This, That and an Abomination

This afternoon, I was watching an episode of Baseball Tonight I had recorded, and I heard a very funny quote attributed to Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis. He reportedly said he's glad to be playing third base instead of first, because it's "a less social area." Make of this what you will. Here's my interpretation: "I hate making bleeping small talk with those jerks I play against," or "Now I won't get beat up by Rick Porcello any more." Kidding, but it did make me laugh.

I hadn't heard much about Jose Valverde lately, so I had to take a little looky loo at his spring numbers. In eight innings, Papa Grande has the following line:

1.13 ERA, 4 hits, 4BB, 4K, 1.00 WHIP, .154 batting average against

Good to know our closer is on track. Would be nice to see him cut down a little on the walks, but he's not getting hit around, that's for sure. /claps hands and longs for Opening Day

I'm sure you say this as often as I do, but "WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?" Specifically, what is wrong with T.J. Simers of the LA Times? What would make him launch such a mean-spirited attack on Marcus Thames of all people? Did his significant other just run away with his best friend and send him a video of them being "intimate" together? Did his beloved pet (and only friend) just die? Sadly, I don't think either is the case. Simers has a reputation for being a bit of a slimy provocateur. Craig Calcaterra of NBC's Hardball Talk says that Simers' regular MO is to "insult, bait and pester a given Dodgers or Angels player and hope against hope that they’ll spout off in anger so that he can print a juicy quote and follow it up with his 'man, what’s his problem'?" Is your writing and reporting talent so non-existent that you resort to such tactics? Thankfully, Rogo of Designate Robertson has shredded Simers on our behalf. Please read it. It will help to diffuse your righteous indignation.

In closing, I would like to shout from my rooftop that Opening Day is now only eight days away. Our home opener is only sixteen days away, and my first game is only twenty days away. Happy face.

Grandyvision

So the Freep decides that torture is a valid form of journalism, and posts a 27 photo gallery of Curtis Granderson as a Yankee. There are photos of Curtis engaged in all manner of Spring Training activities, from fist bumps with Robinson Cano (while standing with his thumb tucked adorably under his belt loop) to chatting it up with Derek Jeter (sigh), to palling around with other former Tiger Marcus Thames (straight to the heart!), to mournful shots of his Yankee equipment, emblazoned with number 14 (whyyyyyy?).

I'm serious, it's like someone at the Freep just found out his/her significant other was cheating and had to inflict equal pain on the rest of us. Some solo shots of Jeter and A-Rod are thrown in there at the end, because....um, they're Yankees, and everyone must care about what they are doing every waking moment of every day.

So, if you're feeling emotionally strong, go ahead, subject your self to the whole gallery.

Finding a Free Agent

So, Marcus Thames signs a minor league contract with the New York Yankees (boo, hiss). This prompts Buster Olney to point out Thames' "isolated power" as a good fit for Yankee Stadium. He also listed the 15 major leaguers who rank higher than Thames in this category. Number 11 on the list is Russell Branyan, who fellow blogger Rogo of Designate Robertson told me a while back would be one of his picks for the Tigers to sign. Branyan would bring a lefty bat at a much lower price tag than Johnny Damon, eater of octopus, fan of Steve Yzerman (spare me).

Are we too late for Branyan? What have the fish got on Motown? Sunny climes? The ocean? Michigan sees its fair share of the sun in the summer months, and we have the Great Lakes.

Who's your pick among the remaining free agents?

Cringe-tastic!

I had such good feelings at the beginning of yesterday's finale with the Twinks. We had some great defensive plays (even one by Magglio!) that told me our guys were zoned in on clinching. So much for that.

During the rather strange unraveling of yesterday's game, rife with hit batters, retaliations and ejections, my constant thought was, "Don't do anything to get yourself suspended!" My hands frequently went up to my head as if to protect myself from possible brain explosion lest somebody do something rash that would have disastrous consequences. I'm sure it was in everyone's mind, as the dugouts and bullpens emptied harmlessly, with people in seeming slow motion toward each other. No one was rushing to throw a punch or anything, but it still made me nervous, because people who are angered can make some very unwise decisions in the heat of the moment, you know? When Marcus Thames bored holes through Scott Baker with his eyes, I was very, very concerned. Also, did you notice Miguel Cabrera getting REALLY chippy with the first base umpire? I had to plead with him to keep his head and not get tossed. He heard me, surely. That's because we met in Chicago and now have telepathic powers.

I knew when I was at the game Wednesday that Angel Hernandez would be Thursday's home plate umpire. I smelled trouble right away. Players tend to take issue with his strike zone, and that leads to frustration building up, tempers flaring, all kinds of bad, bad things. So, when Santiago was called out for leaving to early on a tag-up, I could see it all coming. Again, I'm imploring Leyland not to bump Hernandez. Sheesh, it's all a little too much stress for a fan to handle.

OK, Edwin, show us what you got tonight. We're all behind you.

A Five Inning Game

Just kidding, but it was for me, because that's all I saw: innings twelve through sixteen. We spent the afternoon and evening at the park, stayed for fireworks, and made it home a little before midnight. Imagine my surprise (and delight) to see that the game was still on thanks to extras.

Now, I'm not delighted that we used every single arm in our pen (and watched Galarraga warm up too), but I am delighted that I got to see some Tiger baseball, and that we came out on the winning end of that marathon. Sounds like I missed a stellar outing by Zumaya--good, he needed that. I also missed French's debut, blowing of a six-run lead, a meltdown by Zach Miner, home runs by Thames and Laird, Jim Leyland walking Mauer and Morneau to load the bases in the 11th, and it working, you know--11 innings worth of ball.

I'm sorry to say I did see Polanco take a ball of his package--wince, cringe. He was either none the worse for wear, or angry, because he proceeded to get two RBIs after that to help us on to victory.

Well, we made that victory a lot more difficult than it should have been, but it is a win, and it kept the White Sox from gaining, so that's always a good thing. But now, day game today at the Metrodump. Hmmm, if we could win another there it would be nothing short of incredible. We've come to see wins there as such a rarity, that losses neither surprise nor anger us especially. But winning a series there, now that would be something, wouldn't it? So come on boys, rally 'round Polanco's package and take at least two of three from the Twinks at the dome.

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...

Take a Spin on the Rumor Mill

You may have thought the ride was over now that Spring Training is in full swing, but no...the rumor mill has not ceased operation.  Listen to what I heard today, and see if it doesn't get you feeling a bit woozy.  

I was listening to Karsch & Anderson this noon, who were broadcasting from Lakeland.  One of them says that he's heard that perhaps the Tigers will dump Sheffield and his $14 million dollar contract to ensure that Jeff Larish has a spot on the roster.   

To be honest, I don't put a whole lot of stock in this news, thunderous as it may be.  My jaw did drop, true, at its hearing, but actually believing it is a whole other thing.  Their current proximity to the Tigers does not really serve to enhance the veracity of the tale.

Also, as if to prove it wrong, Sheff busts out with two homers in today's game against the Yanks.

In the concrete news realm, Verlander walks four in two innings, and allows 4 runs (2 earned) with two strikeouts.  Oh Justin, is efficiency out of reach?  Are Tiger starters (other than Porcello) incurably addicted to the base on balls?

As if Tigers fans needed more news to prompt ledge-seeking, Marcus Thames has an abdominal strain.  Both Curtis Granderson and our team Venezuela representatives made it through to round two of the WBC, so we are a little short on player personnel here, you know?

Let's look at it this way, maybe we're getting out all the bad stuff here in the pre-season, and we'll be injury and walk free during the regular season.   Wishful thinking, I know, but my workplace doesn't have any ledges, so I've got to keep positive somehow.

So Many Questions, So Few Answers

We're still wringing our hands over the 2008 season, and chugging Maalox in anticipation of off-season moves.  A full buffet of names has been plated, chewed up, digested or spit out.  I guess we bloggers should be happy in the sense that it supplies endless fodder to fill our cyber-pages.  I'm weary already, and the winter meetings don't start until December 8.  I'm sorry that I'm so weak.  It's pathetic, I know.

Side note--winter meetings are in Vegas, so let's hope Dombrowski isn't tempted to do a lot of gambling.  Although, with our funds available, that may be a necessity.  Our player payroll was about $134 million in 2008, and it's expected to stay right around that level.  We've already got $100 million committed.  A lot of that is tied up in bad contracts (Inge, Robertson, Willis, Sheffield), further hindering our ability to do what we need to do.  This leads to the talk that the Tigers will have to listen to offers for Magglio Ordóñez.  A lot of folks have argued that he'll be difficult to move without eating some of his contract, so we'll see.  Marcus Thames and Jeff Larish (especially with his quality performance in the AFL) are also good bets for trade bait.

December 1 is the deadline for clubs to offer arbitration to their free agents.  December 7 is the deadline for the player to decline or accept it.  This deadline is right before winter meetings, so that may make things interesting for the Renteria scenario at short (as pointed out by Jason Beck in his Nov. 10 Tigers.com mailbag).

The hardest part for us (besides the limited payroll) is that we've got players who are very close, but not quite big league ready, so we're looking for short term solutions, while most free agents (who aren't older than dirt or coming off injury-riddled or underperforming seasons) are looking for long term contracts.   Farm talent ready to come in by about 2010 includes short, closer and starting pitcher.  Catcher Dusty Ryan may be ready this year, may not.  It all makes for gut-churning drama, which may not play out until the season is in full swing.  Better go buy more Maalox.

Bright Spots?

I've been wracking my brain today trying to think of some bright spots from our failed season to cheer myself up.  It's been a little tough.  Most of the things I come up with fall a little short.

For example, Magglio Ordoñez "almost" won a second consecutive batting title.  Don't get me wrong, he had another very good year, and was one of the few players who lived up to expectations, but almost doesn't quite qualify for this little rah rah list.

Gary Sheffield "almost" joined the 500 home run club.  It got exciting, because he served a four-game suspension right at the end of the season.  Everyone was like, "there go his chances at 500 this year."  Then he steps in and launches two in his first game back.  I really thought he'd get there then.  Again, no, he fell short.

Even Miguel Cabrera's home run title has to be qualified, because Carlos Quentin of the White Sox went down with a broken wrist on September 5.  He already had 36 at that point, and Cabrera ended with 37.  That being said, Cabrera really smoked some balls this year.  Two of his massive jacks were caught less than a row away from me in right field behind the 365 corner -- impressive opposite field knocks.

Marcus Thames went on a tear, and hit eight home runs in seven consecutive games in June, a club record.  There's a bright spot for you.

Matt Joyce came up, showed us what he's got, provided a lefty bat, and rescued a black kitten from the batting practice cage.  If that doesn't cheer you up, stop reading now.

Todd Jones got demoted as closer, but still retired with class, and the organization gave him a worthy send-off during the second-to-last home game.  Jones literally and symbolically took off his jersey and handed it to Mike Illich to signal the passing of the guard.

Small things, I know, but I'll take a little solace from them and hope for a whole lot more in 2009.