Where Have You Gone School Boy Rowe?

Baseball Guys are Golf Guys?

2011-04-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

I always kind of wondered why baseball guys are almost always golf guys too. My dad is a baseball guy. If you have read this blog in the past you know his resume. When I was young I chalked it up to my dad being a Doctor and it is definitely a rarity to find a Doctor who isn't a golf guy. But as I got older I learned that it may not have been his Doctor background behind his golf. More and more ballplayers I saw also played golf. Case in point: Roger Dorn. In Major League, Dorn shows up to spring training wearing golf attire and carrying his golf bag not his bat bag. I remember as a kid Mark McGwire playing golf in some pro-am tournaments. When I got to college, almost every guy on my team played golf on off days. And now after college all of the Baseball Alumni get-togethers invariably involve a golf outing.

As a youngster, I played Pony baseball but wasn't one of the all-star type players. I was a soft-hitting first baseman with a decent glove. But my dad was a member of Moraga Valley Country Club and I spent much of my summers hanging around the driving range, scrounging remnants of buckets, and looking for pickup games on the putting green. When I was decent enough I joined the club Golf Team for kids my age. I played a lot. When the family went to SunRiver on vacation we spent most of our time playing golf during the day and then sneaking onto the hole behind the condo we rented after the last group and gone by and played the same hole over and over until it was too dark to find my ball. But when I got to college I stopped playing. My clubs didn't make the trip with me to Ann Arbor, and I got off my game. I played a few rounds on the U of M course when my dad would come to visit but I haven't set foot on a course in probably 8 years.

I am moving. I am buying a house and i realized tonight that less that a mile from new house is a public course that is on my way home from work. I have my clubs, ill-fitting as they may be, and a new set of golf shoes. The fact that I had to ditch my metal golf spikes because since the last time I played metal spikes have been all but banned on most courses. So I am gonna start playing golf again this summer. Who knows, maybe I will find that in my older age, I have more patience and my swing will have slowed down enough to keep me on the fairway. Wish me luck. My goal for this summer is to play enough to set a handicap and then maybe I can show up for next years Baseball Alumni Golf Outing and not make a total fool of myself.

Mobile Bloggin

2011-04-15T20:58:00.001-07:00

So I am laying in bed in Conneaut Ohio. Yes that's right. Conneaut Ohio. On vacation. Stopped at the "in-laws" on our way to Maine. I am listening to the Tigers v As game on MLB At-Bat on my blackberry and writing this post on said blackberry in the form of an email to my blog. Isn't technology wonderful? When I send this it will post right to School Boy Rowe and I can go to sleep.
So who is thinking that Rick Porcello my end up being the next Jeremy Bonderman? A young talent that was possibly rushed up too quickly? Did Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland fall victim to Verlander fever assuming they could catch lightning in a bottle twice. I am scared. Last season Porcello lost his sinker. This season he has yet to find it. What do you call a sinker-baller whose sinker doesn't sink? Minor Leaguer? Me too. If Porcello keeps this up I would give Andy Oliver a shot and see if Porcello could fetch anything on the trade market. I am willing to let the kid have another full season to see if he can work it out.
Also who is seeing Brennan Boesch repeating last season. He his going pretty well right now but look out come the all-star break. If he can put together a complete season I would be willing to set him out there in Right Field next season. Cheap alternative to oft injured Magglio Ordonez. Depending on the free agent class next year, the Tigers should get themselves a good hitting outfielder and let Raburn and Boesch battle for the other outfield spot.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Please Don't Repeat

2011-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

The last time the Tigers made a big off-season signing/trade it was the move to bring in Miguel Cabrera prior to the 2008 season. It was the attempt to get back to the World Series after missing the playoffs in 07. Instead of being the move that vaulted the Tigers to an American League Pennant, it sent the team straight to the bottom of Central. The Tigers had a mediocre season last year as the Tigers planned to cut some dead weight and payroll and become a younger, leaner team depending on a strong starting rotation. They brought in a pro bat to hit behind Cabrera in Victor Martinez. Perhaps the move will lead to a play-off berth, or it could lead to a repeat of 2008. The vaunted Tigers staff has yet to live up to the promise this season. Justin Verlander today was the victim of a total lack of run support today. Our young star lead-off hitter is waving and missing more times than he is getting on base. There is a pretty steady rotation of guys in Left Field and they have yet to really run out their 7th, 8th, and 9th inning bullpen guys.

So far the team is not living up to the expectations that I have for this season. Thank god we are only 10 games into the season. Only a little change can get this team back on track. Do any of us really believe that the Cleveland Indians are the best team in the Central?

The 7th Inning Stretch

2011-04-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

It was, in no uncertain terms, a seventh inning stretch tonight for the Tigers. An inning that went on and on and on. The Tigers gave up 5 runs in the seventh inning tonight. What was touted as a stout bullpen back end has become a something of a catastrophe. Tonight Brad Thomas and Enrigue Gonzalez combined for .2 innings and 5 runs in the seventh inning. That inning had been slated for Ryan Perry who went on the DL today with an eye infection. In a perfect world, Perry would have come into the game in 7th with a lead, handed the ball to Benoit in the 8th, who would have passed the ball to Valverde in the 9th. That was the story that was told to fans going into this season. That situation has not happened yet this season. The closest we got was during the win in the Yankees series when Phil Coke pitched the 7th and then Benoit setup Valverde. So what is going on? Bad luck for one. The Tigers schedule didn't help. The Yankees lineup is formidable and the Orioles have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since Buck Showalter took over last season.. Perry going to the DL, the Tigers not staking any of their starters to decent leads, you name it.

Robbie Weinhardt was called up to take Perry's spot and hopefully he can fill the gap between the Starters and closers. Brian Villarreal has pitched well so far this season, in his role, but there haven't been many other bright spots from this pitching staff so far. Hopefully they can get their act together and actually shut down some teams. This vaunted pitching staff is not doing much in the way of putting the team in a position to win.

Other Notes: The Tigers are getting production from a few guys that they likely weren't expecting production from. Brandon Inge is hitting over .300 to start the season, Alex Avila is providing some nice pop from the left side at the bottom of the lineup. And Brennan Boesch is showing flashes of his first half last season. I wouldn't mind if he could put together a complete season, providing left handed power and hitting for a decent average.

Sharing is Caring

2011-04-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

The odd start time of Today's game had me wondering what I was going to listen to tonight on the radio. I could listen to an hour and a half of NCAA National Championship pre-game. I could listen to standard sports chat or NPR. I ended up listening to the basketball game although wasn't really interested. Don't really care that much. But an idea hit me. I have been touting the wonder that is MLB At-Bat on my Blackberry. Okay so the steps on this idea are many.

First, I have one of those fancy-dancy Sony Ipod Docks. The one with the built in speakers, radio, Ipod port, and Auxillary Jack. I have used the Auxillary jack to connect my blackberry before. Mainly to listen the Tony Kornheiser stream without slowing down my internet connection at home. Okay so we know that I have MLB At-Bat on my Blackberry and it streams every MLB baseball radio broadcast, and that I can connect it to my Ipod Dock. Starting to get the picture?

Second, last summer my brother got married in the Bay Area in California. For his bachelor party, we took him to Giants game (his favorite team). We saw the Freak pitch and put a message on the Big Board. As we all know, the Giants went on to win the World Series in exciting fashion. My plan is taking shape.

Finally, the Tigers generally start at 7:05. That means the game generally wraps up around 10. That is around 7 on the west coast. Hmmmm, would it be possible for me to listen to the Giants game when it starts at 10? Ding ding ding. Now I can follow the Giants as well as the Tigers and my little brother and I can bond over a team that we were never really fans of as kids living in the Bay Area. Sweet!

The Bandbox

2011-04-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

The home run parade continued today in New York. Cabrera hit a pair, and Boesch had one of his own. Add to that, the four dingers the Yankee's hit, and the total for the day was 7. That brings the grand total for the series to 14. That is ridiculous. The New Yankee Stadium is a bandbox. For the casual fan that thinks Homeruns are the most exciting thing in baseball, Yankee Stadium has to be their favorite place to see a game. Well there and Coors field. Its no wonder the New Yankee Stadium has earned the nickname Coors Field East. They are totally different ballparks but give up lots of round-trippers.

One of the biggest issues that I have with Dave Dombrowski is that he has built a team that is seemingly ill-fitted to Comerica Park. Right handed sluggers in a ball park with a cavernous outfield makes for lots of fly-ball outs. It would seem that DD would go out and buy up as many speedy gap hitters as he could. In contrast, it seems like the Yankees built the New Yankee Stadium to fit the players they already had. At the time the stadium opened, the Yankees line-up consisted of the following left-handed hitters and these hitters launched many, many, homeruns: Posada (22), Texiera (39), Cano (25), Damon (24), Swisher (29), Matsui (28). Wow. The perfect short porch in Right Field made for a fiesta for these guys. In contrast, look at what Damon did when he came to Detroit the next year. 8. Thats it.

For a baseball guy like me, the homerun can be exciting, but it means a lot more when its hit in a ballpark that actually takes some power to do. I would much rather see someone leg out a triple on a ball in the generous gaps of Comerica Park. This may sound weird but a homerun can actually be a rally killer. Hits breed hits. There is nothing quite so special as a parade of doubles, when players are feeding off the success of the guy hitting in front of them. A lead off double can be the start of a huge inning. That inning can be cut short when the next guy hits a homerun, emptying the bases and giving the pitcher a chance to go back to the wind up, not have to worry about holding a runner close and salvage the inning. Another gapper drives in a run, and puts another runner on base. Defenders have move out of position to hold the runner close and give the outfield a chance to get him at the plate. Outfielders may have to play in a step or two, the pitcher has to pitch from the stretch and review a series of signs. The pressure rises. That is nature of a true rally. I would much rather see back to back doubles than back to back homeruns for the reason that some many more things can evolve from a pair of doubles.

So New York can keep their bandbox. I will take CoPa any day.

One Down

2011-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

As a couple of you know (the ones who have read this blog in the past) I prefer to listen to the Tigers on the radio rather than watch on TV. It takes me back to my childhood of listening to the A's play on the radio when I went to bed. So it has kind of stuck. Last season, I had the hardest time listening to the Day games at work because the radio reception stinks in my office. It was a constant struggle to move my little hand held radio around my desk to find the least crappy signal. This year I did something brilliant. I paid a measly pittance and bought MLB At-Bat for my blackberry. Streams the home and away radio calls right to my phone. No more static. Best money I ever spent (except for the TempurPedic). I highly recommend it.

On to the game. The Curtis Granderson trade finally bit us in the ass. Granderson hit the go-ahead homerun off of Phil Coke, and made several hit robbing catches to keep the Tigers off the basepaths. And to top it off, Austin Jackson, the final player in the deal, did not have his most stellar game at the dish striking out three times with a single sprinkled in. That being said, there were some bright spots. Cabrera was 1-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Thats a quality game. For all the haters, Brandon Inge went 2-4 with an RBI.
Verlander had a couple rough spots but went toe to toe with Sabathia. He made one mistake to Texiera. It cost him. Avila struggled. 0-4 with 3 Ks. Normally, Avila would have sat against a hard throwing lefty like Sabathia, but I think Leyland wanted to run out his "everyday" line-up on opening day. In the future we will definitely see V Mart behind the dish and Casper Wells in the line-up. A loss is a loss, but setting the tone at the beginning of the season was probably a smart idea on the part of Leyland. It also gives a little confidence to Avila.

There was one move that Leyland made today that I disagreed with was his decision to bring Phil Coke in from the Bullpen in the 7th. This goes against the idea of setting the tone for the season. I would have gone to Ryan Perry to start the 7th. That is going to be his role during much of the season. If Leyland was trying to play the match-up, he could have gone to Schlereth. Setting up the 8th for Benoit and the 9th for Valverde. I understand why he did it. Coke is going to be in the Rotation, but the way the early season schedule works out, a fifth starter won't be needed for a while. Coke had to get his work in. And based on his track record last year, he seemed like the perfect call for the 7th today. The only problem is that Coke has been mentally preparing to be a starter all spring. His arm is set to starter mode.

The biggest down side to the beginning of the year is the off-days. We have to wait till Saturday to get revenge on those bastard Yankees.

TJ Simers is a Clown

2011-03-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was perusing my Twitter timeline this evening and saw a tweet from @TonyPaul1984. It linked to the following article. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/21/sports/la-sp-simers-20110322. I like and respect Tony's work and when he calls an article "unprofessional rubbish" i felt compelled to read it. I was shocked at what I read. TJ Simers is a sportswriter for the LA Times. I use the term sportswriter loosely. This "man" is basically a child stuck in a man's body. Obviously unhappy with the direction of the current Dodger team and more importantly the team ownership, this child decided to take it out on a new member of the team that hasn't played in regular season game yet. With nothing more than Marcus Thames' stat sheet to go on, instead of introducing himself as a member of the press to Marcus, he walked up to Marcus and said "Are you that horrible on defense that teams don't think it's worth playing such a home run threat?'' What the hell is that? When Thames walked away from a situation that obviously was going in a terrible direction, SIMERS was so offended that he decided to write an entire article bashing a player that we all know is a quality person. He repeatedly makes fun of Marcus' name, calls him a "stiff" and basically says that Thames has no business on a major league baseball team.

I can understand members of the press coming down hard on a player when they aren't performing during the season. But to totally bash a guy before the season starts, before the guy has even played a game in your uniform is so low I don't understand how the LA Times can continue to pay Simers a salary. If he had done any research at all he would have found out what a quality guy they have in their clubhouse. His mother, paralyzed in a car accident when Marcus was 5, raised her family with the help of a close-knit family. Marcus joined the National Guard to earn extra money to help support the family. In fact, he continued to serve his country for 2 years after he was drafted by the Yankees. A great article about Thames was written by Jack Curry in the New York Times. If you want a good representation of who Marcus Thames really is I highly suggest reading this http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/sports/baseball/22thames.html?pagewanted=print

Maybe if TJ Simers had read this article first he wouldn't be thought of as the total waste of column inches that he obviously is. After reading his article, I started checking airline prices and stocking up on TP. This guy's house deserved it. I wanted to start an anti-TJ facebook page. I wanted to blow up his twitter feed with name-calling. I just wanted bad things to happen to him. But I am not a child. I don't resort to childish put-downs. What I really want is for Marcus Thames to hit 25 jacks this season, and stock the toilet stalls in the Dodgers clubhouse with copies of Simers' article. And not for reading.

Cuts Deep

2011-03-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Tigers made cuts today. Some surprising. Some not. I thought for sure Robbie Weinhardt would be with the big club out of camp this year. But then I did some thinking. What role was the youngster filling last year? Late inning guy. Was he ready to fill that role? No. Would the Tigers rather have given him another year in the minors to tune up? Yes. He sat quite a bit last year and didn't get to log the innings that he needed to get ready. So now that Benoit is on the roster, Weinhardt is not a necessity. The Tigers haven't counted on Zumaya in a couple years, and Ryan Perry proved last year that he was ready for a 7th inning spot. A team can only have so many late inning arms. The Weinhardt move seems to make sense in that light.

The other surprise move was sending Scott Sizemore to minor league camp and leave a couple other guys in big league camp competing for the 2nd base job. Its clear that Sizemore has not yet made the next step. He spent last season pretending his foot didn't hurt and paid the price. Perhaps the Tigers have different plans for Sizemore and want him in the minors to work on that. He did play a bit of third base last year in Toledo and maybe he is back in Toledo to prep for a back up role if Inge can't stay healthy. Long term Sizemore doesn't fit at third, as Castellanos makes his quick rise, but in the short term he may be a viable back up and possibly trade bait.

Fu-Te Ni made a showing this spring but in the end, didn't impress enough to show the staff that he had put his control whoas behind him. I think that Ni's tenure as a Tiger is probably coming to an end but it doesn't mean that his big league career is at an end. A short trip back to play in Asia may be in the cards but I think that Ni will find a spot in some team's bullpen before his career is through. He has an arm slot that makes him different than many bullpen lefties and if he can consistently find the strike zone, he could be a valuable specialist out of some bullpen.

The designation of Clete Thomas comes as the least shocking move to me. A couple years ago, Clete served as the underdog spark plug the Tigers seemed to be missing. He missed last season due to injury and in the meantime several other players have stepped in to fill that role. First it was Brennan Boesch. His first half last year was something to get excited about. His second half left us wondering what happened during the all-star break and validated the coaches leaving him off the American League roster. Then it was Will Rhymes. He stepped in when Carlos Guillen went down and Ramon Santiago took over short for Adam Everett. Rhymes hit pretty well for an unknown guy and gave the club some of that "dirt dog" feel it was missing. Its only fitting that Rhymes will start at 2nd this year for the Tigers, at least until Carlos Guillen gets healthy.

Baseball Is Dangerous

2011-03-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Baseball is not really a contact sport. Not in the same way that football, basketball, or hockey are contact sports. But baseball is a dangerous game. From minor injury causing incidents like getting spiked on a slide, or getting hit with a pitch, to much more serious incidents. A few years ago Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league hitting coach, was struck in the head by a foul line drive and died in route to the hospital. That incident led to the rule that all on-field coaches wear batting helmets while in the coach's boxes. Then last week, minor league manager Luis Salazar was struck in the face by a foul line drive while he was standing at the rail of the dugout. He suffered multiple facial fractures and lost his left eye. In all likelihood, major league baseball will come up with some sort of protective measure to ensure the same thing does not happen again. My guess is going to be a rule that coaches and players in the dugout area must be inside the dugout rather than outside it, and perhaps some sort of protective netting or barrier to protect those inside the dug out. Most, if not all, major league dugouts have a protective screen at the top of the dugout steps to protect players in the dugout. However if you ever watch a game, most of the players stand draped over that fence right in the line of fire. It gets worse during spring training when many coaches and players actually sit or stand outside of the dugout.

That became very evident today when the Tigers played the Cardinals at Joker Marchant Stadium. Jim Leyland, Gene Lamont and others were sitting outside the dugout when Lance Berkman's bat slipped from his hands and went spinning toward them. They successfully dodged the bat and Leyland handed the bat back to Berkman. Then, in Berkman's next at-bat, it happened again. This time the bat struck Rafael Belliard in the arm. In a moment of spring training comedy, Berkman handed Jim Leyland a catcher's mask before stepping into the box for his third at-bat. Although the moment was funny and had the fans cracking up, it showed another reason why baseball can be a dangerous sport. Most of the time, the game is most dangerous for those not paying close attention to the game. Fans, coaches, players in the dugout are generally the most likely to fall victim to flying objects. In fact, there are signs in most ballparks warning fans to pay attention. All ballparks now have netting behind home plate to protect the fans there from foul balls. Even some little leagues require players to wear flack jackets to protect them from line drives.

I don't love to see the game change, I was totally against base coaches from wearing helmets, just like most players were against wearing batting helmets when they were first introduced. I have since gotten used to the fact they wear them, but I miss the open dugouts, and I fear for changes that will take away, not only from the fan experience, but also from the players experience. In the 100 plus years that baseball has been played only one player has been killed by a pitched ball. This happened in 1920 when Ray Chapman was struck in the head by a pitch. It took baseball 30 years to institute the helmet rule. The only other player to die from a baseball injury happened in 1909 when Doc Powers ran into a wall chasing a pop-foul. He died from surgical complications weeks after the incident, and today we still have ballparks without padded outfield walls. Hopefully MLB doesn't react to rashly and put netting over the dugouts or some such thing, instead they need to provide some education to the players. If a hitter in the batters box can get out of the way of 98 mph fastball, then players and coaches who are paying attention to the game should be able to get out of the way of a foul ball. I believe that incidents like those that happened to Luis Salazar and Mike Coolbaugh are freak accidents that can occur any time, any place, under numerous circumstances.

Distractions?

2011-03-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk lately about Miguel Cabrera's situation being a possible distraction to not only his spring preparation but to the team's preparation as a whole. It might be. It might not be. The world of professional athletics is much different than the world of athletics that most of us are used to. In our world, we play sports with our friends, or even more likely people become our friends because we play sports together. Professional sports is more akin to our professional lives. In our workplaces we may work with people we like, we may make friends with some of those people, but at the same time most of us work with some people we don't like, don't respect, or don't understand. Many of the people we work with we never see outside of work. We don't hang out on weekends, we don't go for drinks after work, we don't share our personal lives with the people at work we don't like. But at the same time, we are able to go to work everyday, do our jobs well, and be successful. And the people we don't like are able to come to work, do their jobs well, and be successful. That is a much more accurate description of professional athletics.

Do you remember when Barry Bonds was going for the home run record? Barry was having, arguably, one of the most successful seasons in baseball history. Barry also had taken 3 lockers in the corner of the clubhouse, and created his own little nook in the locker room by blocking off access to press, coaches, teammates by putting a bigscreen tv across the corner and nice comfy chair so he could sit away from everyone else and watch TV and not interact with anyone else. Thats is definitely not the action of a good teammate, but I guarantee everyone of them was able to come to work everyday and play at a high level.

So let me tell you about real distraction. Real distraction is when you are shopping for a used guitar on ebay, knowing that there are many fake ones out there and trying to determine whether or not the one you are about to bid on is genuine. At the same time you are going through that process, your alma mater is trying to get into the NCAA tournament, your hometown hockey team is slumping, and you have a stack of new Xbox games that need some serious attention. How in the world is one person supposed to do all of that, and work a full time corporate job, maintain a healthy relationship with your girlfriend, and write a baseball themed weblog? Something has to fall by the wayside. Something ends up slipping down the list. Oh crap. I think this blog was that thing last week. Sorry my few but sometime readers. I will try harder to write more often. Just a heads up. When my new Les Paul gets here I might take a night or two off.

Don't Miss Running Poles

2011-03-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to have the day off today, and as I write this, the Tigers are up a run in the 9th against the Mets. So far Victor Martinez accounts for all the Tigers scoring and hasn't gotten a hit yet. But watching a base hit to center field reminded me of something that I have fondly forgotten. In spring training, during games, pitchers often get their conditioning in on the field during the game. A pitcher who has finished his 2 or 3 innings for the day, or a starter that isn't going to throw that day often get in their work during the game. And one of those conditioning activities is called running poles. I have run many many poles in my life, though luckily not in the last decade or so. Poles can be done multiple ways. But when I played at Michigan we did it two ways. If we were on a "distance" day, we basically ran around the warning track from foul pole to foul pole for 21 minutes. Run hard from the right field foul pole along the warning track to the other foul pole, then turn around and run back. Back and forth, back and forth. On "sprint" days we switched it up. Jog from the right field foul pole along the warning track until we reach the 375 sign in the right field power alley then sprint along the warning track to the left field foul pole. When the first guy starts sprinting the next guy began the jog out. Then once the last guy reaches the left field foul pole the first guys starts heading back the other direction and we do it all over again. Usually there were 5 or 6 guys in a group. Soooo much fun let me tell you. But I guess it wasn't as bad as doing a Tour De Stade at the Big House. We did that on many occasions too. Now my legs hurt. I'm going to lie down.

Bittersweet

2011-02-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

As a college baseball player, I was always a little in awe of the big leaguers that used to return to Michigan and hang in the clubhouse, or give pep talks. For the players at Florida Southern it goes a step farther. Every spring the Tigers start the Spring Training schedule with an exhibition game against Florida Southern. Today marked that annual showdown. The Tigers, as one would expect, crushed FSC 17-5. They started almost all of what would likely be the opening day line-up with the exception of Miguel Cabrera. I will save the game re-cap and say simply this; What an unfair match-up. The poor Mocs of FSC stood no chance against the likes of the Tigers line-up. But on the bright side, no one expects the Mocs to win this game. The real bonus for FSC is that their young college guys get to judge their skills against some of the best baseball players in the world. And the fact that they play every year gives FSC players the opportunity to track their progress year after year. It also gives some of the very young guys in the Tigers camp a chance to see how they have progressed since their days playing college ball. And more importantly, for some of the kids that don't have what it takes to make the next step they can always say they got to face Andy Oliver or Ryan Perry or Jacob Turner. And in fact, one guy for Florida Southern can now say for the rest of his life that he struck out Victor Martinez! That's quite an accomplishment for any pitcher let alone a kid still pitching in college. So the loss today for the Florida Southern Moccasins was bittersweet. No one likes to lose, but I guarantee these kids had the best time they ever had getting routed.

Cabrera: Not What You Wanted To Hear?

2011-02-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of local sports talk radio. One station in particular. And as I was driving home from work today, two local hosts had just finished listening to the Miguel Cabrera presser and had made the decision that the Tigers decision to have Cabrera back in camp was the wrong decision. They decided that program that Cabrera was likely going to follow wasn't enough, and that the Tigers, as an organization, had made a selfish decision in allowing Cabrera to join the team so soon after the incident. And finally, in the most appalling statement, they flat out called Cabrera a liar. Cabrera made clear in his statement that this was a one-time incident. We don't have all the facts about the incident, and we don't have any information proving that this wasn't a one-time deal. He may have broken our trust in 2009 by his actions during the last weekend of the season but he didn't break any laws, and did not do anything illegal. Should we trust Miguel's word now. I'm not sure, but I, for one, am not ready to call the kid a flat out liar. Is he an alcoholic? I don't know. Does he get into trouble drinking? Yes. Has he been getting treatment since 2009? Yes. Has a person getting treatment for alcoholism ever had a set back? Just about every single one of them has. There is a misconception among people that don't understand alcoholism. Just stop drinking. Just go to rehab. Celebrity tabloid journalism has made two things very clear in this area. The first thing is that if you have a substance abuse problem, just go to fancy rehab. Its that easy right? The second thing is that rarely do the people who go to these rehab facilities come out totally turned around. Recovery is a long process. There are bumps in the road for sure. There are set backs. Many times those set backs turn into full reversion. For someone with the resources like Miguel Cabrera can turn a set back into motivation for a stronger recovery. If Miguel Cabrera is, in fact, an alcoholic, he will always be one, he will never be cured, but he can do what every other recovering alcoholic in the world does. He can take it one day at a time, try to be a better person each day, and use the resources available to him to overcome his disease. We can go the way of the two sports talk radio hosts and bail on Cabrera, or we can be part of his recovery by supporting him, by being his biggest fan and by giving him the motivation to do what is best for him.

To read the transcript and see some video of the press conference check out this link

Scherzer Over Porcello for Home Opener

2011-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Jim Leyland named his starters for the Season Opener in New York and the Home Opener against the Kansas City Royals. As expected Justin Verlander will start the season against the Yankees and try to show off some of the off-season changes he made this year. This will be his 4th year in a row opening the Tigers season. He is the ace. The more important information to me is the choice of Max Scherzer getting the Home Opener start. Scherzer got off to a slow start last year. He had many of us wondering if the trade with the Diamondbacks was really a good idea. But after a short stint in the minors Scherzer came back and pitched lights out in the second half. Without a doubt he earned the right to start the Home Opener. But for last season's Home Opener starter, Rick Porcello, it shows just how far he has to come after a sophomore slump that made him the subject of trade rumors before the deadline last year. Sometimes that kind of set back can be a positive for a young pitcher. After his break out rookie season, Porcello looked like the next stud pitcher in a young stable of arms. The Tigers seemed on the way to bringing up a new phenom each year for the next several years. But Porcello struggled in 2010. He lost the drop on his sinker and became more hittable. His ERA jumped almost a full point, as did his hits per 9 innings. Balls that were ground outs in 2009 turned into line drive hits in 2010. That resulted in a short trip down to Toledo to work on his mechanics. Kid Rick now has the opportunity to make a nice little comeback. The pressure will be dialed back a little bit as he drops to the three spot. He will likely be matched up against more 3s and 4s than 1s and 2s. If he can put 2010 behind him, and build off of the success he had in his rookie season we may see a much more potent starting rotation from the Tigers this year. And if history is any indicator, the Tigers will need that. They need some inning eaters to take some strain off a typically taxed bullpen. If the back end of the pen is going to stay healthy this season, the starters need to go deeper. The reins should be off Porcello in his third season. The 5 inning starts on a pitch count should be a thing of the past and 200 innings shouldn't be unexpected.

image from http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/rick-porcello.jpg

Greatest Job in the World? Maybe Not

2011-02-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

So Major League Baseball is offering what they are calling the MLB Dream Job to one lucky person. Basically the job entails one person moving to New York City, watching every Major League Baseball game, and blogging, tweeting, vlogging and facebooking about them. Get paid to watch every game and write about it. This seems like every baseball bloggers dream. But this isn't all its cracked up to be. At least not to me. First of all, you aren't allowed to miss any games. None. So bummer, no being best man in your brother's wedding in June. No family vacation. No dates. So you can instantly count me out for the job, considering I have a family get together in Oregon this summer.

The next thing that stuck out to me about this "job" is the fact that "Major League Baseball is 'casting' for an innovative new experience. . ." The word casting tells me that this will be as much about being good-looking, witty, and social as it is about being a really good writer who knows a ton about the game. Major League Baseball is looking for a face as much as they are looking for a brain. Count me out. I'm not horrible to look at, but I'm not gonna be picked to be at the MTV Beach House anytime soon.

Another reason I will not be applying for the job is that there is no mention of compensation for this gig. Major League Baseball might be paying in peanuts, nachos and Coors Light. Who knows. Now I'm sure that the reward will be handsome, and a launching point for a career covering baseball as a professional and no longer as an amateur, but my Dad always told me never raise your hand without knowing exactly what it is you are volunteering for.

The last thing that would keep me from applying for this job is that I love baseball. You read that right. I love baseball. Lets say you love Cheeseburgers. Now imagine eating a Cheeseburger for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner everyday for 5 months. At the end of those 5 months are you gonna love Cheeseburgers? My guess is that you won't want to be in the same county as a Cheeseburger. I would be afraid that at the end of season I would be so sick of Baseball that it would totally ruin my love of the game. Just imagine all of the bad games you will have to watch. As a Tiger's fan, I think I would probably have a tough time slogging through a four game series between the Diamondbacks and the Rockies let alone the 19 odd games those two teams will play next season. Then do the same with the Nationals and the Marlins. And then the Nationals and Rockies. It goes on and on. I can make it through a Tigers game when they play some crumby team (assuming the Tigers aren't that crumby team this year) because I am emotionally invested in the Tigers. I have no emotional interest in the Orioles. I think it might be hard to write about those teams day in and day out. Would my Tigers bias get in the way? Probably. So count me out. I know its hard to believe but I wouldn't want to do it. Oh yeah and I really have to wonder why I have to be of legal drinking age in New York? Does the winner have to blog while they are loaded? Don't want to end up hating baseball and addicted to booze.

Somebody Call The Doctor

2011-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

So the huge news of the day is obviously the Miguel Cabrera arrest. I can't say I'm surprised. Many people who have drinking problems have relapses. I'm not going to call him an alcoholic. But the guy obviously has problems when he drinks. The Tigers knew this before they signed him, and hopefully the timing of this will refocus his efforts on dealing with the problem. Maybe in the long run this will be the best for Miguel. So on that note, I will save my outrage for after all the details have come out and the Tigers have made some decisions about what they want to do about the situation. Miguel is going to be the highest paid player in baseball this year. He is going to put up outstanding numbers. This arrest may be a blessing in disguise. If he really was drinking again and it wasn't discovered it may have cost the Tigers the Central Division. Instead the issue happened before spring training started. He can turn this around and show that even though he has made mistakes he can still be a stand out. So Tigers faithful, lets support this guy. Instead of badmouthing him or demanding his trade, we should support him and the organization. Just look what Josh Hamilton was able to do in Texas. Miguel is a young man with a bright future. People make mistakes and luckily he is well positioned to get the help he really needs.

Tigers on Twitter

2011-02-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

Since I started this blog I have spiraled farther and farther down the blogosphere rabbit hole. I started a twitter account so that I could do some "microblogging" during games and have them show up on this page. I didn't intend to follow or be followed truthfully. But then I found that everyone who has the real info about the Tigers are on Twitter. So I started following as many fellow Tigers bloggers as I could. And then I started following as many Tigers sports writers that I could find. Then it started to snowball. When baseball season was over I started following Michigan Football related people. But to me the most interesting people I follow are actual Tigers players. Will Rhymes( @willrhymes), Casper Wells (@UpstateBaller), Brad Penny (@BradPenny), Scot Drucker (@UTbaseball30) and Robbie Weinhardt (@RobbieW19) all have twitter accounts. If you ever wanted an inside look at what these young Tigers are like just give them a follow on twitter. Plus they are always competing for the most followers so you can help that out too.
Its refreshing to see that most of these guys are just like the rest of us. Or I should say just like the rest of us at their age. I was happy to hear today that Casper Wells was able to get that messed up lug nut on his car fixed at the shop. I was also bummed to hear that Will Rhymes was having trouble deciding what movie to watch tonight.
But in all seriousness, the kind of access this gives the fans endears these players to us even more. We can ask them questions, we can read what they are up to, we can participate in their charity events. As a die hard fan I would love to see more players create accounts and tweet but I think some of the more established high dollar players don't want to open themselves up to the type of contact that twitter would grant the public. But I think it is easier for fans to "love" the big dollar players. Its a little harder for us to get to know and "love" some of the younger guys who may not get to see the field a lot in their early days. Twitter is perfect for that. So do yourself a favor follow the Tigers that are on Twitter and while you are at it follow @sbrtigers.

Spring Training Tradition

2011-02-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

Courtesy good-times.webshots.com/photo/1293459260066898777VKzCjP

I have obviously never participated in a major league spring training. At 31 and overweight I am pretty sure I never will. My playing days ended a decade ago. But I played college ball for a former major leaguer who ran his program a lot like a pro camp. I have done many of the drills that the Tigers pitchers and catchers are doing this week. Bullpen sessions, PFPs, conditioning, weights, meetings. The thing we didn't have was the tradition of a place like Tiger Town at Lakeland. The Tigers have been holding Spring Training in Lakeland Florida since 1934. No team has had a longer relationship with a city for Spring Training than the Tigers. Before Joker Marchant Stadium opened in 1966, the Tigers played at Henley Field in Lakeland. The relationship between the Tigers and the city of Lakeland is one of the last of its kind in baseball. As more and more teams leave the Grapefruit League for the Cactus league many of the oldest spring training relationships are dying. The Dodgers left Holman Stadium in Vero Beach Florida for Arizona. The Dodgers had been holding spring training in Vero Beach since 1948. Over the past 20 years 6 teams have left the Grapefruit League for the Cactus League. After long having held the distinction of hosting the majority of big league teams, this year there is now an even split at 15 a piece. The trend of East to West is likely to continue in the coming years and before long the Grapefruit League may be shadow of itself. Interestingly enough, the Tigers were the first team to leave their spring training home. The Tigers were the first MLB team to hold Spring Training in Arizona. In 1929 the Tigers held 2 spring games. They then conducted Spring Training in Tampa before hopscotching their way back across the US over the next 4 years before finally landing in Lakeland. I can't imagine the Tigers having spring training anywhere but Lakeland. One of life goals is to reach a place where I can leave work and head to Lakeland and watch spring training every year. I don't want to wait until I become one of those snowbirds either. Come on Lottery.

Spring Is Coming

2011-02-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today the weather got warm in the Motor City. It felt like the first day above freezing in at least a month. I was driving around my neighborhood, I had the Wings game on the radio, the window cracked and something felt off. I am pretty sure the radio should have been playing a Tigers game. I think the baseball Gods turned the weather in Detroit "tropical" in honor of the most important day foretelling the coming of spring. No, not Ground Hogs Day. That was a few weeks ago and I am totally sure that is a sham. No, the most important day heralding the beginning of spring is Pitchers and Catchers reporting. Today the Tigers pitching staff, along with Alex Avila, Victor Martinez, and just about every other catcher in the Tigers organization (including Jim Leyland's son) reported for duty in Lakeland.

In the past year I have digitally met a ton of people in the Tigers Blogosphere. All of them great writers, all of them with different takes on the Club and the game. I am constantly amazed at the talented people who love this team as much as I do. One person in particular has been keeping my winter days cheery and bright. @DetroitChick. Shout Out!! Her daily twitter countdown till opening day makes me smile every time I read it and makes me realize that I can make it a few more days. Saturday was a low point for me. Caught the end of the Michigan Basketball game on the radio but other than that no sports. No Wings, No Pistons (ehhh), no major sports of any kind. I am not a basketball fan, and Hockey is on no more that 3 times a week. But with Pitchers and Catchers reporting it is only a matter of weeks until I get baseball on the radio almost every night for MONTHS. I am getting antsy. I got my glove out for the first time since the Giants won the Series. She is due for a good oiling.

Baseball season is a rebirth for me. I feel a renewed sense of optimism. The weather is going to get better. My flip flops will come out. The days will get longer. The grill will get hot. And the dulcet tones of Dan Dickerson and Jim Price will once again waft from the den and keep me company. Boy I can't wait!

Ready To Go?

2010-12-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I am dying here. The Hot Stove didn't burn that hot for me. I was expecting some major changes to our team. Instead, the team is going to look almost exactly the same as it did when the team left the locker room at the end of last season. The two major changes to this team are the additions of Joaquin Benoit and Victor Martinez. No small deals I must say but not the major shake up I was expecting. I really thought we would see the end of Magglio Ordonez's tenure with the Tigers, but alas he will be making sliding catches on routine fly balls in right for at least one more year. I thought Brandon Inge would be seeking employment somewhere in the National league and I thought that we were going to go after Adam Dunn and Adrian Beltre. I was terribly wrong. I am not so much disappointed as I am amazed that, excluding Jeremy Bonderman, all of my favorites are coming back for another year.

I love the addition of Martinez. Finally, Miguel Cabrera will have the bat behind him that he needs to win an MVP and possibly a triple crown. Benoit is a nice addition, and I think maybe it was more of an insurance play than it was an add as set-up man. It seems to me that the Tigers are hedging their bets on Valverde after his second half collapse last season and think that if Valverde can't be the closer they thought he would be, Benoit might be a quality replacement.

The Central is going to be tough this year. The White Sox offense looks potent and the Twins are going to be tough as always. I am looking for the youngsters to really step up this season. That is if DD doesn't have something up his sleeve trade wise to bring in a big bat in left field that we don't know have a clue about. Here's to hoping.

Hot Stovey

2010-11-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the hiatus. Busy with Halo Reach and what not. Ha ha. Plus I was out of town on business for a while. Anyway that's here nor there. What is important is the moves the Tigers have made in the organization.

First, lets talk about the people who are going away. Well I guess technically by now they are gone.

First, the Tigers sent Brent Dlugach to the Red Sox for a player to be named or cash. Dlugach appeared in 5 games for the Tigers with 3 at-bats and no hits. He was considered a solid fielding infielder however his bat never got to the big league level. With the number of young shortstops in the organization the Tigers could afford to send Dlugach to another team.

Next, the Tigers out-righted Jay Sborz, Max St. Pierre, and Jeff Frazier to AAA to make room on the Roster. All three spent most of their time in the Minors. St. Pierre spent 14 years in the minors before getting his first shot at the big leagues. It may be speculation but I could see St. Pierre retiring and accepting a role somewhere in the Tigers organization.

Also, Eddie Bonine was out-righted and elected Free Agency. However as of now, two teams have expressed interest in signing Bonine to a minor league deal. The Phillies are one. The Tigers are the other. Obviously the Tigers like what Bonine can add to the organization but wanted to free up room on the 40 man roster. This is a relatively common hot stove occurrence. So Eddie may be in the category of Tigers who are coming back to Detroit.

Two Tigers we know will be coming back are Brandon Inge, and Jhonny Peralta. Brandon has a two-year contract extension for 11.5 million dollars and the news today is that the Tigers have reached an agreement with Peralta on a 2 year 11.25 million dollar deal. The left side of the Tigers infield is now pretty well set for the next two years.

These two contracts will impact the Tigers payroll for next year to the tune of 11 million dollars. The Tigers had a roughly 60 million to spend or perhaps more with Magglio's option being dropped, so it isn't a huge hit to the payroll. The Tigers should have plenty of money going forward to pursue some big name free agents like Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth, or Carl Crawford. They could also bolster the back of the bullpen, and maybe a middle rotation starter.

This is the next best thing to actual baseball is the hot stove. So far this hot stove is going just the way I thought it would.

Remembering

2010-10-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

This season was one of ups and downs. The elation of the Tigers in First just before the all-star break, the confusion of Valverde, and Boesch and the Tigers second half slide. Austin Jackson's ROY worthy year, and Gerald Laird not being able to hit his way out of a paper bag. The emergence of Will Rhymes and Danny Worth and the never ending string of injuries to Worth, Guillen, Ordonez, Cabrera. The drop off from Rick Porcello and the steadfastness of Phil Coke. The Perfect Game for Armando Gallaraga and the Perfect Game for Armando Gallaraga.

But none of these things seem important when compared to the loss of Ernie Harwell. He was the voice of this city. Reassuring, calm, the voice of grandfather. To me at least. I started listening to Ernie in 1999. I am sure that there are many out there that heard that voice when it was much younger. He began broadcasting games in 1960, the year my dad graduated from U of M Medical School, and was only absent from the Detroit Airways for about a year and half. When Mike Illitch bought the team one of his first priorities was to bring Harwell back. Ernie's firing is one of the few disappointing memories that I have of Bo Schembechler and his rehiring was the first of many endearing moves that Mike Illitch made when he bought the team.

Ernie has his rightful place in Cooperstown as well as in our hearts. His famous calls "Loooooong Gone" and "He stood there like the house on the side of the road..." will never again be heard on Tigers broadcasts. His style of calling a game has gone the way of the Dodo. Harwell didn't need a color man. He could do the whole thing himself. He was a renaissance man, an author and song writer. He was the only broadcaster to ever be traded for a player. Ernie lived his life in the best way he knew how, and many considered him the finest man in Detroit. He remembered everyone's name, he greeted all with a smile and for those of us who had the terrible misfortune of never having met him, he brought out that smile in us with his game calling, and philanthropy.

Although he left the booth in 2002, he never left the psyche of this city. I remember breaking into tears when he was invited into the booth during the 2006 World Series to call an inning on a National Broadcast. His first since he called the Game of the Week in 97 for CBS Radio. His accolades too long to list, and his impact not worthy of words, Ernie Harwell was the most famous Detroiter in his time. He will continue to be that for the foreseeable future and I am sure that the world will never see another one like him. We miss you EH. I know you are up there sitting with Vin Scully calling games between the Angels. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams facing the likes of Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Hal Newhouser, and Warren Spahn...He must be literally "in heaven."

What are we gonna do now??????

2010-10-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well the Tigers finished up their season the exact same way they started it. Same number of wins and losses.
0-0/81-81. Even Steven. Might as well have not even played the season at all. Well I guess I shouldn't go that far. So lets go back to we started.

Before the season started the Tigers were predicted to be about a .500 team and finish in the middle of the American League Central. They met pre-season expectations, if to our disappointment, right where the pundits said they would. I have to say I am a bit more of an optimist and thought they would give the Division a bit of a run. But I think they faked me out. They started the season on a tear. They played good baseball. They fought hard to come from behind and it looked like they had some grit. They got to the all-star break within striking distance and spent some time in First Place. But then the all-star break came and the baseball gods said enough is enough. So the annual Tigers second half skid started in earnest. Then the Tigers lost some of their big bats. Guillen and Ordonez went down. Armando Gallaraga failed to keep up after his almost perfect game. Many of the proven Tigers veterans were couldn't or didn't get the job done. So the Tigers kept losing. In the meantime the Twins got stronger and stronger and ran away with the Central.

On the other hand, Miguel Cabrera had an MVP worth season. Justin Verlander won 18 games. Max Scherzer came back from a short AAA stint to be a dominant top of the rotation starter. Phil Coke had a fantastic season out of the bullpen, and Austin Jackson hit just about .300 for the entire season and deserves the Rookie of the Year in the American League.

There are two ways to look at this season. The first is as a monumental disappointment from a team that had a huge payroll and seemed to be competing. The second is as an opportunity to see what some of the younger players in the system could do. As an extended tryout for a team that has a lot of question marks for next year. With all the free-agents and money coming off the books, the younger guys got a chance to prove what they could do. The Tigers released Adam Everett and handed the job to a rookie, Danny Worth, and when he went down to injury they likely found their next everyday shortstop in Jhonny Peralta. With the injuries to Carlos Guillen, Will Rhymes was able to prove himself a capable big league second basemen. Brennan Boesch showed some remarkable talents in the first half and then showed that he is human and has something to prove for next year.

So what do we do now? The season is done. No more Tigers games to get us through the long night. The Red Wings start soon, the Lions continue to lose and then there are the Pistons. Well I don't know about you but I won't be talking about any of them. The worst part of the Tigers not making the play-offs is that we have to wait until someone else wins the World Series for the hot stove to get started. We got a little hint this morning as to what the Tigers are going to do this off-season. We can certainly say good-bye to two Tigers. Johnny Damon and Gerald Laird will not be back next year. We can likely say good-bye to Jeremy Bonderman. DD hasn't ruled out Bonderman but it doesn't sound likely. Magglio will not have his option picked up but currently he sounds like the middle man. He may be back or he may not, and with Scott Boras as his agent it might be a while before we know anything. But we did learn who would be more than likely coming back next year. The Tigers have reportedly offered Brandon Inge a multi-year contract. They are also in talks with Jhonny Peralta's agents (the same as Brandon's) about either signing a new contract or picking up his club option. DD has also said that Cliff Lee is not on the Tigers radar. So who the Tigers target in the off-season is going to be the interesting piece to watch in the coming months.

Stay tuned to see whats new. There is are going to be new faces in the Tigers locker room. And there are going to be new features on this site.

Sweeping to the End

2010-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like the Tigers are going to skid and skidder into the off-season. Getting swept in a double header by the Indians did not build much confidence from the fans in Detroit. Since the Tigers fell out of playoff contention and then eliminated from them all-together, the talk around Detroit has turned to off-season moves. Its basically like the Tigers aren't even playing anymore. What a difference between this year and last. This time last year we were stressing out as the Tigers gagged toward a nice second place. Just a win at this time would have sealed it. Miguel Cabrera was getting drunk with the White Sox and fighting with his wife. This year he is rehabbing a sprained ankle. Every big name position player on the Tigers roster is injured right now. Cabrera, Ordonez, Guillen. The story of the year. Every time the Tigers would get rolling, something would happen and the Tigers would skid.
So maybe it would be nice to see the Tigers play well in their final games. But maybe it would be more fitting for them to get their asses handed to them on the road. Just like the entire season. So let the Tigers go this year. Let them be the mediocre team that they are. Let them lose games they should win, because anything different would be sort of a kick in the crotch to the fans. Don't play well when it doesn't count when you could have won when it did.
I look at the final games of the season as a tryout for next season. Guys that are going to be free-agents are trying to show they are worth re-signing, rookies are trying to prove they deserve a starting spot. The Tigers are in a unique spot in that all of their free-agents would rather be back than test the market for a bigger better contract. Most of the time, when a team has free-agents, they have to compete with the other MLB teams to sign their players. In this case, the free-agents are trying to prove they are worth being signed here because they probably won't demand much on the open market. I want to see a few come back. I wouldn't mind seeing some go.