Where in the World is Freddy Garcia?

Jason Beck's blog reports that Freddy Garcia is not yet pitching in winter ball in Venezuela, but hopes to be by early November.  Wowee.  This is a bit of a set-back.  I hadn't realized the neck/shoulder injury from the Chicago make-up game was as serious as all this.  It makes it harder to evaluate him in my view, even though Beck thought clubs wouldn't be too put off by it, if it's a short delay.

It just goes to show how tenuous a pitcher's career is.  Not to over-react, but it seems a common problem that pitchers come back too quickly from injury, only to re-aggravate the existing injury, or cause an entirely new one due to compensating, favoring, tweaking mechanics to deal with the original injury, coming back before full arm strength is there, pitching too long too early on, etc.  I feel badly for those whose arms are burnt up before their time-- careers being cut short all tragically.  At the same time, there seems to be such a cowboy mentality out there.  Why in tarnation did Bonderman not disclose his injury earlier?  He was getting roasted alive for his nauseating performances, yet says nothing?  Come on! (Side note, Bonderman's a head case anyway, so maybe this was just more of the same bewildering psychological drama for him--like giving up three runs every first inning.)

Then we hear from Leyland about how everyone has been re-educated to report injuries immediately--to no apparent effect.   We've got Zumaya out there all jacked up, Kenny Rogers battling hip trouble, but not admitting to it, Garcia going out there trying to be a hero, laudably in some ways, trying to show his worth for next year, trying to stick it to the Sox, but ends up jeopardizing everything instead.

People, could we please not destroy our bodies and our ballclubs by reporting injuries early on, so you can maybe spend one short stint on the stinking DL instead of half the season or worse?  I mean, do you see the logic, ballplayers?  Or am I just such a non-athlete that I don't get some code of stoic, stubborn, misplaced pride?  Perhaps they fear being labeled not-durable, weak, injury-prone, but to me, if you're out there getting hammered every night anyway, it's so beyond not worth it.

Justin Verlander's No Hitter

In homage to the Tigers' DVD voting contest for "Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers," I am relating my experiences from a couple of the featured games.  Today, it's Justin Verlander's no hitter.

To begin with, I never should have been at that game.  I had already purchased a gazillion tickets and it was only June.  Second, it was a Tuesday night game (although, to be honest, I like going to games during the week).  So, I was sitting at my computer one morning, and I received a new email.  Oh joy, it was a Detroit Free Press free stuff thank you e-mail (sent to subscribers every so often, and featuring fun freebies like tickets to area events, Caribou coffees, etc.).  Well, lo and behold, one of the offerings was two tickets to an upcoming Tigers game.  Naturally, my fingers flew like the wind as I made my selection and sent it through cyberspace.  You have to wait a while to find out if you were one of the "first to respond," as they only had ten pair of tickets available.

Fate smiled on me, and my tickets soon arrived in the mail--infield upper deck box, 16th row, third base side.  My mom was coming into to town, so I invited her to join me at the game.  Little did we know that we were about to experience a piece of baseball history.

I'll spare you the play by play, since you know what happened, but we began to witness Justin hurling some filthy stuff.   The Brewers were hacking away like Florida Southern against our Big League club each spring (no disrespect FS).  The fun stuff was Verlander walking the same guy three times (Hall), Magglio's sliding catch, Neifi Perez' wicked double play turn, and the nefarious sea-gulls, who flew in to gobble up hatchling moths.

I started to get really nervous, in fact, my stomach got all tied up in knots, and was aching like nobody's business from the fifth inning until about two hours after the game ended.  In the top of the seventh inning, Justin is pitching y'all, and the section next to ours tries to start the wave.  I wanted to stand up and shout at the top of my lungs, "Don't you know there's a no-hitter in progress here!?" but of course, I couldn't jinx it, so I scowled and grumbled under my breath a little about the oblivious masses at Comerica, who obviously don't know diddly about baseball.

Luckily, moms was there playing shutterbug, so I've got the Kodak moments all glossy, with my scorecard full of zeros, and my ticket stub to enshrine the game with all proper ceremony.   Now, this is a little small of me, I know, but in the days of heartbreak last year when we didn't make the post-season, I downloaded the no-hitter off i-Tunes and watched it, reliving the past glories of that game.

1987 Division Clinching Game

MLB and the Tigers are compiling a DVD set entitled "Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers."  You can vote on-line now for your six favorite games from a preselected set spanning the 1960s through now.  Just go to the Tigers web site and then to Fans (in the orange bar), and then Fan Forums.  There is a link there for the contest, with video clips from each game.

There are a lot of good choices, no doubt, from the '68 series, to the '76 Fidrych game vs. the Yankees, the '84 series,  the '87 AL East Clincher, some dubious 90's fare, the 2006 post-season, and Justin Verlander's no-hitter.

I've got good stories from two of these games.   Today, I'll share my tale from the 1987 divisional clinching game vs. the Blue Jays on October 4.  Tomorrow, I'll fill you in on Justin Verlander's no-hitter.

 In 1987, I was a freshman at the University of Michigan (don't do the math, let's just say I'm right behind Sheffield, knocking on 40's door).  When we saw that the division was going to come down to the last day of the season, that it was between us and the Jays, and we were playing the Jays--creating essentially a play-in game situation, we knew we had to score some tickets to that game.  I even managed to hype up one of my best new friends from my dorm hall, who could have cared less about baseball.  We knew our only shot was at bleacher seats, which didn't go on sale until game day.  My friend's roommate had a car, and so the four of us set off--me, my friend, her roommate and the roommate's boyfriend.  We left Ann Arbor at about 7:30 am, and arrived at the Stadium around 8:30 to sit out for seats.  The line was already half way around the stadium.  Tickets didn't go on sale until 11:00 if I remember right.  We were pretty sure we were in a spot to get tickets, but anxiously discussed our chances as we waited it out.  As we got close to the ticket window, we tasted victory, and entered the stadium with near euphoria.

You know how rowdy the bleachers could get at Tiger Stadium, but it was all good, playoff-vibe rowdy.  Before the game even started, some Tigers fans tossed around a stuffed animal Blue Jay, disemboweling it as a symbolic gesture of what we were about to do to the real Jays.  Frank Tanana stepped on the mound, and into a pitcher's duel extraordinaire.   The game was in the 8th inning, 1-0, fraught with nervous tension, when my friend's roommate, our driver,  says we better get going to avoid getting caught in traffic.   I was so caught off guard, I could only stare blankly in stunned disbelief.  We could not be leaving this game, it's 1-0, we'll be going to the playoffs if we win, we CANNOT leave this game, is this some kind of demented joke?  Well, you can guess the rest, she was dead serious, and they dragged me out.  I remember looking bleakly through the fence at the action as we walked down the ramp.  Sitting in the back seat riding back to UM, I stewed and fumed, listening to us win the division on the radio.  I don't know why I didn't just take a taxi 45 miles back to my dorm.   I guess it just sounded too extravagant, too impossible for me to pull off by myself in Detroit.  My poor friend had to listen to me rant and rave for days over the incident, but she sympathized, though probably secretly thinking me a crazed zealot.

Perhaps this experience taught me to always drive myself to the game, issuing a stern warning to any passengers that we're not leaving early, no matter what.  I'll bet some of the Boston fans who left the ALCS comeback game against the Rays this year are living with massive guilt, shame and regret.  I'll always live with the pain of leaving that 1987 game, but at least I have the consoling thought that it was against my will.

Arizona Fall League

OK.  I know I said that I didn't count the Arizona Fall League, because you can't watch it except in person (as far as  I know).  However, it's important to keep up on Tigers' prospects, right?  Anyway, I needed a little education on the AFL anyway, so I did a little digging.

The Tigers have seven players in the AFL playing for the Mesa Solar Sox.  They are pitchers Zach Simons, Casey Fien, Rudy Darrow and Louis Marte, and three position players, Jeff Larish, Casper Wells and Will Rhymes.

You've probably already heard about how Casey Fien is tearing up the AFL.  He's now boasting a 0.00 ERA over 4 games, 6.2 innings.  He's got two wins, no losses and 8 strikeouts.  Last year he played for Erie and Toledo, and was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA over 52 games, 60.2 innings, and a .231 average against.

I'm going to do some more stat work, but it's early in the season, which started October 7, and runs through November 20.  The Solar Sox are currently 7-5.

If you're interested in the AFL, or in checking in on Tigers prospects, here is MLB's AFL web site:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/winterleagues/?league=afl

Pitching prospect Zach Simons is blogging for MLB/the Tigers during the AFL season.  Not only do you get an inside look at the AFL, you get to know a young prospect, and Casper Wells has already done a guest blog piece.  Zach's blog can be found at:

http://afltigers.mlblogs.com

This is a veritable gold-mine of information that will keep me afloat during the dark, Tiger-less days of fall & winter.

Pilfering from the Twins

As you know by now, the Tigers have hired Rick Knapp as their new pitching coach, and are likely to hire a bullpen coach from within the organization.   Knapp has been the Twins minor league pitching coordinator for the past 12 years.  Many others have covered this news already, so I'll just say this:

I like this move from the standpoint that I like what Minnesota does with its small budget each year.  I think it's largely due to Ron Gardenhire.  He's a terrific manager in my view.  During Twins batting practice at Comerica one game last year, I saw him in shallow outfield shagging fly balls.  I'd be beside myself if I had to lose my top talent every year or so and start over.  (Side note, I'd also be freaking mad if I had to play in a dump like the Metrodome.  Every time I see the stupid carpet and the baggie, I feel the chunks rising.)  So, if Rick Knapp is any part of what's been going on with the Twins, I'm happy as a clam.  And bonus, we take away from one of our top divisional rivals.

Evidence of Clubhouse Chaos

There was a lot of talk, and a lot of rumors about clubhouse malaise this past season.  I rather scoffed at the idea, and didn't really see any evidence of it.  Jim Leyland darn near bit Jason Grilli's head off for suggesting it after his trade to Colorado.

Now there's some pretty convincing evidence that the clubhouse was indeed troubled.

In an article in today's Freep, Jon Paul Morosi chronicled Jair Jurrjens' recent visit to his host family from his days with the West Michigan Whitecaps.  Jurrjens was quoted in the article as saying:

"When I came  up, the team was so united.  Everybody was getting along with each other.  I can't remember who I was talking to, but they said it's not the same thing (as) when I came up.  I didn't ask who--they just said it wasn't the same environment.  I think everybody was trying to press so much-- be the leader, be the superstar."

The scenario described by Jurrjens is very plausible to me.  I don't think guys were in there all disgruntled with each other, but I sure believe that many of them were trying too hard to do too much.

I think (no, hope) that after the past year of adjustment, the clubhouse will be just fine.  Guys will feel more comfortable in their roles, with their teammates, and positions (think of those shuffled mercilessly around the diamond).

It's telling to me that Edgar Renteria wants to return next season, despite a very sub-par performance, a lukewarm to angry fan reaction, and the rotten egg of a season overall.  There must be something there worth coming back for.  I believe it's there, too.  I'll be looking for it next year.

Why is Willis NOT in Winter Ball?

This is a bit of old news, but I've really been wondering about it.  Near the end of the season, Jim Leyland said he'd like to see Willis pitch in winter ball.   Willis' outings seemed to confirm the need.  He didn't exactly perform in a way that inspired glowing confidence.

I was impressed that Willis very willingly went down to A ball.  It made sense to get him away from the media scrutiny, but he had to agree to do it.  It was the right thing to do, sure, considering his walk-tastic, wild beyond description performances.  But doing the right thing is no gimme with athletes.  It's so much easier to just do what suits them best, or what makes sense to their sometimes over-sized egos, especially when the $ are guaranteed.  So, he gets bonus points for manning up and playing A ball.

On September 23, in a piece written by Tigers.com beat writer Jason Beck, Dontrelle said he was open to winter ball.  Then, in a Freep article published on September 29, Dontrelle was quoted as saying he had no plans to participate in any winter leagues.  It was very cryptic, with no other information given.

I've seen nothing else on this.  No commentary from Leyland or management, zip.  I'm sorry, but could someone tell me what the crust is going on here?  I would like to know why Willis is not going to winter ball, and whether there was a big dustup within the organization over it.