[ The Daily Fungo – Detroit Tigers Baseball: Yesterday and Today ]

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Deivi Cruz (37) http://bit.ly/4DVfds Bubba Trammell (38) http://bit.ly/41awpf Chad Curtis (41) http://bit.ly/2×7251 #Tigers #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

According to @skoneyhill, Pat Caputo reported that #Twins are expected to make major push for Placido Polanco. This can NOT happen! #Tigers #
Kenny Williams at it again? White Sox trade for Mark Teahen. http://bit.ly/1W22V #cunning #

Happy Birthday, Lloyd Moseby

Mike McClary — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:47:59 +0000

Happy 50th Birthday to Lloyd Moseby, a long-time Blue Jays outfielder that joined the Tigers as a free agent for the 1990 and ‘91 seasons. (For what it’s worth, in 1990 he wore #17 and #15; in ‘91 he stuck to #15.)

His best overall season was 1984: .280, 18 HR, 92 RBI and 15 triples. For the Tigers he simply kept centerfield warm for, ahem, Milt Cuyler.

The Portland, Ark. native hit .255 in two Detroit seasons with a total of 20 homers. He retired after the 1991 season at the surprisingly young age of 31.

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Born 100 years ago today: Skeeter Webb, #Tigers middle infielder (1945-47) – .205 avg., 0 HR, 44 RBI, 14 SB. http://bit.ly/2nkPJw #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Born on this date in 1903, #Tigers LHP Elon "Chief" Hogsett. Pitched 9 seasons for Detroit (1929-36 & '44): 39-47, 4.45 ERA, 27 saves. #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Happy Halloween Birthday to Tim Byrdak (36) http://bit.ly/1XV4Zo and Matt Nokes (46) http://bit.ly/19jfS4 #Tigers #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:15:00 +0000

On this date in 1984, Willie Hernandez won the A.L. Cy Young Award. Hernandez went 9-3, 1.92 ERA with 32 saves. #Tigers http://bit.ly/QoZCc #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Karim Garcia (34) http://bit.ly/3Va8vh Greg Gohr (42) http://bit.ly/25k6cn Darrell Brown (54) http://bit.ly/43DpTJ #Tigers #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Jeremy Bonderman (27) http://bit.ly/2MjVX2 and Bob Melvin (48) http://bit.ly/4cBfkJ #Tigers #D-backs #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Brent Clevlen, 26: http://bit.ly/4xKq8F Jason Johnson, 36: http://bit.ly/xx6ap Bip Roberts, 46: http://bit.ly/2KXb0z #Tigers #

Five Reasons Why I Won’t Watch the World Series

Mike McClary — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:28:01 +0000

I’ve made the conscious choice. For the first time in my life I’m choosing not to watch the World Series this year, and here are five reasons why:

5. The Announcers. Enough has been written about the pathetic quality of baseball’s play-by-play crews this postseason so I won’t waste your time. I think, however, that I might be in the minority in saying that I don’t mind Joe Buck. His broadcast partner? Don’t get me started. Like so many things these days — Baseball Tonight, MLB Network, (gasp!) blogs, etc. — baseball has reached its saturation point for me, and the announcers certainly haven’t helped.

4. The Yankees. In the mid- to late-’70s, I hated the Yankees because they were always on TV, always in the playoffs and World Series.
Then came the mid-’80s and their irrelevance. In the 1990s I was happy for Joe Torre and Kalamazoo’s Derek Jeter (but bummed that Don Mattingly toiled all those years and never got a sniff of a World Series appearance). I also liked Bernie Williams and other players from those teams. This year’s club, though, reignited my disdain — mainly because of CC Sabathia and Mark Texeira. And for God’s sake, Joe Girardi manages every game scared to death.

3. The Calendar. Baseball’s refusal to stand up to the networks and make the postseason more tightly scheduled — a non-travel off day between games four and five of the league championship series? I can’t abide by a November World Series. Life has to go on, man!

2. The Phillies. Honestly, I have no problem with the Phillies. In fact, I like a lot of their players and have grown to love manager Charlie Manuel. But the only thing less appealing than an all-east-coast World Series would be a Yankees-Red Sox World Series, if that were possible. And don’t believe for a minute that Fox hasn’t thought about it.

1. The Tigers. Three weeks ago the most punishing Tigers season in my lifetime came to an end in Minneapolis and yet I’m still sporting the bruises. Perhaps it’s better that they lost Game 163 and spared us all the inevitable pain. (Though I still think they could’ve extended the Yankees in the first round.) The 2009 season’s disappointment eclipses ’08s debacle and it’s not even close.

I need time off to lick the wounds and heal the bruises. Time to read some books, watch some movies and clean the garage.

Tell me who wins.

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Yeah, I love watching pitchers hit. #
It's 47 degrees right now in Philadelphia, 68 in Anaheim. Tell me again why the ALCS got the day game. #playoffs #fail #
I don't have the stomach for (or interest in) a #Yankees/#Phillies World Series. #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Happy 67th Birthday to Willie Horton – the #Tigers' only non-Hall of Famer to have his number retired – http://bit.ly/4eVESG #
Awful. #
#MLB is run by idiots. #
Dang. The #Angels look like the #Tigers. #impotence #
Joba channeling Nuke LaLoosh in warmups. #bulldurham #don'tthinkjustthrow #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Happy 63rd Birthday to Rich Folkers http://bit.ly/VFr88 #Tigers #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

I find it stunning that I'm more than 5 years older than Bobby Abreu. #truthhurts #
Hall of Famer Goose Goslin was born on this day in 1900. He played 4 seasons with the #Tigers (1934-37) and hit .297 with 50 HR and 369 RBI. #
Tremendous plate discipline by Manny. #Dodgers #MLB #
Given the sorry state of the #D-backs' bullpen, wouldn't they be wise to reunite with free agent Brandon Lyon? #Tigers #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

More Gibby: On this date in 1988 he hit that homer off of Dennis Eckersley. #Dodgers #A's #legendary #
On this date in 2002, Kirk Gibson agreed to a three-year deal to become Alan Trammell's bench coach. #Tigers. He's AJ Hinch's today. #Dbacks #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

90 years ago today, the #Tigers forced the first-ever World Series Game 7 with a 5-4 win over the #Pirates in Detroit. #mlb #
Happy Birthday to non-Tigers pitcher Ed Figueroa – who has every vowel in his last name. #Yankees #Angels #A's #Rangers http://bit.ly/Y48U1 #
RT @rvisconti Today is the 25th anniversary of my favorite sports moment — the 1984 #Tigers winning the World Series over the Padres. #

Tuesday Night Therapy Session: Game 163 A Week Later

Mike McClary — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:20:34 +0000

If someone with a stopwatch had timed my lightning-quick zap of the TV last Tuesday evening after Game 163, my guess is that the stopwatch would’ve read less than three seconds.

I couldn’t watch the Twins celebrate, again, on their turf. (Still can’t.)

Think about it: the last time the Tigers were a division champion, they (and we) had to watch Dan Gladden and the suddenly despicable Twins celebrate on Tiger Stadium’s infield.

And the time the last two times the Tigers got close (2006 and ‘09), we had to watch Joe Nathan and Co. dance a jig on the Metrodome concrete.

Sickening, really. This time I showed a rare combination of maturity and resignation all at once. Sort of.

So anyway, after a week of stewing and fretting, devouring three servings of sour grapes, followed by a weekend of Schadenfreude, I’m almost ready to move on. More or less.

Three things are still rattling around in my head a week later:

Andy Van Slyke. What a weird development this was. At first, I assumed it was not unlike when Don Slaught resigned after ‘06: He didn’t want to be away from his family anymore. But the more we read about Van Slyke, and the less that was articulated, it became clear: he was fired. Why fire him? Because Curtis Granderson got picked off in a crucial moment of Game 163? Let’s hope not.
If any coach were to be canned I would’ve guessed it was hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. Still, I liked Van Slyke as a player and liked having him on the staff; let’s see if the outfielders suddenly get better next season.
Placido Polanco. Reading Lynn Henning’s recap of Dave Dombrowski’s postseason “address”, one comes away thinking we’ve seen the last of Placido Polanco in a Tigers uniform. Read John Lowe’s version in the Free Press, however, and we’re led to believe the door isn’t closed tight on Polanco’s return. I sure hope it’s not. This is one player who I do not want to see the Tigers cut loose. I think they’d regret it in the short term. Yes, some change has got to happen eventually, but is Scott Sizemore the answer? And are the Tigers prepared if the answer is “not quite”?
I admit that I’m change-averse when it comes to roster overhauls — which usually equate to the dreaded rebuilding period — and when they involve good players that are also good guys. Then again, I do not want the Tigers to be in a position they were 10 seasons after the 1984 championship: still penciling Lou Whitaker in as their everyday second baseman. What do you think?
Tigers Pitching. I might be delusional, but even if the Tigers squeezed into the postseason last week I believe they could’ve given the Yankees more of a battle than the Twins did. Sure, the Tigers could’ve been the victim of some horrific calls as the Twins were, and the offense would’ve continued its slumber, but I simply don’t believe Detroit would’ve been swept away by New York. But we’ll never know.

But enough about me. How are you coping?

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Happy #Tigers Birthdays Jim Price (68) http://bit.ly/vZo3X, Eddie Yost (83) http://bit.ly/PZgaW & the late Eddie Mathews http://bit.ly/nZlXY #
Mapping out my schedule to attend Arizona Fall League games. The #Tigers' prospects are on the Peoria team; not as convenient as last year. #
Two former #Tigers first basemen on the MLB Tonight set. #
What?! Phil Garner is a candidate for the #Astros job? http://bit.ly/d11xo #
Happy 46th Birthday, Luis Polonia – http://bit.ly/SUn5T #
I've got a serious West Coast bias in both LCSes. The #Rockies have let me down, so it's time to pull for #Angels & #Dodgers. #freewayseries #

Today’s Twitter Updates from The Daily Fungo

Mike McClary — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Did Hosken Powell show up for the #Twins finale? Bombo Rivera? #