Ken Rosenthal on the Tigers: “Slowly, the Tigers are getting better. Their top pitchers are signed long-term, and their offense will improve with the returns of Palmer and Meluskey and the addition of Young.”
Sports Illustrated picks the Tigers to finish 4th in the Central. Hey Tiger fans, it could be worse, we’re not being contracted and we’re not the Royals.
Peter Gammons lists Matt Anderson as a breakout candidate this year.
Higginson leading off? Phil Garner is exploring the possiblity because the Tigers don’t have a true leadoff hitter, or number two hitter, or cleanup hitter, or …
From Transaction Analysis:
“Meanwhile, this is a roster clogged with a unique blend of DHs, utility men, and punchless corner infielders and outfielders.”
Well, the DT Weblog has moved to a new home for the time being. This is mostly because I wanted to go ad-free without paying anything. We’ll see how things work out at our new digs. I know the URL isn’t as friendly, but hopefully you’ll mark it as a favorite, or chances are you’re linking here from somewhere else anyways. This is all part of a bigger change when we’ll start actually posting again, we’ll have a new author or two, and a new look. Stay tuned
Chris Karhl’s Transaction Analysis has some nice things to say about some recent Tiger moves. Besides signing Anderson and Weaver for the next few years, they have made some nice waiver wire moves.
Peter Gammons lists Nate Cornejo as a rookie to watch on a team “that may surprise some people.” He also lists shortstop Omar Infante as a midseason name to remember.
So I attended TigerFest this year, and I was pretty disappointed. This was the first year that Tigerfest was held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, and I believe it was also put on by a different company. My main problems with it was that it needed a bigger facility. Due to the size of the displays, and the sheer number of people it made it difficult to even move. In addition, the autograph system wasn’t very fan-friendly. When you entered you received a numbered ticket. The number on the ticket indicated when you could get in line for autographs. The problem was we were there about 40 minutes before we even heard them call numbers, and when they did our numbers were still over a thousand away. The last TigerFest I attended, Russ and I were able to get a half dozen autographs in about 2 hours.
All this being said, the Tigers did try to make it a good experience. I’m sure the size of the crowd surprised them as much as it surprised me. The area set up for the clinics seemed to be a decent size with quite a bit of bleacher seating. Also, just the fact they tried to appeal to the common fan was refreshing. So while I thought this years Tigerfest was a let down, hopefully they can take what they learned this year and make some improvements. If they hold it some place bigger, and improve the autograph system I think it could be a great event.
The Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: TIGERS PR 313-471-2000
www.detroittigers.com
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2002
TIGERS SIGN WEAVER TO FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT
Righthander Signed Through 2005 Season
DETROIT
Baseball Prospectus debunks The Legend of Jack Morris
In the Detroit News today…
-Todd Jones signed with Colorado
-Bryce Florie wasn’t offered a contract with Detroit so he signed with Oakland
-Nobody wants Deivi Cruz
-Richie Hebner is still digging graves