Monthly Archives: October 2006

2006 Season, Playoffs

Moving On

92 Comments

It’s been a couple days now, and I hope the pain isn’t quite as strong. I received emails and calls from friends offering condolences like a loved one had passed away. It got me thinking about the grieving process, and I realized I did the bulk of my grieving after game 4. By game 5 I had come to terms with it, and was progressing through all 5 steps:

  1. Denial: My goodness no. Fernando Rodney didn’t just throw that ball away. How could this happen? It was an easy out. Why is this happening to me!? Curtis couldn’t have fallen on his own. Maybe the game can be played under protest or something
  2. Anger:: Frickin Eckstein. What does grit have to do with hitting routine flyballs that should be outs. This prick is going to win the MVP without actually hitting a ball hard. I hate gritty little players.
  3. Bargaining: Please God, just give this team a chance to get it back to Detroit. They’ve done too good and come to far. I know they’re not hitting but maybe the Cardinals could make an error or slip or something.
  4. Depression: It’s over. There’s no coming back from this. They were so close and will they ever get this chance again? What if someone gets injured next year or Verlander was a fluke? What if Jim Leyland gets lung cancer?Spring training is a long ways away. Now what am I going to do?
  5. Acceptance: They could win game 5 and bring things back to Detroit, but then what? It’s been a great season and the team just chose the brightest spotlight to play its worst. As much as I wanted them to win the World Series, it doesn’t diminish the wonderful experiences from the rest of the season. I can’t wait until next year.

Now there is a hollowness that has come with the end of the baseball season. There was such a rhythm for so long, that I’m actually a little out of sorts without it. Part of me is grateful for the break. Fandom combined with maintaining the site left me without a lot of time for family and sleep. Now I can appreciate both a little more.

As for the site, I’ll be here all off season and there is a ton to talk about. While I probably won’t be posting every single day, you can still expect new stuff 4 to 5 times a week. Even before the hot stove heats up, we’ll talk about:

  • The 40 man roster and who will be back, who will be added, and who will be jettisoned.
  • The merits of Don Slaught as a hitting coach
  • Why Guillen shouldn’t be moved to first base next season
2006 Season

2006 Season: The Aftermath

51 Comments

Once again we’re saying wait til next year, but this time we’re doing it with a banner to hang. The only thing that hurts is that it is so tough to get to the World Series in the first place. The Tigers could field a healthy competitive team next year and still finish 3rd in their division. Nothing is a given and that’s why I tried to savor this experience, even if it was painful at the end.

No matter what happens in the future, nothing will replicate the joy that we as Tiger fans experienced this year. This team came out of nowhere, and that is part of what made this run so special.

I’m not going to use this space to rehash game 5. The bulk of it was covered in the game thread and live blog. At this point I just want to say thank you. I want to say thank you to all of you who made this site a part of your summer. It was an awesome ride.

But mostly I want to say thank you to the Tigers. Thanks for adding drama to those August nights where there would have been none. Thanks for taking a city on your back and carrying us through to the end of October. Thanks for bringing back the Olde English D.

I know that expectations change as things go along, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be writing about the Tigers in the World Series. They are American League Champions and posted 95 wins. I’m so damn proud of these guys. My only regret is that the bulk of the nation saw them at their worst.

Thanks to the pitching staff who chucked shut out after shut out and gave the Tigers a chance every night. Thanks to Jeremy Bonderman who really did turn the corner. Thanks to Kenny Rogers who not only was a veteran presence, but a dominant one at that. Thanks to Justin Verlander turning in the most prolific rookie season in Detroit in I don’t know how long. Thanks to Nate Robertson and gum time and taking the ball and giving the team 6 innings or more every single start. Thanks to Zach Miner and Wil Ledezma who stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. Thanks to Mike Maroth for everything and I’m sorry you weren’t able to be a part of it on the field.

Thanks to the bullpen which was amongst the best. Thanks to Todd Jones for the cardiac work that was largely successful this season. Thanks to Fernando Rodney and the change up of doom. Thanks to Joel Zumaya who turns a stadium electric by simply coming into the game. Thanks to Jamie Walker, the most unsung of the group, but who always did his job. Thanks to Jason Grilli who was as solid a long guy as you’ll see.

Thanks to Ivan Rodriguez for continuing to shut down the running game with a gold glove season and a .300 batting average. Thanks to Sean Casey for coming over and giving this team the bulk of its offense in the World Series. Thanks to Chris Shelton who sparked this incredible season with an incredible April. Here’s hoping you’re back for more. Thanks to Placido Polanco who was always sure handed defensively and was the one guy who could put the ball in play at will. Thanks to Carlos Guillen for another MVP caliber season. Thanks to Brandon Inge and the plethora of web gems at the hot corner.

Thanks to Magglio Ordonez for the most dramatic homer Detroit has seen since Kirk Gibson in 1987. Thanks to Curtis Granderson for a season of nearly flawless defense and timely hits and showing way more poise and maturity than a virtual rookie should. Thanks to Craig Monroe for the late inning heroics throughout the season. Thanks to Marcus Thames who finally got a shot and made the most of each at-bat.

Thanks to Vance Wilson for being a very capable back-up to a Hall of Famer. Thanks to Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago – you’ve come a long way since 2003.

And thanks to Jim Leyland. You made me crazy a couple times with your decisions, but you got a team and a city believing that the Tigers can and should win.

Thank you for the countless memories this season.

2006 Season, Game Post, Playoffs

World Series Game 5: Tigers at Cardinals

206 Comments

PREGAME: So here it is, win or go home or whatever other cliches you choose to use. I’m in a much better state of mind thanks to the counseling session that took place in the Game 4 Aftermath comments.

This preview is pretty thin. First, I’ve covered the Tigers starter Justin Verlander as well as Cards starter Jeff Weaver. Second, everyone understands the consequences. Third, I’m pressed for time at the moment. I do plan on giving the live-blog thing a shot tonight (just check in this spot). I’ve never done it for fear of jinxing the team. But really, I think we’re beyond that now.

The good news is it looks like the rain has stopped.

Detroit Lineup

CF – Granderson
LF – Monroe
SS – Guillen
RF – Ordonez
1B – Casey
C – Rodriguez
2B – Polanco
3B – Inge
P – Verlander

Cardinals Lineup

SS – Eckstein
RF – Duncan
1B – Pujols
CF – Edmonds
3B – Rolen
2B – Belliard
C – Molina
LF – Taguchi
P – Weaver

So pick your Tiger, and let’s enjoy this one tonight…whatever happens.

The Liveblog

Continue reading World Series Game 5: Tigers at Cardinals →

2006 Season, Playoffs

World Series Game 4: Aftermath

38 Comments

At this point I’m not even sure how to process what transpired tonight. I’m not sure what feels worse, the fact that the Tigers are down 3 games to 1 or the fact that it is exactly where they deserve to be. In terms of pitching and offense, the game was pretty much even. The Tigers had 10 hits and 3 walks while the Cardinals had 9 hits and 5 walks. The difference once again was the Tigers inability to make plays on defense.

The telltale inning of course was the bottom of the 7th in which the Tigers needed 5 outs to get out of the inning. First was the flyball where Granderson slipped. It’s hard to get too upset at Granderson. He just lost his footing. What are you going to do? The Tigers still had a chance to get out of it before Rodney threw the ball 100 feet to first base in a situation where 60 feet would have been sufficient.

And as frustrated as I am with Rodney, all of his other throws were phenomenal. He picked up back to back strike outs to end a 1 out, first and third rally. He picked up a routine flyball and 2 strike outs in the subsequent inning. He pitched well, but it was all undone because of 2 plays. One that was out of his control and one that he literally had in the palm of his hand.

Some other notes from tonight’s game:

  • The offense perked up with 13 baserunners tonight. Sean Casey and Ivan Rodriguez combined to go 6 for 8. Granderson picked up a double, and by the end of the game he’d even managed to lay off the curve ball. Polanco is the only starter still hitless, and he’s had a couple of hard hit line drives at people the last 2 games.
  • What did Marcus Thames do to Leyland? He’s the best bat on the bench and he gets passed over in favor of Alexis Gomez?
  • I think the cut by Inge was the right play. The throw would have been close to getting Taguchi, but I think it would have been a couple feet up the first base line.
  • That throw that Molina made to try and nab Carlos Guillen was pretty incredible.
  • Scooter? For the kids (all those kids in ET who are still up at 9:30)? Fox continues to not get it. Stop with gimmicks and give us more baseball.
  • McCarver made a big deal of Monroe not making the play on Eckstein’s game winner. I really don’t know what else he could have done.
  • Do you think Miles scores if he’s running from 1st instead of 2nd? I don’t actually know. I’m just wondering how large that passed ball on the Encarnacion strike out was.

With the season on the line, the Tigers could turn to their veteran pitcher who hasn’t allowed a run in the postseason. Instead they’ll turn to the rookie who has struggled in 3 straight starts. I understand Leyland’s reasoning that other guys besides Rogers will need to get wins for the Tigers to have a chance. And I understand that Rogers’ success has all come in Comerica and that he’ll be ridiculed mercilessly in St. Louis. But if the Tigers lose game 5 and Justin Verlander contributes to that loss, it’s going to be a long off season saying, “What if?”

The Tigers needed this game. They had one of their more favorable pitching match-ups in a game that could have pulled the series even. Being down 2-1 in the series they had little margin for error and that margin is gone. I’d be a fool to like the Tigers chances at this point. I know that the 1968 Tigers were in the same situation against the same team, and won the series. Sure, I’ll hold out hope until that last out is recorded, but that hope far surpasses my expectations at this point.

What others are saying

Detroit Tiger Tales

The only hope now is a repeat of the comeback in the 1968 World Series. Such a comeback is very unlikely especially given how poorly they are playing. Justin Verlander, who seems to be out of gas, goes against Jeff Weaver tomorrow. Weaver was not too sharp in game 2 so there is some hope there. A lot of people think they should go with Kenny Rogers tomorrow but I don’t think it matters. If they are going to come back, they need 3 wins and Verlander is going to have to pitch one of those games. It doesn’t really matter if it’s game 5, 6 or 7.

Mack Avenue Tigers: A Detroit Tigers Blog » World Series Game 4: No mas

I’d like to say there’s some reason to be optimistic. But really, there’s not. The Cardinals just seem to be playing with much more poise, and the Tigers seem to have all but lost any of that cool poise we saw most of the season. I just don’t see them coming back to win the World Series from a 3-1 deficit and no poise.

The Daily Fungo: I’m Speechless

Call me an idiot or a pathetic optimist but I can’t see the Tigers season ending Friday night at Busch Stadium.

Oh. Tigers Fans. Honestly, We’re Sorry. – Deadspin

On a night when Every. Single. Break. went the Cardinals’ way, on a night when Tigers fans had to have been ripping out their eyebrows, on a night when the Cardinals’ spikes were made of diamonds and the Tigers’ were made of Vasoline … the Cardinals have taken a 3-1 lead in the World Series and are one game away from winning the World Championship for the first time since 1982. We cannot imagine how difficult that game must have been for Tigers fans.

Cardinals Diaspora

Oh baby…one game away. Let’s see it on the big board.

Maybe its the dense layer of fog from the damp fall day gathering in my head (or, uh, the fog from something else), but I’m having a hard time collecting thoughts on the game.

Get Up, Baby! » Game Four Liveblog Hijinks

The Cardinals did some terrible things with runners on base, and Suppan was far from perfect, but the Tigers just made more mistakes. I’ll take a win any way it comes–let’s keep The Cheat out of this series the old fashioned way, yeah?

DREW SHARP: Tigers haunted by ghost of Flood

The Tigers have orchestrated enough resurrections to make Lazarus envious, but perhaps they’ve run out of miracles.

This game was theirs.

CODE RED! – 10/27/06 – The Detroit News Online

This was a game they had. It also was a game they had to have. And then, in the flash of key miscues, it was gone, a horrific crusher that will not be easy to overcome.

STLtoday – Sports – Columnists

They left this ballpark Thursday night knowing that barring a monumental miracle of their own, they’d basically handed the Cardinals this Series with a non-stop flow of self-destructive nonsense.

World Series: Cardinals vs. Tigers: Cardinals Comeback — The Hardball Times

n a lot of ways, this was the best game of the 2006 World Series. You had the Tigers, who were down 2-1 in the series, come out hitting the ball and taking an early three-run lead. Then you saw the Cardinals come back and take the lead—only to have the Tigers tie it up, then give up the lead again. In the first three games, the team that was leading after the fourth inning ended up winning every game.

2006 Season, Playoffs

In the best interest of ratings

7 Comments

Remember way back in the ALCS when it was going to be too cold to play baseball at night in Detroit? Bud said that the game had to be moved to 4:30 and the move was all because of the weather:

“Would you rather play at 4:30 in the afternoon or at 8:15 and go to midnight? The answer’s obvious,” Selig said. “This is a decision based on weather, and not based on anything else.”

.

I guess that only applies to cold weather and not rain. Looking at Accuweather, there is only a 40% chance of precipitation in the late afternoon in St. Louis as opposed 65% during primetime. If you move up the start time, you can always wait out a rain delay even longer. Or maybe due to forecast, try scheduling the first pitch for 8:00 instead of showing a half hour of insipid commentary, commericials, and commercials poorly masked as entertainment.

Man I need this series to get started again.

2006 Season, Pitching, Playoffs

Now a radar gun story

3 Comments

Now this is getting out of control. This World Series really needs more action and less speculation. Now there is controversy over the
radar gun and Joel Zumaya . Please.

The radar gun has no impact on the game. Yes, Zumaya looks at the gun. But if he’s throwing to the gun instead of the batters, the Tigers have bigger problems.

What I’m really surprised about is that nobody was mentioning that Zumaya was wearing the same batting practice hat that has become a flashpoint around Kenny Rogers. You know, the one with the black underbill that makes it easier for Rogers to hide his gunk?

2006 Season, Pitching, Playoffs

Who do you start

3 Comments

Starting with the assumption that game 4 is played at some point, who do you start in game 5?  It appears that the Cardinals are leaning towards Jeff Weaver (tip o the DTW hat to Viva El Birdos). For the Tigers I really think it depends on the outcome of game 4.

If the Tigers even the series, I think they’ll keep the rotation the way it is and hope Justin Verlander is good enough. If the Cardinals do in fact move Weaver up, he’s the one guy the Tigers knocked around in this series. I know the Tigers only scored 3 off of Weaver, but the lack of timely hits is much less a concern than the total lack of timely situations in the other games. If the Tigers have similar success against Weaver, then Verlander doesn’t have to be perfect in a game the Tigers must win.

Now if the Tigers drop game 4 they move into a clinch-avoidance situation. At that point I think Kenny Rogers has to be moved up. I know the desire to keep him pitching in Comerica where’s he’s been dominant. And I know the grief he’ll get in St. Louis with the dirt and such. But saving him for a game that might not happen would be ridiculous.

And just to clear up any confusion I might have raised last night (and it really was MLB.com’s fault), Jeremy Bonderman is still pitching game 4.

2006 Season, Game Post, Playoffs

World Series Game 4: Tigers at Cardinals

36 Comments

UPDATE: It’s a washout. They’ll try and do this again tomorrow night around 8:30. Don’t know if this will hold or not, but as I write this, MLB.com lists Justin Verlander as the starter and TBA for the Cardinals. I hope it’s a goof. Skipping Bonderman would be, ummm, there’s not even words.

PREGAME: I’m far from worried about the series going into this game. Of course another loss tonight and that all changes. Tonight fans of both teams are confident in their starters.

For the Cardinals it will be Jeff Suppan. Suppan has been very good over his last 2 starts allowing only 1 run over 15 innings. In his last start against the Mets he only allowed 2 hits, but did issue 5 walks. The way the Tigers have been swinging the bats, they’ll have a hard time benefitting from any control issues that Suppan might have.

Magglio Ordonez has had considerable success against Suppan posting a 395/469/581 line over 43 at-bats with as many homers as strike outs (2). Brandon Inge has hit for the cycle (plus a double) over 14 at-bats. Placido Polanco has had no success posting a 1 for 13 with 3 walks.

Suppan has been better at home this year, posting a 3.18 ERA and 248 batting average against in Busch Stadium (5.36 ERA, .313 BAA on the road). Lefties hit him better with a +100 margin in OPS (836 vs 736), although they are slightly more likely to strike out (look out Curtis).

The Tigers will feature Jeremy Bonderman who sports the best peripherals on the staff. He’s basically had one rough inning in his last 2 starts. That inning being the first in game 4 of the ALCS when he surrenedered 2 runs.

Caridnals hitters have pretty limited to exposure to Bonderman with only Scott Spiezio and Ronnie Belliard gathering more than 15 at-bats. Belliard is 3 for 21 and Spiezio is 4 for 15 including a homer.

Bonderman’s road ERA of 3.63 is almost a full run lower than his ERA at Comerica Park.

Tigers Lineup

CF – Granderson
LF – Monroe
SS – Guillen
RF- Ordonez
1B – Casey
C – Rodriguez
2B- Polanco
3B – Inge
P – Bonderman

I’m totally down with this lineup. Pudge didn’t move, but if he turns in another 0-fer hopefully it won’t be as damaging. Let’s just hope that 2-3-4-5 can put something together. For that matter anybody putting something together would be nice.

Cardinals Lineup

SS- Eckstein
LF – Duncan
1B- Pujols
3B – Rolen
CF – Edmonds
RF – Wilson
C- Molina
2B- Miles
P – Suppan

The weather figures to be awful, so this might be a moot point. If they play, it is expected to start at 8:30ish.

2006 Season, Players, Playoffs

Exposure

With the Tigers being awful for a long time, and merely bad the last 2 year, they have accumulated a pile of players nobody knows about. That’s why it’s been neat to see some the exposure that the Tigers are getting. For one it’s nice to see them get recognition. Second, it’s nice to get an unbiased opinion. We’re used to seeing our Tigers, and we’re used to seeing bad Tigers. Up until this year, I often thought my ability to evaluate players was seriously skewed because of the team I was watching.

Baseball Prospectus has a profile of Carlos Guillen today. This run has done wonders for the “best player you never heard of” or “MVP candidate” talk with regard to Guillen. If he can replicate his 2006 performance next year (which means staying healthy) he stands a good chance to be in the MVP race, as opposed to someone filling out the bottom of tha ballots. (On another note, the profile was penned by Marc Normandin who also blogs at the wonderful Beyond Boxscores)

John Sickels has been running Prospect Retros of some of the more interesting stories in the World Series. It’s fun to look back at these players to see who beat the odds, and who never lived up to expectations. In the last couple days he’s done Tigers Kenny Rogers and Craig Monroe, as well as former Tiger and current Card Juan Encarnacion.

2006 Season, Managing & Strategy, Playoffs

The Lineup Shuffle – or deck chairs on the Titanic?

7 Comments

Do the Tigers need to change their lineup? Jim Leylandis certainly considering it. The lineup question was one I was going to pursue yesterday before I ran out of time. Last night’s 3 single effort certainly has stirred the pot to the point of action.

The obvious problem with the Tigers lineup is that their best hitter, Carlos Guillen, is hitting 5th instead of the more conventional third. It hasn’t bothered me too much as I rationalize that it helps clean-up hitter Magglio Ordonez see better pitches, and Ordonez was better at getting on base than the 1 & 2 hitters late in the season.

But with Ivan Rodriguez hitting behind Guillen, guy who is hitting the worst in the lineup is behind the guy who is hitting the best. Guillen won’t get anything to hit, and a walk won’t help much if a 4-6-3 double play is right around the corner.

If it were up to me, tonight’s lineup would be Granderson-Polanco-Guillen-Ordonez-Monroe-Casey-Rodriguez-Inge-Bonderman. And really Monroe and Casey could be flipped. Both have showed signs of life this series

Now Leyland will probably make a change tonight, but it won’t be that drastic. It may just be moving Polanco to 2nd and Casey to 3rd dropping Monroe down to Casey’s slot. It’s a lineup that Leyland is comfortable with, but it won’t address the problem of having Guillen and Pudge paired.

Now the funny thing is that it takes a game like last night’s to prompt the change. In all reality the lineup order last night made no difference. There’s no way to optimize a lineup that produces 3 baserunners all night.

UPDATE: Via Danny Knobler tonight’s lineup: Granderson cf, Monroe lf, Guillen ss, Ordonez rf, Casey 1b, Rodriguez c, Polanco 2b, Inge 3b, Bonderman p.

I can certainly buy into this lineup. Guillen is between guys who might do something positive, and he’s also between 2 righthanders which may discourage the use of a lefty reliever to turn him around.