What the?

I've got a small bone to pick with Curtis Granderson right now.  What the crust was Curtis doing striking out yesterday on three straight fast balls in the zone--two of which were in the exact same location?  I'll take a page out of Ian's book and show you the Gameday Pitch by Pitch frame from the at bat.  Here you go, behold the sheer ugliness of this at bat.  I don't expect such mediocrity from Curtis.  I hope I don't see the likes of this anytime soon.

Delayed Gratification

Today should have been my first day at the ballpark for the 2009 season.  I was at the park, however briefly, before the postponement was announced.  That only made matters worse--being there, and then being unceremoniously kicked to curb.  Now, some bloggers point out that today's day without ball is a fitting tribute to the great Mark Fidrych.  I would beg to differ and say that it would've been a more appropriate nod to the Bird to have played the game.  

In any event, I wanted to wail with abandon when the PPD was announced.  You know, like when someone ruthlessly snatches a baby's favorite toy, and she just lets loose, no holding back, snot and tears everywhere.  It's gotta be cathartic to just get it all out of your system and move on like that.  I had to quell the tightening in my throat and act like a grown up.  My mood only grew fouler as I boarded the Nemo's bus and sat staring bleakly out the window at the renovated Westin.  My baseball-lingo-challenged husband texted me and thought that postponed meant rain delay.  He finally got the message when I texted back that "PPD means canx, u idiot!"  The aforementioned mood sunk even further as I drove home faced with the steely gray horizon and the unrelenting drizzle.

Into a sullen funk I slid, and there I stay for an indeterminate period.  I don't have tickets to another game until May 4.  Should any crazed Tiger fan have to wait that long to see a game?  I hope you'll agree that it would be a tragedy of immeasurable proportions.  I'll just have to score some Yankees tickets, that's all there is to it.

One for the Ages

I'm insanely tired right now after 7 hours of painting, so this post will be total rubbish, but I could not go to sleep without basking in the glory of today's home opener.  Now that's Opening Day!  That's how you go out there and pay tribute to the great George Kell.  That's how you begin to dispel the illusion that 2009 is 2008 all over again.  That's how you put a charge into a disgruntled, jaded fan base.

I was not there, having a half day of work and the aforementioned sadistic painting marathon to contend with, but I watched the game at home with Rod and Mario.  I hope some of you were there to experience today's offensive fireworks, paired with a truly fine performance by Armando Gallaraga.  If you took part in the festival of Tigers, please tell us all about it.

Miguel Cabrera owns this town right now.  I hope he doesn't mind mobs of teary-eyed fans barreling toward him, jumping into his arms, and suffocating him in the clutches of gratitude.  I mean, this guy actually has the stuff to sustain what he's doing (unlike, oh I don't know, Brandon Inge, who isn't going to hit three home runs every five games).   Ok, maybe Cabrera won't sport a .700 batting average with six RBIs in every game, but you know what I mean.

I think his nickname should be the Spanish term for "The Crusher."  Self explanatory.

Sleep well happy Tiger fans, sleep well.

A Win's A WIn No Matter How Small

Ok, it's just one win.  I doesn't mean that much.  But, it really did mean that much to win today, for some reason.  It was a huge monkey off our back.  I feel a lot better than I felt yesterday, when I was so angry that I couldn't even blog after the game.  I didn't want to just spew, I mean it was only the second game of the year.  So, hey I'll take Zach Miner's 5 2/3 innings, I'll take Brandon Inge's third homer in three games.  I'll take a solid debut by Ryan Perry.  I'll take a 1-2-3 9th by Fernando Rodney.   Winning--it's like better than losing!

Now, people on sports radio today were going a little gonzo, saying Leyland won't make it anywhere near Mother's Day this season before he's fired.  Brandon Lyon is done, buried in the bullpen, not to see the light of day anytime soon.   Now, I was as disappointed as anyone last night--Lyon was just awful.  But it was his first outing of the season.  I mean baseball fans know that there are 162 games to be played, right?  

Everyone's got a REALLY short fuse because of last year's debacle.  I get that.  I'm not feeling particularly generous myself.  But how in the name of balls and strikes do you expect to make it through this season if you're tapped out already?  That's what I love about baseball, it's a LOT of games, a long season.  You can expect to watch a game on a near daily basis.  Off days often irk me.  Where's my Tiger fix?

So, I for one, am going to TRY to kick back and enjoy the season.  Wins, losses, pretty, ugly, all of it.  I am really enjoying Miguel Cabrera, by the way.  But, please, could someone PUH-LEEZ come up with a decent nickname, before I strangle Rod & Mario the next time they call him "Cabby."  Once you've got a good suggestion, stuff FSN's email inbox with it-k?  Overload their server til it crashes repeatedly.  They'll get the message.

OK, I'll grudgingly give Brandon Inge some due also, but it's only the third game in.  I won't issue my apology until he proves himself over the full season.

Excuse Me, Are You Sure This is 2009?

Time warp.  I could swear tonight's game was straight out of 2008.  If it weren't for Gerald Laird, Adam Everett and Josh Anderson, you would have been hard-pressed to convince me otherwise.

There was Justin, racking up 35 pitches in the first inning, and 80 over 3 2/3, before being bombed out of the game.

There was a reliever (granted it was Eddie Bonine, who made five starts with the big club last year, but no relief appearances), letting inherited runners score--with flair, though--a three run homer to the first batter faced!  To be fair, he then settled down, and did just fine.

There was another reliever (ok, another one who wasn't with the Tigers in 2008, Juan Rincon) who had runners circling the bases like little tots getting dizzy on the Big Cat Carousel.

It's the events of the game that gave the feel of 2008, not necessarily the personnel, except for Verlander, who was impersonating his filthy-in-a-bad-way 2008 performances spot on.

On the bright side--believe it--Nate Robertson looked pretty darn good in relief.  Let's hope that bulldog pitches "more left-handed" and earns his spot back, so we can have at least one lefty in the rotation.

Well, the first one is under our belt, and I admit that I was a little nervous before the game.  Geez, I'm not even a player.  What a doorknob.

I started my blog after the season last year, so this is my first "in-season" post after a game.  I haven't read any other commentary (neither mainstream media nor blogs) yet, and didn't even watch "Tigers Live" after the game on FSN due to the NCAA championship.  I'm glad, because I don't want to inadvertently be influenced by others' analysis.  So, anything here that echos anything else is purely coincidental, ya dig?

Here are a couple of final notes:

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Bonine was facing second baseman Aaron Hill, and threw a spectacular pitch on a 2-2 count to strike him out.  The bottom dropped out so well that the ball got away from Laird and he had to track it down and complete the strikeout by throwing over to first.  That pitch was a little diamond (ok, maybe a diamelle--one of those synthetic diamonds) in a steaming pile of manure that was our pitching tonight.

I liked what Rod Allen said about Gerald Laird and his take on Nate Robertson's pitching performances from last year.  Texas got a hold of him pretty good a couple times last year (hey, who didn't?), so Laird saw what was happening.  Rod suggested that maybe Laird can give Robertson a fresh perspective on his pitching.  I hope that's true.  Take all the advice you can get, Nate, and use it to make us all forget your irrational, malcontented ravings about not starting.

I'm going to be like a pitcher tonight, and put a bad game QUICKLY out of mind.  Move on.  The rest of the Jays staff isn't exactly Roy Halladay, and we did get to him a little tonight.

Tomorrow's game will be played in 2009.

Live in the Now

I don't want to be accused of wallowing in the past, reliving past victories, ignoring the here and now, which is Opening Day tomorrow!  However, I have to mention that over at Mlive.com, Steve Kornacki has a cool little "Where Is He Now" piece about Guillermo Hernandez.  He of the 1984 World Series Champion Tigers.  He of 1984 Cy Young and MVP fame.  It's nice to catch up with our one-time closer, who says he regularly went three innings for a save, and his arm never got tired.  On the contrary, he said it got even better as we went along, and "Sparky knew that."  He also still keeps up with the Tigers, and encourages this year's team to go out and get it.  Sadly, his health is not the best, though he's only 54 years old.  There's a companion piece about the Hernandez and the '84 season, also penned by Kornacki.  You've got to read it, because there's quite the anecdote about Hernandez choking on his wad of tobacco as he got mobbed after the final World Series out.

Anyway, enough of the past, and on to the future.  Opening Day arrives tomorrow.  Prognosticators are not generally looking kindly on our Tigers, and it's understandable.  There are quite a few question marks, mostly surrounding our pitching staff.  I'm right with everyone, wondering how the hurlers will perform, but I can't help but be optimistic when it comes to the wearers of the Old English D.  It's a new season, and we've improved our defense.  We've got a good lineup.  Soon, very soon, I'll be at the ballpark.  Bring on the 2009 season.  I'm tired of thinking about it, analyzing it, writing about it.  I'm ready for it to commence.  Will anyone else have a hard time getting to sleep tonight?

Right is Right?

What to make of our all righty rotation, that is the question.  It couldn't be helped, what with Dontrelle Willis' trip to the DL, and Nate Robertson's inability to grab ahold of a spot, but it ain't exactly ideal.  I agree that the best five should make the rotation--notwithstanding contracts and handedness.  Still, let's look at a few of the AL Central lefty bats we'll be facing on a regular basis--and this is not everyone.

Sox

Pierzynski

Thome

Tribe

Martinez (S)

Choo

Sizemore

Hafner (who has had his struggles this spring, but may just be working out timing)

KC

Jacobs

DeJesus

Teahen

Twinkies

M & M boys

Span

Kubel

and a whole host of switch hitters

Thome and Sizemore and Morneau, oh my.  I've got a message in to the Wizard of Oz asking for a left-handed starter.

On a side note, I'm all aflutter, because I'm going to see Porcello's CoPa debut in person on April 14.  Whoo hoo!