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July 16, 1935 Athletics 8, Tigers 2 (49-33)

For the first time in almost a month, the Tigers lost two games in a row as they dropped their four game series with the Athletics. General Crowder pitched only six innings and he took the loss.

The Tigers did hit the ball well as they racked up fifteen hits but they left thirteen men on base. Mickey Cochrane and Goose Goslin both had three hits, and Pete Fox hit his seventeenth homer of the season.

This is it. Here we go. As the calendar winds its way toward July 31, it’s all trade talk, all the time. What will the Tigers do? My own theory is that we’ll mostly stand pat. Why? Well, the team has hit a slump and just can’t seem to put much, if any, distance between them and a .500 record (well, not on the right side of a .500 record, anyways). So, logically, that would make us “sellers” in a potential trade market. For my next few turns, I’ll take a look at just what we have to offer. Today, the infield:

C: Ivan Rodriguez — Somewhat of an untradeable contract (especially for a catcher at age 33), and hasn’t been playing well to boot: at 4.59 Runs Created per 27 Outs (RC27), he’s ahead of only Nook Logan among Tigers who have qualifying plate appearance totals. Here’s another trade-killer… Let’s say a contending team does want him. We’ll need a major-league quality catcher in return. Our minor league system is bereft of quality catching, especially at the upper levels. I suppose one could argue that Max St. Pierre is finally hitting, but is doing so at age 25 in his third try at AA. Nobody will want Vance Wilson the way he’s been going. I’m not even sure we really much want him. Speaking of which, have you seen what Anderson Hernandez has been up to?

1B/DH: Chris Shelton — Young (turned 25 this summer), not yet arb-eligible, and hitting up a storm (a whopping 9.32 RC27, which would place him atop the league if only he had enough plate appearances to qualify) after his lost Rule V season. Not going anywhere. As close to untouchable as it gets, though if you really want to offer us 3 premium prospects (at least one of which is ready right now) or the like for him… And who’s going to do that for a guy that has a… less-than-stellar (and I’m being kind, here) defensive reputation?

1B/DH: Carlos Pena — As bad as he was earlier in the season (a woeful 2.90 RC27), dude is flat-out raking down at Toledo. As much of a disappointment as he was in the Olde English D, the Toledo numbers make you wonder if he has found it again at the age of 27. In fact, he might make some excellent trade bait, assuming we’re looking to buy instead of sell.

1B/DH: Dmitri Young — He’s kind of on the border of whether he would be on the next significant Tiger team at the age of 31 (turns 32 shortly after the end of the season). Making far too much money for his output and relatively poor defense (he’s pretty much down to 1st base duties only), and I recently learned that his 2006 season vests with 500 plate appearances in 2005. Believe me, I am not above rooting for an injury. Furthermore, he stinks right now: a 4.74 RC27, including an odious .309 OBP. His RC27 number is only that high because of his recent penchant for 400+ foot bombs on his one hit he gets in every dozen at-bats or so. He has improved lately (1167 OPS in the last 7 days), but he’s currently at 333 PA… Count me in as pulling for a pull, if you know what I mean.

2B: Placido Polanco — Might be the perfect Comerica-type player, and he won’t turn 30 until shortly after the regular season… Hits line drives, isn’t swinging for the fences on every at-bat… Has compiled a 6.71 RC27 since the trade, and was at 6.01 with the Phils. Word is that the Tigers brass would like to ink him to a Carlos Guillen-like deal… I like the idea of that. However, he might make for some fine trade bait if the Tigers feel like they’re not going to retain him in the off-season, as he is in his “walk year”. If they do sign him to a reasonable deal, he might well find himself in a “sell” trade as the deal draws to a close (see Carlos Guillen comments below).

2B/SS/possible utility role: Omar Infante — Showed a lot of promise last year after quite a down year in 2003, but has lost his job by not keeping it going… His RC27 in 2003 was 2.39, spiked to 5.01 last year, and currently sits at 3.57. On the other hand, he does have the age thing going for him (he’s just 23). If we sign Polanco to an extension or at least have indications that such a deal is close, Infante might be bait for a buying trade.

3B: Brandon Inge — Not yet arb-eligible (and is 28 years old), and his bat has made an amazing transformation since his conversion from catcher… His RC27 in his years playing primarily as a catcher: 1.64, 2.82, 2.78. In the 2 years since then: 5.43 and currently 5.90. To my mind, he’s not going anywhere, but on the other hand, he might be in the “Jeff Weaver role” as the Tiger who can get the most value in return in a “sell” trade. Could Infante play third if we did that?

SS: Carlos Guillen — Age 29 and signed to a very reasonable 4-year deal last year. Had a breakout season at 7.60 RC27 after spending 4 consecutive years in the 4’s. It looks like the improvement was genuine, as he is currently at 7.00 despite battling a knee recovering from surgery all season. About as untouchable as any Tiger, but I do wonder about his age a bit. He is one of the older players on this list, and there does seem to be a replacement there in Infante. Probably not this year, but I could see him going in a “sell” trade near the end of his contract. On the other hand, I would hope that by the end of his contract, the Tigers will be in “buy” mode.

Bobby Abreu really did us a favor last night. The next time a Troy Glaus or Jeff Kent-level free agent comes to town, the Tigers brass will have an answer when they ask about the distant fences. “Remember Bobby Abreu? The guy who had never hit more than 31 homers in a season? He came in here and hit 41 in that home run derby on a hot July evening.” What a fantastic way to dispel the rumors that Comerica is a historically horrible place to clear the fences.

And, hey, check out this page… Comerica, it seems, is quite some distance from the toughest place to go yard. I think that, since they moved the LF fences in, it plays pretty fair. Now, are you going to have some frustrating outs when you either hit it to the wrong part of the yard or during cold weather? Yes. But on hot summer days, it plays quite differently. Is it one of the better pitchers’ parks out there? Yes, but not extremely so. No way is it a “reverse Coors”.

July 11, 1935 Tigers 7, Senators 6 (47-30)

A six run fourth inning by the Senators appear to put this one out of reach, but two runs in the eighth put the game into extra frames. The Tigers didn’t waste much time in extra innings as Billy Rogell reached base on an error and scored the winning run on relief pitcher Chief Hogsett’s single.

The Tigers had only seven hits, but both Charlie Gehringer and Goose Goslin homered. Schoolboy Rowe pitched 7 1/3 innings with the big fourth inning his only real flaw. He struck out four.

What to do? What to do?…. I think we’ve all faced a time in our lives when, for whatever reasons, we had a number of options in front of us, and didn’t know which path to choose. I know I have had times when I wished I had fewer options than what I did, simply because it would make the decision easier. You don’t sleep well, every waking moment is spent considering the options and the consequences. And somewhere deep down, you know there are unanticipated consequences, things you just can’t possibly know. Yet, you worry about that, too, trying to anticipate the unthinkable. It’s your life, and you’re trying to make the best decision possible. It can be a lot of pressure.

I wonder how Dave Dombrowski is sleeping these days. Let’s face it, he’s got to be shopping Rondell White. That one is a no-brainer. Rondell’s trade value is never going to be higher than it is right now. And with Magglio Ordonez coming back, moving Craig Monroe over to left field and keeping Nook Logan’s stellar defense (and whatever offense he provides is gravy) in the lineup makes a ton of sense. But there are (likely) offers on the table that are varied. Do you take the offer from a fellow contending team who is trading strength-for-strength (which is what the Polanco-Urbina trade boiled down to), or do you ship him to (let’s say) Atlanta for some of their premium prospects?

In a way, I would bet that Dombrowski is fervently hoping that Curtis Granderson just continues to muddle along down in Toledo with numbers that look good-not-great… Curtis going on a hot streak would just mess everything up. Wait. Then again, maybe we could send him out to a “seller” team if he picks it up… Hell, we’ve got that Monroe-Logan-Ordonez outfield set for a few years. They can hang in there until the next outfield prospect comes along, right? Or will Curtis start tearing it up for some other team starting immediately after we trade him? I still remember that Randy Johnson trade I made in Montreal… People forget, there was little clue that he was going to The Big Unit or even merely above average at the time of the trade. Hell, he struggled mightily in Seattle for a while before he suddenly figured it out. And let’s not forget that Mark Langston pitched well for us… Jeez, a 2.39 ERA and 12 wins in 24 starts… How can you complain about that? Uh, wait, where was I again? Yeah, Granderson… Mark him as potentially a big part of the 2007 Tigers… And also as a guy who can potentially bring us what we need to get over the top right here in 2005.

And that young pitching… Wow, Verlander and Zumaya are just lighting it up down there, aren’t they? Makes you wonder if some “seller” team might be interested in Wil Ledezma, doesn’t it? Or would a “buyer” team be interested in Mike Maroth? What are each of those teams offering? But we should probably wait and see how Sean Douglass will perform as a fill-in, right? Or are we being offered, in return for Ledezma, a guy who can start for us right now?

We’ve already traded away excess from our bullpen, but it makes you wonder if anybody would be interested in Matt Ginter. Or is one of the contending teams fishing around for a LOOGY? Has anyone else noticed that Vic Darensbourg hasn’t allowed a run in Toledo all year?

Then there is the “X” factor… And here is where his experience in the now-infamous Randy Johnson trade might come in handy… On the day of that trade, Dombrowski’s Expos were at dead-on .500, and it was a little early yet… They were 23-23, and the date was just May 23. The Expos finished up dead-on at .500, too, 81-81, 12 games back of the Cubs in the NL East (and, just for fun, they finished 8 games back of the Padres, who would have been the wild card winner that year, had there been one… For that matter, they would have been only 6 back of the Mets, who would have won the fictional NL East title with the Cubs moved to the imaginary NL Central). So the “X” factor is this: How the big club performs between now and… let’s say about 10 games after the all-star break (that’ll be a touch more than a week before the July 31 trade deadline). Is Magglio back and raking? Is any of the starting pitching on the DL? Is Verlander punishing the Eastern League just like he did the FSL? Is Zumaya ready for the call? Just what are the honest chances that we’ll actually be able to make a race of it for the wild card?

Of course, in years past, Verlander would have been up to Erie by mid-May, Zumaya would have been up to Toledo about now, and Tiger fans would be clamoring for them to get a chance in The Show, because, after all, they couldn’t be much worse than the crap we’re running out there now… But that was years past. Let’s face it, come next year’s spring training, if we do nothing… We’re going to have too much starting pitching. Any GM has to smile at the very thought.

In our lives, we sometimes run into situations where the number of options seems overwhelming. Dombrowski might be feeling a little bit of that right now. On the other hand, I don’t think he thinks of this as a bad thing. Indeed, this is not a bad thing at all. Remember back when we were in the 7th year of Randy Smith’s 5-year plan? Dombrowski is now in his 4th year at the helm (and I suppose you could argue that it’s really only his 3rd, as the 2002 season represented something of a necessary purge of the Randy Smith plan), and I see very positive things for Year 5… And that’s even if you discount what’s happening right now, in Year 4.

I was looking over the box scores from the Tigers’ minor league affiliates from yesterday’s games this morning.

Down in Toledo, Wil Ledezma got the start and took the loss. He was relieved for 2 innings by Matt Roney, and the Mud Hens also got 1 inning from former Tiger Nelson Cruz. The starting lineup included Curtis Granderson in center field and Ryan Raburn at 2nd base, both having made appearances with the Tigers (granted, both were only September call-ups last year), and, of course, Carlos Pena, who accumulated 150 plate appearances for the Tigers this year.

In Erie, Nate Cornejo got the start and also took a loss. Former Tiger Rule V pick Mark Johnson also pitched 2 innings in relief. The starting right fielder was Byron Gettis, who appeared in 20 games with the Royals last year.

Where am I going with this? It sure is nice to look at box scores down on the farm and find guys who really couldn’t perform at the major league level down there working on their game. Much unlike in recent Tigers history, when you would wake up in the morning, scan the Tigers’ box score, and find names that had been down on the farm just weeks (or even days) earlier.

The take on the Tigers heading into the season was that we were going to have a mighty fine lineup, but the pitching would be the question mark. Now, 57 games into the season, the stats show just the opposite. The Tigers are 9th in the AL in team OPS, and that’s about 50 points higher than the worst team (A’s) and 100 points worse than the best team (Orioles). Sticking with OPS to measure pitching prowess (that is, opponents’ OPS), the team-wide opponents’ OPS is 5th best in the league, which is 55 points off the best (Indians?) and 97 points better than the worst (D-Rays). So adding a proven hitter like Polanco to an already potent lineup (well, it will be “already potent” once we get Magglio Ordonez back to hitting like his old self) makes complete sense to compete this year.

But here’s the question: Can we compete this year?

I, for one, don’t think it’s impossible. Today’s Danny Knobler column got me to thinking about this. Specifically the part where he talks about the ’87 Tigers, who started at 30-27, but put together a stretch of 13 out of 15 wins later in the season. That column brings me to a point of agreement that my boss and I share about baseball seasons.

We all know the old saw about baseball: Every team wins 50 games (well, most teams, anyways… Teams like the ’62 Mets and the ’03 Tigers being exceptions to the rule), every team loses 50 games (again, minor exceptions such as the ’98 Yankees or ’01 Mariners), it’s what you do with the rest of the games that makes the difference. Of course, even a Phillies phan like my boss had heard of the fantastic 35-5 start that the ’84 Tigers had. And, in fact, the ’93 Phillies roared out to a 17-5 start by the end of April. After losing on May 1, they then pulled off a stretch of winning 6 out of their next 7, leaving their early record at 23-7. That’s no 35-5, but if you subtract those numbers from their final record, you notice they went 74-58 for the remainder of the season. Even our beloved ’84 Tigers went 69-53 after the 35-5 start. So, the pet theory that my boss and I have is this: Any team can get on a stretch of about 40-50 games when they are just lights-out, and that is good enough to make the playoffs, assuming they can go just a touch above .500 for the remainder of the schedule. Looking at the month-by-month totals for those two teams confirms it: The ’84 Tigers were an uninspiring 16-12 in July, and an even worse 16-15 in August. The ’93 Phillies went 14-14 in July, and 15-15 in September (plus three games of the regular season in October). The ’05 Tigers? 11-11 in April, and 12-15 in May, plus 4-4 so far in June. Now, granted, the ’05 Tigers need to step it up, and step it up now, to get somewhere, but with the upgrades at 1st base, 2nd base, and the decision to forego a 5th starter for a stretch (and consider talent elsewhere, whether that be Toledo or possibly a trade, for the 5th starter once one is again needed)… Plus Magglio Ordonez’s return looking to be on the short side of the originally estimated 8-12 weeks… You can envision a scenario where they will rip off something like a 19-7 July (similar to the ’84 team’s 19-7 record in May) or an 18-10 August (similar to the ’93 Phillies’ 18-10 record in June). If they did both of those on top of a June that leaves them at dead-even .500 (let’s say 14-11)… They’d be sitting at 74-54 with 34 games remaining. Even just an even .500 in those remaining games gets you to 91 wins, which should make them right there in the playoff hunt.

See? That’s not so hard. On top of which, it’s much better than sounding the warning that we’re 7.5 games back in the wild card (and would have to leapfrog 6 other teams) and 12 games back in the division.

It was twenty years ago today… No, wait, it was actually 21 years ago. And it was 21 years ago tomorrow. That “twenty years ago today” line, though… Always makes folks think of Sergeant Pepper and stuff. But I digress.

Anyways, the date I am thinking of was June 4, 1984. Much of what I am about to write comes straight from my brain cells. Much more comes from the wonderful archives at retrosheet. What was happening on June 4, 1984? Well, any Tiger fan worth his salt will probably recall the 3-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Mariners in the King-dump over Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27) of that year that ended the fantastic, record-setting 35-5 start. What is less remembered is that we followed that up by taking 2 of 3 in Oakland, then returning to The Corner and losing 2 of 3 to the Orioles. And what were the Toronto Blue Jays doing at around that time? Over that Memorial Day weekend, they swept 4 games in 3 days from the Indians north of the border (an old-fashioned Sunday doubleheader). They then split 2 games (appears as though one may have been rained out) in Comiskey Park (the original), then returned north of the border (bizarre travel schedule, I must say) to take 2 of 3 from the visiting Yankees. In sum, then, the Tigers had gone 3-6 since the 35-5 mark (total of 38-11), while the Blue Jays had gone 7-2 in that time, building on their 27-14 start (for a total of 34-16). Or, in other words, in the space of two weekends plus the week in between (9 days), the Blue Jays improved their position from being 8½ games behind a team that had all the looks of a juggernaut to being a mere 4½ games behind a team that suddenly looked beatable, falling to such pitching luminaries as Ed Vande Berg, Mike Moore, Matt Young, Bill Krueger, Storm Davis and Mike Flanagan in those 9 days. These are the circumstances that set the stage for a 4-game set between the Blue Jays and Tigers at The Corner, starting on that fateful date, June 4, 1984.

Remember, now, that Bobby Higginson and I are the same age, with the same birth date to boot. For those too lazy to go look it up, that means I was set to turn 14 years of age later that summer, a fantastic age to cement my Tiger fandom with a team for the ages. But we didn’t know all that on Monday, June 4, 1984. We only knew then that the Tigers had fired off a great start, even a historic start. We did not yet know the finish, and here were the second-place Blue Jays, somehow just 4½ games back with 4 games head-to-head against the Tigers. I’ll also mention here that the Orioles were another 5 games back of the Jays in the standings, meaning that the Blue Jays were the only team that could make a plausible case for being able to catch the hot-start Tigers.

My dad is a paint chemist. He formulates different kinds of paint for multiple different applications. Living in the greater Detroit area, of course he worked almost exclusively for paint companies that were suppliers to The Big Three automobile manufacturers. Of course, these paint companies made sure to have a pair of season tickets to all the major sports teams in the area, to host a client and have a casual business chat over a ball game. My dad had secured the company pair of tickets for The Corner on the night of June 4, 1984. These were in the lower deck, third base side, second row behind the Tiger dugout. Seats so good that surrounding seats were owned by Jimmy Butsicaris, proprietor of the Lindell AC. At my first game ever (August 12, 1980, started by none other than Mark Fidrych on one of his many comeback attempts), Jimmy himself had gotten a ball tossed to him by one of the players and handed it to me.

So, on Monday, June 4, 1984, the Toronto Blue Jays were in town to play possibly the most pivotal early-June series in the history of baseball. It wasn’t a playoff game or even in the pennant drive, but it felt like it. I wish I could say the place was packed, but retrosheet tells me different (Attendance: 26,733). The Tigers had their fourth-best starter going, Juan Berenguer, against the Jays’ ace, Dave Stieb. I’ll summarize the early innings briefly: Willie Upshaw hit a solo shot in the top of the 2nd, and he was on base later for George Bell, who hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 6th for a 3-0 Jays lead. Through 6 innings, the Tigers could only manage 3 hits and 5 runners left on base against Steib. But, after the 7th inning stretch, Chet Lemon took one for the team, Dave Bergman singled, and Howard Johnson went yard off of Steib to tie the game. As a side note, Sparky had lifted Berenguer before that inning, bringing on none other than Willie Hernandez with 2 outs in the top of the 7th. Willie wriggled out of a man-on-third, nobody-out situation in the top of the 8th after the Tigers had tied it up, and he and Dennis Lamp (who had replaced Steib 3 batters after the Johnson home run) traded goose eggs right through to the bottom of the 9th, when Bobby Cox called on the lefty Jimmy Key to face Kirk Gibson with 2 outs and Dave Bergman standing on 3rd base. Sparky countered with Larry Herndon off of his bench (Johnny Grubb had drawn a spot start that night in LF), but Larry bounded back to Key to end the inning and send the game to extra frames.

My dad loves the Tigers, but he did have to get back to work the next morning. We lived kind of far out from Detroit, and he had a 50-mile one-way commute. He had, earlier that day, commuted those 50 miles home to get me, then came back those same 50 miles (and then some) to get to The Corner. He made a little agreement with me that we would stay for the end of any inning that started before midnight. If the clock struck 12:01 before the start of, say, the 12th inning, we were just going to rush to the car and listen to the remainder of the game on the radio on the way home. So, the Jays came up to bat with Willie Hernandez STILL on the mound. He struck out Lloyd Moseby and got Willie Upshaw on a fly ball to center field. Note that Moseby and Upshaw were both left-handed hitters. At this point, Sparky called on Aurelio Lopez, who got Cliff Johnson (right-handed batter) to ground out to second. For the bottom of the 10th, I think Bobby Cox must have wanted Jimmy Key (his left-hander) to pitch to Darrell Evans, but he, unfortunately, had to get past Lance Parrish first. Parrish stroked a single to lead off the inning. Evans bunted Parrish over, and Cox called for Roy Lee Jackson, a righty, to face righties Rusty Kuntz and Chet Lemon coming up. Kuntz grounded out back to the box, but Chet Lemon managed to work a 2-out walk, leaving things up to Dave Bergman with 2 on and 2 out. It is here that I depart from retrosheet’s information and give the account from my own memory, not even from a scorecard.

I took a peek at the scoreboard clock when Dave Bergman came to the plate: 11:36. In my adolescent mind, I was thinking that, with 2 on and 2 outs, if Bergie could just hurry up and either get a base hit or make the 3rd out, a theoretical 11th inning COULD be played fast enough that the 12th could begin before midnight. Dave Bergman had other ideas. He worked the count against Jackson to two balls and a strike, then took a called strike two. He then proceeded to put on The Dave Bergman Show. He fouled off the fifth pitch, and fouled off another. And yet another, and yet another. At some point, I lost count (I didn’t count things like that back then). He finally decided to take a pitch, which the umpire agreed with him on, calling it ball 3. Bergie wasn’t done yet. Now facing a full count, he fouled off another pitch. And another, and yet another, and yet another. I can’t be positive, but he fouled off at least 3 or 4 pitches on the 2-2 count, and at least that many again on 3-2. I had forgotten all about the time. Then, Jackson threw one in, and Bergman connected for a 3-run homer into the upper deck in right field. He didn’t need the overhang, either. From where I was sitting along the third base line, the ball was traveling dead straight away from me, as if I had thrown it from my seat. I don’t know if it was a cloudy sky that night, or if it was a new moon, but the sky seemed particularly dark. I can still see the flight of that ball in my mind’s eye as if it happened yesterday, the white ball lit brightly by the stadium lights against an inky black sky. Oh, yeah, and I noticed the stadium clock when Bergman came around and touched home plate. It read 11:51. He had been at bat for 15 minutes. Sparky called it the greatest at-bat he had ever seen the next day in the papers. (If anyone has their copy of “Bless You Boys” still around, I’d love it if you would pitch in and type in Sparky’s comments on Bergie’s at-bat in the comments.)

Well, then the Tigers lost the next 2 to the Jays before salvaging the series split with a win in the final game of the series. We went on to take 3 of 4 from the Orioles before facing off against the Jays in Toronto the following Monday (the Jays got swept in 3 by the Yankees in between) for a 3-game set, with the Jays taking 2 of the 3, and you could argue that we really put the Jays away by gaining those 3½ games between the two Jays series and going 11-5 for the remainder of the month of June while they went 7-10 (including being swept in a 4-game series in Milwaukee), thus gaining another 4½ games and leaving the Jays a full 10 games back as of the morning of July 1st. But that was one sweet homer that I’ll never forget in quite possibly the highest pressure game ever played in the early part of the month of June (notice all the pinch-hitting, pinch-running, and especially Sparky’s use of his best reliever for 3 full innings, including bringing him in when the team was down by 3!). Let’s just say that a lot of Tiger fans may have wondered why Dave Bergman was included among the former Tigers to take the field at the closing ceremony for Tiger Stadium. But as for me, I was proving Tom Hanks wrong. There is crying in baseball.

Okay, so that is exactly 1,900 words. So I lied.

As encouraged as I am by the single-game performance of Chris Shelton, his emergence is also a sure sign that the 2005 team has noticeably regressed. Carlos Pena, Omar Infante, and Craig Monroe were all young players who made significant contributions last season and were all expected to continue to improve and contribute more to the team’s success this season. All three have been mildly disappointing to downright bad, in Pena’s case. This regression along with a lot more injuries to major players (Pudge, Guillen, Ordonez, White) than they suffered last season all point to troubled times ahead.

In Bilfer’s entry today, he eloquently points out how thin a Tiger lineup will be if it features the extended playing time of a Jason Smith/Ramon Martinez platoon at short, Vance Wilson catching , and Marcus Thames playing on a more regular basis. Add a young Shelton to the mix, with the ups and downs he is due to face, this team is starting to take on a similar complexion to that of the poor ones of recent vintage. (Remember those lineups that featured Chris Truby, Kevin Witt, et al) As encouraged as we can be by the appearance of Craig Monroe’s bat starting to come to life in Baltimore this weekend, this team may have already achieved it’s high point to the season and we haven’t even reached the halfway point.

The performance of the pitching staff as a whole has been a pleasant surprise. But recent outings by Wil Ledezma and Mike Maroth give me the impression that the staff’s impressive run may not hold out for much longer. Is it reasonable to believe that the performances of Jason Johnson and Nate Robertson will continue with their K/9 being 4.07 and 3.88, respectively? If the starting pitching fails the team for any extended period of time, coupled with the team’s anemic run production, the team will certainly hit dire straits. I hate to make pronouncements of doom and gloom, but is becoming hard to expect otherwise.

I do strongly hold out hope that Carlos Pena will re-discover his stroke at Toledo and will be able to comeback and contribute this year. Pena seems to be a class guy. The downward trajectory of his career seems to be unavoidable, though and I expect him to be a spare part added onto a trade at the trading deadline. In regards to Monroe and Infante, the jury is still out, but they will remain with the club through the duration of the season. The injuries on the other hand, are part of the game. Every team suffers from them and must adapt accordingly.

I guess the only certitude that we posess to fall back on is that we aren’t in as bad of a situation as the Kansas City’s, Tampa Bay’s and Colorado’s of the baseball world, at least yet.

The main item of Tiger news that caught my eye this past week was the passing of Bobby Higginson onto the DL for elbow surgery. My hunch is that he will not return to the roster until September 1.

I like Bobby. I always have. You see, he and I have something in common: our birthday. And we were born in the same year, too. Bobby grew up in Philly, I now live and work in the Philadelphia area. Now, don’t get me wrong, Bobby has been a major disappointment the last few years. And the words “major disappointment” don’t really do it justice. But let’s not forget those years when Bobby was one of the few reasons to actually watch the Tigers. There is an internet bulletin board/forum by and for Mets fans out there called The Crane Pool, named for the decidedly ordinary long-time Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool. I hope that, in a few years, after we have some perspective on “The Lost Years”, us Tiger fans can look back in appreciation of what Higgy gave to us during those lean years, just like Mets fans appreciate the contributions of Ed Kranepool.

I cringe when I see all the criticism Higginson has gotten from the fans and the press. It wasn’t his fault that Randy Smith reached as far as he did to sign Higgy to that unreasonable contract extension. And Higgy, as far as I know, has made every attempt to play whenever he was physically able. Part of his problems these past few years may well have been a result of his trying to play through pain a little too much.

I don’t know what the future holds for Bobby Higginson, but I’ll never be one of those that showers the boo-birds down on him. I’ll remember the good times.

Yesterday afternoon I returned to work after a week-long vacation. As I often do, I sought out my co-worker who is also a Tiger fan and started to discuss recent events with the team. At that time I had no prior knowledge about the injury sustained by Troy Percival this weekend. As we were discussing their current pitching staff, I made mention that I thought the Tigers had made an error by not re-signing Esteban Yan, who would be significantly cheaper than Ugueth Urbina. I also mentioned that I thought Yan had done pretty well, except when being asked to serve as the team’s closer. I also supported this idea by saying that Urbina’s trade value has done nothing but diminish since the season has started and the Tigers would have been better off trading him before the season. I am not afraid to say that I was incredibly wrong. Not only was I wrong, but I am thankful that the Tigers had Ugueth Urbina to insert into the closer role as opposed to Esteban Yan (or any one else on the roster for that matter). Urbina’s value may currently be increasing for other teams with his recent improved performances, but his value to the Tiger’s has now increased exponentially. My assumptions was based on my naive belief that somehow Percival would remain healthy throughout the entire season (at least most of it).

I should have known better to succumb to this type of unhealthy optimism. Not only has Percival logged a lot of miles on his arm as he has advanced in age, he is coming off of an injury-plagued 2004 season. We all acknowledged prior to the season that the acquisitions of Troy Percival and Magglio Ordonez were risky propositons at best. At this point, with hindsight, would these moves have been made? Do you think Dave Dombrowski may be sweating a little bit today? I give Double-D a lot of credit of having the courage to make the moves. Had these moves been successful, they very well may have been enough to nudge the Tigers closer to being a more competitive organization. Still, what type of long-term ramifications may these signings hold. They have a lot of money committed to Percival and Ordonez and a fifth of the way into the season, their is a little hope that either will be much of a contributor to the long term success of the team. Will these two players, due to the economic commitments made to them by the team, now just be impediments blocking the paths of valuable younger players who need big-league experience so that they may be given the chance to contribute? The Tigers are certainly no longer in a position where they can consider trading Triple U.(Urbina)

An even more interesting scenario has now arisen. What will Trammell do if Urbina thrives in the closer’s role and Percival is able to return from the DL before the end of the season? How can you re-insert a poor performing, injury-plagued, aging reliever back into the closer’s role? Especially, if by some miracle of chance the Tigers remain in contention upon his return, this will be an interesting, if not crucial decision. With the emergence of a more reliable Franklyn German, the impending return of Fernando Rodney, and the promotion of Chris Spurling, maybe Percival should be the arm that has become expendable. I hate to suggest that the Tigers should cut bait, but I am strongly suggesting that the Tigers must cut bait with Percival while they may still have the opportunity to do so, assuming Percival returns to health.

Two more things, I am REALLY pleased by the recent performances by the starting pitchers. If this continues they may have no need for Percival’s return. I know that Jason Johnson will have his ups and downs. I know that Mike Maroth will also have some poor outings from time to time. Still, with the recent slumping Tiger hitting, the starting pitcher’s have done a wonderful job keeping the the team competitive. Finally, will Carlos Pena ever realize the magnificent talent he appears to posess?

I realize that the Tigers performance thus far is a very small sample of the what may occur during the entire season, yet, I am very troubled by the manner in which they are losing games. They are still losing close games. The starting pitching is still unreliable. In a very short time, I have lowered my expectations significantly.

In a pivotal season, I held very high hopes that the Tigers would make significant improvements. Instead, I have seen an unreliable bullpen that is issuing walks (something it can ill afford to do) and generally unable to slam the door shut. The team could have saved several millions of dollars and kept Esteban Yan and yielded similar results. Especially troubling, any perceived trade value for Ugueth Urbina may be being flushed down the toilet as he continues to perform terribly. The Twin series is a case in point. When they turn to their power arms in their bullpen, you may as well hang it up. The Tiger hitters absolutely can not touch the Twin’s bullpen pitching.

The performance of the starters is also discouraging. Someone on this staff will have to step forward and develop some consistency. Otherwise, it will be a VERY long season. I really like the triumvirate of Bonderman, Ledezma, and Robertson. Those three pitchers appear to have a future ahead of them. The team especially needs to be able to rely on the more seasoned arms of Mike Maroth and Jason Johnson. Neither of them has done anything to prove that they have improved one iota over past seasons. Again, a team like the Twins stands as a stark contrast of what the Tigers should be aiming for performance-wise.

Even more devastating when playing the Twins is their shrewdly technical execution of pure baseball. As soon as Percival walked the Twin hitter on Tuesday night, I knew that they would succesfully sacrifice him over to second and bring in that winning run. The Tigers really can mash the ball. Their team will give teams like the Yankees, Baltimore and Texas a run as far as scoring runs. Yet, as much as Alan Trammell seems to be a proponent of small ball, this is not the type of team who will be able to squeak out a much-needed run against quality pitching. Their execution is sloppy, and the bats remain just as inconsistent as their pitching arms.

The Tigers can ill afford to end the month 5 games out of first place if they intend remaining in the picture as contenders in their division. They have a lot of games against divisional opponents and have to win some of these series. What we have witnessed recently does little to instill confidence that they will be able to do so. I realize, that they have been without their best hitter, still all good teams have to face adversity and overcome it. It is a long season, I hope the Tigers find their groove before it is too late.

Opening day was an absolutely splendid experience. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The stadium was packed and charged with excitement. Jeremy Bonderman was impressive. It was even more exciting after Dmitri Young hit his third homer of the game and was given a standing ovation, which he obliged with a tip of the cap. Yet, I was left wondering about many of the people who were in attendance. Were they actual fans of the sport or were they at Comerica Park to sample the near Mardi Gras-like atmosphere? Was the game really a family affair or was it an excuse for adults to skip a day of work and get completely soused? Was it necessary for the group of fans to smoke marijuana and cigarettes at the game? Did it heighten their experience? I hate to come off like a prude, but it is interesting how the sport has become almost an auxiliary affair. The attendees seemed more concerned with attending an event which allowed the rabble to rouse. Hey, I had a couple of beers, too. I guess I just wonder about people’s priorities and whether or not these same people will be attending games in June and July?

Enough pontificating, is anybody else besides me starting to get worried about Magglio Ordonez and his mystery ailments? When my cohorts and I were riding to the game I told them that I thought Ordonez would miss several games after the opener. I hate to apply the pressure of expectations this early, but what gives? Is Ordonez going to become Juan, Jr.? I am very nervous about this situation. I am more nervous now than I was when they hastily signed him.

If you get the opportunity, pick up a copy of “Three Nights in August”, by H.G. Bissinger. Bissinger, the well-known author of “Friday Night Lights”, does an excellent job documenting a three game series between the Cubs and Cardinals late in the summer of ’03. Bissinger was awarded with a carte blanche view of the clubhouse, coaches and players. He was able to really look at the laborious way in which Tony LaRussa agonizes over his team as he tries to utilize the strengths of his players and avoid exposing their weaknesses. Bissinger uses each chapter to focus on a player and connects that players story with events that occur during the series. Excellent read!

I was bestowed with the good fortune of having a friend who purchased tickets for the Tiger’s opening day game and is unable to attend. Fortunately, I was able to jockey my schedule so that I will be able to attend. Nothing in life better represents the onset of spring and the beauty of summer than the start of the baseball season. Even more enjoyable, is the pageantry and excitement that surrounds opening day.

That being said, this is a critical opening day for Major League Baseball. With the offseason furor over the use of performance-enhancing substances, this season will be a true test of the magical redemptive powers the sport seems to posess. The sport of baseball continually has been it’s own worst enemy and wedged ambivalence into the hearts of many fans, what will it do to regain favor? A fellow blogger, has written one of the better entries I have ever read about this very ambivalence. At Orange and Brown , they deserve to be commended for bringing to the surface the feelings many of us are encountering as the season approaches.

It is also a critical opening day for the Tigers organization who continue their intrepid march back to respectability. With the eventual absence of Bobby Higginson, few vestiges of previous failures remain in the organization. In some ways, this should be cause for joy. In other ways, it is an opening to new challenges and will become increasingly a means by which to gauge the relative success of the organization as lead by Alan Trammell and Dave Dombrowski. Nothing would bring me more joy than to watch the Tigers remain in contention for the American League Central Division championship into August and beyond.

With this ambivalence, I like many fans will ultimately be suffering from this season, I have been forced to remember how integral baseball is in providing us a connection to our past and those core values and beliefs that Americans hold dear. Hearing the voices of people like Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, George Kell and so many others stand as a testament to our abilities to endure. And as things change and we face new challenges in our lives, baseball may be the perfect reflection of the difficult road ahead and how to navigate it.

Recent articles in the Detroit News have made the Tigers roster picture appear much clearer. In attempts to possibly soften the blow, it appears that Bobby Higginson’s days as a Tiger are finished. Higginson on Shaky Ground and Trammell:Higgy an ‘extra’ , both are articles that make it demonstatively clear that Tigers are getting close to jettisoning their one-time poster boy for the organization. When spring training began, I thought it a possibility with Higginson’s defense and his discipline at the plate, he may still be a valuable member of the roster. At this point, it appears that opposing teams would be foolish to be trading partners with Tigers for Higginson’s services because due to the numbers game, he will have to be released. “Scrap Iron” Phil Garner’s comments are encouraging, because I think the Tigers should jump at the opportunity for any number of Brandon Duckworth or Pete Munro-quality players just to be rid of Mr. Ilitch’s albatross. With the rumored trade talks between the Astro’s and Red’s involving Ken Griffey, Higgy’s trade to Houston probably decreases in likelihood by the second.

Another Tiger who has been the cause for major concern, is the disappointing Jason Johnson (see Det News Tigers unhappy with Johnson ). With the obvious question marks at 3rd base and Centerfield, I think the last thing the Tigers needed was Johnson’s poor performance. The toughest need to fill at this time of year would have to be starting pitcher. Their has been discussion that the Tigers may no longer need Gary Knotts, in my opinion, Johnson’s performance necessitates keeping a swing starter/long reliever like Knotts around. This is a situation to monitor closely. If their “#1” starter is not able to produce any more capably than he did last year, then his days in Detroit may be numbered as well.

One positive story form this spring to be sure, is the phoenix-like performance of Dean Palmer. Palmer could emerge as the player the Tigers were hoping for in Greg Norton last season (except Palmer would have more pop!). With the hot hitting of Craig Monroe and Rondell White, the pitching of Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson, and the hoped for healthy return-to-form of Omar Infante, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen it would appear that the Tigers are in the midst of their sunniest spring training in years. I can’t wait for Opening Day.

Kudos to Brian for keeping this site going while fighting illness and the likelihood that he is engrossed in his busiest work schedule of the year.

Before each season begins, a good friend of mine takes a straw poll among all of his friends who happen to be Tiger fans. The poll is that he asks us how many games the Tigers will lose in the upcoming season. It has become a tradition. When it came time for him to ask me how many I thought they would lose I speculated that they would lose 102 games. I looked at the fact that other than Dmitri Young, the team was relatively free of injury last season. I reflected on the fact that Brandon Inge, Omar Infante and Carlos Guillen all performed beyond my wildest expectations last season. I thought about the fact that that it would be unlikely that Alex Sanchez would be able to continue
to maintain a batting average as high as what his was with his inability to draw walks. I also looked at the Pudge factor, I still have high expectations but there is no way he will bat .500 in a month again in his career! Without a clear-cut #1 starting pitcher, how could this team help but get worse.

Yet, with the signing of Magglio Ordonez and the trade for Jeff Farnsworth, the picture looks a bit more rosy. There are a lot of questions, but my opinion has changed. They will not lose 102 games even if they are unable to improve upon last season’s performance. They have a couple of tradeable commodities in Ugueth Urbina and whomever they decide is least useful between Alex Sanchez, Bobby Higginson, and Rondell White. Those trades could possibly fill any holes that could emerge or provide some more prospects to bank for future use.

I am ready for spring and very hopeful that the Tigers will continue their entertaining brand of baseball. They will rarely disappoint with their effort and their triumvirate of Young, Pudge and Ordonez should creates some offensive fireworks. I am even mildly optimistic about a future role that Dean Palmer may serve in for the team’s benefit. Anybody who has known me for any extended period of time would be astonished by that pronouncement.

The Tigers are certainly attempting to make a big splash with their free agent acquisitions! I like Percival, because he has playoff experience and has proven capable of being a consistently capable closer. He already seems to assuming a role as a recruiter, too, making a pitch for Troy Glaus to consider the Tigers. Brian provides a lot of excellent proof as to why signing Percival may blow-up in their face. The fact that it is hard to envision the Tigers bullpen without Urbina and Percival together makes it troubling. How ready is Urbina going to be perform at his usual standards after all he has been through in the last year? Where will the Tigers be if Percival misses 2 months? Here are some more vitals in regards to Percival and Urbina from 2004:

Player/ K/9/ BB/9/ H/9/ WHIP/ HR/9
Urbina 9.33/ 5.33/ 6.33/ 1.30/ 1.16
Percival 5.98/ 3.44/ 7.79/ 1.25/ 1.28

Player/ W-L/ ERA/ G/ GF/ IP/ BF/RG(batters faced)
Urbina 4-6/ 4.50/ 54/ 46/ 54.0/ 4.33
Percival 2-3/ 2.90/ 52/ 48/ 49.2/4.06

Player/ SV/ BS/ SV%/ oppBA/ OppOPS/ G/F(ground ball/fly ball outs)
Urbina 21/ 3/ 88%/ .194/ .660/ 0.47/
Percival 33/ 5/ 87%/ .230/ .682/ 0.53/

I guess it is necessary to takes some risks along the way if you are attempting to become a contender. In my eyes, the Tigers are still a year or two away so spending $10+ million/year for the back end of the bullpen may not be wise. Still, you have to give Dombrowski and the Ilitch’s credit for stepping out there and going to toe-to-toe with the big boys in free agency.

It is quite interesting to watch this offseason begin to unfold. The two players the Tigers have met with or will be meeting with are major surprises to me. When I thought of potential candidates to rebuild the franchise with, the names Troy Percival and Jeff Kent were certainly off the radar. Not that each player does not posess a certain amount of intrigue as valuable players, I guess I had hoped the Tigers would be looking at players on the south side of 35. Percival and Urbina could make a nice end of the bullpen. Just as easily, Urbina could become trade bait.

The decision to meet with Jeff Kent is puzzling. He mentioned during the season that he had been considering retirement. So rather than retiring, he visits a team who MIGHT be on the cusp of becoming a contender and have one of the best pitcher’s parks in all of baseball. That coupled with his character issues, poor fielding, and the perception that his best performances have been inflated in lineups where he has been surrounded by big-time hitters. As an everyday DH, Kent may be suitable, but I thought the Tigers already posessed one of them in Dmitri Young. Equally perplexing would be the decision to move the solid Omar Infante to a new position. I really would like for the Tigers to acquire a Third Basemen as opposed to trying to develop one on the spot ala Eric Munson and Brandon Inge (although Inge did a yeoman job!). I know Infante did an okay job in his limited time in Center Field but again why fix that which is not broken?

The Tigers named has also been mentioned in connection with the likes of Carl Pavano and Troy Glaus. The ESPN Top 50 free agent mentioned that they thought that Matt Clement would be signed by the Tigers. I think that ESPN’s experts assumed this because Dombrowski had already acquired Clement while general manager for the Florida Marlins.

With the decision to pick up the option on Ugueth Urbina’s contract this weekend, the Tigers targeted priority to bolster their pitching staff is becoming a little clearer. Earlier in the offseason, they also resigned Jamie Walker. The bullpen has often been mentioned as the area where the team likely would place most of it’s attention for improvement. It seems likely that Al Levine will not be back and it is questionable that Detroit’s other Stevie Y, Esteban Yan, will be return. Where it becomes muddled is what the designated roles for Nate Robertson, Jason Johnson, and Gary Knotts will be? The Tigers will also have to look at the continuing development of Franklyn German, Roberto Novoa, and Steve Colyer and the potential roles they may have on the club. They will also have to plan for the impending return from arm surgery of Fernando Rodney. I would be quite surprised if John Ennis or Craig Dingman have many more opportunities to pitch in Detroit, unless the team suffers from more injuries among their pitchers.

In my eyes, I would re-sign the relatively cheap Esteban Yan. My next move would be to relegate either Jason Johnson or Nate Robertson to the pen. Robertson’s strike out numbers (7.09 K/9) and make-up seems to translate into him having a better chance of performing well in this role. In regards to Johnson, with his stamina issues and overall poor pitching, he will remain an enigma (and unfortunately in the starting rotation) for the duration of the offseason. Presuming they do not trade Mike Maroth, the team has 4 starters (2 Left-handers and 2 Right-Handers). The bullpen, with Nate Robertson’s inclusion (however ridiculous it may seem) and Esteban Yan’s re-signing have 5 of it’s six spots filled. It would seem likely then, that Dombrowski would be searching for a #1 or #2 starter and a primary set-up man. Here are some potential relievers:

Player/ APP/ IP/ W/L/ SV/ BS/ ERA/
Steve Reed 65/ 66.0/ 3-8/ 0/ 4/ 3.68/
Jim Mecir 65/ 47.2/ 0-5/ 2/ 5/ 3.83/
A. Alfonseca 79/ 73.2/ 6-4/ 0/ 1/ 2.57/
Dan Miceli 74/ 77.2/ 6-6/ 2/ 6/ 3.59/
Todd Jones 78/ 82.1/ 11-5/ 2/ 6/ 4.15/
Antonio Osuna 31/ 36.2/ 2-1/ 0/ 2/ 2.45/
Dave Burba 47/ 77.0/ 6-9/ 2/ 3/ 4.21/
Terry Adams 61/ 70.0/ 6-4/ 3/ 3/ 4.76/

K/9/ BB/9/ H/9/ HR/9/ WHIP/ OppOPS/
Steve Reed 5.18/ 2.32/ 9.82/ 0.95/ 1.35/ .756/
Jim Mecir 9.25/ 3.59/ 8.50/ 0.95/ 1.34/ .678/
Alfonseca 5.50/ 3.42/ 8.67/ 0.61/ 1.34/ .671/
Dan Miceli 9.62/ 3.13/ 8.58/ 1.17/ 1.30/ .706/
Todd Jones 6.45/ 3.61/ 9.18/ 0.77/ 1.42/ .742/
Antonio Osuna8.84/ 2.7/ 7.85/ 0.75/ 1.17/ .653/
Dave Burba 5.84/3.04/ 8.18/ 0.82/ 1.25/ .675/
Terry Adams 7.20/ 3.6/ 10.8/ 1.29/ 1.6/ .821/

G/F
Adams 1.91/
Mecir 1.53/
Alfonseca 2.23/

I have included these pitchers because have all served this role in the past and all within the realm of affordability for the Tigers. I selected players who could handle pitching with runners on base (low HR/9 or high number of ground ball to fly ball outs(G/F)) because in a lot of cases they will be coming into situations with runners on base. The Tiger starters have relatively high WHIP’s and none with the possible exception of Bonderman are “power pitchers” who rack up a lot of strikeouts, so relievers inherit a lot of base runners. I wonder if Miceli and Jones’ former Tiger experience would disqualify them from this list? I think the year that Antonio Alfonseca had last season warrants serious consideration as a potential acquisition. He has some closing experience, which would also seem to be a necessary pre-requisite to being signed (in case of injury or poor performance by U.U. Urbina). I also would derive a great deal of enjoyment from the signing of Alfonseca because I would never grow tired of discussions about the extra appendages on his hands!

In regards to starters, I think it would be beneficial for the Tigers to pursue a number one starter. Assuming they would unable to afford Pedro Martinez or an exciting young pitcher like Carl Pavano, and the general lack of quality power pitchers (Dombrowski preferred starters of choice) I think the Tigers would be best served by starters who also get a lot of ground ball outs. I think this is why there has been so much speculation locally and nationally about the return to Michigan of Derek Lowe. It would be appear to be a natural fit, except for the fact that his postseason performance will probably increase his desirability (and price tag $) for teams who believe they will be playoff contenders. Lowe had a relatively poor regular season but I believe his past performance still may drive him out of the Tigers price range.
Here are Lowe’s stats and a few others who I believe warrant consideration:

Player/ W-L/ QS/ QS%/ ERA/ CG/ IP/
Lowe 14-12 12/ 36/ 5.42/ 0/ 182.2/
Radke 11-8/ 24/ 71/ 3.48/ 1/ 219.2/
(Radke could also be out of the team’s price range)
C.Lidle 12-12/ 17/ 50/ 5.37/ 5/ 211.1/
M.Morris 15-10/ 16/ 50/ 4.72/ 3/ 202.0/
J.Lieber 14-8/ 16/ 59/ 4.33/ 0/ 176.2/
P.Byrd 8-7/ 11/ 58/ 3.99/ 0/ 114.1/

K/9/ BB/9/ H/9/ HR/9 WHIP/ oppBA/ oppOPS/
Lowe 5.17/ 3.5/ 11.04/ 0.74/ 1.62/ .299/ .790/
Radke 5.86/ 1.07/ 9.38/ 0.94/ 1.16/ .267/ .684/
Lidle 5.37/ 2.6/ 9.54/ 1.15/ 1.35/ .273/ .777/
Morris 5.84/ 2.5/ 9.13/ 1.56/ 1.29/ .266/ .776/
Lieber 5.2/ 0.92/ 11.00/ 1.02/ 1.32/ .301/ .759/
Byrd 6.22/ 1.5/ 9.68/ 1.42/ 1.24/ .270/ .749/

G/F
Lowe 3.25/
Lidle 1.47/
Morris 1.76/
Lieber 1.40/

I would personally prefer Radke, but if it came down to it I think Matt Morris or Jon Lieber would be wise additions to the club. I think Matt Morris’s HR/9 would come down in Comerica. At any rate, between relievers and starters it has become essential that they also add a very good fielding Third basemen (Brandon Inge?) and hope that Carlos Guillen recovers his range and fielding ability at Shortstop.

I was very excited to see in the Free Press yesterday reporting on the rumor of the Tigers having a potential interest in Mike Lowell. This makes sense on a lot of levels. The Tigers are certainly without a definite incumbent at the position and Dombrowski originally acquired Lowell for the Marlins. For the Marlins, moving Lowell makes sense because on Nov. 1, Lowell can opt for free agency, if he so desires, due to a clause in his contract that allows him the opportunity to declare free agency if the Marlins don’t have a stadium deal in place. The catch is that any player who is traded with more than a year on their contract can demand a trade after one season. Lowell could also choose to file a grievance and possibly be traded sooner. At 3 yrs, $25.5 million, Lowell would be a bargain as one of the top 5-10 third basemen in all of baseball. Even should this trade not occur, I want to wax euphoric on what may have been!

I agree it is nice to finally see the Tigers signed Justin Verlander. I hope they are better able to utilize his services than they have with other recently drafted first round pitchers. It would have also been nice if he had obtained a partial season of experience in the meantime.

The World Series has thus far been a dud. All the intrigue and excitement has faded for me in the first two games. I really hope the Cardinal pitching staff can regroup and the Cardinal bats come alive so that this series takes on a different hue. Everybody seems to be catching “Idiot Mania” and getting behind the Sox. It is a nice story, but to be truthful I am a little tired of it. The bottom line is the Sox inhabit the same realm as the Yankees and a few other
privileged clubs and the competitive imbalance of baseball remains intact.

Things I would like to see and hear more of:

1.I would like to see and hear from Whitey Herzog and Don Zimmer and relative perspectives on the two teams.
2. Rather than being relegated to thirty seconds of empty chatter why couldn’t
have Fox regaled us with several minutes with Red Schoendiest and Johnny Pesky. I would gladly take that over repeated obnoxious bombardments of “Obnoxious Boss” and “Rebel Billionaire” commercials.
3. Am I only surprised that Tim McCarver and Joe Buck have yet to betray any Cardinal bias? With McCarver playing most of his career in St. Louis and Buck’s father being the legendary voice of the club, how could they not have at least some interest in Cardinal victories?
4. The Dropkick Murphys are a streetpunk band from Boston who proclaim their Irish heritage and often feature bagpipes in their songs. They have an Ep out that features Johnny Damon, Lenny DiNardo and Bronson Arroyo singing backups on a song. The song, “Tessie”, which used to be sung by the famed Royal Rooters who were Sox loyalists who used the song to stir their team to victory. I have heard it played in the background on the stadium PA but am quite surprised it hasn’t been used as “bumper” music during the broadcasts.

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