis Hafner nearly stands directly behind home plate when he bats. He rubs out the back of the batter's box and is about a full-step towards the catcher. Now there's a weak ground ball to first and, SURPRISE, Cousin rules it Catcher Interference, when the runner at third was tagged out on the play trying to score. So, instead of runners on first and second with two outs, Hafner singles in the runner and the game is tied. Bullshit.
In Part Two of the "Darryl Cousin Is The World's Worst Umpire" series, comes the third out of hte bottom of the fifth. The Tigs take the lead on Guillen's single to left that scores Polanco, but Gary Sheffield is called out at home plate when he slides into Kelly "I have a girl's name" Slobbach or whatever the fuck his name was. I'm pretty sure WTFHNW (Whatever The Fuck His Name Was) dropped the ball, but that's without seeing a replay yet seeing as I just got back from the game, so correct me if I'm wrong. But, Sheff slid over the plate. Without a doubt. And was called out. And then he and Placido nearly murdered Cousin. So I'm thinking I'm justified in my belief that he was safe.
In episode nine million and thirty-three of the Tiger bullpen blowing a game, the 4-3 that the Tigers had was blown on the very first pitch from Chad Durbin in the eighth. Seriously, one pitch. Durbs has now ruined my trust in him, running the count of Tiger Relievers I Believe In to a grand total of 1. Number of healthy Tiger relievers I trust- 0. Zoom Zoom come back soon.
Finally, part three of "Darryl Cousin Is The World's Worst Umpire"- WGAFWHNI (Who Gives A Fuck What His Name Is) Betancourt's repeated balks in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. When he came set, Betancourt's leg would have a seizure. This is a balk. Cousin WARNED Cleveland manager Eric Wedge about it. What is this, fucking Little League? IT'S THE DAMN BIG LEAGUES! IF HE BALKS, CALL IT. But does Cousin ever call the balk on Betancourt? No, the second base umpire does, WHO CAN'T EVEN SEE THE LEG FROM WHERE HE IS! He just knew it was going on! Why isn't Cousin making that call?
So after all that, what else are we left with for me to bitch about?
Oh yes, Jose Capellan will fit right in with the Tigers' bullpen. One very, very impressive inning and then two thirds of a good inning, and then one HUGE mistake. Sounds about par for the course. I think that bullpen is just fucking cursed.
Craig Monroe is becoming the equivalent of Chris Shelton. He needs to go down to Toledo and figure out what the hell is wrong with him. He looks awful. Butt Fucking Awful. I love C-Mo as much as any Tiger fan, but he's killing the team right now. The bottom part of that order was always, always a strength last year. Now, not so much. Craig needs to get right, and needs it in the worst way.
Speaking of Monroe, is Marcus Thames dead? Did he leave the team between Sunday and tonight? Does Marcus just not pinch hit late in ball games? Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but he did hit the winning home run in the eighth inning on Sunday right? Now, you're Jim Leyland and you've got a guy who hasn't hit jack shit in a month or a guy who's coming off one of the biggest home runs of his life and also happens to play the same position. WHY, WHY, WHY DON'T YOU PINCH HIT THAMES FOR MONROE? Is there not a spot on this team for Marcus?!
Brandon Inge continues to cause me to loathe his existence. What other Tiger looks at a called third strike fastball that's knee-high and over the plate and then argues with the home plate umpire about it? Seriously, what the fuck Inge.
Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, and Gary Sheffield might be the only hitters worth having on this team in a clutch situation. Why? They aren't trying to hit home runs. Every other Tiger was looking to smack the ball out of the park to get that walk-off, whereas Polanco and Sheff started the should-have-been-game-winning rally in the tenth by hitting the ball on the ground and taking what they were given. Mags was walked, but he was putting good swings on the ball as well. Everyone else looked like shit.
This loss hurts way more than it should. It's going to take a while before I can speak sanely about this team again.
Monday, July 2, 2007
This Is The Big Time
Usually teams are worried about when they play heavy hitters on the road out of their ballpark. However, for our Detroit Tigers it's quite the opposite.
Baseball's two best teams come to town this weekend, with Cleveland coming in tomorrow for a three game set and then Boston on Friday for another three game series. Cleveland is 1.5 games up on the Tigers right now and Boston is running away with AL East again after getting the shit scared out of them by the Yankees a few weeks ago.
From all appearances, the Tigs and the Indians are two teams headed in different directions right now. The Indians are coming off of a sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays and retaking the lead in the Central. Meanwhile, the Tigers just salvaged a win in a series loss to Minnesota after dropping two of three to the Texas Rangers. This series has nearly the same look as the one last season when the White Sox came to town in July shortly after the All-Star Break. That's the series when Craig Monroe hit a monster grand slam in the second game to turn the tide in two different teams' seasons, spurring the Tigers on to playoff glory and the White Sox to third place in the Central.
It might take some of the same types of heroics if the Tigers are going to survive the Tribe. Not to put a reverse jinx on Cleveland or anything (I would NEVER do that), but the Indians have the look of a team right now that's going to roll through the rest of the schedule. C.C. Sabathia is pitching like a man on fire and the line-up that hits for him is putting up runs like it's nobody's business. It's really unfair for a struggling team like the Tigers to run into such a buzzsaw at this point in the year. One can only hope that they take it easy on our boys.
Boston meanwhile, is 10.5 games up in the AL East and has the makings of a World Series contender. They are in the midst of a rough road trip right now, having been swept by Seattle last week and had two of three taken from them against the Rangers in Arlington. However, they still are the best team in baseball with a 49-31 record and are going to be a rough, rough test for our Tigs going into the Break.
These are going to be six excruciating games in a ballpark where the Tigs have not played all that great this season, just 20-18 at the CoPa this year. Winning each series should be the goal for the Tigers, but going .500 for this week would be a big, big step. This is going to show us a lot about the resolve of our boys heading into the All-Star Break next week- let's just hope that it's not in the negative.
Baseball's two best teams come to town this weekend, with Cleveland coming in tomorrow for a three game set and then Boston on Friday for another three game series. Cleveland is 1.5 games up on the Tigers right now and Boston is running away with AL East again after getting the shit scared out of them by the Yankees a few weeks ago.
From all appearances, the Tigs and the Indians are two teams headed in different directions right now. The Indians are coming off of a sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays and retaking the lead in the Central. Meanwhile, the Tigers just salvaged a win in a series loss to Minnesota after dropping two of three to the Texas Rangers. This series has nearly the same look as the one last season when the White Sox came to town in July shortly after the All-Star Break. That's the series when Craig Monroe hit a monster grand slam in the second game to turn the tide in two different teams' seasons, spurring the Tigers on to playoff glory and the White Sox to third place in the Central.
It might take some of the same types of heroics if the Tigers are going to survive the Tribe. Not to put a reverse jinx on Cleveland or anything (I would NEVER do that), but the Indians have the look of a team right now that's going to roll through the rest of the schedule. C.C. Sabathia is pitching like a man on fire and the line-up that hits for him is putting up runs like it's nobody's business. It's really unfair for a struggling team like the Tigers to run into such a buzzsaw at this point in the year. One can only hope that they take it easy on our boys.
Boston meanwhile, is 10.5 games up in the AL East and has the makings of a World Series contender. They are in the midst of a rough road trip right now, having been swept by Seattle last week and had two of three taken from them against the Rangers in Arlington. However, they still are the best team in baseball with a 49-31 record and are going to be a rough, rough test for our Tigs going into the Break.
These are going to be six excruciating games in a ballpark where the Tigs have not played all that great this season, just 20-18 at the CoPa this year. Winning each series should be the goal for the Tigers, but going .500 for this week would be a big, big step. This is going to show us a lot about the resolve of our boys heading into the All-Star Break next week- let's just hope that it's not in the negative.
All-Star Trips And Division Slips
Congratulations to the five Detroit Tigers who, as of right now, will be making the trip to San Fransisco for the All-Star Game. Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez, and Placido Polanco will all be in the starting line-up for the American League and Justin Verlander and Carlos Guillen will be coming off of the bench. While Pudge may not exactly be deserving of an All-Star spot, reputation certainly worked for him this year as he and the other Tigers get some much deserved recognition.
Jeremy Bonderman has a chance to become the sixth Tiger if he is voted in by the fans over the next week or so. After last night's performance on national TV, he definitely should be picking up some extra votes.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Tigs had yet another rough series against the Twins that culminated in a 1-0 victory last night on Sunday Night Baseball. Last night was the kind of grind-it-out pitching performance that a pitcher like Jeremy Bonderman, the staff's ace, is supposed to throw- eight innings of shut-out ball even when through the first three he had already thrown 50 pitches. Every now and then these Tiger starters can turn into bona fide stoppers, it's just too bad that both Justin Verlander and Andrew Miller allowed 14 runs between the two in their two starts to begin the series.
What we're seeing right now is another example of how long a baseball season really is. Just a week ago, we were all praising the Tigers for taking a two-game lead in the AL Central and the fact that they were hitting the shit out of the ball and shutting teams down on the mound. Today, the bats have gone nearly silent and the pitching as become suspect once again, only now it's from the starters on down. And as far as the standings go, the Tigs are right back to 1.5 games behind Cleveland again.
Maybe that's why I'm not really all that worried. It's the beginning of July and the Tigers are only 1.5 out of first and switching between first and second on a almost weekly basis. There's still three full months left of baseball to be played and there are a lot of scores still to be settled. So no, I'm not ready to throw in the towel or to claim victory. But this week ought to say a lot about what's going to happen after the All-Star Break.
Jeremy Bonderman has a chance to become the sixth Tiger if he is voted in by the fans over the next week or so. After last night's performance on national TV, he definitely should be picking up some extra votes.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Tigs had yet another rough series against the Twins that culminated in a 1-0 victory last night on Sunday Night Baseball. Last night was the kind of grind-it-out pitching performance that a pitcher like Jeremy Bonderman, the staff's ace, is supposed to throw- eight innings of shut-out ball even when through the first three he had already thrown 50 pitches. Every now and then these Tiger starters can turn into bona fide stoppers, it's just too bad that both Justin Verlander and Andrew Miller allowed 14 runs between the two in their two starts to begin the series.
What we're seeing right now is another example of how long a baseball season really is. Just a week ago, we were all praising the Tigers for taking a two-game lead in the AL Central and the fact that they were hitting the shit out of the ball and shutting teams down on the mound. Today, the bats have gone nearly silent and the pitching as become suspect once again, only now it's from the starters on down. And as far as the standings go, the Tigs are right back to 1.5 games behind Cleveland again.
Maybe that's why I'm not really all that worried. It's the beginning of July and the Tigers are only 1.5 out of first and switching between first and second on a almost weekly basis. There's still three full months left of baseball to be played and there are a lot of scores still to be settled. So no, I'm not ready to throw in the towel or to claim victory. But this week ought to say a lot about what's going to happen after the All-Star Break.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Everything You Thought You Knew...
So after and encouraging series against Atlanta, three close ballgames that were well-pitched, the Tigs return home aaaaand get the old pitching back.
Out of all the Tiger pitchers in this series against Texas, the returning Nate Robertson was the only one who did not make me shake my head in anguish. Jeremy Bonderman looked shut down for points on Monday, but then fell apart spectacularly to allow a bunch of Rangers to cross the plate and put the Tigs out of it early. The same old bullpen got off the plane from the Dirty-Dirty and has allowed over ten runs in the past two games.
The Texas Rangers are a bad team. They have improved since the Tigers played them last month, but they are still not good. Yet they have waltzed into Comerica Park and beaten the Tigers once and let them beat themselves yesterday. It's disheartening coming off such a successful road trip.
With the game today being rained out, the Tigs are almost certain to be relegated back into second place in the division tonight. We all knew that at some point the bats would go quiet, and then that's when this team would get into trouble. Well, for three games prior the bats were quiet and the pitching held it together, but now the trouble begins. There are three pitchers I trust coming out of the Tiger bullpen- Durbin, DLC, and Zumaya. Zoomer is hurt and DLC just had a shithole outing on Monday, so that limits me to Chad Durbin.
Par for the course at this point, right?
Out of all the Tiger pitchers in this series against Texas, the returning Nate Robertson was the only one who did not make me shake my head in anguish. Jeremy Bonderman looked shut down for points on Monday, but then fell apart spectacularly to allow a bunch of Rangers to cross the plate and put the Tigs out of it early. The same old bullpen got off the plane from the Dirty-Dirty and has allowed over ten runs in the past two games.
The Texas Rangers are a bad team. They have improved since the Tigers played them last month, but they are still not good. Yet they have waltzed into Comerica Park and beaten the Tigers once and let them beat themselves yesterday. It's disheartening coming off such a successful road trip.
With the game today being rained out, the Tigs are almost certain to be relegated back into second place in the division tonight. We all knew that at some point the bats would go quiet, and then that's when this team would get into trouble. Well, for three games prior the bats were quiet and the pitching held it together, but now the trouble begins. There are three pitchers I trust coming out of the Tiger bullpen- Durbin, DLC, and Zumaya. Zoomer is hurt and DLC just had a shithole outing on Monday, so that limits me to Chad Durbin.
Par for the course at this point, right?
Monday, June 25, 2007
Too Classy To Start Verlander?
The All-Star Game is fast approaching and it looks like there will be quite a few Tigers making an appearance at this year's game in San Fransisco. Pudge Rodriguez and Placido Polanco are looking as if they will be voted in by the fans, while Magglio Ordonez is fourth in AL Outfielder balloting (because fans are idiots) and will almost certainly be named to the team by Jim Leyland.
Of course, there are cases that can be made for at least three other Tiger position players who aren't even close to being voted in. Carlos Guillen is batting .324 and having yet another outstanding season at shortstop for the Tigs. Gary Sheffield leads the team in stolen bases and has raised his average to .295 after an incredibly rough April, while Curtis Granderson didn't even make the ballot, yet is batting .284 and looking like a Gold Glove candidate in centerfield.
The pitching staffs are named by the managers and coaching staffs of each league, and with Jim Leyland leading the AL, it seems as if at least one Tiger pitcher will make the team. Justin Verlander looks to be that guy, dominating with a 9-2 record, a 2.78 ERA, 85 strikeouts and a no-hitter to boot. Jeremy Bonderman might also be thrown into the game, based on his 9-0 record and 4.01 ERA.
Since Verlander is becoming one of the stand out pitchers in the American League, it begs the question: should he start the All-Star game? John Loe of the Free Press certainly thinks so, but this calls in a question of morality- is it wrong for Jim Leyland to name one of his own pitchers the starter in the All-Star game?
Anyone who has remotely followed the Tigers' during Leyland's tenure knows that he is one classy individual. The man is basically a god. While Verlander definitely makes a solid candidate for that starting role, Kenny Rogers started the game for the AL last year and having two Tigers start the All Star game in a row might take away from other pitchers, such as, and mainly, Josh Beckett, from having the sort of spot light they deserve for their performances.
Beckett has been having a great year, no doubt about it. He's 11-1 with a 3.11 ERA and 79 strikeouts. Verlander might edge him out on ERA and strikeout numbers, but Beckett's performance this year shows a marked improvement from where he was last year in his first year with Boston. What we're seeing from Justin is pretty much what we expected, while Beckett has been exceeding expectations that pretty much put him down as a failed trade for the BoSox after last season's disappointing finish. Usually the role of starting the game comes down to how much rest each pitcher has had coming into the game, and Beckett and Verlander should off-set with plenty of rest for each.
As great as Justin has been, and as great as he's going to be, this year should be Beckett's to start. The last thing the Tigers' need is a ton of national attention for Jim Leyland supposedly playing favorites, even if Verlander might come through as the starter on a subjective basis as well. Plus, if it means tiring out Beckett a little bit more for that wild-card spot, I'm all for it. If Justin gets the nod, I won't be complaining, but Beckett probably should, if only because Leyland is that kind of guy.
Of course, there are cases that can be made for at least three other Tiger position players who aren't even close to being voted in. Carlos Guillen is batting .324 and having yet another outstanding season at shortstop for the Tigs. Gary Sheffield leads the team in stolen bases and has raised his average to .295 after an incredibly rough April, while Curtis Granderson didn't even make the ballot, yet is batting .284 and looking like a Gold Glove candidate in centerfield.
The pitching staffs are named by the managers and coaching staffs of each league, and with Jim Leyland leading the AL, it seems as if at least one Tiger pitcher will make the team. Justin Verlander looks to be that guy, dominating with a 9-2 record, a 2.78 ERA, 85 strikeouts and a no-hitter to boot. Jeremy Bonderman might also be thrown into the game, based on his 9-0 record and 4.01 ERA.
Since Verlander is becoming one of the stand out pitchers in the American League, it begs the question: should he start the All-Star game? John Loe of the Free Press certainly thinks so, but this calls in a question of morality- is it wrong for Jim Leyland to name one of his own pitchers the starter in the All-Star game?
Anyone who has remotely followed the Tigers' during Leyland's tenure knows that he is one classy individual. The man is basically a god. While Verlander definitely makes a solid candidate for that starting role, Kenny Rogers started the game for the AL last year and having two Tigers start the All Star game in a row might take away from other pitchers, such as, and mainly, Josh Beckett, from having the sort of spot light they deserve for their performances.
Beckett has been having a great year, no doubt about it. He's 11-1 with a 3.11 ERA and 79 strikeouts. Verlander might edge him out on ERA and strikeout numbers, but Beckett's performance this year shows a marked improvement from where he was last year in his first year with Boston. What we're seeing from Justin is pretty much what we expected, while Beckett has been exceeding expectations that pretty much put him down as a failed trade for the BoSox after last season's disappointing finish. Usually the role of starting the game comes down to how much rest each pitcher has had coming into the game, and Beckett and Verlander should off-set with plenty of rest for each.
As great as Justin has been, and as great as he's going to be, this year should be Beckett's to start. The last thing the Tigers' need is a ton of national attention for Jim Leyland supposedly playing favorites, even if Verlander might come through as the starter on a subjective basis as well. Plus, if it means tiring out Beckett a little bit more for that wild-card spot, I'm all for it. If Justin gets the nod, I won't be complaining, but Beckett probably should, if only because Leyland is that kind of guy.
A Sweep From Last Year
One run allowed, two shutouts, three wins. This weekend's series was something straight out of last year's playbook, what with all the bullpen dominance and brilliant starting pitching. It's the type of thing that us Tiger fans had come to expect from this team, but hadn't really gotten at all until this weekend.
True enough, this turn of form was against a struggling National League side in the Braves that had been shut out in two or three consecutive games prior to Friday night. A bigger test will be the series that begins tonight against Texas- a ball club that can hit and is more of a prototypical American League team. As nice as this weekend was, it's still a bit much to rejoice at the return of the 2006 Detroit Tigers. I'd like to see a series victory in the same type of fashion over these Texas Rangers.
More questions were answered this weekend on the subject of the Tigers' pitching situations. Between the trades of Wil Ledezma and Mike Maroth, two, and possibly even three depending on what management decides to do with Macay McBride, roster spots opened. The two spots will be manned by Euglio De La Cruz, who continues to impress, and Andrew Miller. Miller seems to be the guy taking over the fifth spot in the rotation, as Chad Durbin is moved to the pen.
It hurts to see Durbs moved out of the rotation, but with last night's shut down performance upon entering the game, the will of the kid shines bright. He fought and fought and fought for the past three months for a major league spot, and now he's going to get it and fight harder to keep it. 2 and 2/3 innings of shut-out baseball for his first career save and perhaps provided even firmer ground for the shaky bullpen to stand on. It seems that solutions to the bullpen problem are beginning to take hold.
I'd still like to see Andrew Miller moved down to Erie. My own personal opinion is that he still has a few things to work on that would be better served be observed by people who have experience molding major leaguers. But you know what? There are four potential aces in the Tigers' rotation now. Bonderman, Verlander, and Miller are all power pitchers who can completely shut down a line up and Kenny Rogers is THE MAN who can out-pitch a good hitting team. All Nate Robertson has to do is go out and do what he does best- bulldog his way through games and keep the Tigs in the game. Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, and Andrew Miller. Incredible.
It's late-June and the boys are heating up. Coming into this long homestand, they complete a 8-1 trip, complete with two sweeps and seven consecutive wins. Watching the way they're playing right now, two games up on the Indians at the moment, is it feasible to see anything other than injuries that can slow this team down?
True enough, this turn of form was against a struggling National League side in the Braves that had been shut out in two or three consecutive games prior to Friday night. A bigger test will be the series that begins tonight against Texas- a ball club that can hit and is more of a prototypical American League team. As nice as this weekend was, it's still a bit much to rejoice at the return of the 2006 Detroit Tigers. I'd like to see a series victory in the same type of fashion over these Texas Rangers.
More questions were answered this weekend on the subject of the Tigers' pitching situations. Between the trades of Wil Ledezma and Mike Maroth, two, and possibly even three depending on what management decides to do with Macay McBride, roster spots opened. The two spots will be manned by Euglio De La Cruz, who continues to impress, and Andrew Miller. Miller seems to be the guy taking over the fifth spot in the rotation, as Chad Durbin is moved to the pen.
It hurts to see Durbs moved out of the rotation, but with last night's shut down performance upon entering the game, the will of the kid shines bright. He fought and fought and fought for the past three months for a major league spot, and now he's going to get it and fight harder to keep it. 2 and 2/3 innings of shut-out baseball for his first career save and perhaps provided even firmer ground for the shaky bullpen to stand on. It seems that solutions to the bullpen problem are beginning to take hold.
I'd still like to see Andrew Miller moved down to Erie. My own personal opinion is that he still has a few things to work on that would be better served be observed by people who have experience molding major leaguers. But you know what? There are four potential aces in the Tigers' rotation now. Bonderman, Verlander, and Miller are all power pitchers who can completely shut down a line up and Kenny Rogers is THE MAN who can out-pitch a good hitting team. All Nate Robertson has to do is go out and do what he does best- bulldog his way through games and keep the Tigs in the game. Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, and Andrew Miller. Incredible.
It's late-June and the boys are heating up. Coming into this long homestand, they complete a 8-1 trip, complete with two sweeps and seven consecutive wins. Watching the way they're playing right now, two games up on the Indians at the moment, is it feasible to see anything other than injuries that can slow this team down?
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Magglio Doing Fine/Nice Work By The Pen
I was ready to kill someone when I saw Magglio cringe in pain after being hit on the hand with a pitch in the eighth inning of this game. Although Mags didn't look to be in too much pain, he was pulled from the game which only added to my racing heartbeat and worries.
Fortunately, Ordonez is okay. It's simply a bruised hand and all X-rays came back negative. He's expected to be back in the line-up for tomorrow's game.
I figure I give the bullpen enough hell when they do something wrong, it's about high time I acknowledge what they do right. Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, and DLC were all fantastic tonight. Three innings of shut down relief which is exactly what this team needs to get on a night in and night out basis. Hopefully this becomes a trend.
Fortunately, Ordonez is okay. It's simply a bruised hand and all X-rays came back negative. He's expected to be back in the line-up for tomorrow's game.
I figure I give the bullpen enough hell when they do something wrong, it's about high time I acknowledge what they do right. Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, and DLC were all fantastic tonight. Three innings of shut down relief which is exactly what this team needs to get on a night in and night out basis. Hopefully this becomes a trend.
That Would Be 29 Straight Scoreless
Six innings, no runs, two hits, five strike outs, no walks. There's Kenny Rogers' line from tonight, his first start this season and one of the more impressive in his long career.
It's always impressive when you shut a team down. It's better when you shut a team out. But when you shut a team out during your first start of the season after missing two and a half months because you had a blood clot in your shoulder and you only had 8 and 2/3 innings of rehab work in the minor leagues before said start? Well, then you're just fucking amazing
Rogers looked better than sharp, he looked incredible. He had no hit ball through 3 and 2/3 and allowed just one more hit after that. Of course, he started a bit rocky- a hit batsmen with his first pitch of the night. But after that, 10 Atlanta Braves in a row were set down. For a team that has been winning a lot of games 12-4 and 9-5 recently, getting a pitching performance that was as dominant as this one reminds one a lot of last year. It's the same formula.
And yes, dating back to last season now, Rogers has thrown 29 straight scoreless innings. Sorry, thrown isn't the proper term- he's pitched those innings. The Gambler knows himself better than anyone: he knew that he was able to return after so few innings in the minors, he knew when to drop down and throw side arm on a few sliders, and he knew exactly how to roll through a young Braves team.
While Kenny's return was sweet, you know what's even sweeter, Tiger fans? Cleveland lost to the Nationals 4-1, marking the Tigers' return to first place in the AL Central.
It's always impressive when you shut a team down. It's better when you shut a team out. But when you shut a team out during your first start of the season after missing two and a half months because you had a blood clot in your shoulder and you only had 8 and 2/3 innings of rehab work in the minor leagues before said start? Well, then you're just fucking amazing
Rogers looked better than sharp, he looked incredible. He had no hit ball through 3 and 2/3 and allowed just one more hit after that. Of course, he started a bit rocky- a hit batsmen with his first pitch of the night. But after that, 10 Atlanta Braves in a row were set down. For a team that has been winning a lot of games 12-4 and 9-5 recently, getting a pitching performance that was as dominant as this one reminds one a lot of last year. It's the same formula.
And yes, dating back to last season now, Rogers has thrown 29 straight scoreless innings. Sorry, thrown isn't the proper term- he's pitched those innings. The Gambler knows himself better than anyone: he knew that he was able to return after so few innings in the minors, he knew when to drop down and throw side arm on a few sliders, and he knew exactly how to roll through a young Braves team.
While Kenny's return was sweet, you know what's even sweeter, Tiger fans? Cleveland lost to the Nationals 4-1, marking the Tigers' return to first place in the AL Central.
Friday, June 22, 2007
KENNY!
There are few moments in sports that I have experienced that match what happened during Game 3 of the ALDS last year.
Kenny Rogers held 43,000 Tiger fans' hearts in his hands with every pitch, and he delivered. He was as desperate as we were to shake the image of "losers"- ready to taste glory for the first time in his career. And because of Kenny Rogers, we did.
Steve Yzerman with the Red Wings in 1997. Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammel, and Jack Morris in 1984. Al Kaline and Mickey Lolich in 1968. Gordie Howe roughly forever. Isaiah Thomas in 1989. Kenny Rogers' performance that night and throughout the 2006 post-season ranks right up there with those as far as an athlete making a special connection with the city of Detroit. It doesn't matter that the Tigers are the umpteenth team that Rogers has pitched for: he's one of us now. The emotion he showed on the mound, the appreciation he showed for the ovation, the strikes he threw, the batters he struck out, all of it bridged that gap between athlete and fan. He let us know he wanted it as bad as we did. It was beyond special.
That chilly Friday in October, followed by the next Friday and the next Sunday are the three biggest reasons why my first male child is going to be named Kenny. 23 scoreless innings in the post-season for the team that I have loved since birth. The man deserves a ring on his finger and it's for him, for Kenny Rogers, that I want the Tigers to take the Series this year over any other.
Starting tonight, this might be his final run. The guy is 41 and there's a lot of miles on that arm. It might be one of the shortest love affairs a city will have had with an athlete, but nothing will ever take away from those three starts. So when FSN Detroit starts showing highlights of last year's playoffs when 43,000 Tiger fans screamed "KEN-NY KEN-NY!" at the top of their lungs, just let the goosebumps come and then take a deep breath.
Welcome back Kenny, you were missed.
Kenny Rogers held 43,000 Tiger fans' hearts in his hands with every pitch, and he delivered. He was as desperate as we were to shake the image of "losers"- ready to taste glory for the first time in his career. And because of Kenny Rogers, we did.
Steve Yzerman with the Red Wings in 1997. Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammel, and Jack Morris in 1984. Al Kaline and Mickey Lolich in 1968. Gordie Howe roughly forever. Isaiah Thomas in 1989. Kenny Rogers' performance that night and throughout the 2006 post-season ranks right up there with those as far as an athlete making a special connection with the city of Detroit. It doesn't matter that the Tigers are the umpteenth team that Rogers has pitched for: he's one of us now. The emotion he showed on the mound, the appreciation he showed for the ovation, the strikes he threw, the batters he struck out, all of it bridged that gap between athlete and fan. He let us know he wanted it as bad as we did. It was beyond special.
That chilly Friday in October, followed by the next Friday and the next Sunday are the three biggest reasons why my first male child is going to be named Kenny. 23 scoreless innings in the post-season for the team that I have loved since birth. The man deserves a ring on his finger and it's for him, for Kenny Rogers, that I want the Tigers to take the Series this year over any other.
Starting tonight, this might be his final run. The guy is 41 and there's a lot of miles on that arm. It might be one of the shortest love affairs a city will have had with an athlete, but nothing will ever take away from those three starts. So when FSN Detroit starts showing highlights of last year's playoffs when 43,000 Tiger fans screamed "KEN-NY KEN-NY!" at the top of their lungs, just let the goosebumps come and then take a deep breath.
Welcome back Kenny, you were missed.
Kicking Out The Kitten
The deal was made today as Mike Maroth is sent to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player-to-be-named-later. Mike was one of the few Tigers left over from the glory-less years and he always came to play no matter what the team was doing. His style of pitching will be better suited for the National League anyway, where a soft-tossing lefty won't get absolutely destroyed if he misses his spots badly. Take care Mike and good luck in St. Louis, we'll check up on you from time to time.
Back to the Tigs. What this deal does is free up two roster spots, since the player-to-be-named-later has not been named yet. Chad Durbin is likely to keep his spot in the rotation, which is great because the guy has truly earned it with a 3.36 ERA in his last 10 starts. When Nate Robertson returns, probably some time next week, it's more than likely that Andrew Miller will be earmarked for Erie again. As good as the kid is, he still needs to work on a good off-speed pitch, and Double-A is the place to do that.
Bonderman, Rogers, Verlander, Roberston, and Durbin. It seems that the one, two, three, and four guys are going to be stoppers no matter what, and having Durbs around to solidify that fifth guy role is going to be really nice. As long as Nate comes back from injury looking like he's healthy again, then things will really get clicking in the rotation.
There are obviously still decisions to be made in the bullpen. Fernando Rodney, Todd Jones, DLC, Macay McBride, Bobby Seay, Tim Byrdak, and Jason Grilli are your current hurlers out there. DLC has been impressive, Jones isn't going any where, neither is Rodney, McBride deserves a chance and Byrdak has been solid most of the time. It's unlikely that Andrew Miller will get moved to the pen, but it worked in September of last year and no one really complained. I'd rather see him down, but if he stays up, Seay will probably be the odd man out.
There's also the chance that Zach Miner will come up to the big league club when he recovers from injury and is activated from the DL, which should also be next week. Seay is again probably the odd man out if Miller is sent down. I wouldn't mind seeing Miner getting sent to Toledo- he killed a lot of the trust I had in him with a lot of his starts down the stretch in August and September last year.
The picture is becoming ever clearer, yet there are still plenty of decisions left to be made.
Back to the Tigs. What this deal does is free up two roster spots, since the player-to-be-named-later has not been named yet. Chad Durbin is likely to keep his spot in the rotation, which is great because the guy has truly earned it with a 3.36 ERA in his last 10 starts. When Nate Robertson returns, probably some time next week, it's more than likely that Andrew Miller will be earmarked for Erie again. As good as the kid is, he still needs to work on a good off-speed pitch, and Double-A is the place to do that.
Bonderman, Rogers, Verlander, Roberston, and Durbin. It seems that the one, two, three, and four guys are going to be stoppers no matter what, and having Durbs around to solidify that fifth guy role is going to be really nice. As long as Nate comes back from injury looking like he's healthy again, then things will really get clicking in the rotation.
There are obviously still decisions to be made in the bullpen. Fernando Rodney, Todd Jones, DLC, Macay McBride, Bobby Seay, Tim Byrdak, and Jason Grilli are your current hurlers out there. DLC has been impressive, Jones isn't going any where, neither is Rodney, McBride deserves a chance and Byrdak has been solid most of the time. It's unlikely that Andrew Miller will get moved to the pen, but it worked in September of last year and no one really complained. I'd rather see him down, but if he stays up, Seay will probably be the odd man out.
There's also the chance that Zach Miner will come up to the big league club when he recovers from injury and is activated from the DL, which should also be next week. Seay is again probably the odd man out if Miller is sent down. I wouldn't mind seeing Miner getting sent to Toledo- he killed a lot of the trust I had in him with a lot of his starts down the stretch in August and September last year.
The picture is becoming ever clearer, yet there are still plenty of decisions left to be made.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Apparently, Roman Colon Is Fucking Crazy, and Nate Robertson Is Okay
I'm sure most of you have run across this story by now, but it seems that last week, rehabbing Tigers' reliever Roman Colon punched a Toledo teammate in the face and caused enough damage to require four hours of reconstructive surgery.
Jason Karnuth, the punchee, has filed a police report over the incident. The two players were locked in an argument over what should be playing over the clubhouse iPod. That's right- Colon broke a guy's face over some damn music. Did anyone alert Dave Dombrowski and Tigers' management that this guy was completely insane when they traded for him? Or was that just an added bonus?
Colon has since been reassigned to Double-A Erie to continue his rehabbing assignment. Which is probably a good idea, considering he already conquered Toledo. All he needs to do now is kick someone on Erie in the shins hard enough to require surgery and then he will have complete ownership over the top two teams in the Tigers' minor league system.
In all seriousness though, the Tigers have seen what can happen when the show Relievers Gone Wrong comes to town. After Ugie Urbina fought someone on the charter plane a few years ago, Dombrowski rightly dumped his ass. The Tigers only gave Colon a seven day suspension for the incident, when in reality, they should have straight up cut him loose. Imagine if he got back to the bigs and Pudge called a pitch that he didn't like and it went for a home run? He might murder the entire team! How long would that get him, two weeks? Colon's gotta go.
In a related story, all players that wish to listen to music in the Tigers' minor league system must listen to it through headphones. Yeah, probably a good idea. Or else Roman Colon punch you in the face.
In other news from Double-A Erie, Nate Robertson made his first rehab start and it was a beauty. Nate no-hit Altoona (Texas Rangers' system) through six innings and struck out six before leaving after the sixth. Hopefully, this means he's fully recovered from that tired arm and he can be the pitcher he was back in April and early May.
Let's just get Nate out of Erie before he's the next victim of Roman Colon.
Jason Karnuth, the punchee, has filed a police report over the incident. The two players were locked in an argument over what should be playing over the clubhouse iPod. That's right- Colon broke a guy's face over some damn music. Did anyone alert Dave Dombrowski and Tigers' management that this guy was completely insane when they traded for him? Or was that just an added bonus?
Colon has since been reassigned to Double-A Erie to continue his rehabbing assignment. Which is probably a good idea, considering he already conquered Toledo. All he needs to do now is kick someone on Erie in the shins hard enough to require surgery and then he will have complete ownership over the top two teams in the Tigers' minor league system.
In all seriousness though, the Tigers have seen what can happen when the show Relievers Gone Wrong comes to town. After Ugie Urbina fought someone on the charter plane a few years ago, Dombrowski rightly dumped his ass. The Tigers only gave Colon a seven day suspension for the incident, when in reality, they should have straight up cut him loose. Imagine if he got back to the bigs and Pudge called a pitch that he didn't like and it went for a home run? He might murder the entire team! How long would that get him, two weeks? Colon's gotta go.
In a related story, all players that wish to listen to music in the Tigers' minor league system must listen to it through headphones. Yeah, probably a good idea. Or else Roman Colon punch you in the face.
In other news from Double-A Erie, Nate Robertson made his first rehab start and it was a beauty. Nate no-hit Altoona (Texas Rangers' system) through six innings and struck out six before leaving after the sixth. Hopefully, this means he's fully recovered from that tired arm and he can be the pitcher he was back in April and early May.
Let's just get Nate out of Erie before he's the next victim of Roman Colon.
A Look At the Central
Before the start of the season, it was expected that there would be four outstanding teams fighting it out for first place in the AL Central and that the Wild Card winner was almost certainly going to be coming out of the division as well. While the latter is still true, the former is starting to look more and more unlikely as time goes by.
The one-two combination of Cleveland and Detroit is going to be real close the entire season. Neither team is weak enough to let the other pull away and each team is very similar- high powered offense and strong starting pitching. The only difference is that the Tigers somehow got the Indians bullpen from last year while the Indians' pen somehow turned into the Bullpen Bengals of yesteryear.
Outside of these two teams though, the rest of the division is coming up short. Minnesota is winning games as always, yet they're just two games above .500 and 5.5 games out of the division lead. As we were shown last year, even when the Twinkies seem like they're out of it, they are a true second half team. After the All-Start break, these guys will probably be right back in the thick of things.
On the other hand, the Chicago White Sox are nearly dead already. They sit 11.5 games out and have just 29 wins. They're only three games up on the Royals for fourth place in the division. What is happening in the Windy City is really unexplainable, considering the quality of the rotation and the ability in the line up. The ChiSox have to be the most underachieving team in MLB this year, no doubt about it. The Royals are doing exactly what is expected of them (being doormats for the rest of the division), and they are just barely hanging on above them.
There are rumors circulating that Ozzie Guillen might find himself out of a job if this trend continues. While Ozzie is a great quote, there's nothing incredible about him as a manager- he's benefited from good personnel moves and great pitching for the last two seasons. Needless to say, he won't be missed in this neck of the woods.
This division is still the strongest in baseball, if only because of the quality of the top two teams. Cleveland and Detroit should, should, have enough to outclass Minny down the stretch, but like I said, there's no counting out that Twins team. As of right now, it's a two-horse race to the finish, even though we're not even at the halfway point yet. The real question is what's going to be more exciting- watching the Tigers and Indians fight it out for the division crown, with the loser still nearly guaranteed to own a playoff spot, or the Battle For Fourth between the Royals and the White Sox?
The one-two combination of Cleveland and Detroit is going to be real close the entire season. Neither team is weak enough to let the other pull away and each team is very similar- high powered offense and strong starting pitching. The only difference is that the Tigers somehow got the Indians bullpen from last year while the Indians' pen somehow turned into the Bullpen Bengals of yesteryear.
Outside of these two teams though, the rest of the division is coming up short. Minnesota is winning games as always, yet they're just two games above .500 and 5.5 games out of the division lead. As we were shown last year, even when the Twinkies seem like they're out of it, they are a true second half team. After the All-Start break, these guys will probably be right back in the thick of things.
On the other hand, the Chicago White Sox are nearly dead already. They sit 11.5 games out and have just 29 wins. They're only three games up on the Royals for fourth place in the division. What is happening in the Windy City is really unexplainable, considering the quality of the rotation and the ability in the line up. The ChiSox have to be the most underachieving team in MLB this year, no doubt about it. The Royals are doing exactly what is expected of them (being doormats for the rest of the division), and they are just barely hanging on above them.
There are rumors circulating that Ozzie Guillen might find himself out of a job if this trend continues. While Ozzie is a great quote, there's nothing incredible about him as a manager- he's benefited from good personnel moves and great pitching for the last two seasons. Needless to say, he won't be missed in this neck of the woods.
This division is still the strongest in baseball, if only because of the quality of the top two teams. Cleveland and Detroit should, should, have enough to outclass Minny down the stretch, but like I said, there's no counting out that Twins team. As of right now, it's a two-horse race to the finish, even though we're not even at the halfway point yet. The real question is what's going to be more exciting- watching the Tigers and Indians fight it out for the division crown, with the loser still nearly guaranteed to own a playoff spot, or the Battle For Fourth between the Royals and the White Sox?
A Trade and A Sweep
I have to admit, I did not foresee Wilfredo Ledezma being the odd man out. Wil has been with the Tigers for a long time and was projected to be a starter, which really is his best role. Here's wishing him luck in the future and that he finally gets the chance he deserves in Atlanta. In my heart, he'll always be the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the 2006 ALCS.
That being said, the Tigers traded a lefty for a lefty. Macay McBride will join the team tomorrow in Atlanta after being solid for the Braves after returning to the big league club. McBride was sent down to Triple-A earlier this year with control issues, but since returning he has been very good, holding lefties to a .160 average. Either McBride could become the new lefty specialist, or he could be sent down to Toledo, on account of the fact that he is not out of options, as Ledezma was.
In reality, the fact that McBride has options may be the reason Dombrowski pulled the trigger on this deal. Had Ledezma been sent down, and with the way he's been performing this year he would have deserved it, he could have been picked up by another club for free. Now, McBride can be sent down and pave the way for either Mike Maroth or Chad Durbin to be sent to the pen until Maroth is dealt, which seems to be an almost certainty now.
At the moment, the situation seems to be this- Bondo, Rogers, Verlander, Miller, and Durbin in the starting rotation. Coming out of the pen will be McBride, Jones, Rodney, DLC, Seay, Byrdak, and Maroth. The most likely scenario when Robertson comes back sometime in the next two weeks is that Miller will be sent back down to Double-A Erie. The real tricky part is what will happen when Zach Miner returns. It seems that DLC, in the two appearances he's made, has become the answer to the Tigs' eighth inning woes, so he'll probably be staying. If McBride impresses, either Bobby Seay or Tim Byrdak will be the ones heading down to Toledo, with Seay being the more likely choice as of right now.
As the Maroth situation slowly plays out, the Tigers are riding high after sweeping the Nationals with an 8-4 victory. As amazing as Jeremy Bonderman pitched earlier in the season, he's letting in more runs now than pretty much all of April, yet he just keeps on winning games. 8-0 this season and hasn't lost a start in his last 16 dating back to last year. Of course, getting eight runs of support doesn't hurt him at all either. The Tigs even got a decent performance out of the bullpen last night, since it seems that now everyone is pitching for their livelihoods.
Is it possible that if the Tigers brass just keep holding the "We might be sending you anywhere else but here if you fuck up" card over every pitcher in the pen, the entire bullpen problem might fix itself? It worked last night and two nights ago. Maybe Dombrowski should have a little talk with Todd Jones too.
That being said, the Tigers traded a lefty for a lefty. Macay McBride will join the team tomorrow in Atlanta after being solid for the Braves after returning to the big league club. McBride was sent down to Triple-A earlier this year with control issues, but since returning he has been very good, holding lefties to a .160 average. Either McBride could become the new lefty specialist, or he could be sent down to Toledo, on account of the fact that he is not out of options, as Ledezma was.
In reality, the fact that McBride has options may be the reason Dombrowski pulled the trigger on this deal. Had Ledezma been sent down, and with the way he's been performing this year he would have deserved it, he could have been picked up by another club for free. Now, McBride can be sent down and pave the way for either Mike Maroth or Chad Durbin to be sent to the pen until Maroth is dealt, which seems to be an almost certainty now.
At the moment, the situation seems to be this- Bondo, Rogers, Verlander, Miller, and Durbin in the starting rotation. Coming out of the pen will be McBride, Jones, Rodney, DLC, Seay, Byrdak, and Maroth. The most likely scenario when Robertson comes back sometime in the next two weeks is that Miller will be sent back down to Double-A Erie. The real tricky part is what will happen when Zach Miner returns. It seems that DLC, in the two appearances he's made, has become the answer to the Tigs' eighth inning woes, so he'll probably be staying. If McBride impresses, either Bobby Seay or Tim Byrdak will be the ones heading down to Toledo, with Seay being the more likely choice as of right now.
As the Maroth situation slowly plays out, the Tigers are riding high after sweeping the Nationals with an 8-4 victory. As amazing as Jeremy Bonderman pitched earlier in the season, he's letting in more runs now than pretty much all of April, yet he just keeps on winning games. 8-0 this season and hasn't lost a start in his last 16 dating back to last year. Of course, getting eight runs of support doesn't hurt him at all either. The Tigs even got a decent performance out of the bullpen last night, since it seems that now everyone is pitching for their livelihoods.
Is it possible that if the Tigers brass just keep holding the "We might be sending you anywhere else but here if you fuck up" card over every pitcher in the pen, the entire bullpen problem might fix itself? It worked last night and two nights ago. Maybe Dombrowski should have a little talk with Todd Jones too.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
CELEBRATING THE 100th POST! With A 15-1 Win To Boot
Yep, this is the 100th post. Fantastic.
More importantly, the Tigs got a real laugher tonight. No late inning drama, no bullpen miscues, no injuries, nothing bad at all.
This team is just getting really, really fun to watch. With Chad Durbin on the mound looking like he was pitching for his roster spot (and he probably was), the bats came out in force. Last night, the Tigs had their big inning and then nothing else the whole game. This time there was a big inning, and then just steady run production after that.
Magglio Ordonez is doing something special this year. He raised his average to .377 and went 3-3 with yet another double and drove in a couple runs as well. It's June 19th and there's no way that Magglio Ordonez isn't the leader in the AL MVP race at the moment. Alex Rodriguez is playing his ass off in New York, but I hate him and the Yankees and therefore choose to ignore everything he's doing positively. If Maggs keeps going at the clip he's at right now, he might be chasing the .400 batting average mark come July or August.
How about Sean Casey getting that first home run of the year? He hit the living fuck out of the ball and it was nice to see him flying around the bases like a little kid. Adding to the fun of that moment was the silent treatment that Casey got when he came back to the dugout and the look on his face when he realized what was going on. This team is winning but more importantly, they're having fun and it's simply a joy to be watching and writing about.
How about Dmitri Young, by the way? Another couple of hits today and he's got his average into the .330s. DY was the only bright spot on the Tigers for a couple years, and it's really nice to see a person of that caliber bounce back from all the troubles that he went through last year. Hopefully he can get out of the cellar there in Washington and get traded to a contender- he's been outstanding on too many bad teams over the years.
Oh, and one more thing to celebrate on this 100th post? Cleveland lost to the Phillies, pulling the Tigers into a tie for first place in the AL Central. Getting the hold with 1/3 of an inning pitched? Jose Fucking Mesa. Good job, friend.
More importantly, the Tigs got a real laugher tonight. No late inning drama, no bullpen miscues, no injuries, nothing bad at all.
This team is just getting really, really fun to watch. With Chad Durbin on the mound looking like he was pitching for his roster spot (and he probably was), the bats came out in force. Last night, the Tigs had their big inning and then nothing else the whole game. This time there was a big inning, and then just steady run production after that.
Magglio Ordonez is doing something special this year. He raised his average to .377 and went 3-3 with yet another double and drove in a couple runs as well. It's June 19th and there's no way that Magglio Ordonez isn't the leader in the AL MVP race at the moment. Alex Rodriguez is playing his ass off in New York, but I hate him and the Yankees and therefore choose to ignore everything he's doing positively. If Maggs keeps going at the clip he's at right now, he might be chasing the .400 batting average mark come July or August.
How about Sean Casey getting that first home run of the year? He hit the living fuck out of the ball and it was nice to see him flying around the bases like a little kid. Adding to the fun of that moment was the silent treatment that Casey got when he came back to the dugout and the look on his face when he realized what was going on. This team is winning but more importantly, they're having fun and it's simply a joy to be watching and writing about.
How about Dmitri Young, by the way? Another couple of hits today and he's got his average into the .330s. DY was the only bright spot on the Tigers for a couple years, and it's really nice to see a person of that caliber bounce back from all the troubles that he went through last year. Hopefully he can get out of the cellar there in Washington and get traded to a contender- he's been outstanding on too many bad teams over the years.
Oh, and one more thing to celebrate on this 100th post? Cleveland lost to the Phillies, pulling the Tigers into a tie for first place in the AL Central. Getting the hold with 1/3 of an inning pitched? Jose Fucking Mesa. Good job, friend.
What To Do With Durbin?
Chad Durbin has done his part. After tonight's shut-down performance, he will end his stint as "Kenny Rogers' Replacement" with a 6-3 record and having made a definitive impression on Tiger supporters.
But now the dilemma begins. With Kenny returning Friday, taking back Durbin's spot in the rotation, where does that leave Chad? Chad is out of options, which means that if he is sent back to Toledo, any team can sign him away from the Tiger organization. There is very little chance that the personnel people will allow him to leave Detroit for free, so that scenario is pretty much ruled out.
The most likely scenario is that Durbin will be moved to the bullpen and someone will be optioned to Toledo, most likely Eulogio De La Cruz. DLC looked good last night and tonight, but Andrew Miller will be needed on the big league roster until Nate Robertson returns from the DL. That leaves the Tigers' rotation with Bondo, Verlander, Rogers, Maroth, and Robertson (Miller for the time being).
However, this may not necessarily be the best possible rotation. As long as Mikey has been here, he's becoming a liability. He left the gate open last night when he left the bases loaded with no outs and allowed two runs to come in before that. He looks like a third starter on the Tiger teams of four or five years ago- which makes him long relief now.
Chad Durbin has been pitching since mid-May like his career depended on every start. Mike Maroth has been pitching since mid-May like a career minor leaguer. In my mind, several Durbin appearances (at Chicago in April, against the Mets two Fridays ago, tonight) have outweighed nearly everything Mike has done, which is basically benefit from great run support. This team's one weakness is glaring and obvious in the bullpen. Maroth is a veteran lefty with good stuff (not great, but good) who could probably help a few teams. It's about time to shop him around to get some help in the pen and to free up a spot in the rotation.
Getting rid of Maroth and having Robertson back from injury would send Miller back to Double-A Erie and, depending on how many players the trade would consist of, would free up at least one roster spot. Durbin has earned Maroth's spot in the rotation and DLC deserves a solid chance at making an impact coming out of the bullpen. Zack Miner coming back from injury would create yet another issue. I'm not a huge Miner fan though, so I'm pretty okay with him going back to Toledo and waiting for September to make an impact up on the big club again. That would leave the Tiger rotation with three bona-fide aces, one very good number two guy (when he's on, obviously), and a solid number four starter. Isn't that better than three aces, one very good number two guy, and a giant liability?
It's going to be an interesting couple days in Tigerville as these personnel moves play out. No matter what, there's going to be an odd man out. I just don't think Durbs has pitched like he deserves to be that guy.
But now the dilemma begins. With Kenny returning Friday, taking back Durbin's spot in the rotation, where does that leave Chad? Chad is out of options, which means that if he is sent back to Toledo, any team can sign him away from the Tiger organization. There is very little chance that the personnel people will allow him to leave Detroit for free, so that scenario is pretty much ruled out.
The most likely scenario is that Durbin will be moved to the bullpen and someone will be optioned to Toledo, most likely Eulogio De La Cruz. DLC looked good last night and tonight, but Andrew Miller will be needed on the big league roster until Nate Robertson returns from the DL. That leaves the Tigers' rotation with Bondo, Verlander, Rogers, Maroth, and Robertson (Miller for the time being).
However, this may not necessarily be the best possible rotation. As long as Mikey has been here, he's becoming a liability. He left the gate open last night when he left the bases loaded with no outs and allowed two runs to come in before that. He looks like a third starter on the Tiger teams of four or five years ago- which makes him long relief now.
Chad Durbin has been pitching since mid-May like his career depended on every start. Mike Maroth has been pitching since mid-May like a career minor leaguer. In my mind, several Durbin appearances (at Chicago in April, against the Mets two Fridays ago, tonight) have outweighed nearly everything Mike has done, which is basically benefit from great run support. This team's one weakness is glaring and obvious in the bullpen. Maroth is a veteran lefty with good stuff (not great, but good) who could probably help a few teams. It's about time to shop him around to get some help in the pen and to free up a spot in the rotation.
Getting rid of Maroth and having Robertson back from injury would send Miller back to Double-A Erie and, depending on how many players the trade would consist of, would free up at least one roster spot. Durbin has earned Maroth's spot in the rotation and DLC deserves a solid chance at making an impact coming out of the bullpen. Zack Miner coming back from injury would create yet another issue. I'm not a huge Miner fan though, so I'm pretty okay with him going back to Toledo and waiting for September to make an impact up on the big club again. That would leave the Tiger rotation with three bona-fide aces, one very good number two guy (when he's on, obviously), and a solid number four starter. Isn't that better than three aces, one very good number two guy, and a giant liability?
It's going to be an interesting couple days in Tigerville as these personnel moves play out. No matter what, there's going to be an odd man out. I just don't think Durbs has pitched like he deserves to be that guy.
Monday, June 18, 2007
FUCKING A TODD.
JESUS CHRIST WHAT HAPPENED?!
I seriously stopped watching the game at the end of the top half of the ninth to take a shower. I look at the final online and what happens? Three runs score and bang, we have a one run game on our hands.
DOES ANYONE ELSE REALIZE THAT THE TIGERS ALLOWED A 9-1 LEAD BECOME A 9-8 NAIL-BITER?! TODD JONES/MIKE MAROTH ALL MUST GO.
Mikey, the hitters got you an 8 run lead. And you let that go all the way to 9-3 before getting yanked and then left Bobby Seay to collect the last two earned runs you left on base. You're the odd man out, pal. We'll miss you here in the D but you need to get out of here before you cost us a pennant.
As for Jonesy, the guy should not get used to that closer role. He has about one month before the massive cry for Joel Zumaya to move into that spot begins. What we saw in the eighth inning tonight, Eulogio De La Cruz (or DLC as he will now be known (thanks Mack Avenue Kurt)) as the set up man in the eighth inning and Zoomer should take over the ninth. I love Todd Jones as a person. I hate him as a closer. He'll do well in that eighth inning role to set up Zumaya and DLC or Rodney can take over the seventh inning role. Either way, NO MORE TODD JONES TO CLOSE GAMES.
GOD I AM SO SICK OF THIS SHIT.
I seriously stopped watching the game at the end of the top half of the ninth to take a shower. I look at the final online and what happens? Three runs score and bang, we have a one run game on our hands.
DOES ANYONE ELSE REALIZE THAT THE TIGERS ALLOWED A 9-1 LEAD BECOME A 9-8 NAIL-BITER?! TODD JONES/MIKE MAROTH ALL MUST GO.
Mikey, the hitters got you an 8 run lead. And you let that go all the way to 9-3 before getting yanked and then left Bobby Seay to collect the last two earned runs you left on base. You're the odd man out, pal. We'll miss you here in the D but you need to get out of here before you cost us a pennant.
As for Jonesy, the guy should not get used to that closer role. He has about one month before the massive cry for Joel Zumaya to move into that spot begins. What we saw in the eighth inning tonight, Eulogio De La Cruz (or DLC as he will now be known (thanks Mack Avenue Kurt)) as the set up man in the eighth inning and Zoomer should take over the ninth. I love Todd Jones as a person. I hate him as a closer. He'll do well in that eighth inning role to set up Zumaya and DLC or Rodney can take over the seventh inning role. Either way, NO MORE TODD JONES TO CLOSE GAMES.
GOD I AM SO SICK OF THIS SHIT.
Good News
Kenny Rogers will be making his first start of the year in Atlanta on Friday. Kenny originally expected back until after the All-Star Break, but the man seems like he's simply raring to go.
As exciting as it will be to see Rogers come back to the mound in Hotlanta, I really, really wish that Leyland would have started him at Comerica in his first game back. The man just won't get the proper greeting he deserves. Plus my dad and I have the Friday season ticket package, so if the Tigs were at home, I'd get to stand and applaud the guy. Which is all I really want.
Either way, it'll be nice to get Andrew Miller and Justin Verlander an extra day of rest and to see Rogers back in the Old English D.
As exciting as it will be to see Rogers come back to the mound in Hotlanta, I really, really wish that Leyland would have started him at Comerica in his first game back. The man just won't get the proper greeting he deserves. Plus my dad and I have the Friday season ticket package, so if the Tigs were at home, I'd get to stand and applaud the guy. Which is all I really want.
Either way, it'll be nice to get Andrew Miller and Justin Verlander an extra day of rest and to see Rogers back in the Old English D.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Bullpen Issues Part 193546546
It's not that close games scare me. There are enough games in a season that some bounce one way, some bounce another. No, it's more the total blowouts that turn into close games that worry me.
This is a new addition to the "Detroit Tigers' Bullpen Manual To Scaring The Shit Out Of All Tiger Fans": take a game that you inherit at 12-4 and let it get all the way to 12-8 before the door is shut.
This time the culprit was Tim Byrdak, who had been steady in his first stint as a Tiger up until this point. Balls were flying left and right out of Generic Corporate Company Ballpark tonight against both Bonderman and Byrdak, but it's more of a problem for Tim. He's a reliever and his job is to come in and shut the door. Slam it fucking shut. Instead, he left it wiiiide open for the remainder of the game.
Fernando Rodney looked scary as hell in relief of Byrdak, but he got the job done, even though I could have done without the drama of two men on and the possibility of the new worst collapse of the year. Bobby Seay looked fine, and Todd Jones looked decent. Facing two batters and walking one isn't usually acceptable, but whatever.
I like entertaining baseball. But, I'd rather have a entertaining game where the Tigers AREN'T nearly blowing it all to Hell. 12-4 blowouts are quite okay with me, I'll go on the record with that. Jim Price said it best today on the radio when he remarked "Championship teams shouldn't have to score 12 runs every game in order to win games." This team does. The pen needs help, and it needs it now.
This is a new addition to the "Detroit Tigers' Bullpen Manual To Scaring The Shit Out Of All Tiger Fans": take a game that you inherit at 12-4 and let it get all the way to 12-8 before the door is shut.
This time the culprit was Tim Byrdak, who had been steady in his first stint as a Tiger up until this point. Balls were flying left and right out of Generic Corporate Company Ballpark tonight against both Bonderman and Byrdak, but it's more of a problem for Tim. He's a reliever and his job is to come in and shut the door. Slam it fucking shut. Instead, he left it wiiiide open for the remainder of the game.
Fernando Rodney looked scary as hell in relief of Byrdak, but he got the job done, even though I could have done without the drama of two men on and the possibility of the new worst collapse of the year. Bobby Seay looked fine, and Todd Jones looked decent. Facing two batters and walking one isn't usually acceptable, but whatever.
I like entertaining baseball. But, I'd rather have a entertaining game where the Tigers AREN'T nearly blowing it all to Hell. 12-4 blowouts are quite okay with me, I'll go on the record with that. Jim Price said it best today on the radio when he remarked "Championship teams shouldn't have to score 12 runs every game in order to win games." This team does. The pen needs help, and it needs it now.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Same Shit, New Night
Nothing to bring us Tiger fans back down to earth quicker than another bullpen bust. One night a no-hitter, the next one a no-doubter puts the Brewers ahead of the Tigs for good when Fernando Rodney gave up and coming pitchers a perfect example of what happens when you miss your spot.
Seriously, it seems like this bullpen is required to blow a game at least once a week. Either it takes 10 runs or a no-hitter to get my heartbeat calmed in the late innings. Granted, Fernando probably should have gotten the called third strike on Bill Hall at least twice prior to Hall taking him really deep to left field for the go-ahead two run homer, but still Pudge called for an outside fastball. That was NOT an outside fastball. A guy on my high school baseball team used to throw that type of pitch, we called it a hanging fastball. That's right, Fernando Rodney lost the game on what I consider a hanging fastball. Fantastic.
The one thing that really worries me is that Rodney has the stuff to be a shut down set up guy. However, he just doesn't have the mental make up right now. The one guy who had the stuff and the mental make up, Joel Zumaya, isn't coming back for at least another six weeks. Other than Zoom Zoom, who in the bullpen has the complete confidence of Tiger fans for shutting down the opposition? No one.
These are the types of games that this team would win last year. As good as the starting pitching has been, as great as the offense has been, this team won't win jack shit without a bullpen that can hold leads in crunch time. That's not an overreaction, that's a fact. It's the chink in the armor, it's Cindy Crawford's mole, it's the Neifi Perez in the batting order (after his double play last night and the bare handed ground ball tonight, he has earned the right to not have "Fucking" in the middle of his name. For now.).
The way it looks right now, the Tigs are going to fall one full game back of the Indians. See you at the ball park tomorrow afternoon.
Seriously, it seems like this bullpen is required to blow a game at least once a week. Either it takes 10 runs or a no-hitter to get my heartbeat calmed in the late innings. Granted, Fernando probably should have gotten the called third strike on Bill Hall at least twice prior to Hall taking him really deep to left field for the go-ahead two run homer, but still Pudge called for an outside fastball. That was NOT an outside fastball. A guy on my high school baseball team used to throw that type of pitch, we called it a hanging fastball. That's right, Fernando Rodney lost the game on what I consider a hanging fastball. Fantastic.
The one thing that really worries me is that Rodney has the stuff to be a shut down set up guy. However, he just doesn't have the mental make up right now. The one guy who had the stuff and the mental make up, Joel Zumaya, isn't coming back for at least another six weeks. Other than Zoom Zoom, who in the bullpen has the complete confidence of Tiger fans for shutting down the opposition? No one.
These are the types of games that this team would win last year. As good as the starting pitching has been, as great as the offense has been, this team won't win jack shit without a bullpen that can hold leads in crunch time. That's not an overreaction, that's a fact. It's the chink in the armor, it's Cindy Crawford's mole, it's the Neifi Perez in the batting order (after his double play last night and the bare handed ground ball tonight, he has earned the right to not have "Fucking" in the middle of his name. For now.).
The way it looks right now, the Tigs are going to fall one full game back of the Indians. See you at the ball park tomorrow afternoon.
Time To Play Again
One last chance to revel in the glory of last night. Now back to the rest of the season. Believe it or not, the Tigs are tied for first place now with Cleveland.
History is nice. Winning the division would be nicer.
Justin Verlander, Welcome To The Big Stage
Here in Detroit, it is well known what Justin Verlander can do. However, last night's performance essentially thrust him into the national limelight and has most baseball analysts preparing for a run of greatness from the kid.
What we Tiger fans are seeing from Justin on a start to start basis is something that comes along once every decade or two in a team's history. This kid is a genuine ace, a true superstar, who (now officially) has unhittable stuff and can infuse a ballpark like the CoPa with his performances. Last night was pure magic. And it's not the first time that dedicated Tiger fans have seen Justin come to the mound with poise and intensity that don't match his young age of 24. Chicago in September last year? New York in Game 2 of the ALDS? At Fenway Park just about a month ago? There's a trend.
Verlander is giving a giant middle finger to the notion of the sophomore slump. He's 7-2 this season, and his ERA is at a pristine 2.67, sixth in the bigs. Tiger fans, with those types of numbers and the type of stuff Justin brought to the mound yesterday, we can prepare ourselves for a stretch of pitching that we haven't seen since the days of Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain. Jack Morris was good, no doubt, but he never completely dominated a team like Verlander did to Milwaukee last night. The no-hitter in 1984 is up there with the greatest pitching performances in Tiger history, but last night we might have seen the greatest.
I'd like to give a big shout out to Mario Impemba and Rod Allen for how they handled last night's game. Not once did they mention that Justin had a no-hitter going. FSN Detroit cameras focused in on the big scoreboard in left that said "0 0 0" next the Milwaukee's name, but that's the extent of it. Great work on not jinxing the kid, guys. Same to Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on the radio. I didn't listen to the game from them, but all reports I've heard have said they too didn't say a word. Good job respecting superstition from the Tiger broadcasters.
Well, now Justin Verlander becomes a superstar on the national scene. It's almost like a coronation of sorts. When there's a nobody that comes from no where to pitch a no-hitter, it's an aberration. But when a kid of Verlander's quality who has been slowly building up to this point for two years reaches it, it's an anointment.
Enjoy the ride Tiger fans, this doesn't happen too often. It's Justin's world- we're all just living in it.
What we Tiger fans are seeing from Justin on a start to start basis is something that comes along once every decade or two in a team's history. This kid is a genuine ace, a true superstar, who (now officially) has unhittable stuff and can infuse a ballpark like the CoPa with his performances. Last night was pure magic. And it's not the first time that dedicated Tiger fans have seen Justin come to the mound with poise and intensity that don't match his young age of 24. Chicago in September last year? New York in Game 2 of the ALDS? At Fenway Park just about a month ago? There's a trend.
Verlander is giving a giant middle finger to the notion of the sophomore slump. He's 7-2 this season, and his ERA is at a pristine 2.67, sixth in the bigs. Tiger fans, with those types of numbers and the type of stuff Justin brought to the mound yesterday, we can prepare ourselves for a stretch of pitching that we haven't seen since the days of Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain. Jack Morris was good, no doubt, but he never completely dominated a team like Verlander did to Milwaukee last night. The no-hitter in 1984 is up there with the greatest pitching performances in Tiger history, but last night we might have seen the greatest.
I'd like to give a big shout out to Mario Impemba and Rod Allen for how they handled last night's game. Not once did they mention that Justin had a no-hitter going. FSN Detroit cameras focused in on the big scoreboard in left that said "0 0 0" next the Milwaukee's name, but that's the extent of it. Great work on not jinxing the kid, guys. Same to Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on the radio. I didn't listen to the game from them, but all reports I've heard have said they too didn't say a word. Good job respecting superstition from the Tiger broadcasters.
Well, now Justin Verlander becomes a superstar on the national scene. It's almost like a coronation of sorts. When there's a nobody that comes from no where to pitch a no-hitter, it's an aberration. But when a kid of Verlander's quality who has been slowly building up to this point for two years reaches it, it's an anointment.
Enjoy the ride Tiger fans, this doesn't happen too often. It's Justin's world- we're all just living in it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
NO HITTER! NO HITTER! NO HITTER!
Justin Verlander has no hit the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit 102 mph on the gun. In the ninth inning. And then dropped a backdoor breaking ball. 12 strikeouts. 4 walks. No coherent thoughts from yours truly.
After the euphoria clears, I'll post something cohesive.
After the euphoria clears, I'll post something cohesive.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Rogers Looking Good, But Who's Spot Should He Take?
Kenny Rogers went 3 and 2/3 for Toledo yesterday, marking a solid return to the mound. Kenny allowed just three hits and no runs, and made a typically stunning defensive play for the final out of his appearance. Rogers struck out two and walked none, throwing 51 pitches.
Rogers hopes to be rejoining the rotation some time in June. The only problem is exactly whose spot he's going to take. There's no question that Kenny deserves to come right back into a rotation spot, the only problem is that his replacement, Chad Durbin, has been out pitching both Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth as of late.
I know that at the start of the year I was calling for Durbs' head. I wanted him out, Andrew Miller in, and then Miller to the minors when Kenny came back from injury. So far though, Durbs has proved me totally wrong, with a solid 5-2 record (should be 6-1 after an undeserved loss on Friday) and has looked completely unhittable in several of his starts. Durbin may not be the prettiest pitcher- he lets in runs, walks a few, and looks shaky every now and again- but he gives the team a chance to win pretty much every time he comes out nowadays.
If I were Jim Leyland, this is what I would do- let Durbin keep his well-earned spot, and have Kenny take over Mike Maroth's position in the line-up and either trade Mikey or move him to the pen. As rough as that is for Mike, he often looks like the odd man out in a otherwise solid pitching rotation. If it came down to playoff time, Mike Maroth might be the last Tiger pitcher I want to see on the mound. Maroth has been here through the bad times and now the good, but it might be time to see him off. The Tigs need another reliever at the moment to shore up the bullpen, and Maroth might be enough bait to lure someone into sending over a half-decent set up guy.
Rogers hopes to be rejoining the rotation some time in June. The only problem is exactly whose spot he's going to take. There's no question that Kenny deserves to come right back into a rotation spot, the only problem is that his replacement, Chad Durbin, has been out pitching both Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth as of late.
I know that at the start of the year I was calling for Durbs' head. I wanted him out, Andrew Miller in, and then Miller to the minors when Kenny came back from injury. So far though, Durbs has proved me totally wrong, with a solid 5-2 record (should be 6-1 after an undeserved loss on Friday) and has looked completely unhittable in several of his starts. Durbin may not be the prettiest pitcher- he lets in runs, walks a few, and looks shaky every now and again- but he gives the team a chance to win pretty much every time he comes out nowadays.
If I were Jim Leyland, this is what I would do- let Durbin keep his well-earned spot, and have Kenny take over Mike Maroth's position in the line-up and either trade Mikey or move him to the pen. As rough as that is for Mike, he often looks like the odd man out in a otherwise solid pitching rotation. If it came down to playoff time, Mike Maroth might be the last Tiger pitcher I want to see on the mound. Maroth has been here through the bad times and now the good, but it might be time to see him off. The Tigs need another reliever at the moment to shore up the bullpen, and Maroth might be enough bait to lure someone into sending over a half-decent set up guy.
Magglio Named Best Player In The League- ESPN.com
According to ESPN.com's scientific Player Ratings, Magglio Ordonez is the league's best player by a whopping 9 points over New York's Alex Rodriguez. In the Top 100, Detroit owns six spots, second only to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who have seven players, for most in the MLB.
Instead of rehashing Magglio's incredible season thus far, marked by an 87.3 rating, it would be more productive to name the other Tigers listed in the Top 100. They are, in order, Gary Sheffield (8), Placido Polanco (25), Curtis Granderson (60), Carlos Guillen (69), and Justin Verlander (92). It's an impressive list and it's good to see that there is a way of showing just how good this team is without having to go through the media's talking heads to hear some acknowledgement.
Other notables outside of the Top 100- Jeremy Bonderman is just six points below Verlander with a rating of 22.2. Chad Durbin is the only other Tigers' starter with a rating, coming in at a mighty 5.2. Craig Monroe is the highest non-Top 100 Tigers' hitter, coming in at 15.2.
Many thanks to Jeff Bennett of ESPN.com for coming up with this formula. To what criteria Jeff used to rank players, click here.
Instead of rehashing Magglio's incredible season thus far, marked by an 87.3 rating, it would be more productive to name the other Tigers listed in the Top 100. They are, in order, Gary Sheffield (8), Placido Polanco (25), Curtis Granderson (60), Carlos Guillen (69), and Justin Verlander (92). It's an impressive list and it's good to see that there is a way of showing just how good this team is without having to go through the media's talking heads to hear some acknowledgement.
Other notables outside of the Top 100- Jeremy Bonderman is just six points below Verlander with a rating of 22.2. Chad Durbin is the only other Tigers' starter with a rating, coming in at a mighty 5.2. Craig Monroe is the highest non-Top 100 Tigers' hitter, coming in at 15.2.
Many thanks to Jeff Bennett of ESPN.com for coming up with this formula. To what criteria Jeff used to rank players, click here.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Para-Durbs: Lost
The long and short of this game is that Chad Durbin pitched well enough to win, but made two bad pitches that cost him. Well, that and that the Tiger bats apparently haven't arrived from Arlington yet. I'm not sure if Jorge Sosa had some crazy shit out there or what, but he took the Tigers' offense out of the game early and often.
A lot of Tigers watching strikeouts today, the main offender being Carlos Guillen. Coming up in the sixth inning with Magglio on second and a chance to get the Tigs on the board, he was called out for the second time. Where I'm from, you just don't go down looking when your team is being dominated by a superior pitcher and you have a chance to tie the game. But maybe that's just me.
Big crowd today, but a lackluster cheering effort, in my humble opinion, on our part. Durbin should have been getting standing ovations every time he left the field for the work he was doing, but no one really seemed to notice or care all that much. When Durbs finally did leave the game in the ninth, there was a smattering of people standing, but not quite the show that he deserved after the way he pitched. This kind of thing would have never happened in Boston or New York.
A lot of Tigers watching strikeouts today, the main offender being Carlos Guillen. Coming up in the sixth inning with Magglio on second and a chance to get the Tigs on the board, he was called out for the second time. Where I'm from, you just don't go down looking when your team is being dominated by a superior pitcher and you have a chance to tie the game. But maybe that's just me.
Big crowd today, but a lackluster cheering effort, in my humble opinion, on our part. Durbin should have been getting standing ovations every time he left the field for the work he was doing, but no one really seemed to notice or care all that much. When Durbs finally did leave the game in the ninth, there was a smattering of people standing, but not quite the show that he deserved after the way he pitched. This kind of thing would have never happened in Boston or New York.
Torii Hunter- The Whiter, Less Threatening Gary Sheffield
Not sure if you saw this yesterday or not, but the Twins' Torii Hunter weighed in on Gary Sheffield's comments and may have even presented a more controversial view.
So let's see, basically Torii is saying that Latino players are worth .001% of black players economically. First that, and then that there will be no African-American players in the game at all in ten years. Not only is that a brash prediction, but it's a stark look from one of the games more premier African-American players.
Yet, where is the national uproar about this comment? No one writing a Page 2 column calling Hunter "moron"? Why? Because Torii Hunter has a good reputation in the media: he's the typical non-threatening black man. He plays hard and loves his job and doesn't speak his mind on controversial topics often, and therefore has a good rep that won't be tarnished by what some people called "racist" views when Sheffield expressed them.
This is called a double-standard folks. The media is out to get Gary Sheffield, but all Sheff wants to do is hit home runs. And I'm down with that. But, being a blogger, I'm a part of the media by default, so I'll do what I think is right then.
TORII HUNTER, IN ADDITION TO HAVING A STUPID FIRST NAME, IS A GRADE A RACIST.
"You can go to Latin America and get that same talent as a black player in Compton and if he's in Compton he gets drafted in the first round he's going to get two million dollars," Hunter said on Fox Sports Radio. "If he doesn't pan out, you're out two million dollars but if you go to the Domincan, Cuba, or whatever and you can get a guy for two thousand dollars and he doesn't pan out you're only down two thousand dollars. I do agree that, you know 10 years from now you'll see no blacks, at all." (ESPN.com)
So let's see, basically Torii is saying that Latino players are worth .001% of black players economically. First that, and then that there will be no African-American players in the game at all in ten years. Not only is that a brash prediction, but it's a stark look from one of the games more premier African-American players.
Yet, where is the national uproar about this comment? No one writing a Page 2 column calling Hunter "moron"? Why? Because Torii Hunter has a good reputation in the media: he's the typical non-threatening black man. He plays hard and loves his job and doesn't speak his mind on controversial topics often, and therefore has a good rep that won't be tarnished by what some people called "racist" views when Sheffield expressed them.
This is called a double-standard folks. The media is out to get Gary Sheffield, but all Sheff wants to do is hit home runs. And I'm down with that. But, being a blogger, I'm a part of the media by default, so I'll do what I think is right then.
TORII HUNTER, IN ADDITION TO HAVING A STUPID FIRST NAME, IS A GRADE A RACIST.
Tiger Stadium's Date With Destiny
It seems that next year will officially be Tiger Stadium's last, as a plan was approved today for the Old Lady to be razed by September 2008. Most of the playing surface will be preserved and seats and other stadium memorabilia will be sold off.
It's been completely disgusting what the city of Detroit has allowed to happen to the old ballpark over the last seven years. However, times are tough and perhaps with a different economic situation in this town, the park could have some cash put into it and be turned into a museum or something or other. It seems that instead the wrecking ball will come down on her and bring the Old Lady to the earth.
Tiger Stadium was one of the last few straight-up ballparks in the majors. It was all about baseball there- no carousel, no ferris wheel, no restaurants, no bullshit. There was a game and that was it. Fuck the skyline, there was baseball. There were bad sightlines, cramped seats, and peeling paint, but more importantly there was character. There was history. When that stadium goes down, down with it will go the memories of a city reunited in 1968 after the race riots had torn it apart a year earlier. Gone will be the magic of 1984.
Instead, all that will be left will be the reminder of what has happened to the infrastructure of our great city- it is celebrated and then forgotten and slowly decays away. I cried like a baby the last time I left that place. I wouldn't be surprised if I did the same next September.
It's been completely disgusting what the city of Detroit has allowed to happen to the old ballpark over the last seven years. However, times are tough and perhaps with a different economic situation in this town, the park could have some cash put into it and be turned into a museum or something or other. It seems that instead the wrecking ball will come down on her and bring the Old Lady to the earth.
Tiger Stadium was one of the last few straight-up ballparks in the majors. It was all about baseball there- no carousel, no ferris wheel, no restaurants, no bullshit. There was a game and that was it. Fuck the skyline, there was baseball. There were bad sightlines, cramped seats, and peeling paint, but more importantly there was character. There was history. When that stadium goes down, down with it will go the memories of a city reunited in 1968 after the race riots had torn it apart a year earlier. Gone will be the magic of 1984.
Instead, all that will be left will be the reminder of what has happened to the infrastructure of our great city- it is celebrated and then forgotten and slowly decays away. I cried like a baby the last time I left that place. I wouldn't be surprised if I did the same next September.
Oh, What Could Have Been
I will always firmly believe that had the Tigers played the Mets in the World Series last year instead of the Cardinals, I would be writing about the World Champion Detroit Tigers right now. It could have been a match made in pitcher's heaven- your typical good pitching always beats good hitting type of series. The Mets had approximately one solid starting pitcher, Tom Glavine, and no one coming out of the bullpen that would strike fear into Tigers fans' hearts. Although, they do have Endy Chavez, who has the best first name in baseball.
But here I am, eight months later fantasizing about what might have been.
The Mets come to town for the first time in three years tonight, bringing with them a four game losing streak. They're pretty much tearing up the NL East again this year, up 3.5 games over Atlanta. They send Jorge Sosa, the New York equivalent of Chad Durbin, to the mound tonight with his 5-1 record.
It really snuck up on me that Durbs is 5-1 so far this year. It seems as if it were just yesterday that I would have rather seen him anywhere else but on the mound in a Tigers' uniform. But, he's been getting the job done, so he's okay with me.
What's huge is the way the line-up is starting to come around. After giving up six runs in the first inning of the Texas series, the Tigs outscored the Rangers 24-5 over the next 26 innings. Gary Sheffield is on fire. Curtis Granderson is on fire. Magglio Ordonez is consistent. Sean Casey is on fire (it's nice to see it too, he's batting around .340 during this recent hot streak). Placido Polanco is on fire. Pudge Rodriguez is on fire.
As bad as the road trip started out, the Tigers ended up .500 for the ten game swing through Tampa, Cleveland, and Arlington. They've run off four of their last five and have scored 9 or more runs in all of those wins. Basically, the way the Tigs are hitting, all a starter needs to do is show up and keep the opposition under five runs and he'll probably get out with a win.
It'll be nice to get back down to Comerica Park tonight after being away for a couple weeks. More blabbering after the game.
But here I am, eight months later fantasizing about what might have been.
The Mets come to town for the first time in three years tonight, bringing with them a four game losing streak. They're pretty much tearing up the NL East again this year, up 3.5 games over Atlanta. They send Jorge Sosa, the New York equivalent of Chad Durbin, to the mound tonight with his 5-1 record.
It really snuck up on me that Durbs is 5-1 so far this year. It seems as if it were just yesterday that I would have rather seen him anywhere else but on the mound in a Tigers' uniform. But, he's been getting the job done, so he's okay with me.
What's huge is the way the line-up is starting to come around. After giving up six runs in the first inning of the Texas series, the Tigs outscored the Rangers 24-5 over the next 26 innings. Gary Sheffield is on fire. Curtis Granderson is on fire. Magglio Ordonez is consistent. Sean Casey is on fire (it's nice to see it too, he's batting around .340 during this recent hot streak). Placido Polanco is on fire. Pudge Rodriguez is on fire.
As bad as the road trip started out, the Tigers ended up .500 for the ten game swing through Tampa, Cleveland, and Arlington. They've run off four of their last five and have scored 9 or more runs in all of those wins. Basically, the way the Tigs are hitting, all a starter needs to do is show up and keep the opposition under five runs and he'll probably get out with a win.
It'll be nice to get back down to Comerica Park tonight after being away for a couple weeks. More blabbering after the game.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
"That Boy's Bad"- Rod Allen
I love Gary Sheffield. That's three homers in two games for those of you keeping track, 16 on the year.
More on this man after the game. Much later.
Update- Curtis Granderson hits his second triple of the game, causing Rod Allen to say "Mommy make him stop!" I love Rod Allen.
Update Part Two- I would have updated after the game, but an 11-4 victory kind of speaks for itself. Look at the report from yesterday's game and you'll see pretty much the same thing as today's. It'll be good to get home tomorrow
More on this man after the game. Much later.
Update- Curtis Granderson hits his second triple of the game, causing Rod Allen to say "Mommy make him stop!" I love Rod Allen.
Update Part Two- I would have updated after the game, but an 11-4 victory kind of speaks for itself. Look at the report from yesterday's game and you'll see pretty much the same thing as today's. It'll be good to get home tomorrow
A Series What?
Well, if the Tigs can pull one out and keep a little resemblance of the team that showed up to play last night, then they can get their first series win in two weeks. It seems like forever ago that the Angels were in town and the Tigers were showing them to the airport with a 12-0 victory. On Tuesday the boys fell behind early and looked like they were about to get back in the game before the offense stalled. Even though the bullpen pitched well in nine innings of work, they didn't get enough support.
Yesterday, they jumped on top early and stayed that was behind a dominating performance from Justin Verlander and Gary Sheffield. Now that we've experienced the extremes of Tiger baseball, something in the more moderate range that results in a win would be nice.
Mike Maroth needs a good start after his last one against Cleveland, which the Tigers blew in the ninth inning against Cleveland. He pitched "eh" basically, and was helped out by some large run support. Mikey needs to prove that he's worth of a spot on a championship-calibre team, because so far this year, he's been pitching "eh". There was a point where the Tigs didn't lose a game he pitched, but that was long ago. Less "eh", less runs, more wins, Mike
Yesterday, they jumped on top early and stayed that was behind a dominating performance from Justin Verlander and Gary Sheffield. Now that we've experienced the extremes of Tiger baseball, something in the more moderate range that results in a win would be nice.
Mike Maroth needs a good start after his last one against Cleveland, which the Tigers blew in the ninth inning against Cleveland. He pitched "eh" basically, and was helped out by some large run support. Mikey needs to prove that he's worth of a spot on a championship-calibre team, because so far this year, he's been pitching "eh". There was a point where the Tigs didn't lose a game he pitched, but that was long ago. Less "eh", less runs, more wins, Mike
Kenny!
The namesake of my first child keeps on improving, pitching a two inning simulated game two days ago. Kenny Rogers seems to be getting ever nearer to returning, with the next step in his return possibly being a minor league start.
Judging by his comments, Rogers is itching to return.
Kenny bonded with us Detroiters last year in the playoffs during his three starts where he was dominant. I'll never, ever forget chanting his name on every two-strike count and when he walked off the field against the Yankees in the ALDS. Or when he poured champagne on a cop's head. I loved that.
Other than the obvious emotional attachments, Rogers will also add another stopper to the rotation. It seems like when things start going wrong, the Tigers only have one guy that they can count on some of the time to get the ship back on track (Justin Verlander. I say sometimes because of last Thursday's Cleveland start. Ugly.), although Jeremy Bonderman is not far away from becoming another one of those guys. Kenny was the rock of the rotation last year, the one we Tiger fans could count on during losing streaks. It'll be nice to have that kind of security back on the team.
Judging by his comments, Rogers is itching to return.
"I'm trying to rush the process," he said. "The trainers and the team are trying to slow me down a little bit -- which is good. They are equilibrium for me. I want to get back as soon as possible. That's the way I've always worked. You try to get back as soon as possible so you can get out and do your job. I feel comfortable where I am right now, and as long as things keep progressing, I don't see it being that much longer before I can get back out here and help these guys." (Courtesy: Detroit Free Press)
Kenny bonded with us Detroiters last year in the playoffs during his three starts where he was dominant. I'll never, ever forget chanting his name on every two-strike count and when he walked off the field against the Yankees in the ALDS. Or when he poured champagne on a cop's head. I loved that.
Other than the obvious emotional attachments, Rogers will also add another stopper to the rotation. It seems like when things start going wrong, the Tigers only have one guy that they can count on some of the time to get the ship back on track (Justin Verlander. I say sometimes because of last Thursday's Cleveland start. Ugly.), although Jeremy Bonderman is not far away from becoming another one of those guys. Kenny was the rock of the rotation last year, the one we Tiger fans could count on during losing streaks. It'll be nice to have that kind of security back on the team.
Nate? Oh....
The Tigers placed Nate Robertson on the DL today and recalled Andrew Miller from AA Erie. The official reason for the move is a "tired arm", although Kurt from Mack Avenue Tigers suspects something worse, as in the case of Kenny Rogers' "tired arm", which in fact turned out to be a life-threatening blood clot.
From all impressions coming from Nate, he had been feeling fine even yesterday. He said that he felt strong, but there was just something missing. Watching the game yesterday, it wasn't so much his velocity that was off- just his locations. The lethal 90-mph fastball that comes in on righties' hands was right at 90, but just missing his spots. When he was throwing strikes, they were ending up all over the plate and all over the ball park.
Whatever this turns out to be, here's hoping that it's nothing serious at all. The last thing the Tigs need is another lefty out of the rotation, even though Kenny Rogers looks prime to return (more on this later). Watching Miller should be fun though and he makes Sunday's series finale against the Mets a must-see game. I'm even thinking of heading down to the CoPa to take it in, seeing as the last time I watched Miller pitch the Tigs won 14-4 over the Cardinals. I like those odds.
From all impressions coming from Nate, he had been feeling fine even yesterday. He said that he felt strong, but there was just something missing. Watching the game yesterday, it wasn't so much his velocity that was off- just his locations. The lethal 90-mph fastball that comes in on righties' hands was right at 90, but just missing his spots. When he was throwing strikes, they were ending up all over the plate and all over the ball park.
Whatever this turns out to be, here's hoping that it's nothing serious at all. The last thing the Tigs need is another lefty out of the rotation, even though Kenny Rogers looks prime to return (more on this later). Watching Miller should be fun though and he makes Sunday's series finale against the Mets a must-see game. I'm even thinking of heading down to the CoPa to take it in, seeing as the last time I watched Miller pitch the Tigs won 14-4 over the Cardinals. I like those odds.
Up and Down, Up and Down
I see a developing trend- bad loss, good win, bad loss, good win, etc. with this Tigers' team. It's one thing to get a read on a team, quite another to see the same type of disturbing pattern happening against all sorts of teams, good and bad.
Just last week, the Tigs dropped two of three games in Tampa against a lowly Devil Ray team, sandwiching two bad losses around a dominating win. There was a victory in Boston by five runs in between three losses. There was the 12-0 stomping of the Angels that was immediately followed by a three game sweep by the Cleveland Indians in Comerica Park. And, most recently, there is tonight's win after yesterday's poor showing.
I like what I saw from the boys tonight- Verlander was shut down and improved to 6-2 over 10 starts, Gary Sheffield shut people the hell up with two homers, and everyone else hit as well. This what good teams, teams supposed to go to the World Series again, are supposed to do to bad teams- pummel them into submission.
It's the type of punch that this team can throw, beating teams with pitching and their bats. It's a punch that they need to throw more consistently than once every couple of games. Watching a 10-0 game is a lot more relaxing and comforting than a roller coaster game that ends up as a 7-6 win.
One thing I will add- on Sheff's second homer, I've never heard a crowd totally just go "Ahhhh" when a guy swang. Gary's swing was so strong on that pitch that he nearly killed someone out in left field. He had something to prove tonight- it doesn't matter what he says off the field, just what he does on it. Point taken, Sheff.
Just last week, the Tigs dropped two of three games in Tampa against a lowly Devil Ray team, sandwiching two bad losses around a dominating win. There was a victory in Boston by five runs in between three losses. There was the 12-0 stomping of the Angels that was immediately followed by a three game sweep by the Cleveland Indians in Comerica Park. And, most recently, there is tonight's win after yesterday's poor showing.
I like what I saw from the boys tonight- Verlander was shut down and improved to 6-2 over 10 starts, Gary Sheffield shut people the hell up with two homers, and everyone else hit as well. This what good teams, teams supposed to go to the World Series again, are supposed to do to bad teams- pummel them into submission.
It's the type of punch that this team can throw, beating teams with pitching and their bats. It's a punch that they need to throw more consistently than once every couple of games. Watching a 10-0 game is a lot more relaxing and comforting than a roller coaster game that ends up as a 7-6 win.
One thing I will add- on Sheff's second homer, I've never heard a crowd totally just go "Ahhhh" when a guy swang. Gary's swing was so strong on that pitch that he nearly killed someone out in left field. He had something to prove tonight- it doesn't matter what he says off the field, just what he does on it. Point taken, Sheff.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Guillen Agrees With Sheff
It's one thing when some older Latin former players disagree with your opinion. And then all the national columnists can start getting in on the issue and call you a "moron". Or completely disregards your comments because they rock the boat too much.
But let's take a look at what Gary Sheffield said to ESPN.com today about the comments, elaborating on what he said in GQ.
But let's take a look at what Gary Sheffield said to ESPN.com today about the comments, elaborating on what he said in GQ.
"They have more to lose than we do. You can send them back across the island. You can't send us back. We're already here."
Okay, not exactly elegant. Now let's see what Tiger of the Year last year and undisputed captain of this team Carlos Guillen has to say about the same issue.
"Latin players, if they get released go back to their country with nothing," Guillen said. "Where are you going to work if you don't have baseball? You lose everything. You lose your life. You're done. I've known a lot of players like that. They're doing nothing. They don't have good jobs.(American players) are already here. They just go home. But I also agree because how many Japanese players are there? For each one there is an interpreter and someone to give them a massage. How many Latin players are there? Thirty percent? But how many interpreters? You see any(masseurs) for Dominicans? No, you just have to play baseball. They have control over us. Easy. I'm happy to say that."
HEY LOOK AT THAT. It's a Latino TEAMMATE that COMPLETELY AGREES with Sheffield. He almost says the exact same thing. You know what, read the whole damn article because it's a great read. Listen to what Carlos has to say and then reconsider about how outraged you might be about how much of an ignorant idiot Gary Sheffield is. Let the damn dude hit.
My Mom Literally Laughed When She Saw The Score After The First Inning
A collection of thoughts from last night's game
- Is there a more perplexing member of the Tigers' roster right now than Jason Grilli? In his first outings of this year, he looked terrible and got rocked repeatedly. Then he looked decent for a few appearances. Then he looked awful again. And now in his last four outings, as Mario pointed out, he's looked terrific. As I write this, he's popping out Gerald Laird to end the third and he looks great. He would be the immediate replacement for Jose Fucking Mesa's old role of my least favorite member of the Tigers' bullpen, but he saved the Saturday and Sunday games of the Cleveland series from becoming too close and is keeping the Tigs in the game right now, so he's safe. Todd Jones, look out.
- As we all thought, the beard was Nate Robertson's source of power. It's like taking Birdman out of the sun or making Superman sleep in a kryptonite bed. He looked completely off today on every single pitch. He threw 17 pitches to the first two hitters. That's a big sign for trouble. I'm confident it's only an aberration, but Nate has some issues with his game right now that he has to work on. Five out of his last six starts have been bad, a far cry from April and early May when Nate was arguably the ace of the staff.
- Omar Infante might be one of the more valuable members of the Tigers' defense and offense right now. He started the whole series at third base in Cleveland and looked completely at home and was anything but a liability at the plate, a la Neifi Fucking Perez. But tonight, on a night when Curtis Granderson is getting a rest against a lefty, he's playing centerfield and, surprise, he looks right at home. He's also getting on base, reaching on all three of his first three at bats.
- Brandon Inge looked good coming back from injury, with Brandon hitting a solo shot for the Tigers' last run of the game in the fourth. He's playing at less than 100% right now, and it's pretty obvious that he's doing so, so I'm going to lay off him until I hear the report that he's feeling better, but his power stroke apparently doesn't need a big left toe to be useful. There were a few scary moments though when he decided to hit two foul balls off of his left ankle in the same at-bat as the home run though.
- Carlos Guillen did not impress in his first game back as Inge did. Kind of a rough game for Carlos, but I'm more than willing to chalk that up to rust and hope that in tonight's game he'll be doing much better.
- The game last night was the kind that the Tigs should be a shoo in to win every time. It's the worst team in baseball and they loaded the bases in the first- unfortunately, they left them loaded too. Nate Robertson's outing did not help at all, but hopefully Mr. Verlander will have better results on the mound today and can get the Tigers back on the same track they seemed to be veering onto in Cleveland. Don't tease us boys.
The Sheffield Stink
Over the past two days or so, the entire "Gary Sheffield Hates Latin Players" angle is being played up all over talk radio and in the papers around the country, etc. So, Sheff might be a racist. Whatever.
When the Tigs got Sheffield, they knew what they were getting into. He's a baseball player that happens to have many, many different opinions and enjoys voicing them often. It just so happens that the product he puts forth on the field is more significant than the controversy he stirs up off it. One of the reasons that this has become such a huge issue is that since the story broke after Sunday's game, Sheffield hasn't been on a field to get a story such as "Sheff quiets critics with big game" or something like that.
The point of what I'm saying is that I don't give two shits about what Gary Sheffield says. It's not that i disregard all his comments or whatever, it's that they don't bother me. As long as his words don't affect what he does on the field, I really don't care about them. It's like when he said "I don't enjoy playing baseball, it's my job" or something earlier in the year. Hit 30 home runs and I won't care what you like, what you don't like, etc.
The last thing that Tiger fans should get about this whole thing is pissed off. The Polanco-Sheff-Mags-Guillen stretch in the line-up is what is driving this team right now and the last thing that needs to happen is for the most experienced hitter in that group to get pissed at the fan base.
To hate Gary Sheffield, or to root against Gary Sheffield, from the fans of this organization would be so hypocritical it's not even funny. We are a people who recognize Ty Cobb (one of the biggest racist bastards ever to live) as one of the best players of all time. He's a Tiger legend. But not because of his attitude towards people or towards race- because he hit well and played hard. Well, Gary Sheffield hits well and plays hard. If we can cut a break for a white guy who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, then why can't we do it for a black man too?
It's a fucking game, guys. Chill.
When the Tigs got Sheffield, they knew what they were getting into. He's a baseball player that happens to have many, many different opinions and enjoys voicing them often. It just so happens that the product he puts forth on the field is more significant than the controversy he stirs up off it. One of the reasons that this has become such a huge issue is that since the story broke after Sunday's game, Sheffield hasn't been on a field to get a story such as "Sheff quiets critics with big game" or something like that.
The point of what I'm saying is that I don't give two shits about what Gary Sheffield says. It's not that i disregard all his comments or whatever, it's that they don't bother me. As long as his words don't affect what he does on the field, I really don't care about them. It's like when he said "I don't enjoy playing baseball, it's my job" or something earlier in the year. Hit 30 home runs and I won't care what you like, what you don't like, etc.
The last thing that Tiger fans should get about this whole thing is pissed off. The Polanco-Sheff-Mags-Guillen stretch in the line-up is what is driving this team right now and the last thing that needs to happen is for the most experienced hitter in that group to get pissed at the fan base.
To hate Gary Sheffield, or to root against Gary Sheffield, from the fans of this organization would be so hypocritical it's not even funny. We are a people who recognize Ty Cobb (one of the biggest racist bastards ever to live) as one of the best players of all time. He's a Tiger legend. But not because of his attitude towards people or towards race- because he hit well and played hard. Well, Gary Sheffield hits well and plays hard. If we can cut a break for a white guy who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, then why can't we do it for a black man too?
It's a fucking game, guys. Chill.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
He's Gone From Here! The Evil Is Gone!
Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released! Jose Fucking Mesa is released!
With Fernando Rodney set to rejoin the roster for the series coming up against the Texas Rangers, a roster spot was needed to get him back in. With Jose Mesa destroying the team at every chance he got, it was time for him to go. Add the two together and you've got a great personnel decision.
It's very rare that a team straight up listens to common sense and its fanbase. How many times have us sports fans seen a organization go against what seems to be the right call and keep on doing exactly what they're doing, no matter what the consequence (examples- Matt Millen and the Lions, Isaiah Thomas and the Knicks)? It's refreshing to see.
So the final line on Joe Fucking Table and his time with the Tigers- 1-1 with a 12.34 ERA in 16 appearances, six walks, nine strikeouts, and at least one million fans that wanted to kill themselves when he entered games.
One thing I will say to compliment Jose Fucking Mesa- he knows why this is happening. His quote from the ESPN.com article-"They gave me a chance and I didn't do my job." Damn straight my friend, damn straight.
This is the prototypical addition by subtraction maneuver. Jose Fucking Mesa Syndrome will be taken away from this bullpen. Will the Bullpen Bengals of last year return? That remains to be seen. But, as my Cleveland Loving Friend put it "You can officially pencil me in as worried."
The only thing about the Jose Fucking Mesa Era in Detroit that I'll regret is that we Tiger fans never got the chance to boo him off the mound. That would have been very cathartic.
What a great day in Tigerville.
With Fernando Rodney set to rejoin the roster for the series coming up against the Texas Rangers, a roster spot was needed to get him back in. With Jose Mesa destroying the team at every chance he got, it was time for him to go. Add the two together and you've got a great personnel decision.
It's very rare that a team straight up listens to common sense and its fanbase. How many times have us sports fans seen a organization go against what seems to be the right call and keep on doing exactly what they're doing, no matter what the consequence (examples- Matt Millen and the Lions, Isaiah Thomas and the Knicks)? It's refreshing to see.
So the final line on Joe Fucking Table and his time with the Tigers- 1-1 with a 12.34 ERA in 16 appearances, six walks, nine strikeouts, and at least one million fans that wanted to kill themselves when he entered games.
One thing I will say to compliment Jose Fucking Mesa- he knows why this is happening. His quote from the ESPN.com article-"They gave me a chance and I didn't do my job." Damn straight my friend, damn straight.
This is the prototypical addition by subtraction maneuver. Jose Fucking Mesa Syndrome will be taken away from this bullpen. Will the Bullpen Bengals of last year return? That remains to be seen. But, as my Cleveland Loving Friend put it "You can officially pencil me in as worried."
The only thing about the Jose Fucking Mesa Era in Detroit that I'll regret is that we Tiger fans never got the chance to boo him off the mound. That would have been very cathartic.
What a great day in Tigerville.
Take Your Drum And Shove It Up Your Ass
Dear Cleveland Drum Guy,
Shut the fuck up.
Love,
The Detroit Tigers
It is quite possible that the last two games may have just saved the Tigers' season. After falling down and busting up their knees on Friday, choking away a 11-7 lead, the Tigs came right back and showed the Indians exactly what they'll have to go through if they want to win this division.
Today's game was beautiful because everyone at Jacob's Field was quiet from the second inning on. Jeremy Bonderman pitched one helluva game, at one point putting down 11 straight Indians' batters. Another non-blown performance by the bullpen as Wil Ledezma and Jason Grilli held down the fort for a second night in a row, pitching out of some rough jams in the seventh and eighth innings and polishing off the game in the ninth.
Bondo is now 5-0 on the season, winning his last five games after not getting a decision in his first four starts. Today's performance was the type of thing we saw from Kenny Rogers a ton of times last year- when the team needed a win, he went out there and shut down Cleveland and got it for us. Bondo's change up keeps on improving, and he's is definitely starting to get the look of a potential Cy Young candidate.
Speaking of post-season awards, how about Magglio Ordonez? Even when he went hitless today, his worth was proven by drawing two walks and scoring a couple of runs. The fact that he is seventh in the AL All-Star outfield voting shows how idiotic fans can be sometimes as this guy is truly an MVP candidate. Oh, and he's leading the league in batting average and RBIs. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Winning today to earn a split was even beyond the best case scenario for this series after Friday's game. The past two performances revealed so much resolve in this team- how easy would it have been to simply buckle after Friday's crushing loss and to take two more losses and start all over again in Texas on Tuesday?
Instead, we're right back to where we started on Thursday afternoon- 2.5 games out but with a shit-ton more confidence. And the fact that it happened in Cleveland makes it all that much more worthwhile.
So, Cleveland Drum Guy, your team had a chance to get the Tigers buried 6.5 games out by early and put some distance between your team and the rest of the Central. But now you're riding two straight losses and are showing a bunch of weaknesses- shitty back of the rotation, superficial bullpen (looks good on the surface, but get into a few more guys and you can put nine up on the board two days in a row) and a lack of a killer instinct.
And because of all this, Drum Guy, you may now shut the hell up.
Shut the fuck up.
Love,
The Detroit Tigers
It is quite possible that the last two games may have just saved the Tigers' season. After falling down and busting up their knees on Friday, choking away a 11-7 lead, the Tigs came right back and showed the Indians exactly what they'll have to go through if they want to win this division.
Today's game was beautiful because everyone at Jacob's Field was quiet from the second inning on. Jeremy Bonderman pitched one helluva game, at one point putting down 11 straight Indians' batters. Another non-blown performance by the bullpen as Wil Ledezma and Jason Grilli held down the fort for a second night in a row, pitching out of some rough jams in the seventh and eighth innings and polishing off the game in the ninth.
Bondo is now 5-0 on the season, winning his last five games after not getting a decision in his first four starts. Today's performance was the type of thing we saw from Kenny Rogers a ton of times last year- when the team needed a win, he went out there and shut down Cleveland and got it for us. Bondo's change up keeps on improving, and he's is definitely starting to get the look of a potential Cy Young candidate.
Speaking of post-season awards, how about Magglio Ordonez? Even when he went hitless today, his worth was proven by drawing two walks and scoring a couple of runs. The fact that he is seventh in the AL All-Star outfield voting shows how idiotic fans can be sometimes as this guy is truly an MVP candidate. Oh, and he's leading the league in batting average and RBIs. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Winning today to earn a split was even beyond the best case scenario for this series after Friday's game. The past two performances revealed so much resolve in this team- how easy would it have been to simply buckle after Friday's crushing loss and to take two more losses and start all over again in Texas on Tuesday?
Instead, we're right back to where we started on Thursday afternoon- 2.5 games out but with a shit-ton more confidence. And the fact that it happened in Cleveland makes it all that much more worthwhile.
So, Cleveland Drum Guy, your team had a chance to get the Tigers buried 6.5 games out by early and put some distance between your team and the rest of the Central. But now you're riding two straight losses and are showing a bunch of weaknesses- shitty back of the rotation, superficial bullpen (looks good on the surface, but get into a few more guys and you can put nine up on the board two days in a row) and a lack of a killer instinct.
And because of all this, Drum Guy, you may now shut the hell up.
My Official Response To Gary Sheffield's Comments
In case you haven't heard them, here's the story.
And my response?
And my response?
I love Gary Sheffield. I just hope this wasn't the big conspiracy he was talking about breaking.
Changing Of The Guard
One night in Cleveland may just reflect what is about to happen in Detroit sports over the next few years. The Pistons' playoff run came to a depressing halt with another loss in the Mistake By The Lake, finally taken over by a younger Cavalier team and the NBA's Great Marketable Hope LeBron James. Meanwhile, across the street, the Tigers defeated the Indians for the first time all season and showed what kind of ballclub they're supposed to be- a big hitting, solid pitching, and intense baseball team.
Over the past five years, the Pistons have been the main focus in this town. Their hard-working, blue-collar attitude won them fans and games over and over, becoming one of the premier franchises in the NBA. Their rise helped to cushion the decline of the Detroit Red Wings, who after their last Stanley Cup in 2002 have been steadily declining in importance in this town, to the point that it took the Wings a full playoff round before they were selling out the Joe Louis Arena.
With this playoff defeat, the Pistons' run of excellence may be over. Five straight Eastern Conference Finals, five straight division titles, one NBA Championship, and numerous All-Stars over the past five seasons are a level that few teams get to and stay at over a period of time. However, this season felt like the last big rush for a championship for many of the team's players. The young guns that were once there have aged into veterans. The veterans that held the team together are gone. Frustration seized the team over the past three games and, instead of channeling the anger into their games like they would have in the past, the Pistons took it out on each other and their coaches. They looked dysfunctional.
But, in the same town, on the same night, the Tigers took control over their main rivals in Ohio. On all levels, tonight's game was a beat down. It may have been the first time the Tigers have stood up to the Tribe all year, but it can't be the last if this year will be a success.
It seems like it is time for the cycle to come around again. All of the periods of excellence for Detroit sport teams seem to overlap for about one year- the Red Wings were from about 1995-2002, the Pistons from 2002-2007, and the Tigers got it started last year. Look back at the 1980s and early 1990s- the Tigers had from 1983-1987, the Pistons went from 1987-1991, and then the Red Wings started coming out of the cellar in 1991 and got back near the pinnacle in 1994 and 1995.
So fear not, Detroit sports fans. The Red Wings might be too young and too old at the same time. The Pistons might be falling apart at the seams. The Lions are... the Lions. But, if cycles hold true, the Tigers will be the main focus of this town in the immediate years to come. There was once a wise man that said "Every new beginning comes from some other weakening's end." Well, the Tigers have control of the spotlight and now is their time to shine. As one team loses, another wins across the street. Sometimes, it's just funny how the world works.
Over the past five years, the Pistons have been the main focus in this town. Their hard-working, blue-collar attitude won them fans and games over and over, becoming one of the premier franchises in the NBA. Their rise helped to cushion the decline of the Detroit Red Wings, who after their last Stanley Cup in 2002 have been steadily declining in importance in this town, to the point that it took the Wings a full playoff round before they were selling out the Joe Louis Arena.
With this playoff defeat, the Pistons' run of excellence may be over. Five straight Eastern Conference Finals, five straight division titles, one NBA Championship, and numerous All-Stars over the past five seasons are a level that few teams get to and stay at over a period of time. However, this season felt like the last big rush for a championship for many of the team's players. The young guns that were once there have aged into veterans. The veterans that held the team together are gone. Frustration seized the team over the past three games and, instead of channeling the anger into their games like they would have in the past, the Pistons took it out on each other and their coaches. They looked dysfunctional.
But, in the same town, on the same night, the Tigers took control over their main rivals in Ohio. On all levels, tonight's game was a beat down. It may have been the first time the Tigers have stood up to the Tribe all year, but it can't be the last if this year will be a success.
It seems like it is time for the cycle to come around again. All of the periods of excellence for Detroit sport teams seem to overlap for about one year- the Red Wings were from about 1995-2002, the Pistons from 2002-2007, and the Tigers got it started last year. Look back at the 1980s and early 1990s- the Tigers had from 1983-1987, the Pistons went from 1987-1991, and then the Red Wings started coming out of the cellar in 1991 and got back near the pinnacle in 1994 and 1995.
So fear not, Detroit sports fans. The Red Wings might be too young and too old at the same time. The Pistons might be falling apart at the seams. The Lions are... the Lions. But, if cycles hold true, the Tigers will be the main focus of this town in the immediate years to come. There was once a wise man that said "Every new beginning comes from some other weakening's end." Well, the Tigers have control of the spotlight and now is their time to shine. As one team loses, another wins across the street. Sometimes, it's just funny how the world works.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
What Has Two Thumbs And Doesn't Give A Crap?
I'm being told by my Cleveland loving friend that tonight is the make-or-break night for Detroit sports this year. To which I say "Listen to Bob Kelso".
As bad as losing last night's game was, it is still JUNE 2. Which means we can all take our fingers off the panic buttons and nothing is quite settled yet. Other than the bullpen sucks balls. That has been settled.
So here's the deal Tigers- go out and win tonight so at least one Detroit team will be smiling tonight and the other one might even get out of Ohio with their season intact. The last thing I want is to fielding phone calls from my Ohioan friends telling me about how their hick ass state is going to kill ours in every sport.
God, I hate Ohio so much.
Five Reasons Why Gary Sheffield's Suspension Is Complete Bullshit
#5 His reputation was more of a factor than the actual bat-throwing I'm a big believer in umpires and referees making many decisions based on reputations instead of actual events. An example would be when a ref calls a technical on Rasheed Wallace for yelling at him but letting another player, such as LeBron James, get away with it for an entire game. Sheff has a bad rep as a angry, angry guy among MLB umpires and after he had his little discussion with the home plate ump, the tide was already turned against him.
#4 He didn't throw the bat anywhere near the umpire The bat was thrown by Sheffield directly behind him. Even though Sheff is a major league ball player, there's a good chance that if he wanted to hit someone with an object, he'd have to turn to look and see where they were at first. The bat may have gone in the general direction of the umpire, but if it didn't hit him, then what's the big deal? No harm no foul.
#3 The piece of bat was like yay big It was the handle man. The handle of a bat. Man up and get over it blue, that thing is not going to hurt you unless it is hurled from a cannon at top speed. I don't know what model bat Sheffield uses, but I guarantee it's not some sort of metal that is really going to injure you that badly. Grow some cojones.
#2 Sheff was right. Those pitches sucked balls. One was high, the other was inside. The umpire was WRONG. Unfortunately, unlike in other sports, MLB umpires seem to have complete reign over their domain and have no one really checking their decisions other than players and managers on the field, but even they won't win arguments that they start. Gary had a right to be disagreeing with that ump because those were shit calls, and they ruined Gary's at-bat by forcing him to swing at a pitch he otherwise wouldn't have- hence why he broke his bat.
#1 If Gary Sheffield wanted to hurt someone, by God he would hurt someone Gary Sheffield is one big, scary man. If he had wanted to hurt that umpire, he would have turned around and clocked him and then beat him down with his bare hands. There would be none of this bat throwing- just a pure beat down. After the ump kicked him out of the game was when Gary decided to go after the guy, and it took three teammates to hold him back. You know why? Because he is a big, scary man. Sheff didn't want to hurt this umpire. If he had wanted to hurt this umpire, we would probably be checking for hospital updates on the guy that Gary beat into a pulp because he didn't like a call.
This suspension had better get overturned.
#4 He didn't throw the bat anywhere near the umpire The bat was thrown by Sheffield directly behind him. Even though Sheff is a major league ball player, there's a good chance that if he wanted to hit someone with an object, he'd have to turn to look and see where they were at first. The bat may have gone in the general direction of the umpire, but if it didn't hit him, then what's the big deal? No harm no foul.
#3 The piece of bat was like yay big It was the handle man. The handle of a bat. Man up and get over it blue, that thing is not going to hurt you unless it is hurled from a cannon at top speed. I don't know what model bat Sheffield uses, but I guarantee it's not some sort of metal that is really going to injure you that badly. Grow some cojones.
#2 Sheff was right. Those pitches sucked balls. One was high, the other was inside. The umpire was WRONG. Unfortunately, unlike in other sports, MLB umpires seem to have complete reign over their domain and have no one really checking their decisions other than players and managers on the field, but even they won't win arguments that they start. Gary had a right to be disagreeing with that ump because those were shit calls, and they ruined Gary's at-bat by forcing him to swing at a pitch he otherwise wouldn't have- hence why he broke his bat.
#1 If Gary Sheffield wanted to hurt someone, by God he would hurt someone Gary Sheffield is one big, scary man. If he had wanted to hurt that umpire, he would have turned around and clocked him and then beat him down with his bare hands. There would be none of this bat throwing- just a pure beat down. After the ump kicked him out of the game was when Gary decided to go after the guy, and it took three teammates to hold him back. You know why? Because he is a big, scary man. Sheff didn't want to hurt this umpire. If he had wanted to hurt this umpire, we would probably be checking for hospital updates on the guy that Gary beat into a pulp because he didn't like a call.
This suspension had better get overturned.
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