Bless You Boys

Gary Sheffield Need to be Booed

Natebond008 — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:18:20 -0000

I'm sick of cheering Gary on, hoping he gets a hit. At this point Id rather boo him and scream for a pinch hitter

Today was the cumulation of the frustration with Gary. Bottom of the 8th, down by one run, full count, men on first and second. Jim Leyland calls for the hit and run. The pitch by the left hander Okajima was a fast ball, belt high and right down the center of the plate. Gary Swings!... and misses. Maggs is thrown out at third by a mile because Gary couldn't even make contact with a fastball right down the middle. That cost us a scoring chance and almost the game (thank you Polanco).

It doesn't seem to matter where you stick Gary in the lineup or the field, he is becoming a liability on offense. I don't know if i can excuse it for injury or what, but his bat does not seem to be feared by anyone anymore. He seems to pop out or strike out every other at bat. The only reason his batting average isn't under .100 is because he has so many "non at bats" because of walks.

The problem is, what do you do with him. He is getting paid a ton of money to do one thing, hit. Jim Leyland seems to have the ultimate trust in him, but a two month slump is past a slump. I am sure the Tigers do not want to eat his salary by designating him. So really the only alternatives are DL, bench, or continue to play him and hope.

The first option leaves us without Gary for at least 15 days. Thames could easily fit in Left or i suppose you could use Brandon as well. But this option would likely bring out the headcase that is Gary Sheffield. Benching also has the same problems of him not seeing live pitching for a certain amount of time, probably not real helpful to get his swing straight.

Playing him is like batting a pitcher right now.

My solution? None of those options. Gary is one of the strangest, craziest individuals in the world. He is probably completely backwards of any of us. Gary once said last year during his April slump that he wanted the Detroit fans to boo him for his poor performance. So my solution is boo the crap out of him until he starts hitting. During the games I watch and the games i have been to, the urging chant "GARY! GARY!" is predominant during any clutch situation he comes into. Gary hates being rooted for. Do the opposite! Boo him until we can cheer for him.

His "best" series thus far has been the New York series. The New York fans hate Gary, for all kinds of reasons. They booed him every time he went up to bat. He even managed to get a HR during that series.

I know this is completely opposite of how us Detroit fans normally act. We are very forgiving and optimistic about our athletes. We like to cheer for them. The best example is the fact that Detroit fans root for athletes everyone else hates, like Rasheed and Chelios. But we have to act more like New York fans wheneven A-rod goes 0-4.

BOOOOOOO!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

When did we become the Yankees?

pfuhrmeister — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:29:03 -0000

Lately, I've found myself wondering. When the payroll skyrocketed, I was mostly pretty happy. We'd been waiting for the Tigers to cut loose with some cash since, well, since Juan Gone thankfully turned it down. But as the season approached and I looked at where the Tigers were in spending, I began to feel some pangs of regret. People were lumping our boys in with my two most dreaded teams, the Yanquis and the Red Sawx. Still, I was glad to have the players that we acquired, and it put it all behind me. Then there's the whole Brandon Inge thing. When did the Tigers players start thinking that they were bigger than the team? That settled down quite a bit, but now Sheff is running off at the mouth about what's best for Sheff. Guillen (shockingly) is starting to talk about what he wants. It's become much more about what the players seem to want, and I think it's starting to show in the way that they work (or don't work) together. The final straw to me is the series of recent actions by ownership/management. The Tigers I knew left Mike Maroth out there long enough to lose 21 games. The Tigers of 2008 are a "must win" team. If they go a few days without kicking someone's ass, then the fans and the media call for someone's head. I can handle being a fan of a losing team. Heck, I've been a Tigers fan since the mid-sixties, I'm used to be a fan of a losing team. But I can't handle being a fan of the Yankees. I can't handle being a fan of a team that has no patience and no chemistry. So please Jimmy, Donny, Mikey. Let's relax and remember that this is a game, and these are the Tigers. Maybe taking the pressure off will actually help.

2 Down and 1 to go

SonOfGibby — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:43:51 -0000

Grilli and J. Jones are gone. Hopefully Miner is next up for the axe. I do agree that Sheffield has no business playing defense-it does nothing but increase his chances of serious injury. No he hasn't come around at the plate this year, but I feel that it is only a matter of time. Big Clete Thomas, Thames and Rayburn are 3 perfectly good candidates for the LF position or a rotation of the slot. I haven't heard much about the guy they brought up for RF, but it's a rather large risk after being swept and going into a 4 game series against Boston followed by another run against the Yankees and Twins-lets hope this pans out as Dice K, as well as the rest of the Boston pitching staff are on top of their game.

0-3 at Minnesota

bigdogtmio — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:57:44 -0000

Would someone please inform me to why Leyland is placing players in positions they have no business playing? Guillen, Cabarra, Inge, just to name a few STANDOUTS, are not where they play the best. This, to me, has gone on too long!! Now, I know that Leyland is a veteran manager, but sometimes even the veterans can be illogical. Manager Leyland should make the necessary changes before the players realize how bad they are playing!

Can I get some relief?

pfuhrmeister — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:25:24 -0000

This Winter, everyone jumped on the Tigers bandwagon. Then when Zumaya was determined to be out, Rodney was injured, Cruceta was lost in legal limbo, the sound of people jumping OFF the bandwagon was deafening. Everyone was glad to say that the boys would score a thousand runs, but the big gaping hole in the Tigers this year is the bullpen.

Um, excuse me?

Since the April shellacking against Cleveland (13 games) the bullpen has put in 41 innings, given up 24 hits, 5 runs (all earned) 16 BB and 20K. Now I’m not a rocket scientist, but by my math that’s an ERA of 1.09 and a WHIP of 1.07.

Now, to further my amusement, I looked at what Todd “Rollercoaster” Jones has been doing during that same period:

5IP 3H 2R 2ER 3BB 1K for an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.20

Taking that out of the bullpen stats, you can see that WITHOUT Jonesy, the numbers are:

36IP 21H 3R 3R 13BB 19K for an ERA of 0.75 and a WHIP of 0.94.

Sure, I’d like to see less walks, but when your middle relievers and setup guys have an ERA of 0.75, you are gonna win some games.

The bullpen has gone from being the key weakness of the team this year into a something rock solid.

Ok, now I better get back to work.

Bye Bye Grilli Goodbye!

Fats Fothergill — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:03:49 -0000

See Ya Grilli! And thanks for the parting shot to TIGERS Fans.

Between reaching for my TUMS in the First with Bonderman and going for a Sandwich in the Nineth with Jones.

Grilli was just to much to watch in the middle. Especially at Home.

The Fans go on Him because, he always would let in 2 or 3 runs in that were added onto someone else`s ERA. Then, He would settle in.

If you you look at His year end stats,they`re not bad.

He`ll probably end up being the 4 or 5 starter over there!

Good Luck Grilli. You`re a Good Guy.

And thanks for the Autograph last season.

We Still got Snow in the Keweenaw!

Fats

Jacque Jones

Fats Fothergill — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:29:24 -0000

Is it just me, or does Jacque Jones really Suck?

My Cubbies Buddys were just as glad to get rid of Him, as they were to be rid of C-Mo.

I have to hand it to Thames, You don`t hear a peep out of Him.

I know Jones is a lefty, but to give up Thames Bat?

Stick Thames in for Sheffield. Sheffield is done as soon as those shots wear off! Keweenaw Fan

SHEFF is cooked

Fats Fothergill — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:26:06 -0000

DOESN`T ANYBODY SEE THE SHEFFIELD`s DAY`S ARE NUMBERED? THREE CORTIZONE SHOTS LAST WEEK. AND AT LEAST 3 LAST YEAR. CORTIZONE SHOTS ARE THE LAST RESORT. AND IN THE LONG RUN, DOES NASTY THINGS TO YOUR CARTILAGE. I HARDLY THINK IT`s WORTH LEAVING HIM IN, JUST CAUSE HE TAKES a FEW WALKS. HE`s DEAD WEIGHT in THE 3 SPOT!!! I SAY to PLATOON the DH WITH the REST of THE LINEUP. AND DOES IT EVER LOOK GOOD THAT WE STILL HAVE INGE! THERE`S A GUY WHO CAN WIN A GAME FOR YOU PLAYING DEFENSE. I SEEN HIM LAST YEAR IN THE TWIN CITIES IN FIELDING PRACTICE BEFORE THE GAME. THE BALL CAME TO HIM AT THIRD. HE MUFFED IT. PICKED THE BALL UP AND THREW IT BETWEEN HIS LEGS, ON A PERFECT LINE TO FIRST. CASEY SHORT HOPPED IT WITH THOSE SOFT HANDS HE HAS AT FIRST. UNREAL, THAT`s a STRONG ARM,eh? We STILL GOT SNOW on the FIELD in the KEWEENAW! GOOOOO0000oooooo TIGERS!!! P.S. WHERE`s FATS FOTHERGILL WHEN WE NEED HIM? 3rd ALL-TIME TIGERS BATTING AVERAGE-.337

Game 25: Hmm, Maybe This Was the Best Game of the Year

MikeMcClary — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:40:06 -0000

The Gist: Armando Galarraga continues to wow and the Tigers' Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordoñez each knocked two hits in a 6-4 win over the Angels. Galarraga took a no-hitter into the sixth but ended up without a decision. He allowed three runs (one earned), three hits and two walks in six-plus innings. Aquilino Lopez, who's been nothing short of nails so far this year -- try a 0.49 ERA -- got the W.

The Quote: "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." -- Jim Leyland on the fate of Galarraga when Dontrelle Willis comes off the DL.

The Stat: 102.4%. That's how full Comerica Park was on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. start time that coincided with the Wings/Avalanche game at Joe Louis.

Up Next: Angels at Tigers -- Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN

Justin Verlander (1-3, 5.93) vs. Jered Weaver (1-3, 4.95)

Game 24: Best Game of the Year?

MikeMcClary — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:50:26 -0000

The Gist: The Tigers lost 4-3 to the Angels in one of the best baseball games the Tigers have played this year -- i.e., both teams played well. Nate Robertson gave up four runs in the Angels fourth and the Tigers chipped away but couldn't overcome Ervin Santana. Curtis Granderson went yard for the second straight game.

The Quote: ""I really don't know what to say about him -- he's a freak of nature." -- Robertson on Vladimir Guerrero, who hit yet another bad-ball rocket shot.

The Stat: 15.26. Santana's ERA in Detroit heading into Friday night's game.

Trip to Detroit

The Golden One — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:36:00 -0000

Next month I'm traveling out to Detroit from California. Was born in Detroit but raised in Cali. My Dad had moved back there a couple years ago. So when I go out there for his bday next month, I want to take him to a Tigers game.

It will be my first time making it to the new stadium. So I'm looking for any tips or suggestions on anything. Is it best to just get the tickets from their site or any other suggestions.

I've decided I want to get to the May 23rd game. It's the day after his bday and Polish-Amercian day. So being Polish thought that would be the best to take my dad to.

How's the parking? How hard is it getting to the stadium with traffic? recommended time to deal with that? Anything anyone can think of that would help me with anything?

Thanks for your time, Mike

Double check my hearing

MackAveKurt — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:01:20 -0000

I wasn't paying close attention to ESPN but caught the end of the commercial for Sunday night baseball.

Well I swear they said something along the lines of "Orlando Cabrera and the Angels will face Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers."

Which would be a pretty big mistake to make, I should think, since O-Cab plays for the White Sox now. Of course, ESPN would never make a mistake would it? LOL.

This 75 word min. sucks!

Game 23: At Last, A Sweep

MikeMcClary — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:27:41 -0000

The Gist: Magglio Ordonez goes deep twice, Jeremy Bonderman continues to frustrate and Jacque Jones is added to the injury list, yet the Tigers finally reach double digits in wins, defeating the Rangers 8-2. What else?

Curtis Granderson led off the Tigers half of the first with a home run
Zach Miner continues his Jekyll and Hyde act with a solid 3.1 hitless innings pitched, one walk and three strikeouts
Ryan Raburn sort of slammed his first homer of the year (replays show that it could very well have been touched by a fan in right)
Placido Polanco returns but still struggles at the plate, going 0 for 3 with a walk. He's hitting .140 on the year.

The Quote: "I felt like I owed the starters at least one game like that." -- Zach Miner

The Stat: 111. The number of pitches thrown by Bonderman in a mere 4.1 innings pitched.

Up Next: Angels at Tigers

Nate Robertson (0-2, 7.48) vs. Ervin Santana (3-0, 2.67)

Game 22: Hey Nineteen

MikeMcClary — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:38:19 -0000

The Gist: One night after Tigers' TV analyst Rod Allen predicted that Detroit would put 20 runs on the board in a game this year, the Tigers got darned close in crushing the Rangers, 19-6. Kenny Rogers was nothing short of dreadful in his 3.1 innings pitched: nine hits, six runs (all earned), three walks and a wild pitch. On the opposite end of the spectrum was winning pitcher Clay Rapada: 1.2 scoreless innings of work, no hits, no walks and two strikeouts. Soon-to-be-erstwhile-first baseman Carlos Guillen went 3 for 4 plus a walk and five RBI. And how about Curtis Granderson? In his season debut he went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI, three runs scored and two walks.

The Quote: "Our pitchers took a serious beating tonight." -- Rangers manager Ron Washington.

The Stat: 223. The number of pitches thrown by six Rangers pitchers (just slightly more than half of which were strikes) and 77 more than Tigers pitchers. Runner Up Stat: 10. The number of walks allowed by Texas.

Up Next: Rangers at Tigers

Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.37) vs. Scott Feldman* (0-0, 4.50)

*Jason Jennings was scheduled to start on Thursday but, according to the Dallas Morning News' Rangers blog, it'll be Feldman.

For more insight worthy of Ian's Bless You Boys Seal of Approval, visit The Daily Fungo .

Comerica/Detroit Experience

IowaBaseballTraveler — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:43:56 -0000

My buddies and I are taking a baseball trip this summer to Pittsburgh, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. We will be in Detroit on Sunday May 25 for their day game with the Twins. That night we are making the trip to Toledo to watch the MudHens. I would appreciate any insight you have on any of the following topics(in any of the cities):

1. Pre game restaurants

2. When the gates open, things to see in Comerica, parking, etc...

3. Signature stadium foods/beers

4. Post game sports bars

5. As Tiger fans and being relatively close to Toledo I'm assuming some of you are familiar with their ball park and sports bars in that area so any Toledo insight would be greatly appreciated.

6. Along those same lines; who are some of the top prospects for the Tigers in Toledo?

Thanks for the help.

Game 21: Home Cooking Tastes Good

MikeMcClary — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:34:15 -0000

The Gist: When Ramon Santiago goes yard, that's gotta be a good sign for the Tigers, right? It certainly was on Tuesday night when the Tigers' second baseman drove in three runs and Justin Verlander finally put together the start we'd been waiting for: six innings pitched, six hits, one earned run. Mix it all together and you've got a 10-2 win over the Rangers. Jacque Jones also showed some life at the dish with a double and a triple.

The Quote: "I wasn't expecting to hit one that far." -- Santiago on his 380-foot blast.

The Stat: 39. That's the uniform number of Santiago, who deserves a nod on his big night at the plate.

Up Next: Rangers at Tigers

Kenny Rogers (1-3, 6.33) vs. Luis Mendoza (0-2, 9.00)

For more insight worthy of Ian's Bless You Boys Seal of Approval, visit The Daily Fungo.

Better than the "Expos" (Oops, I meant Nationals)

Yooper5 — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:41:26 -0000

Well Armando Galarraga sure has become a ray of sunshine in a season that is off to a dismal start (overall). I hope the Tigers keep him in Detroit and don't send him back down to Toledo. No one else can boast a 2 and 0 record on the pitching staff so far. I spent some time looking at the major league standings in the Sault Evening News tonight just to make sure the Tigers did not have the worst record in the majors and thankfully the Expos (Oh that's right - the new Washington Nationals are worse yet, so that is encouraging.

It was also nice to see Pudge Rodriquez actually live up to his reputaion some and actually get some hits. I was impressed. Go team! There is lots of season left to right the ship before it sinks, and since Cleveland the team is doing better for sure.

Game 20: Armando Does It Again

MikeMcClary — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:42:06 -0000

The Gist: While he wasn't as sharp as his Tigers debut in Cleveland last week, Armando Galarraga gave the Tigers another solid outing in the finale at SkyDome -- or whatever -- 5-1, to earn a split against the Blue Jays. The bullpen was superb though Todd Jones allowed a ninth-inning home run, of course, to spoil the shutout. Ryan Raburn knocked in two runs in the Tigers' three-run second, and Edgar Renteria hit another homer, a solo shot in the sixth.

The Quote: "If we were really going good like we thought we would be at this time and went to Cleveland and Toronto and came home [3-3], we'd be pretty happy. But with our record the way it is, it doesn't look too good." -- Jim Leyland, in the Tigers.com game story.

The Stat: .667 - Pudge Rodriguez's average in the four-gamer in Toronto. Here's his line: Friday, 3 for 3; Saturday: 3 for 3; Sunday: 0 for 4; Today: 4 for 5. And what do you know? Pudge is now hitting .271 for the season.

Up Next: Rangers at Tigers Justin Verlander (0-3, 7.03) vs. Vicente Padilla (2-1, 3.12)

For more insight worthy of Ian's Bless You Boys Seal of Approval, visit The Daily Fungo.

Game 19: The Hex-stein Lives On

MikeMcClary — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:46:55 -0000

The Gist: The Tigers lost 5-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday at Rogers Centre. Nate Robertson showed no sign of turning the corner for the Tigers and allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings of work to take the loss. Clete Thomas led the Tigers offense with three hits and two RBI, while Miguel Cabrera added a double and a RBI. The Blue Jays' David Eckstein, a thorn in the Tigers' side during the 2006 World Series, hit a three-run homer which proved to be the difference. So much for hoping the Frank Thomas Saga would distract the Blue Jays.

The Quote: "We just need to graduate from this little funk." -- Nate Robertson.

The Stat: 7. The Tigers' rank in American League team hitting. Last week the Tigers were circling the drain with a team batting average of .235ish. Starting play on Monday, Detroit is hitting .258 as a team.

Up Next: Tigers at Blue Jays

Armando Galarraga (1-0, 2.70) vs. Shaun Marcum (2-0, 2.61)

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For more insight worthy of Ian's Bless You Boys Seal of Approval, visit The Daily Fungo.

Game 18: Not Quite Enough

MikeMcClary — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:02:03 -0000

The Gist: Jeremy Bonderman gave up just enough runs and the Tigers couldn't capitalize on the few opportunities they had against Dustin McGowan and lost Saturday afternoon 3-2. In five innings of work, Bonderman allowed five hits, six walks (two intentional) and three runs (two earned). Pudge Rodriguez had a three-for-three day with an RBI, and Carlos Guillen continued his torrid pace: three for four to raise his average to .379 -- good for second in the American League behind Baltimore's Luke Scott (.386).

The Quote: "I'm not going to lie. I didn't have much." -- Bonderman, after the game.

The Stat: 191. The number of times the Tigers have lost to the Blue Jays since Toronto entered the American League in 1977. The Tigers have won 161 times.

Up Next: Tigers at Blue Jays

Nate Robertson (0-1, 7.02) vs. A.J. Burnett (1-1, 7.27)

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For more insight worthy of Ian's Bless You Boys Seal of Approval, visit The Daily Fungo.