Bring Out the Slop Trough

Today's loss was marred by play so sloppy, I had to turn my head in repulsion multiple times. Rhymes threw a ball so wild, we were left wondering whether first base was his intended target. Brad Thomas and Alex Avila looked like keystone cops after neither went after a ball hit weakly down the first base line. They stood there looking at each other like a couple of stiffs. Austin Jackson had a ball go off his glove for an error. Penny had no command, so he looked sloppy as well, and his line showed it. My overall impression of our team today? Bush league.

Mark Teixeira has hit two three-run blasts off us in two days. He can pluck my chin hairs. When he stands in the batter's box, he has an expression on his face like he's smelling rotten eggs. I guess I can't argue with results, however. Jerk.

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Their attempts at banter were painfully unfunny. I'm as annoyed with them as I was with the ESPN crew. It's a shame that I couldn't just turn off the sound on my tv and listen to the radio, but radio feeds are not synced these days. I found myself pining so strongly for Ernie Harwell. I need to hear his voice.

To cheer you up, I share that the Twins are also 0-2, so things could be worse. To panic you, the White Sox are 2-0. We're two games out of first. Cellar dwellers. Ha.

Tomorrow, we place our fragile baseball hearts in Max Scherzer's hands. I don't know about him, but I've got a big chip on my shoulder right now. Beat the Yanks or bust.

No, It's Not a Dream, It's Your Worst Nightmare Come True

I really did try to find some worthy Tigers news before turning to this, but there's not much to be had right now.

The Yankees have now reportedly signed Mark Teixeira to a 8 year, $180 million dollar deal.

I'll pause now for a moment to give you a chance to catch your breath after that swift kick in the chiclets....

Ready for more?  Add Teixeira to the Sabathia and Burnett signings, the Wang resigning, the "inevitable" (and that's a direct headline quote from MLB.com) Pettitte resigning (and could they possibly still pursue Manny Ramirez), and it all adds up to unparallelled carnage in a Tiger fan's mind, heart and soul.

Now, you might say it doesn't always work out to "buy" a championship by cobbling together a team of superstars (see the 2008 Detroit Tigers), and I'd agree, but I'm still hurting inside.  I didn't expect Teixeira to sign with the Nats even after they reportedly upped their offer, but this is unthinkable.  In addition, it's not only sluggers they've got, it's pitching too.

Thankfully, in baseball there are no guarantees, and many things can and do happen in a 162 game season.  The old cliché is really comforting--"that's why they play the games."  It's about all the comfort we've got right now.