(this one taken by AP, during his last start)

He looks like he’s just stepped out of a gangster movie.

I know right now everyone is either pissed or somewhat heart broken or both. I am feeling it too. But then I remember that if someone offered me a deal that included the Tigers being able to have a shot at winning the division on the final day of the year and we would get JV to pitch for us I would signed up in a heart beat. I don’t care about the Twins, the Yankees or anything else. I am not concerned with “blaming” anyone or anything. We have JV going for us tomorrow and if we win we keep playing. That’s all I could have asked for at the start of this year.

If the twins actually go with pavano on short rest, wow. They should go with the kid. I don’t see how they could throw pavano out there with the season on the line. He is carl pavano.

is that I can’t remember any other combination of players that I’ve been more in love with. no other group of guys has seemed happier to be playing together. leyland has said himself they are all team players and awesome to work with. I can’t imagine losing anyone in this lineup, no matter how upset they make me sometimes. there isn’t one player I dislike for attitude or other reasons. they’re all great guys and they all deserve the title.

And get ready for tomorrow. I’ll be a little late, and with any luck I’ll have missed a 1-2-3 inning from Justin and the Tigers batting around in the bottom of the 1st.

It looks horrible. Danks is exactly the kind of guy who three hits us and gives up a run. JV, great as he is, has a right arm that’s about to fall off. And the twins are playing a team as wretched as any in the final regular season game at their friendly hellhole. The only thing giving me any hope is the fact that baseball is not logical.

Hopefully I can be one hell of a good luck charm. I will do my best not to end up in the hospital because of a heart attack or something, but I will be freaking out to the extreme the whole time, guaranteed. I must say, if there was anyone I’d want to see pitching for us in this situation, it is Justin Verlander.

They’re just sticking true to form. Bring it on.

Don’t know if this is a good thing to share or not (and don’t know if it has already been pointed out or not, apologies if it has), but no team has ever been in first place since May 10 or earlier and gone on to lose during final week.

back to the whiskey.

I just had to listen to a song with lyrics that said something honkytonk badonkadonk, theb about something having it going on like
Donkey Kong. Fuck.

the Tigers hanging their hopes on Figaro, or the Rox hoping Contreras gets it done?

OK, I didn’t JUST realize it..I was more trying to not think about it..but we might have to watch another fucking game at the Metrodome. Just when I thought I was out, they keep pulling me back in.

especially since I’ll be at the game all day tomorrow and will lose all that time to study. Goodnight everyone. Good luck sleeping this one off.

greinke re: pithcing to mauer in the 6th today

“I didn’t want to give him a pitch to hit. I was going to be real fine with everything, and he fouled off a really good slider, took another really good slider and maybe I shouldn’t have tried to throw a fastball by him. Maybe I should have thrown it for a ball and taken my chances with Kubel, because Mauer is who he is. But throughout the game, my fastball was getting by guys, so I probably was overconfident with him at the time.” — Greinke

The white sox theme. I ran outside.

Career numbers (Verlander vs. White Sox will be up shortly):

I know the Tigers tend to not score a whole lot of runs against Danks. The individual numbers are very bipolar. Nearly all of the Tigers either hit Danks very well or can’t touch him. The only one with an “average” average against Danks is Adam Everett (.250 on the nose).

The Tiger who hits Danks the best? That would be Magglio, who is 11-for-20 (.550) off Danks with 3 doubles, a homer, and 6 RBIs.

This is another guy that Polanco does not hit very well. He’s only 4-for-21 (.190). That is not as bad as Granderson, who is 1-for-16.

I thought the Tigers would stick Raburn in left field in place of Guillen and Marcus Thames at DH, but it’s not as simple as that, because both Raburn and Thames have awful numbers against Danks. Raburn is 0-for-8 with 5 strikeouts, and Thames is 1-for-14 with 7 Ks. Meanwhile, Carlos’s numbers against Danks are pretty decent (4-for-9 with a double).

Miguel Cabrera (who really needs to bust out, cuz he’s been a big culprit in the recent offensive slide) is one of the Tigers with good numbers against Danks: 4-for-13 (.308 average), but no RBIs.

Only three home runs have been hit off Tiger bats against Danks: One apiece from Magglio, Everett (!), and Inge (who is one of the ones with decent average against him).

Only one Tiger has faced Danks and has not struck out at least once. That would be Gerald Laird, who is 2-for-3 off Danks.

I’m sure Justin is glad to see Jim Thome (with his seven HRs off him) in a Dodgers uniform, but here’s how he fares against the remaining Sox:

In his career, Justin Verlander has given up two grand slams. One of them was to AJ Pierzynski back in ‘06 (In case you’re wondering, the other was Joe Mauer in 2007).

That grand slam is a big reason why Pierzynski has an eye-popping 12 RBIs against JV, but it also helps that he hits 14-for-42 (.333) with 3 HRs including that grand slam.

Other guy to watch out for in the power department is Jermaine Dye, who has 4 HRs against Justin and is 14-for-47 (.298) overall, with 8 RBIs.

Paul Kenerko, on the other hand, is completely overmatched: 4-for-34 with 10 strikeouts.

Other Sox who have homered off Verlander: Carlos Quentin and Alexi Ramirez (one each).

Justin has struck out every Sox batter at least once.

The only Sox who DON’T have at least one RBI against Verlander are Mark Kotsay and Chris Getz.

Alexi Ramirez (3-for-19) and Mark Kotsay (2-for-14) don’t hit Verlander well, though as I mentioned, Ramirez has homered off JV.

Today was horrible- stuck in a bad debate round for 5 hours, my cousin humiliated me in front of the team I coach for, I got forced on a rollercoaster (scared of heights) and now this?

We damn well better win tomorrow. Or I’m taking a pointy stick and heading to Detroit. Y’all are welcome to join.

Miggy had some sort of facial scrarch that the white sox were discussing after the game. Miggy split immediately after, which is unlike him. Dude is obviously feeling the heat. Our best position player is missing in action. How the hell can we win a game without Miggy?

We will need 5 runs to win, minimum. JV matches up horribly with the Sox, particularly the bombers like Dye and Quentin who live to hit fastballs. They are going to score. We have to get a bunch of runs. With Miggy missing in action, who is going to drive in the runs? Grandy? Not vs. Danks. Maggs? Maybe. Guillen is a non-factor against Danks. I simply cannot figure out how we are going to get the necessay runs. Unless JV is superhuman against a team built to give him hell, I do not see how this happens. Miggy coming back to life is a must.

I met a Tiger’s fan today. He’s from Venezuela, and is a Tiger’s fan because of big Miggy.

Someone to feel my pain…I bet my uncle that the Tiger’s go farther than the Yankees. I would gladly pay the money if we acutally make the playoffs…Frustration is all that I am feeling right now. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t make me look like an idiot for being a Tiger’s fan. My mom(who hates sports in general) was laughing at me for the Tiger’s sucking. PLEASE at least force a playoff(FTW FOR MAKING IT EVEN POSSIBLE).

Crazy things have happened…Tiger’s, it’s your time…100% up to you. Magglio, you really gotta earn your $18mil. Miggy, just be average. Inge, have the hospital sign your arm. Verlander, be yourself. 1 ERA at home and hope for some help!

LET’S GO!