Where Have You Gone, Johnny Grubb?

Inge Again Left Out in Cold After Fielder Signing

2012-01-28T11:14:00.002-05:00

He has been, in a way, the Rasputin of the Tigers. Or the poetic feline who possesses nine lives. Take your pick.

They’ve tried running Brandon Inge out of town for about eight years now. It’s all been done to him—free agents and trade acquisitions arriving to play his position (twice), talk radio blazing with anti-Inge venom. The Tigers even designated him for assignment last summer, and traded for a replacement: Wilson Betemit.

Betemit has been signed by the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. And Inge not only survived his DFA, he made it all the way back to the Tigers’ playoff roster.

Betemit, the man the Tigers traded for to take Brandon Inge’s spot on the roster, is gone. And Inge is still here. Figure that one out.

Nature even tried to nudge Inge out of Detroit, vis a vis the infamous bout of mononucleosis that befell him last year, which was likely a factor in his woeful performance at the plate.

Yet here Inge was, as recently as last week, boldly and gamely speaking of seizing, once again, his cherished spot at third base.

He declared himself healthy, and, frankly, a little ticked off.

“I love Don Kelly,” Inge told the media during the Tigers Winter Caravan last week, speaking of the man he was slated to platoon with at the hot corner. “But I don’t intend on platooning.”

Inge, the player who many Tigers fans either hate to love or love to hate, looked to be working on yet another life wearing the Old English D.

Then came the news that rocked the baseball world.

It started spilling out on Twitter shortly after 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

Prince Fielder, the Herculean free agent first baseman, had been signed by the Tigers. For nine years, at a cost of $214 million.

Inge again became collateral damage, because in order to make room for Fielder—no fat jokes, please—the Tigers planned on moving incumbent first sacker Miguel Cabrera to (drum roll please) third base.

Rim shot!

They’re doing it again to Brandon Inge.

The first time this happened was eight years ago, when the Tigers, coming off a 43-119 debacle, managed to snare free agent catcher Pudge Rodriguez.

Inge was the Tigers’ catcher back then.

Despite Pudge’s Hall of Fame credentials, Inge, with a sour puss, whined about the acquisition. Inge thought himself fit to be the team’s starting catcher, despite a batting average hovering around .200 in 2003.

Inge pointed to his defense, which he felt was akin to Rodriguez’s at the time.

I thought Inge to be a petulant young player back then, with the way he reacted to the (at the time) gargantuan news of Pudge’s signing.

Then in spring training 2008, Inge, the Tigers’ starting third baseman at the time, was displaced by the winter time acquisition of Miguel Cabrera. On Opening Day, Inge found himself in center field, of all places. Soon he was back behind the plate, playing a position he thought he’d left for good after he fell in love with third base.

Meanwhile, the Tigers kept playing musical chairs with their glove men.

Cabrera moved from third base to first base after 14 games. Carlos Guillen switched from first to third. Inge kept catching, and would replace Guillen in the late innings at third base.

Guillen didn’t play after August 25 that year, so Inge reclaimed third base.

In 2009, Inge was an All-Star third baseman, and played the second half of the season on two ravaged knees.

2011 was a disaster for Inge. He didn’t have his health or his strength, and soon he didn’t even have a spot on the Tigers roster. He was roasted daily on sports talk radio. Even after being designated for assignment in July, Inge refused to leave the Tigers, accepting the assignment rather than becoming a free agent. He ended up in Toledo, which wasn’t far enough away for the haters’ liking.

It looked like the end of Inge’s Tigers career. If you were interested in sports betting---click here to see what I mean---you'd have thought Inge was done in Detroit, because the team traded for Betemit. Inge was a minor leaguer, his teammates mostly 10 years younger than he, or more.

Yet I wondered aloud on “The Knee Jerks” podcast in mid-August whether the Tigers might call Inge back to the big club when rosters expanded on September 1. Wouldn’t it be something, I opined, if Inge returned to the Tigers and became productive?

The Tigers indeed recalled Inge—on August 20, making him eligible for the playoff roster. Leading off the second inning, taking his first hacks as a Tiger in a month, Inge clobbered a home run. The man fans hate to love and love to hate, got a curtain call.

That game on August 20 was the first of four multi-hit games Inge would register as he got stronger and more productive. Rasputin was still alive.

As the Tigers winter caravan rolled on last week, Inge spoke eagerly about the upcoming season, being healthy and all.

Then came the Fielder signing, and Inge was knocked for a loop yet again.

As manager Jim Leyland put it the other day, Inge is “not the happiest camper” in the wake of the news of Fielder’s blockbuster, totally unforeseen signing.

Leyland told the media at the Fielder press conference on Thursday that he wishes he could have broken the news to Inge personally, instead of the latter finding out the way the rest of us found out.

Normally it wouldn’t matter what a guy who hit .197 last season thinks about player personnel moves. It wouldn’t matter if that player found out by TV, radio, Pony Express or by messenger pigeon.

But there’s something about this crazy, mixed up relationship between Brandon Inge and the Detroit Tigers. And, by extension, the fan base.

It’s a relationship that keeps all parties off balance. Just when Inge thinks he has it made, the rug gets pulled out from under him. And just when the Inge haters who follow the Tigers think they’re rid of him, he re-emerges.

Frankly, I’ve never seen anything quite like it in my 41 years of following and covering Detroit sports.

Brandon Inge has, yet again, been nudged out of the picture, and this time there isn’t center field or catcher waiting as a consolation prize.

Even though Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Inge “is still an important part of this team,” it’s hard to see how, with Cabrera moving to third base and Alex Avila entrenched at catcher.

Lots of Tigers fans couldn’t care less if Inge is “not the happiest camper” right now. They’re too giddy about Prince Fielder. Duly noted, and understood.

With Brandon Inge, it always seems like there’s someone else. Then it always seems like it’s him again. This has been going on for eight years now.

To quote the Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it’s been.

Tigers' Surprise Signing of Prince Fielder Likely Dotted With Ilitch's Fingerprints

2012-01-24T16:59:00.003-05:00

Victor Martinez's name just got wiped off the front pages as if it had been written on a dry erase board.

There have been some shocking free agent signings in baseball since Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally unleashed the genie from the bottle back in 1975.

But the Tigers signing of Prince Fielder today caused more gasps than the first audience that ever saw a lady being sawed in two.

This wasn't only unexpected, it was dismissed---by the very same man who consummated the deal.

Tigers President and GM Dave Dombrowski, just last week, said the Tigers wouldn't be getting involved in the Fielder sweepstakes because of the longevity Prince would be seeking, despite the Tigers needing a bat to replace Martinez, lost for the 2012 season with a torn up knee.

Yet there it was, around 3:00 pm ET today: the news breaking with some salvos fired from Twitter, that the Tigers dug deep and snared Fielder for nine years, to the tune of $214 million.

This is "man bites dog" kind of stuff. Jimmy Hoffa was found---alive. Smoking doesn't cause cancer.

Already it's being speculated that Dombrowski wasn't the real trigger man here. Owner Mike Ilitch, it is being said, stepped up to the plate, so to speak.

If that's true, then the octogenarian owner just knocked one into the seats.

You wanted protection for Miguel Cabrera, in the wake of the Martinez injury? You wanted a left-handed stick to complement Miggy's right-handed one?

Well, here comes Prince, complete with a navy blue and orange bow tied around his big belly.

Fielder is a Tiger, the second Fielder to be one. And Prince is even better than the first one---and the first one was pretty damn good.

Fielder is a first baseman, as you all know. The Tigers currently employ a pretty good one, if you recall.

No worries. It's likely that Cabrera will move across the diamond to play third base, which would be the highest-profile sports move in Detroit since the Pistons fled to the Silverdome.

The Fielder signing comes from left field, to use yet another baseball term. But it ends at first base, which is where Prince will be entrenched. Reports say that the Tigers consulted with Cabrera about the signing before handing Prince the magic pen.

Miggy, those reports say, gave his blessing.

Why wouldn't he? He has a bona fide elite slugger hitting behind him. He now has more protection than a Sicilian store owner paying the Mob.

Prince Fielder to the Tigers. Nine years, $214 million. Mr. Ilitch continues to spend his kids' inheritance.

Think the Hot-n-Ready pizzas will stay at five bucks?

I think it's highly likely that Ilitch shoved Dombrowski aside, so to speak, and ponied up the pizza dough to sign Prince.

Ilitch is past 80 years of age and he's coming up on the 20th anniversary of buying the Tigers. Lord knows he had no idea he'd be 20 years into this and have next to nothing to show for it, except for a division title and two playoff appearances.

I'm guessing the owner thought he'd have a few World Series trophies in his case by now.

But it hasn't happened. The Tigers made it to the Fall Classic in 2006, and saw their 2011 hopes dashed when too many of their guys tried to play while held together by baling wire and duct tape.

Then came news of the Martinez injury, suffered nearly two weeks ago during some agility drills.

V-Mart gone---for the season.

It was the biggest slug in the gut in Detroit since Houdini.

But here's one way to mourn and grieve the loss of such a key player as Martinez: simply go out and buy an even bigger star.

Since when did the Tigers start wearing pinstripes?

Ilitch is acting like the Mike Ilitch of the pre-NHL lockout days, when he could wait for the clock to turn midnight on July 1st each summer and fork over the money for Kenny Holland to snag the free agent star du jour.

It was all so easy, and fun, back then. Stanley Cups were the payout for such largesse investments.

But back to Ilitch and his age.

It may be that the length of Fielder's contract outlives the man who signed off on it. I know that sounds morbid but it's very possible.

Mike Ilitch wants to win a World Series in the worst way. He's more driven than most owners, because most baseball owners didn't live through World War II; actually, most of them weren't even born then.

Age can be a big motivator, along with fear. They sometimes go hand in hand, like in this case. Mike Ilitch is scared to death of not winning baseball's biggest trophy before he passes.

The owner has done this before. He stepped in and got involved, enabling Dombrowski to trade for Cabrera in December 2007.

That has worked out pretty good so far.

But the brass ring has eluded Ilitch, with his baseball team.

So he broke out 214 million ways to try to resolve that.

When does spring training start?

V-Mart's Loss Tough, But There's Still a Season to Play

2012-01-19T00:49:00.005-05:00

The knee is an unpredictable and petulant joint---one that can take an inordinate amount of pounding, twisting and extending, then can buckle and tear while performing much less strenuous activities.

We've had some famous knees in Detroit sports.

Nick Eddy was a hard-running, even harder working running back for the Lions in the late-1960s. A star at Notre Dame, Eddy started suffering knee injuries while playing under the Golden Dome. Those injuries followed him from South Bend to Detroit.

Eddy tried as hard as any human being could, to keep himself healthy and being available to tote footballs for the Lions. But his knees betrayed him, and his pro career never really got going.

Billy Sims took a pitch in Minneapolis one fateful Sunday in 1984 and swept to his left. A Vikings linebacker named Walker Lee Ashley leveled his helmet at Sims' knee and blew it up. It was the last carry of Sims' mercurial NFL career, after just four-plus years.

Mark Fidrych shagged fly balls in Lakeland in spring training, 1977, despite the warnings of teammate Rusty Staub. The clairvoyant Staub was right. Fidrych landed awkwardly on his right knee and "felt something slushy"---words he used to me as I spoke to The Bird via phone in 2007.

The "slushy" feeling turned out to be ligament damage, and contributed greatly to Fidrych not only missing most of the '77 season, but indirectly causing him to overcompensate and develop arm trouble, from which he would never recover.

And who can ever forget the torture and pain that Steve Yzerman put himself through during the 2002 playoffs, his knee so ravaged that he would have to undergo highly unorthodox reconstructive surgery during the off-season? But the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, so mission accomplished, in the Captain's eyes.

This after Yzerman, in 1988, slammed into the goal post the night he scored his 50th goal against Buffalo at Joe Louis Arena, knocking him out for the remainder of the season and the first two rounds of the playoffs.

So we know a little about daunting knee injuries in this town.

But these things are like deaths in the family---no matter how many times you experience it, the next one isn't any easier to cope with.

The news of Victor Martinez's major knee injury, the one that will likely cause him to miss the entire 2012 season, was something I caught in a "wait, what?" fashion.

I had the TV muted and was peeking in on the Red Wings game, during intermission. On the screen was a graphic, and it had V-Mart's photo and it said something about missing the entire 2012 season.

Wait, what?

Surely I must have read it wrong. Or so I hoped.

The news was all too true.

That petulant knee, again.

Martinez, it turns out, was doing some agility drills as he prepared for his second season as a Tiger. No doubt the drills he did have been performed by tens of thousands of athletes in the past.

A slip of the foot and a knee buckle later, and the Tigers, just like that, lost a .330 hitter who drove in 103 runs last year, and who was invaluable as a consummate pro and teammate.

Players of Victor Martinez's ilk simply don't grow on trees.

So as the Tigers---and their fan base---try to come to terms with the news of Martinez's expected 2012 absence, it helps to keep expectations to a realistic level.

Meaning, you ain't replacing V-Mart with another V-Mart.

There are plenty of free agent options available. GM Dave Dombrowski's cell phone just about blew up in the hours after Martinez's injury was made public fodder, with calls from agents of players looking for work.

You've heard the names, over and over, by now.

Is there a Martinez on the list?

The closest is Prince Fielder, and while it's intriguing to imagine Cecil's kid accepting a one-year deal in Detroit before testing the market again for 2013 and beyond, it'll take a boatload of cash and quite a payroll hit to make that happen. Not likely to transpire, but fun to think about.

The next closest, perhaps, is Vlad Guerrero, coming off a so-so season in Baltimore.

The rest of the list contains some acceptable names, but not all of them would one consider to be enough protection behind Miguel Cabrera. In fact, few of them would be.

So the Tigers have to realize that they just won't go out and pluck another V-Mart from the tree.

Guerrero would be a fine addition. He is strictly a DH at this stage of his career, so in that way he's a tit-for-tat replacement for Martinez, who even before this latest injury wasn't going to play in the field anymore---not with the Tigers signing Gerald Laird to be catcher Alex Avila's backup.

But Vlad won't hit .330, and he's not a switch-hitter, another thing that Victor has over the available free agents.

Still, a Guerrero who can hit for power but not threaten .300 would make opposing managers at least think twice before issuing Cabrera the four-finger pass.

My money is on the Tigers signing Guerrero for a year.

The next step in the coping/grieving process is to find perspective.

Yes, the Tigers lost a major cog to the machine when Martinez's foot slipped and his knee exploded. No, they cannot hope to totally replace all that V-Mart brings to the table, on the field and off.

So what would you have them do, wave the white flag, a month before pitchers and catchers report? You want Dombrowski to throw up his hands and say, "Well, we might as well not even play the games this year"?

No. This is baseball. Teams lose star players to injury all the time, and often times, if they're good enough, they overcome those injuries.

If losing Victor Martinez was the only thing the other teams in the AL Central needed in order to bridge the 15-game gap between the Tigers and the second place Cleveland Indians, then the pessimists are right---may as well not even play the games this year.

But Martinez isn't the only reason the Tigers ran away and hid from their Central brethren in 2011.

This is another bad knee injury that has slugged this city's sports fans, and it didn't even happen during a game. In a way, that makes this even worse. The least Martinez could have done was get hurt actually playing baseball.

Last I checked, the Tigers still have 162 games to play this season. Last I checked, they were runaway winners of their division.

See you in Lakeland.

Zoom-Zooming Out of Motown

2012-01-13T21:20:00.004-05:00

Last we saw Joel Zumaya on a big league diamond, he was throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Comerica Park. He acknowledged the big cheers, and for the briefest of moments, it was 2006 all over again.

But the more resonating image of Zumaya, the fireballing reliever, was of him writhing on the ground in Minnesota in the summer of 2010, his elbow broken after delivering one of his violent pitches.

Who could forget it, if you were watching on television?

The tears of pain, the twitching of his fingers as Zumaya clutched his right elbow, apparently even having trouble breathing.

I know I'll never forget it.

Zumaya's dramatic end to his 2010 season was not unlike that of Dave Dravecky, whose left arm snapped and was left dangling after a pitch in 1989. Dravecky's arm was eventually amputated.

Dravecky's situation was cancer-related, but the image was still the same: pitcher throws baseball, pitcher is suddenly rolling around on the ground in massive pain.

Now it appears that Zumaya has thrown his last pitch---as a Tiger.

Looks like the Tigers aren't interested in bringing Zumaya, a free agent, back into the fold---even after a showcase in front of MLB teams in Houston appeared to go well for the 27-year-old.

Tom Gage of the Detroit News wrote that Zumaya could end up signing with his hometown San Diego Padres.

Fine by me, if the Tigers won't bite, because the last thing Tigers fans want to see is Zumaya in the American League, haunting them.

The comparisons have been made to Mark Fidrych, and there's some of that, for sure.

Both were 21 year-old rookies when they took the baseball world by storm. Both had magical seasons, which were exactly 30 years apart. Both then fell victim to injuries (each had fluke ones) and had difficulty recapturing their prior glory. And both, of course, pitched for the Tigers.

But the book on Fidrych has long ago been closed. Zumaya still has time to distance himself from The Bird.

It's just not likely to happen as a Tiger.

The Tigers have their late inning bullpen all set, at least on paper.

They signed Octavio Dotel, a veteran of 13 MLB teams, to handle the seventh inning. Joaquin Benoit handles the eighth inning. And Jose Valverde closes things.

There's Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth for left-handed variety. And don't forget righty Al Alburquerque, he of the wicked slider, but who is battling arm troubles of his own.

There simply isn't room for an arm with a checkered past, i.e. Zumaya.

I wish Joel Zumaya well, obviously. I'm sure the rest of Tigers Nation is with me, even if it looks like his career will resume with another team---if it resumes at all.

There's still time for him to silence the Mark Fidrych talk.

I hope he does.

Tigers' Laird Back, Now As the Prototypical "Mr. Backup"

2011-12-11T19:40:00.001-05:00

The only difference, as far as I can see, between the backup catcher in baseball and the backup quarterback in football is that no one clamors for the former to play. Other than that, you can barely slide a credit card between the two positions, in terms of what they mean to their respective teams.

Both are non-starters for a reason.

Yet in the NFL, there is a mystique about the backup quarterback. He’s not the starter, but as soon as the real starter goes a little sideways, everyone from the crank yankers calling in to sports talk radio to your Uncle Gus can’t wait to see the No. 2 QB jogging onto the field.

Not so with the backup catcher.

The backup catcher is someone who can’t hit, who can’t run and whose only seemingly redeemable quality is that he’s “a good clubhouse guy.”

At least the backup quarterback has been known to save the day on occasion, with a heart-stopping drive at the end of a game or a surprising starting performance that makes him look, for 60 glorious minutes, like the second coming of Johnny Unitas.

The backup catcher is a guy who plays only because the starter can’t possibly catch all 162 games.

The Tigers tried to have Alex Avila catch that many games last year, or so it seemed. He was given less time off than an accountant during tax season.

There was a pseudo rotation between Avila and the newly-signed Victor Martinez for a time, but Victor’s knees couldn’t take the punishment and he was relegated solely to designated hitter duties.

That left Avila, with token appearances by utility man Don Kelly and a couple of dudes from the stands, if memory serves.

The Tigers have provided Avila with some relief, however, for 2012 with the signing of—drum roll, please—our old friend Gerald Laird.

He’s baaack!

For what the backup catcher normally provides offensively, Laird fits the bill. He also fit the bill in 2009 and 2010, during his first tour of duty with the Tigers. Trouble was, he was the starter—and still hitting like a backup.

I don’t have the time or the energy to do the research, but if you were to tell me that the mean batting average for backup catchers last year—or any year, for that matter—was around .200, I wouldn’t bat an eye (no pun intended).

That’s what backup catchers do, you know. They hit around .200, play once a week, maybe twice, and the hope is that they just don’t screw anything up.

They’re like substitute teachers, in a way.

Laird had the last laugh, though. Tigers fans weren’t exactly enamored with him after his less-than-spectacular hitting prowess (he hit a composite .218 in his two Detroit seasons), and were happy when he wasn’t asked back for 2011.

That’s OK—for Laird, who hooked up with the St. Louis Cardinals last December, got all of 95 at-bats in 2011, hit a robust .232 and (here’s the punch line) won a World Series with the Cards.

All the great catchers in baseball history had their caddies, which are what the backups are, essentially.

The Yankees’ Yogi Berra had his Charlie Silvera. The Reds’ Johnny Bench had his Bill Plummer. The Tigers’ Bill Freehan had his Jim Price.

Silvera, Plummer and Price were your typical backup backstops. That is, they couldn’t hit their way out of a paper bag. None was a threat to unseat the starter ahead of them.

Tigers fans might have rolled their eyes at the news of Laird’s signing last week, but he makes sense, frankly. Laird already knows the Tigers pitchers, for the most part, he has no grandiose ideas of taking young Avila’s job and he hits the requisite .200-ish.

But in fairness, the backup catcher should at least field a little, and Laird can do that. His 32-year-old arm is still strong enough to keep would-be base stealers somewhat honest.

The Tigers just need Laird to catch no more than 40 games next season, stay out of the way and don’t screw the pitchers up. It’s all any big league team asks of its No. 2 catcher.

Oh, and be a good cheerleader, that so-called “good clubhouse guy.”

When the Tigers went to the World Series in 2006, they had Vance Wilson around as Pudge Rodriguez’s caddie. If backup catchers were an organization, Wilson would have been a card-carrying member.

Actually, Vance might have been the Chairman of the Board, for he spent several seasons backing up Mike Piazza with the Mets before coming to Detroit to give Rodriguez an occasional breather. That’s playing second banana to two Hall of Famers. Not bad.

Wilson actually batted .283 in 152 at-bats with the ’06 Tigers, and he was widely recognized as one of the best backup catchers in the game—not that they give out any awards for that.

And Wilson was consistent. Before his career ended with a bad elbow injury after that 2006 season, Wilson in his final three seasons had 157, 152 and 152 at-bats from 2004-06, respectively. He was Mr. Backup—the Sultan of Squat.

Wilson was manager Jim Leyland’s attitude guy, too.

After he hurt his elbow in spring training, Wilson stayed with the team all season in 2007, rehabbing and keeping his spirits up—and those of his teammates with his practical jokes and loosey-goosey demeanor.

I saw him in the clubhouse a couple times in ’07, and on both occasions I asked him how close he was to coming back and playing.

“REAL close. REAL close,” he’d say.

Wilson never did play after 2006.

No matter. The backup catcher is the never-say-die guy on the baseball team. He’s often the least pretentious and with the smallest ego. He’s just happy to be in the big leagues.

As well he should, given his hitting skills.

Welcome back, Gerald Laird! It’s nice to have your .200 batting average, good defense and slow legs back with the Tigers.

Just don’t screw anything up.

Tigers Independent Scribes Announce 2011 Awards

2011-12-02T15:34:00.002-05:00

Tigers scribes announce 2011 awards
Justin Verlander wins fifth DIBS award

The Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes (DIBS) are back at it again. Established in 2005, the ever-growing group of Internet-based baseball writers honors Detroit Tigers players through a list of traditional and wacky awards each offseason. This year, DIBS sent out a record number of ballots for a record-number of categories, as suggested by DIBS members each year. Twenty-two voters from 17 different sites voted on nine different categories.

Justin Verlander earned the title of Most Valuable Tiger, giving him his fifth DIBS victory. Earlier in his career, he was named 2010’s Best Pitching Face, 2009’s Tigers Pitcher of the Year, 2007’s Tigers Pitcher of the Year and 2006’s Breakout Player of the Year. (DIBS did not vote in 2008, although Verlander would have undoubtedly won for something.)

First-time winners in 2011 include Al Alburquerque (Best Rookie), Alex Avila (Best Hair), Victor Martinez (Best Victor Martinez) and Ramon Santiago, who earned DIBS’ inaugural Best Roleplayer victory.

DIBS also fondly remembered Austin Jackson’s double-play against the Indians as 2011’s Best Moment, but had a three-way tie in 2011’s Goofiest Moment.

The details:

Most Valuable Tiger -- Justin Verlander
With AL Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player victories, Verlander has a cupboard full of hardware already for his 2011 season. Unsurprisingly, he added another laurel after receiving 15 of 22 votes. Miguel Cabrera, Justgruel Cabrander, Alex Avila and Victor Martinez also received votes, but Verlander put in a season that won’t soon be forgotten.

Best Rookie -- Al Alburquerque
When Alburquerque was signed during the last offseason and immediately put on the 40-man roster, a lot of people thought, “I know he’s got a cool name, but aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves?” When he started using his slider-fastball combination to rack up strikeout after strikeout, he quickly became a fan favorite. In fact, he played so well it was hard to remember there were other rookies. (Andy Dirks, Duane Below and Adam Wilk may have been the chief contenders for the award.)

Best Role Player -- Ramon Santiago
Recently, another group of voters named Don Kelly as the Tigers “10th man.” DIBS tackled the same question, but came up with a better answer: Ramon Santiago. It feels like he’s been a Tiger forever, but he has really come into his own during the past three years as a valuable member of the middle infield. Don Kelly, Phil Coke, Joaquin Benoit and Alex Avila also received votes.

Best Moment -- Austin Jackson’s double-play throw to defeat the Indians on Aug. 21
This was a season with many great memories, including the team’s first division title since 1987 and another AL Division Series victory over the Yankees. But the wise voters of DIBS remembered that before all that could occur, the Tigers had to dismiss Cleveland from the equation. On Aug. 21, the Tigers did just that when Austin Jackson caught a fly ball and threw out Kosuke Fukudome at home plate to end the game, 8-7, and secure a sweep of the Tribe. Other favorite moments include Victor Jose Martinez’s “Vote for my Dad” All-Star press conference and the ALDS victory over New York.

Team Clown -- Phil Coke
It didn’t take Phil Coke’s Brain to figure out who would win this award. Although Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera also received votes for their off-field shenanigans, Coke’s genuine goofiness won over almost half of DIBS’ voters. However, Verlander’s ode to Bert Blyleven, giving Don Kelly the hot foot, helped him cruise to a second-place finish.

Best Hair -- Alex Avila
Avila could shave before the first inning and sport a full beard by the third. His 5 o’clock shadow begins at midnight. He was the clear winner in a category that featured a plethora of responses. Runners-up included Justin Verlander’s arms, Jim Leyland’s mustache, Daniel Schlereth’s mullet-beard combo and Miguel Cabrera’s mohawk. Will Rhymes, Brennan Boesch and Brayan Villarreal also received votes.

Tiger Organization Name of the Year -- Doug Fister
DIBS voters liked the double-entendre that was Doug Fister. In a close vote, he snuck past Deik Scram and Al Alburquerque. Other well-named Tigers included Montreal Robertson of the Connecticut Tigers, former Tigers Casper Wells and Charlie Furbush, Wilson Betemit and Justin Verlander.

Goofiest Moment -- 3 way tie
Any 162-game season is going to be filled with plenty of heartbreak and plenty of fun. This one was no different. In fact, voters came up with so many suggestions for this award that we had a three-way tie at four votes and a couple more with two votes. The tie featured Alex Avila’s catchers mask throwing off sparks after being hit; Andy Dirks sprinting around the bases for an in-the-park home run despite the ball being caught, and Jim Leyland’s pantomime argument with the ump; and Verlander’s lighting Don Kelly’s shoe on fire. Other receiving multiple votes included Justin Verlander’s awkward balk against Oakland, Don Kelly pitching, Ryan Raburn’s attempt to catch a fly ball resulting in a home run, and Victor Martinez dancing around home plate.

Best Victor Martinez -- Sr.
When the Tigers signed “Victor Martinez,” they actually got two Victor Martinezes for their money. Although young Victor Jose Martinez may win the award for cutest Tiger, he father edged him in voting for the best Victor Martinez, 12-9, with one vote for both. Senior’s major league contributions give him the edge for now, but the smart money is on Victor Jose in the long run.

List of voting 2011 DIBS voting members in no particular order:

● Roar of the Tigers -- Samara Pearlstein
● Motor City Bengals -- John Parent
● Tiger Tales -- Lee Panas
● Phil Coke's Brain Matters -- Anonymous
● April in The D -- Laura, Megan and Rosie
● Fire Gerald Laird -- Greg Papke
● Tigers Amateur Analysis -- Erin Saelzler
● Where have you gone, Johnny Grubb? -- Greg Eno
● Detroit Tigers Scorecard -- Austin Drake
● Detroit Tigers Weblog -- Kevin Vela
● DesigNate Robertson -- Scott Rogowski
● Deetown Tigers -- Skip
● Detroit Jock City -- Zac Snyder
● Bless You Boys -- David Tokarz, Matt Wallace, Al Beaton, Kurt Mensching and Alli Hagen
● Mlive’s Tigers coverage -- Matt Sussman, James Schmehl, Ian Casselberry
● Old English D -- Jen Cosey

Note: Casselberry also writes for SB Nation Detroit.

Verlander's 2011 Season Might Just Be the Beginning of the Rest of His Career

2011-11-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

If Justin Verlander can ever figure out how to pitch in the month of April, he might flirt with 30 wins every year, not 20.

Verlander, the AL Cy Young and MVP winner for 2011, went to Lakeland last February on a mission.

He wanted very much to slay his personal dragon that is April. His first months of his seasons have been warts on an otherwise brilliant (so far) career.

Verlander, prior to 2011, had been a tortoise in April. The fact that he's turned hare the rest of the season has been comforting, but you were always left to wonder: how good of a season might he have had, if he didn't wait till May to get going?

Even 2011, his year of years, had some of that slow startness to it, albeit not tortoise-like. More like Victor Martinez type slow.

Verlander's ERA in April was 3.64. On most teams that would make you the no. 2 starter---at least.

But this is Justin Verlander we're talking about. The kid who can bring you to your feet in the first inning and keep you there, as you look over at the left field scoreboard and see a string of zeroes to the right of the team the Tigers are playing that day.

And I mean ALL the way to the right, if you get my drift.

Baseball and numbers are like peanut butter and jelly; separate, they're good, but combined they create a tasty treat.

So here are some more numbers.

Verlander's season ERA was 2.40, which means that his April mark of 3.64 was a full 1.24 run higher, or about 50%.

His record in April was 2-3. After that, he went on a 22-2 run. His ERA from May on was 2.15.

Verlander made six starts in April, gaining a decision in five of them. Had he won all six, he would have been just two wins away from becoming the first 30-game winner since Denny McLain in 1968.

Crazy talk? How do you figure?

Verlander had winning streaks of seven and 12 games in 2011. JV winning six in a row isn't exactly a pie-in-the-sky type of thought.

That's the bottom line: if Verlander went 6-0 in April, he'd have won 28 games. Math is till math.

And this is the era of the five-man rotation, by the way. McLain won his 31 games pitching every fourth day for the '68 Tigers. On a couple occasions, Denny took the hill on just two days' rest.

The five-man rotation inevitably will provide an extra day's rest, due to off days. In 2011, Verlander pitched on five days' rest on 11 occasions, instead of his usual four. That's about a third of his 34 starts.

Could Verlander ever win 30 games in a season?

It's not likely---but it is possible.

Yes, 34 or 35 starts (the average for a no. 1 starter) doesn't leave much margin for error---or for no decisions. The good news is that Verlander doesn't really need a margin for error.

His 22-2 mark after April proves that.

Verlander's 29 decisions in 2011 were the most in his still young career. His 251 innings eclipsed his previous high by 11 innings.

The numbers continue to be staggering, the more you look at them.

Aside from a 2008 season (17 losses) that is looking more and more like an anomaly, Verlander has never lost more than nine games in a season. In 2007 he lost six; in 2011, he lost five.

In six big league seasons, Verlander has: won the Rookie of the Year Award; pitched in a World Series; pitched in two LDS series and two LCS series; thrown two no-hitters; come close to at least two more; won a Cy Young Award; and won an MVP Award.

He's 28 years old.

Could Justin Verlander end up being the greatest pitcher in Detroit Tigers history?

Hey, is he already?

I'm a grizzled, cranky old coot most of the time. I'm not one to anoint anyone after six paltry seasons. I still think Oscar Robertson was better than Michael Jordan, to show you.

But sometimes a player comes along who just gives off a vibe that he's only going to get better---or at the very least, not let up.

Justin Verlander strikes me as that kind of player.

It's almost mind-numbing to look at Verlander's numbers so far and then imagine the damage he can do by the time he's 35 years old.

He has 107 wins now. By 35 he could have nearly 250.

He has 1,215 strikeouts now. By 35 he could have over 2,800.

He has two no-hitters now. By 35 he could threaten Nolan Ryan's record of seven no-nos.

How many more Cy Youngs will he win? And now that he's captured the MVP, who's to say that he can't do it again in the near future?

Barring the unthinkable---a major health issue---I'd say that Justin Verlander is on track to a place in Cooperstown.

Kind of makes all the debate about whether a pitcher should win an MVP Award rather silly, doesn't it?

Ordonez's Tigers Career Didn't End As It Should

2011-11-04T12:09:00.002-04:00

When Magglio Ordonez first put on a Tigers uniform, he could barely move.

The Tigers signed Ordonez from the Chicago White Sox as a free agent after the 2004 season. It was considered a coup for GM Dave Dombrowski---a proven slugger from within the Tigers' own division, no less.

But when the curtain was raised for the 2005 season, Ordonez was felled by a painful sports hernia injury. After going 0-for-10 in the season's opening week, the Tigers shut him down so he could recover.

Maggs didn't return to the Tigers lineup until July 1. Yet he still managed to hit .302 with eight HR and 46 RBI in 305 at-bats.

The following year, Ordonez sent the Tigers to the World Series with his walk-off homer off Oakland's Huston Street to clinch the pennant.

In 2007, Ordonez was the AL's batting champ, hitting a robust .363.

Now it appears that Ordonez's Tigers career is going to end similar to how it began: with him hurt, unable to play. A broken ankle revealed during the 2011 ALCS put the proverbial writing on the wall.

Dombrowski met the press earlier this week and all but guaranteed that Ordonez, 37 and 38 before next season begins, won't be back with the Tigers in 2012.

I've written it before, but it bears repeating.

Precious few are the professional athletes who can call their own shots, if you will, when it comes to deciding when they're going to leave their respective games, and how.

Doesn't matter if you're a Hall of Famer or a bench warmer; your body often makes the call, not your heart or your brain.

How blessed is the athlete who can walk away, on his own terms, healthy as a horse but simply too old for the game?

How great is it that Al Kaline was able to declare the 1974 season the last of his great 22-year Tigers career, and in pursuit of 3,000 career hits to boot? How great is it that he wasn't forced into retirement due to his painful foot, which bothered him almost his entire career?

But for every Kaline there's a whole bunch of Ordonezes.

This isn't necessarily an obituary on Magglio Ordonez's big league baseball career, but at 38 and coming off yet another broken ankle, the number of suitors for his services isn't likely to be a very big number---if a number at all.

During the ALCS but before his latest ankle injury (he broke it originally in July 2010), Maggs told reporters that he considered retiring this summer.

But after the new injury (but before Dombrowski talked to the press), Ordonez was ruling out retirement; he wanted to play in 2012.

Again, that decision may not be his to make.

Ordonez was among the finest of Tigers that I have enjoyed following and covering. He didn't bitch, he didn't whine, he didn't grumble.

All he did was go out, hit his .300+, and rap out an impressive amount of clutch hits in his seven years as a Tiger.

We all knew when Kaline was taking his final at-bat, because it came in the game that we all knew was Al's last. So we were afforded a proper goodbye.

Ordonez's latest ankle injury---the one that probably squashed his slim chances of being asked back by the Tigers for 2012---was diagnosed, pretty much, during a rain delay in Texas in the ALCS.

That's not how a great Tigers career should end.

As if we need another reminder of how heartless and uninterested in poetry the athlete's body can be.

Burning Questions After Game 6 of the ALCS

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 15-5 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the ALCS:

OK, you've had a couple days to chew on this. Thoughts?

I'd actually rather talk about the burning questions this spawns for the off-season in general, rather than re-hash Game 6. How much can you say about a 15-5 shellacking?

Fair enough. First, how about an overview of the ALCS overall?

The Tigers, in the end, were simply outgunned and too hurt to compete with a team as deep and robust as the Rangers. The Tigers would have needed almost perfect pitching performances from Max Scherzer and Doug Fister to have a shot. But Scherzer was just blown out.

The other thing that strikes me is how old and mediocre the Tigers looked against Texas. In fact, I can't believe our boys got by the Yankees in the ALDS.

Too many guys from Detroit failed to show up: Austin Jackson, Alex Avila, Victor Martinez to a degree, and the starters beyond Verlander and Fister were so-so.

Also, the Rangers drove runners in, while the Tigers didn't, so much. Too many wasted opportunities. Game 2, early, in Texas against Derek Holland stands out.

Let's face it: the Rangers were the better team, by far.

Was series MVP Nelson Cruz the only reason the Rangers won?

Of course not. Cruz was amazing, but the Rangers' attack was more diverse and more guys got into the act than did on Detroit's side.

Looking ahead to the off-season: what do the Tigers need to take the next step toward a World Series title?

I'm not going to tell you anything you don't already know, most likely. But I'll say it an yway!

The Tigers need a second baseman and probably even a third baseman. Too much revolving door stuff going on at those positions. It's amazing that a team in the ALCS didn't have a regular starter at the so-called "keystone position."

The third base situation isn't much better. You can win the whole thing with a revolving door at one infield position (read: the 1984 Tigers at 3B), but not two.

It's also time someone took Austin Jackson aside and made him a reclamation project. AJ regressed from his rookie year, and not insignificantly, either. His average dropped over 40 points, and his strikeouts didn't go down at all.

Defensively he was brilliant in the regular season but pedestrian in the playoffs.

The Tigers can't put Jackson at lead-off; he should be batting ninth---at least for now.

Ideally, the Tigers will acquire a second baseman who can also bat lead-off.

This may sound crazy, but the Tigers might want to consider Brennan Boesch to bat lead-off. The California Angels, in the mid-to-late 1980s and into the 1990s, used DH Brian Downing at the lead-off spot quite a bit. Downing was certainly not a "traditional" lead-off hitter, but it worked for the Angels.

The Tigers just need someone to get on base, and if it's someone with some power, all the better. Boesch isn't a great OBA guy, but I have greater confidence in him starting a game off on the right foot than I do with Jackson.

How deflating is it to constantly see Jackson start games by trudging to the dugout, a strikeout victim?

How about the pitching?

I'd like to see a lefty starter, as I'm sure everyone would, including manager Jim Leyland. Not sure if Andy Oliver, the youngster, is ready for that role, however.

The bullpen is a question mark, before Phil Coke, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde. Al Alburquerque's post-season meltdown, which actually began after he returned from his concussion, suddenly makes him an unknown entity again. Which Al-Al is he, anyway?

The rotation seems otherwise set, except for maybe Brad Penny's slot. I wonder if he'll be back in 2012.

Anything else?

Yeah. I don't think we'll see Magglio Ordonez or Carlos Guillen back, either. They make too much money and their bodies are too unreliable.

Brandon Inge comes back, but not sure about Wilson Betemit---which is ironic, since the Tigers acquired Betemit to essentially replace Inge!

Final thoughts?

It was a great year. By the end, the Tigers were put together with glue and bailing wire. I believe Justin Verlander tired out. Avila was broken. The Tigers didn't have Boesch, Guillen and Ordonez by the end.

It's a shame. Too bad the Tigers couldn't field their best, playing at their best, against the deep Rangers lineup.

But the Tigers WILL be heard from again in 2012. This team is young enough that it's not going away anytime soon. This wasn't a one-year wonder thing.

(thanks to everyone who faithfully read "Burning Questions" during the post-season and "Monday Morning Manager" during the regular season! You guys [and gals] rock!)

Cabrera's Ricochet Might Bag Tigers a World Series Berth

2011-10-15T11:18:00.001-04:00

I’d like to be writing this after Game 7 of the ALCS, after the Tigers completed their comeback from a 1-3 deficit to oust the defending American League Champion Texas Rangers. But I do not have a crystal ball, so I write it now.

This is going to be either something you chuckle at and shake your head, filing it under another one of Eno’s silly rants, or it’s going to be wonderfully prophetic.

First, some background.

The 1968 World Series was becoming a St. Louis Cardinals field day. After four games, the Cards led the series 3-1 and twice they had vanquished the Tigers’ 30-game winner, Dennis McLain.

Then the Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the very first inning of Game 5 at Tiger Stadium. The World Series was turning into a laugher.

But the Tigers had clawed to within 3-2 whenSt. Louis’s Lou Brock stood at second base in the fifth inning. What happened next is something any Tigers fan worth his salt knows of—and I don’t care how young you are.

Julian Javier singled to left field and Detroit’s own Willie Horton, who grew up playing baseball on the sandlots on the city’s west side, fielded the ball at his waist on one hop. Willie fired the baseball toward the plate, the speedy Brock tearing for home.

The ball and Brock arrived at almost the same time. Catcher Bill Freehan, who was one of the best at blocking the plate, stood his ground. Brock, perhaps with too much hubris, eschewed a slide. Freehan tagged Brock as Lou zipped by.

Brock’s problem? He missed the plate, by a sliver of dirt.

Home plate umpire Doug Harvey got it right, as so many of them do, without the benefit of TV replay, like their football counterparts so often need.

OUT!

The series, they say, turned on the Horton-to-Freehan erasure of Brock.

The Tigers went on to win Game 5, 5-3, and then returned toSt. Louisto complete the stunning comeback.

If the Tigers pull off the barely thinkable—swiping three straight games from the Rangers to advance to the World Series, I submit that a square, white hard pillow that sits in manager Jim Leyland’s office will be looked at as the turning point of the ALCS.

It was another Game 5, another series where the Tigers trailed, 3 games to 1.

Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers’ best hitter and maybe the best hitter in all of baseball, was at the plate in the sixth inning. There was a runner, the much maligned but vindicated Ryan Raburn, standing on first base.

Only due to a Houdini act by Tigers starter Justin Verlander in the top half of the inning, in which Verlander escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam with a double play, was the game still tied, 2-2.

So it was, that when Cabrera stood in the batter’s box, where just minutes earlierComericaParkhad turned library-esque as the Rangers threatened, the ballpark was rocking.

Cabrera swung and sent a hard grounder toward third base. Literally, as it turned out.

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, one of the slickest glove men in the game, awaited Cabrera’s worm killer. If you’d have been able to freeze the baseball and read it, next to Bud Selig’s signature you would see, “DOUBLE PLAY.”

But then the baseball hit third base. Not dead on, but enough to cause the ball to skip unnaturally over Beltre’s head. Beltre stood stunned, looking like someone out of the audience of a magic show whose shirt had just been removed.

The baseball bounded into the left field corner and caromed around long enough for Raburn to score easily, breaking the tie.

Cabrera’s shot off the third base bag was the domino that caused the Rangers to fall. After Cabrera’s double that was disguised as a double play ball, Victor Martinez tripled to right, his opposite field drive eluding Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz.

Martinezruns like a car on blocks, so to misplay a ball that enables Victor to steam into third base standing up isn’t an easy feat. But Cruz pulled it off. Cabrera scored, and it was 4-2,Detroit.

Delmon Young was next, and he tomahawked C.J. Wilson’s pitch over the left-center field wall for a 6-2 lead. The Tigers went single, double, triple, home run—in that order—and turned a tenseComericaParkinto a carnival.

Of course, the Rangers and their ferocious offense made a game of it, falling by the uncomfortably close score of 7-5, leaving two men on base in the ninth inning.

Leyland, after the game, made no bones about the part third base played in the Tigers’ go-ahead rally.

“I have that bag in my office right now,"Leyland told reporters after the game about the base itself. “And that will be in my memorabilia room at some point.”

Could Cabrera’s ricochet off third base be the turning point of this year’s ALCS?

Could it join the Horton-to-Freehan play? Could it be in the same category as Nick Lidstrom’s goal from center ice againstVancouverthat jump-started the Red Wings in the first round of 2002?

Both the ’68 Tigers and the ’02 Red Wings won championships in their respective sports.

It’s too early to tell, of course, whether Cabrera’s baggie will mean a hill of beans in this series. It could just be an isolated incident in a series whose breaks have gone mostlyTexas’ way.

But if the Tigers come back and steal this series, it would be derelict to look at the sixth inning of Game 5 as a whole—and Cabrera’s groundball specifically—and say that it had nothing to do with sparking the comeback.

It’s part of the magic and mystique of playoff baseball—when in a flash moments can occur that have an impact on a series in ridiculously inverse proportions.

It may sound nuts to say that a ground ball off the third base bag in Game 5 will determine who wins the 2011 ALCS.

But this is baseball, and that kind of play is just crazy enough to turn a series upside down.

We’ll see, won’t we?

Burning Questions After Game 4 of the ALCS

2011-10-13T10:15:00.003-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the ALCS:

This game was a second guesser's dream. Let's look at some decisions. First, how about Jim Leyland bringing in Al Alburquerque in the seventh inning?

He didn't have much of a choice, unless Leyland wanted to run Brad Penny out there. It's a tough call but I think Leyland was trying to find out if Al-Al could be counted on, once and for all. Because as you know, Al's performances against the Yankees left a lot to be desired.

The four-ball walk to Ian Kinsler wasn't good, and when Al fell behind 2-0 to Elvis Andrus you could hear the 37,000+ guts churning inside Comerica Park. A bases loaded walk looked imminent.

But Alburquerque recovered to get Andrus on a weak grounder.

OK, how about Rangers manager Ron Washington and his decision to walk Miguel Cabrera in the eighth with one out and nobody on base, in a tie game?

Curious.

Yes, Cabrera is the Tigers' best hitter, but why put the go-ahead runner on base if you don't have to? If Cabrera gets a hit in that situation, more power to him. But you should always make the go-ahead (in this case, potential winning run) run earn his way on base.

The move almost backfired, as Victor Martinez followed with a base hit, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with one out.

Then Delmon Young hit a would-be sacrifice fly to Nelson Cruz in right field. Cabrera was out by six feet at home plate. Another second guessing opportunity here; actually, two of them: a) pinch-run for Cabrera; and b) hold him at third base?

OK, let's take "a" first.

If Cabrera was on second base, I'd have considered the pinch runner. Why? Because a base hit likely scores a pinch-runner but not as likely Cabrera.

But with Cabrera on third, if you remove him for a runner, you're essentially removing your best hitter for one shot: Young hitting a deep enough fly ball. Anything else, you don't need a pinch-runner. A base hit scores him, an error scores him. So you're basically taking Cabrera out just so Young can hit a fly ball. I don't like that.

Now, as for sending Miggy, I don't have a big problem with it, and I know I'm in the minority.

It has to do with who was up next: Alex Avila.

Avila is basically a pitcher at the plate right now---an automatic out. Holding Cabrera would have then necessitated Avila getting a clutch, two-out hit. That was as likely as Cabrera beating the throw.

By sending Cabrera, at least you force Cruz into making a good throw. Who knows? Maybe he throws it up the line or gets too anxious, seeing the slow-footed Cabrera on the run, and grips the ball too tight and he skips it home. Maybe catcher Mike Napoli fumbles the throw. Any number of things can happen. The ball was hit, in my mind, deep enough to take the chance.

The end result looked bad, but I have no problem sending him---mainly because Avila was up next.

OK, how about sending Austin Jackson to steal on the first pitch in the 10th inning?

I probably wouldn't have done it, but that's not a no-brainer. Plenty of base stealers run on the first pitch. As it was, Napoli had to make a perfect throw because of the location of the pitch. He did, and Jackson was out. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat, you know?

Finally, Leyland ordered Adrian Beltre walked in the 11th, with the score tied and first base open with one out, to face Napoli. Thoughts?

Well, clearly Jim was thinking double play. But anything shy of that and the red-hot Nelson Cruz would come to the plate. Beltre is banged up. Maybe going after Beltre and Napoli, straight up, would have been the better decision. That would have left Cruz in the on-deck circle.

That move couldn't have backfired any worse, sadly; Napoli singled home Josh Hamilton, and Cruz crushed his fourth homer of the series to salt the game away.

So this series is over, right? How come?

Well, you know better than that; teams have overcome 1-3 deficits before. Witness our 1968 Tigers.

But frankly, the Tigers are simply outgunned right now. They are being decimated by injuries at the worst possible time. The team even admitted that Avila is battling a sore knee.

It's too bad that the Tigers can't be fielding a healthy lineup, because when they're on all cylinders, they can compete with anyone.

But you look at who Leyland is running out there, and that half the guys are either slumping or hurt or out altogether, and he just doesn't have the weapons.

Justin Verlander is good enough to pitch the team into a Game 6 in Texas, but it's hard to fathom a three-game winning streak right now.

So I was right! It's over!

I said "hard to fathom." I didn't say impossible.

In fact, see ya in Arlington on Saturday night.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 3 of the ALCS

2011-10-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the ALCS:

The key to this one?

Why, it came in the very first inning. The Rangers, despite not hitting the ball very hard, put the first three batters on base and had a 1-0 lead before all the fannies were in their Comerica Park seats.

It could have gotten really ugly at that point. The crowd was already out of the game---a game the Tigers needed desperately. And here were the Rangers, on the heels of their walk-off win in Game 2, with a run in and looking for more.

But Tigers starter Doug Fister limited the damage---getting Michael Young to ground into a difficult 6-4-3 double play, then striking out Adrian Beltre. The Tigers had escaped, down just 1-0.

Yeah, but the offense looked sluggish again. Did you have bad thoughts, despite Fister's escape act?

Well, sure. The Tigers have been scuffling since Game 4 of the Yankees series. Miguel Cabrera was looking ordinary again. The crowd was still lifeless. The Tigers got men on base in the second inning and stranded them. It looked like an act that we're growing weary of.

I smell another key, right?

Well, not so much a key as maybe a sign that the breaks would finally go the Tigers' way.

It happened in the top of the third inning, with Ian Kinsler on first base. He was running on the pitch, and Elvis Andrus bounced one up the middle. But Jhonny Peralta was covering second on the steal attempt, and was Jhonny on the Spot, fielding the grounder, touching second base, and throwing to first to complete the DP.

Had Peralta not been covering, Andrus' grounder goes into center field and the Rangers have runners on the corners and another rally brewing.

At that point I thought, "Maybe the breaks will start to go the Tigers way now."

And the next inning, Victor Martinez snaps out of his slumber and slugs a game-tying homer. But he got hurt, it looked like. Maybe the breaks weren't done going against the Tigers?

The Fox cameras caught V-Mart hurling his helmet down the runway in the Tigers dugout, indicating that he was in some pain, as was evidenced by his oh-so-slow home run trot. But we'll just have to wait and see how serious his injury is.

The Tigers hit three home runs and got some hits with runners on base, eventually. Is the offense back?

The Tigers better hope so. Their fortunes look less bleak now, but as I said after Game 2, baseball and momentum have a tempestuous relationship.

But it was nice to see Cabrera and Martinez bust out a bit, and Peralta slamming a third home run. Maybe this will settle the team down---they had to have been pressing a bit.

Then there's Alex Avila. Are you sick of being asked about him?

Well, it's not a pleasant discussion but it needs to be discussed. The Tigers can't really give him a blow right now---even with a day game after a night game. Jim Leyland isn't going to start Omir Santos, that's for sure.

The Tigers are the only playoff team that doesn't really have a viable no. 2 option at catcher. Now, with Avila possibly worn out from a long year, the Tigers are stuck.

Surprised to see Jose Valverde in the game, after pitching two innings the day before?

Yeah, a little bit, with two more games on successive days on the docket.

I thought Leyland might try to pitch Joaquin Benoit in the eighth AND ninth, frankly, giving Papa Grande a day's rest. And Leyland might have, if the Tigers had a four-run lead headed to the ninth---the dreaded non-save situation.

Is this a new series now?

Sure, but in less than 24 hours it can be a new series again---the wrong way. The Rangers can still take a 3-1 series lead on Wednesday, which would pretty much cancel out tonight's Tigers win.

Any words about Doug Fister?

Like all top drawer starters, Fister proved that if you don't get to him early, you could be in for a long night. Jack Morris was a classic example of this. The Cat was noted for having rough early innings then settling down.

After wriggling out of the first, Fister was terrific. Just what the doctor ordered for the Tigers on a night where their offense arrived late but as they say, "Better late than never"!!

One more for you. Did you miss Terry Francona in the Fox booth, as Tim McCarver returned following his heart procedure?

I'm going to surprise you and say no. After all, the Tigers are 0-2 with Tito as Joe Buck's partner and 1-0 with old "Second Inning" behind the mike.

"Second Inning"?

Um, yeah. Apparently that was McCarver's nickname when he was briefly with the Red Sox at the end of his career. Seems every game he played, in the second inning, McCarver would head for the clubhouse restroom and, um, relieve himself in a no. 2 kind of way.

Too much information!

Good thing Game 4 is a day game, to take your mind off it quickly!

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 2 of the ALCS

2011-10-11T00:52:00.003-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the ALCS:

What got into Nelson Cruz? He didn't do a thing against Tampa Bay in the ALDS.

Just goes to show you that momentum does NOT carry over from series to series. It rarely does day by day, frankly.

In 2006, Placido Polanco was the ALCS MVP and didn't even get a hit in the five-game World Series that followed.

Cruz has been poison to the Tigers in just two games.

More blown opportunities by the Tigers, especially early on against starter Derek Holland. What's up?

Just a really bad time to hit a team-wide batting slump. The Tigers can't buy that key hit right now.

When a guy walks four in the first two innings, as Holland did, and none of those walks score, that's certain to haunt you in the later innings. They say walks will kill you. But walks that never come around to score can be a death knell to an offense.

So Delmon Young is back. What the hell?

It's called desperation. I'm not comfortable with bringing Young back, just a couple days after he was declared done for the series. I mean, what if he reinjures his oblique and is done for the season?

Of course, the way this series is going, that could be moot.

But the Tigers are desperate. They've already lost Brennan Boesch and now Magglio Ordonez is done with a broken ankle. The options are few, especially for a right-handed batter.

Speaking of Maggs, is he done---forever?

Well, he admitted to some reporters a few days ago that he contemplated retirement mid-season because his ankle wasn't responding. So yeah, this could be it---if he doesn't want to put himself through anymore rehab.

This was almost worse than the initial injury, which occurred in July 2010, because no one saw this one coming. Ordonez had recently gone on record as saying how great he felt. It's a big blow, and maybe a sad one. We'll see.

Complete this sentence: "After two games, the story of this series is...."

...the Rangers stars are showing up, and the Tigers' aren't.

Guys like Cruz and Adrian Beltre have come up big for the Rangers, along with Ian Kinsler and David Murphy.

Though he had a double in Game 2, Miguel Cabrera has been mostly invisible this post-season, as has been Victor Martinez. Twice, V-Mart had bases loaded opportunities to wash away his bad post-season, and both times he failed.

I hate to say it, but Cabrera/Martinez are making me recall the struggles of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira for the Yankees in the ALDS.

The Tigers need the big bats to start bopping, and quick.

Did you feel some relief when Ryan Raburn smacked his three-run homer?

Kinda. But see above.

Tigers get out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the bottom of the ninth. Usually that comes back to haunt the scoreless team, doesn't it?

You're right---except when that scoreless team is up against one whose offense is in the toilet right now. The Rangers somehow got themselves back into the same position in the 11th, and Cruz then launched his no-doubter.

The game-winning rally was aided by some confusion between CF Austin Jackson and newly-inserted RF Andy Dirks. What happened out there on Mike Napoli's drive to right center?

Not sure, but it looked like the two of them played, "I got it, you take it," as Red Wings analyst Mickey Redmond would say.

Frankly, the Rangers may have scored anyway, but that horribly timed miscue didn't help the Tigers' cause, that's for sure.

In the Tigers 10th, leadoff man Raburn walked. Jhonny Peralta was up next and bunted. Right call?

Well, I can see the logic, except that with a slumping Alex Avila and then Dirks coming up next---Dirks' first post-season AB---maybe you swing away Peralta and hope for some action.

As it was, Jim Leyland was basically asking an .050 hitter and a rookie in his first post-season AB to get a big hit in extra innings. That's a tough request. I might have hit away with Peralta there. But the "Baseball for Dummies" handbook says bunt in that situation, so there you have it.

So are the Tigers done?

So much seems to be working against them right now---the injuries, the slumps, the heating up of Nelson Cruz at the worst possible time. The baseball gods' sense of timing isn't helping the Tigers right now.

But you know what? We've all seen post-season series change in a heartbeat. And sometimes a change of venue does the trick.

It doesn't look good now, but in 48 hours this series could be much, much different.

Yeah, or OVER!

Hey---that wasn't a question. No fair.

Sorry.

Apology accepted. Enjoy Game 3.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 1 of the ALCS

2011-10-09T01:27:00.002-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS:

Another post-season start by Justin Verlander curtailed by rain. How much of a factor was this?

Hard to tell. The Tigers bullpen did a damn fine job but the offense was miserable. And since JV threw 82 pitches, I don't see how this changes anything rotation-wise. Jim Leyland's original game plan should hold up.

You said the offense was miserable. When was it the most miserable?

I can't get past two at-bats: Magglio Ordonez's weak 5-5-3 double play in the first inning with the bases juiced and C.J. Wilson maybe picking up where he left off in the ALDS; and Alex Avila's HORRIBLE at-bat in the sixth inning against Mike Gonzalez with the bases loaded, when AA failed to take a strike against the sometimes-wild Gonzalez.

Maggs' AB could have at least gotten the Tigers a 1-0 lead, and Avila's could have tied it. But I think Avila's was worse because of his ridiculous lack of plate discipline.

Thoughts on Verlander?

Meh. He looked ordinary, but he wasn't helped by HP umpire Tim Welke's strike zone, which squeezed JV so much I thought Justin was going to be juiced like an orange.

In fairness, Welke was bad to Wilson, too---but JV didn't bring his "A" game, which would have canceled out Welke's bizarre strike zone, which apparently begins at the thigh, not the knee.

Not enough first pitch strikes from Verlander tonight. The command was just a little off.

Yet another rain delay---actually TWO in one inning. Did they play a key role in the outcome?

Well, yes and no. After the first delay, it looked like Texas' Wilson lost some of his sharpness, and the Tigers took advantage, scoring two runs. The second delay gave way to Avila's aforementioned bad at-bat.

Meanwhile, Verlander was done but Rick Porcello, Phil Coke and Ryan Perry were excellent.

These delays, while long and essentially making Leyland's pitching change for him, didn't have nearly the impact on Game 1 as it did in Game 1 of the ALDS, and nor does it affect the series going forward.

Porcello, Game 4's scheduled starter, pitched two innings tonight. Is he still a go for Game 4?

Absolutely. His two innings were stress-free, and Game 4 is still three days away.

The Tigers have now scored six runs in their past 28 innings. Concerned?

You're damn right I am. You can talk all you want about the Tigers' potent offense, but until they start scoring runs again, it's all talk. Thank goodness this isn't a five-game series.

What is the impact of the loss of Delmon Young due to his oblique strain?

Well, judging by tonight, significant.

I did like the bump up of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez hitting 3-4, as opposed to 4-5. But Young's absence seemed to make the batting order look far too pedestrian.

I just didn't know what to make of the Tigers' approach tonight. They watched pitches go right down the middle---often for called third strikes---and they swung at pitches out of the strike zone. They were patient and impatient at all the wrong times. Just an ugly performance, and on a night when the bullpen really gave them a chance to win the game.

Speaking of the lineup, any concerns?

Yes. Alex Avila, who's been awful in the post-season, batting sixth against a left-handed starter. I would have put Jhonny Peralta there and moved Avila down to eighth or ninth. When a guy is going very good or very bad, it seems clutch situations find that guy. But clutch situations would have been more UNLIKELY to find Avila had he batted lower in the order.

After Ramon Santiago got on base with a drag bunt in the ninth, should the Tigers have bunted?

Jim Leyland had Wilson Betemit (another who's been awful) in the on-deck circle, ready to bat for Brandon Inge. Had Leyland wanted a bunt, he would have let Inge hit. So based on who was at the plate, swinging away was the right call. Sadly, the one swinging away was Betemit.

Leyland, I'm sure, was hoping Betemit could run into one, but against Texas closer Neftali Feliz, that thought was mere fantasy.

Feliz totally overmatched the Tigers with pitches in the high-90s to 101 MPH. What did you think?

That anyone can look good against Betemit-Austin Jackson-Ryan Raburn.

I'm only partly kidding; after all, those guys aren't exactly a Murderer's Row. But Feliz's arm is electric and the Tigers must simply not be at his mercy again in this series. At least, no more than twice the rest of the way!

What is wrong with Alex Avila?

I wish I knew. He is simply a confused young man right now who is looking nothing like the guy who finished the year so strong. Trouble is, in the ALCS you don't exactly have a lot of time to figure things out.

But here's a good omen, perhaps. When the Tigers won the 1968 World Series, catcher Bill Freehan went 2-for-24 with eight Ks. It's a reach, but what the hell?

Same question re: Austin Jackson?

Here's where I have some serious reservations. Last year I pouted that Jackson should have been ROY instead of Feliz. But AJ has taken a giant step backward in his development as a hitter this year---a regression that is only getting worse in the post-season. He's totally overmatched by too many big league pitchers.

So, what are you saying?

I'm saying that Jackson ought to be the no. 9 hitter next season. But for now, it's the same as Avila---just hope Jackson can battle his way to some hits or walks. Because when AJ is on base, good things tend to happen.

Should Miggy Cabrera ALWAYS bat third?

It's a thought, but the only reason he hit no. 3 in Game 1 was because of Delmon Young's injury.

But it's a definite thought, because I like the idea of Cabrera batting in EVERY first inning. A hitter of that magnitude ought to bat in the first inning.

Cabrera isn't just a classic, power-hitting cleanup batter. His talent is more suited for no. 3 than no. 4, truthfully. It didn't work in Game 1, but I wouldn't mind seeing it the rest of the series.

Victor Martinez had some shockingly bad at-bats tonight. Just one of those nights?

Sure. Even with a BA of around .400 with RISP this season, that means he still fails to get a hit 60% of the time. But don't worry; I look for V-Mart to rebound nicely the rest of the way.

So this makes Game 2 a must-win, right?

Well, you tell me. If the Tigers lose, they have to go 4-1 the rest of the series. HAVE TO.

So you tell me.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Tigers Win Over Yankees Nice, But Not the Brass Ring

2011-10-08T10:15:00.000-04:00

It’s tempting to say that this is as good as it gets—that the moment is so savory as to be incapable of being eclipsed.

The problem with beating the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs—on the Yankees home field in a do-or-die game that boils down to the fate of the last batter, indeed the last strike—is how easy it is to feel like nothing can be tougher.

Or that nothing could be better.

As sweet as the Tigers’ 3-games-to-2 victory was over the Yankees in the American League Divisional Series (ALDS), it doesn’t change the fact that the Tigers are still just one-third of the way toward their post-season goal.

Only now are they in Major League Baseball’s version of the Final Four.

You’d think there’d be a bigger payout to beating the vaunted Yankees than to merely be 33% of your way to the garish trophy with all the pennants on it.

Tigers-Yankees, 2011 ALDS was finesse vs. brawn. It was the jabber against the slugger. The Tigers pulled some Rope-a-Dope on the Yankees.

In the two Yankees wins, they outscored the Tigers, 19-4. The Tigers, meanwhile, managed just an aggregate 13-9 margin in their three victories.

The Yankees won big and lost small.

But the Tigers won the biggest of them all—the series, and now they move on to Step 2 in this three-step process to becoming World Champions.

Actually, it’s a four-step program; you have to make the playoffs, first. But in the post-season there are three distinct levels, and the Tigers did nothing more than clear the first hurdle.

There’s a danger, in my mind, that maybe they think they’ve done enough already.

The Tigers beat the Yankees, at Yankee Stadium, with 50,000+ pairs of leather lungs bellowing. The mighty Yankees, with their perennial, it seems, Murderer’s Row lineup. But the Tigers beat more than Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and the rest.

Isiah Thomas, while in the prime of his NBA career, spoke of how difficult it was for the Pistons to beat the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. This was in the late spring of 1988, while the Pistons and Celtics duked it out yet again in the Conference Finals.

The quote is lifted from Jerry Green’s marvelous book, The Detroit Pistons: Capturing a Remarkable Era.

“To beat the Celtics,” Isiah said, “you have to beat more than a team. You have to beat a mystique.”

He was right. The ’88 Pistons weren’t just going up against Bird and McHale and Parish; they were also up against the creaky Boston Garden and its ghosts. The Pistons, like it or not, were also playing Havlicek and Russell and Cousy—even the smoke from Red Auerbach’s victory cigars.

That’s why there was such a rollicking celebration that night in June ’88 at the Silverdome, when the Pistons finally—FINALLY! —put away the Celtics for a right to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The court flooded with fans, delirious in the moment. It wasn’t clear what they were happier about—their team making the Finals, or beating the Celtics. I wouldn’t take that bet.

The 2011 Tigers have done more than beat this year’s Yankees in the ALDS. They’ve done something that only two teams in the history of baseball have done—beat the Yankees twice in a row in the playoffs.

2006 seems like a million years ago in a way, yet it also can be recalled vividly.

But the 2006 Tigers eliminated the Yankees in Detroit, in the so-called “friendly confines” of Comerica Park. It’s one thing to beat the Yankees when there are no ghosts and when all the leathered lungs are on your side.

Thursday night’s series-clinching win in New York had even the staid manager Jim Leyland in tell-all mode.

At the podium afterward, while his players whooped it up down the hall, Leyland pulled something from the now-it-can-be-told file.

“I would be lying,” Leyland said, “if I said that beating the Yankees in New York wasn’t something special. And I mean that with no disrespect; I mean it with respect.”

Moments later, Leyland added, “This is one of those games that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Then Leyland got emotional as he spoke of utility man Don Kelly and the memories Kelly created for himself after slugging a home run in the first inning that got the Tigers started and was the best of icebreakers.

“It couldn’t have happened to a better kid,” Leyland said, choking up.

Tigers President/GM Dave Dombrowski told FSD in the locker room after the game that beating the Yankees in New York to win a playoff series was “special.”

Owner Mike Ilitch, 82 and still with an unquenched thirst for a World Series title, sidled up to Dombrowski, amidst the celebrating and, according to the Detroit Free Press, told his Prez/GM that Thursday was “one of the greatest days of my life.”

The hierarchy was giddy with the moment, from Ilitch to Dombrowski to Leyland. The button-downed brains had popped.

Yet the Tigers have done nothing more than give themselves a chance to play for the World Series, let alone win it.

There are still eight victories and two teams standing between the Tigers and their fifth World Championship.

This post-season run is just one-third finished.

Yet here you have the owner, president and manager, no less, each putting a premium on the series victory over the Yankees that surely wouldn’t be placed on any other vanquished team.

The Tigers beat the Yankees in the ALDS, in New York. Congratulations.

That’ll get them an “attaboy” and a date with the Texas Rangers, another ferocious team, less than 48 hours after eliminating the Yankees.

That’s all.

These are the playoffs, not charity.

Burning Questions After Game 5 of the Tigers-Yankees ALDS

2011-10-07T00:15:00.004-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 3-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS:

Did you ever think three runs would be good enough in Yankee Stadium?

Absolutely not, and what's worse, the Tigers left some runners on base early, then couldn't even get a base runner late. It just had the makings of a come-from-ahead loss.

How much of a relief was it to score two runs in the first inning?

It was great---for about an inning. Then the Tigers had a runner on third base with less than two outs in the second and didn't score. From that moment on you just knew that this would be no laugher---the Tigers would have to gut one out.

Speaking of the first inning, how about DON KELLY?

What's the Michigan Lottery slogan? "Play a hunch, win a bunch"?

That was Jim Leyland with Donny Kelly tonight. In the post game presser, Leyland said that "sometimes these things just work out." Well, yeah, but he also knows that Kelly has been swinging a clutch, if inconsistent bat since Labor Day. Kelly's average may not be great, but he seems to get hits when they matter most.

Don't forget---Kelly hit a homer in Oakland the night the Tigers clinched the division, too.

Besides, Wilson Betemit looked God awful in Game 4 and with a right-hander starting (Ivan Nova), Leyland was unlikely to start Brandon Inge at third base. As for hitting Kelly second, that may have been the hunch part. That, and Ramon Santiago belongs at the no. 9 spot, anyway.

Surprised that Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled Nova after two innings?

Of course, and I'm not sure I buy the "his forearm was tight" thing, not that it really matters.

I think Girardi wanted to empty his well-rested bullpen before the game started and give the Tigers a lot of different looks. But that's my take in retrospect. So, yeah, I was very surprised when I saw Phil Hughes take the mound in the third inning.

And doesn't Girardi know what Victor Martinez's batting average is this season after a Miguel Cabrera walk? Yet Girardi walked Miggy in the fifth inning anyway.

But still the right move. As good as V-Mart has been this season, the old adage is that you never let the other team's best player beat you, if you can prevent it.

Look at it from the other side: had Girardi pitched to Cabrera with first base open, and Miggy burned him, Girardi would never have lived it down.

Sure, V-Mart came through (again) with what ended up being the winning RBI, but you NEVER let an MVP candidate hit with first base open.

The Yankees loaded the bases twice with only one out and only came away with one run, on Joaquin Benoit's walk of Mark Teixeira. Think they'll be talking about that in New York for awhile?

As well they should talk about it. The Yankees don't leave runs on the field like that very often, especially at home.

This game sort of reminded me of an underdog NHL team, on the road, trying to sit on a one-goal lead for the entire third period.

The Tigers played dump and chase with the Yankees from the sixth inning on. The Tigers at-bats were short and the Yankees would come back with pressure-packed half innings. It was unreal.

What can you say about Jorge Posada and Brett Gardner?

You mean besides, "Good riddance!"?

Posada was amazing, and so was Gardner. That's how it goes sometimes in the playoffs. It wasn't Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez who were poison---it was Posada and Gardner.

The Yankees got all sorts of infield hits in this series, and would have had another if Posada didn't have square wheels. The Tigers finally got him out in the nick of time, but the pesky Gardner slapped one more hit in the eighth and was moving on Derek Jeter's fly out to end the inning.

That ball that Jeter hit would have been a routine out at Comerica Park, right?

A routine fly ball just about ANYWHERE.

That new Yankee Stadium is ridiculous in right field, but so was old Tiger Stadium, I suppose, with that 10-foot overhang.

But Jeter hardly smacked the ball, yet it took Don Kelly to the warning track.

How ironic that Jose Valverde had a 1-2-3 ninth against Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez, huh?

Yeah, because Papa Grande catches grief for not having very many stress-free saves.

The ball that Cano hit to center field went as far as I've seen any broken bat hit go; I was sure it was destined to drop in for a hit.

The key, of course, was getting Granderson out, and after that it just felt like everything would be OK, even with Cano coming up.

As for A-Rod, I wasn't worried at all. Just as in 2006, Rodriguez was a non-factor the entire series. I'd have been more worried to see Posada or Gardner up in that situation.

So did you think Valverde was going to strike A-Rod out to end the game?

I certainly wasn't surprised.

OK, the series is over. What was the key to the Tigers' victory?

Pitching in the clutch. The Yankees' two victories were blowouts, and the Tigers' three wins were by a combined four runs. That tells me that the Tigers pitchers made more big pitches than the Yankees did.

Game 5 was a perfect example. First Doug Fister---who was pretty good, by the way---then Benoit wiggle out of bases loaded jams with just one run scored total. Max Scherzer makes a rare relief appearance and is effective. And Valverde does what he does best---close games.

Real quick: right decision NOT to use Justin Verlander out of the bullpen?

Yes. If he pitches he can't throw Game 1 of the ALCS. And the Tigers didn't need him, frankly, with Scherzer available and rested more.

Have you given any thought to the Texas Rangers yet?

Only this one: the player who scares me the most isn't Josh Hamilton; it's catcher Mike Napoli, who had a monster year and followed it with a good series against Tampa Bay.

Worried about Delmon Young's tweaked oblique?

That sounds cute, actually.

But seriously? Sure; Game 1 is Saturday. But he told FSD Detroit's John Keating that he expects to give it a shot. So we'll see

Who's your series MVP?

Young. He had three homers and two of them mattered: the solo shot to regain the Tigers' lead in Game 3, and the follow-up to Kelly's dinger in the first that gave the Tigers a two-run lead early.

Ready to do this all over again come Saturday?

Do I have a choice?

Didn't think so. See ya in the ALCS.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 4 of the Tigers-Yankees ALDS

2011-10-04T23:51:00.003-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 10-1 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS:

Any silver linings?

Maybe. The Yankees would love to play tomorrow. You always do after the bats wake up. The Tigers, on the other hand, get to regroup and by the time the first pitch is thrown on Thursday night, Game 4 should be a distant memory for them.

Hard to find a key to a 10-1 game, but was there any?

Sure. If Curtis Granderson doesn't recover on Don Kelly's drive in the first inning with the bases loaded, the Tigers might have jumped out to a 3-0 lead against A.J. Burnett, which would have been a huge blow to Burnett and the Yankees' psyche, given all the dissing Burnett received prior to the game.

The other was Austin Jackson, who's made some terrific plays in center field this season, coming up inches short of catching Derek Jeter's two-run double, which opened the scoring.

After four games, what stands out to you?

The Yankees' lower third of the order is killing the Tigers. The trio of Jorge Posada (almost left off the playoff roster), Russell Martin and Brett Gardner have been getting on base with ridiculous frequency---much more than 7-8-9 batters should be doing.

That threesome canceled out the poor performances of the heavy hitters above them, which negated any advantage the Tigers gained by retiring the A-Rods and Teixeiras of the Yankees.

Also, and I know I said it last night, the collapse of Alex Avila at the plate has been complete and stunning. He's nowhere near the same player as he was in the regular season.

Jim Leyland started Don Kelly in RF and batted him sixth. Thoughts?

They're not fit to print here.

Kelly is a good guy and has come up with some clutch hits here and there, but Cabrera/Martinez/Kelly just doesn't work for me. I would have batted him behind Jhonny Peralta, in the seven hole.

Ironically, it was Kelly who could have broken the game open for the Tigers in the first inning. Still, I like the experienced playoff bat of Magglio Ordonez in the lineup. But the Kelly decision was hardly the reason the Tigers lost.

What's with Wilson Betemit and swinging at balls in the dirt?

For whatever reason he loves that curve ball that breaks into his ankles. Horrible at-bats from Betemit tonight. He wasn't too swift in the field, either, aside from that throw he took from Rick Porcello on Derek Jeter's bunt.

In fact, Betemit was so bad, fans on Twitter were clamoring for Brandon Inge, who they tried to run out of town in July.

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett was supposed to crash and burn in Game 4. Why didn't he?

TBS announcers Ron Darling and John Smoltz---two former pitchers---noticed that Burnett and pitching coach Larry Rothschild had a private chat in the runway after the rough first inning, in which Burnett walked the bases loaded. They said Burnett had a mechanical flaw while throwing his curveball.

Well, apparently Burnett corrected that flaw. And the Tigers helped him out with some bad ball chasing.

Plus, it's not like Burnett hasn't done this before. Witness what he did in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series.

And sometimes isn't this the way things work out, when NO ONE gives you a chance? For the 21 hours after Game 3 ended, we've heard how bad Burnett is and how the Yankees are toast. In the back of my mind I was fearful that Burnett would do what he did tonight---especially after the Tigers failed to score in the first.

And Rick Porcello?

Not bad. Stung by Jeter and Granderson's two-run doubles. But other than that, I thought Porcello gave the Tigers a solid start. Certainly enough to allow for a win, given the Tigers' usually potent offense.

The Yankees put this one away with a six-run eighth inning. Only a matter of time, huh, when their offense poured it on?

Well, they DID score nine runs in Game 1. But I know what you mean. Seems that since then, the Yankees have been below par, but mainly because A-Rod, Teixeira and Nick Swisher have been relatively quiet. Tonight, everyone got into the act. Besides, Game 1 was the Robinson Cano Show.

So does this mean the Tigers ought to be fearful heading into Game 5?

I think you should always be fearful against the Yankees. You can't keep them down forever.

But the Yankees only needed two runs to win tonight. The other eight don't carry into Game 5. In other words, new game, fresh slate. Momentum is the next game's starting pitcher.

Which brings us to Doug Fister---Justin Verlander Lite. Are the Tigers in good hands?

It's funny. I'm inclined to say yes, but that would be the same as everyone saying the Yankees were in bad hands with Burnett going in Game 4---and look how that turned out.

In other words, I don't want to jinx Mr. Fister. But truthfully, yes, I like Fister in Game 5---as long as Justin Verlander isn't available, which he isn't.

It's the same matchup as in the resumption of Game 1---Fister vs. the rookie Ivan Nova. I like Fister rebounding in the rematch, and I don't think Nova will shut the Tigers down two starts in a row.

Finally we have a day off in this wild ALDS. What are you gonna do on Wednesday?

Long for the days of the 1960s, when studs like Sandy Koufax and Mickey Lolich pitched their teams to World Series victories on two days' rest. But obviously Verlander is too prized a possession to try something like that nowadays.

If only.

Meanwhile, here's to Doug Fister. May the Force be with him against the Evil Empire.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 3 of the Tigers-Yankees ALDS

2011-10-04T00:05:00.005-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 5-4 win over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS:

Was this an "instant classic"?

It was certainly one of the most exciting post-season games the Tigers have played, that's for sure. It had the feel of an Ali-Frazier boxing match.

The resilience of the Tigers offense is something to behold. The TBS announcers, particularly John Smoltz, talked a lot about "shutdown innings," i.e. innings a pitcher throws immediately after his team has scored runs.

Justin Verlander passed that test in the eighth inning after Delmon Young's home run gave the Tigers the lead again.

And Rafael Soriano of the Yankees failed the test, surrendering Young's homer immediately after the Yankees scored two runs off Verlander in the seventh to tie the game.

But beyond that, from the gutsy performance of Verlander to Brett Gardner's clutch two-run double to Young's homer to Jose Valverde's stressful save, it was a beauty.

What were you thinking after Verlander's rough start (single/triple)?

I was a little concerned that JV was finally going to have that bad start that he's overdue for. But he calmed down and really cruised until the seventh. As he told Tom Verducci after the game, "I lost it (rhythm), regained it, then lost it again for three batters," referring to the two-run seventh.

But truthfully I wasn't terribly concerned because if anyone can bounce back from that kind of a two-batter start, it's Justin Verlander.

With all the talk of these two power-packed lineups, it was Brett Gardner and Ramon Santiago who had the big hits tonight (save Young's homer). What gives?

The beauty of baseball, that's what gives.

In the 1978 World Series, light-hitting reserve infielder Brian Doyle filled in for the injured Willie Randolph and went ballistic, batting over .400 for the Series. You just never know.

But aside from the sheer odds, Gardner and Santiago are both smart, disciplined hitters. Their respective hits were no flukes. They're not, well, Brian Doyle.

What's wrong with Alex Avila?

The announcers said that Jim Leyland said Avila is a little lost. And that's why Leyland dropped Avila to the no. 8 spot in the order. That, plus the matchup against CC Sabathia is a tough one for the young catcher.

But there's no question that Avila isn't swinging with any authority, i.e. confidence.

It's unrealistic to expect ALL nine guys in your lineup to hit at all times, but it's uncomfortable to see Avila look so uncomfortable at the plate after the fine year he had.

Ron Darling said catchers are prone to wearing down in the post-season. If any of the eight catchers in the playoffs deserves to wear down, it's Alex Avila.

Hence the importance of players like Santiago---and Brandon Inge, who had two hits---coming through. It cancels out the struggles of a guy like Avila.

Speaking of Inge, he's looking OK out there, isn't he?

He sure drove Sabathia into the left field alley, which got the Tigers started in the third inning.

And he looked very comfortable at third base and loosey goosey on the field, chatting up Yankees players and the umps. Basically, having fun out there. The Brandon Inge of old.

If Inge can be remotely the player he was before this year's travails, what a shot in the arm for the Tigers.

Did you know Don Kelly had a "cannon," according to TBS' Brian Anderson?

Well, he DID make a great throw from right field in the ninth inning to keep the runner (temporarily) at first base. A lot better than Magglio Ordonez would have made.

Speaking of TBS, John Smoltz kinda called Delmon Young's homer, didn't he?

Yeah. Smoltzie said, "Be careful with the first pitch," and seconds later Young is jogging around the bases after hitting Soriano's first pitch for an opposite field homer, his second such dinger of the series.

Alex Rodriguez is hitless. He was booed a bit in New York yesterday. Thoughts?

You want me to say that he's falling back into the A-Rod of old, right? The one who couldn't produce in the post-season?

He's had a tough year and he's not hitting now, but you always think those types of guys are going to bust loose at any moment. Same with Frank Thomas for the A's in the 2006 ALCS. He was awful but I kept waiting for him to bust out of it. He never did.

But it's not just Rodriguez; Mark Teixeira and A-Rod combined are 1-for-21 in the series, according to Darling.

What's gotten into Jorge Posada?

I don't know; he's the Magglio Ordonez of the Yankees---a guy who was thisclose to being written off, or at least off the playoff roster, earlier in the season. But now he's hitting as well as he has all year. And when he's not hitting, Posada is being patient at the plate, drawing walks. The walk he coaxed from Verlander in the seventh inning was epic.

So it's A.J. Burnett for the Yankees in Game 4 with their season on the brink. Are you comfy if you're a Yanks fan?

Um, no.

But again, who knows? Maybe Burnett twirls a masterpiece and the series returns to New York.

So are you saying we're headed for a Game 5?

Nope. In fact, I have a feeling the Tigers are going to lay into Burnett and win a laugher.

But don't hold me to it.

Typical you; never willing to be held accountable!

Which makes me the same as every other blogger/sports writer out there.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Burning Questions After Game 2 of the Tigers-Yankees ALDS

2011-10-02T23:02:00.003-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 5-3 win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS:

What was the story of this game?

The Tigers' big boys showed up. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez each had clutch RBI hits in the sixth inning, stretching the Tigers lead to 4-0. Cabrera muscled a two-run HR to right field in the first inning. It's always huge to score first at Yankee Stadium, especially after the Tigers got routed in Game 1.

How about Max Scherzer?

What can you say? A no-hitter for 5.1 innings, and his start was just what the doctor ordered. Even more impressive was that it came on the road, where Scherzer has been less than brilliant.

Max did a great job of pounding the strike zone and keeping the Yankees hitters off kilter. What a breath of fresh air following an ugly Game 1.

Do you feel better about the Tigers' offense?

Yes and no. The two-out RBI single by Don Kelly in the ninth inning was encouraging, but after two games not too many bats have shown up. The Tigers need more from Austin Jackson, Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila, especially. But it was good to see Cabrera get the team off to a good start after he was a non-factor in Game 1.

But a win is a win and the Tigers are going home, where they won 50 games this season.

Were you surprised to see Joaquin Benoit in the seventh inning?

Not really. These are the playoffs. Benoit has the stamina to pitch two innings, and if that's what Jim Leyland needed to bridge the gap between Scherzer and Jose Valverde, so be it. Regardless, Benoit gave the Tigers two good innings, despite surrendering the Curtis Granderson homer.

How about that ninth inning, with the rain and the almost rally?

Just another day at the office for Valverde, who entered the game in one of his notorious non-save situations.

The bomb by Nick Swisher didn't bother me, and neither did the triple by Jorge Posada. But the walks to Russell Martin and Granderson made things extra dicey.

What was your take on Avila's slip and fall on Granderson's foul popup?

That Brandon Inge should have called Avila off and made the play. TNT analyst Ron Darling---who's very good, by the way---correctly pointed that out. Once Inge saw Avila ambling dangerously close to the dugout and that rubber circle (where they hit fungos from, by tradition) with the Yankees logo on it, that was the time to take charge. As Darling said, the ball dropped mere feet from where Inge was standing.

How big of a win was this?

Huge. The winner of Game 2 in any best-of-five series is usually in good shape. In the Tigers' case, it means a 1-1 series with the best pitcher in baseball set to throw the next day---before his home crowd.

It was one of those games that, had the Tigers blown it, it would have been as bad of a loss as it was a gargantuan win---maybe more so.

Anything else you'd like to talk about?

Leyland started Magglio Ordonez---righty vs. righty---against Yankees starter Freddy Garcia partly due to Maggs' 16-for-50 career mark against Garcia.

Ordonez went 3-for-3, making him 19-for-53 (.358) against Garcia. Sometimes that stuff the computer spits out comes in handy.

The Tigers are in the driver's seat now, right?

It would seem so, but who can predict playoff baseball? The Yankees have lost six of their last eight games in Detroit, and the Tigers went 2-0 against them at Comerica Park in the 2006 ALDS.

So what?

All that goes out the window, but if the Tigers feel like that gives them a mental edge, then they should go with that notion. Anything you can do to feel good about yourself. Who knows? Maybe the Yankees don't relish two games in Detroit given their recent history there. Then again, maybe that gives them added incentive.

You just don't know.

But coming home 1-1 is a helluva lot better than being down 0-2.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

ALDS Burning Questions After Game 1

2011-10-02T00:52:00.003-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the Tigers' 9-3 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS:

Was the game as lopsided as the score indicated?

No, not that it changes anything; the Tigers are still down 1-0 in the series.

But essentially one bad inning did them in---the sixth, when the Yankees scored six time---as the Yankees had too much two-out bingo for the Tigers to handle.

That frame broke open a close game and made the final score look ugly.

What did you think of Doug Fister's performance?

Again, one bad inning did him in. At one point, the righty retired 10 straight Yankees as the game looked to be a pitching duel between Fister and rookie Ivan Nova. But Fister's failure to close out Brett Gardner on an 0-2 pitch was the linchpin of the Yanks' big sixth inning.

Overall, I thought Fister had pretty good command and for much of the game he looked like the Doug Fister of the past month or so. But the sixth inning killed it, obviously. When he got out of a jam in his very first inning (runners on second and third with nobody out) without a run being scored, I thought that was a good sign. But not good enough, sadly.

So many things went wrong for the Tigers, including things we rarely see, like Austin Jackson failing to nab a long drive to center field and Al Alburquerque surrendering a grand slam. What gives?

That's playoff baseball, sometimes. You forgot to mention the terrible break the Tigers got in the fifth inning, when Austin Jackson took off from first on a hit-and-run and Magglio Ordonez hit a ball up the middle that normally would have been a single. Instead, 2B Robinson Cano (who was blessed the whole game) was waiting for the grounder right at the bag and turned it into a double play. And that was when the score was 2-1.

In the Yankees' big inning, Derek Jeter hit a ball to a spot just abandoned by 2B Ryan Raburn, who went to cover second base on a hit-and-run. So when the Tigers try it, they hit into a double play. When the Yanks do it, they hit the ball into the hole for a single. Them's the breaks.

The slam by Cano was the first homer hit off Alburquerque all year. Sigh.

Where was the Tigers' offense?

Good question. Nova looked like Bob Gibson until the ninth inning. The Tigers need to wake their bats up, and in a hurry. They really didn't hit the ball all that hard off Nova all night.

Your thoughts on Nova?

He was just wild enough to be effective. When he missed, he missed badly (balls in the dirt, behind hitters, high and outside). But when he had to make pitches, he pretty much did so.

He's been a good pitcher for the Yankees, but the Tigers made him look better than he really is.

Should Tigers manager Jim Leyland re-think things and start Justin Verlander in Game 2?

Absolutely not. It's not panic time---yet. If the Tigers win Game 2, they'll have their best pitcher on the mound in a 1-1 series---at home.

So the Tigers aren't in trouble?

Not yet. The beauty of baseball is there's always tomorrow. The Tigers have the bats to do some damage off Freddy Garcia in Game 2. In less than 24 hours (it's a 3:07 start), they can wash their mouths of this ugly Game 1.

Any final thoughts?

Let's hope Game 2 acts like Scope for the Tigers.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

Tigers-Yankees ALDS Game 1 (Postponed) Burning Questions

2011-09-30T23:43:00.002-04:00

Burning Questions in the wake of the postponement of Game 1 of the ALDS between the Tigers and Yankees, rescheduled for 8:37 p.m. Saturday.

The game only lasted 1-1/2 innings before the rains set in, but did the Tigers look nervous to you?

I thought they had butterflies, yes. Austin Jackson struck out on three hittable pitches and Magglio Ordonez uncharacteristically chased a horrible pitch on his punch out.

Then, defensively, catcher Alex Avila appeared to nonchalant his throw to first base after Derek Jeter struck out, costing the Tigers a baserunner. Miguel Cabrera couldn't bring himself to throw to second base for a sure force out, and 3B Brandon Inge seemed to have a play at the plate on Jeter but threw to first base instead.

All that, plus Justin Verlander looked less than sharp, albeit in just one inning, and he never did give up a hit.

Who would have thought that Brandon Inge would be the starting third baseman for the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS after he was DFA'd in late-July?

Baseball is something, isn't it? I raised the question on "The Knee Jerks" in mid-August: what if the Tigers recall Inge before September 1 and he contributes and winds up on the playoff roster? There'd be howls.

Well, that's exactly what happened and Inge got rewarded for his faith and his commitment to the organization. Remember the rumors that the Florida Freaking Marlins were interested in him?

OK, so I gotta ask you: which team benefits more from the rainout? Or, more accurately, which team is hurt more?

I'm thinking the Tigers got the better end of this deal, though I didn't think so as the rain kept falling and it looked more and more like Justin Verlander's start would be washed out---or at the very least, he'd be done for the night even if the game was resumed.

Here's why I think the Yankees are hurt more. CC Sabathia was set to throw Game 4 on three days rest. That's out the window. Sabathia, like Verlander, will only throw one game in this series now, instead of two. But the Tigers have Doug Fister, and the Yankees don't. Fister gets two starts now.

I'm liking a Fister/Max Scherzer/Verlander opening trio, especially with JV pitching at home.

But other than the pitching rotation, I don't think either team is hurt/helped by the postponement more than the other.

Contrary to what some may believe, Game 1 will be resumed from where it left off. That is, even though there will be different pitchers, the lineups stay the same. Similar question as above: will this be a factor?

Here's where you could make the case that the Yankees have an advantage. They were going to face right-handers in Games 1 and 2, no matter what. The Tigers, on the other hand, went with a right-handed hitting lineup against the lefty Sabathia.

Now, the Tigers must keep that lineup in tact, though they'll be facing a right-hander in Ivan Nova. This means Inge where there would normally be Wilson Betemit, and Ordonez where there may have been Andy Dirks or even Don Kelly.

But this might be a moot point, as the Delmon Young-Miguel Cabrera-Victor Martinez heart of the order plays no matter what.

Does the rainout change your prediction?

Nope. Still got the Tigers in four. It just might happen in four straight days now, that's all.

(Come back here in the hours after every Tigers post-season game---played or not---to read me answer the "Burning Questions")

"Burning Questions" Return After Every Tigers Playoff Game

2011-09-30T10:55:00.003-04:00

Come back to this space in the hours after every Tigers playoff game, as I will answer self-asked "Burning Questions" about each contest, similar to what I did during the 2006 World Series.

I'll ask myself the questions that YOU want answered. Either that, or questions you might find kinda interesting.

Regardless, come back here after every Tigers playoff game and enjoy my 1-on-1, hard-hitting interviews with myself!!

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 25

2011-09-26T11:33:00.002-04:00

Last week: 3-3
This week: CLE (9/26-28); ALDS (9/30-10/1)

So, What Happened?

The Tigers clinched the AL Central on September 16 and have been on a win one/lose one see-saw ever since.

In the process they have fallen one game behind the Texas Rangers for home field advantage in the ALDS, with three games to play.

The good news? All the Tigers need to do is tie the Rangers, as the Detroiters hold the tiebreaker.

So somehow the Tigers need to finish with the same amount of wins as the Rangers by end of play on Wednesday.

The Rangers travel to the Angels, while the Tigers host the Indians. If the Rangers sweep, they clinch HFA. If they take two of three, the Tigers need to sweep. If the Rangers lose two of three, the Tigers just need to win two of three.

Confused yet?

Or, to make matters simpler: the Rangers' magic number to clinch HFA is 3 (combination of Texas wins and Tigers losses).

Hero of the Week

There are so many players on the Tigers roster about whom you could ask, "Where would they be without BLANK?"

Among the top among those is Victor Martinez.

Has there been a better off-season free agent signing in the past decade than the Tigers' signing of V-Mart last winter?

Martinez has been just what the doctor ordered, and then some, for the 2011 Tigers. A quick look at Retrosheet.org or Baseball Reference and then a peek at the lineups the Tigers were running out there in 2010 should show V-Mart's value immediately.

The no. 5 hitters who hit behind Miguel Cabrera in 2010 included the likes of Don Kelly, Ryan Raburn and a faltering Brennan Boesch. But Martinez has fit into the five hole like a glove (no pun intended, as V-Mart rarely wears one of those!).

Martinez was at it again this week in the Tigers' victories. He had a walk-off hit on Friday night and clubbed a go-ahead three-run homer on Sunday, which led to another win.

Martinez is now over 100 RBI, joining Cabrera in that category.

Honorable mention: Cabrera.

Goat of the Week

This is likely to be construed as terribly unfair, but MMM is unhappy with Alex Avila for losing sight of an errant pitch in the ninth inning on Saturday night, which enabled the Orioles' game-winning run to advance from first base to third, setting up a successful squeeze play.

The Tigers had climbed back from yet another 5-0 hole (as they did on Thursday) to tie the game, 5-5. Momentum looked to be going their way. Then Avila, who's been terrific all year, turned into Mr. Magoo at the worst possible time.

Oh well.

Again, maybe unfair, but who said baseball is fair? Sometimes it's foul!

Under the Microscope

A few weeks ago Austin Jackson turned as hot as a firecracker and lifted his average to nearly .260 after a year in which he floundered well under .250.

Then, just as quickly, A-Jax cooled off---and when MMM says cooled off, he means like an icicle.

MMM is placing Jackson UtM, not because of his defense (which is still exemplary), but because of his mysterious bat.

If the Tigers want to do some damage in the playoffs, they need Jackson to get on base. His presence on the base paths usually means good things for the rest of the lineup. He is that first domino, if you get the idea.

Disturbingly, after his hot spell, Jackson has returned to the strikeout-prone, easy out that he's been for most of the season. And that's not good news for the Tigers' World Series hopes.

Upcoming: Indians, ALDS

The Cleveland Indians, back in mid-August, were no doubt looking at this week's final series as one that would actually mean something.

Well, it does---to the Tigers. And, frankly, to the Indians, who have one last chance to play spoilers.

As MMM detailed above, the Tigers need to beat up on the Tribe to keep their HFA hopes alive.

Doug Fister takes the hill on Monday, likely followed by Rick Porcello and Jacob Turner or Max Scherzer.

The ALDS starts Friday, and it's anyone's guess where Game 1 will be: Detroit or New York.

Regardless, it'll be Justin Verlander, of course, in Game 1, followed by Fister on Saturday. Monday's Game 3 starter will be Scherzer. Game 4's starter (if necessary) will either be Porcello or Brad Penny, pending the release of the Tigers' playoff roster.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

(As the regular season draws to a close, MMM would like to thank everyone who has read the MMM ramblings every week since that opening weekend in Yankee Stadium. Thanks!!!!)

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 24

2011-09-19T15:52:00.002-04:00

Last week: 5-2
This week: at KC (9/20-21); BAL (9/22-25)
Division Clinched

So, What Happened?

Nothing too much----just the Tigers' first division title since 1987. Other than that, not much!

The team's surge to the crown---a purposeful, no-nonsense march that took no prisoners---culminated on Friday night in Oakland, capping a 13-1 run to get the job done.

The Tigers won their division as no MLB team in recent memory. They had a 12-game winning streak, all against teams within the AL Central. Then they went to Oakland , dropped a ballgame Thursday night that would have settled matters, before recovering to win 3-1 on Friday.

The heroes Friday were three players the Tigers were not counting on to be big contributors when the season began : Don Kelly(utility player); Wilson Betemit (acquired in July); and Doug Fister (also acquired in July).

Kelly slammed an insurance home run, Betemit tripled in the go-ahead run, and Fister pitched eight masterful innings.

So appropriate, for a team that uses all 25 of its pieces regularly.

Hero of the Week

How about some love for Papa Grande?

MMM is going with closer Jose Valverde as last week's Hero.

It's becoming increasingly difficult for MMM to name one Hero among all the Tigers, because rarely is any one guy carrying the team for any length of time.

So these weekly awards are turning into nods for what someone has done for the entire season.

Like Valverde, whose perfect 45-for-45 saves performance (as of Friday night's clincher) has almost spoiled the Tigers fan base.

What's exciting is that Valverde's saves lately have decreased in duress; he's getting more 1-2-3 ninths, and even if he doesn't he's not putting a lot of runners on base.

Friday, Valverde allowed a leadoff double to the pesky Coco Crisp, but then retired the next three A's with little incident.

Honorable mentions: Ramon Santiago, Victor Martinez, Fister and Justin Verlander.

Goat of the Week

Not. Applicable.

Let's move on, shall we?

Under the Microscope

The Tigers have nine games before the playoffs start, so that means it's time to wonder who is on and off the post-season roster.

Only two people determine that--manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski, placing both of them under the microscope.

The "bubble" players appear to be starter Brad Penny, outfielder Andy Dirks, reliever David Pauley and possibly 2B Carlos Guillen.

We'll see.

MMM is putting Leyland and DD UtM because folks will be trying to analyze their words, trying to get a hint as to what decisions have likely already been made.

Upcoming: Royals, Orioles

The Tigers make a short two-game trip to Kansas City Tuesday-Wednesday to cap their nine-game road trip.

Then it's back home to face the sad-sack Orioles---the Tigers' first home games as division champs.

Think they'll get a little ovation as they take the field Thursday night?

But there clearly is another race at hand---the one to clinch home-field advantage for the ALDS.

Today, the Tigers hold a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers.

The Tigers finish up with two against the Royals, four against the Orioles, and three against the Indians (the latter two series at home).

The Rangers go to Oakland for three, return home to host the Mariners for three, and finish up at the Angels for three games.

In terms of "easiness," the Tigers look to have the advantage, especially with the Rangers having to play the second-place Angels on the road.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Jim Leyland Deserves All the Crankiness He Can Muster

2011-09-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

It was a bedraggled NFL coach, unnamed but whose words aren’t forgotten here, who once marveled at the power of the radio headset.

“I’m going to Radio Shack and buy me a pair of those headsets the guys on radio wear,” the coach said at a press conference.

Why, coach?

“Because as soon as you put them on, you become a genius!”

I dare say that the same could be said for the computer keyboard.

Don’t think for a moment that Tigers manager Jim Leyland, because of his curmudgeonly ways and supposed computer ignorance, is unaware of what has been written and said about him on the Internet and on the radio.

Perhaps he pays too much attention, frankly.

But there’s vindication for Leyland now.

The Tigers are champions of the AL Central and the skipper would like to tell a bunch of us where to stick the pine tar.

The second half collapse that the Tigers have been prone to endure under Leyland has been non-existent in 2011.

The Tigers have been no cheap tent post-All-Star Break. It took them a while to get rolling, but then they made mincemeat of their competition in the division.

A 12-game winning streak (which ended Thursday in Oakland) made the Tigers 38-19 in the second half.

That’s not a collapse, that’s a blitzkrieg.

This is Leyland’s sixth year in Detroit. The first five, save year one, have ended with no playoffs. Teams who may not have been better than the Tigers on paper have been constantly beating them out for a spot in the post-season.

The second halves of those seasons—including year one this time—have been rife with fading and shrinking as the spotlight has gotten brighter and hotter.

Leyland, it has been pointed out again and again by his harshest critics—and include me among the complainers—is the only real constant, the underlying thread to all the collapsing.

So it MUST be his fault.

The bloggers with the magical keyboards that make you a genius are having them shoved down their throats right now. Or someplace else due south.

Leyland, who’s never been shy to call out a reporter or a radio station, got cranky with an out-of-town writer this past week.

The poor scribe had the temerity to wonder—out loud so the manager could actually hear—whether the Tigers’ AL Central crown holds some tarnish, because of the state of the rest of the division. The Tigers are the only team playing north of .500; the White Sox, Indians, Royals and Twins all have losing records.

"I will not let anybody take anything away from what those guys in (the locker room) have done," Leyland barked, according to the account from MLive’s Chris Iott.

Turns out Leyland was just getting warmed up. Before long, he was hotter than a firecracker.

"Everyone was saying (the White Sox) were (bleeping) good," Leyland said. "Now, all of a sudden, because we've beaten them they're horse (bleep). That's not fair. That's unfair. If you think the Central is horse (bleep), then write that it's horse (bleep). But I'm not falling for that (bleep)."

Then, a telltale clue that Leyland knows what they’re saying about him.

“There's too much good going on. That stuff's negative. I haven't fallen for it all year, when they had our (butts) fired, when they had us all out of here, when we were a (expletive) team and everybody was ripping us. I wasn't falling for it then and I'm not falling for it now.”

It was a classic Leyland rant—one that has probably been brewing inside him for weeks, if not longer.

And he deserves it.

I was one of those geniuses with a keyboard who had Leyland’s butt fired, as recently as earlier this season. I was less than enthralled with his sometimes mind-boggling lineups, his stubbornness, and his dismissal of some of his critics.

Leyland, I wrote and said on podcasts, is damn lucky that he doesn’t manage in New York, if he thinks that the critics are harsh in Detroit. The media, I felt, has been very kind to Leyland.

But he deserves this moment. He deserves the cigar he smoked in his office in Oakland, while his players whooped it up in the next room.

You see, there are two Jim Leylands.

There’s the crotchety Leyland—the nicotine-infused man who’s gone off on the likes of Jason Grilli and a host of reporters and who takes umbrage when it’s suggested that Brennan Boesch should have been bunting.

Then there’s the Jim Leyland who wept openly in his office Friday night, as he spoke to Fox Sports Detroit’s Mario Impemba about how he hopes the Tigers fans are proud of his team and why a winning baseball team can possibly raise the spirits of a fan base riddled with job loss and financial devastation.

Both Leylands deserve to tell the keyboard and radio headset geniuses to smooch him between the back pockets.

Leyland entered the 2011 season sans the safety net of a contract extension. Another disappointing season, the geniuses said, and old Jim would be out the door.

Don’t think he didn’t hear the talk.

Then came the extension, granted around mid-season to Leyland and President/GM Dave Dombrowski by owner Mike Ilitch. The geniuses said the timing was odd and, frankly, unacceptable.

How could a guy get extended when we’re just starting second half collapse season around these parts?

The Tigers looked wobbly until mid-August, when Dombrowski unexpectedly pried Delmon Young from the Twins. It was the most unforeseen trade since “Bewitched” switched Darrins.

But then Leyland made like McArthur and Patton and Schwarzkopf, all rolled into one. The way Leyland led the Tigers through the AL Central in these final weeks, you could almost imagine him in sunglasses, an Army hat and with a corn cob pipe.

Jim Leyland has delivered the Tigers’ first division title since 1987. His albatross of second half collapses has been torn from him. The Tigers are 39-20 after the All-Star Break.

He’s too classy to do it, but part of him, I’m sure, would like to give it to his critics, which you don’t hear from, anymore.

"I guarantee you one thing," Leyland said in the Iott article. "This you can print. It's not like everybody's lining up to play the Tigers. We are pretty good, too."

I’ll smoke a stogie to that.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 23

2011-09-12T11:18:00.000-04:00

Last week: 6-0
This week: at CWS (9/12-14); at Oak (9/15-18)
Magic Number to clinch division: 7

So, What Happened?

The Tigers are eating through the AL Central like a buzzsaw.

The magic number is being chopped daily, to the point where it's highly likely the division will be clinched this week.

The Tigers are on a nine-game winning streak, all against their Central colleagues. It's a purposeful, determined run that has turned a tight race into a joke.

Weren't we just looking warily at the second-place Cleveland Indians, who were a mere 1.5 games behind, and tied in the loss column?

We were, and the Indians are now a dot in the rearview mirror. The second place Chicago White Sox are about as small of a dot. A 10.5 and 11-game lead, respectively, over the White Sox and Indians seemed unfathomable a few weeks ago.

The most impressive part of the week was the way the Tigers totally dashed any hopes of an Indians return to the race, by sweeping the Tribe in Cleveland Monday thru Wednesday.

Hero of the Week

This may seem like a copout, but MMM is giving props to the entire offense this week.

Oh, the usual suspects like Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila et al could be chosen (again), but the primary reason the Tigers are on this 9-0 run is due to incessant two-out hitting, and that hitting has come from all different sources.

The Tigers seem to face no deficit that they can't handle, as their offense, 1-thru-9, is raking the ball.

The list of heroes lately pretty much encompasses the entire positional playing roster.

Even the Ramon Santiagos and Brandon Inges of the world have gotten their day in the sun since the Tigers stepped on the gas pedal three weeks ago.

It's almost unfair to single out one player in an undefeated week, so MMM isn't!!

Honorable mentions: Inge, for his walk-off homer on Saturday; and starting pitcher Doug Fister, who's settled the rotation down immensely.

Goat of the Week

Are you kidding?

You want MMM to pick on someone during a 9-0 run that has all but sealed the division?

OK, here goes: Brad Penny ought not to be in the Tigers' playoff rotation.

Penny is clearly the rotation's weak link right now, and he and first pitch strikes have not been on speaking terms in quite some time.

Though the Tigers have been able to pick Penny up (and he did recover from a four-run first inning on Friday), there's no question in MMM's mind that Penny should be the odd man out come October.

The Tigers won't need a five-man rotation in the playoffs, and they certainly don't need Penny's stressful starts.

Under the Microscope

The adage goes that you can never have too much pitching---starting or in the bullpen.

The Tigers will need all hands on deck (or is it all arms on deck?) come playoff time, and one of the most important weapons could be reliever Al Alburquerque.

Alburquerque is still trying to regain his mojo after missing time with a concussion. His strikeout ratio is through the roof. How valuable is that, especially in the playoffs? How great is it to call upon a guy when you need a strikeout (or two)?

MMM will be keeping a close eye on Al-Al in the closing two weeks; he can be invaluable during the post-season.

Upcoming: White Sox, A's

The White Sox will get their last three whacks at the Tigers this week in Chicago.

Even a ChiSox sweep won't impact the race at this point, but if the Tigers remain in buzzsaw mode, the magic number could be down to one when they leave the Windy City.

Regardless, after the White Sox it's on to Oakland, where the Tigers almost surely will clinch the division, as they play four games there.

Not much to say about these upcoming games, except that the Tigers just need to keep playing good baseball and continue to feel good about themselves.

Oh yeah---and clinch the division and have a champagne shower. That would be good, too.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

It Took Longer Than Necessary, But Tigers Finally Take Command of Division

2011-09-09T10:54:00.003-04:00

It took them 123 games, but the Tigers finally are showing that they are the class of the AL Central.

The big cats toyed with the Indians and the White Sox into the latter part of August, playing with them like a toy mouse.

It seemed like forever that the Tigers were 5-7 games above .500 and unable to create any separation between themselves and the (then) second-place Indians.

On Friday, August 19, the Tribe came to Detroit, just 1-1/2 games behind the Tigers and feeling good about themselves. The Tigers were muddling along, their customary seven games above .500 (65-58) after 123 games. They had just acquired OF Delmon Young. Maybe Young's addition could spur a hot streak.

Since then---only three weeks ago today---the Tigers are 16-4. The Indians are 8-13.

The Tigers are claiming their division the way champions should---by mowing down the closest competition in grand style.

Since August 19, the Tigers are a combined 9-0 against the Indians and the White Sox, the two teams who had any hope of catching them.

That's called putting a division away.

The wake up call must have been that first Indians series, three weeks ago. The three-game set ended on a sunny Sunday afternoon, with a fantastic and thrilling crash-boom-bang play at the plate. The fly out double play sealed a Tigers sweep. In less than 48 hours, the Tigers turned their 1-1/2 game lead into a 4-1/2 game spread.

The White Sox came calling last weekend and the Tigers used a mind-boggling comeback from an 8-1 deficit on Saturday to roll to a sweep of that series, too.

Off to Cleveland, and with three efficient wins the Tigers demoralized the teetering Indians, whose only goal now is to finish above .500 after winning just 69 games last season.

This isn't a race anymore, it's a wake.

Here lies the White Sox and Indians, who gave it a good go but whose rosters simply aren't on the same level as the Tigers'.

It took 123 games, but the Tigers show now why no team is close to them, from top to bottom, in terms of talent and performance in the clutch.

How many two-out hits have the Tigers gotten in this 16-4 run?

The failure to deliver the key hit was one of the culprits in the team's wobbly and maddening stay of 5-7 games above .500, when the division was so ripe for the picking.

The division is now picked and is in the Tigers' basket, waiting for consumption, to be washed down with champagne.

This is how a championship team responds when the heat is on and the games increase in importance. You ever hear of the Yankees stumbling to a division after trying not to win it?

Justin Verlander is 22-5---20-2 in his last 22 decisions. He's been solid as a rock all year. So too have been Victor Martinez and Alex Avila. Jhonny Peralta, too.

Now others are contributing---some who've been vilified.

Ryan Raburn, for goodness sakes. Even Don Kelly. Ramon Santiago. Heck, Brandon Inge has looked a lot better since his exile to Toledo.

Young has been exceptional as a Tiger. Wilson Betemit, acquired from Kansas City, has muscled some key hits into the alley and over the wall.

No, I'm not leaving Miguel Cabrera out. I will address him now.

Several weeks ago I took some major heat for a piece I wrote, crabbing that the uber-talented Cabrera wasn't pulling all of his weight. I stand behind that, still.

But since I wrote that, Cabrera has made me look even more foolish than lots of folks believe me to be. That's fine. Glad I could help.

Cabrera has been brilliant in the 16-4 run. No question about that. He is, finally, tapping further into the potential for destruction that he possesses. I don't know that he could be any better than what he's been for the past three weeks.

Before that, I don't know. But now, Cabrera is at the top of his game, which is elite.

The Tigers are making mincemeat of their division. Now they are in a neck-and-neck battle with the Texas Rangers for home field in the short ALDS.

With four games against the A's, three against the Orioles, three against the Twins and six more against the White Sox and Indians, the Tigers schedule looks delectable.

The Tigers are playing as divisional champions should. It took 123 games, but the cream has zoomed to the top.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 22

2011-08-29T10:17:00.003-04:00

Last week: 5-2
This week: KC (8/29-9/1); CWS (9/2-4)
Magic Number to clinch division: 25

So, What Happened?

For the second consecutive week, the Tigers extended their lead in the AL Central from the week before.

Two Mondays ago, the margin was 2.5 games. Last Monday, it was 4.5. This morning it's a full six games.

And there's a new second-place sheriff in town---the Chicago White Sox, who are a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Indians.

The week also saw Justin Verlander tally his 20th victory in a performance that was below JV's standards but still good enough to allow his teammates to score more than the other guys.

There was mini-controversy in the middle of the week when manager Jim Leyland "respectfully disagreed" with 3B Brandon Inge's decision to throw to second base for an inning-ending force out in Tampa. The play backfired and the Rays got a walk-off win. Leyland thought Inge should have thrown to first base or touch third, as the bases were juiced.

Leyland also had to explain himself regarding comments he made about pitchers being ineligible for MVP consideration. For the record, Leyland supports Verlander for MVP but at the same time doesn't feel pitchers should be considered. The Marlboro Man should go into politics.

Hero of the Week

Group hug! Group hug!

MMM is awarding the HotW to the Tigers pitching staff as a whole, thanks mostly to the job it did in Tampa during a four-game set in which the Bengals went 3-1.

The Rays, who went into the series on a five-game winning streak, scored just six runs in the four games.

Before the series, Leyland warned of the Rays' fine starting rotation and expressed concern that it could be a "long week."

But the Tigers starters went toe-to-toe with the Rays', and the bullpen did its thing when called upon.

So special kudos to Verlander, Brad Penny, Max Scherzer and Ricky Porcello!

MMM was tempted to go with Phil Coke for his heroic and gutsy two-inning effort on Tuesday, but instead he gets honorable mention.

Goat of the Week

In a 5-2 week (all on the road), it's tough to find a GotW.

But this space shall never be empty, so MMM is picking on Brandon Inge.

Pretty sure you know why.

Yes, this is because of the boneheaded play made in extras in Tampa on Wednesday.

MMM feels that Inge should have looked at second base and, seeing 2B Ramon Santiago was struggling to get to the bag, taken the almost sure out at first base, as batter Elliott Johnson is hardly a speedster.

As Leyland said, there's no guarantee the Tigers would have won the game, even if Inge had gotten his team into the next frame. But it was nonetheless a bad decision that directly led to the winning run scoring.

Sorry, Brandon. Even a 5-2 week means someone screwed up, somewhere.

Under the Microscope

The Tigers announced that top pitching prospect Jacob Turner will start Thursday afternoon's game against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

Welcome to UtM, Jacob!

Frankly, the entire team could be UtM, as the Tigers are starting a homestand against a bad Royals team and the second-place White Sox.

But when Turner is scheduled to pitch his second career start, it's hard not to put the young man UtM.

All eyes will be on Turner as he looks to replicate his fine start of last month, when he went 5.1 innings against the Angels, surrendering just three hits and two earnies (the Tigers lost, however).

It will be interesting to see how brisk walk-up sales are for that game, an afternoon affair.

Upcoming: Royals, White Sox

If this was football, the media types would caution against the Tigers "looking past" the last-place Royals in anticipation of the arrival of the second-place White Sox.

MMM says fear not.

First, the series against the Royals is four games. You don't "look past" a team for four games.

Second, the Tigers appear as mentally locked in now as they've been all season.

The team is playing as if it's on a mission, which it is. The end is only 29 games away. The magic number to clinch the division is 25, which means it could be in the teens by the end of the week.

The Tigers aren't going to come out flat against the Royals, not after a 5-2 road trip and playing before four straight crowds of 30,000+. Not gonna happen.

As for the White Sox, they too are playing good baseball, some of their best of the season. But they're likely to be anywhere from 5-7 games out of first place when they come to town, almost mandating a sweep of the Tigers to climb back into the race.

Again, unlikely that the Chisox will be able to pull that off, especially with Verlander throwing on Friday, and on one extra day's rest.

MMM can smell the division flag, can't you?

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Avila's Toughness Surpassed Only By His Production

2011-08-28T13:40:00.000-04:00

They say that Ray Fosse was never the same, after being run over by the freight train that was Pete Rose. It’s difficult to argue with that notion, because a look at Fosse’s numbers before and after the collision in the 1970 All-Star Game provides a stark comparison.

Fosse was a 23-year-old catcher for the Cleveland Indians when Rose of the hometown Cincinnati Reds motored home with the potential game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning, trying to score from second base on a single by the Cubs’ Jim Hickman.

Rose and the baseball thrown by Kansas City’s Amos Otis arrived at home plate at approximately the same time. This was the All-Star Game, not Game 7 of the World Series. Yet you couldn’t tell the difference, the way Rose drove into Fosse like a football lineman into a tackling sled.

Fosse was knocked practically into the first base dugout. His catcher’s mitt spun out of his hand like a Frisbee, the baseball bouncing harmlessly away.

And Rose scored the winning run, in front of his Cincinnati public.

Fosse writhed in pain, his shoulder on fire.

But true to the catcher’s code of toughness, Fosse was back in the Indians’ lineup when they resumed play two nights later. And he continued to play, right through to the end of the season, maintaining his .300+ batting average.

It looked like Fosse would survive Rose’s Charlie Hustle play, after all.

But in 1971, Fosse hit .276. In 1972, he hit .241. In 1974, .196. In 1975, .140.

Fosse didn’t survive Rose, as it turned out.

Pete Rose has, maybe unfairly, been blamed for ruining Ray Fosse’s career, with a baseball play that would have made the Gashouse Gang Cardinals teams of the 1930s proud. That Rose made the play in a meaningless exhibition game has been a sore subject with some folks, including Fosse.

Home plate has been the scene of some of baseball’s most notorious wrecks.

There was the famous “snooze” by Cincinnati’s Ernie Lombardi, who was knocked senseless in the 10th inning of Game 4 of the 1939 World Series by the Yankees’ King Kong Keller. As Lombardi fought unconsciousness, Joe DiMaggio scooted all the way around the bases, the baseball just a few feet away. The play was the key part of a three-run rally that gave the Yanks the World Series in four games.

Or how about the Cardinals’ Lou Brock trying to score without sliding in Game 5 of the 1968 World Series at Tiger Stadium? Willie Horton nailed Brock at the plate, when Lou tried to run over Bill Freehan with no success. The play turned the Series around for the Tigers.

Today’s players are bigger and stronger than ever before, and the collisions at home plate are becoming more and more horrific. The catchers usually come out on the losing end.

If spectacular crashes are what you seek in baseball, be it ever so humble—there’s no place like home.

San Francisco catcher Buster Posey was lost for the season after he was turned into a crash test dummy back in May, his ankle mangled gruesomely.

The Tigers have a catcher who has been collided with, foul tipped into and used as a human backboard on an almost daily basis.

Watching Alex Avila toil behind the plate for the Tigers this season has been Chuck Wepner vs. Muhammad Ali—and Avila is most certainly Wepner.

You look at Avila getting run into by base runners, you see him take one foul tip after the other—even in the neck last week—and you watch him flop around and butterfly like Dominik Hasek as he fights off errant pitches, and you ask, “How much can this guy take?”

Which is exactly what we all screamed at the TV the night Ali pounded Wepner for 15 rounds in 1975.

These are the so-called “dog days” of the baseball season: late-August—deep into the schedule but not close enough to the end of the season to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is the time of the year when the heat and humidity have been searing and steaming catchers for weeks like veggies in a boil-in bag on the stove.

Its the time when the catcher is supposed to be wearing down a little bit.

No less than Freehan, perhaps the greatest Tigers catcher of them all, used to point to this time of the year as when he’d start to feel his energy being “sapped.”

So what’s with this Alex Avila, whose perpetual 5:00 shadow makes him look like Bluto from the Popeye cartoons?

Avila recently started 18 straight games for the Tigers, a streak that ended on Thursday. No catcher starts 18 straight games anymore. No catcher starts eight straight—at least not as a rule.

Avila’s “mini me” impersonation of Lou Gehrig has been born out of necessity. Avila catches because no one else on the Tigers roster can, frankly.

Victor Martinez, the more-DH-than-he-is-catcher who the Tigers signed as a free agent last winter, has been anchored to the DH role lately because of a bad knee.

Don Kelly is listed as the team’s emergency catcher. If that sounds like a punch line, I understand.

Brandon Inge is back with the Tigers after his one-month exile to Toledo, giving manager Jim Leyland another option, but Inge hates catching and squatting repeatedly is probably not good for his surgically-repaired knees (yes, plural).

So that leaves Avila, and not only did he catch 18 straight games, he—get this—seems to be getting stronger as the dog days move along.

What Avila has done in August is strap on his gear—the “tools of ignorance” as the great Bill Dickey called it—everyday, and subject himself to more physical abuse than any Three Stooge not named Moe. All while smacking the baseball around at a .450-ish clip for the month.

This after a bad July that saw Avila register just one measly RBI. Ironically, the month included Avila’s first-ever All-Star Game appearance.

It was during July, when Avila’s batting average had sunk about 30 points from its .300+ level, that I thought the young man was hitting the proverbial “wall.” Avila is only 24 years old but catching can age you faster than being the President of the United States.

Then Leyland had no choice but to play Avila because Martinez’s knee went pop.

Leyland penciled Avila in for those 18 straight games and not only did Alex not tire, his bat became as scorching as the temperature.

Quite a turnaround from Opening Day in New York, when after just one game talk radio was filled with blowhards accusing the Tigers of nepotism, among other vitriol, because of Avila’s status as the son of assistant GM Al Avila.

The blowhards wanted to run Alex Avila out of town after one lousy game—admittedly not one of his best performances but still a typical Detroit sports fan overreaction.

I wonder, don’t you—how do they like him now?

With Division in the Bag, Tigers Need to Think Playoff Roster

2011-08-26T15:09:00.004-04:00

If the Tigers do what I believe they will---win the division (and by 8-10 games, btw)---there will be some hard decisions to be made in the name of the roster.

The 25-man for the first round has to be set by midnight, August 31. There could be some tweaking between the ALDS and CS, if the Tigers make it that far, but mainly only due to injury.

Who stays and who goes?

If the Tigers lop off a pitcher and carry an 11-man staff, that creates space for one more position player. Clearly, there's no need for a five-man rotation in the playoffs, so why waste a roster spot for a guy who won't see any action?

The Tigers could keep a 12-man staff and shift Rick Porcello or Brad Penny to the bullpen for long relief, but all that does is overcrowd the pen, again at the expense of a more valuable position player.

Here's a look at my proposed 25-man for the ALDS:

C Alex Avila, Victor Martinez (hold on; more on this later!)
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Ramon Santiago, Ryan Raburn
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Wilson Betemit, Brandon Inge
OF Austin Jackson; Brennan Boesch; Delmon Young; Magglio Ordonez; Andy Dirks
UT Don Kelly

SP Justin Verlander; Max Scherzer; Doug Fister; Brad Penny
RP Rick Porcello; David Pauley; Jose Valverde; Joaquin Benoit; Al Alburquerque; Phil Coke; Daniel Schlereth

Note the absence of Duane Below. It was a tough call, but I went with Schlereth because of his slight edge in big league experience. Plus, I want Alburquerque, despite his current recovery from his concussion.

The other tough call was Pauley over Ryan Perry, though I wouldn't put up much of an argument the other way; they're almost both the same guy, in my opinion.

So there you have it---the 25-man for the ALDS.

It's an 11-man staff with 14 position players.

I listed V-Mart as a catcher, but in truth Inge should be called upon in a pinch, should Avila go down (heaven forbid). I am hesitant to devote a spot to Omir Santos because of his total lack of big league experience and with, potentially, three other guys already on the roster who can catch (Martinez, Inge, Kelly). That, and I like Dirks.

I like the offense/defense platoon of Betemit/Inge at third base. How amazing to have both of them on the playoff roster, when Betemit was essentially Inge's replacement after the latter was DFA'd.

Even the Inge haters must be honest with themselves: who do you feel more comfortable with, defensively at third base, in a close playoff game in the late innings---Wilson Betemit or Brandon Inge (Wednesday's brain fart by Inge notwithstanding)?

By the way, as the Tigers stretch their lead in late-August, the Chicken Little folks are out, talking about 2009's collapse.

The 2009 Tigers and the 2011 version are nowhere near the same team.

In 2009, the Tigers had no V-Mart hitting behind Cabrera. Not even close. The 2009 team didn't have the production at SS that Jhonny Peralta is giving them now. Again, not even close.

The 2009 team didn't have a 2011 Alex Avila.

The 2009 team had Fernando Rodney, not Jose Valverde.

The 2009 team had no Doug Fister in the rotation. It didn't have a Cy Young-worthy Justin Verlander (though JV was pretty good). It didn't have Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation.

And the 2011 Tigers don't have a team anywhere near as good as the 2009 Twins chasing them.

True, the 2009 Tigers had Jim Leyland. You got me there.

But this 2011 team isn't going to collapse. The pitching is too good (though not great) and the lineup is too deep and well-rounded to go into any prolonged losing streaks. Plus there's Verlander to nip those in the bud.

Look, even if the Tigers finish a mediocre 15-17, that would still give them 86 wins. That means the Indians would have to finish 23-12, and the White Sox 23-11 just to force a playoff.

Not gonna happen.

Time to start thinking about playoff rosters. August 31 is right around the corner!

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 21

2011-08-22T02:05:00.002-04:00

Last week: 4-2
This week: at TB (8/22-25); at Min (8/26-28)

So, What Happened?

Last Monday, MMM said the Tigers had a do-over---another chance to create separation between themselves and the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, after failing to do so the week prior.

Mission accomplished---given the mulligan.

The week began with the Tigers nursing a 2.5 game lead over the Tribe, and it ended with that lead stretched to 4.5 games. The White Sox are five games behind.

The reason for all this increased separation, of course, was the fun weekend the Tigers had at the expense of the Indians at Comerica Park. The three-game sweep of the Indians began with two convincing victories followed by a nailbiter that should have been convincing but wasn't.

MMM is still replaying Awesome Jackson's game-ending rocket to home plate to seal the Tigers' victory on Sunday afternoon, which completed your garden variety 8-2 double play.

Hero of the Week

MMM thinks that, because of Justin Verlander's dominance, other players have been getting the short shrift when it comes to HotW.

Not this week.

MMM would like to honor catcher Alex Avila with the HotW designation.

This is overdue, and is largely because of Avila's catching streak, which by today's standards is Cal Ripken-like.

Avila has started 17 straight games at catcher for the Tigers, which is unheard of in the 21st century. Granted, none of them have been doubleheaders, but the streak---borne out of necessity thanks to Victor Martinez's trick knee---is nonetheless very impressive.

What's more, Al-Av has been pounding the ball throughout the month of August, and continues to grind out at-bats and see a lot of pitches every time he steps into the batter's box.

Avila has been almost indestructible behind the plate, turning into a human pin cushion what with all the foul tips and errant pitches he has to smother. Witness the aforementioned DP on Sunday, when Jackson's throw only works if Avila stands his ground and hangs onto the ball throughout the impending collision.

MMM believes the Tigers have found their backstop for the next 10 years.

Honorable mentions: Verlander (natch), Phil Coke and Martinez, who were all clutch last week in their own ways. MMM would also like to give HM to GM Dave Dombrowski, for acquiring Twins OF Delmon Young for a bag of baseballs last Monday---a trade that wasn't on anyone's radar, and one that has the Indians fans beside themselves, according to some comments posted on Cleveland.com, which is like MLive.

Goat of the Week

Ricky Porcello made two starts last week, and in neither was he impressive. Nor was he in the start before those.

Handed a 7-0 lead on Sunday, in a start in which he was cruising, Porcello gave up a seemingly harmless solo home run to Carlos Santana in the fourth inning. Then all hell broke loose.

Porcello promptly let the Tribe back into the game, surrendering four runs in the Indians' five-run frame.

Porcello fell behind batters, couldn't locate low and the result was some Cleveland batting practice before manager Jim Leyland brought the hook after 3.2 innings.

On Monday against the Twins, Porcello couldn't get his sinker ball to sink and the result was similar to Sunday's, except the Tigers lost.

After an undefeated July, Porcello has looked lost in August. And the Tigers need all hands (or, more appropriately, arms) on deck for the stretch run. MMM thinks that Porcello had better get his act together, and quick.

Here's where pitching coach Jeff Jones gets to show us why he's better than Rick Knapp.

Under the Microscope

MMM is tempted to place Porcello UtM because of the previous category, but then there would be no reason to work a Brandon Inge reference into this week's analysis.

He's baaaaaaack!

Yes, Inge, the much-maligned, DFA'd third baseman is back with the big club after about a month in Toledo. Hollywood producers would have been proud of what happened on Saturday night in Inge's first at-bat after being recalled.

SMACK! Inge hit his second homer of the year and he later delivered a run-scoring double to finish with three RBI in the Tigers' 10-1 win.

MMM is putting Inge UtM because Leyland says he'll use Inge against lefties. But how long before Inge slowly but surely works himself back into the role of full-time 3B?

Inge and Wilson Betemit---acquired from Kansas City in a trade that seemingly ended Inge's Tigers career---both on the same team? You gotta love baseball and its pockets of irony and romance.

Oh, by the way---last week's UtM player, Will Rhymes, was sent back to Toledo to make room for Delmon Young the very day that MMM appeared in this space last week.

But Inge has nothing to worry about in that area; he's not going anywhere---except toward the top of the depth chart, MMM thinks.

Upcoming: Rays, Twins

This could be a bad week.

MMM doesn't mean to ruin your week before it gets started, but just know that the Tampa Bay Rays are hot and still have wild card aspirations. And know that the Minnesota Twins would love nothing more than to spoil the Tigers' divisional lead in the Twins' own ballpark.

As Leyland said in his post-game comments on Sunday (broadcast by FSD), the Tigers are going to be facing one of the league's best starting rotations down in Tampa.

Of course, the Rays will see Verlander on Monday, which is no walk in the park, either.

The Tigers should be thrilled with a split in Tampa, especially considering the Indians will be simultaneously hosting the lowly Seattle Mariners for three games. Yet another reason to root for Casper Wells and Charlie Furbush!

The Twins will be waiting this weekend, which makes this a real land mine week for the Tigers. If they can navigate through it while absorbing as little damage as possible, like their lead remaining no less than 2-3 games, then it's a successful week in MMM's book.

MMM also suggests the Tigers intentionally walk Jim Thome every time they face him this weekend.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Martinez Everything Tigers Thought He Would Be (And More and Less)

2011-08-19T14:59:00.003-04:00

He can't run, he can't throw. He doesn't hit with any authoritative power (anymore).

All Victor Martinez does, is beat you.

Yes, I've shamelessly lifted from the old quote uttered by manager Leo Durocher, about the pesky second baseman Eddie Stanky, circa the 1950s.

To think there was a time when some in the Tigers fanbase wanted the team to sign slugger Adam Dunn instead of Martinez, back when both free agents were available for suitors.

It sounds ludicrous, but here we are approaching late-August and Tigers C/DH Martinez is literally hitting twice of what Dunn has managed for the White Sox.

Dunn continues to wallow in the .160s, while Martinez hovers in the .320s for the Tigers.

Martinez is as slow as molasses running uphill. He can't really catch now, thanks to his achy knee. And even when he could catch, his throwing arm left a lot to be desired.

He only has seven home runs, where some of us expected more like 15-20, at least.

But oh, that batting average. And that good batting eye. And the lack of propensity to strike out or to look foolish or to be impatient at the plate.

All Martinez does, is come through in the clutch, with men in scoring position. Time and time again.

It's why he's closing in on 70 RBI with those seven measly homers. Martinez can't run, so triples are out of the question---but doubles have been few and far between, too.

That's OK; Martinez just goes with the pitch and slaps base hits between the infielders and outfielders, taking whatever the pitcher gives him.

What a joy it's been to watch "V-Mart," as the cool people call him, play as a Tiger on an everyday basis.

You never really can get a good feel for a guy until you see him play day in, day out, for your team. As much as I saw Martinez when he was with the Indians, I wasn't able to appreciate him like I can now.

He's fit into that no. 5 slot, behind Miguel Cabrera, like a baseball glove.

Which is ironic, because Martinez rarely wears one of those anymore.

The Tigers didn't sign him to catch, of course. They already have the young, seemingly indestructible Alex Avila for that. It was understood by both parties---the Tigers and Martinez---that the role would be that of mostly DH with some catching sprinkled in. That, and a smidgen of first base.

But now Martinez strictly bats, as his knee continues to give him trouble. Late in games, it won't be shocking to see him lifted for a pinch runner, especially in tight ballgames with the Tigers behind. It happened the other night against the Twins, which was a good call even though Martinez's spot in the order came up in the ninth inning and Victor wasn't there to man it.

Martinez strictly bats nowadays, which works out well, because he's pretty damn good at it.

There is a lot of talk about Justin Verlander being the team's MVP, and maybe even the MVP of the entire league. Understood. But where would the Tigers be without Martinez's .320+ batting average and plethora of clutch hits?

Victor Martinez has been everything the Tigers envisioned when they signed him last winter. Actually, he's been less, in a way; he can't catch at all now.

Even Avila would say, "Who cares?"

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 20

2011-08-15T11:06:00.003-04:00

Last week: 3-3
This week: MIN (8/15-17); CLE (8/19-21)

So, What Happened?

It was a week where the Tigers could have put some significant space between themselves and the Cleveland Indians (and Chicago White Sox, for that matter), but it didn't really happen. In fact, the Tigers actually lost ground last week.

A "Justin Verlander to the rescue" win on Thursday night in Cleveland started a mini winning streak of three games, but the Bengals weren't able to sweep the woeful Baltimore Orioles, while the Indians had themselves a fine 4-1 week (with one rainout).

A week that began with a four-game lead in the AL Central has given way to this week, with the Tigers' lead sitting at 2.5 games over the Tribe and four games over the surging and streaky White Sox.

Hero of the Week

This is a tough call.

Should MMM, once again, go with Verlander, who again came to the Tigers' rescue on Thursday night in Cleveland?

Or how about set-up man Joaquin Benoit, or closer Jose Valverde, whose perfect season has been overshadowed by JV's?

Or maybe even Andy Dirks, the rookie outfielder who has been splendid in relief of the ailing Brennan Boesch?

Heck, how about the bullpen in general, which had a good week and had a good one before that?

This is getting old, but MMM is tabbing Verlander.

It's hard to argue against it, really; Verlander saved the Tigers' bacon with another solid performance in a game where the Indians could have closed to within one game.

Yes, JV nearly coughed up an early 4-0 lead, but the key word is almost. When the outs had to be gotten, Verlander got them. The Tigers' pen was weakened by Tuesday's 14-inning game.

Besides, MMM wouldn't have to keep naming JV as the HotW if he wasn't always pitching after a Tigers loss!

Honorable mentions: see above.

Goat of the Week

Doug Fister didn't give the Tigers a prayer on Sunday in Baltimore.

Fister, the righty acquired from Seattle last month, made his first start after his previous one was shortened to two innings due to rain in Cleveland.

But again, Fister was all wet, even under the mostly sunny skies in Maryland.

Surrendering one hit after another---several on 0-2 pitches or otherwise ahead in the count, Fister was rocked all over Camden Yards and left in the sixth inning with the Tigers behind, 8-1.

The Tigers took 2 of 3 in Baltimore, but a sweep would have been sweet. It would have meant a four-game winning streak and maybe, just maybe, the start of a much-needed hot streak to create separation in the divisional race.

Instead, Fister was throwing batting practice at the Orioles.

Dishonorable mention goes to FSD announcer Mario Impemba, who uttered, "The Tigers have been keeping Nick Markakis in check" just before Markakis slammed a two-run homer in the first inning.

Under the Microscope

The Tigers have a new second baseman---again.

Actually, it's an old one: Will Rhymes, who has been recalled from Toledo to replace the ever-injured Carlos Guillen, who is on the 15-day DL with a wrist ailment.

Needless to say, this puts Rhymes immediately UtM.

Not just because he's replacing the slumping Guillen, but because it's time to find out who the real Will Rhymes is.

Is he the guy who hit .300 in about 200 at-bats last season?

Or is he the guy who won the 2B job in spring training, only to defecate all over it once the bell rang for real in April?

We'll see---maybe.

Manager Jim Leyland didn't start Rhymes on Sunday, so it's anyone's guess how much playing time Rhymes will get before Guillen returns---IF Guillen returns.

Upcoming: Twins, Indians

The Tigers get a do-over this week.

Unable to create separation last week, the Tigers will get another crack at the Indians this weekend, in Detroit.

Before that, the Tigers host the free-falling Minnesota Twins, losers of 11 of their last 13. This will happen while the Indians are in Chicago to deal with the on-again, off-again White Sox. Right now the White Sox are on, 8-2 in their last 10.

Once again, a chance to make some hay in the division.

Something to consider: Verlander starts on Tuesday, but because of Thursday's off day, he will miss the Indians this weekend. Leyland said he wasn't going to start JV on Sunday, despite the fact that Verlander would have his requisite four days rest.

Smart move? We'll see.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Once Again, Cabrera Shortchanging Tigers At Worst Time

2011-08-10T23:25:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm going to have to write this again. And I'm sure I'll take heat for it---again.

Miguel Cabrera is the most talented player the Tigers have had since Al Kaline retired. Check that; Miggy is the most talented since Kaline was in his prime. We're talking some 45+ years.

Cabrera is a marvelous ballplayer, a mountain of a man whose bat speed and ability to drive the baseball to the opposite field is just plain stupid.

They should just pre-print lineup cards for the Tigers with Cabrera's name inked in at the cleanup position. It's easier to scratch his name out a handful of times a year than it is to write him in 155-160 times every season.

Cabrera, the fun-loving man child of a first baseman who has the skills to play the game on a plane above that of his peers on a nightly basis, is also the most maddening of the Tigers.

The most maddening is not Ryan Raburn, vilified for his limp noodle bat and iron glove.

The most maddening is not Brandon Inge, banished for now in Toledo.

The most maddening is not Austin Jackson, the strikeout prone leadoff man who is devoid of many leadoff man skills.

The most maddening is not even Jim Leyland, the irascible manager with a fetish for resting regulars, even in a pennant chase.

Raburn, Inge and Jackson cannot be the most maddening because they are mortal baseball players, men of either eroding or overrated skills, whose performances are often nothing other than what they are capable of producing on a consistent basis. They are what they are, I guess you could say.

But there can be no player more maddening than the gifted one, who ought to be doing so much more but for whatever reason, isn't.

I'm going to write this again, as I did two years ago.

It was a little later than this back in 2009, in September to be exact, when I crabbed that Cabrera was shortchanging his teammates as the Tigers' lead in the AL Central---which had ballooned to 7.5 games at one point in the month---shrunk almost daily.

Here I go again---because here Cabrera doesn't go again.

Baloney, I say, to those who would tell me that I expect too much from Miguel Cabrera.

Look at his numbers, they'll say. He grinds out an MVP-like season almost annually.

So how come Cabrera has never truly ever, in his four years as a Tiger, put the team on his back for any extended period of time?

Has he? Go ahead---I'll wait while you come up with some examples. Or one, even.

Cabrera is doing it again, his timing again impeccably bad.

He has pedestrian numbers, this season, for a man of his talents. He swings too much at the first pitch. He grounds out to shortstop more than I thought was humanly possible.

With Cabrera, you absolutely marvel (at the risk of sounding like Rod Allen just there) at what he is capable of doing to a pitched baseball. He's the first Tiger since Cecil Fielder of the early-1990s who makes you stop dead in your tracks, so you can watch his at-bat.

But he's capable of so much more.

This is the time of the year when the Tigers so desperately need their best player---and Cabrera is, without question, their best player---to be saddled up for the final 46 games of the season.

This is the time of the year when players of Cabrera's ilk are determined to pile as many teammates onto their back and carry them for a few weeks.

Miguel Cabrera doesn't possess that determination, or that drive. He has shown no inclination to carry his teammates. The game is so easy for him, and maybe it's too easy. He's wasting his talents. He's doing it again, with the Tigers doggedly trying to fend off the Indians and the White Sox.

An elite player like Cabrera, regardless of the many talented guys around him, rises to the top, like cream. Or at least, he should.

Cabrera doesn't rise---he just sort of bobs along.

Oh, he'll finish with his 30 homers and (barely) 100 RBI and a BA slightly north of .300.

Yippee.

Big numbers can look bigger at the end of the season than they really are.

Cabrera will finish with his 30/100/.300 line but it won't feel like it.

It won't feel like it because there hasn't been any extended time this season when Cabrera was doing damage while his teammates scuffled.

In fact, when Cabrera was in a funk back in early-May, the Tigers were winning because the team's catalyst, Jackson, began to swing the bat with authority.

I'm not arguing against myself here. I went on record in the off-season as declaring Jackson the most important player the Tigers employ, offensively. The way the offense struggled in April as Jackson battled his demons was proof of that.

Jackson might be the most important, but Cabrera can be the most influential. There's a difference.

Jackson's potential to be the Tigers catalyst is centered around consistency, which A-Jax still has yet to find as a big leaguer.

That's OK---I'm not looking for consistency from Miguel Cabrera so much as I'm looking for the "it" factor.

You'd think that to go 30/100/.300 screams consistency, and it does.

I don't even want Cabrera to improve upon those kinds of numbers, when the dust settles. I just want him to kick up more dust.

Cabrera ought to be able to go through periods of 10-14 days where he is virtually unstoppable. Periods when his Tigers teammates climb onto his back for a giddy piggyback ride.

That really hasn't happened since he's been in Detroit.

In fact, the opposite has been true. Cabrera became helpless to slow the Tigers' freefall in September 2009. Then, the way the season ended, clouded in shame following his final weekend drinking binge, was another reminder of what should have been, but wasn't.

There's still time in 2011. There's still time for Cabrera to be saddled up for the stretch drive. There's still time to put crabapple bloggers like me in their place with a sizable portion of "How do you like me now?"

Miguel Cabrera is, by far, the Tiger whose prowess could most affect this pennant chase on a day-to-day basis.

It's troubling that, up until now, he has no track record of catching fire and carrying the Tigers through patches of 10-15 games.

Cabrera is what he is----the numbers at the end of the season say so.

Numbers can sometimes lie. It's time for Cabrera to make them as truthful as possible in these final seven weeks of the 2011 season.

The Tigers need him, and more than he's been giving them.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 19

2011-08-08T02:30:00.002-04:00

Last week: 4-2
This week: at Cle (8/9-11); at Bal (8/12-14)

So, What Happened?

The mantra at this time of the year, when a division is there to be won, is "Just win two out of three, baby."

The Tigers did a good job of that last week.

They played a first place team and a last place team, and it didn't matter; the Tigers beat the Rangers and Royals 2-of-3 for a successful 4-2 week.

Even more impressive was that the Tigers finished their season series with the defending AL champs at 6-3, a point manager Jim Leyland stressed over the weekend in Kansas City.

Justin Verlander's march to 20 victories drew closer as he won no. 16 Saturday.

Hero of the Week

There have been three Brennan Boesches so far, and he's just in his second year in the big leagues.

There was the 1st Half Boesch of 2010, who lit up the league. There was the 2nd Half Boesch of 2010 who couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. And there's the 2011 Boesch, who has been mostly good and very consistent---an amalgam of last year's Jekyll and Hyde versions.

Boesch struck twice last week, a hero coming to the rescue---directly winning two games for the Tigers.

He hit a dramatic home run in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, through raindrops, lifting the Tigers into the lead over Texas. Jose Valverde cemented the victory in the ninth.

On Friday night in Kansas City, Boesch delivered a clutch single in the 10th inning, driving home pinch-runner Andy Dirks with the eventual gane-winning run.

Boesch is becoming a calming presence at the plate in tense situations, which can only help the Tigers down the stretch as each game takes on greater significance.

Honorable mention: Valverde, who had four saves last week, remaining perfect in 2011.

Goat of the Week

This is a tough call and some may say even unfair, but MMM is going to pick on Carlos Guillen and name him GotW.

Guillen struggled all week, his batting average sinking to the low .200s.

And his struggles came on the heels of last Sunday's tension-filled game with the Angels, in which Guillen clubbed a notorious home run off Jered Weaver, which led to quite a hub-bub.

It's probably coincidence, but MMM finds it odd that Guillen went into the tank, albeit temporarily, after the fireworks against Weaver.

Some in Tiger Nation have suggested that the Angels game pitting Weaver against Verlander, because of its high theater, might be looked back upon as the turning point of this season---for the good, a la the Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings of 1997, who kicked it into another gear after the famous brawls with the Colorado Avalanche late that season.

MMM guesses that Guillen hasn't gotten that memo yet.

Under the Microscope

MMM hopes this is much ado about nothing, but catcher/DH/1B Victor Martinez tweaked his knee on Saturday, trying to avoid a tag at the plate.

V-Mart was held out of Sunday's game, likely as a precaution. Leyland wasn't too concerned about Martinez's knee on Saturday night.

But knees, like backs and groins, can take a turn for the worse in a hurry.

Martinez is in line to be the first Tiger since George Kell in 1950 to drive in 100+ runs while hitting fewer than 10 home runs.

Martinez's arrival has made the 2011 Tigers a far better team than last year's.

Which is why he---specifically, his knee---is UtM.

Upcoming: Indians, Orioles

MMM thinks this could be the week that the Tigers break the backs of their contenders in the AL Central.

The staggering Indians, 26-41 since their 30-15 start, are ripe for the picking. The Tigers' lead over the second-place Tribe is currently four games.

Remember the mantra?

If the Tigers can win 2-of-3 in Cleveland, their lead will be five games, and guess who's next on the schedule?

That's right---the last-place Orioles of the AL East.

With August approaching its halfway mark, the Tigers could see their lead grow to six or more games, if they put together a good week against two slumping teams.

The Orioles are 44-67, but they're 27-30 in their home ballpark---and they took 2-of-3 from the Tigers way back in the season's opening week.

Verlander pitches Thursday, setting him up to go against the Indians again when they visit Detroit the weekend of August 19-21.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Tigers One Mini-Roll Away from Putting Division On Ice

2011-08-05T17:37:00.004-04:00

Normally, a baseball division as wretched as the AL Central isn't won, it's just not lost.

I've seen these divisional "races" before, played out in other years, in other divisions, in other leagues. The season is full of slapstick and teams slipping on banana peels, falling all over themselves in their quest to be the last ball club standing after 162 games.

The Tigers won't win their division---but they won't lose it, either. So you can draw your own conclusions as to where they'll finish.

Yet the Tigers could still win the division, despite 111 games of evidence to the contrary thus far.

And it won't even take very much to do so.

Going into last night's games, the Tigers were the only team above .500 in the Central. The Indians had been 24-39 after their miraculous 30-15 start. The White Sox were working on a five-game losing streak, unable to provide a match for the Yankees at US Cellular Field this week.

And as for the Minnesota Twins, the Jason of baseball? They still look dead, but you never know with them. You turn your back and then before you know it, the Twins are off the ground and nowhere to be found---until it's too late.

The Tigers can still win the division, as opposed to not losing it, and they can do it in the next 15-20 games. That's all.

The way the rest of the teams in the Central are playing, if the Tigers go on a mini-roll and win, say, 10 of their next 15 games, that might be enough to open a gap that is insurmountable for their competition.

Heck, even a three or four-game winning streak could push the Tigers' lead to six or seven games, at this rate of return.

I believe that what is so frustrating for Tigers fans is their realization that their baseball team could have put this division on ice by now, but a .500, mediocre July prevented them from doing so.

Even one mini hot streak in July could have the Tigers sitting pretty right now.

But it didn't happen, as the Bengals have played a maddening game of win, lose, win since late June.

This isn't a second half collapse so much as a second half teeter.

The Tigers could win their division---they could do it in the next couple of weeks, if the spirit moves them.

But it appears that they're content to just not lose it.

Does that inspire?

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 18

2011-08-01T01:10:00.002-04:00

Last week: 3-4
This week: TEX (8/2-4); at KC (8/5-7)

So, What Happened?

There was a week's worth of drama on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park.

In a so-so week that saw the Tigers drop two of three to the White Sox in Chicago and split four games with the Angels in Detroit, the capper was an intense, nail-biting, angry pitching duel between the Angels' Jered Weaver and Detroit's Justin Verlander.

JV took yet another no-hit bid into the eighth inning before losing it with two outs on a clean base hit by Maicer Izturis.

But before that there were fireworks when Weaver got riled up after a homer by Carlos Guillen in the seventh inning and got ejected after throwing the next pitch at Alex Avila's noggin.

The Tigers won the game, 3-2, giving Verlander his 15th win by the end of July, putting him on pace for about 23 wins.

On Saturday, the Tigers acquired RHPs Doug Fister (starter) and David Pauley (reliever) from Seattle for Casper Wells, Charlie Furbush and minor league 3B prospect Francisco Martinez.

Hero of the Week

How can MMM go with anyone other than Verlander?

The guy wins two games in the week, both containing drama-filled eighth innings.

In Chicago on Tuesday, JV survived giving up four runs and held onto a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning by striking out Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn to end the frame with runners on second and third. It was great theater.

On Sunday, Verlander lost his shutout and his no-hitter in the eighth inning and suddenly a 3-0 lead was down to 3-2 when he blew Torii Hunter away with the tying run in scoring position.

Again, great theater.

Honorable mention: Brennan Boesch, who had a big series against the Angels and who countered Izturis's first inning home run with one of his own on Friday night, a game the Tigers eventually won.

Goat of the Week

You want a Penny for MMM's thoughts?

Yes, Brad Penny is last week's Goat for not giving the Tigers a chance to win on Thursday afternoon, thus robbing his teammates of a chance to get off to a good start in the Angels series.

The right-hander was simply awful on Thursday, giving up nine hits and seven earned runs in 3.1 innings. The brief outing elevated Penny's ERA to 4.89.

Wednesday would be Penny's turn in the rotation, but reports indicate that newly-acquired Fister will take that spot, shoving Penny back to Friday, technically making the veteran the Tigers' new no. 5 starter---not Fister.

Under the Microscope

Nothing like welcoming a new guy to Detroit by placing him under MMM's microscope, eh?

Yet that's exactly where Fister finds himself this morning.

It's hard for MMM to resist, as the 6'8" Fister makes his Tigers debut on Wednesday. But Fister won't be UtM this week only---this is a player the fan base will be watching intently for the remainder of the season.

Shockingly, the Tigers have only gotten two wins from their no. 5 starters this season. Enter Fister with his 3.33 ERA and hideous 3-12 record with the offensively-challenged M's.

The last time the Tigers tried this---nabbing a starter from the Mariners at the trade deadline, in 2009---Jarrod Washburn came to Detroit and was an abortion, posting an ERA over 7.00. But Washburn was hurt, as it turned out. Fister is healthy and a repeat of the Washburn debacle is unlikely.

Fister is UtM because how he goes might significantly affect the Tigers' chances to win the division.

Welcome to Detroit, Doug!

Pauley will be watched, too, to see if he can help stabilize a bullpen that has all the consistency of an EKG readout.

Upcoming: Rangers, Royals

If you thought the Angels were hot coming into town (and they were), it doesn't get any easier this week at Comerica Park.

The Texas Rangers come calling on Tuesday for three games, and all they've done is zoom to a relatively comfortable lead in the AL West over the past several weeks, despite the Angels' hot streak.

Back in April, with the Tigers scuffling, the Rangers visited and the Tigers won two of three, with both wins coming in walk-off fashion. That series was also memorable for Brandon Inge's only home run this season, which won game two of that series.

The Tigers are 4-2 against the Rangers this season, taking two of three in Dallas, too.

If it seems like the Tigers were just in Kansas City, they were---for four games just before the All-Star break. They'll be there again this weekend, for three games.

The Royals helped the Tigers out by taking two of three from the Indians over the weekend in Cleveland.

Saturday's game marks Verlander's next start.

KC's Billy Butler went wild against the Indians and he has had pretty good success against the Tigers in recent years.

The Royals series marks the start of a nine-game road trip for the Tigers (Indians, Orioles).

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Campbell Turned Trash into Treasure with His Desperate Moves in 1972

2011-07-31T10:22:00.001-04:00

It’s the summer of 1972 and Tigers general manager Jim Campbell is trying to squeeze one more championship out of the core of the bunch that won the World Series four years earlier.

Ever since that glorious year of 1968—the Year of the Tiger—Campbell has been wringing the roster, like a wash cloth, trying to get as much out of it as he can. There hasn’t been much help in the minor league system—certainly no one who can be brought to the big club and make any significant impact.

The pennant race of ’72 is an epic one, in a season truncated due to labor strife out of spring training. Some games are lost due to a players strike. The full 162-game schedule simply won’t be played, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces in April.

The season starts about a week late, and Kuhn decides that all games that weren’t played due to the strike will not be made up. Period. Like it or lump it.

The Tigers find themselves engaged in combat with three other teams as the month of July winds down: the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, though the Tigers hold on to first place by a 2 ½ game margin over the second place Orioles.

Campbell starts each day by scanning the waiver wires, then jumps on the phone to talk trade potential.

In 1972, the interleague trade deadline is much earlier than today’s July 31; in 1972, the deadline for trades that can be made between leagues that don’t require waivers is June 15. That was a month and a half ago as July 31 dawns.

In late-July, 1972, Campbell plays the annual “You give me this and I’ll think about giving you that” game with his fellow general managers—a grown up version of the same game that is played out on bicycles by young boys as the kids talk through chaws of bubble gum, shuffling through their newly-bought baseball cards.

But there are no “doubles” with which to swap, like the kids can with their Topps trading cards.

Campbell’s aging roster, being managed with brilliance by the volatile Billy Martin, is heading into the dog days of summer and the GM frets that Billy can’t bring the Tigers across the finish line first unless he gets some help from outside the organization.

Woodie Fryman is a 32-year-old tobacco farmer from Kentucky who is pitching poorly for a bad team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Fryman is a lefty whose success in the big leagues has been achieved in small chunks with larger chunks of mediocrity in between.

A couple weeks prior to July 31, Fryman starts for the Phillies and lasts just 2.1 innings, surrendering six runs.

But in typical Fryman fashion, read: inconsistency, Woodie starts on July 29 and pitches 8.1 solid innings, getting the win for the woeful Phillies that afternoon.

Yet a few days later, the Phillies put Fryman on waivers.

Campbell sees the waiver move come across his desk and picks up the telephone.

On August 2, left-hander Woodie Fryman, the tobacco farmer from Ewing, Kentucky, 32 years old and with a crumpled resume dotted with success and failure, becomes a Tiger after Campbell puts in his claim.

Two days later, Campbell sees another waiver move appear on the wire.

Duke Sims is a 31-year-old catcher/outfielder who is swinging a limp noodle left-handed bat with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s hitting .192 when the Dodgers jettison him via waivers.

Two years prior, in 1970, Sims hit a career-high 23 homers. But he’s another whose big league career has a lot of so-so about it.

Campbell puts in his claim for Sims anyway. Campbell notes that Sims’ best years came when he played in the American League, for Cleveland. Maybe he’s more of an American League guy, Campbell figures.

The Tigers, armed with their two new waived veterans—Fryman and Sims—slog through the month of August, trying like mad to fight off their competition and remain the kings of the AL East hill.

Campbell looks like a genius during August as Fryman pitches magnificently. Woodie starts six games in August, wins three of them, and posts an ERA of 2.36.

Sims shows some flashes, but isn’t exactly setting the league on fire.

Such is the way it goes with waiver pick-ups.

As August closes, and the four division pennant contenders separated by just two games, Campbell decides he needs to get Billy Martin another bat for his manager’s patty cake offense.

Down in Arlington, where the Washington Senators are playing their first season as the brand-new Texas Rangers, is a hulking man whose feats of power are legendary.

Frank Howard, aka Hondo, once hit 10 home runs—in one week. It happened in 1968, and Tiger Stadium was part of his seven-day onslaught.

Howard is one of a select few of right-handed hitters to hit a baseball over Tiger Stadium’s left field roof, a much rarer feat than to do the same in right field, for left-handed batters.

The Rangers are another awful club and Howard, age 36, is having a down year in 1972. He has just nine home runs in 287 at-bats and is batting .244.

Campbell buys Howard on August 31, just like you’d purchase something at a flea market that was once very valuable.

Campbell grabs the marked down Howard and tells his manager, “But I got him on sale, Billy!”

It’s September and Fryman continues to pitch great and Sims’ bat heats up and Howard, freed from bondage in Texas, plays some and cheers even more on the bench, thrilled to be in a pennant chase.

Fryman finishes the Tigers portion of his season with a 10-3 record and a 2.06 ERA. Sims catches fire in September and ends up with a .316 average and four homers in 98 at-bats, spelling Bill Freehan behind the plate and playing some left field.

Howard smacks a home run in 33 Tiger at-bats.

The Tigers survive the four-team battle for the division crown, as they play 156 games to the Red Sox’ 155, thanks to Kuhn’s dismissal of the games lost to the strike. It’s a big deal, as the Tigers finish 86-70 to Boston’s 85-70.

The Tigers lose a heartbreaking ALCS to Oakland, 3-2, but they got the chance to play it thanks in part to Jim Campbell’s lucky dice and his thrifty shopping.

Tigers fans of 2011 can only hope that GM Dave Dombrowski has the same kind of lucky success as he ponders moves before Sunday’s interleague trading deadline.

Woodie Fryman and Duke Sims, indeed! Campbell took trash and turned it into treasure in 1972.

Any GM will take luck over skill at this time of year.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 17

2011-07-25T08:52:00.003-04:00

Last week: 4-2
This week: at CWS (7/25-27); LAA (7/28-31)

So, What Happened?

Boy, it's nice to play the Minnesota Twins outside, eh?

Their home dome advantage gone, the Twinkies are much easier pickings on the road, and the Tigers continued their success in Minnesota this season by taking three of four over the weekend, making them 5-1 this season at Target Field.

More importantly, the good weekend put a little more daylight between the first place Tigers and the second place Cleveland Indians. Thanks to a four-game Tribe losing streak that's part of a 2-6 spell, the Tigers' lead is now two full games.

Were it not for a giveaway loss last Wednesday to Oakland, the Tigers would be on a 5-1 tear right now. But a 4-2 week gets a thumbs up from MMM.

Hero of the Week

You think the Twins saw enough of Jhonny Peralta?

The Tigers shortstop terrorized the Twins, going 9-for-18 with two homers and eight RBI. If it seemed like all his RBI came with two outs, they almost did. Peralta is giving Tigers fans the best season by a Detroit SS since the days of Alan Trammell at Tram's best.

The Tigers won handily in the first two games against the Twins, but that was only because Peralta incessantly provided two-out RBI. If he doesn't come through, those games are a lot closer and who knows what could have happened.

MMM can't tell you the confidence that is generated, seeing Peralta at the dish with RISP---two outs or not.

Jhonny has been amzaing. (Editors, don't you dare fix that!)

Goat of the Week

It only took three batters faced to make a normally anonymous middle reliever MMM's GotW.

You probably know who that is.

Lefty David Purcey entered Wednesday's game against the A's in the seventh inning with the Tigers ahead 5-3 and promptly defecated all over that lead.

Purcey walked the only three batters he faced, loading the bases with nobody out while 30,000+ at Comerica Park and manager Jim Leyland could only look on helplessly.

It didn't help that Joaquin Benoit, summoned from the bullpen, graciously allowed all three runners to score. The tragedy of an inning gave Oakland four runs and a 7-5 victory that was about as brutal a loss as you can suffer when every game means so much.

What's worse, the Tigers acquired Purcey from Oakland, even up for Scotty Sizemore. So Purcey had his meltdown against the team that traded him just a couple months ago.

Benoit is culpable, too, but none of that happens if Purcey, who tends to walk people at times, throws some GD strikes out of the bullpen.

Under the Microscope

MMM doesn't want to be a doomsayer, but have you noticed the batting average of catcher Alex Avila lately?

It's been going south----not like a stone, but steadily. He;s at .277, just a few weeks after hovering around .300.

It's giving rise to a couple of notions: a) Avila is hitting a wall of sorts; b) he still has some work to do as a big league hitter.

Neither is surprising nor uncorrectable.

Some rest might do the trick.

MMM thinks that Avila probably isn't a .300 hitter, anyway, and that .275-.280 is more his speed. But the falling BA puts Alex UtM, as MMM is eager to see how the young man responds over the next couple of weeks.

Honorable mention: GM Dave Dombrowski, who is probably on the phone as you read this, talking trade in advance of Sunday's deadline for non-waiver deals.

Upcoming: White Sox, Angels

Another week, another big series against a Central Division opponent. You're going to see a lot of those over the season's final weeks.

This week it's three in Chicago, against the restless, third place White Sox.

Chisox manager Ozzie Guillen was quoted by the wire services on Sunday that he feels the breaks are starting to go his team's way, and that the White Sox are officially a player in the Central race.

He's probably right.

The Tigers are 4.5 games ahead of Chicago, but with three-game series, there's really not any true significance unless one team sweeps. Otherwise, there's only a one-game shift in the standings, either way.

MMM isn't suggesting that the Tigers be content with losing two of three, but unless there's a sweep, the prognosis of both teams doesn't really change on Thursday morning from today.

Then it's back home to face the Angels, a team that always makes MMM nervous because of their aggressive, frenetic style of play. The 55-47 Angels are desperately trying to keep the surging Texas Rangers in their view. The Angels are in second place in the West, three games behind Texas.

So it's a big series for both teams, the last leading up to the July 31 interleague trade deadline.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Tigers "X" Factor Could Be Big Help Down the Stretch

2011-07-22T14:17:00.004-04:00

So what do you think of the Tigers' new acquisition, brought in after the All-Star break and in advance of the interleague trading deadline? Do you think he can provide a boost? Is he an upgrade from what the team had prior to his arrival?

Tell me, what do you think of Carlos Guillen?

Don't look at me like that. You thought I was speaking of someone else?

I promised myself, at the beginning of the season, that I wouldn't write about Guillen, talk about Guillen, or even mention his name---not until he was officially a part of the team.

It was nothing personal, nothing superstitious. It just didn't make sense, to me, to waste typing, speaking or thinking about a player whose future was suspect, at best.

The second baseman Guillen underwent microfracture surgery on his knee, thanks to an injury suffered while completing a game-ending double play in New York last August. Inexplicably, Tigers management seemed to go into spring training, 2011 actually expecting Guillen to join them when the team headed north.

That was a foolish notion at best, an irresponsible one at worst.

I promised not to breathe Guillen's name until his return appeared imminent. Anything else was a waste of time.

But all bets were off when Guillen returned to the Tigers lineup last Saturday, his knee surgically repaired and pain-free.

My self-imposed moratorium is over. Guillen is back and he's hitting the ball---so far---and looking mobile at second base. The black hole at second base has been filled.

With Guillen's return and the acquisition of 3B Wilson Betemit, the Tigers, in less than a week, have plugged two gaping cavities in their lineup.

Guillen has looked sharp and fresh, swinging the bat with authority. He smashed a monster home run the other day against Oakland that ate up a fan in the right field stands. It would have eaten up a fourth outfielder with a glove, with the ferocity Guillen displayed in hitting it.

If Guillen can continue his inspired, competent play, and if Betemit is even his .268 career self, the Tigers will have taken two giant leaps for fankind.

Now all that's left is to secure another starting pitcher, which is like saying all your bank account needs to be solvent is an extra 50 grand.

Easier said than done.

GM Dave Dombrowski isn't playing anything close to the vest this year. Why should he? Why be coy now?

DD isn't shy in acknowledging that another starter is in his crosshairs. With so many teams still considering themselves "buyers" at this deadline, might as well lay your cards on the table.

But I can finally say it now: Carlos Guillen might be the biggest "X" factor you've ever seen in Detroit, regardless of sport. His return and potential production down the stretch might be the biggest yet least expected thing to happen to any Detroit team trying to scratch and claw its way into the post-season.

It wouldn't have been shocking to learn that Guillen's knee simply wasn't responding as well to treatment and rehab as hoped. It would have been dispiriting but not unexpected to find out that we shouldn't count on seeing Guillen until 2012.

That's what makes Guillen the premier "X" factor. This is a guy whose stat line might have been filled with goose eggs in 2011, but who might now be a key contributor down the stretch.

It's OK now to speak of Carlos Guillen, in my book. Scream his name from the rooftops, if it tickles your fancy.

What a pickup, eh?

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 16

2011-07-18T10:10:00.003-04:00

Last week: 1-2
This week: OAK (7/19-20); at Min (7/21-24)

So, What Happened?

The last thing this town needed, after all the talk over the All-Star break about the Tigers' second half woes, was for their baseball team to limp out of the gate to start 2011, Part II.

Yet that's exactly what happened as the Tigers were outscored 13-2 in dropping the first two games of their weekend series with the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park---including the Tigers' money pitcher being off his game on Friday night.

Sports talk radio, as expected, exploded.

"The collapse is nigh!" was the theme of the post-game talk shows.

The Tigers stopped the bleeding with a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory on Sunday, continuing a disturbing trend where they lose the first two games of a series and then salvage the third.

Hero of the Week

There were only three games last week, and only one win, so the pool of candidates for HotW is a small one, indeed.

Candidate #1: Starter Brad Penny, who bounced back from a bad inning early in Sunday's game to qualify for the win.

Candidate #2: DH/C Victor Martinez, whose clutch, two-run single in the sixth inning tied the game, 3-3.

Candidate #3: Newly activated 2B Carlos Guillen, whose single right after V-Mart's put the Tigers ahead, where they stayed.

MMM is going with Victor Martinez, because if he doesn't come through, Guillen doesn't get a chance to do what he did.

Not only that, but after starting the second half 0-2 and looking sluggish to start the game Sunday, the Tigers needed a two-out knock in the worst way. And Martinez, signed over the winter instead of a certain free agent who the White Sox inked, came through in spades.

Goat of the Week

MMM is getting bored with targeting 3B Brandon Inge, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

Like Sunday, when Inge was approached after the game by 97.1 The Ticket's Jeff Riger, who asked Inge about the abuse he's taken from fans recently.

"I don't think you're a true fan" if you boo players, Inge said, though he added that everyone has that right and prerogative.

Inge also told Riger that "I don't care what you think," referring to fans.

MMM can see where Inge is going with these comments, but they don't work coming from the mouth of someone hitting .180 with 1 HR and 17 RBI in mid-July.

And how is booing a trait of someone who "isn't a true fan"?

This was no way to douse the flames, Mr. Gas Can!

So this week's Goat is Inge for inserting his cleats into his mouth.

Under the Microscope

This is new for MMM: placing someone UtM who has no name.

To wit: MMM would like to place the fifth starter UtM, except that MMM doesn't know who that is. No one does, for the moment.

Manager Jim Leyland needs a starter for Wednesday's game against Oakland, unless he pitches Justin Verlander, who would be going on his regular four days' rest, thanks to today's off day.

Regardless, sooner or later a fifth starter will be needed to replace lefty Charlie Furbush, who replaced lefty Phil Coke.

And whomever that is, will be UtM.

Will it be the much-ballyhooed prospect Jacob Turner, a right hander? Will it be lefty Duane Below, from Toledo? Will it be someone from outside the organization?

Doesn't matter. MMM is placing Mr. X UtM---whoever he is. Even a "fifth starter" is important, because he takes the ball every fifth day, just like everyone else. The success or failure of that starter can determine whether a losing streak is extended or not, and whether the bullpen gets a breather or not.

Upcoming: A's, Twins

The Oakland A's have been a disappointment this season. And, they're 16-32 on the road.

So when the A's stroll into Comerica Park for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Tigers ought to pounce on them.

But the A's have, historically, been a difficult team for the Tigers to beat, regardless of record.

Those two games are huge for the Tigers, who then travel to Minnesota to play the Twins four times.

Yes, the Twins---baseball's Jason.

When the Tigers last saw the Twins, the Bengals swept them out of Detroit and Ron Gardenhire's bunch was a stunning 17-37 and double digits out of first place.

Since then, the Twins have gone 27-12 and are---get this---just five games out of first.

Granted, three teams are ahead of them, but the Twins' turnaround is yet another testament to that team's moxie and how freaking annoying they are.

This will be a distinctly different Twins team than the Tigers faced the first time in Minnesota, when Detroit swept.

Make sure your seat belt is buckled and your trays are in the upright position, for the Tigers are playing the Twins in Minnesota four times this weekend in a series that could either vault the Twins right into the thick of the AL Central race, or knock them back a couple pegs.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Inge's Struggles May Mean He's Done

2011-07-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

It’s never predictable when the professional athlete will break down, physically. Chalk it up to genetics, perhaps. Some players are freaks of nature. Who can explain why Brett Favre played one of the most physically punishing positions in sports with Lou Gehrig-like durability?

Why is it that the quarterback Favre played 19 seasons and hardly missed a start, and the basketball player Greg Oden is like a man made of salt who was left out in the rain?

When the break down happens, it can come suddenly, without warning. And it’s often very uncomfortable to look at.

I’ve written it before, how the great Willie Mays made me wince as he stumbled around in the outfield as a 42-year-old in the 1973 World Series, playing for the New York Mets.

I remember watching Steve Carlton turn into a vagabond pitcher, lugging his worn out left arm from city to city in a desperate attempt to stay in the big leagues.

Brandon Inge is a 34-year-old third baseman who appears to be crumbling into pieces before our very eyes.

Inge is the Tigers fan’s piñata. He symbolizes, to some, all by himself, everything that ails the team. Callers to the sports talk radio shows in town take great glee in verbally smacking Inge, passing the stick to the next caller so he can take his whacks. The hosts aren’t any more kind.

Some of the beat downs haven’t been without justification. Inge, at his best, has never been more than a .250 hitter with the pop to slam an occasional home run. He strikes out too much and doesn’t have any plate discipline to speak of. This has been going on for 10 years now.

It’s stunning, in a way, that Inge has managed to stick around in Detroit for a whole decade, given his numbers. But at the same time, it’s not crazy, because of his nifty glove work and lunch pail attitude, which has always endeared athletes to the folks in this burg.

But what’s been happening in 2011 has been indefensible, even by Inge’s staunchest supporters. The numbers don’t lie, and the truth they tell is grisly.

Next to Inge’s name is a .183 batting average, a single home run and 17 RBI. Even the golden glove has been mostly bronze.

Yes, there was the bout with mononucleosis last month. But Inge has recovered from that, yet the production hasn’t been any more prolific since he returned to the lineup.

Before the mono, there were injuries to both knees over the past two years which haven’t helped matters.

When the Tigers break spring training camp every year, when it comes to Brandon Inge, you can expect about a .230 batting average, maybe 20+ home runs, 70 RBI and a boatload of strikeouts. And pop outs. And grounding into double plays. Rallies go to Inge’s bat to die.

I heard a funny joke on sports talk radio last week, from one of the piñata whackers.

Question: “Who bats after Brandon Inge?”

Answer: “The other team.”

It’s garishly funny, and also sadly true.

No one in Detroit expected all that much from Inge, offensively, when the Tigers headed north in advance of their March 31 opener in New York. Few folks ever do.

But this has been off the charts bad.

Inge’s troubles with the bat are so dumbfounding and perplexing that it’s clear no one in the Tigers brain trust, starting with manager Jim Leyland, has a clue what to do about it.

“We’re kind of grasping at straws,” Leyland was quoted by the papers recently, when discussing his third baseman’s nightmarish season.

I didn’t expect much from Inge, either, but I didn’t see .183 coming. I don’t think even Inge’s biggest haters saw .183 coming.

Inge shouldn’t be the target of abuse anymore, because this is beyond a guy in a slump. This is pathetic.

There isn’t a more confused, lost, clue-free hitter in baseball—with the possible exception of the White Sox’s Adam Dunn—than Brandon Inge.

Making fun of Inge now is borderline cruel. It’s like laughing at a guy in a wheelchair.

What no one is suggesting among the Tigers’ hierarchy, at least not publicly, is maybe the simplest explanation of them all for Inge’s struggles.

It could be nothing more than a guy who’s at the end of his career.

Inge is 34, which isn’t ancient but some players wear down sooner than others. All those games that Leyland let Inge play in recent years as a nod to Inge’s reputation as a “gamer”, when in reality the third sacker should have been on the disabled list, are now coming home to roost.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

Everyone is over-analyzing this—both the Inge haters and supporters.

But what if Brandon Inge is just…done?

I’ve complained in the past about the Tigers organization’s inability, for 10 years, to find anyone who can help Inge improve as a hitter. From his big league debut on April 3, 2001, Inge has been mediocre at the plate, and no one has been able to coax even modest improvement.

So who is going to help him now?

But it is probably a moot point; no one can help him because Inge is on a slippery slope to the end of his career. He’s 34 and the light at the end of the tunnel might be a freight train.

His body is likely beginning to come unglued, along with his mind. Inge drags his bat to the plate and he goes up there and flails away. His body language isn’t comforting.

Valiantly, Inge says positive, optimistic things to the media about his tiny numbers. He’s going down swinging—pun intended.

Soon a decision may be made about Inge’s future. The Tigers know they can’t call themselves a contender with a third baseman hitting .183. It would pain them, but the Tigers might be forced to release Inge and eat his contract, which pays him about $6 million a year.

It would be hard to imagine another team taking a flyer on him, should the Tigers cut him.

Brandon Inge might be done, and there’s no shame in that. But there can be plenty of humiliation, which is what he’s going through right now.

It’s not funny. The end of a career never is.

Former MLB Umpire Pallone: This is the Time of Year When Tempers Run Hot Between Umps and Those in Uniform

2011-07-15T11:11:00.003-04:00

Tigers manager Jim Leyland made some news last week when he voiced concern over the deteriorating relationship between players/managers and umpires, in the wake of being terrorized by Joe West's crew in Anaheim. Leyland made the remarks after being ejected for the third time in less than a month.

What a perfect excuse to dial up former big league umpire Dave Pallone.

My partner on the sports podcast "The Knee Jerks," Big Al Beaton, and I chatted with Pallone on Monday's show. Dave first appeared on our show last summer, so I asked him to call in to address Leyland's concerns.

Specifically, as a former umpire, how does he see the relationship today?

Surprisingly, Pallone blamed the weather---sort of.

"This is the time of year when people---and I mean players, managers and umpires---start to get tired," said Pallone, who umpired in the National League from 1979-88.

"I know when I umpired, and it got to be August, I was happy because that meant September was coming and so was the end of the season," Pallone added.

Pallone told us that he has immense respect for Leyland, who he worked with when Leyland managed the Pirates late in Pallone's umpiring career.

"Jim always treated me well, and I think he knows the game well, too," Pallone said.

Pallone said that under Joe Torre, who now is heavily involved in the performance of the umpires and their relationships with players and managers, Major League Baseball is probably in good hands when it comes to the sometimes volatile dynamic between arbiters and those in uniform.

"As a former player and manager, I think Joe has a good handle on how (that relationship) should be."

I asked Pallone if he'd ever seen a play like that which occurred on June 27 between Toronto and Detroit, when the Tigers' Andy Dirks was called safe, then out at first base by umpire Ed Rapuano, who consulted with the home plate umpire after making his safe call.

Pallone chuckled. "No, I've never seen that. I don't know what Ed was thinking."

I pointed out that Leyland had never seen it, either, and that was a big reason why Rapuano ejected him after Leyland's very animated outburst.

Pallone laughed again. "I probably would have been thrown out, too!"

Regarding West's crew, Pallone agreed that "Country Joe" sometimes makes the show about him and not the game. Pallone and West were both NL umpires for several years before Pallone retired.

"Joe can go overboard sometimes," Pallone said, after prefacing his comments that he felt West is one of the best umpires in baseball. "You have to know when to walk away. Sometimes I didn't always walk away, either."

Pallone continued, "The ultimate responsibility for the control of the game is with the umpires. They're the bosses out there. Again, you have to know when to walk away."

So, in the eyes of Pallone, who has a unique perspective as a former big league umpire who is now a baseball fan, is the relationship better or worse than when he was one of the "boys in blue"?

"I think it's better," he said. "You have to remember that today, EVERY game is on TV. Plus, there's the Internet. EVERYONE will see the mistakes, the arguments. There's YouTube and what have you.

"I think it's better because there's better, swifter communication between the league and the umpires. Everyone is watching. But I think everyone is tired. This is that time of the year."

For fun, Al asked Pallone who gave the umpire fits, back in the day.

"I never saw eye-to-eye with (former Braves manager) Dave Bristol," Pallone said. "We never could get on the same page.

"And Dave Concepcion was never on my Christmas list because he spit in my face one time at Wrigley Field," Pallone added.

To listen to the 20-minute interview, which occurs about 45 minutes into the show, click here.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 15

2011-07-11T11:09:00.003-04:00

Last week: 4-3
This week: CWS (7/15-17)

So, What Happened?

The Tigers finally won a series!

They beat the Royals 3 of 4 in Kansas City over the weekend after three straight 1-2 series against the Mets, Giants and Angels---all of which required a win in the third game to avoid a sweep.

But it wasn't easy against the Royals, who'd lost 14 of 19 going into the series.

In each of the three wins, the Royals had the tying or go-ahead runs in scoring position in the ninth inning, with closer Jose Valverde laboring through a save.

But the Tigers got it done, and that's all that mattered. They needed the 3-1 series going into the All-Star Break.

Oh yeah, MMM almost forgot: the Tigers are in first place at the break, 1/2 game ahead of the slumping Indians.

Hero of the Week

In a week when Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez scuffled a little bit (though Miggy hit a huge home run Wednesday in Anaheim), the Tigers needed their B players to come through in order to grind out some wins.

Enter Casper Wells, who was called on to spell an injured Austin Jackson in center field. Wells is this week's HotW because his play with the bat and glove propelled the Tigers to victory on Sunday, and throughout the series in KC, Wells was in the middle of the action, it seemed.

On Sunday, Wells got the Tigers going with a double in the 4th inning; he came home on a single by Brennan Boesch to give Detroit a 1-0 lead. In the 6th, Wells drew a walk, stole second (his first steal of the year), and was plated by Magglio Ordonez's single.

So Wells scored both Tigers runs and made some nice running catches in center field. He had a nice little week, though most of it happened over the weekend.

Honorable mention: starter Max Scherzer, who had a fine outing on Thursday after a few less-than-stellar ones.

Goat of the Week

Sorry, Charlie Furbush. Last week MMM put you UtM, and now you're the GotW.

Furbush didn't do a whole lot with his two starts this week as he replaced Phil Coke in the rotation. In neither outing (Monday in Anaheim, Saturday in KC) did he give the Tigers a chance to win. And he MUST do a better job of giving his catchers a chance to throw out potential base stealers.

Furbush's delivery time to the plate, according to Fox Sports Detroit, was a turtle-like 1.7 seconds last week. That's not going to keep teams from running wild on the Tigers when Furbush is on the mound.

But it may be all for naught; Furbush was dispatched to Toledo immediately after Saturday's gory loss.

Under the Microscope

Manager Jim Leyland was quoted in the Free Press that if 3B Brandon Inge doesn't start producing, Leyland will "make adjustments."

It was a thinly-veiled threat. but also one that was a long time coming.

Inge is hitting .184 with 1 HR, 17 RBI. Even Inge himself called his numbers "embarrassing" the other day.

With Don Kelly doing surprisingly well at third base with the glove, and with even Ryan Raburn showing some flickering signs of life, Inge becomes the one player who is dragging the team down. Leyland's comments didn't do anything to lessen Inge's status UtM.

The trade deadline is July 31. Will there be a new third sacker wearing the Old English D come August 1? Stay tuned.

Upcoming: White Sox

The White Sox are closer to fourth place than they are first place, but this is a huge series for the Tigers.

Last year, after the All-Star break, the Tigers went to Cleveland and promptly lost four straight, starting a nasty post-break slide that virtually eliminated them from the race before mid-August.

The Tigers MUST come out of the break playing good baseball, and what better way to do that than by taking 2 of 3 from the rival Chisox?

Even if Justin Verlander doesn't start the series opener on Friday (Leyland said that JV is tired and may not start on Friday), the Tigers need a series win to kick off the second half.

Already, columnists like the Freep's Drew Sharp are warning of yet another second half slump.

As for Chicago, the mystery of Adam Dunn continues.

Dunn, who many Tigers fans adored from afar before he signed with the White Sox, has grisly numbers: .160 BA, 9 HR, 117 Ks in 269 AB. In 10 July games, Dunn has struck out 17 times in 35 AB, gathering just three hits.

He has come unglued as a player and, at age 31, it's not outrageous to wonder whether he's finished.

Regardless, you still are wary that he'll bust loose against your team, even if the numbers belie that fear.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Compared to Jeter, Kaline’s Quest for 3,000 Hits Almost Done in Private

2011-07-09T13:22:00.001-04:00

The 39-year-old outfielder reported to spring training in Lakeland, Florida—except he was an outfielder in your heart only, and a designated hitter in your program.

Al Kaline was prepping for his 22^nd and final season as a Tiger. It was February, 1974, when no. 6, as much as it pained him, agreed to put his glove away for good, nearly two months before the season even began.

Now, Kaline shelving the glove ought not to have been allowed. This was Louie Armstrong agreeing to show up to a jazz festival sans trumpet so that he may be the designated singer.

But new manager Ralph Houk wanted Kaline’s bat in the lineup everyday, so it was determined by manager and outfield—oops, DH—that Kaline would make the American League circuit one last time lugging only a Louisville Slugger. Never would Al’s left hand slide into a mitt the entire season.

The designated hitter, a rotten invention, was actually a salve in a way, because it relieved many a butcher from the duties of defense. It’s like that old line, “He’s got a face made for radio.” In baseball, there were a bunch of guys with gloves made for DH.

But Kaline, of course, was not one of those butchers. Even at his advanced age, Kaline could out-glove half the league, and out-throw the other half. The kid from Baltimore who never played an inning in the minor leagues didn’t invent right field, but he perfected it.

All this was fresh on Tigers fans’ minds when Kaline showed up to Lakeland in ’74 and started limbering up, getting his old bones ready for one more season.

That, and the carrot on the stick that Kaline would be chasing for the majority of the year: the coveted career hit total of 3,000.

After 21 years, Kaline stood at 2,861 hits. He needed 139 for three grand, but for a few years prior to 1974, Al had settled into being a part-time player under manager Billy Martin.

Kaline collected just 285 hits from 1971-73, and now he needed half of that, just about, in one season to reach 3,000.

It would have to come in 1974 or it wouldn’t come at all. Kaline made it clear that ’74 was his last season, 3,000 hits or not.

Kaline’s march to 3,000 hits seemed to be played out in a vacuum, and only in Detroit. This was five years before the invention of ESPN. The Internet was nearly a generation away from infiltrating our lives.

The local papers ran subtle, oh-by-the-way countdowns of Kaline’s progress as the Tigers, a bad team in ’74, stumbled through the season.

As much as it pained folks to see the great Al Kaline reduced to half a player, it nonetheless was the best way for him to make his assault on 3,000 hits as realistic as possible. Even as the team’s primary DH, it wasn’t until late-September that Kaline finally was knocking on destiny’s door.

But there was little drama; hardly any national fanfare to speak of, really, as Kaline traipsed toward 3,000.

Not even the fact that the Tigers were fittingly in Baltimore, Kaline’s hometown, with Al sitting on 2,999 hits, could prompt local television to pick up the game.

Think about that for a moment. Arguably the greatest Tiger of them all was about to become only the second player in franchise history to attain 3,000 hits, and he was going to do it where he grew up, yet there was no local telecast of the big moment beamed back to Detroit.

Kaline got no. 3,000 off the lefty Dave McNally, a double into the gap, on September 24, 1974, with only about a week to spare in the season.

A quick check with Retrosheet.org reveals that the attendance that night at Memorial Stadium was a polite 11,492, about 20 percent capacity.

Apparently Kaline’s collision course with history didn’t tickle the fancy of his hometown baseball denizens, either.

Kaline collected seven more hits before the season ended, just to make sure.

When Kaline got no. 3,000, he was only the 12^th player in big league history to accomplish that feat. It should have been a much bigger deal than it was.

I can’t help but think of Kaline’s low-key push for 3,000 hits as I see the hysteria over Derek Jeter and his quest for the same.

Jeter, maybe the greatest Yankee of them all, is poised to become the first player in that franchise’s glorious history to collect 3,000 hits. It’s hard to believe, considering all the Hall of Famers the Yankees have employed, that Kalamazoo’s Jeter, in baseball’s third century of business, is going to be the first Bronx Bomber to gather 3,000 hits, all coming while playing for the Yankees.

The magic hit could come this weekend; Jeter has 2,998 hits as I write this.

Jeter needed just 74 safeties to make history, entering the 2011 season. But his 37-year-old body has been stubborn, affecting his performance like no other time in his career. The 16 seasons Jeter has played as the Yankees shortstop have decided to catch up with him all at once, it seems.

So here it is, almost the All-Star break, and Jeter is chugging toward 3,000 hits like the Little Engine That Could.

And, playing for the Yankees in the biggest media market in the universe, Jeter has been followed by a caravan of media in recent days. His 3,000^th won’t occur in a vacuum.

Fifteen players have crossed the 3,000 hit threshold since Kaline did it some 37 years ago—in the same year that Derek Jeter was born. It’s not as big a deal as it used to be.

But Jeter is a Yankee, and he’s not only going to be the first Yankee to do it, but very likely the last to do it for a very long time. Maybe the last ever, given the state of today’s game, with players not staying in the same city for much longer than the length of a Harry Potter movie.

Al Kaline put his glove away so he could be in the lineup as much as possible, the better to make 3,000 hits a reality by the end of the season. He did it almost privately.

Jeter, a Hall of Famer in his own right, is assaulting the mark with a cadre of media following his every move.

Those damn Yankees.

Knapp's Ziggy a Move Worth Trying

2011-07-08T11:41:00.005-04:00

When Curtis Granderson was in Detroit, flailing away futilely as a Tiger against left-handed pitchers, the cries for the head of batting coach Lloyd McClendon were aplenty.

Also, whenever the Tigers go on one of their maddening slumbers offensively, McClendon's name tickles the airwaves of sports talk radio, even now.

Then you look at the splits for this season and see that Granderson's monster year, one that has people uttering those three little letters---MVP---is largely due to the fact that he's crushing lefties. Much of the credit has been given to the Yankees' hitting instructor, Kevin Long.

Makes sense. A new voice, a new approach. Maybe there's something to what Long has been able to impart to his pupil Granderson.

So why is there such an uproar over the firing of pitching coach Rick Knapp, which was rendered last Sunday?

Mike Valenti on 97.1 The Ticket---and echoed by his partner on the air, Terry Foster---decried the ziggy as "scapegoating."

Well, Knapp IS the pitching coach---and the pitching hasn't been all that good this season, save Justin Verlander and Jose Valverde, two of the team's All-Stars.

So why was it OK to lay into McClendon over the foibles of Granderson et al, but when Knapp gets canned it's a case of "scapegoating"?

I wasn't necessarily a proponent of Knapp being let go, but the word "scapegoat" insinuates that Knapp is being blamed for something that he had no part of.

Was the cashiering of Knapp an indication of how jittery GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland are, given their tenuous contract situations? Of course. But is Knapp culpable of the performance of his staff? Of course, also.

Frankly, I applaud the Tigers for doing something bold in a year where the division is seemingly there for the taking. The Tigers rank near the bottom of all pitching categories. If new pitching coach Jeff Jones can do something to improve those numbers, then it was a brilliant move. If Jones can't, then at least the Tigers tried something to improve their embattled pitching.

As for Knapp, he'll land on his feet. Maybe not at the big league level, but he's well-respected within baseball and I doubt there'll be a shortage of job offers.

You just can't make some people happy among the media and Tigers fanbase. Either they're crabbing about guys keeping their jobs, or they're aghast at the removal of a pitching coach.

You want accountability among the Tigers braintrust? You just got some.

Knapp might be just the first domino to fall, if the Tigers underachieve come season's end. But you can't complain about management's inertia on the one hand, then complain about scapegoats when something is done to try to correct a bad situation, on the other.

Rick Knapp is a fine man and a good pitching mind. But that shouldn't guarantee the job security of a Supreme Court justice, when the numbers belie that.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 14

2011-07-04T10:56:00.005-04:00

Last week: 3-4
This week: at LAA (7/4-6); at KC (7/7-10)

So, What Happened?

Hurricane Mets blew through Comerica Park on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the Tigers disposed of the Toronto Blue Jays in a makeup game on Monday. The Mets brought sizzling bats to Detroit and they got even sizzlinger (a new word that MMM just made up), as the Kings of Queens torched Tigers pitching for 30 runs and 38 hits in the first two games of the series.

Naturally, it took Justin Verlander to end that nonsense on Thursday.

Then the Tigers welcomed the San Francisco Giants and were good hosts, dropping two of three to the NL West leaders and defending world champs.

The week was capped by the surprising (mostly) firing of pitching coach Rick Knapp, offered as the first sacrificial lamb in this season of urgency.

All that, and the Tigers are still 45-40 and only one-half game out of first place.

Hero of the Week

Dom't worry, MMM isn't going to pick Verlander for the third week in a row---though you could make yet another case for JV, in light of the way he muted the Mets on Thursday.

This week, MMM likes catcher Alex Avila.

Avila, thanks to the fans' support, was elected to start the All-Star game. But beyond that, Avila continues to drive runners in from third base with less than two outs, throw out potential base stealers, and give one quality at bat after the other. He also blocked the plate perfectly twice last week.

But there wasn't a particular crowning moment for Avila last week. MMM is choosing him as a reward for his consistent play, and to pile on to his All-Star honors.

Honorable mention goes to Brennan Boesch, who had another solid week as he continues to adjust nicely this season, after AL pitchers figured him out in the second half of 2010. MMM thought Boesch to be at a crossroads heading into 2011, and so far he appears to have chosen the correct path.

MMM also wants to acknowledge frequent punching bag Ryan Raburn, whose diving catch in left field in the eighth inning on Sunday saved the Tigers' lead.

Goat of the Week

MMM isn't sure if GotW should go to Phil Coke as the fifth starter or the Tigers, for thinking that Phil Coke should be the fifth starter.

So let's forget that quandary and make things easier and go with Max Scherzer, whose fine won/loss record doesn't tell the story of his cockeyed season.

On Saturday, Scherzer never gave his teammates a chance in the rain-soaked, 15-2 loss to the Giants. This continues a disturbing trend in which Max's explosive stuff blows up in his face.

Unbelievably, it was just two months ago when people dared to suggest that Scherzer, not Verlander, was the Tigers' real ace.

NOT!!

MMM is also putting the rest of the starting rotation---aside from JV, of course---on notice. If the starting pitching doesn't improve, Tigers fans won't only have to worry about the Indians---they'll have the White Sox and maybe even the Twins to contend with, literally.

Under the Microscope

MMM hates to pick on children, but it's hard not to place rookie lefty Charlie Furbush UtM as he makes his first big league start tonight in Anaheim.

Furbush replaces Coke in the rotation, a move that manager Jim Leyland says is not temporary. At least, Coke being removed from the rotation isn't temporary; whether Furbush replaces him for good remains to be seen.

In retrospect, maybe MMM should have had Knapp UtM last week, eh?

Upcoming: Angels and Royals

Interleague play, thank goodness, is over and done with. The Tigers went a very uncharacteristic 7-11 against teams from the senior circuit this season, after pretty much dominating in IL play under Leyland.

The week starts with a trio of games in Anaheim against the Angels, with the featured attraction being a Verlander-Dan Haren matchup on Tuesday. The Angels have a pretty weak offense, but if there's a pitching staff that can cure that, it's the Tigers'.

The Angels are 44-41 and are battling the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West, a division that makes the Central look like, well, the East.

Then it's off to beautiful Kansas City to face a Royals team that has once again tumbled into the Central basement, despite a decent start. But that was back in April; you know, when Osama bin Laden was still roaming the Earth.

The Royals can't pitch. Thus, they can't win. The Tigers have them for four games this weekend, but be aware, because for whatever reason, the Royals have given the Tigers fits in recent years. It all started with that three-game sweep the Royals laid on the Tigers in Detroit on the final weekend of the 2006 season, when all the Bengals needed was one lousy win to secure the divisional title.

MMM expects no less than a 4-3 week heading into the All-Star break.

Oh, and Happy Independence Day! The team that's in first place on July 4 supposedly is the odds-on favorite to be there at the end of the season. After tonight, the Tigers could be that team.

That's all for this week's MMM! See you next week!

Avila Proving Those April Fools Wrong

2011-07-01T16:10:00.002-04:00

Now I know why they call April 1, April Fool's Day.

For that was the date, after just one game had been played in the 2011 season, that sports talk radio was lit up with phone calls from loudmouths on their cell phones, calling for the ouster of catcher Alex Avila from not only the Tigers starting lineup, but from the roster, from Detroit, and probably even the state of Michigan---to be on the safe side.

The Tigers had lost on Opening Day to the Yankees in New York, and I won't argue that it wasn't one of Avila's crowning moments. He was shaky behind the plate and he looked overmatched with the bat---albeit he was going against southpaw CC Sabathia.

After one game, the callers were frothing at the mouth.

"Avila is not a big league catcher!!"

"What is he doing on the team??!!"

"He stinks!!"

"He's only on the team because his dad is the assistant GM!!"

"He stinks!!!"

"What do the Tigers see in him?!!"

"He stinks!!"

This was what I heard on April Fool's Day, so appropriately named in light of the overreaction that was spewing forth on the airwaves of 97.1 The Ticket.

Yesterday, on those same airwaves, here's what I heard about Avila.

"Be sure to vote often, because at midnight tonight, All-Star voting will be cut off! So vote for Alex Avila, so he can surpass the Yankees' Russell Martin and be the starting catcher for the American League!!"

The fools have been silenced---and outed.

I had faith in Alex Avila in spring training. I felt that he, with more experience at the big league level, could swing that silky lefty swing and be a capable backstop, who could also hit.

I acknowledged his challenges defensively, but defense can be improved, as can other parts of a player's game.

Not only is Avila a .300 hitter with some pop, he's a master at driving in runs from third base with less than two outs---and he's not embarrassing himself with the glove.

After the 2011 season was just nine innings old, the fools with cell phones wanted him run out of town. They were ready, after one game, to defrock Avila, make Victor Martinez the full-time catcher, and once again make the DH a committee in Detroit.

Never mind that Martinez signed with the Tigers partially because he was just fine with not catching all that much; in fact, I got the feeling that he rather enjoyed the notion of not catching more than, say, twice a week.

Ah, but a caveat.

One can be foolish just as easily at the halfway point of the season, as one can be after Game 1.

In other words, you might say, let's wait and see if Avila can keep up this kind of production for an entire season.

Fair enough.

But his swing, and his discipline at the plate, and the amount of quality at-bats he gives the Tigers (Avila has a way of forcing the opposing hurler to throw 6-8 pitches per Avila AB), doesn't have "first half phenom" written all over him.

Not like Brennan Boesch, a free swinger who slapped himself silly in the first half last season before pitchers figured him out (to his credit, Boesch has volleyed the ball back into the pitchers' court this season, counter-adjusting nicely).

I remember chuckling ruefully and gently shaking my head as I heard the hysteria about Avila after Opening Day in New York.

I'm chuckling even louder now.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 13

2011-06-27T15:46:00.002-04:00

Last week: 3-3
This week: TOR (6/27); NYM (6/28-30); SF (7/1-3)

So, What Happened?

First, MMM apologizes for the brevity of this week's edition, as real life reared its head today. So this week's MMM will be short and sweet!

The Tigers are a first place-by-themselves team today after a 3-3 week in which the Cleveland Indians continued to struggle.

The highlight was Sunday, when the Tigers rallied for seven runs in the eighth inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-3, on the same day the Tigers retired Sparky Anderson's number. The Tigers clawed back to win the series after blowing Friday night's contest.

3B Brandon Inge returned from the DL and RHP Ryan Perry was recalled from Toledo. IF Danny Worth and LHP Adam Wilk were dispatched to the Ohio town to make room for Inge and Perry.

Hero of the Week

Quite a menu this week.

Jhonny Peralta continues to mash. Justin Verlander continued to deal. Miguel Cabrera continues to gather clutch hits. Al Alburquerque continues to strike everybody out.

MMM, for the second week in a row, is going with Verlander, who is as good as any pitcher today, and who has been as good as any pitcher the Tigers have had in the past 40+ years.

JV vexed the D-Backs Saturday night, a day after Arizona rallied from a 4-0 deficit to nip the Tigers, 7-6. The "you gotta be kidding me" moment was in the eighth, when Verlander faced a no-out, runners on second and third scenario.

No worries; JV struck out the side as the Comerica Park crowd of 41,000+ roared its approval. That was some good stuff.

Verlander is 6-0 with an ERA of under 1.00 in his last six starts. The man is a freak.

And he's also MMM's HotW.

Honorable mention goes to Miguel Cabrera, whose clutch, two-out, bases loaded single plated the go-ahead runs Sunday in the eighth inning on a day where it looked like the Tigers might lose, 2-1.

Goat of the Week

Ryan Raburn continues to frustrate MMM with his sorry impersonation of a big league ballplayer. Strikeouts, suspect defense and an overall, season-long malaise is testing MMM's patience.

In a week where most in the lineup contributed, Raburn stuck out like a sore thumb, as usual, with his limp noodle of a bat.

RR isn't doing anything spectacular defensively to make up for it, either.

Under the Microscope

Who else could be UtM than 3B Brandon Inge, fresh off a bout with mono and a 28 at-bat rehab stint at Toledo?

Manager Jim Leyland got very testy before Friday's game when he was asked about Don Kelly's fate in the wake of Inge's return. For his part, Inge told the press that he doesn't feel like he should lose his job to injury.

All of which, naturally, got sports talk radio aflutter with phone calls and heated discussion about Inge's place in the lineup---or whether he should have one at all.

Upcoming: Jays, Mets and Giants

Interleague play takes a pause as the Tigers play a makeup game with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

It's Max Scherzer on Monday, gunning for his 10th win, despite an elevated ERA.

Then it's back to the NL teams when the Mets and Giants visit, as the Tigers' 10-game homestand wraps up.

The Mets feature Jose Reyes, whose name has been bantied about by Tigers fans as someone who should be pursued to shore up second base. Reyes is a free agent at the end of this year.

The defending World Champion Giants invade this weekend, but word is the Tigers will miss RHP Tim Lincecum. Oh, what a shame!

That's all for this week's MMM! Sorry for the brevity. See you next week!

Mark Tigers Late in Retiring Sparky's Number

2011-06-25T11:24:00.001-04:00

Posthumously is an empty word, full of regret. It’s a parade rained on; a celebration muted.

Someone’s being honored in death, and so often the death wasn’t too long prior to the honoring.

Sometimes the posthumous honor can’t be helped. Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig, two of the youngest Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, come to mind. Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates died on New Year’s Eve, 1972, traveling on a doomed plane, trying to bring relief to some earthquake victims. Clemente was 38. The New York Yankees’ Gehrig succumbed to the neuromuscular disease that would bear his name at age 37.

It couldn’t be avoided, to pay homage to Clemente and Gehrig after they were taken from us.

This Sunday, the Tigers are going to hold a pre-game ceremony and the stories will flow and so will the tears and then the jersey will be retired and the whole thing will have an air of sadness about it—because the honoree won’t be there to see it.

The Tigers are going to do the right thing the wrong way, when they retire Sparky Anderson’s no. 11 on Sunday before the game with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It was by design, of course, that the D-Backs are the team in town for this occasion, because their manager is Kirk Gibson and their bench coach is Alan Trammell, two Tigers heroes of the past who were touched deeply by Sparky, and who are influenced by him to this day.

But this is all wrong. This is closing the barn door after the horses are out. The Tigers had years to put Sparky’s number out of commission and they failed to do so. The reasoning isn’t very tasteful.

Actually, there’s something else wrong with this whole thing. The Tigers should be honoring two men on Sunday: Sparky and Bill Freehan, the old catcher who was no. 11 before Sparky and whose wearing of that number has seemingly been erased from the fans’ memory banks.

Freehan was, simply, the best catcher in the American League for most of the 1960s and maybe the best catcher in Tigers history—though Mickey Cochrane supporters would have something to say about that.

Freehan, a local kid who went to the University of Michigan, wore no. 11 from 1963-76 and was one of the greatest of Tigers. He was a class act who stayed with the team after retirement to instruct the young catchers in spring training and then only left to coach Michigan baseball. Freehan stayed true to both his baseball wives.

But Sunday is Sparky’s day, which means Freehan won’t ever get his due. Neither will Sparky, if you want to know the truth.

The Tigers blew this one. They had a big lead and frittered it all away. It was a choke job, perpetrated by one man—owner Mike Ilitch.

Ilitch hasn’t made too many PR blunders in his 29 years owning the Red Wings and 19 years owning the Tigers. His commitment to Detroit and his generosity to his players have been above and beyond the call of duty.

Except when it comes to Sparky Anderson, who died last November after a brief battle with dementia. This is where Mike Ilitch has shamelessly put personal vendetta ahead of his stewardship of the Tigers franchise.

The relationship between Ilitch and Sparky got off to a rocky start and didn’t get much better. It all started when Ilitch, as part of his agreement to buy the Tigers in 1992, had outgoing owner Tom Monaghan fire two of Sparky’s close friends—team executives Jim Campbell and Bo Schembechler.

Sparky, in his book They Call Me Sparky, said that things changed after Ilitch bought the Tigers and Campbell and Schembechler were canned. Nothing too shocking there; Sparky was hired by Campbell in 1979 and in the two years that Bo was the Tigers president, he and the skipper bonded fast. So no wonder things changed when Ilitch took over and brought in his own people.

It got worse in spring training, 1995, when Sparky publicly and vehemently refused to manage the replacement players who the owners were considering suiting up in the throes of the 1994-95 players strike.

Sparky dug his heels in and Ilitch didn’t care for that one bit. 1995 was Sparky’s last season managing the Tigers, and he couldn’t get out of town fast enough. When Anderson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, he infamously chose to be chiseled onto his plaque wearing a Cincinnati Reds cap.

Sparky managed the Reds from 1970-78—just a little more than half the time he spent piloting the Tigers (1979-95). Yet Sparky chose to be immortalized in bronze wearing the Cincinnati “C” instead of the Old English D. Speculation as to why, leads to no unsurprising theories.

Sparky could have handled things better, too, I’m sure. It’s a new owner’s prerogative to retain or dismiss staff from the previous reign. Sparky should have been more tolerant of Ilitch’s discretion.

But Ilitch is the owner and thus has way more influence over what does and doesn’t get done when it comes to who the Tigers choose to commemorate.

Sparky stopped being Sparky, those close to him say, about two years ago. He’d still show up to baseball events but he wasn’t all there. It was evident during the 25^th anniversary celebration of the 1984 World Series team.

Before that—long before—Mike Ilitch had his shot at retiring Sparky’s no. 11 but chose not to take it.

Now, only after Anderson’s death, are the Tigers getting around to doing the right thing.

Gibson was quoted in Friday’s Detroit Free Press.

“I’ll just tell you this,” Gibby said. “The thing I’m going to least like about (the number retirement) is that (Sparky’s) not there. That’s going to be the toughest part for me.”

It’s going to be the toughest part for everyone—from Sparky’s widow Carol, who expressed similar sentiments shortly after the ceremony was first announced, to the old Tigers players who plan on showing up, to the fans.

Here’s something telling: the Tigers actually released a statement on Friday that said Ilitch would appear in person and on the field on Sunday to help retire Sparky’s number.

The Tigers needed to issue a statement to confirm something that should be a no-brainer?

The reason is simple. The statement was indirect acknowledgement that Ilitch’s past grudge still haunts him, and the Tigers, to this day—or else the statement wouldn’t be necessary.

They’re going to put no. 11 into moth balls for good on Sunday. With apologies to Dickens, it will be the best of times, and it will be the worst of times.

That’s what happens when you do these things posthumously—especially when it didn’t have to be this way.

If you’re scoring at home, the play is E-owner.

Nats' Riggleman's Power Play Selfish and Shameful

2011-06-24T14:06:00.003-04:00

Excuse me, but who does Jim Riggleman think he is?

I mean, besides a career long loser in the dugout who decided to use an 11-1 stretch to blackmail his employer?

Riggleman resigned from the Washington Nationals yesterday, abruptly, not long after his team swept the Seattle Mariners to cap an 11-1 run that has put the Nats above .500 for the first time in June in a long time.

His cockeyed reason? Because the Nationals wouldn't exercise, on the spot and at his demand, a one-year option to retain him for 2012.

Riggleman told Nats GM Mike Rizzo that if Rizzo didn't exercise the option, then the Nationals could go looking for another manager, forthwith.

Rizzo balked---I don't blame him---and Riggleman walked.

Riggleman was making $600,000 as the major league's lowest-paid manager. The 2012 option also called for a $600K salary.

It was a shameful power play attempted by Riggleman, right when the Nationals were tasting some success that had players and fans excited about the Nats' chances to contend for a Wild Card.

The Nationals haven't been so much as .500 at the end of a season since they were 81-81 in 2005.

The Nationals certainly were at no obligation to rubber stamp Riggleman's option at this time, or at any time, frankly, between now and the end of the season.

Rizzo, for his part, said it was too early to make a decision on Riggleman's fate.

No kidding.

Riggleman is a career loser. He's tasted very little success outside of his playoff appearance guiding the 1998 Cubs. Yet he put a gun to Mike Rizzo's head.

Who's going to hire Riggleman now, after such a stunt? It's not like the guy has a resume that would cause another GM to overlook this little indiscretion.

Here's Riggleman explaining himself, according to wire services.

"I know I'm not Casey Stengel, but I feel like I know what I'm doing. It's not a situation where I felt like I should continue on such a short lease."

Guess what, Jim? That's the contract situation, like it or not.

Funny how Riggleman didn't run to Rizzo while the Nats were 27-36, isn't it?

It was the ultimate selfish act by Riggleman, to quit on his team in the interest of what's good for HIM. He seized on the first success the team had under his watch---he took over for Manny Acta in 2009---and tried to force his boss's hand.

Riggleman may have cut off his nose to spite his face. I can't see him ever getting another big league managing job after this stunt.

"I wanted a conversation when we got to Chicago," Riggleman said, referring to the team's next stop to play the White Sox. "Mike said we're not going to do it."

That's because Mike doesn't have to do it, Jim.

Why Jim Riggleman feels he's entitled, in June 2011, to his $600,000 for 2012, is beyond me. There's 87 games to be played this season. Rizzo was right in exercising caution, instead of Riggleman's option.

Meanwhile, Riggleman can take his a-billion-games-under-.500 career record and stew all he wants, at home.

Good riddance.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 12

2011-06-20T12:44:00.002-04:00

Last week: 4-3
This week: at LAD (6/20-22); ARZ (6/24-26)

So, What Happened?

The Tigers tied for first place, took first place over by themselves, tied for first again, and then slipped into second place---all within a matter of days. Just another roller coaster week in what has been a roller coaster season.

Oh, and Justin Verlander went 2-0, with two CGs and dominant in both instances. Just another week for JV, too.

Those rumblings you hear, by the way, are the Minnesota Twins.

Hero of the Week

MMM is almost sheepish to name Justin Verlander as HotW, because it's like shooting fish in a barrel. But MMM has to give credit where credit is due.

JV, as mentioned above, tossed two CGs---against the Indians and the Rockies---and both games were crucial to the Tigers. On Tuesday, Verlander lifted the Tigers into first place with a gem in which he didn't allow a hit until the eighth inning. On Sunday, Verlander mesmerized the Rockies, snapping a two-game Tigers losing streak and nipping any nonsense in the bud.

Verlander is in a zone that hasn't been seen by a Tigers pitcher since the days of Lolich and McLain. Even Jack Morris wasn't this dominant for this long of a stretch.

Honorable mention goes to Alex Avila, who had another solid week and who is stirring All-Star talk and looking more and more like the Tigers catcher for the next 10 years. AA does a great job driving in runners from third base with less than two out; his 71% success rate is 16 points higher than the MLB average.

Goat of the Week

Rick Porcello didn't give the Tigers a chance to win Friday's game in Colorado, the day after the team reclaimed first place from the Indians. The bullpen didn't help, either. But Porcello gets the "honor" for laying an egg at a time when he looked to be finding his groove.

This might seem like an unfair GotW, but MMM isn't always interested in justice!

Porcello must bounce back on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Under the Microscope

It's only been a week, but how can MMM NOT put Magglio Ordonez UtM?

It's only natural, although MMM has been a faithful and strong Maggs supporter.

It's natural because now that Ordonez is back from his extended stay on the DL due to his bad ankle, prying eyes will be on him.

He came back last week to mixed reviews---hitting the baseball hard a few times and not getting rewarded, but also looking slow and old on occasion.

It's too early to tell what, if anything, Maggs can give the Tigers at age 37.

But that won't stop people from voicing their premature opinions. Just listen to sports talk radio if you don't believe MMM.

With no other serious concerns aside from the much-maligned Ryan Raburn, Magglio Ordonez is squarely UtM for this week, and beyond.

Upcoming: Dodgers and Diamondbacks

Interleague play continues as the Tigers venture to Chavez Ravine to take on the LA Dodgers Monday thru Wednesday.

Yes, the Tigers visited the Dodgers last year, too. And yes, the Tigers entertained the Arizona D-Backs---their other opponent this week---last season as well. How can the IL schedule be so repetitive?

Regardless, the Dodgers have been a mess---on and off the diamond. They're going through a nasty divorce with owner Frank McCourt, who's dragged the good Dodgers name through the mud.

On the field, the Dodgers are still chasing .500 more than they are first place. Yet they have Matt Kemp, and he's a beast.

Kemp has 20 homers, 57 RBI, and is batting .328. His partner in crime, Andre Ethier, has been in a power drought, but is still batting .313. A pleasant surprise has been SS Jamey Carroll, who's batting .308, but he only has eight RBI for the season.

Lefty Clayton Kershaw starts Monday. He's 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA and he averages about 9.5 Ks per nine innings. Kershaw is only 23 years old and is a rising pitching star.

Over the weekend some old pals return to Detroit---Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell. Gibby manages the Diamondbacks, and Tram is his bench coach. Gibson has the D-Backs playing surprisingly good baseball, battling for first place in the NL West behind clutch hitting and solid pitching.

Look out for OF Justin Upton, who's batting .302 with 12 HR and 13 SB.

Righty Ian Kennedy, 26, is 8-2 and is scheduled to start on Sunday---the same day the Tigers take advantage of Gibson and Trammell's presence to retire Sparky Anderson's no. 11.

Kennedy leads a D-Backs rotation that features three starters with ERAs of 3.56 or lower: Kennedy (2.98); Josh Collmenter (2.09); and Daniel Hudson (3.56).

But the biggest variable is Gibson, who took over last July from A.J. Hinch, commandeering a volatile situation and seizing the opportunity---being rewarded with a new contract after the season. In 2011, Gibby's bunch has been one of baseball's biggest surprises.

But those who know and who have followed Gibson maybe shouldn't be so surprised.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Tigers 2011 Season Has Familiar Feel To It

2011-06-17T14:05:00.003-04:00

Bill Murray has nothing on me. I'm living Groundhog Day every bit as much as he did in that movie of the same name.

Where have we seen THIS before?

Tigers get hot in June and move into first place, a position they hold until the All-Star break. Stars begin to emerge; Justin Verlander strikes everyone out. The team cleans up in interleague play.

This is a rerun.

Trouble is, we all know how the story ends up---with feats of daring do that cede the division to someone else, usually the Minnesota Twins.

It won't be the Twins this season, so there's some drama. Will it be the White Sox? The (gasp!) Indians?

I'm telling myself not to get sucked in. You know the saying: Fool me once, etc.

The Tigers are rolling. They're 13-5 in their last 18 games and are avoiding the roller coaster feel of April and May, when winning streaks were canceled by losing streaks of the same length or longer.

They've moved to seven games above .500 and are alone in first place, natch.

Time to put the trays in their upright positions and strap yourself in---it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Color me wary.

It's still my steadfast belief that the Tigers cannot consider themselves serious contenders---whether it's against the Chisox or the Tribe---until they get second base figured out and/or they identify one more consistent bat in the lineup.

I'm also sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop when it comes to Jhonny Peralta and, to a degree, Alex Avila.

Color me unwilling to get fooled again.

The Tigers, despite their warts, are in a position to make a run, but with holes at 2B, 3B and maybe RF, offensively, their run at first place doesn't seem to be sustainable.

The bullpen is still too dicey for my liking, with the exception of Jose Valverde. I worry that hitters will figure out Al Alburquerque, other than how to spell his last name.

Color me thrice bitten, four times shy.

The Tigers blew playoff appearances in 2007, 2009 and even 2010 with lousy second halves. In each season, they pulled what they're pulling now---a strong June that leads to a promising beginning to July, that collapses into a heap in August and September.

The only drama has been, when will the freefall begin? In 2007 it was in August. In 2009 it was in the final two weeks. Last year, it was right out of the All-Star break.

And don't forget the 19-31 finish that almost ruined their excellent 2006 start.

In fact, just writing about this gives me deja vu most vile.

Yet despite the familiarity of this show, I'm still tuning in.

Color me a sucker?

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 11

2011-06-13T11:35:00.003-04:00

Last week: 4-3
This week: TB (6/13); CLE (6/14-16); at Col (6/17-19)

So, What Happened?

First, MMM wants to say that the next time the Tigers see Miguel Olivo and Justin Smoak, it will be too soon. Thank goodness the Mariners aren't on the Bengals' schedule anymore this season!

Those guys from Seattle wore Tigers pitching out this year, with Olivo hitting four homers against Detroit and Smoak, five. Both had late, key, two-run homers in the M's 7-3 win on Sunday.

But aside from that, the Tigers went 4-2, beating a good Texas team 2-of-3 before coming home to split four games with the Mariners.

The Indians continued their freefall, enabling the Tigers to climb into one of those "virtual ties" for first place you hear the media folks talk about. It all sets up a fun three-game set against the Tribe at CoPa this week.

Hero of the Week

MMM is going to be self-aggrandizing and choose Austin Jackson.

Why? Because AJ is making MMM look really good.

Before the season, MMM wrote a piece that declared Jackson to be the most important hitter in the Tigers' lineup. As Jackson goes, MMM wrote, so goes the Tigers. And yes, MMM was very aware that Miguel Cabrera is also employed by the Tigers.

Well, Jackson had a brutal April and the Tigers were highly inconsistent, falling to 12-17---even with Cabby producing. Then Jackson got hot, and the Tigers have now won 23 of their past 36 games---winning even when Miggy was scuffling for a week or so.

MMM even heard manager Jim Leyland pretty much echo those thoughts about Jackson's importance to the offense.

AJ had another good week and has lifted his BA to .250-ish, which is saying something after batting less than his weight in April.

And he's making MMM look good in the process, which earns him bonus points.

Honorable mentions: Justin Verlander for getting the Tigers off to a good start against the Mariners on Thursday, and Victor Martinez, for showing why the Tigers signed him to a fat contract as a free agent.

Goat of the Week

As much as MMM would like to pile on Ryan Raburn, the struggling RR bores MMM, frankly.

Instead, this week's wrath doesn't go to a player---it goes to certain fans and, more so, to certain media people, i.e. the ones who say that Magglio Ordonez should NOT be automatically re-inserted into the lineup when he returns from his ankle injury (which might be tonight).

Are you kidding?

This is wrong on so many facets, MMM can't type fast enough.

Maggs is a career .300 hitter who was at .303 before being sidelined last summer with the ankle injury. He's hit around or above .300 every year he's been in Detroit, including winning the AL batting title in 2007 (.363).

And after 99 injury-plagued at-bats this season, people are willing to write him off, or at the very least, treat him like he's a rookie call-up from Toledo?

Aye-yi-yi.

YES, Ordonez should be installed into the lineup, forthwith! If it means sitting down Andy Dirks, so be it. You'd trust Dirks over Ordonez? (Dirks, by the way, had an AWFUL at-bat in the eighth inning Sunday, being overwhelmed on three pitches with runners on first and second and nobody out---a key point in the game at the time).

On second thought, MMM isn't even going to debate this. It's not worth the old blood pressure going through the roof.

Ordonez plays. End of story.

The Tigers need offense, despite their recent pep. I'll take my chances with a career .300 hitter---even one who's 37 years old and coming off an ankle injury.

Under the Microscope

Daniel Schlereth, there might be a bus ticket to Toledo with your name on it.

MMM says keep your good eye on Schlereth, the maligned lefty out of the bullpen, who comes into games and promptly walks batters or hits them.

Leyland gave Daniel another shot Sunday, having him start the eighth inning with the Mariners ahead 3-2 and two lefty hitters scheduled to start the frame.

Schlereth retired the first, then walked the second on four pitches, ending his day. Joaquin Benoit then gave up a two-run homer to Olivo to move the Mariners ahead, 5-2.

Schlereth, for quite some time now, has been finding the strike zone as elusive as Barry Sanders. MMM can't help but think that Schlereth is working on borrowed time. In fact, MMM would not have been surprised if it was Schlereth who got sent to Toledo to make room for Ordonez (Enrique Gonzalez was demoted instead).

With the emergence of young southpaws Charlie Furbush and maybe even Adam Wilk in the bullpen, Schlereth might get squeezed out if he doesn't start throwing strikes, and in a hurry.

Upcoming: Rays, Indians and Rockies

Don't believe your little pocket-sized Tigers schedule: tonight is NOT an off day. The Tigers play a makeup game against Tampa at home before welcoming the Indians to CoPa. The weekend will find the Tigers in Denver, of all places, playing the Rockies.

The Rays are still the Rays---dangerous and in the hunt in the AL East. The Tigers went 2-0 against them last month, with the third game being rained out. MMM hopes the Tigers won't be looking too far ahead, when the Indians invade beginning tomorrow.

Ahh, the Indians.

After a 30-15 start that was far beyond their reach, the Tribe has plummeted, their seven-game lead over the Tigers vanishing. The Indians are 4-14 in their last 18 games, their offense soon to be on the side of a milk carton.
MMM read with glee some of the comments from Indians fans at www.cleveland.com (their version of MLive) the other day and it's funny to see them basically giving up on the season already---and they're tied for first place!

The series with the Indians might be the first official "big series" at CoPa this year, because first place is squarely (albeit temporarily) on the line. Should be fun, and interesting to see if the Indians continue to play bad baseball in Detroit.

Here's hoping!

As for the Rockies, they got off to a fast start but have struggled of late. Baseballs sometimes fly out of that ballpark rapidly, so Tigers pitchers must keep the Rockies from going deep too often.

BTW, Verlander gets two starts this week: Tuesday against Cleveland and Sunday in Colorado.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Raburn's Awful Performance Should Earn Him a Pink Slip

2011-06-11T13:53:00.004-04:00

I come to bury Ryan Raburn, not to praise him.

May as well get that out of the way, forthwith, because I don't want you under any illusions here. Those who are here to read a balanced, Devil's advocate piece about Mr. Raburn, the Tigers' mockery of a second baseman, click away, right now. Hit "back" on your browser. Anything---just get the hell out of here.

Listening to Pat Caputo on 97.1 The Ticket this morning, I was told that the reason the Tigers keep Raburn on the roster is, frankly, because of money. Raburn's contract, set to pay him about $2 million next season, is signed, sealed and delivered. Caputo said that the choice is simple: keep Raburn or release him and eat the contract.

Let me tell you, it would be the best $2 million the Tigers have ever shoved down their gullet.

This shouldn't even be an issue. Ryan Raburn isn't a big leaguer. At least, not now, he isn't. Certainly, he's not an everyday second baseman.

I've seen some hack jobs and frauds come through Detroit: Nate Colbert, Rob Deer, Bip Roberts, to name a few. But never have I seen a player get as much playing time as Raburn gets with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of---are you sitting down?---66-to-8.

Let me repeat: 66. To. 8.

That kind of ratio simply cannot be tolerated on any big league player's stat line---at least not of any player who's playing for a team that is in playoff contention.

The Tigers are trying to pull a real humdinger if they think they can win even the putrid AL Central with an infield that's half made up of Raburn and Don Kelly. But this isn't about Kelly, who currently is the team's starting third baseman by default. This is about Raburn.

Raburn brings nothing to the table these days. His glove, I've written before, was welded, not laced. He doesn't run particularly well. But it's his bat that is the most offensive part of his game.

Big league hitters need to make contact, at least some of the time. Home run hitters are prone to the strikeout, but they're home run hitters. You can live with 150 Ks if the dude is also smacking 30-40 big flies a season.

Raburn, in 185 at-bats this season, is hitting .200. But that's not the worst of it. There's the 66-to-8 ratio previously mentioned, and the home run total is a mere five. Raburn has nearly twice as many strikeouts as he has base hits. If he draws a walk, it's by pure accident or because the pitcher's arm is dangling off his shoulder.

Raburn is a sucker for the high fastball, above the letters and right about at his eyeballs. He's also prone to being called out on strikes, and swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Did I leave anything out?

Raburn's an abomination, a disgrace as a big leaguer. The fans at Comerica Park, who have amazed me by their Job-like patience in the past, have taken to booing Raburn with zeal in recent games.

Manager Jim Leyland says he's sitting Raburn down tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

"I'm going to get him away from it and see what happens," Leyland said. "I don't think there's any question that he's fighting himself."

Leyland is at his wit's end with Raburn. The manager even pinch-hit Ramon Santiago for Raburn in the ninth inning of Friday night's loss to the Mariners, after Raburn had a three strikeout night.

There's no good reason that Raburn should occupy a spot on the Tigers roster, including his contract situation. If Gary Sheffield's monster contract can be devoured, as it was when the Tigers released Gary just before the 2009 season, then certainly Raburn's can, too.

The Central Division has never been as ripe for the taking as it is this season. The Tigers' main competition, the teams we all thought would be their nemesis---the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins---are down in the dumps. The Twins aren't coming back. The White Sox are still a distance from .500.

The Cleveland Indians are taking their predictable plunge. The Tigers just have to win this division, their first in 24 years.

But they can't do it while playing a "second baseman" who hits .200 and who strikes out more than eight times for every time that he walks. Oh, why did the Tigers let Placido Polanco walk away from them after 2009?

Forget trading Raburn, if that's what you're thinking. Who would have him? He has no trade value. His numbers aren't written in invisible ink, you know.

The Tigers are trying to hide Raburn, but that's impossible. No matter where they bat him, a rally inevitably seems to find him---and that rally promptly has its air released from it, replaced by the air of Raburn's bat swooshing into nothing.

Raburn had a good second half last year. But this is big league baseball, not Little League or high school baseball. This is the big time. Professional sports can be a heartless business, because it's so predicated on "What have you done for me lately?"

Last year was last year. Those wins don't get added to this year's. And Raburn's numbers can't be blended into this year's to dilute their stench.

If the Tigers are serious about winning---and I mean truly serious---then they'll do things befitting that seriousness. That means making decisions that are based on performance, not contracts or what someone did last year.

Magglio Ordonez is coming back soon from his ankle injury. The media have speculated that someone who "doesn't deserve" to be optioned to Toledo will be lopped off, i.e. Andy Dirks or Danny Worth.

Two things: the Tigers are carrying one more relief pitcher than normal; and why does the optioned player have to be Dirks or Worth?

Ryan Raburn ought to be cut the moment Ordonez sets foot in the Tigers clubhouse, which could be as soon as Monday.

These are the big leagues. And this is a pennant race in the making. The Tigers aren't bottom feeders who can afford to wait to see if Raburn will come around. We're into mid-June, almost. In the big leagues, if you don't perform, they get rid of you and give someone else a shot.

The Tigers are insulting the intelligence of their fanbase if they think they can trot Ryan Raburn out to second base every day, with his .200 average and 66-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and call themselves a playoff contender.

Shame on them if they think that. And shame on them if they keep Raburn much longer, whose impersonation of a major league baseball player wouldn't even last five minutes on the stage at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle on amateur night.

Northrup Carried Baggage of Curt Flood's Misstep For Decades

2011-06-09T10:06:00.004-04:00

Jim Northrup was sitting across from me and I was glad that his anger wasn't directed toward me. And he was angry, no question about it.

We all know about the epic triple that Northrup, who died yesterday at age 71, hit in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series. The two-run drive off Hall of Famer Bob Gibson broke a scoreless tie and was the eventual series-winning hit. It was the only triple that Gibson surrendered in 1968, when he posted a miniscule 1.12 ERA.

So here it was, 30 years later, and I casually mentioned to Northrup, who was co-hosting a TV show I was producing at the time, about the triple. Specifically, the part about the Cardinals' Curt Flood slipping as he gave chase.

I might as well have poured gasoline on a raging fire.

It was obvious that Northrup was tired of hearing, for 30 years, that the triple was a triple mainly because Flood, who was an excellent center fielder, stumbled.

The Gray Fox launched into an expletive-filled tirade, insisting that there was no way that Flood could have caught that ball, regardless of the stumble. Northrup's face got as red as raw beef the more he talked about it. I didn't know whether to laugh or flee.

"Look at the film!" I remember him barking. "Look at the film!"

Denny McLain, whose words should rarely be trusted, actually spoke the truth yesterday in the wake of the news of Northrup's passing. Denny concurred that Flood would never have caught the ball; it was hit far too hard and far too long.

I could see the 30 years of frustration and anger pouring from Northrup as we chatted that afternoon in 1998 before a taping.

Eight years later, Northrup and I crossed paths again as he participated in a baseball roundtable that included sportswriter Jerry Green. It was for a magazine I was editing. The topic was interleague play and Fox was just as outspoken as ever.

Jim Northrup always got his hacks in---whether it was at the plate or at the table.

I remember conversing with him on the phone in advance of the roundtable and it was free form Northrup. He was in a mood to talk, as usual, so I obliged, feeding him batting practice pitches and marveling at the results.

I found out that he hated playing for Billy Martin because, according to Jim, Martin was quick to take the credit and even quicker to blame his players and others when the Tigers were in a losing funk.

I found out that when Norm Cash was released in 1974 (the day after my birthday), Norm found out on the radio, driving to the ballpark. Northrup told me that he was so upset about the way his friend and teammate was cashiered, that he burst into manager Ralph Houk's office to vent.

The next day, Northrup was traded to Montreal, and he told me that he considered retiring, right then and there. But Expos manager Gene Mauch convinced him to report. More stuff I never knew.

Late in that 1974 season, the Baltimore Orioles picked him up for their pennant push. Northrup went 4-for-7 as an Oriole. He played one last season for the Orioles, then retired.

I found out that Northrup loved playing for Earl Weaver in Baltimore, which is funny because at first blush Billy Martin and Earl Weaver seem like the same guy. But Northrup admired Weaver's fairness and integrity.

Northrup had some nasty words for some of his '68 teammates, but I won't go there.

I asked him about Cash, my favorite Tiger. To my relief, Northrup had nothing but good things to say about Stormin' Norman, who Fox called a great teammate.

Northrup, in fact, told me that HE was the one who suggested interleague play, way back in the late 1960s, early-1970s. He said that GM Jim Campbell told Northrup that MLB already had interleague play: spring training games.

Then came some more colorful words from Fox's mouth.

Northrup was a Michigan kid and, like Cash, Bill Freehan and others, Northrup starred in football as well as baseball in high school.

I've been dreading the day when the '68 Tigers start to go, and by that I mean when we begin to read about their passing every couple of years or so.

We lost Ray Oyler first, the good field, no hit shortstop. Oyler died in 1981 of a heart attack at age 42. Then it was Joe Sparma, who pitched the game that clinched the pennant for the Tigers. Sparma wasn't even supposed to pitch that night, but took the ball when Earl Wilson complained of shoulder discomfort. Sparma also died of a heart attack, in 1986 at age 44.

Then the cruelest blow, to me. Norm Cash, the hard-playing, hard-drinking first baseman, died in October 1986 at age 51 after slipping off a dock up north and drowning. Almost guaranteed that Norm had been drinking that night.

Wilson died in 2006.

But Oyler, Sparma and Cash were anomalies. The core of that 1968 team is, thankfully, still around. But they're either in their 70s or approaching, and it seems athletes don't live as long as the rest of us, so who knows how much longer we'll have them?

Now Northrup is gone, and he'd been in poor health for quite some time. Apparently, according to McLain, Northrup was involved in a game of hearts at his assisted living facility last week and gloated so much over his victory that his playing partner threw the cards in Jim's face.

That doesn't surprise me in the least.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 10

2011-06-06T11:02:00.003-04:00

Last week: 5-1
This week: at Tex (6/6-8); SEA (6/9-12)

So, What Happened?

The Tigers ran into two teams that they've owned lately, that's what happened.

Of course, except for the Kansas City Royals, everyone has owned the Minnesota Twins this season. Teams haven't been able to line up quickly enough to buy a piece of the Twinkies so far.

The Tigers have also been dominating the Chicago White Sox lately, so maybe it's no surprise that the Bengals enjoyed a fine 5-1 week.

Speaking of owning, good thing the Tigers didn't go out and buy Adam Dunn. eh?

It was a week that saw the Cleveland Indians begin the nosedive that we were all hoping/waiting for, as the Tigers drew to within 2.5 games of the Tribe, who've lost nine of their last 12.

MMM is pleased, though he's still concerned that the Tigers tend to rely too much on the longball for their offense.

Hero of the Week

How about this Al Alburquerque guy?

The Tigers may have found their new Joel Zumaya.

All Alby does is come in, strike out guys, and leave runners on base, where they wither and die on the vine.

He logs about two strikeouts per inning, basically by throwing two pitches: a fastball and a slider. But that's really a misnomer, because Alby's slider acts differently depending on how he throws it. Sometimes, it even looks like an old-fashioned breaking ball of Bert Blyleven vintage.

AA got victories in consecutive games against the Twins last week in very similar fashion: by working the eighth inning, striking out guys, and enjoying the fruits of an offense that was heroic late.

There's no better way to douse a fire than with strikeouts, and Alby does that better than anyone. He'll turn 25 this Friday, which is exciting if he's the real deal.

Logic says that big league hitters will be on to his variety of sliders, so command of the fastball is essential, which hurt him last year in the low minors in the Colorado Rockies system.

But the Dominican Republic kid wowed scouts in Winter League ball, and teams were lining up to sign him. The Tigers horned in on him first, however.

Alby is almost a guarantee to get you a strikeout when you badly need one. He was rewarded last week with two victories. With Ryan Perry losing his way and being demoted, Alby is even more crucial to the Tigers bullpen.

Goat of the Week

5-1 weeks don't lend themselves too well to goats, and as hard as MMM tried to think of one, no individual truly stood out.

So in a rare instance of humanity, MMM is declaring that there was NO goat last week.

Even Ryan Raburn redeemed himself with a grand slam on Sunday.

But don't expect too many goat-less weeks, as much as MMM would like to see it.

Under the Microscope

Last week, MMM put third base UtM because of the apparent platooning of Don Kelly and Brandon Inge. Well, Inge is on the DL with mononucleosis, so it looks like MMM was prophetic in placing 3B UtM.

But the same position can't be UtM two weeks in a row. It's an unwritten rule. Actually, now that it's been typed, it is a written rule.

This week, MMM is putting RF Magglio Ordonez UtM.

Maggs is returning this week from the DL with his bad ankle, and he had a brief rehab stint with Toledo over the weekend. which went pretty well.

It's fairly easy to make the case for placing Ordonez UtM.

If Maggs' bat can come around, and he can be reinserted into the #3 spot in the order and be productive, how much better does the Tigers' offense look?

Tigers fans are collectively holding their breath that Ordonez can return to health and be, once again, a key offensive component. That question begins to be answered this week.

Upcoming: Rangers and Mariners

This maybe isn't the best time to play the Texas Rangers, who just swept the Indians in four games and who have been on a tear for about three weeks.

But the schedule says you have to play them, so here you go.

The Tigers took two of three from Texas in April in Detroit, with both wins coming in walk-off fashion. Not that that means anything, but that's the season history thus far.

But the Rangers were playing well then, too.

Then come the Seattle Mariners for four games at CoPa. What kind of a schedule has the M's visit Detroit twice and the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays once? Oh well.

The Mariners, of course, swept the Tigers in three games in Detroit in April, something unforeseen, as the Mariners were a bad team last year and started off as a bad team this year, too.

But the Mariners aren't a bad team right now. They are, surprisingly, bobbing around .500, mainly because they have two studs in their rotation: Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda, both of whom the Tigers will see over the weekend.

The Tigers are three games behind the Indians in the loss column, something that needs to be looked at a little more closely now as we sneak up on the halfway point of the season. Another good week will not only put the Tigers further away from .500, but will continue to put pressure on the Indians in a race that may be of the two-horse variety this summer.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 9

2011-05-30T10:21:00.002-04:00

Last week: 3-3
This week: MIN (5/30-6/1); at CWS (6/3-5)

So, What Happened?

MMM looks at last week's record, sees 3-3, and shakes his head, because it didn't "feel" like a .500 week. It felt much, much worse.

Let's start with losing three straight to the Red Sox over the weekend, which only accentuated why MMM doesn't believe our Motor City Kitties are ready for prime time.

Then there was the strange Scott Sizemore trade, and the demotion of Ryan Perry and the handing of the 2B job to Ryan Freaking Raburn.

All that, and yet the Tigers played .500 for the week. Go figure.

The week began with a pair of victories over hot Tampa Bay, if you can remember that far back, because everything described above happened after the Rays left town.

The Tigers also lost an opportunity to gain ground on the Indians, who have lost four of five.

Hero of the Week

MMM is tempted to give the honor to young lefty Andy Oliver, who pitched well in his 2011 debut on Sunday.

But it's tough to go against Justin Verlander after what he did on Sunday night in the DH nightcap.

The Tigers were semi-reeling, looking like they were about to go off on another of those long losing streaks (it was at three and looking ominous) and be swept in four games at home to Boston, when Verlander came to the rescue.

JV shut the Bosox down, throwing a career-high 132 pitches and allowing zero, zip, nada runs.

He did what he had to do, when he had to do it---especially given the Tigers' popgun offense.

Anyone else want to argue that Max Scherzer, not JV, is the Tigers' ace?

Goat of the Week

MMM can't understand, nor stomach, manager Jim Leyland's stubbornness.

Why he continues to bat the consistent Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila in the lower third of a batting order that is on life support is beyond MMM's comprehension.

MMM says top load the order with Austin Jackson, Peralta, Avila, Miggy Cabrera and Victor Martinez and see what happens.

Then Leyland declared that Raburn was his everyday second baseman on Friday night, and said the season for RR "starts tomorrow."

Well, on Opening Day, Raburn did his usual strikeout boogie, and ended Sunday's first game by being emasculated by Jonathan Papelbon on three pitches.

MMM is making Leyland the goat for his refusal to shake up a batting order that badly needs it.

MMM is tired of seeing the likes of Don Kelly and Andy Dirks (no offense, kid) in the two and three holes.

Under the Microscope

This week it's not a player, per se, who's UtM, but an entire position.

While you could make a case that that position ought to be 2B, MMM is putting 3B UtM.

This is because suddenly there's a pseudo platoon going on at the hot corner, with Brandon Inge and Kelly taking turns, against lefties and righties, respectively.

Inge told the media the other day, "I think (sitting out the last two games) was a way to get me fired up and to bear down."

After which Inge promptly went out and put on another couple of feeble offensive displays.

Neither Inge nor Kelly can hit. Kelly's RBI single late in Sunday's nightcap was just his THIRD ribbie of the season---and Don's been on the roster since Opening Day!!

Eyes should be trained on 2B, too, because there may be a trade a-comin'.

But for now, let's focus our attention on 3B and see what plays out there. Why? Because MMM is a masochist!

Upcoming: Twins and White Sox

The 17-34 Twins invade CoPa for three games. The Tigers must make sure the Twinkies leave town at least 18-36.

That's all MMM is going to say about that series. Nothing more needs to be said.

As for the White Sox, they've been showing some life lately, though they're still "scuffling," as Rod Allen would say.

The Tigers, for whatever reason, have owned the Chisox in a winning streak over the South Siders that goes back to last season. MMM has lost track of how many games in a row the Tigers have won between the two teams, but it's a lot.

Will the streak continue through the upcoming weekend?

You'll never get MMM to put a bet down where the Tigers are concerned. They're more unpredictable than a woman choosing a pair of shoes.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Five Possible Replacements for Tigers Manager Jim Leyland

2011-05-29T11:56:00.000-04:00

Folks who've been reading me lately know how frustrated I've been with Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who is in the last year of his contract. The frustration stems from the Tigers having a golden opportunity to seize a division while their arch enemy White Sox and Twins are struggling, yet they are giving games away (my opinion) with questionable lineups and personnel moves.

While the latter isn't Leyland's responsibility, the former is, and with the Marlboro Man not having been extended yet by owner Mike Ilitch, it begs the question: who should the Tigers look at as a possible replacement?

The team isn't likely to move on this during the season, unless the Tigers completely go into the tank. The Tigers have only made three in-season managerial moves since 1973 (1979,1998 and 2002).

But if they're looking for a new skipper, the Tigers might want to add the following five guys' names to their speed dial.

Tom Brookens, Tigers third base coach.

I'm a little squeamish about promoting from within, especially a guy who was hand-picked by Leyland to replace Andy Van Slyke as first base coach before the 2010 season.

But Brookens only has 212 games of Leyland's stench on him, and he was a great Tiger and a pretty good minor league manager. One of my first thoughts after I heard that the former third baseman was returning to the big club was that he might be Leyland's successor one day.

Could that day come next season? Tommy's a long shot, because typically first base coaches don't make the leap to manager, but Brookens has managed before, just not at the MLB level.

DeMarlo Hale, Red Sox bench coach.

Hale was promoted to bench coach for the Red Sox before the 2010 season by manager Terry Francona, after several years as third base coach.

Hale is an astute baseball man who was rumored to be among the finalists for the Blue Jays managerial job last winter.

Hale's managerial career began in 1993 in the Red Sox lower minor league system. He managed at the AAA level in 2000-01 while in the Texas Rangers system.

Hale's promotion speaks volumes, and his being in the running for the Toronto job tells me that he might be a hot commodity of the up-and-coming variety.

Hale will turn 50 in July, and he's a Chicago guy, so he knows the midwestern area and how passionate the baseball fans are around these parts.

Pete Mackanin, Phillies bench coach.

Pete Mackanin, the Phillies bench coach, has served as a big league manager twice in interim stints---with the Pirates in 2005 and with the Reds in 2007. He didn't overwhelm in either instance, but he was interim.

Mackanin has been the right hand man of Charlie Manuel since before the 2009 season. Mackanin's been a big league player, a scout, a coach, and an interim manager.

If the Tigers want to poach a bench coach of a successful organization from the National League (a la with Hale of the Red Sox), then they could do a lot worse than Mackanin.

Jerry Manuel, former White Sox and Mets manager.

Jerry Manuel is another who has ties to the Tigers organization, having made his big league playing debut with them in 1975.

He's also managed in the big leagues, and in the Tigers division---with the White Sox. He's also noted for being left twisting in the wind with the Mets as their skipper.

Manuel, nicknamed "The Sage," is a little longer in the tooth these days (he'll be 58 in December) but if you can handle managing in New York and survive with your dignity (and sanity!), then you would presumably be well-prepped to manage the Tigers.

Manuel was the AL Manager of the Year in 2000.

Bob Brenly, former Diamondbacks manager.

Bob Brenly, currently broadcasting for the Cubs, hasn't managed in the big leagues since 2004, and only has managed for 3+ seasons at the big league level, period.

But oh, how successful they were.

Brenly's first Arizona Diamondbacks team, in 2001, won the World Series, ending the Yankees stranglehold on the Fall Classic.

In 2002, Brenly's team again won the NL West with 98 wins, but flamed out in the NLDS, getting swept by the Cardinals.

In 2003, the D-Backs won 84 games but finished third. The following season, Brenly was relieved after a 29-50 start.

But he still wants to manage; Brenly has been applying and interviewing, but hasn't been able to find his way back into a dugout.

Brenly, a former big league catcher (those types seem to make good managers) is an Ohio native, which would suit him well managing for the Tigers.

And two who'd be great but who aren't coming: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays manager; and Kirk Gibson, Arizona D-Backs manager.

Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon, I think, would be terrific for the Tigers, and his effusive praise of some of the Tigers young players last week while the Rays were in town raised my eyebrows.

But Maddon is under contract with the Rays through the 2012 season, making it highly unlikely that he'd be hired by the Tigers.

Also under contract through 2012 is Arizona's Kirk Gibson, and I don't think I have to list why Kirk would be a good fit in Detroit, especially seeing the success he's having so far with the D-Backs.

Saturday Special: Tigers Can Still Win Central Despite Their Warts

2011-05-28T10:52:00.002-04:00

Imagine going to a magic show and the beautiful girl gets turned into a witch with a mole on her nose.

That's what happened in Tigertown yesterday, when GM Dave Dombrowski managed to turn Placido Polanco into a journeyman left-handed reliever who's on his third team this season.

Presto!

The Tigers' trade of 2B Scotty Sizemore to the Oakland A's for lefty David Purcey completes the magic trick. Dombrowski is quite the magician; he's also managed to make all the Tigers' positional player prospects vanish, too.

The Tigers let hitting machine Polanco walk after the 2009 season and then handed the 2B job to Sizemore, no questions asked. Even after Scotty snapped an ankle in Winter League ball, the Tigers were resolute: Sizemore would be the starting second baseman, gimpy ankle or not.

Mainly because the organization had no one else of note.

Sizemore limped around for two months last season before the Tigers wisely put him out of his misery and called up Will Rhymes, who did OK, batting .300 in about 200 AB. It looked like the Tigers might have, at the very least, some healthy competition at second base; at the worst, Sizemore would be the odd man out, given Rhymes' performance in 2010.

Rhymes won the job in spring training from Sizemore, who I got the feeling the Tigers weren't quite ready to believe in, for whatever reason.

You know what happened to Rhymes---he couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag, and became a bunting specialist. He became a National League pitcher at the plate, and batting second in the order, no less. So the Tigers called up Sizemore a few weeks ago.

This morning, the Tigers are on their fourth second baseman, and we're not even to Memorial Day yet.

Manager Jim Leyland---we'll get to him later---announced yesterday that Ryan Raburn will be the new second baseman until further notice.

Will Rhymes. Scott Sizemore. Danny Worth (don't forget him; he was recalled this week). And now Ryan Raburn?

Raburn, who strikes out a third of the time while hitting .200 and whose glove has to be welded together, not laced, is going to be the Tigers' everyday second baseman.

Unless this is all temporary until Dombrowski pulls off a blockbuster for a real second baseman, then you have my permission to curl up into the fetal position and sob.

Don't forget the Tigers' third baseman, Brandon Inge, who is playing on two bad knees, bats .200, also strikes out about a third of the time, and whose power has been disconnected as if he forgot to pay his DTE bill.

Dombrowski's MO has been to stockpile young power arms, which is fine, but position players have been an afterthought in his drafts and personnel development.

How else to explain the likes of borderline MLB players such as Raburn, Don Kelly, Rhymes, Sizemore, Worth and Clete Thomas---and I could go on and on---occupying spots on the 25-man roster in recent years?

Sometimes DD trades for or signs guys who can't hit; he doesn't always recall them from the minors.

Neifi Perez, Jacque Jones or Adam Everett, anyone?

Dombrowski has been the GM since early in the 2002 season. That's going on 10 full seasons now. You can count the number of stud prospects the Tigers have produced in that time frame---not including those who toe the rubber---on one hand.

Unless DD is trading them away, like Matt Joyce and Cody Ross.

Look at the hitters who are worth a damn in the Tigers lineup. Not one of them came through the system.

Miggy Cabrera. Magglio Ordonez (yes, he still remains in this category until further notice). Victor Martinez. Austin Jackson. Jhonny Peralta.

Don't come at me with Brennan Boesch. He's still very much an unknown entity. I have no idea if the kid is going to be good or not. I wouldn't wager on him with anything more than half a sawbuck, I'll tell you that.

Dombrowski's milieu seems to be the trade or the free agent signing---not so much player development. And even the former has had its cockeyed moments.

Again, Jacque Jones? Edgar Renteria?

But DD, I must admit, has brought some good folks into the organization from outside it. Pudge Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Kenny Rogers, to name a few. But see the trend? Aging guys. Ordonez was signed in his prime, but usually Dombrowski brings in guys whose better days are behind them, with the distinct exception of Cabrera.

Dombrowski let Johnny Damon go because he didn't feel that Johnny could play the outfield on a daily basis, which he really can't. But how would Damon look in the two hole right now, even if he plays a stilted left field? Johnny is having himself a fine year down in Tampa.

The trade of Sizemore---and you can argue that it was a quick trigger---and the subsequent shift of Raburn to 2B combine to form an indictment of the Tigers minor league system. It was the white flag of surrender: we have no second baseman.

Dombrowski said after the trade that the Tigers weren't in a "developmental situation" that would allow for Sizemore to work out the kinks in his MLB offensive game. DD said the Tigers didn't have that "luxury."

That's GM speak for, "I'd better win now, because my contract is expiring at the end of the year."

So is Leyland's, and I'm losing faith in him by the day.

Let's play a little game called "Which lineup looks better?"

See the below lineup:

CF Jackson
2B Raburn
LF/RF Boesch
1B Cabrera
DH Martinez
RF/LF Wells/Kelly
SS Peralta
C Avila
3B Inge

The above is a typical Leyland lineup, would you agree?

Now compare it to the following:

CF Jackson
SS Peralta
C Avila
1B Cabrera
DH Martinez
LF/RF Boesch
RF/LF Wells/Kelly
2B Raburn
3B Inge

Which one looks better to you?

Why Leyland insists on suppressing Peralta and Avila, two of the guys who can actually swing the bat, in the bottom third of the order is beyond me.

Can you imagine the increased quality of pitches Jhonny and Alex would see batting 2-3? Especially Avila, who would be protected by none other than Cabrera.

The 1-thru-5 slots in my proposed order---especially if Austin Jackson finally steps it up---certainly look better on paper, don't they?

I heard Dennis Fithian on 97.1 The Ticket yesterday say that moving Avila to #3 might be a risk because the kid may not be able to handle it. And, Fithian said that if you move Avila and Peralta, what do you do if they go into a slump after the switch?

Good grief.

The Tigers have a division to win, despite their warts. The Indians, I'm convinced, are not for real---not yet. The White Sox and the Twins are down, though the Chisox are playing better as of late.

This is the time for ACTION, not for babying anyone---not for worrying about slumps that may or not even happen.

The Tigers need a shakeup, badly.

The Frick and Frack tandem of Dombrowski and Leyland are beginning to make people in Detroit look at them cross-eyed, and for good reason.

This is a team constructed from a blend of AAAA players and veterans, but it could still win the division, which speaks more about the division than the Tigers.

The Tigers have no second baseman. They have no third baseman, either, really. Nor do they have two thirds of an outfield, as far as that goes. And they have a suspect bullpen.

But they can still win this thing, if the manager stops being stubborn and the GM gets off his duff and makes something happen. The owner isn't getting any younger, and neither are we.

Leyland's Superiority Complex Baffling

2011-05-25T14:02:00.003-04:00

Jim Leyland, in case you haven't heard, is a rocket scientist.

He presides over a job so sophisticated, so complicated, that it defies the understanding of those who aren't rocket scientists.

He stands above all in his knowledge of his very scientific vocation, and therefore has no use for those whose brains simply cannot wrap themselves around the mesmerizing theorems, laws and corollaries that one must know in order to manage a baseball team.

OOPS---did I say Jim was a rocket scientist?

I made an assumption, since that's how he treats his job, and those who dare question his logic.

Actually, in the World According to Leyland, it's perfectly OK for fans of the sport to second guess and question. He thinks that's great. It shows passion and proves that Detroit is a great baseball town.

But if the second guessing and questions come from those who wear announcers' headsets or who scribble on a notepad or bang away on a keyboard, then he has no use for those types.

Or, in Jim's words, "People who don't know s**t about baseball."

The Tigers manager is as transparent as an icicle on this one.

He's OK with the fans second guessing him, because he doesn't have to talk to the fans. The fans don't show up in his office before games or afterward, daring to ask why he did what he did that night.

If they were, Jim wouldn't be so gung-ho for the fans' right to bitch.

Leyland's latest escapade with patronizing the media came on Monday, before the Tigers started their series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The day before, Leyland's removal of Rick Porcello after eight shutout, one-hit innings with a pitch count at 84 raised some eyebrows. In his rant on Monday, Leyland seemed to take the eyebrow-raising in stride---because it was coming from the fans, i.e. those he doesn't have to face.

But when 97.1's Jeff Rieger asked the skipper if the second guessing bothered him, Leyland attacked the media, distinctly placing them in a different category from the fans in terms of their knowledge of the game.

I don't mind the fans, Leyland said, but I do mind people "who don't know s**t about baseball."

Hmmm....by process of elimination, who was Jim talking about?

Rieger himself? Perhaps. But likely, the slap was directed at others on the airwaves and in print who've dared to criticize the way he handles a ballclub.

In talking about Leyland's rant to retired Detroit and New York broadcaster Bob Page on "The Knee Jerks" two-year anniversary podcast, Page said, "I've been a baseball fan since 1959. I covered it for over 30 years as a reporter and broadcaster." Page went on to say that while those years don't necessarily make him a manager, they don't make him an idiot, either.

Besides, how complicated is baseball, anyway? Funny how it can be portrayed as very simple---even by guys like Leyland---but when the heat gets turned up, the game suddenly takes on quantum physics-like properties that only a manager can understand.

Page also astutely wondered out loud, "Can you imagine this guy managing in New York? For either the Mets OR the Yankees?"

I replied that the Marlboro Man wouldn't last much longer than a cigarette in a New York dugout.

Earlier in the season, Leyland made fun of those who very reasonably wondered why he didn't bunt Brennan Boesch in Cleveland during that extra innings affair that the Tigers lost, when the only goal at that point was to score a single run.

"That's Little League stuff!" Leyland said. "Oh, 'little Johnny can bunt the guy over,'" he said as those in the room laughed.

The Tigers lost, which I didn't find too funny.

Since when is bunting a runner over "Little League stuff"?

And since when is Boesch above bunting? The manager said that he would "never" bunt Brennan Boesch, who at the time was hitting well over .300.

Boesch has been a major leaguer for less than one full season, pretty much. He's not Miguel Cabrera.

And what about Leyland's decision to save Max Scherzer for the home opener, rather than pitch him on opening weekend in New York against the Yankees?

The manager pretty much got a free pass on that one from those mean old media people.

The sardonically funny irony here is that I look at Jim Leyland's resume and I wonder how he considers himself so smart, and so above everyone else. He's not Joe Torre or Tony LaRussa or Ron Gardenhire, in case you were still confused about that---because I know Jim can try awfully hard to make you think that he is.

Here's what Jim Leyland did before coming to Detroit: he f***ed up NLCS series with the Pittsburgh Pirates three years in a row.

Then he caught lightning in a bottle with the 1997 Florida Marlins, then stole a paycheck from the 1999 Colorado Rockies.

In Detroit, he nearly blew a playoff spot in 2006, bungled a great first half in 2007, didn't have his star-studded team ready to open the season in 2008, blew a three-game lead with four to play in 2009, and saw another team fade in 2010.

That's how smart he is.

Just because you've managed for a long time doesn't make you a good manager.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 8

2011-05-23T11:45:00.003-04:00

Last week: 1-5
This week: TB (5/23-25); BOS (5/26-29)

So, What Happened?

MMM is getting dizzy riding this roller coaster our Bengals are putting us on.

The Motor City Kitties went 1-5 following a 5-0 week, which was part of a 10-1 stretch.

They manage to beat the high-profile teams and struggle against mediocrity.

Last week featured two games in Boston played in London fog that were about as miserable and frustrating as any you'll see---if you're a Tigers fan.

The Tigers put base runner after base runner on the paths, yet had the maddening inability to drive said runners home. The result was two one-run losses against the surging Red Sox.

At one point last week, MMM saw a graphic that said the Tigers were in a 2-for-31 funk with RISP. They should just take the "S" out of that acronym, for a performance like that!

Oh, and the Indians keep winning, which didn't help MMM's mindset.

Hero of the Week

Seems like MMM is presented with a quandary every week, in this up-and-down season.

Either there are too many heroes to pick just one, or there are too many goats to pick just one.

This week it's the latter, which means it's not easy finding a hero.

But MMM is going with Jhonny Peralta, the smiling shortstop.

Peralta has a little bit of clutch in him, and he's driving the baseball with power. Plus, he's playing a competent, if not spectacular shortstop.

Peralta slammed another jack in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and with the way Rick Porcello pitched (a close second in HotW, btw), the homer gave the Tigers an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

One could make a good case for Ricky as HotW, but MMM is sticking with Peralta as a reward for his consistency of late.

Goat of the Week

Ahh, quite a menu.

Could it be the Tigers hitters, who were allergic to a clutch RBI?

Could it be the bullpen, aka Gasoline Alley?

Could it be Mr. Popup/DP/K Brandon Inge?

No, it's none other than Ryan Raburn, who is making MMM think the young man doesn't belong on a big league roster. At least, MMM would prefer it if RR wasn't on the Tigers' payroll.

Raburn is having a horrific May, but what has MMM up in arms is that we seem to see little to no improvement in his hitting approach. His strikeout ratio makes Austin Jackson look like Felix Millan (look it up).

Raburn is a butcher in the field, so it's not like you can live with his atrocious bat, a la Inge.

Here's an honorable mention to batting coach Lloyd McClendon, while we're at it. MMM couldn't help but notice the strides Curtis Granderson has made against lefties under Yankees batting coach Kevin Long. The Tigers have been a poor RISP-hitting team ever since Lloyd has been here, pretty much.

Under the Microscope

See above.

There have been whispers lately, which are growing into murmurs. Soon to follow might be rumblings and then outrage.

Why? Because of McClendon.

What's a struggling team and a frustrated fanbase without a scapegoat?

McClendon is looking mighty bad in the wake of Grandy's mega-improvement under Yankees batting coach Kevin Long, which has lit up the switchboard at sports talk radio with folks beginning to look at McClendon sideways.

You know what? MMM thinks those are valid concerns.

The Tigers have never, really, been a good team with RISP. They're even worse with a runner on third base with less than two outs. MMM hasn't seen any significant improvement under Mr. McClendon. The natives are getting restless, as they see a division there for the taking, the Indians notwithstanding.

Which is why Lloyd McClendon is UtM.

Upcoming: Rays and Red Sox

Here we go again. The Tigers slumping, about to entertain a powerhouse team.

First the Texas Rangers, then the New York Yankees breezed into town and both times the Tigers were scuffling. Both times, the Tigers lost the opening game of the series. And both times, the Tigers won the remaining games of the series.

Now here come the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, followed by the hot Red Sox. Same scenario: Tigers struggling, good teams invade Comerica Park.

In this season of ups and downs, don't be surprised if the Tigers get hot, inexplicably, this week.

MMM wants to call the Tigers the Six Flags Amusement Park of baseball: more roller coasters than you can shake a stick at!

BTW, the Rays series marks the return of one-year Tigers wonder Johnny Damon, who's having a good year down in Florida.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Tigers Ought to Pull Out All Stops and Win the AL Central

2011-05-20T14:26:00.002-04:00

If there ever was a year where the AL Central was for the taking, it's this year.

Take a look at the standings.

The Minnesota Twins, often the division's kings, are playing like court jesters. The Chicago White Sox, though showing signs of life, are still five games below .500. The Kansas City Royals are already fading after their surprising start.

And the Cleveland Indians? Still too early for me to buy what the Tribe is selling.

It's all there for the Tigers. They'll never find a storm as perfect as this one to seize their first divisional flag since 1987.

And that's what they ought to do.

It's wonderfully timed in that this opportunity coincides with the expiring contracts of GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland. Never again will these two men be in this situation---their fates undetermined while the division is up for grabs.

Owner Mike Ilitch, who isn't getting any younger, better be presented with proposed moves to sign off on, involving players outside of the organization. Because the Tigers, as they are now, cannot win the division simply by showing up and willing it to happen.

There are too many holes to stand pat, but they can be band-aided over.

Mortgage the future, I say. Go for it now. Never again will the chance be this good.

When else will the Twins and the White Sox be this down, in the same year? Those were the teams that the so-called experts---me included---figured would be the Tigers' main competition. Well, look at them now. And look at the Tigers.

The Tigers are 22-21, on a three-game losing streak in a maddening year of streakiness, good and bad. They tease us with clutch hitting and good pitching, then retreat back to remedial baseball---losing baseball.

Still, they are the best team in the division right now, if only for their supreme starting pitching. But that pitching needs help---both from the back end of the bullpen, re: the 8th inning set up man, and from the hitters.

The Tigers play with a third baseman who's hitting .200, a second baseman that still has question marks, and only one-third of an outfield that is somewhat reliable. Even the stud, Miguel Cabrera, is scuffling.

But it's all there, the division. The Tigers won't have a better chance to grab it than right now. It's their only pure chance of making the playoffs. The Wild Card is unlikely to come from the Central.

So they ought to go out and do it. The Tigers ought to do whatever it takes to win this thing. Trade Jacob Turner, trade Andy Oliver if you have to.

Just win the damn thing now, when you have this good of an opportunity.

Monday Morning Manager 2011, Edition 7

2011-05-16T11:11:00.002-04:00

Last week: 5-0
This week: TOR (5/16-17); at Bos (5/18-19); at Pit (5/20-22)

So, What Happened?

An undefeated week makes MMM a happy camper, despite the rain that's been drenching the Motor City the last few days.

The Tigers took care of business against a bad Twins team and beat a Royals club twice that has given them fits over the years. They started the week with a win in Toronto, which completed a 3-1 series in Canada.

The current 10-1 tear has vaulted the Tigers four games over .500 and just 3-1/2 games behind the Indians for first place in the AL Central.

BTW, MMM is wondering if you noticed that since the Yankees beat the Tigers two weeks ago tonight, the Tigers have gone 10-1 and the Yankees have gone 3-9, a 7-1/2 game swing. The Yankees walked off the field two weeks ago with a 6-1/2 game lead on the Tigers (hey, never too early to talk Wild Card!!), and this morning the Bronx Bombers wake up a game behind the Bengals.

Hero of the Week

First, it's not Justin Verlander, even though JV came 3.1 innings away from matching Johnny Vander Meer's record of two straight no-hitters, when he denied the Royals a hit until two outs in the sixth inning on Friday night.

This week, MMM is throwing the bouquet to none other than free agent signee Victor Martinez, who has become an RBI machine of late.

Good timing, too, because the man he's hitting behind is scuffling a little bit (more on that later). Martinez returned from the disabled list during that Yankees series, and the Tigers are 9-1 since his return. It's been no coinkydink, because V-Mart has been raking.

Martinez, right now, is just what the Tigers expected when they signed him last winter. Maybe more. Here's manager Jim Leyland, spoken the other day.

"I never thought he'd hit like this," the skipper said. Not sure if he meant that he didn't think Victor would hit like this, period, or that he didn't expect him to hit like this fresh off the DL.

Goat of the Week

OK, how do you choose a goat from an undefeated week?

By going outside the box and, at the risk of personal harm, giving the nod to Mother Nature.

The last thing a team on a seven-game winning streak wants to do is not play! M-Nat washed out Sunday's series finale against the Royals. Let's hope the unplanned day off doesn't impact the Tigers' play.

Under the Microscope

MMM looks at the numbers of Miguel Cabrera and shakes his head a little bit.

Miggy seems to have been sitting on 7 HR and 27 RBI forever, even though he hasn't. He's batting .309. Those are good numbers---for mortals, which Miggy isn't.

Extrapolated (there's your $20 word for the week), Miggy is on pace for about 28 homers and 108 RBI. Umm, do those look like Cabrera-type numbers to you?

Cabrera hasn't gone yard since April 30, in Cleveland. That's over two weeks, folks.

Thankfully, Victor Martinez has picked up the slack while Miggy gets his house in order.

It's not panic time, because Cabrera's too damn good. There are whispers that he's fighting a little back issue and maybe another minor ailment. Regardless, MMM puts Miggy UtM because he's suddenly slipped to the realm of good when he should be GREAT.

Upcoming: Blue Jays, Red Sox and Pirates

M-Nat willing, the Tigers will squeeze a pair of games in early this week in Detroit against the same Blue Jays who they handled in Toronto a week ago. Jose Bautista clubbed three homers yesterday in Minnesota, so maybe he got the longball out of his system for awhile, eh?

Toronto is never an easy team to beat, despite what the Tigers did in Ontario.

Then it's off to Boston for two games to square off against the surging Red Sox, fresh off a three-game sweep of the Yankees in New York---just their third sweep in the Bronx since 1999. The Bosox are .500 for the first time all season, at 20-20, after a 2-10 start. Verlander is scheduled to start on Thursday.

The weekend sees inter-league play begin, and even though they're again under .500, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a better Pirates team than we've seen since, oh, 1992. They're still not good, but they can beat you, thanks to exciting players like CF Andrew McCutchen and 2B Neil Walker.

On the mound, Charlie Morton (4-1, 3.13) and lefty Paul Maholm (1-5, but with a 3.60 ERA) lead the way. The Tigers are likely to see both of them over the weekend, as Morton's Thursday start was rained out after two innings, slating him to pitch Tuesday and then on Sunday this week.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Inge's Bat Toxic for Tigers; How Much Longer Can This Go On?

2011-05-13T12:47:00.000-04:00

Leo Durocher would love Brandon Inge.

Leo the Lip would have seamlessly inserted Inge onto the 1946 New York Giants roster, had him play third base instead of the real starter, Billy Rigney, and Brandon would have been perfectly suited for that role, on that team.

For it was about the ‘46 Giants that Durocher uttered his famous, though widely misinterpreted line, “Nice guys finish last.”

Actually, Leo—managing the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time—told Red Barber that July day in 1946 of the Giants, “They’re a bunch of nice guys. But they’ll finish last. Nice guys; finish last.”

The inference was that the Giants were laden with nice gentlemen, like Mel Ott, but all that would get them would be a last place finish, which the Giants accomplished that year.

Brandon Inge is a nice guy who’s batting last, and there’s debate whether he should even be doing that.

Inge, the kewpie doll third baseman who so many of the female Tigers fans would love to just squeeze to death, delivered a game-winning triple in the ninth inning in Minnesota the other day. It was his first hit of any significance this season, and I couldn’t even tell you when the last one was prior to it.

I’ve been a Brandon Inge supporter, no question. It was without the benefit of controlled substances that I once wrote that a statue might be erected of him at Comerica Park someday, for Inge, I wrote, would forever be a Tiger and he lives here all year long and he kind of epitomizes the town in which he plays.

Sadly, you don’t write blogs with invisible ink.

Today I look at Inge and I see a guy who’s still above average defensively, but whose bat is positively toxic. Tigers rallies go to Inge’s bat to die.

There isn’t really anything to like about Inge’s offensive game. If this was basketball, he’d be Ben Wallace.

Inge brings nothing to the table with the bat. He doesn’t drive in runs from third base with less than two outs—something that the kid catcher, Alex Avila, has become a master at.

Inge doesn’t move the runner from second to third by guiding the ball to the right side. He doesn’t give you quality, lengthy at-bats. He has no power anymore, perhaps a result of the troubles he’s had with his knees. He strikes out too much. If he’s not doing that, he’s grounding into a double play or popping the ball into shallow left field.

He’s a .200 hitter with no home run threat any longer, which was something you could expect to get occasionally. No more. Inge has one home run this year, on pace to hit less than five.

So why is he still in the lineup, albeit batting ninth?

Well, there’s the defense, which is still pretty good. But is it good enough to cancel out the pathetic bat?

This is mid-May, which is not the best time to seek help from outside the organization—at least not without overpaying.

So if there’s help, it has to come from within.

Danny Worth, perhaps, from Toledo?

This is all moot, though. The Tigers aren’t going to do anything with Inge; they certainly won’t cut him. He’s a Tiger, and manager Jim Leyland loves him and you still see more Inge jerseys in the stands at CoPa than any other.

They might not do anything with Inge now, but if this limp noodle act at the plate continues for another month or so, a hard decision may have to be made. Leyland is trying to hide Inge at no. 9 in the order, and right now it’s working because the rest of the team’s bats are perking up.

I’ve written that with Inge, he is what he is. He’ s been a Tiger for over 10 years now and no one has been able to improve his offense all that much. He is, today, what he was back in the early-2000s: an undisciplined hacker who can occasionally grab a hold of one and drive it far.

But actually this season he’s even worse, because he has no power. It’s Gerald Laird and Adam Everett, redux.

Perhaps Inge isn’t as popular of a Tiger as Curtis Granderson was. But he’s still popular, though polarizing. It’s never easy to lop those types off your roster. But sooner or later, Inge has to produce. One would think, anyway.