billfer
Billfer is a Tiger fan, and firmly believes Bob Cluck needs a fan club. Check out billfer's other site
Russ
Now that Cal Ripken has retired, Russ can focus his hating on Sammy Sosa. To find out what else Russ hates check out HateHateHate
Billfer is a Tiger fan, and firmly believes Bob Cluck needs a fan club. Check out billfer's other site
Russ
Now that Cal Ripken has retired, Russ can focus his hating on Sammy Sosa. To find out what else Russ hates check out HateHateHate
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Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Trammell's not happy
Trammell holds post game meeting after mistake filled game
"This one bothered me. I just had a little chat (with the players)," Trammell said. "One thing that really bothers me, and I'll be consistent with this, is sloppy baseball. I'll always be a little bitter when we play sloppy."
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
STLtoday - sports
Paquette Wants to go to St. Louis
Paquette says he likes and respects Trammell, whose operation he says is much more structured than that of interim Luis Pujols last year. But, asked if he wanted out, Paquette said, "In a heartbeat. And they know that. I thought something was going to happen at the end of the spring, but it got shot down."
Monday, April 28, 2003
Baseball America - Prospect Hot Sheet
Baseball America - Prospect Hot Sheet Noochie Varner (Erie) and Joel Zumaya (West Michigan) are "Other Hot Prospects to Watch"
Baseball Prospectus - The Jack Morris Project
Baseball Prospectus - The Jack Morris Project
As I said, I don't know what the performance record of someone who had successfully pitched to the score would look like. I am certain, though, that for a pitcher to build his Hall of Fame case on the notion that he did such a thing, he couldn't have put his team behind in nearly two-thirds of his career starts, and he couldn't have blown leads once a month throughout his career.
Peter Gammons
Peter Gammons on Bonderman
Wednesday night, Bonderman shut down the A's with eight brilliant innings and this line: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He threw in the 90's with a dominating curveball and when Matt Anderson escaped the ninth, the Tigers had their second win of the season, 4-1. "It was a tremendous feeling," Bonderman said. "It was especially meaningful because the first call I got in the clubhouse was from Billy Beane, who congratulated me and told me how proud he is to have had me in the organization."
Thursday, April 24, 2003
ESPN.com: MLB - Magic number for Yankees, Tigers: 110
Rob Neyer: Magic number for Yankees, Tigers: 110
That said, what I didn't discover until later is that the Tigers, who lost 106 games last season, were significantly worse than their terrible record. Given their runs scored (575) and allowed (864), we'd have expected the Tigers rack up 112 losses rather than 106. And if you're trying to predict this year going off last year, you'll do better if you consider the 2002 Tigers a 112-loss team. And is it really such a stretch to assume that a team with three Rule 5 pitchers and a starting rotation completely populated by question marks might lose eight more games than it did a year ago?
Peter Gammons
Peter Gammons
Speaking of (John) Santana, one AL scout said Wilfredo Ledezma, the lefty taken by the Tigers in the Rule V draft from Boston, "is the next Santana. His stuff is really something." Boston had only 28 players on its 40-man roster when Ledezma was left unprotected.
Column: Do something now
Danny Knobler: Do something now
Manager Alan Trammell and president and general manager Dave Dombrowski can't completely remake this team three weeks into the season. It's not possible.
But they have to realize that 1-16 is ridiculous. Something has to be done. Something significant has to be done.
But they have to realize that 1-16 is ridiculous. Something has to be done. Something significant has to be done.
Francona: Tram right guy for job
Francona: Tram right guy for job
Francona alludes to how Trammell remains the upbeat realist, the same as when he played. Trammell makes no attempt to downplay the Tigers' record or that they've embarked on a new rebuilding project in his first year as manager. But, as when he played, he prepares for every game thoroughly, expecting success.
1st win for Bonderman, 2nd for Tigers
1st win for Bonderman, 2nd for Tigers
Bonderman pitched a hell of a game. Most telling was his control. No walks, and he got through 8 innings on only 101 pitches. Kudos to Tram for pulling him after 8 instead of letting him pile up unnecessary wear and tear. Unfortunately, Matt Anderson was shaky and had to rely on Higginson pulling two runs back by reaching into the stands to snare a home run.
Bonderman struck out five and walked none. With his fastball humming and his slider breaking sharply, Bonderman retired 17 straight from the second inning until Terrence Long tripled with one out in the eighth. Long scored on a groundout.
Bonderman pitched a hell of a game. Most telling was his control. No walks, and he got through 8 innings on only 101 pitches. Kudos to Tram for pulling him after 8 instead of letting him pile up unnecessary wear and tear. Unfortunately, Matt Anderson was shaky and had to rely on Higginson pulling two runs back by reaching into the stands to snare a home run.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Bi-Weekly Review: A.L. Central - Baseball Primer
From San Francisco Chronicle
Dull, hopeless Tigers deserve better fate
You don't contract Hoot Evers, Schoolboy Rowe, Dizzy Trout or Mark (the Bird) Fidrych. You don't wipe out a town where Marvin Gaye, Brenda Holloway and Kim Weston cut their Motown hits not terribly far from the wonderful old ballpark at Michigan and Trumbull. Ridicule them now, as you must, but they will be back. It's in the blood.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
More Tiger suckiness
More from Jayson Stark
The more we survey baseball people about the Tigers, the more we wonder if they'll even win 50 games.
One AL scout's evaluation: "They've got a chance to threaten the '62 Mets (40-120). They really do. They can't catch the ball. They don't hit. They've got a couple of pitchers who are OK. But their kids have no energy and their veterans provide no leadership. They're in worse shape than Tampa Bay because at least Tampa Bay has the best manager in the league. Lou can only do so much over there, but at least they're all afraid not to play their tails off."
One AL scout's evaluation: "They've got a chance to threaten the '62 Mets (40-120). They really do. They can't catch the ball. They don't hit. They've got a couple of pitchers who are OK. But their kids have no energy and their veterans provide no leadership. They're in worse shape than Tampa Bay because at least Tampa Bay has the best manager in the league. Lou can only do so much over there, but at least they're all afraid not to play their tails off."
The Tigers aren't very good
Jayson Stark on the Tiger's futility
One of the great duels of the season so far: Tigers hitters vs. National League pitchers.
Tigers hitters (through Friday) five home runs .172 batting average. NL pitchers: six home runs, .171 batting average.
Or we could go with this duel: Tigers vs. Yankees.
Through Friday, the Tigers had scored more than two runs in four GAMES this year.
The Yankees had scored more than two runs in 15 INNINGS this year.
Tigers hitters (through Friday) five home runs .172 batting average. NL pitchers: six home runs, .171 batting average.
Or we could go with this duel: Tigers vs. Yankees.
Through Friday, the Tigers had scored more than two runs in four GAMES this year.
The Yankees had scored more than two runs in 15 INNINGS this year.
Another Weekend=3 More Losses
I thought it was going to change Friday night, I really did. The Tig's had played a great game through 9 innings. They had a second consecutive solid start from Nate Cornejo, Higgy hit his first home run of the season, and Franklyn "Fear Factor" German looked untouchable k'ing 5 out of the 6 batters he faced. Then the 10th inning came, and the Royals started it out with a groundball single (Trammell pinch hit for Infante in the top of the 10th, and Halter was playing short at the time. If Infante is still in the game, this is a routine out). Then a couple of bunts-including a fabulous back-up play by Santiago- and the Royals have the bases loaded with nobody out. Anderson then throws a force out, a pop out, and a strike out and the Tigers get out of the inning. Fox Sports showed the dugout, and you could see something was different. I haven't seen that much life in the team this year. I truly believed the Tigers were going to win this game. Then Anderson hung an 0-2 curveball to start the 11th and it was all gone.
A blowout loss on Saturday followed as Gary Knotts had no control, and made his first bad start of the year.
Then on Sunday, Mike Maroth pitches another great game. He got a little bit of support, 3 runs this time, and the Tigers still manage to lose. This time baserunning and fielding were the culprits.
So where does that leave us? The record says 1-16. My question is does the record matter? We knew this was going to be a bad year, and people were generally expecting a 100 losses. Now none of us expected 1 win in 17 games. Because the record is so bad does it start to mean something? I'm trying to look at how the team is playing, and at least there are some good signs there. What troubled me most about Sunday's loss is that they looked like the Tigers of old-bad baserunning and defense. In short, a team that just doesn't know how to win. Which raises another dichotomy, part of what we were looking for Trammell and Gibson to bring to this team was sound fundamental baseball. Baseball where you don't see the mental lapses. The flip-side is that we have a very young team and that we should expect some mistakes.
So I guess my big questions are: 1. At what point does the won-loss record start to become an issue (for many it probably already has) and 2. How do you evaluate how this team is doing?
Notes On Friday the Tigers made their first roster move designating Hiram Bocachica for assignment and calling up Craig Monroe. Monroe has been a solid minor league hitter for several years. Last year he had 5 stints with the Tigers, but never got to play (only 25 AB's). This weekend Trammell gave him a shot and he started all 3 games in left going 1 for 12 with an RBI single. Mr. Monroe also had several extended discussions with Kirk Gibson after having a tough time defensively. Even given his defensive short comings, I'd like to see Tram stick with him for a little while to see if we can get some more pop in the line-up.
Also, does anyone have any nickname ideas for Franklyn German? The guy definitely needs a nickname.
A blowout loss on Saturday followed as Gary Knotts had no control, and made his first bad start of the year.
Then on Sunday, Mike Maroth pitches another great game. He got a little bit of support, 3 runs this time, and the Tigers still manage to lose. This time baserunning and fielding were the culprits.
So where does that leave us? The record says 1-16. My question is does the record matter? We knew this was going to be a bad year, and people were generally expecting a 100 losses. Now none of us expected 1 win in 17 games. Because the record is so bad does it start to mean something? I'm trying to look at how the team is playing, and at least there are some good signs there. What troubled me most about Sunday's loss is that they looked like the Tigers of old-bad baserunning and defense. In short, a team that just doesn't know how to win. Which raises another dichotomy, part of what we were looking for Trammell and Gibson to bring to this team was sound fundamental baseball. Baseball where you don't see the mental lapses. The flip-side is that we have a very young team and that we should expect some mistakes.
So I guess my big questions are: 1. At what point does the won-loss record start to become an issue (for many it probably already has) and 2. How do you evaluate how this team is doing?
Notes On Friday the Tigers made their first roster move designating Hiram Bocachica for assignment and calling up Craig Monroe. Monroe has been a solid minor league hitter for several years. Last year he had 5 stints with the Tigers, but never got to play (only 25 AB's). This weekend Trammell gave him a shot and he started all 3 games in left going 1 for 12 with an RBI single. Mr. Monroe also had several extended discussions with Kirk Gibson after having a tough time defensively. Even given his defensive short comings, I'd like to see Tram stick with him for a little while to see if we can get some more pop in the line-up.
Also, does anyone have any nickname ideas for Franklyn German? The guy definitely needs a nickname.
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Sorry about the long hiatus. Unfortunately at the same time I that I ran out of time to do this, my partner in misery Russ lost his internet access. Therefore, sparse updating for awhile. Anywho, there hasn't been a lot of fun stuff to write about. First there is the anemic offense, which has already been beat to death. This was further highlighted by last night's move of Bobby Higginson to center. Mind you, I'm not knocking the move, but the move was made so that we could get the power tandem of Shane Halter and Craig Paquette both in the lineup (with Halter DH'ing!). Fortunately, Carlos Pena has looked a little better at the plate recently. Also, Eric Munson continues to have good swings and Ramon Santiago has pieced together an 8 game hitting streak. Unfortunately Dean Palmer looks completely lost. It appears that he's not seeing the ball well, and Dmitri Young looks equally confused. Also, Bobby's OBA is up over .350 thanks in large part to his plate discipline.
The starting pitching has been adequate. Mike Maroth has been solid, and Gary Knotts has been a nice surprise. Bonderman needs to find his control and get a solid outing to regain everyone's confidence (especially his own). The bullpen has clearly struggled. Jamie Walker, the left-handed home run specialist, is looking more and more like CJ Nitkowski. German and Anderson both look rusty and out of sync-they need more opportunities. Sparks has been solid in various relief capacities this year.
At least the defense has been solid. The young infield looks very promising. Munson has been impressive over at 3rd and Santiago and Infante both can cover a lot of ground. Halter is adequate on the balls he can get to, but he unfortunately has no range. Higgy is always solid, but the CF has been erratic, and you can't help but hold your breath when you see Dmitri Young on the run.
Lynn Henning and other have wrote about how the Tigers bats will get better, and I believe they will. I just hope that when the bats come alive, the arms don't go away.
The starting pitching has been adequate. Mike Maroth has been solid, and Gary Knotts has been a nice surprise. Bonderman needs to find his control and get a solid outing to regain everyone's confidence (especially his own). The bullpen has clearly struggled. Jamie Walker, the left-handed home run specialist, is looking more and more like CJ Nitkowski. German and Anderson both look rusty and out of sync-they need more opportunities. Sparks has been solid in various relief capacities this year.
At least the defense has been solid. The young infield looks very promising. Munson has been impressive over at 3rd and Santiago and Infante both can cover a lot of ground. Halter is adequate on the balls he can get to, but he unfortunately has no range. Higgy is always solid, but the CF has been erratic, and you can't help but hold your breath when you see Dmitri Young on the run.
Lynn Henning and other have wrote about how the Tigers bats will get better, and I believe they will. I just hope that when the bats come alive, the arms don't go away.
Friday, April 04, 2003
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. My wife and I gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday, so I've been kind of preoccupied. Hopefully Russ can pick up some of the slack for the next week or so.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Opening Day
Opening Day-Detroit Style
When I woke up and saw snow on the ground, all I could do was laugh. Welcome to Opening Day in Michigan! As it turned out, the game wasn't that cold and the warm sun helped out a lot. Even though the Tigers lost, there are still quite a few positives to take from the game. First, Mike Maroth pitched a heck of a game and held the Twins in check with the exception of a home run in between the new and old fences in left field. He consistently was getting ahead of the hitters, and walked none. Throughout 7 innings he only had 3 balls hit hard off him.
Also, the team looked very crisp defensively. Infante and Santiago were a lot of fun to watch in the middle of the diamond, and Munson made several nice plays. This was exemplified when the Twins had runners at the corners and nobody out. The grounder was hit to Munson who threw it home where Inge applied the tag. Inge then snapped off a throw to second trying to nab the Twins runner straying too far from the the base. While the didn't turn the double play, it was refreshing to see the execution. Last year I would have imagined Inge's throw going into centerfield because nobody was ready to catch it.
Offensively, the Tigers only drew one walk, and didn't really hit the ball well. Granted, Radke was typically getting the first pitch over for a strike and staying ahead in the count. Also, he is a pretty darn good pitcher, and he is expected to pitch well. Still, there were way too many pop-ups yesterday.
All in all, a decent showing. It was nice not to have sarcastic cheering or any "Let's go Red Wings" chants throughout the game. Plus, the bulk of the crowd stayed the whole game. And if you thought it was too cold, it could have been worse. In Baltimore there was a 15 minute snow delay, and the game went 13 innings.
When I woke up and saw snow on the ground, all I could do was laugh. Welcome to Opening Day in Michigan! As it turned out, the game wasn't that cold and the warm sun helped out a lot. Even though the Tigers lost, there are still quite a few positives to take from the game. First, Mike Maroth pitched a heck of a game and held the Twins in check with the exception of a home run in between the new and old fences in left field. He consistently was getting ahead of the hitters, and walked none. Throughout 7 innings he only had 3 balls hit hard off him.
Also, the team looked very crisp defensively. Infante and Santiago were a lot of fun to watch in the middle of the diamond, and Munson made several nice plays. This was exemplified when the Twins had runners at the corners and nobody out. The grounder was hit to Munson who threw it home where Inge applied the tag. Inge then snapped off a throw to second trying to nab the Twins runner straying too far from the the base. While the didn't turn the double play, it was refreshing to see the execution. Last year I would have imagined Inge's throw going into centerfield because nobody was ready to catch it.
Offensively, the Tigers only drew one walk, and didn't really hit the ball well. Granted, Radke was typically getting the first pitch over for a strike and staying ahead in the count. Also, he is a pretty darn good pitcher, and he is expected to pitch well. Still, there were way too many pop-ups yesterday.
All in all, a decent showing. It was nice not to have sarcastic cheering or any "Let's go Red Wings" chants throughout the game. Plus, the bulk of the crowd stayed the whole game. And if you thought it was too cold, it could have been worse. In Baltimore there was a 15 minute snow delay, and the game went 13 innings.