I have a baseball hangover

I have a hangover. No, not that kind! Not today, anyway... What I do have is a baseball hangover.


Even though this blog is named in honor of the greatest, and the worst, coach in Lions history, there's been a huge baseball bias in my posting. But how could you not want to wrote about the best local story in years? As much as I hate to quote the dull Drew Sharp, I have to agree with him in that, as he put it, fall baseball leaves little oxygen for anything else. The Tigers have dominated the Detroit sports landscape since April, and the attention was ratcheted up several notches more during the stretch run and playoffs.

But now it's over. It'll be damn quiet on the baseball front till the hot stove fires up during the MLB winter meetings. Which will actually be quite an exciting time for the Tigers and their fans. Rumors are already starting that the Tigers will be very active in the off season. Till then, it's time to focus on the fall and winter sports. And I'm finding that I'm having a hard time getting fired up about it...

The Lions? Screw 'em. I said their season was over, for all intents and purposes, after week 2. I'm fed up, and not sure I give a shit. I'm to the point where I was towards the end of the Darryl Rogers era. That being, the more the Lions lose, the happier I am. Anything to help get Millen's ass out of the front office and back in the broadcast booth, where he should never have left.

I'll admit that I've paid next to no attention to the Red Wings. The problem there is that the NHL regular season is irrelevant. Even with the Wings not being the favorites in the Western Conference, let alone in their own division, all the regular season is going to do is determine their playoff seeding. Odds are that they'll be a middle of the pack seed, instead of the accustomed 1 or 2. But as the last few Red Wings playoff runs, or lack thereof, have shown, your playoff seed makes very little, if any, difference. It's all about who's playing well going into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and who has the hottest goalie.

Expecting me to get excited about the Red Wings this early in the season is asking too much. Christ, I'm still trying to figure out who's on the damn Red Wings roster. The NHL has too many teams playing too many meaningless games on a network I can't even find, let alone name.

The Pistons tip their season off tomorrow. Unfortunately, their regular season, like the Wings', is pretty much irrelevant. The playoffs are a given, so the fact that they'll win more than 50 games. Come on, they have 4 All-Stars in their starting 5. So we'll just have to sit through 82 mostly meaningless games to determine their seed, which I'm guessing could be anywhere between the number 1 and number 4. But the Pistons have some story lines worth keeping an eye on in the post Ben Wallace era.

Is Nazr Mohammed a solid replacement for Ben Wallace, or was his signing a panic move that did nothing more than add a warm body in the paint? When will 'Sheed blow his stack in defiance of the new rules cracking down on post whistle bitching? Will Carlos Delfino finally get some consistent PT? Will Joe Dumars sign the just released Jalen Rose, which would obviously piss off Delfino? Will Flip decide to develop his bench, or run the starters into the ground? Will the team buy into Flip's preference to play zone defense? Will the team buy into Flip, period?

Watching how those questions get answered will be fascinating, and ultimately determine how far the Pistons go in the playoffs. But don't ask me to get all fired up for much of the regular season. Hell, not even the players can do that... It turns into a grind for fan and player, alike.

Then we have the cluster going on in East Lansing. Crazy ass loon John L has done gone and slapped himself silly. The latest collapse has him on the verge of getting the ziggy. The Spartans have the look of a team that has given up, and is playing out the string. As expected, the vultures have come out of the woodwork. Those vultures, the George Perles' of the world, are now hovering over the football program, wanting their man to be put in charge. Replacements for John L are already being bandied about, such as Pat Shurmur and Steve Mariucci. In other words, it's standard operating procedure at Michigan State. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, ever changes in EL.

The one team I've made the time to watch this fall is in damn fine shape. Obviously I'm talking about the 9-0 Michigan Wolverines. It's less than 3 weeks till this years "Game of the Century" with the bucknuts. But...We have a problem. We'll have to sit through games with Ball State and Indiana till college football armageddon arrives. At least I can watch them play the Hoosiers. If you get ESPNU, and will get to watch the BSU game, raise your hands. I didn't think I'd see any...

I'm sure I'll sit through the next 2 weeks with white knuckles, much as I did during the Northwestern game, just hoping that Michigan doesn't screw the pooch, and lose a game that they shouldn't. Indiana has me a little concerned. It has "Trap game" written all over it.

That just may be my inner demons as a cynical Wolverine fan coming out. Most seasons, you are expecting the worst, rather than hoping for the best. Then again, when you think about it, that bad loss that all Michigan fans expect would normally have already happened against the Minnesota Gophers of the world. Amazingly, that didn't happen. The Wolverines are still undefeated, just what more can you ask for? At this point, with the "Game of the Millenium" on the horizon, I don't care about style points anymore. Just win the Hell out. The BCS Championship is there for the taking.

A #2 Michigan vs. #1 tOSU? IT. WILL. BE. MASSIVE. I can't wait...

Oh yeah, one more thing. It's only been 4 days, and I already miss baseball...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Michigan State, Michigan Wolverines

Did it have to be Jeff Weaver?

Now that's it's all over but the crying, surprisingly I'm not all that upset. Honest. Other than that fuckstick Weaver getting the win, I'm OK...

Sure, it's not how I envisioned the season coming to an end. Not with the pitchers throwing the ball all over Missouri, anyway. But can you really be upset at a team that had been the dregs of the league, a laughingstock for close to 2 decades, 3 years gone from possibly the worst season in MLB history, that amazingly ended up 3 victories away from winning the whole God damn thing?

No, you can't.

The Tigers deserve our kudos for a crazy wonderful season, not our scorn for a strangely played, and ultimately disappointing, World Series. I'm not going to let 1 unfortunate week cloud my memories of a great season, the best in not so recent memory.

About all I can say at this point is that the Tigers were a flawed team that damn near did the unthinkable. Playoffs? The Pennant? Jesus, I just wanted a .500 season! I never saw any of it coming. So it's going to take a while to put this season in some semblance of perspective. The passage of time will do that...

This is a team that should be in the hunt for quite a while, and I'm already looking forward to 2007. I have my thoughts as to what direction I'd like to see the Tigers go, what changes should be made. But there will be plenty of time for that while we are busy ignoring the Lions.

Tonight, I congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals, and their devoted fanbase, on their hard earned world title. I'll also tip one in honor of the 2006 Detroit Tigers, champions of the American League, for the most fun rollercoaster ride I've ever had as a fan of Detroit sports. They allowed me to actually care about baseball, my favorite sport, all over again. If only for that alone, the Tigers get my thanks.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MLB, baseball

Verlander's throwing error...

...has left me absolutely speechless.

I literally got nuttin'. What can you say other than Christ almighty. Again...

Brandon Inge's arm and legs are tools of Satan

And here we go again. The ugly defense rears it's head.

Nice stop on the media fluffed Eckstein's hard grounder, but Inge was wildly out of control and threw the ball closer to Magglio than Casey. That "Funny looking" (According to the GF) Molina scores. I'll give FOX's tool of Satan a little credit, in that I thought the same thing as him. Inge could have had Molina hung out to dry.

Christ almighty... 1-0 Cards. Damn.

OK, how do you get hung up between 2nd and 3rd on a ground ball to the pitcher? Inge is not having a good game tonght, to put it mildly. Of course Granderson would get what should have been a run scoring hit to rub salt into the wound.

Christ almighty. Again...

Tim McCarver is a tool of Satan

McCarver just scolded Sean Casey and Justin Verlander for getting too excited (In his opinion, anyway) after Carlos Guillen's great play that saved 2 runs, and ended the inning. Did i just hear him correctly? Punching your fist into the air is too much for the former Cardinal? McCarver is, to put it bluntly, an ASS.

Just needed to be said. Again...

By the way, Verlander scared the living Hell out of me in the bottom of the 1st. Walking the bases loaded? Christ... If, and I said "IF," the worst happens, blame falls directly on the Marlboro Man's shoulders for leaving the Gambler on the bench.

World Series game 5 pregame random thoughts: It's David Eckstein's world, we're just living in it. According to SI, anyway

When did David Eckstein become the poster boy for all that is supposedly good in baseball? Did he have a nice, if lucky, game last night? Unquestionably. But, come on, the praise is going over the top. For a prime example, just read the deep, sloppy french kiss that was Tom Verducci's SI.com column on Eckstein. It was such a fluff job that Verducci had to be wearing knee pads while writing it. Just check out the opening...

Should you ever lose your faith in baseball, or simply the belief that what is possible is limited only by your imagination, just roll the tape of David Eckstein batting against Joel Zumaya in the eighth inning of a tied World Series Game 4 on Thursday night. What is most beautiful about baseball -- its timeless democracy, giving opportunity to all -- was reaffirmed in that one Series-changing at-bat. It defined not only Eckstein, but an entire Cardinals team that has rebounded from a September collapse that threatened to out-bomb the '64 Phillies all the way to within one win from the franchise's first world championship is almost a quarter of a century.

Think that was bad? Hardly. Before you continue reading, best take your insulin shot, as the saccarine fawning continues...

And somewhere there is another guy in the minors this October, or a small college or high school or a 10-year-old youth team or anybody down the baseball ladder who looks at Eckstein and sees the tremendous stature of the man. With one more win, Eckstein will have served as the starting shortstop and leadoff hitter for two world championship teams. Now that makes him a very big man in the history of the game.

Dude, get a room. Jesus... You'd think Eckstein, who couldn't carry Carlos Guillen's jock, by the way, was the next coming Honus Wagner and Jesus Christ combined, and was placed on earth to save us all. From what? Bad sportswriting? It's the typical media overreaction when it comes to "Scrappy" white guys with limited talent who run to first base when they take a base on balls.

Sound like I have sour grapes? Maybe...

Things became more clear though, as it turns out Verducci was watching a totally different game than the rest of us...

Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson turned a routine out -- by that pest Eckstein, of course -- into a rally-starting double when he flat out fell in centerfield, as if tripping over a curb somebody just happened to freshly lay in the outfield.

That statement is too stupid to even put into words... I never send emails to columnists, but I had to send Verducci a quick note...

Tom,
I have a couple of quick questions. You said that Granderson "Flat out fell." Were you watching the same game as me? Or didn't you see the divot in the outfield that Granderson's foot left as the ground gave way while he "Tripped over a curb?" Just asking...
Big Al

Anyone else think Tony LaRussa is doing Jim Leyland a solid by starting Jeff Weaver? Me too.

Fox was up to their typically lame shenanigans last night. Sam at Roar of the Tigers was freaked out by Scooter and the Jeff Suppan Floating Head.

OK, and did this HAVE to be the game where Scooter made his triumphant return to television? Isn’t that just adding insult to injury? And can someone explain to me why Jeannie Zelasko, in the process of ‘introducing’ Scooter, said both that he was “back by popular demand” and that he had been “you know, in the pineapple under the sea.” First off, what FREAK OF NATURE was demanding that Scooter be brought back? Secondly, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MAKE OF THIS HINT THAT SCOOTER HAD BEEN HANGING OUT WITH SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IN HIS FREE TIME??? Was anyone else as completely blown away by that offhand remark as I was? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!

And as if Scooter by himself isn’t bad enough, we also had to deal with JEFF SUPPAN’S FLOATING HEAD NARRATING SCOOTER. This was completely and utterly terrifying and I cannot have been the only one screaming in terror when this happened.

No Sam, you weren't...

Tim McCarver never ceases to amaze. When McCarver was talking about a Cards reliever last night, and he came up with the twisted brilliance that was, “His curveball is his fastball,” my head exploded. Literally.

As much as I bitch about the awful media coverage of the World Series, I have to be honest. I'd much prefer to see more media slop over the weekend, the Tigers and Justin Verlander's arm, permitting...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, David Eckstein, FOX, World Series, MLB, baseball

For the first time in this long Tigers season...

...I'm not going to stop you. I've warned against it in the past. Several times, as a matter of fact. But now? It's official. It's time. Permission granted.

You can push TWFE panic button.

EVERYBODY PANIC!!!

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, World Series, MLB, baseball, panic

World Series game 4 thoughts: Baseball is a game of inches, but it might just as well be miles

It's the little things that drive you crazy.

Fernando Rodney throwing like the best reliever in MLB. Then he picks up a bunt, and he throws like the last kid picked for dodgeball in gym class.

Joel Zumaya being just wild enough to get himself in trouble. Walks are the tool of the devil, Joel.

Pudge and his Chris Osgood sized 5 hole. Dinged up or not, Pudge has to corral that pitch. It's a passed ball, not a wild pitch, in my book.

Magglio Ordonez's constant first pitch swinging. What's the last thing you should do after the preceeding batter gets a 4 pitch walk? Just ask Maggs...

Jeremy Bonderman continual inability to hold a lead. It's been his achilles all season, and why he's likely trade bait for a HUGE middle of the order bat this off season.

Curtis Granderson striking out looking on an OBVIOUS high pitch. It was above the letters. When did that become a strike? I guess the rule book is only enforced at the whim of...Hell, I have no damn idea. The ump was squeezing the strike zone all night, but suddenly has a stike zone bigger than Eric Cartman's Ronnie Belliard's massive gut?

The turf monster that took down Granderson. You can't blame him. Hell, for a fleeting second, I thought Granderson was still going to be able to catch Eckstein's would be easy out.

Craig Monroe not wearing a glove that was an inch longer. It could have been a catch for the ages. Instead, like this World Series, it's just another "What might have been."

An inch here, an extra step there, better turf everywhere, and it's 2-2. The Tigers were "THIS CLOSE" to evening up the series. Instead, they were just short, a half step slow, and found all the bad spots on the turf the Cardinals missed. That's the sort of ifs and buts that drive Tiger fans batty.

About all you can do is shake your head, much as Jim Leyland did in the post game presser, and say, "That's baseball." It sucks hard, but that's baseball. Even the most staunchly loyal Cardinals fan has to admit that they didn't win that game, the Tigers lost it. Not that they would care...

What's become obvious is that the Tigers are inexperienced on the biggest of stages, and that inexperience tends to rear it's ugly head at the most inopportune times. Detroit depends heavily on several young players who appear overwhelmed by the spotlight, as evidenced by their sometimes inexplicable play. On the other hand, St. Louis plays like an experienced team that is accustomed to playoff pressure. They've been there before, and it shows. You have to tip your cap to them.

It's become appearent that the week off just absolutely killed the Tigers momentum. They were on a roll, and didn't have much time to dwell on their success during the first two rounds. Then they finish off the the sweep of the A's, and while the Cardinals are fighting for their playoff lives, the Tigers had plenty of time, too much time it turns out, to think about what they've done. They haven't been the same team since.

So now what? The good guys are down 3-1. Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. You can tell yourself that the Tigers are a better team than the one we've seen in this series. That the Cardinals aren't a juggernaut, far from it, in fact. Remind yourself that it takes 4 victories, not 3, to win a title. Despite what you might hear and read, the series isn't over.

But it's easier to actually tell yourself all that, than actually believe it. At this point, logic trumps your heart. And logic says that the Tigers chances are slim, and closer to none.

The big question now is this. Do you pitch the next coming of Christy Mathewson, the Gambler, tonight? Or do you stick to the rotation, send Justin Verlander to the mound, ignoring the fact that he's a rookie who may be running on fumes? The Marlboro Man says that they have to win 3 games, so it doesn't make any difference. But what if you lose, and you had the best pitcher in the playoffs left on the bench? You don't pitch Kenny Rogers for what might be? I'm not sure I can agree with Leyland on this. I don't expect the Cigarette Smoking Man to change his philosophy, though. That's why he's paid the big bucks, and I'm making snarky comments on a piss ant blog...

Personally, I'd like to see the Gambler on the mound. He may not win, but he would give the Tigers he best chance to bring the series home, where anything could happen. Plus, when you factor in all the extra-curriculars, it sure as Hell would be riviting drama to watch.

But no matter what happens, win or lose tonight, you cannot take anything away from what the Tigers accomplished this season. It's been the most unexpectedly enjoyable season I've ever experienced as a fan of Detroit sports. I just hope that enjoyment doesn't come to an end tonight in St. Louis.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MLB, baseball

World Series game 4 pregame random thoughts: Return of the Zalasko

No rain means we will have a game tonight. Unfortunately, it also means the return of the FOX evil axis that is Zalasko, Buck, and McCarver, aka the "DORKS!!." I'm not so sure if 2 hours of "The War at Home" was all that much worse...

This is Bonderman's only WS start. I'm not all that religious, but let's pray that he's on fire tonight. I have a feeling if he stuggles early, as he is wont to do, it could quickly snowball.

Jeff Suppan doesn't scare me. But his 2006 postseason stats do. So which Suppan turns up tonight? The regular season journeyman, or the pitcher that shut down the NL's best offensive team in the Mets? The Tigers postseason hopes may depend on which one they see.

The Tigers have to hope that Zumaya and Rodney have gotten the jitters out of their syetem. They looked, and pitched like, they were awestruck. Or dumbstuck. Probably both...

It's great that Carlos Guillen is hitting 3rd. But as the Tigers odds on best hitter, shouldn't he have been there all along during the regular season? Good Lord, we've had some weird hitters in the 3 hole. Leyland has damn near put everyone but the black hole of suck in the 3 slot during the year. I know, I know, it worked all year. Still, you sometimes have to ponder, despite his success, the seeming randomness of Leyand's batting orders. I swear he's channeling Billy Martin, and pulling his lineup out of a hat.

Someone needs to come up big with the bat tonight. Craig Monroe, the state of Michigan needs your clutchiness to return.

Does FOX 2 really need a 1 1/2 hour pregame? It's full of the typical local news filler. Interviews with players spewing Crash Davis approved platidutes, such as... "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." The stand up with drunken screaming bar patrons. The stand up in front of the stadium with drunken screaming fans in the background, walking by, and screaming "WOOOOOOOO!" Lame bandwagon fan interviews. "Wacky" hijinks with the features reporter. When did the TV reporter doing their stand up with some drunken idiot waving like the flagman at the Indy 500 become standard operating procedure? If I never see another, it'll still be too soon...

Tonight is not a must win game. But if the Tigers lose? Expect to see the reappearance of TWFE "Panic Button."

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MBL, baseball

Just when you think the Worldwide Leader couldn't sink any lower...

...They find a way to do so. Talk about being clutch.

First the Worldwide Leader foisted the likes of Woody Paige, Skip Bayless, Screamin' A. Smith, and Jay Mariotti upon an unsuspecting public. At least they are tangibly related to sports, even if all are despicable. But the ESPN family of networks have now managed to further lower their already abysmaly low standards. So just what is the lastest sign of the coming ESPN led apocalypse?

Paris Hilton, who only ties to football are from her getting nailed by all around man slut Matt Leinart, is this week's featured star of the Monday Night Football cold open. Paris Hilton?

May God have mercy upon us all.

Tags: ESPN, Paris Hilton, NFL, football

If the ratings for this years World Series weren't bad enough...

...Then what was the strategy in running back to back to back to back episodes of "The War at Home?" Couldn't they find an episode of "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy" laying around? "King of the Hill" would have been fine by me. Where's Jack Bauer when you really need him?

I'm sure the nation watched 2 minutes of that shrill Michael Rappaport dreck, and tuned out in droves. Expect record low ratings to be announced...

If there was one good thing about the postponement, I was able to watch "30 Rock" in real time. Say what you will about the show, but Alec Baldwin is a comedic genius.

OK, there were 2 more good things... No Jeannie Zelasko and Tim McCarver. My ears much appreciated their dissapearance from the FOX airwaves. Now if something could be done about "The War at Home.."

Tags: World Series, FOX, TV

World Series game 3 thoughts: It's all about the offense, Or lack thereof, that is...

Andrew is doing his best to not panic.

Kurt admits that you just have to tip your hat to Chris Carpenter, and it's too early to worry.

Mike says the week long layoff hurt the Tigers more than we thought it would.

Chris "Freakin" Carpenter says it all, according to Sam.

Billfer claims that the series is far from over.

Mark saw eerie paralells between last night's perfromace, and the Tigers' worst game of the regular season, a loss to Tampa on 7/31.

Brian used one word that I'm sure we all used last night. "Sigh." To top things off, he's also had his fill of Tim McCarver.

By the end of their live blog, "From the Copa" had broke out the booze.

Eno observes that Carpenter pitched brilliantly, but the Tigers' approach made it easier for him.

Tiger Nation does agree on one thing, as there's one common thread weaving thru all the Tiger bloggers opinions. It's all about the offense, which has become a black hole of suck.

We've all seen the ugly stats, so I'm not going to repeat them. You can only hope that the Tigers somehow find their offense. Considering that they have 2 more games in the NL park, there isn't much the Marlboro Man can do. No DH means no lineup flexibility which means no Marcus Thames or Omar Infante.

I seriously doubt you bench the struggling (To put it generously) Pudge for Vance Wilson, as you risk pissing off a team leader, let alone embarrass him on the national stage. What about Granderson? Move him down the order? Sit him, move Monroe to center, and insert Thames in left? Again, that could hurt the psyche of the budding star you have in Granderson, and seriously weaken outfield defense.

There's only one choice. Leyland's going to have to ride with what brung him.

That doesn't mean Leyland is totally hamstrung, but he's pretty much limited to adjusting the batting order. He could put Polanco back to where he's most effective, 2nd. Possibly move Casey and/or Guillen up, Granderson and/or Pudge down, in the order. But other than that, what other options does he have? Pray for Bonderman to go 4-4 tonight?

Unfortunately, there were plenty of other disturbing issues last night.

Joel Zumaya played scared, as evidenced by his total lack of common baseball sense. Why he threw wildly to 3rd on a talior made double play ball was a mystery, even to him. Fernando Rodney suddenly reverted to the pitcher who couldn't find the strike zone with a map and a GPS unit. Nate Robertson pitched decently, but with Carpenter pitching so well, he needed to better than decent. The total lack of plate disipline by the Tiger lineup has again reared it's ugly head. There no excuse in allowing Carpenter to average a little more than 10 pitches an inning.

It's hard to see any kind of silver lining. About the only thing you can say is that game 3 is a game most Tiger fans expected the Tigers to lose, anyway. First Cardinals home game, with a Cy Young winner on the mound, it would have been an upset for the Tigers to win. A loss was no big surprise. We just didn't expect them to look so timid and overwhelmed in doing so. The game that is biting them on the ass is the loss to Reyes. That one really hurt.

But...It's still only a 2-1 Cardinals series lead. Last time I looked, it still takes 4 victories to win a World Series. A win tonight, and everyone's mood improves. The Tigers win 1 game, and they guarantee a trip back to the snake pit that is Comerica Park. Winning the next 2 games is not out of the realm of possibility.

The remaining pitching matchups still appear to favor the Tigers, such as tonight. Jeff Suppan has been excellent in this postseason, but he's still just Jeff Suppan, career journeyman. On talent alone, you have to favor Jeremy Bonderman. Jeff Weaver has already lost, and was on the ropes the entire game. Anthony Reyes had a great game, but you cannot say he's a better pitcher than Jason Verlander.

Thing is, everything else is moot if the Tigers don't find their offense. Starting tonight...

Other quick thoughts about game 3...

I'm not a fan of the NL style of baseball. I just don't like it. The constant parade of pitching changes, the 9 hole becoming an automatic out, the overrated double switch, the fact that pitching changes are dictated for you by the lack of the DH, too much small ball, again due to the lack of the DH. It all makes an AL born and raised baseball fan pull their hair out. I cannot wait for the series to come back to Comerica. Knock on wood...

It's become obvious that Jeannie Zelasko is the devil's spawn. At least Eric Byrnes wasn't there DOING HIS SCREAMIN' A. SMITH IMPRESSION BY SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS!

The commercials are driving me batshit crazy. Don't Madison Avenue and FOX realize that pummelling us over the head the with same annoying ads over and over, night after night, may just piss us off? The first time I saw the Dodge Nitro, I thought it was pretty cool looking. After the 50th airing of the same damn ad, I want to buy a Ford instead.

Albert Pujols is really really good.

So is Chris Carpenter.

Ronnie Belliard doesn't play 2nd, he plays rover. When you lack so much range at 2nd that you have to play on the right field warning track, you may have a weight problem.

This came from the GF... "Yadier Molina is funny looking." I had to agree.

She also continued to say that Buck and McCarver are "DORKS!!" No arguements from me...

People who paint their faces and bodies scare the bejebus out of me. If I was sitting next to that bare chested Cards fan covered in red paint, I'd probably have to drink myself into a stupor. At least he got the attention that he had to be craving, as the FOX cameras continually cut to the doofus.

I have no need to see shots from the "Pitcher's Crotch Cam" ever again.

The fact that the GF, who is a huge Tiger fan, and was off today, still couldn't make it to the end of the game, says volumes about the lameness of 8:30 pm eastern weeknight start times. It's totally asinine.

If there is a rainout tonight, and as of 3:45 reports are that the weather is not cooperating, will it help the Tigers? Hell, I'm willing to try anything at this point...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MLB, baseball

Final thoughts on the Gambler and "Dirtgate"

In regard to all the Cards fans going off on Kenny Rogers, and if you check out Cards blogs and boards, their fans are at a hysterical level of fever pitch, they have their own glass house when it comes to their turning a blind eye to Mark McGuire. If Rogers is guilty as sin because of circumstancial evidence, (It's nothing more than that, as no one ever physically checked out Rogers hand. Todd Jones said it could have been chocolate cake...) then so is McGuire. Hey, it was only the Creatine, right? You can't prove a thing in either case.

Once Rogers washed his hands, the evidence was washed away.

Anyway, at that level, no one is innocent. They all cheat and bend the rules one way or another. That's why Tony LaRussa would have opened a huge can of worms if he went for the jugular on Sunday. Jim Leyland was a scout/advisor with the Cards for several years before he took the Tigers gig. The Marlboro Man knows exactly who's doing what on the Cards. You'd have to believe that he knows of more than a few skeletons in the closet of the Cards roster, including the pitching staff.

You don't think Leyland would judiciously pick his spot when he (And he definitely would have) retaliated? Say when one of the Cards big guns is on the mound? Maybe in a game 7? Once McCarver and FOX left him no choice by making the "Dirt" their storyline, LaRussa took the only way out he could, by making just a mild protest.

Let's say that Rogers was ejected. There would have been the CRACKDOWN of crackdowns, every pitcher in the World Series would have gone under the microscope. If there was such a crackdown on "Dirt," then that affects the Cards pitchers who use "Dirt" just as much as the Tigers. I doubt that would have gone over very well in the Cardinals' clubhouse. Considering all the Scott Rolen/LaRussa drama, it sounds like their clubhouse hasn't been a very harmonious place to begin with.

If you want the pitchers to be clean, then while you're at it, have 'em check every single bat for cork. How about enforcing a consistent strike zone? Stop allowing the phantom tag of 2nd on the double play. Baseball has always treated the rule book with a wink and a nod. The spotlight of the World Series was no place to suddenly enforce something that is all but ignored otherwise.

Dan Shanoff, who's blog has become a daily must read, rightly says that this whole issue has come back to bite LaRussa on the ass. He was dammed either way...

The guy who was cheating isn't the worst offender in this story; in fact, he (and his defenders) can simply point to the 2nd through 8th innings, when he pitched a shutout with clean hands.

Meanwhile, those same innings are a damning indictment of LaRussa's decision-making:

If LaRussa had done the right thing -- the competitively honorable thing -- he would have challenged Rogers in the 1st and maybe Rogers never would have even had the CHANCE to pitch innings 2 through 8.

It was not on Rogers to 'fess up to cheating (and, by the way, unlike LaRussa's flip-flop, Rogers still contends he didn't cheat -- and the umps' call that it was dirt still backs Rogers up, which really should be the ultimate word on Rogers' culpability).

It was squarely on LaRussa to challenge Rogers on it. So until he can provide a reasonable explanation for why -- if he believed it wasn't dirt -- he didn't challenge the pitcher, LaRussa is the bigger asshole in this story.

Thank God there's a game tonight, so we can stop chewing on, as the Marlboro Man put so bluntly put it, yesterday's breakfast. Even though the DORKS will continue to bludgeon us over the head with this media made controversy. I'm guessing the 2 teams have already moved on. They have bigger fish to fry.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kenny Rogers, Tony LaRussa, World Series, MLB, baseball

I feel the Cardinals' fans pain

I feel so sorry for Cards fans. Awful, even. No, not over the Gambler and "Dirtgate."

There's a hysterical post and comment thread over at the Cards' blog "Cardinals Diaspora." Cardinal fans are up in arms. Why? Look at their lineup of singers for the national anthem and 7th inning stretch.

The Cardinals have announced their musical line-up for games 3 and 4 of the World Series, and if I may say just one thing… Jesus H Christ

Here’s your 2006 World Series musical performers:

Game 3 National Anthem: country singer Trace Adkins (HonkeyTonk Badunkadunk)

Game 3 God Bless America: country singer Jo Dee Messina (High Pitch Nasal)

Game 4 National Anthem: Billy Ray Cyrus (Seriously)

Game 4 God Bless America: country duo Sugarland (lead singer looks like Rachel Dratch)

Detroit gets rock and roll HOF'er, and Detroit diety, Bob Seger and the greatness of Anita Baker (I'm not going to say anything about the American Idol rejects FOX foisted upon us), yet St. Louis gets...Billy Ray Cyrus? That's just crimimal.

World Series game 2 thoughts: I love Craig Monroe, and despise the DORKS!

Will Pudge ever get another hit? He looks totally discombobulated at the plate. You could see Yadier Molina continually set up closer to the dugout than the plate, and Pudge would still flail away at pitches well out of the strike zone. The Tigers need him to step up if they want to win this series. Soon.

As bad as Pudge has been, Juan Encanarcion looks even worse with the bat, and that's saying something...

I told you Craig Monroe was clutch. He's one of the few Tigers that is consistently hitting the ball hard against the Cards. Monroe is really making a name for himself nationally in this postseason. Same goes for Carlos Guillen, who will finally go back to SS for game 3. He's been criminally underrated outside of the D. This series is solidifying his place as the Tigers best all around player.

Is it just me, or did the DORKS that are Buck and McCarver seem more impressed with "Cheech" Weaver's average outing than with anything the Tiger did? The biggest downfall of playoff baseball broadcasts is having announcers that don't know a damn thing about the team they are covering. In game one the DORKS called Craig Monroe the Tigers best athlete and most "Toolsy" player? What the Hell? The "Brandon Inge is the best athlete on the Tigers" story has been done to death in the Detroit media. Despite my man crush Craig Monroe, even I'll admit that to to call him "Toolsy," is an insult to tools.

Why was John Mellencamp there? I got nothing against him, but what does he have to do with Detroit? I know, I know, to sell Chevy trucks. Anita Baker, on the other hand, gave a smoking performance of "The Star Spangled Banner." Show what real talent can do, especially when compared to Jennifer Hudson's SHOUTING of "God Bless America" during game one. Goes to show that I'm not missing anything by refusing to watch "American Idol."

Speaking of which, what's with the singing of "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch? It was cool at Yankee Stadium in 2001. It had meaning. Now it just feels gratuitous. What have the Yankees wrought upon America?

To touch on the Gambler controvery again, I'll play devils advocate. I'll admit that Tiger Nation would be going insane if it had been Chris Carpenter spooted with a gooey hand. So in thinking of that, I'd have a HUGE issue if I'm a Cardinals fan. Whatever it may have been on Rogers' hand, pine tar, rosin, dirt, fecal matter, or as Todd Jones said, chocolate cake, why wasn't LaRussa going apeshit over the while thing? Why won't he comment about the situation? Did the umpires give him a satisfactory explanation? If so, that's great. But if he didn't because of his friendship with Jim Leyland, then I'm screaming bloody murder if I'm in St. Louis. If true, that's a bigger competitive issue than anything that the Gambler may have done.

The only other reason I've seen hypothized is that LaRussa didn't want "Cheater" thrown back in his face, and have to answer questions, considering he's had the 'roid bloated Mark McGuire and Jose Canseco on his benches. Let alone the unsubstaniated 'roid rumors that hover around Albert Pujols. I'm not saying that Rogers did anything wrong. But it's still surprising that the supposed super genius that is Tony LaRussa didn't raise holy hell.

Rogers performance after he washed his hands made everything moot, anyway. It's going to work in his favor, no matter what. Rogers will have something to prove in his next start, that he can dominate while "Clean," and the whole is he/isn't he controversy has to be in the heads of the Cardinals.

Every Tiger playoff series has had some sort of controversy. We've had the strange "Rainout" in NY, the moving of a weekday playoff game start time to the afternoon with less than 24 hours notice, and now the Gambler's hand and if it was something that the umpires treated like the phantom tag of 2nd on the double play (Ignored it as something that everyone does). Baseball continually brings shitstorms like this upon themselves. I doubt we'll ever get a clear explanation on any of it.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kenny Rogers, Tony LaRussa, World Series, MLB, baseball

The 100

One of the early supporters, and good friend, of TWFE, Kevin Antcliff, has a new blog. It's called "The 100."

It's Kevin's very personal account about his decision to take control of his life, and in the process, lose 100 pounds. Feel free to visit "The 100," and give him the encouragement he needs to accomplish his goal.

Good luck, Kevin!

In St. Louis and on ESPN, the Gambler has become Public Enemy #1

But unfortunately, now we'll always be left to wonder what Kenny Rogers had on his hand. And here, in what's supposed to be the best of times in his sport, that's what stinks the most about this unsavory World Series evening.

See, it wasn't just his pitching hand that Rogers soiled on Sunday night. It was, regrettably, his whole sport. And that's a stain that will take a lot longer to wash off.

That's the Worldwide Leader's holier than thou Jayson Stark, who would have you think that the Gamber is an evil genius combination of Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Adolph Hitler, and Snidely Whiplash.

He conveniently makes the 7 shoutout innings Rogers pitched after the so-called substance was washed off his hand a total afterthought. Dismisses the fact that the 1st innning, with the magic pine tar making the ball do unimaginable things, was the inning which he had the most trouble with the Cardinal hitters. Stark doesn't bother to mention that Rogers has been a very good pitcher for the majority of his career, and was damn good, the Tigers most consistently good pitcher, all season. I guess the Gambler only won over 200 big league games due to the magic of pine tar. Please.

Dan Shanoff, who has become much more opinionated and entertaining since being unleashed from the mediocre shackes of the Worldwide Leader, has the best take on the whole non-story that is "Dirtgate."

Or is the REAL dirt simply the sensationalistic suspicions being thrown around by analysts and fans?

Who cares? It was gone by the 2nd, and Rogers only went on to pitch 7 more scoreless innings to go with the 1st, giving him 23 scoreless innings pitched in a row in the playoffs, which is insane.

(Hell, I think it would be even cooler if he DID use some help; nothing says "crafty veteran pitcher" like being able to use an illegal substance to take 10 years off his mileage.)

If this were Gaylord Perry, the MSM would probably be celebrating this, calling him "Crafty," as Shanoff mentioned. But since it's Kenny Rogers, who has made more than a few enemies in the media over the years, they are having a field day roasting the Gambler with circumstancial evidence.

Thing is, if the Gambler was loading up the ball, wouldn't you think that he would be a little more careful as to where he had his magic pine tar? Why would it be out in the open? Wouldn't it be better served to stash it under the bill of his cap? Hidden in his glove? Someplace a tad more inconspicous than the PALM of his pitching hand? And for that matter, where's the smoking gun? The loaded up baseballs? Why wasn't he ejected? If Rogers is that stupid, he wouldn't have lasted long in MLB. If anything, it played with the minds of the Cardinals, and the MSM, more than anything else.

I was watching the postgame, and Fox Sports Detroit's Rod Allen was the first I heard say that FOX and McCarver had to be tipped off as to something being on Rogers hand. Why else would the FOX broadcast be specifically looking for it, and bring this up in the 1st inning? Allen also said that this was commonplace throughout MLB when the weather is cold. Which may be why the super genius LaRussa didn't raise much of a stink. His guys probably do the same thing.

The MSM would have you believe that Rogers was incapable of performing so well in the playoffs due to his past history, and the pine tar is the reason he has been so good. All I have to say about his previous playoff failures is this... Hasn't the media ever heard the term "Small sample size?" Maybe he's just pitching awfully damn well?

So was the substance on his hand pine tar? Probably. Did it make ANY difference in the result of the game? None whatsoever.

And what if the Gambler actually was bending the rules? All I can say is that I'm glad he's doing it for the Tigers...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kenny Rogers, World Series, MLB, baseball

World Series game 1 thoughts: Well, that sucked...

St. Louis won game one of the World Series, and did so easily. Too easily.

But...Take a deep breath, everyone. A 7-2 loss while looking out of sorts, and slightly awed, by the situation, wasn't what we were exactly expecting from the Tigers. But remember, it's a 7 game series. It was only one, count 'em, one, game. An ugly game, to be sure, but just one game. There's no reason to be overly upset, let alone panic. Yet.

The Tigers looked like the team that drove us utterly batty over the last 6 weeks of the season. Impatient hacking at the plate was the strategy of the day. Why the sudden change in plate disipline? Bad scouting of Reyes? Nerves? Rust? Being the overwhelming favorite go to the Tigers' heads? Great pitching by Reyes? Your guess is as good as mine. I'll just say it was a combination of all of the above.

I said yesterday that Albert Pujols should never be given the opportunity to take the bat off of his shoulder. So to see Justin Verlander give up an emotionally draining, expecially to an already reeling crowd, 2 run shot to Pujols was a huge momentum swing for the Cards. If the Tigers end up losing this series, you'd have to consider Pujols' homer to be one of the series turning points.

What on earth was the Marlboro Man thinking? Why why why why pitch to him, with 2 out and 1st base empty? Conventional strategy would have been to intentionally walk Pujols. Hell, even the most clueless Tiger manager ever, Luis Pujols, would have woken up from his stupor and walked him. Leyland said on the (Awful) broadcast that he would take the blame, that they should be pitching around him. Pitch around him? Huh? Then why take a chance, why not just give him the base? I'll take my chances facing the decrepit Jim Edmonds over Pujols any day, week, month, year, or decade. Personally, I'd just tell Pujols to just head straight over to 1st, rather than even bother going to the batters box, as he wouldn't be getting anything to hit, anyway...

Funny thing about Verlander, he pitched well, looked dominating at times. Yet he just couldn't get the big out, and ended up losing big. Much like Nate Robertson in the ALDS against the Yankees, Verlander's stats won't reflect that he pitched decently. Not great, but OK. Unfortunately, it's the World Series, and you need more than just OK when the other pitcher is putting up a long string of zeros.

Speaking of which, Reyes threw the game of his life. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

As for panic, that's exactly what we saw from Brandon Inge in the 6th. He had no chance of getting the runner. None whatsoever. Instead of composing himself, and then getting the out at 1st, he compounded an already bad situation by throwing the ball 10 feet wide of Pudge. Thus allowing another run to score via his stunbling around 3rd base and knocking over Scott Rolen. Not that the play made any difference at all in the final result, but it symbolized how flustered the Tigers looked all night.

As for tonight, I'm not sure what to expect. Not because of the Gambler, as I expect him to be dealing. Or due to the mercurial "Cheech" Weaver, whose career has been consistent in its inconsistency. The reason I'm not sure what to expect tonight is because the weather in the D is not fit for man nor beast. Or Tigers and Cardinals, for that matter. I look out my window, and I see rain, snow, sleet, and high winds. Let alone it's cold as Hell, MI. It'll be a brutal night at Comerica. Not cold enough to freeze shut tim McCarvers pompus mouth, but God damn cold, none the less. Whichever pitcher handles the nasty weather best, will win game 2.

I hope it's the Gambler.

Actually, they shouldn't be playing. When the weather will be the biggest factor as to the result of the game, it's not fair for either team. It should be postponed. The suits at FOX will NEVER let that happen, unfortunately.

Drew Sharp, for once, made a great point on sports rant radio a few minites ago. MLB moved game 3 of the ALCS to a 4:30 Friday start from it's original 8pm first pitch. Why? Because of the (Make finger quotes in the air) "Weather." The weather is much worse today, we've known for hours that the weather was going to be awful, and will do nothing but get worse. So why not move this game to a late afternoon start? HA! Becuase it'll step on the NFL's toes, and cause FOX to run Simpsons and Family Guy reruns during prime time. MLB and baseball are talking out of both sides of their mouths on this one...

One more thing. Instead of me ranting about the cluelessness of Buck, McCarver, and the FOX broadcast in general, let me post, verbatim, text messages I received from the GF during the game.

"Why is everyone shouting?"

"Does Joe Buck know what he's talkin' about? Grandy at the bottom of the lineup? Not very often, and not in the post season. Dork."

"These interviews with the manager bug me...they have a job to do, ya dorks!! Plus we miss the game!! DORKS!!"

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols, Jim Leyland, World Series, MLB, baseball

The Tigers - Cardinals World Series, as seen thru the blatant bias of TWFE

I did this for the Tigers - Yankees ALDS. It's again time to whip out the old writing chestnut that is comparing lineups, and see which team has the advantage in the 2006 World Series. As any Cardinals supporters that may stumble upon TWFE might guess, I'm a Tigers fan, so keep that in mind...

Catcher: Pudge Rodriguez vs. Yadier Molina - Pudge has a statue of himself in his yard, despite decling some at the plate, he's still one of the best catchers in the history of baeball, and is going to the Hall of Fame. Yadier is the worst of the Molina brothers catching mini-dynasty. 'Nuff said. That the Molina's are a catching mini-dynasty shows how much the catcher position has fallen in MLB over the years. Advantage Pudge, beacuse "Pudge," or Ivan, for that matter, is a cooler name than Yadier.

First base: Sean Casey vs. Albert Pujols - Casey has a bad calf, but it shouldn't make any difference, as he can't run when healthy. He's a slap hitter with Neifi Perez-like power, not exactly what you're looking for at a power position. Pojols will not be a factor, same as in the NLCS, as he'll NEVER get a pitch to hit. Why should you give him anything close to the plate when you have Juan Encanarcion hitting behind him? It's a no brainer. It BETTER be a no brainer. Advantage Casey, as he has a cool ass nickname, "The Mayor," and because Pujols will never get a chance to take the bat off of his shoulder.

Second base: Placido Polanco vs. Ronnie Belliard - The Placidome has the largest head in MLB, which he needs to keep the massive amounts of baseball knowledge inside contained. Which he put to good use while winning the MVP of the ALCS, with (What seemed like, anyway) a 1.000 batting average. Belliard, which Andrew put so well, is the first 300 lb 2nd baseman in the history of baseball. Advantage to the all knowing Placidome, as the Cards have a bigger boned Eric Cartman playing 2nd.

Shortstop: Carlos Guillen vs. David Eckstein - Guillen is the most underrated SS, if not player, in all of baseball. He out Jeters Jeter, in that the New York pretty boy gets all the MVP talk in the MSM, while Carlos Guillen puts up amazingly similar numbers, with none of the fanfair, at a fraction of the salary. David Eckstein is the next coming of a lighter hitting Freddie Patek. Or it's the batboy wearing an Eckstein jersey, I'm not sure which. Advantage Guillen.

Third base: Brandon Inge vs. Scott Rolen - Did you know that Binge can dunk a basketball? Hit a driver 300+ yards off the tee? May be the best overall athlete in MLB? Should win a gold glove? That his manager will ACTUALLY talk to him? Can you say any of that about Scott Rolen? Didn't think so. Advantage Binge, as he has 2 good shoulders to Rolen's one. (Warning to Cardinals fans, expect daily stories on the freaky athletic ability of Inge, as it's already been done to death in the D)

Left field: Craig Monroe vs. Preston Wilson - Craig Monroe is clutch. How clutch is he? He's the clutchiest clutch to ever clutch. He's clutchriffic! Clutchtastic, even. Under clutch in the Wikipedia, you'll see Monroe's picture. (Once I edit it) As for Wilson? He was waived by the Astros, after being one of their big off season free agent signings. That's NOT clutch. Far from it. Advantage Monroe, because he's clutch. Did I say he was clutch? Cause he is...

Center field: Curtis Granderson vs. Jim Edmonds - To steal a FARK cliche, Edmonds is old and busted, Granderson is the new hotness. Granderson has stepped up his play in the postseason. If you noticed, and it's hard not to, when Granderson is playing well, so do the Tigers. Both are smoking hot. Edmonds was once a great player, but is now the poster boy for what happens when you run into one too many outfield walls. Advantage Granderson, as he doesn't need a walker to patrol the vast distances in Comerica's center field.

Right field: Magglio Ordonez vs. Juan Encanarcion - Maggs, a prennial All-Star, just hit one of the biggest home runs in recent MLB history. He'll never have to pay for a meal in the state of Michigan ever again. Encanarcion sucked so bad when he was a Tiger, he was made to pay double in restaurants, on general principle. Encanarcion was run of out Detroit on a rail, even though the Amtrak service is spotty. Advantage Ordonez, even if I am getting just a tad tired of hearing the home run call on local sports rant radio.

Designated hitter: Marcus Thames/Omar Infante/Sean Casey/Anyone but Neifi Perez vs. The Hell if I know, they are a NL team, so So Taguchi? - Let's call it a push, as everytime I see So at bat, he so hits a home run.

Bench: The Tigers have the black hole of suck, Neifi Perez, on theirs. Advantage Cardinals.

Bullpen: The Tigers have a 103 MPH fireballer (Zumaya), a short man with a change up to die for, when he's not walking batters, that is (Rodney), one of the most effective LOOGY's in baseball (Walker), solid middle relievers (Ledezma and Grilli), and a closer (Jones) who scares the Detroit fanbase more than Thom Brennman's pronounciations of Tiger player names. As for the Cards, any staff that has Braden Looper in the mix can't be all that good. Advantage Tigers, due to the Looper factor.

Starting pitching: The Cards have a past Cy Young winner in Chris Carpenter, a solid John Suppan, and then have to hope for long stretches of rainouts. That didn't work for the Yankees, by the way... The Tiger fanbase had plenty of nicknames for Jeff Weaver, "Cheech" being one of the more popular, due to the bust involving the Fed Ex'ing of the chronic with Rob Fick, the "Chong" to Weaver's "Cheech." A brain surgeon, Weaver is not. When Weaver got his ass kicked from foul line to foul line by Mike Sweeney in a brawl with the Royals a few years ago, no tears were shed in the Tiger clubhouse. The Tigers were "Team Dysfunction" back then, and Weaver was one of the main reasons why. Pinning your hopes on Jeff Weaver, whom the Tigers, Yankees, and Angels all had their fill of, is heartbreak waiting to happen. The Tigers may have the best pitching staff in baseball, led by the reborn Gambler, who has fascinatingly become uber clutch and damn near unhittable. Advantage Tigers, due to the Weaver factor.

After comparing rosters, the Tigers look like overwhelming favorites, which is scaring the bejebus out of me. But you have to favor the Tigers, if only due to the fact that the Cards have Encanarcion and Weaver on their roster. Honestly, we in Detroit were hoping to never see either of them in the D again. Damn the luck...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MLB, baseball

Verlander, The Gambler, Robertson, and Bonderman

Those 4 pitchers are the main reason the Tigers are now in the World Series, not necessarily in that order. That's also the Tigers' series rotation, in that order. I can only guess as to the Marlboro Man's reasoning for switching things up, but here goes...

First off, the Tigers best pitchers all season have been Rogers and Verlander. Without question. So why not start your best in games 1 and 2 of the series, especially when the Cardinals are scrambling for a starter for the opener? No one is expecting Carpenter or Suppan to be available for the Cards till the series moves to St. Louis. So no matter who the Cards start in games 1 and 2, the Tigers will have the better of the that pitching matchup.

You could have plugged in any of the Tiger rotation, and you wouldn't have had an arguement from me. Still, Jason Verlander starting game one is a bit of a head scratcher. Not due to his talent, of course, as he may just be the best pitcher on the staff. But starting a rookie, no matter how good he might be, is a risky propasition. Then again, Verlander threw well at Yankee Stadium, and there isn't a much bigger playoff stage than that. The Tiger braintrust must see something in the matchups. We all know that Verlander throws extremely hard, and after a long, tiring 7 game series, let alone season, the thought may be that the Cardinals will have issues getting around on his 100 MPH heater.

The media has been saying that the Gambler was a lock to be the game 2 starter. They were right on, for once. It's obvious that Leyland wants Kenny Rogers' possible 2 starts to be at Comerica. He's been absolutely dominant at home, unhittable in the postseason. Just as big a reason may be the huge home field advantage the Tigers have developed with Rogers on the mound. He's yelled, screamed, and fist pumped his way into the hearts of Tiger fans. The Gamlber has been like a rock star, as demonstrative as a strutting Mick Jagger while pitching. Well, maybe not quite that extreme... But when compared to the mild mannered Rogers of the regular season, I think you get my drift. Rogers is feeding off of the crowd's emotion, and vice versa. Comerica will be a snake pit with the Gamber pitching.

Nate Robertson has started the road opener in both the ALDS and ALCS. He struggled some with the Yankees, but pitched well against the A's. No reason to change now. Robertson is a veteran with a bulldog mentality, and as cliche' of a term as it may be, it is true. Robertson is a much better bet to not get rattled starting in front of a rabid Busch Stadium crowd.

As well as Jeremy Bonderman has pitched, I'm sure there are still concerns as to his mental makeup. We have all seen his propensity to be shaky early in games, witness his jittery 1st inning in ALCS game 4. Starting Bonderman in game 4 of the World Series will allow the Tigers to put the least amount of pressure on him. Unless the worst case scenario comes about, the Tigers going down 0-3. God forbid... Then all bets are off, obviously.

As it's set currently, you'll have Verlander pitching games 1 and 5, the Gambler in games 2 and 6, Robertson starts games 3 and 7, and Bonderman finally appears in game 4. You could argue that in a long series, you might prefer Bonderman getting 2 starts, rather than Robertson. But who's to say Bonderman couldn't start game 7 on short rest? Let alone the fact that he should be available to pitch in relief late in the series, if need be.

Any way you might dissect it, you have to like how the pitching , and the World Series itself, is setting up in the Tigers favor.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, MLB, baseball

Does it make a difference whch team wins the NLCS?

I have to say that I'm delighting in the fact that the NLCS going to a 7th game can do nothing but help the Tigers' championship ambitions. As the Tigers are resting and getting healthy, both the Mets and Cardinals are struggling to stay above water, literally and figurtively. They are just trying to survive long enough to get to the World Series. Their series has turned into a war of attrition.

Last team who can put decent, let alone healthy, arm on the mound,wins.

After watching the majority of all 6 NL games so far, I have to ask. Anyone else totally underwhelmed by the NLCS? Not so much in the competitve sense, but in that neither team has looked all that impressive. The Mets and Cards have the appearance of teams that wouldn't have even made the AL playoffs. It's been prime evidence that the AL is a much deeper and talented league, playing a better brand of baseball.

Saying that he Mets pitching staff is in shambles is being generous to a fault. At this point, Willie Randolph has to be looking on Craigslist for pitching, and by judging the results, without much luck. Without Pedro and El Duque, it's nothing more than Tom Glavine, an ineffective Billy Wagner, and a bunch of never-weres and wannabes.

I'll give all the credit in the world to John Maine, as he did come through for Randolph and the Mets. But Maine even starting game 6 was not due to how good he might be, but that they were in pure desperation mode and had no one else. My GOD, the Mets are starting Olvier Perez tonight, he of the 3-13 record with a 6.55 ERA! Ian said it best, it's the equivelant of the Tigers starting Jason Grilli in a game 7. And unquestionably, I'd have more faith in Grilli...

The Mets' everyday lineup can throw a scare into you, especially with Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, and Wright, but as with most NL teams, there is no punch at the bottom of the order. They are capable of scoring plenty of runs, but I doubt the Mets can score enough to cover for their less than sterling pitching.

For that matter, the less said about their defense, the better. But you have to admit that it has been entertaining as all Hell to watch Shawn Green flail about aimlessly in right field, though...

The Cardinals pitching staff is in a little better shape, but not by much. Sure, they have Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan. Adam Wainwright has been a lifesaver filling in for Jason Isringhausen. But any team that is pinning their hopes on Jeff Weaver is NOT a team that I would want to pin my own hopes. We in Detroit can vouch for that...

The Cards may have the scariest player in all of baseball in Albert Pujols, but the Mets, horrid pitching and all, have shown that he can be kept in check. Pujols can be pitched around, thanks to the Cards having either the rapidly aging and dinged up Jim Edmonds, or the never-was that is Juan Encarnacion, hitting behind him. Factor in that Scott Rolen is hurt and can't hit fastballs, or will even talk to Tony LaRussa, and the Cardinals don't put the fear of God, let alone Jebus, into anyone.

I don't want to be overconfident about the Tigers' chances going into the World Series. But without question the Tigers are more talented, have a deeper lineup 1-9, play superior defense, and have better, and healthier, pitching than either the NL team they might face. Odds are that whatever team comes out of the NL will be emotionally and physically spent, with next to no time to recover before playing the Tigers. They just want to get to the World Series, and then worry about how to win it...

Picking which NL team you'd prefer to face the Tigers isn't like picking your poison. It's more comparable to picking your pesky annoyance.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardnials, World Series, NLCS, MLB, baseball

I'm tired. I'm fed up. I'm not sure I care. The Detroit Lions should take heed

I was reviewing my recent blog posts, a good month's worth, and I realized that something was missing. What's missing is a noticable lack of posts in regard to the team whose former coach inspired the name of this blog. That team, the long lost cause, that ship of fools known as the Detroit Lions, should be very worried.

Why should the Lions care about the lunatic ravings of a piss ant little blog? Because it takes a dedicated fan to post his thoughts, on a daily basis, about the teams that he cares for, is passionate about, and has been a lifelong fan. And if that lifelong fan's interest is gradually waning, what does it say about the rest of the Lions fanbase? It sure can't be good, and it dosen't bode well for the future.

I've watched every Lions game this season. (Thanks to the DVR in a couple of cases) In fact, I watched every minute of the Buffalo game Sunday. Like the rest of you, I got animated a couple of times during the game. But after the Lions locked up the win, I was ambivalent. In fact, this entire season has been, for lack of a better word, "Meh."

Then something clicked. I knew exactly how I was feeling. As of late, watching the Lions has been compareable to, for me anyway, watching the MSU Spartans.

I've said in the past, about my college fandom, that Michigan football is life and death. I watched the PSU game Saturday night, and it was white knuckle time. I was in fear of that night in Happy Valley becoming the "Trap" game. (Unfounded fear, as it turned out) All Wolverine fans, alumni or not, will watch this entire season intently, with gritted teeth and those white knuckes, worrying beyond measure of Lloyd getting too conservative, scared that the letdown game we all fear will come about, while waiting for this year's "Game of the century" with the Bucknuts. In other words, I care. A lot.

Sparty, on the other hand? I'll watch their games, and always root for them. But as for my feelings? If Sparty wins...Hey, that's pretty cool, John L. is one crazy ass loon, now now what other game is on? If Sparty loses...Hey, that's too bad, John L. is one crazy ass loon, now what other game is on? In other words, "Meh."

The Lions got their first meaningless victory of the season Sunday. And I thought, "That's nice, Millen should be fired, now who's playing in the 4 o'clock games?"

That's how I'm finding myself feeling about the Lions.

Really, what's the big deal about the Lions beating a Buffalo team that is just as awful? Come on, 0-6, 1-5, is there really any difference? I said a month ago that the season was already over. Why on earth should I get excited? 2006 is just another in a long string of losing seasons, a season that is leading nowhere but to a top 5 draft pick that Matt Millen will once again blow.

Despite what we may hear otherwise from Allen Park, another rebuilding plan is underway. It's not as if they have a choice, as the Millen era, as has every era since William Clay Ford bought the team, been a debacle.

We've seen stupid coaches, player's coaches, and disiplinarian coaches, none have been winning coaches. The Millen led drafts have given the Lions next to nothing. The #2 and #3 overall picks of their respective drafts, Charles Rogers and Joey Harrington, have been sent packing, with #10 overall Mike Williams all but guaranteed to follow. An overpaid conerback, Dre' Bly, is the closest thing we've seen to an inpact free agent signing. Under center is a stopgap QB in his mid-30's, who's not a game changer, just a game manager. The O-line can't stay healthy. The D-line under-performs. The linebackers spend more time in the infirmary than on the field. The skill position players, save for Roy Williams, show only flashes of said skill. Odds are, the current coaching regime will blow the roster up. Again.

Why should I let my blood pressure rise to dangerous levels, thanks to a team that could give 2 shits about their fans?

We, the long time Lion fan, have been taking abuse from the Lions for decades. They just piss all over us. Russ Thomas pissed on us when we were kids. Matt Millen continues to piss on us as adults. The Fords have pissed on their entire fanbase for our entire lives. For what? 1 lousy playoff win in half a century. You have to be well into your 50's to even remotely remember when the Lions were kings of the NFL.

When the under .500 Wayne Fontes era is your fondest memory, you know that the Lions have such long term and deep set issues, that even the next coming of George Halas, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Don Shula and Chuck Knoll combined couldn't fix.

I'm not going to be like those who can switch alliegance to another team. Not me, I can't do it. Not as a lifelong Detroiter. In fact, I'm going to continue to watch, root for, and write about the Lions. What I'm not going to do is blindly follow the Lions like lemmings into the abyss. It's not worth the heartache. I refuse to live and die with them, not this season. Not while the blind is leading the clueless in the Lions front office.

I'm tired of the entire Detroit Lions circus, and I don't have the emotional reserves anymore to dredge up when watching them. Those reserves belong to the Tigers and Wolverines at this point. And then the Pistons and Red Wings.

The Lions need to wake up. Just because the NFL is king, doesn't mean that they will be at the top of the Detroit sports heap. They could very easily turn into the Tigers of the last 10 years, the Tigers that became irrelevant after opening day, that were nothing more than a diversion between the end of the Wings and Pistons playoffs, and the start of Lions training camp. After this season, that will no longer be true.

Fans are caring less and less about the Lions, and it's not going to get any better. Apathy is setting in, and the Lions can do nothing to stop it. Not until there is an apocalyptic cleansing of the front office.

Well, at least I can take solace in one thing. I could be a fan of the Arizona Cardinals...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Lions, Matt Millen, NFL, football

Where's the happiest place on Earth?

The happiest place on planet Earth? Take a guess.

Disneyland? No. Disneyworld? Not even close. Epcot Center? Euro-Disney? HA! Michigan State? Let's not go there. Ford Field? They are relieved more than anything else after the Lions' absolutely meaningless win. tOSU? Not happy, they're just flipping insane. The University of Michigan? They're in a damn good mood over in A2, but no. How about where they are still playing baseball, St. Louis or New York? More likely terrified.

No, the happiest place on Earth is the whole of SE Michigan, with the epicenter being the corner of Montcalm and Witherell, Comerica Park. The Worldwide Leader says as much, so it's got to be true, right? Amazingly enough, for once they are correct.

The Detroit Tigers won the PENNANT! The once lowly, now mighty, Tigers, are the champions of the American League!

Come on, the American League Pennant? No F'n way. It wasn't supposed to happen, not this year. Not next year. Not anytime soon. Maybe not ever. But it did...

I'm not sure I can actually grasp how amazing this season, and especially the last 2 weeks, have been. The enormity, the unexpectedness, of the Tigers accomplishment left me at a loss for words. How many ways can you say that you are happy? Happy is an understatement. Honestly, words like delirious, estatic, giddy don't come close. There are no words that could describe how happy the feelings are of the long downtrodden Tiger fan.

As I wasn't lucky enough to be at Comerica Saturday night, (Unlike good friend of TWFE, BrianDTW, who has a great post about his Comerica experience at The Sports Frog) I was with the girlfriend (A huge Tigers, and especially of Placido Polanco, fan. You can guess how happy his winning the ALCS MVP made her...) nervously watching what we hoped would be the clincher. When Magglio Ordonez swung, and as soon as the ball left the bat, you knew the game was over, we were as loud as 2 people could possibly be. She was screaming, clapping, jumping up and down, while I just sat there, stunned, yelling "Oh my God, oh my God," over and over. Then I got a HUGE kiss, for which I will be eternally greatful to Maggs.

2 days after the game, I still smile when thinking about it. Hell, I'm still smiling, period. I'm sure the rest of us have similar stories, and feel the exact same way.

It's being said all over, and I totally agree, that this utterly unfathomable season long run of the Tigers may be the most gratifing of any ever seen in Detroit. Damn near every title won in the D was with a team you knew had a chance to make some postseason noise, at the very least.

The Bad Boy era Pistons built to their 2 titles, and you could see the possibilites beforehand. We knew the 2004 Pistons were good, we just didn't know how far they were capable of going. Their dominating finals win was unexpected, but not in making the playoffs. The Red Wings were much like the Bad Boys. The '97 run you saw coming, a Stanley Cup was going to happen, Hell or high water. '98 and '02 were gravy. They were all great, same goes for the runs of the Wolverines and Spartans, and I'll never forget them.

But... The baseball love runs deep here, it was just dormant for a couple of decades. Basketball and hockey don't connect with everyone, not nearly to the extent that baseball does.

The past great Tiger teams of my lifetime, the '68 (Whom I was too young to appreciate) and '84 teams, built up to their championships. Much like the Wings, you saw it coming. But the 2006 Tigers? I wouldn't have been more surprised if you walked up behind me, and whacked me across my head with a 2X4. It's been that stunning. And leaves a mark...

No one saw this coming. Not a soul. Not me, not you, not the MSM, no one in baseball, no one. A team that is 3 years removed from 119 losses isn't supposed to be .500, let alone contend. That's what makes this Tiger season so great, so unexpected, and so absolutely wonderful.

We'll probably never see something like this again, at least not in our lifetimes.

Go Tigers!

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, ALCS, MLB, baseball

Quick thoughts before ALCS game 3

If you went by the weather, mid 40's, winds in in the mid 30 MPH range, and the distinct possibility of rain, you'd expect a football game to be played at Comerica Park today. Instead we have game 3 of the ALCS. As much as I'd love to be attendance, after spending approxinately 30 seconds outside, I'm not at all disappointed to be watching game 3 from the comfort of my own home. A couple of the coldest events I've ever been to have been on Tigers opening days, and today's weather is much the same. F'N BRRRR!

By the way, in case you were wondering, the coldest game I've attended was a night game (Thanks a ton, Worldwide Leader), the 2001 MAC championship between Toledo and Marshall at Toledo's Glass Bowl. How do you know when you are absolutely freezing your ass off? When you stop drinking beer, and switch to coffee. Not to sober up, but to survive. That's damn cold. Good thing it was one of the most entertaining games I've ever attended, or being that close to becoming frostbitten wouldn't have been worth it.

But I digress...

I'm not expecting Kenny Rogers to duplicate his game 3 ALDS performance today. That was as close to a pitching "Perfect storm" as you'd find. The combination of the Gambler's awful New York City experience, his horrific playoff track record, it being the first Tiger home playoff game in 19 years, and the Gambler's need to prove himself a capable playoff performer, added up to one of the most dominating postseason performances you'll ever witness. Today, I'm just hoping to see what we saw from Rogers through most of the regular season. The Rogers that would bob and weave his way through 7 innings or so, holding the A's in check, and giving the Tigers the opportunity to win. That's all I'm asking...

It's interesting to see Detroit's keystone combo back in the lineup. I'm not talking about Polanco and Guillen. With Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago in today's lineup, the Tigers 2003 shortstop and second baseman are actually in a playoff game. Together. Ever think you'd see that back in the dark dark days of '03?

With Zumaya likely out, hopefully only for today's game, the bullpen load once again falls on the shoulders of Fernando Rodney. As well as he's been pitching, and we all will admit that he was damn impressive in game 2, Rodney still scares the bejebus out of me. Honestly, i think he always will...

On the other hand, I've been strangely calm when the Rollercoaster has been on the mound. Never thought I'd be saying that, after writing of my utter Jones hate, and calling him out as the "Anti-Christ" after a couple of his blown saves over 4 months ago. How times, and Jones' performance, for that matter, have changed.

I think there is no question that today's game 3 is a must win for the A's. I'm sure they will be treating this like a game 7. Considering their current circumstances of having to create history in order to beat the Tigers, I'd expect nothing less. We'll see how far desperation can carry Oakland.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Oakland A's, ALCS, playoffs, MLB, baseball

Has the Marlboro Man seen the error of his ways...

...in regard to The Black Hole of Suck?

Appearently he has, if you go by the Frepp's John Lowe posting of today's Tigers ALCS game 3 lineup...

1. Curtis Granderson (CF)
2. Craig Monroe (LF)
3. Placido Polanco (2B)
4. Magglio Ordonez (RF)
5. Pudge Rodriguez (C)
6. Carlos Guillen (1B)
7. Omar Infante (DH)
8. Brandon Inge (3B)
9. Ramon Santiago (SS)

Playing even 1 game with TBHoS, and his managing to do no harm, was pushing one's luck. I'm glad to see Leyland's King Midas reputaion hasn't gone to his head.

Still, there's a couple of head scratchers. Pudge at 5, Guillen in the 6 spot, plus Infante DH'ing, has me wondering. But who am I when it comes to questioning the Cigarette Smoking Man's managerial genius?

I honestly think Leyland just like screwing with all our minds, as he chain smokes his way through the playoffs...

Edit: Mlive's Danny Knobler has Guillen 5th and Pudge 6th. At this point, I'm not going to quibble, as long as TBHoS is on the bench...

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Jim Leyland, ALCS, playoffs, MLB, baseball

ALCS game 2 thoughts: Jim Leyland owns Ken Macha

Jim Leyland is 'da man. He can do no wrong. NOTHING. Every move the Matlboro Man makes does more than work, it pays huge dividends. I mean, Alexis Gomez? Come on!

The Cigarette Smoking Man smokes a blunt Marlboro Red, and suddenly decides to DH (literally) the 25th man on the Tigers roster, Gomez. Then, in a stoke that reeks of madness, or maybe hubris, he totally loses his nicotine addled faculties, and not just plays the black hole of suck, but installs him in the 2 hole? Even the most staunch, blue and orange glasses wearing Tiger fan was left asking, "What in the HELL is he thinking?"

One 400 foot bomb, 4 RBI, and a 2-0 series lead later, Leyland is smoking his way all the way back to a state that would elect him not just Governor, but Grand Potentate. Ken Macha has to think that life is just not fair...

Even when when Leyland makes a mistake, it really doesn't hurt all that much. The biggest being allowing TBHoS in the clubhouse, let alone the field. At least TBHoS didn't violate the prime directive, and did no harm. Which is about all we can ask.

Another example was in the top of the 6th inning. For some inexplicable reason, Leyland sent Justin Verlander back out for the 6th, when it was obvious to most everyone that he had given his all through 5 innings, and had little left. I think most Tiger fans were more than happy with Verlander's performance thru 5, and were expecting either Jason Greeley (According to Thom Brenneman, anyway), Jason Grilli, or Wil Ledezma to begin the 6th. Instead, Verlander gives up a quick solo shot, and a hard hit liner for an out. Leyland finally sees the error of his ways, and gets Verlander the Hell out of the game, and Ledezma finishes the inning without further incident. No problem...

It's a tale of 2 managers. Look on the flip side. Macha stuck with an obviously struggling Esteban Loaiza too long, I'm guessing in hope to save his bullpen. That decision let Gomez go all Babe Ruth on Loaiza and basically put the game out of reach. Even when Macha makes the right decision, it blows up in his face. Macha starts the 9th inning with his closer, Huston Street, to keep the game close, and Curtis Granderson takes him yard.

The A's can't win for losing. Crazy ass board game guy hits 2 huge HR's, and the A's still lose. They load the bases in the bottom of the 9th with the Really God Damn Big Hurt coming to plate, the Rollercoaster on the mound, and the A's still lose. They start their ace in game 1, and the A's still lose. The A's are looking like they will become the lastest victim of a Tiger team that appears to be one of destiny.

Calling the Tigers a "Team of Destiny" is going to become an overused platitude, but do you know of any better way of putting it?

Other thoughts on game 2...

The best line I heard all night was Lou Pinella's. After earlier discussing how The Babe Gomez was called a "5 o'clock hitter" due to his batting practice heroics, when Gomez went deep Pinella quipped, "It's always 5 o'clock somewhere!"

I didn't get all that upset with Todd Jones' adventurous (To put it mildly) 9th. Yes, I was as nervous as the next guy when the rebar swinging the Really God Damn Big Hurt was at the plate with the bases juiced. But it wasn't as if the Coaster was giving up hard hit balls. There isn't much you can do when crazy ass board game guy's infield high hopper landed in no-man's land, ie: TBHOS's glove.

It bears repeating. Placido Polanco is really really GOOD. You ever think you'd see the day when when the Placidome was intentionally walked, and not just because a base was open? Me neither.

Someone needs to have a looong talk to Loaiza about what's left of his hair. When one's balding noggin is getting that nastily patchy, you should just give up, and shave your head. That advice comes straight from the GF, by the way.

Over the past few days the Tigers have played the following. "Jason" Verlander, Jason "Greeley," "Jo-El" Zumaya, "Plaseedo" Polanco, and Craig "MON-roe." Over the weekend, expect "Ozzie" Guillen, "Bradley" Inge, Curtis "Mayfield," Fernando "Lamas," "Wilma" Ledezma, and "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez to all play for Detroit. I guess the Tigers got an exemption that allowed them to carry more than 25 players on their roster.

Can anyone explain crazy ass board game guy's bright white sunglasses? Yo Elton John, we found them!

Tomorrow's game time has been moved to a 4:35 pm start. The change was made supposedly for weather reasons... I'm SURE it's not due to wanting a certain New York team to play in prime time... Despite what the loons at MLB and FOX might think, the Tigers have become, by far, the most compelling story of the playoffs. Much like the '04 Red Sox and '05 White Sox. I honestly doubt the entire nation would rather watch the NLCS losers bracket in prime time.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Alexis Gomez, Jim Leyland, Ken Macha, Oakland A's, playoffs, ALCS, MLB, baseball