The Trauma Chronicles

Sigh. Joel Zumaya has been moved to the 60 day disabled list. The only good news here is that a spot on the 40-man roster is freed up. Poor Zoom is simply doomed to be hurt....all...the...time. It would be so wrenching to see him join Mark Fidrych in the hall of fabulous flameouts. I hope that doesn't happen to Joel. He might not handle it as well as The Bird did. Not many would.

Carlos Guillen has NOT resumed baseball activities. Thank you for that bit of disheartening news, Rick Eymer. I feel like sobbing now. Kevin Rand says he's working on strength and movement, and IS NOT READY for baseball activities. I guess it's not surprising. A much younger Grady Sizemore had microfracture surgery in June and is just now coming back. Carlos just had surgery in mid-September 2010. Also, to put everyone further into a dark cloud, is Carlos going to have the lateral movement needed to play second base when he is cleared to return???? Think of the young gun Scott Sizemore coming off ankle surgery last year. He could not move right. What makes us think that Guillen, who is old in baseballian years, can do better?

Ryan Perry is recovering from a strange eye infection and secondary corneal damage (due to him rubbing his eye like a two-year old). A course in fundamental medical principles should be required for our ball players, people. They have plenty of down time during travel. Just hire someone to do presentations on the team plane. Be sure to follow up with quizzes, and require passing grades. Anyone who fails will not be permitted to partake of team subsidized snacks during games. That's right, no giant gum balls, no sunflower seeds, no Big League Chew. Yeah, I'm one tough cookie.

Victor Martinez has a gimpy groin and will not catch tonight, for sure, says Skip. Possible DH. Um, yeah, I would think that squatting with a bad groin would be......a very delicate matter. Let us hope together with all our collective powers that this is not a lingering thing.

Magglio Ordóñez' ankle fills up with fluid periodically, and is often sore-ish. These things make me very uncomfortable. This is my Tiger. I want him to excel always. His defense is already oft maligned. Now his ankle is very sensitive and prone to being irritated. No. Not. Good.

I would like to encourage the establishment of a M.B.S.H. unit for our Tigers. They appear to need it very much. Besides, I always loved Hawkeye and Trapper.

Messing with the Lineup

Much has been made of manager Jim Leyland’s inept lineup making when a player such as three-hole Magglio Ordóñez is out. Rogo of Designate Robertson and I have wrung our hands, spit tacks, and battled lunacy over players like Don Kelly and Ryan Raburn batting third when they clearly have no business doing so. Then, to add to the absolute hilarity (that’s a euphemism for bull dung) of it all, Rod and Mario were discussing the matter during yesterday’s game. Can you guess what they had to say about it? They said that Leyland likes to slot a replacement player into the missing player’s place in the lineup, so as not to “mess with” the rest of the order.

WHAT??

So, you’re telling me a player who normally bats fifth or sixth (Boesch, Guillen), will get all “messed up” if suddenly called upon to bat third? I…what the…does not compute. I am so sorry, but if a major league ballplayer can’t deal with an occasional shift in the lineup card, what earthly good is he? Please file this under the “just shoot me now and put me out of my agony” category, because I believe I am about to go certifiable.

In rather interesting timing, Ian Casselberry, in his new work at SB Nation Detroit, points us to a Boston Globe piece by Nick Cafardo, in which he opines whether Jim Leyland is doing his best work yet as manager. Ahem, excuse me while I become the latest victim of spontaneous combustion. I'm going to have to go ahead and say (expletive) NO, Nick.

Little Stevie Wonder?

Soooooo, a certain young phenom debuted last night and commandeered the national (bad pun, sorry) baseball stage. Notwithstanding my Tiger loyalties, I wanted to witness the kid's maiden MLB outing. So I met a friend at a sports bar that was going to show both the Nats and Tigers games. Stephen Strasburg, my friends, did not disappoint. All he did was strike out FOURTEEN batters (one shy of the record for a debut), pitch SEVEN innings, and give up only TWO runs. Sorry for all the yelling via caps, but it's kind of exciting, no? I mean, yes, he's been hyped beyond all reasonable limits, and yes, he lived up to the hype, for one night at least. And there's really no reason to think he won't continue to knock everyone's baseball socks right off their feet. To top it all off, in his first at bat, the kid could have had an infield single, if he'd run down the line faster. He must've thought it was more of a routine play, but it looked like he could have made it to me. Bet he won't make that mistake again.

Today, some sports radio show hosts were asking who the last person was that you saw and you knew right then they were going to be a special player. For me, it was Vince Carter. I saw him participate in the 1995 McDonald's All American dunk contest for high school players. I didn't know him from Adam, but I saw him throwing down all these ridiculous dunks. I immediately turned on the old VCR so I could show my hoops-crazy husband when he got home later. Vince goes down as one of the game's best dunk men. He was a pretty good player, too, but the dunks were just in another league. Bottom line, I was no expert, but I could see with the naked eye that this kid was operating on another plane. Same with Strasburg. He went out there and dealt. Period. I mean, seriously, fourteen Ks for a debut? Let's just say it made the old-lady-out-on -the-town-on-a-week-night well worth it.

You may have been aware that there was also a Tiger game last night. Don't worry, I didn't sell out my team. The Tigers game was on the big screen at the bar, and I paid it proper attention. The Nats and Little Stevie Wonder were playing on several smaller screens. Happily, the Nats game was a 7:05 start, and the Tigers were an 8:10, so there was a good hour to watch Strasburg, before I had to start training one eye on the Tigers game and the other on the Nats vs. the perennial "also-ran" Pirates.

Gavin Floyd. How does this guy scream mediocrity and then pitch us lights out all the time? Veeery maddening. Stern looks all around to Tigers batters. I was beginning to get a mite frustrated, when our boys came to the rescue and broke out with six runs in the seventh inning (after Floyd exited the game, mind you). Brennan Bash and Carlos Guillen went yard back-to-back. Tee hee, that was fun. The only downer of the night was that the Twinks were pounding the Royals, so we didn't have the opportunity to gain any ground.

Grab Bag of Oddities

Gerald Laird has changed his uniform number from 8 to 12, snatching Lloyd McClendon's uniform number! I find this most unusual. How often do players just change their uni number solely as a slump-buster? Also, John Keating reports that Laird has made no compensation as of yet to McClendon, and plans to do so only if he benefits from the change (improved offensive numbers)! Hilarious. Did McClendon just go for a straight swap and take Laird's number 8? I don't know, nobody mentioned it. Why was this not part of the story???

Carlos Guillen struck out in the bottom of the second inning, and I exclaimed with mildly stern disapproval, "Carlos," and my son chimes in from the other room "Guillen, suckage." He didn't even know what had happened! What did I do in my current or former life to deserve my son hating the Tigers? It hurts, so deeply inside, it hurts. Then, to add insult to injury, my husband quips, "he'll be injured in the next two weeks. Do you think other teams' general managers think "durability" when they think of Carlos Guillen?" Really, the gears in my brain are circling feverishly trying to identify terrible things I must have done to be the subject of such cruel barbs from my family. I'm heading to a local sports bar to watch the games in a non-hostile environment from now on.

Rick Porcello came into the game with a 2.29 groundball to flyball ratio, which Rod said is the best in the majors (over some time period, but I didn't catch exactly what, I think it was the time period since Rick came into the majors until now). This game was characterized by fly ball after fly ball for Pretty Little Ricky. What gives? Magglio Ordóñez made a funny catch against the right/center field wall. He went back for it, tripped against the wall at the last second, fell down as the ball came into his glove, but mercifully held on to it. If he had dropped it, derisive laughter would have followed from the previously mentioned Tiger haters in my household. As it was, we chuckled at the play, but it was all good-natured from my end, I assure you. Never any bad vibes for Mi Magglio.

The following is not an oddity at all. I'm not the least bit surprised that Roy Halladay threw a perfect game. He has always shown that he's more than capable of accomplishing the feat, and tonight he pulled it off. Congratulations, Roy, it's an achievement worthy of your stellar career. I followed the last couple outs on MLB.com's Gameday, and FSN showed the final out, a nice play at that, to preserve the perfection.

Tonight's Tiger game does not compare favorably to Roy's perfect game, so I won't mention any further details (like Laird being robbed of a home run, and later failing to pick a ball out of the dirt from cutoff man Adam Everett). Sigh.

In the Midnight Hour

In a miraculous turn of events, I stayed up for last night's game. We really needed to come away with a W. I mean, things were getting ugly. We had dropped 2 of 3 to the Mariners, and were staring 3 straight losses to the Angels in the face. Enter Miguel Cabrera. One mighty swat tied the game at three in the ninth. MVP candidacy has been filed. What? It's only April? Ok, ok. Calm down. It's just a little dramatic-come-back-late-innings-victory hyperbole.

The remainder of the Tigers' half of the ninth was filled with a see-saw of emotions, with Carlos Guillen taking a base on balls, Brandon Inge striking out (the predictability of this at bat is painful), Gerald Laird entering the game as a pinch hitter (with curses heard 'round the world), Guillen stealing second, Laird drawing a walk, Carlos getting picked off attempting to steal third, but staying in a rundown long enough to get Laird down to second (or he may have been drawn and quartered upon returning to the dugout), Ramon Santiago hitting the unlikeliest of bloop singles to left off his shoetops, and Gerald Laird hauling himself admirably around third, and executing a gorgeous slide, swiping the bag with his hand to avoid the tag.

Papa Grande garnered the save in merciful 1-2-3 fashion. I would've whooped and hollered in jubilation, except everyone else in my house had already entered their REM cycles, and it would've been a little rude to wake them all up. Oh well, I settled for silent glee.

Our RISP woes subsided a bit last night as we went 2-4, while the Angels managed only 1-7. Five runners were marooned on the basepaths, which compares rather favorably to 10 on Tuesday, 8 on Monday, and 12 on Sunday.

Is it asking too much to split with the Angels tonight? Come on Justin, let's bring that 6.88 ERA down a smidge.

Just What You Wanted to Hear

More on the Carlos Guillen soap opera.  Well, I'm not going to rehash what's already been said well elsewhere.  You can check out the Detroit Tigers Weblog, Bless You Boys and Mack Avenue Tigers for that.

My theory is that aging players have difficulty coming to terms with an erosion of their defensive skill set.  They cannot see it clearly or objectively at all.  It's not surprising.  These are premier athletes who have "yes" men stationed around them at convenient intervals.  Remember Sheff claiming he was more than capable of playing the field, and we're all like, yeah, right, one false move and your 40-year old tendons will rupture like flimsy rubber bands.

I saw Patrick Ewing play a game at the Palace during his last year in the NBA.  He looked like a dinosaur, and his knees were so heavily braced had no lateral movement at all.  Please don't get me started on a certain player who now wears purple in the NFL.  We understand that it's hard to let go.

I like Carlos.  A lot.  He's been a great leader on and off the field (I especially liked his insight into the feeling many Latin players have that MLB could just ship them back home if they make waves, his work to get the Venezuelan WBC team shaped up, and the way he used to have a few calming words for rattled pitchers when he played short).  I'm not sure why he didn't settle this internally before coming to the media.  Maybe he tried and got the brush off, who knows.  He obviously had frustration building for some time, and that can lead to eruptions that are later regretted.  I'm not going to brand him a malcontent just yet, because he's earned my respect over the years as a gutty team player.

Hopefully, he can stay healthy and earn the role he wants on the team.  By the same token, he should be able to accept a gradual shift in that role and playing time as health and skills dictate.

Yesterday's News

Well, I don't know whether any of you remember the Cleveland series last week. It seems an age ago now, what with the sweeping of the Rays, and the Holiday weekend.

However, I'm going to bring that series back to life for you for just a moment here. You may ask why, since it was the lowly Indians after all, and we've since swept a much better team. Well, it's purely selfish reasons making this train roll.

It's not that often that I take in a full series at the ballpark. I got a chance to do just that for the Cleveland set. It was kind of a fluke, but I was pretty happy nonetheless. So, I kind of want to recap the series here in the ol' blog--hence the selfish reasons. I can only hope that what comes next is worth the time you're spending here, stale subject matter and all.

Tuesday's game was fun, because Polanco and Guillen homered back-to-back in the first inning, and we went on to score two more runs in that frame. Also, Aubrey Huff broke out that game, with a single double, two walks, and three RBIs. The fifth inning was mighty troubling, as the wheels fell off for Jackson. He did manage to get out the inning, but that left four frames to be covered by the pen, which they did quite admirably, other than that homer Miner gave up to Andy Marte (who has a career total of 14 home runs in 614 at bats). Just a question--why do the Tigers LOVE to give up the longball to the unlikeliest of players?

Wednesday's game? Well, I was thrilled to see Porcello go seven strong with only two earned runs and ZERO walks. It was also very odd to see Jhonny Peralta make three errors in a slop-fest on the part of the Tribe. He did make a couple decent plays, too and has a grand total of four errors on the season. So, I'm sure he thought that someone was holding a voodoo doll and was working the pins to perfection every time the ball was hit to the hot corner. Shin-Soo Choo had DHed on Tuesday, but played right on Wednesday, and it was cool, because a guy sitting in my row was a fan of his--they're both from South Korea. I didn't know a ton about Choo, so I quizzed the guy for info. He said that Cleveland didn't want him to play in the WBC this year, but he did, and you may or may not remember that South Korea made it to the finals.

On Thursday, I dragged the kid down to the park to see Nate Robertson's second start of the season. It went pretty well, pretty well indeed! I missed bits of the game here and there, what with trips out for snacks, the bathrooms, an abortive attempt at the ferris wheel (line...miles long) and all, but it was such a beautiful day for a game, and we had a terrific time. Ni had a bit of trouble in the 8th there. That was a little scary. But it kind of worked out, because the game went to extras. And extras, I love extras, well at least I do when they end in a walkoff win! What a 10th. Raburn leads of with a huge double, then they get "smart" and walk Cabrera on purpose, but walk Magglio not on purpose to load 'em up with NO outs for Polanco, who had pinch hit for Avila in the 8th. Mighty Polly steps up the plate, and......hits a sac fly RBI walkoff. Hey, you may say that it was a little anti-climactic to hit a sac fly. I say no way, it's just what we needed. I love someone like Polanco who doesn't try to do too much, but works with what the pitcher gives him. Hurrah Polanco, Raburn, Cabrera and Ordoñez. Hurrah Tigers, because in case you didn't get the subtle subliminal message from the Tigers web site, the Pennant Race is ON!

Here's a little public service message for you, register now for the playoff ticket lottery drawing scheduled for September 16.

We Are Family

What a weekend to have a Family Reunion! It was a blast, but I missed seeing our Tigers pound the Sox three of four. Because I started this blog in September 2008, this is my first summer at it, and boy is it tough to keep up, what with family obligations, summer activities and whatnot. I did see the bottom of the 9th and 10th innings on Saturday, and then made it back for last night's loss. All I can say is domo arigato Tigers, well done, well done!

Carlos Guillen comes back contributing (way beyond my expectations, I'll tell you that much). Problem is, the trade deadline is looming, and can we get enough of a read on him before then? No. We need to add a bat. That much is clear. At least I hope those 2-1 losses piling up had the proper effect on Dave Dombrowski.

Casey Fien made his major league debut with his feet to the fire and responded quite well after falling behind 3-0. If that's not drama enough for you, you don't like baseball at all.

OK, it's the hard hitting Rangers in steamy Arlington next, while the Twinkies and Sox beat up on each other--Go Twins (for now). I've got my son's Twin Cities cap from little league to sport if necessary.

Tale of Two Teams

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The Tigers were atop the AL Central.  The Tigers got swept by the Red Sox.

Justin Verlander leads the American League in strikeouts.   Dontrelle Willis loses ability to throw strikes mid-game.

Rick Porcello wins AL Rookie of the Month.  Zach Miner and Nate Robertson show they are ineffective as relievers.

Ryan Perry comes in today and allows no hits, no walks.   The remainder of the Tigers pitching staff makes enemies with the strike zone, surrendering NINE walks.

Justin Verlander wins AL Pitcher of the Month.  The Tiger bats go silent.

Jeremy Bonderman is finally ready to come off the DL.  Carlos Guillen is still a long ways off.

Are you feeling the dichotomy?  I've got to be honest.  The top of the third inning today had me ready to assume the fetal position and sob/rock myself to sleep so I could escape the horrible sadness.

I hate losing to good teams, because I don't want to hear sports analysts say we can't match up with Boston or New York.

All I can say is shake it off boys, you've got the Angels on tap.

Seriously?

Please tell me I was dreaming, and that we did not have another disastrous inning last night.  Crap, I just saw the evidence on SportsCenter.  Edwin Jackson may begin to get a little cranky if he continues to receive this paltry level of run support throughout the season.

Carlos Guillen is now battling a sore shoulder?  And why would he not be on the DL at this point?  You can't successfully battle two injuries.  I absolutely love Carlos Guillen, but he can't be kept in the lineup in his battered condition.  It's really hard to say this, but he looks brutal in left right now, too.  He's not getting to those deep balls even though he's playing deep.  Ugh.

In divisional news, Zack Greinke continues to dominate to the tune of a 0.40 ERA.    Last night he threw a complete game, shutting out the White Sox, while striking out ten.  I can only hope that on our next series against the Royals, we somehow miss his turn in the rotation.  In a way, it's exciting to see someone dealing like that, but when he's in our division, it has the tendency to take some of the fun out of it.

Bad Dreams

Too bad it wasn't just a bad dream, although it sure seemed like one.  I dozed off a couple times (sorry) during last night's west coast game.  I did awaken at the most inopportune times, however.  First, to see Brandon Lyon give up the go-ahead run on Gary Matthew's double.  (Lyon is not yet endearing himself to the Tiger faithful.)  Then, I get to see our flameout in the ninth.

Actually, I'm not going to bellyache too much about it.  Carlos Guillen did his job to get on base as leadoff.  He of the sore Achilles was promptly replaced with pinch runner Josh Anderson.   Adam Everett !! comes in as a pinch hitter, and can't execute the bunt.  (We find out after the game that Thames was unavailable due to an rib-cage-muscle injury that puts him on the DL, and recalls Ryan Raburn from Toledo.)  Anderson gets picked off.  Everett then proceeds to strike out.  These things will happen from time to time.  We've done pretty well on risky plays so far this year (two successful squeezes).  So, I'm not going to go off the deep end over last night's failed steal and sac bunt.

Let's just say that I'll be hoping for better "dreams" tonight.

Sheffield Thou Art Loosed

Too bad the $14 million we owe him isn't also loosed.  Oh well, it's a freeing move for the Tigers notwithstanding the monetary loss.  We're freed up to retain Marucs Thams, and to DH Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordóñez more often.  We're also liberated to bring Jeff Larish up with the club.

Now, I admit I'm protective of my own guys, so I was more than a little rankled when a local sports radio personality said today that Magglio Ordóñez was probably the worst right fielder in baseball.  Excuse me, Bobby Abreau played right field in the WBC and Magglio played left--making Abreu the lesser fielder.  There--at least one who's worse!  I admit he's a liability, but when Josh Anderson and Curtis Granderson play with Magglio, the center-fielder will be freed up to drift right, savvy?

Well, Sheff's tenure with any club is bound to be colorful, so it'll be interesting to see where he lands, and with whom he hits the big 500.  New grudges are sure to be birthed in moments of self-aggrandizing drama.  I'm sure we'll soon be hearing how the Tigers held him hostage at DH when he had all the desire and ability to play the field.

I always loved Sheff's bat through the years, and coveted it for the Tigers.  Old clichés ring true--be careful what you wish for...

Order Up! Eating My Own Words (sort of)

OK.  I know I very recently raved about the WBC.  In truth, I've really enjoyed watching the Classic, and have not lost my enthusiasm for the event.  However, I'm now a little concerned about the effects participation in the WBC may have on some of our own.

Curtis Granderson is not seeing many ABs in the Classic.  Centerfield has belonged almost exclusively to Shane Victorino.  Now, I was all into Victorino last year during the World Series, but now he's blocking Grandy from getting playing time, which has not been nearly enough, in just about everyone's opinion.  We all know what not having Curtis did to the beginning of our season last year.  Ouch.  

Armando Gallaraga is now approximately two outings behind the other Tigers pitchers.  He's not seeing enough action either.

Carlos Guillen is mostly DHing for Venezuela, not getting reps in his new left-field slot.  It just keeps getting better.

So, although the WBC has my attention and admiration, it also has me squirming a bit.  

Fun Fact

I was listening to parts of the Tigers exhibition game yesterday vs. the Blue Jays on the radio.  A very interesting bit of trivia was discussed between Dan and Jim.  They were talking about maple bats at first--the issue of them shattering explosively and dangerously.  Apparently the trademark has been rotated on the bats, supposedly  making them less likely to shatter in such a way that puts people in peril.  Not quite sure I understood how that's supposed to work.  Anyway, they then moved on to players' bat selection.

Not sure who said it, but apparently Carlos Guillen tests every bat in each shipment by sounding and feeling them out with a bang against his hand.  He keeps only about THREE OF EVERY TWELVE BATS.  That amazed me.  Only 25% of bats make the cut?  I wonder what happens to the remaining 75%.  Do they go to the minor leagues?  Or does the company take them back and shred them?  Or is there an island of misfit bats somewhere, with despairing bats waiting to be selected for use in a real game?  Poor little bats.

Anyway, I thought it was a fun fact worth sharing.

Teammates No More

Isn't it fun seeing teammates pitted against each other?  I'm enjoying it to no end.  Last night, Carlos Guillen hit a home run off Jason Grilli (who's playing for team Italy).  Tonight, Curtis Granderson had to step into the batter's box against Armando Gallaraga--Gallaraga won that battle.  Magglio Ordóñez later flied out to deep center--into the glove of Curtis Granderson.  Before the WBC started, I saw an exhibition game between team USA and the Yankees, and Derek Jeter had an RBI off his teammates--I admit that was pretty weird, but very fun, to see the likes of Derek Jeter celebrating at the expense of the Yankees!  I'd like to hear some of the trash talk between teammates who are temporarily on opposing sides.

Where do your WBC loyalties lie?  I had to laugh at Tommy Lasorda's over-the-top nationalistic comments about team USA.  I don't think that many people share his unmitigated loyalty.  I mean, most MLB teams have players scattered all over various WBC teams.  I'm sure many fans are rooting for favorite players to do well, regardless of the WBC team for which they happen to be playing.  How can I not pull for Venezuela, when four prominent Tigers are represented there?  Of course, it's also compelling to see a bunch of MLB all-stars playing together on Team USA's roster.  Granderson's batting 9th tonight for goodness' sake!

Say what you will about the WBC, I'm having a ball.

TigerFreeze 2009

Here are a couple snaps from TigerFest yesterday.  To say it was cold does not express the depths of frozen-ness we endured.  We got to the stadium at about 10:20, and had to wait outside the gates in an ever lengthening line for at least 30 minutes.  Inside, they did have sheeting up and portable heaters blowing in some warmth, so those areas were fine.  You did have to walk through various unheated concourses and stairways at times.  Those areas were frigid.  

Lines were very long-about 1.5 to 2 hours.  We only waited in one of the autograph lines.  As you can see, we got Carlos Guillen, and Clete Thomas.   I got in one other autograph line at the end of our time there, but didn't have the heart to put my son through it after learning it would be over 1.5 hours.

My son enjoyed the whiffle ball home run derby--he hit at least 3 "home runs."

If my son hadn't been there, I would've gone to the clinics/panels/interviews with players.  I heard those were good. 

All in all, it was just OK.  The cold diminished the fun, and the lines did also, but both were to be expected.

There wasn't quite as much kid stuff as I thought there would be.  It was just a few things in the concourse behind right field.

Touring the clubhouse was ok.  There wasn't much in it, so it seemed kind of sterile.  I'm not sure if they were letting people in the dugouts this year.  We didn't do that if they were.

Anyone else have stories to share?

Tiger Sighting: Carlos Guillen FInally Playing Winter Ball

According to a Free Press report, Carlos Guillen has now played in four games for Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League.

He's 5 for 16, with at least one appearance in left field, and at least one at short.  The bad news is he's got two errors in four appearances, a fielding error in left, and a throwing error from short.

Let's hope that's just some rust.   Word is he'll play only a few more games in winter ball.

I really like Carlos Guillen.  He's tougher than nails.  I mean, who plays through tuberculosis?  I'm down for the count with the common cold.  He's out there hacking up a lung, and still taking the field.

Also, he's a quiet leader.  Ever notice his presence in the infield, giving a quick, calming word to pitchers?

Then, he spoke up on some issues.  He confirmed Sheffield's rather caddish comments about MLB controlling Latin players.  I was rather shocked when the MLB uniform police took him to task for having his pockets hanging out, threatening to fine him for every occurrence.  What was that?  Isn't there more pressing baseball business than making sure everyone's pockets are tucked in???  Then, he took on the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic team, nudging officials to get their act together so other Venezuelan nationals would represent the team this year.

I'm hoping he plays well in left until that DH spot opens up, because he's such a quality guy, and his offense is consistently valuable.

Feeling a Little Let Down?

I think we're all a little underwhelmed with the Tigers' off-season moves thus far.

Now we're on the verge of signing catcher Matt Treanor.  No offense Matt, but whoop-de-doo!

Geez, I can only hope that this means we're going to actually bust open the piggy bank eventually and spend it on a closer.  Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.

I know, the free agent market is slow, what with the economic woes of the country and all.  So, we're probably going to wait it out and see who we can get on the cheap.  Once again, majorly underwhelming!

In further non-news, Carlos Guillen has not yet played in the Venezuelan Winter League, does not yet have a number, and is listed as an infielder.  I sincerely hope that if he does see any time there, it's as an OUTFIELDER!

Despite all this disappointment and inaction, TigerFest sold out in three days.  I've never been to TigerFest, but I bought a ticket for me and my son.  I'm not into the autograph scene, but would like to tour the clubhouse.  I hope it's not sub-zero that day.  I've been to the Tigers' Winter Caravan at Eastern Michigan University, and let's just say I had a not so minor disappointment occur there.  Last year, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordóñez were supposed to be at the EMU caravan stop.  I bought a $50 ticket to the VIP meet and greet, and guess what, neither of them showed.  I got to meet Dontrelle Willis, Vance Wilson, DD, Rod Impemba, and Rick Porcello.  Again, no offense, but I'm going to have to give another big whoop-de-doo on that one.  I swallowed my bitter pill, but two little boys were all like, "where are carlos and magglio" to DD, and he didn't even apologize that they bailed, but just said, "this is everyone who's going to be here tonight."  Gimme a break.  TigerFest and the Winter Caravan last all of three days, and the players can't commit to three days for the fans?  We do pay their salaries, you know!

I will stop ranting now, but I must say it is so therapeutic to get all my angst out here in my blog.  I get it all out of my system, and can move on and treat my fellow man on the street well, instead of acting like a deranged, disgruntled lunatic!  Thanks for listening.

Carlos Guillen a member of team Magallanes?

Carlos Guillen is now listed on the Venezuelan Winter Ball roster for Navegantes del Magallanes.  His position is listed as first base!?   Jason Beck had initially reported in his blog on November 10 that there was a story out in the Venezuelan paper El Universal that Guillen wanted to play winter ball.  I haven't seen any follow up on this, but his name is now listed on the Magallanes roster, but without a jersey number.   He also does not yet have any stats, so it appears he has not yet played.  According to Beck, the story was that Guillen wanted to prepare both for his (yet another) new position with the Tigers in left next year, and for the World Baseball Classic.  Also, Beck said that Dombrowksi hadn't heard from Guillen with a request for approval to play (he would need permission from the Tigers to play).

The Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional runs through December 30, so Guillen would be playing for just over a month.  If he's playing at first, this does nothing to help him prepare for next year with the Tigers.  The Tigers do not have control over the position played in a winter ball league, from what I can tell (I read this somewhere, but couldn't put my finger on it now). 

Side note, Freddy Garcia is also on the Magallanes roster, number 60.   No appearances yet as far as I can see.  The Tigers have had no talks at all with Freddy, so I guess they're waiting to see how he does in winter ball.    Other teams have expressed interest according to MLB.com (none specifically named).  If he does well, I think the Tigers should try to sign him to a reasonable contract.   We've got to get some bargains, and from what we saw of him last year, combined with a good performance in winter ball, I'd say he'd be as a good a gamble as any for the price.

Viva la World Baseball Classic

Ok, so Carlos Guillen has stepped in and whipped the Venezuelan WBC team management into shape.  There was much discontent about the handling/organization of the 2006 WBC Venezuelan team, and many Venezuelan MLB players had virtually decided against playing in 2009.   Carlos has shown himself to be an outspoken force, first after Gary Sheffield's comments about MLB "controlling" latino players.  Turns out he was right (although he spoke in a way that was offensive to many).   Carlos said he felt intimidated into not making waves, and others feared deportation if they spoke up over issues.  Now, he has stood up and affected change on his own national team.  Do you realize that half our team will now be playing for Venezuela in the WBC?  Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordóñez, Miguel Cabrera, and Armando Gallaraga will all most likely represent.  Carlos obviously has a great political future ahead of him.

I, for one, am desperate to score tickets to the first round of the WBC at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 7.  Venezuela will be playing Italy, and the tickets go on sale on Monday, November 17.  So, I go on-line to register for a ticket strip.  Alas, the deadline to register for tickets for the first round has passed.  (Aside while I sob inconsolably for a few moments.)  I need baseball in March, I need a respite from the relentless Michigan winter, I need to see my Tigres in action for Venezuela.

So, if anyone out there has the goods, let me know.  

I realize that MLB  has some legitimate concerns about injury during the WBC, but it's good for baseball, it's good for fans, so I support it, because I'm sorry, fans are often left out of the equation, when we're the reason for the sport's existence.  Excuse me, how do you expect to make money if you're playing to empty stadiums, not selling gazillions in fan gear, and losing fat tv contracts?  (Stepping off soapbox now.)

So let's soak up the World Baseball Classic in prelude to that summer classic we couldn't do without.