Jim Leyland: I want an extension, you SOB's! Detroit Tigers: Die in a fire!

OK, I admit it isn't quite as contentious as my headline, but there is definitely some tension between the Tigers and their manager.

Jim Leyland has gone public, letting everyone within earshot know that he deserves a contract extension, while conveniently forgetting he turned down extra years not all that long ago. The Tigers think differently, and refuse to give the Marlboro Man anything more. In their eyes, Leyland's going to have to earn a new deal.

Gimme my $2 extension!

Why is Leyland so adamant in demanding a contract extension? Why has he gone to media with his complaints?

As you might have guessed, I have his 10 reasons...

10. Smokes ain't cheap, you know. Criminal, that's what it is. Should be a government investigation!

9. That moron who used to work next door, Matt Millen, was able to get an extension, and he never won a God damn thing! I take a team to the the World Series, and get...a handshake and a pat on the back. It ain't right.

8. Have you priced a carton of Marlboro Reds lately? I had to take out a payday loan to get my Reds! Seriously, it's criminal.

7. You try dealing with Pudge Rodriguez for an entire season! He's the prima donna's prima donna. The extension should be considered retroactive hazard pay.

6. Did you see the so-called "bullpen" Dombrowski gave me?! I've seen better bullpens in the California Penal League! Christ, I deserve some extra coin for pain and suffering!

5. With my current deal, when you factor in my nicotine habit, I'm actually losing money. Criminal, I tell ya.

4. Remember the contract extension you offered me after last year, and I...I..OK, I admit it, I turned it down. Well, I changed my mind. It's a girls and a managers right to change their minds. So what's 12 months between friends?

3. Think the Wall St. meltdown is a mess? Wait till you see my lame duck ass meltdown mid season! But if I extorted...uh...had an extension, maybe, just maybe, it won't happen.

2. I'm being bent over by big tobacco! I needs my fix! Give me some money!

1. I have to listen to Brandon Inge piss and moan every God damn day for 6 straight months. "I'm not a catcher! I wanna play 3rd!" If that's not worth an extra few million, nothing is. Plus smokes are damn expensive...

10 things you know I know I know, you know?

I'm thinking this "10 things" bit may become an every Friday thing. We shall see...

10. I found it funny, and pretty damn telling, when Deadspin touched on Matt Millen's clueless vote of confidence of the current coaching regime in today's Blogdome, they linked to another "national" site (AOL's Fanhouse) rather than get the local view from the numerous Detroit blogs who also commented upon the ongoing lunacy in Allen Park.

It's just another reason why I find myself reading Deadspin less and less as of late. It's not because Will Leitch left, as my issues with Gawker's site go back for quite some time. I rarely visit the Deadspin proper anymore, preferring to check out posts in my RSS reader of choice. The site design leaves something to be desired. Don't even get me going on their commenters. For every smart, witty and funny comment, there's a dozen more that aren't worth the time it took to type them out. If I want forced, badly done, pop culture referenced humor, I'll read the Sports Guy instead. (Speaking of which, what has happened ESPN.com's Page 2? It used to be a daily must read. Now? I can't remember the last time I went there to read anything. What a damn shame.)

In fact, what I just said about sports blogging's 800 pound gorilla, also goes for the Fanhouse, With Leather, Sports by Brooks, The Sporting Blog, The Big Lead, the usual suspects. (Though I find TBL the best read of the bunch) The problem with these blogs is that they all write about the same damn thing. If I've seen a specific story on one of of the big sites, you'll see it, much sooner than later, on ALL the big sites, with pretty much the same (snarky) opinion.

If one of them finds a "wacky" You Tube video (Often after a smaller site had dredged it up), you know the other big sites will soon post it as well. Whatever the sports blog meme of the day happens to be, all the "big" blogs write about it...endlessly. It's gotten beyond tiresome.

The big sites are much more alike than they'd ever care to admit. Which is why I find myself drawn to more sport specific blogs (Like those at Yahoo), along with city and team centric blogs. They don't feel as rote and by-the-numbers as the Deadspins of the world have become.

9. My thoughts on the Ryder Cup?  

USA! USA! USA! Beat the Euros! 

That's all I really have, as I know so little about most of the Americans playing. I mean, Boo Weekely? Boo? I'd like to make a "To Kill a Mockingbird" reference here, but it's already been done...

8. If there is a man who showed all the signs of being on the edge of batshit insane, it's Jim Leyland. He was all but mentally off the hook when dealing with the umpires in Texas. If Leyland had been given the opportunity, and gotten to within arm's length, I swear he would have cold cocked a couple of men in blue. His actions were enough to result in his getting suspended for the Cleveland series, starting tonight.

But come on, can you really blame the Marlboro Man? If you were stuck using gas cans like Kyle Farnsworth as your set up man, and Fernando Rodney as your closer, you'd be ready for a few days of forced rest too.

If anything, Leyland going postal might have been for the best. From all appearances, he was close to burning out. A 65 year old man losing his shit isn't a pretty thing...Much like this entire Tigers season.

7. Joe Dumars said he tried to make a deal this summer, but didn't get an offer he thought would make the team better. I can understand why he didn't make a deal. The Pistons, as currently constructed, are a playoff team. Blowing up the Pistons for the sake of just blowing them up might have felt good, but accomplished little. So I don't blame Joe D for standing pat. Unfortunately, naming Michael Curry head coach and adding Kwame Brown to the front line aren't moves that have me believing this coming season will be any different than last.

I do like the idea being floated by Curry of moving Antonio McDyess back to 6th man status, where he's more comfortable and won't be the 5th offensive option, thus opening up competition between Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, and Brown for the vacated starting spot. This might light a bit of a spark with both units, which has been long needed.

But is shuffling the depth chart enough to get the Pistons over the Eastern Conference hump? No. I can't see this team, good as they are, going any further than the conference finals again.

6. Michigan State is going to KILL Notre Dame. Sparty will spank the gimpy kneed Charlie Weis silly. If I'm Mark Dantonio, I give Javon Ringer the ball 35 times, essentially telling ND "You and I both know you can't stop him." If Sam McGuffie can rip through ND for 170+ total yards, Ringer is going to run...well, rings, around the overrated Domers.

5. The man who tried his damnedest to kill my love for Red Wings hockey in the 70's, Ned Harkness, passed away earlier today. I'm sure Harkness was a nice man, and loved the game of hockey. But he never should have been let anywhere near an NHL franchise, God forbid run one. The "Darkness with Harkness" era scarred my young and developing hockey psyche almost irreparably.

May you rest in peace, Ned. But God dammit, did you have to completely fuck over the Red Wings for my 11 year old self?! I mean, really. You took what was a decent team, and screwed it over so badly in 3 years, the rest of the decade, and much of the following, was ruined. Your destruction of the Red Wings was Millen-esque.

But hey, I'll let bygones be bygones.

4. I like love the fact there is a football game almost every night of the week on ESPN. (Even if it does seem like it's always Louisville or Colorado State playing...) But please keep it exclusively college football, OK? There's something about the 4 Letter broadcasting a regular season high school football game nationwide that I find extremely disturbing. It just feels wrong to me.

ESPN getting their sticky, grubby fingers into the high school pie can only lead to bad things. High school football belongs on Friday nights, being covered by local media. Period. Exclamation point!

3. Think West Virginia is happy with Bill Stewart now? What in the HELL was he thinking last night? Stewart is so far in over his head as a coach, he makes Marty Moronwhig look capable.

All that kept running through my mind as I watched Stewart and WVU totally butcher the final seconds of a game they ended up losing was, "It couldn't happen to a more deserving fanbase bunch of lunatics." RichRod had to have a little extra skip in his step this morning.

2. I know it's been only one start, and it may be the giddiness of watching a Tiger pitcher who could do the unthinkable...throw strikes...talking. But you think Freddy Garcia would look good in the Detroit rotation in 2009? So do I. Make it happen, Double D.

1. A quick announcement. I plan on live blogging the Detroit Lions, as usual, this Sunday. But I'll probably only be able to do the 1st half, as I have an early evening family commitment. It figures the Lions would happen to be on the west coast the one and only Sunday night I have something going on.

It's killing me, as my Sunday afternoon meltdowns are getting more and more traffic by the week. People really seem to enjoy them. Not the Lions, mind you, but the live blogs.

Anyway, I'll live blog as long as possible on Sunday, and have the DVR record the 2nd half. I'll do my best to not hear the score while I'm out, and then do my blogging thing a little later in the evening. Or something like that...

Leyland meets Dombrowski: Will it be a "Come to Jesus" type meeting?

The Tigers are on an off day, back home after one of the ugliest road trips in memory. Getting swept by the Royals, and losing 2 of 3 to the D-Backs have apparently brought the Tigers' issues to a head.

Word from the Marlboro Man is he and Dave Dombrowski will meet today, and...Well, this is straight from the Cigarette Smoking Man's mouth, as quoted in the Freep.

"We have a lot of issues to deal with right now," Leyland said. "That's why I'm meeting with Dave. I'll be able to clear some stuff up, hopefully, in the near future. We've got a lot of issues to address."

Umm...yeah. The Tigers are the worst team in the American League for a reason. They've earned that distinction by playing awful all around baseball. I'll say there's several "issues" to address...

Gary Sheffield: Since that fateful day in 2007 when Sheffield collided with Placido Polanco, re-injuring his shoulder, he's hit .170, with no power. Even though Sheffield is owed $28 million through 2009, it's time to either cut bait, or put him on ice.

I've been as big of a supporter of Sheffield as anyone in Tigerdom. He's a marvelous ballplayer, when healthy. The caveat being he hasn't been healthy for going on 10 months. Everything the Tigers have done to try and kick start Sheffield, cortisone shots in the shoulder, moving him down in the order, regulating his playing time, none of it has worked.

Playing Sheffield in left field, a move obviously made in desperation, was the final straw. As he can't play in the field, his value to the Tigers is totally dependent upon his bat. When that bat can't deliver anything more than a .190 BA, it means Sheffield has absolutely no value. He can't stay in the lineup.

It's time to place Sheffield on the DL, preferably the 60 day DL, and determine once and for all if the final year of his contract can be salvaged. If not, then give him his outright release.

Playing the youngsters: Matt Joyce has become the Tigers sole source of home run power since being called up after the release of Jacque Jones. Ryan Raburn can play all over the field, much like Brandon Inge, but is a much better hitter. All Raburn has done during his call ups in '07 and '08 is play well, both in the field, and at the plate.

There's an obvious left field platoon under Leyland's nose with Joyce and Raburn. Somehow, someway, they need to get on the field. How that can be accomplished (Sheffield to the DL duh!) may be something that is discussed during today's meeting of the baseball minds.

One thing also worth mentioning, and it may be discussed today. The Tigers have a few kids in Toledo tearing up the International League with their power stats. Namely Mike Hessman, Mike Holliman,and Jeff Larish. All could help the suddenly powerless Tigers.

Armando Galarraga & Dontrelle Willis: Donterlle Willis has finished his injury rehab. Armando Galarraga, brought up from Toledo to take the D-Train's vacated spot in the rotation, has been the Tigers' best starter over the past month. The Tigers have 6 starting pitchers, while only needing 5.

Willis is being paid $29 million for 3 seasons, so no matter what fans want, he's going to be in the rotation. Period. End of discussion.

So what to do with Galarraga? He deserves to stay in the rotation. But he's the only starting pitcher who's not being paid a boatload of cash. The contracts, and for that matter, track records, of Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander and Willis will keep them in the rotation. Again, end of discussion.

The question remains, what to you do with Galarraga, who's clearly out pitched his much more highly paid teammates? Do the Tigers send him down to Toledo, so he continues to pitch every 5th day? Move him to the bullpen, requiring someone else, likely one of the righties in the pen, to be sent down?

What will Leyland and Dombrowski decide? Your guess is as good as mine...

Carlos Guillen: He's a DH waiting to happen. Make it happen.

OK, that may be a knee-jerk thought, but Guillen's defense is becoming an increasing sore spot for fans, MSM and the Tigers alike. His bat demands keep him as healthy as possible. His contract demands you you play him as much as possible. How that is done (be it playing 1st base, 3rd base or as DH) needs to be determined, then set in stone.

Sheffield to the DL opens up several options regarding Guillen, specifically the DH one. you have to believe it's being discussed...

Brandon Inge: There's plenty of questions surrounding Inge as well. If Sheffield is benched/on the DL/released, would Guillen move to DH, and replaced at 3rd by Inge? As good as his glove is at 3rd base, Inge's bat (.221 BA, .696 OPS) just won't allow it. Not on an everyday basis, anyway. Is he going to be the full time catcher in 2009? His lack of offensive punch is more tolerable as a catcher.

The fate of Inge is another that could be affected by the Sheffield domino falling.

A change in the coaching staff: You know it has to be discussed. Both Chuck Hernandez and Lloyd McClendon may be on the hot seat. If Mike Ilitch is looking for a fall guy, hoping to shake things up, replacing the pitching or hitting coach would be a likely scenario. You can't fire the players. Coaches, on the other hand...

This is something Leyland may put his foot down on, and refuse to do. Draw the proverbial line in the sand. Which could lead to...

The future of Jim Leyland: You have to at least wonder what's going through Leyland's head. All we've heard from the Marlboro Man as of late is that he's at a loss. He doesn't have the answers. He doesn't know what else to do.

He sounds like a man at his wits end.

The meeting with Dombrowski could be of the "Come to Jesus" type. Leyland may be given an ultimatum. Things need to change, and change soon, or else.

I honestly doubt this would happen, but no one saw such a collapse by the Tigers coming either.

Jim Leyland loses his cool, but is it too calculated to have an effect?

After getting pasted by a total of 18-0 by the ChiSox over the weekend, nearly getting no-hit on Saturday, dropping their record to 2-10, Jim Leyland went postal/medieval/apeshit on the Tigers' collective asses yesterday. From all accounts, just as Roddy Piper skipped the bubblegum chewing, and went direct to the kicking of ass, so did the Marlboro Man.

But will it make a difference? For Leyland to go off on his underachieving team, in a weird way, is actually preaching to the choir.

Collectively, the Tigers have been saying all the right things, as they know they are playing with all the skill shown by an over 40 softball team in the middle of a kegger. They know the fans are beginning to turn on them. They know the media is making them out to be a laughingstock. They know that history is now fully against them. They know expectations were sky high, and if the season doesn't turn around soon, it's going to get real ugly, real quick, in Detroit.

Even though the fans have been clamoring for a Leyland explosion, harking back to his now legendary diatribe early in the '06 season, the situations are totally different. The only thing similar between '06 and '08 was Leyland believing his team apparently giving up in the late innings of a series ending game. What set off the Marlboro Man yesterday was the Tigers not taking a single called ball in the final 3 innings, after the Sox essentially put the game out of reach in 6th inning. In '06, it was their taking that same attitude during the late innings of a getaway day loss to the Tribe.

In 2006, Leyland was trying to turn around almost 2 decades of losing. He wanted to broom the acceptance of losing out of the clubhouse. In 2008, it comes off as much more calculated, as Leyland is grasping straws, trying something, anything, to shake the Tigers out of their early season lethargy.

When everyone is calling for, and expecting, the manager to give the "It's my way or the highway!" speech, how effective can it truly be? You can only go to the "I'm mad as Hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" well once. Only once. After that, it's just so much hot air, especially with an older group of highly paid professionals with guaranteed contracts.

To be honest, what else could Leyland do? Other than making a few personnel changes within the bullpen, there really isn't much he can do, other than hoping his players begin to play up to their quite good track records. That's it. There aren't going to be sweeping changes. PERIOD.

For all the fans screaming for change, for a blockbuster of some sort, and they are all over on sports talk radio, newspaper message boards and message boards, I've said it before, and I'll say it again...A trade isn't going to happen.

It bears repeating. Teams don't make trades 2 weeks into April, at least not the type irrational fans want. Any change is only going to come from within the organization, and even then, it'll be in regard to the bullpen (Such as the callup of Clay Rapata), or injury replacement (Bring up Ryan Raburn, and the soon to arrive starting pitcher, Armando Galarraga, with Dontrelle Willis going on the DL).

The Tigers have already made their moves, and gone all in. At this point, we can only hope Leyland is sitting on a full house, as he's already drawn all his cards. If he's not, all the yelling and screaming in the world won't make a difference.

Though I'm as pissed off and frustrated as any Tiger fan, as much as I hate to say it, , at this point we can only ride out this horrific, cringe inducing, , team-wide, season imperiling slump, hoping it ends before the rest of the season becomes moot. It's what Leyland and Dave Dombrowski are doing, in the anticipation their accumulated talent finally kicks into gear.

We all agree, the talent is there. As to why it hasn't shown on the field as of yet is a mystery to all. If it doesn't show up, and show up soon...Well, let's cross that bridge when we come to it.

Unfortunately, as it currently stands, I can see the bridge on the horizon.

Is history repeating itself with the Tigers?

It was announced yesterday that the rising managerial star in the Detroit Tigers system, Matt Walbeck, had taken a major league job with the Texas Rangers as their 3rd base coach for 2008.
Ian at Bless you Boys tells us how successful Walbeck was as a minor league manager...

Walbeck was doing a fantastic job within the Tigers organization. In 2004 and 2006, he led Single-A West Michigan to the Midwest League championship, also winning the Manager of the Year award in his final season with the Whitecaps. And after moving up a level to Double-A, Walbeck managed the Erie Seawolves to a division title this past season, also winning the Eastern League's Manager of the Year award.

It was assumed that Walbeck was the in-house heir apparent to Jim Leyland. But with no timetable as to how long the Marlboro Man will remain as the Tigers skipper (Leyland, who has shown no sign of slowing down, is signed through 2009), Walbeck decided, rather than continue to labor in the minors, to enhance his resume with a big league coaching gig.

That got me to thinking how similar Walbeck's situation was to one another hotshot minor league manager who toiled in the Tigers' system back in the 70's..

Walbeck's decision was eerily similar to one Jim Leyland made in leaving the Tigers organization in the early 80's, even though he was the brightest managerial star in the their minor league system. Leyland was being groomed as a possible Tigers manager all through the 70's, and had a record to back up the hype. It was assumed that a young Marlboro Man would be the Detroit manager sooner, than later.

But the Tigers had an opportunity to hire the hottest major league manger going, an unexpectedly available Sparky Anderson, in June 1979. Rather than wait till the next off season, and risk losing Sparky to another team, the Tigers acted quickly, giving poor Les Moss the ziggy just a few months after being hired.

Obviously, once Sparky was on the scene, Leyland taking over the Tigers was not going to happen anytime soon, as Sparky had signed a 5 year contract. We all now how that turned out. Leyland saw the writing on the wall, and left for a major league coaching job with Tony LaRussa and the ChiSox, in 1982. Leyland was a big league manger a short 4 years later...

25 years after Leyland left the Tigers for greener pastures and a faster track, history seems to be repeating itself with Wallbeck. You can just insert different names. Both Leyland and Walbeck were being groomed for the Tigers job, had sparkling minor league records, and were blocked from advancement by a star manager. It's obvious that Leyand can pretty much stay with the Tigers as long as he wants. Walbeck, has seen that writing on the wall, is taking the same route as a young Jim Leyland, leaving the Tigers system to coach in the big leagues. It's, as I like to say, deja vu all over again...

In fact, there's more similarities... Leyland, has a tight relationship with Dave Dombrowski, which is very much like Sparky's loyalty, almost to a fault, to Jim Campbell. Sure, the Marlboro Man is much older than Sparky was when each respectively took over the Tigers, but I'm thinking Leyland can say how and when he may want to leave as manager. Which, much like Sparky, won't be for quite a while.

Leyland won't stay for 15+ seasons like Sparky, but I can envision a 7-8 year run for the Marlboro Man. Which is why Walbeck, much like the young Leyland, has to move on, to advance in baseball.

So if form holds, does this mean Walbeck won't get an opportunity to manage the Tigers till approximately 2032?

The Marlboro Man wants a contract extension

Jim Leyland has told the media that he wants a contract extension, and will be meeting with the Tigers on Monday to discuss it. Is there anyone who thinks that the Marlboro Man hasn't earned it? Anyone? Didn't think so.

"I can buy and sell you, punk!"

If I'm Dave Dombrowski, my only response to Leyland would be, "Let me get my pen!"

Dombrowski will do anything, short of giving Leyland a blank check, to lock him down. Then again, as Leyland has become the face of a franchise that was once the Siberia of baseball, and is now a team that others want to emulate, maybe the blank check scenario makes sense. No matter what the amount may be, it's a check Mike Ilitch will be more than happy to cut.

Leyland also said that he wasn't looking to manage anywhere else, and would only want to sign 1 year contract extensions from here on out. I immediately thought of the old Brooklyn/LA Dodgers manager, Walter Alston, who signed 23 one year contracts. I doubt we'll see something that extreme from Leyland, but I seriously doubt the Tigers will have to look for another manager anytime soon. It'll be sometime after 2010, at the earliest.

It's fitting that Jim Leyland's illustrious managerial career will end with the team that gave him his start. It also confirms the Tigers should be a very good team for several seasons to come.

Answering the Detroit Tigers' "Burning questions," volume 11

Do you know what time it is? No, it's not time for me to bitch about the Lions. It's not time for me to make some lame 70's pop culture reference. It's not the time on TWFE when we dance...

What it is time for is the 11th round of me answering Detroit News columnist Lynn Henning's Burning questions!

In this edition, it's all Jim Leyland, all the time. How anyone could seriously take umbrage with the Marlboro Man is beyond me, but Henning does his best in coming up with devil's advocate style questions On with the smoky inquisition, and let's take down those strawman arguments!

Burning questions after the Tigers finally got dismissed from the playoff race

Q: So what grade does Jim Leyland get as manager in 2007?

Henning: The same grade his team gets: We'll give them a collective B.

Big Al: Sounds about right to me. He's going to finish in 2nd in the central, and a few games out of the wild card. Considering the overall circumstances, I doubt he could have gotten much more out of this Tigers team.

Q: How can you reward failure? They didn't make the playoffs? They were outhit, outpitched, outmanaged, outmarketed, outadministered, and outownered by the Cleveland Indians. Leyland and his players should be ashamed.

Henning: You're right. They need to study 2006 and do the things they did when they were all geniuses. Making sure to tell Kenny Rogers not to get hurt would be wise in that respect. The same advice should be given to Joel Zumaya and Gary Sheffield.

Big Al: I'll put it this way. Jim Leyland didn't become a crappy manager over the off season. He's the same guy, using the same basic strategy, as he was in 2006.

Leyland's a great manager, perhaps the best in all of baseball. Much like any head coach or manager in any sport, Leyland didn't deserve all the accolades he received in 2006, and he dosen't deserve much of the criticism some showered upon him in 2007. You're only as good as you players, and between injuries, decline, suckage, and plain old bad luck, the Tigers weren't as good in '07 as they were in in '06.

For example, the fact Brandon Inge went from a dangerous number 9 hitter to an offensive back hole in a 12 month period, was no fault of Leyland's.

Q: You're using injuries as an excuse. This team and this manager failed. Failed! You thought Leyland did a good job this year?

Henning: I didn't see him do anything different than he did in 2006. At some point, the players and their health levels enter into the equation -- like to the tune of about 96 percent. Do you think Eric Wedge of the Indians did anything noticeably different this year in terms of administration and strategy than he did last year, when the Indians were 78-84?

I'll tell you what he did differently: He watched Fausto Carmona turn into a machine in the starting rotation and Rafael Betancourt preserve him from the consequences of a mediocre closer in Joe Borowski. He did a good job, too, in allowing his general manager, Mark Shapiro, to find a new second baseman in Asdrubal Cabrera after Josh Barfield flamed out.

Wedge has been a solid manager. This year, he had more solid players. The Tigers were too banged up to overcome a better Indians team. But the reason wasn't Leyland.

Big Al: I'll ask you this. Who would you rather have running your team, Wedge or Leyland? I bet EVERY team in MLB would say Jim Leyland. I bet every team in MLB would take Jim Leyland over whomever they currently have running their teams, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

In regard to Wedge, it's amazing how much better a manager he became when his players performed up to their capabilities. Hell, the fans in Cleveland were ready to run Wedge out of town on a rail after the Indians underachieved last season. This season, he could be elected governor.

As for this year's Tigers, a combination of Sparky Anderson, Casey Stengel, the kid who ran the Twins in "Little Big League," Lou Brown, and Tony LaRussa's brain in a pickle jar would have had trouble overcoming all the Tigers' injuries this season. The Tigers were in the hunt till the last 2 weeks of the season, while using a makeshift lineup for the vast majority of the year. I think that's testament to Leyland's ability.

How do you think an in over his head clown like Luis Pujols would have done? Or an inexperienced Alan Trammell? The Tigers would have given up weeks, if not months, ago.

Q: You're giving the manager a pass. Did you see some of those lineups he put out there? Did you see some of those pitching changes?

Henning: Sure, and I didn't have many problems on many days, except for some of the same subjective differences that you're always going to have with any manager over a 162-game season.

Big Al: I disagreed with some of the Marlboro Man's lineups as well. Unfortunately, the same basic strategies that worked in 2006 didn't work quite as well in 2007. I'd blame that more on the players, than the manager.

It's not as if we are going to see anything different in how Leyland runs his team in 2008. He'll be the same manager he was the past 2 seasons, and I'll wager that he'll have the Tigers, once again, in contention all season as well.

Q: But did you see some of those batting orders?

Henning: You're talking about days when Mike Rabelo was in the lineup for Pudge Rodriguez and when someone such as Ramon Santiago was playing shortstop and Mike Hessman was playing third base or first base.

Funny how many people have told me that Santiago needs to be the regular shortstop in 2008; that Hessman should be the regular third baseman; and that Rabelo is definitely a better catcher than Rodriguez.

Everybody's got an opinion on the roster, batting order, lineup, and on the issue of pitching changes in a particular game.

The only thing that makes any difference is, at the end of the day, if your team has won. If so, a fan's second-guesses become muted or they are forgotten altogether. If they lose -- and losing probably occurred for reasons having to do with player performances -- then those managerial bones of contention become federal cases.

Big Al: Do I have issues with batting Sean Casey 3rd when Sheffield was hurt? Or batting Marcus Thames in the 2 hole when Placido Polando is out? Sure, and most everyone else does, too. But you can't argue with 95 wins last season, and what will probably be close to 90 this season. Leyland has his reasoning for his sometimes odd batting orders (He doesn't like to move players out of their "Comfort zone," thus Carlos Guillen hitting 5th all season rather than being shuffled around when injuries hit), and he's not going to change now.

You can't expect Leyland to play older players with injury histories like Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez, and Gary Sheffield 162 games. You just can't play them every day, even in September. You have bench players for a reason. You just have to try and place them in situations where they have the best chance to be successful. For the most part, Leyland does just that.

And anyone who says Mike Hessman or Mike Rabelo should be playing regularly needs to have their heads examined.

Q: But why rest your stars in important games?

Henning: The manager is on the record as saying these words: I manage for the season, not for one game. Experience has taught him -- and all big league managers worth a hoot -- that you absolutely must rest some regulars more than others during the course of a season.

If you don't, you will likely pay a steep price in September. The one thing you can't say about the Tigers during the past few weeks is that they wore down. Rodriguez looked as fresh as he did in June or July, which is saying something for a catcher who is almost 36 years old.

I can hear it now had Leyland gone 150 or more games with his everyday regulars: The manager burned them out. He wore them down. He treated them like machines. No wonder they got swept by the Indians.

Big Al: I agree with much of what Henning said. Most players aren't robots, Cal Ripken, of Lou Gehrig. They need to sit for various reasons. Health, rest, slumps, injury, past history with a specific pitcher.

For that matter, sometimes you need those bench players to produce in tight, important situations throughout a season. I wouldn't expect a player to come off the bench, after sitting for weeks, and be able to help you win a game. There have been games that were won in thanks to big contributions of bench players like Thames, Mike Rabelo, and Ryan Raburn.

Leyland knows when to ride those guys, and when to ease off on their use, to prevent them from being exposed.

One more thing. When you look at the 2007 Indians, you'll see Eric Wedge is going to have played his lineup's big 5 (Martinez, Blake, Peralta, Sizemore, and Hafner) at least 145 games. That just might come back to haunt them in 2008.

Q: But what about pitching changes? Bunting and baserunning? Undisciplined hitting? Bad bullpen performances? You're saying the manager bears no accountability there?

Henning: The manager does not pitch or hit. He oversees the players who perform and whose skills will determine 99 percent of games and their outcomes.

If Leyland were doing a bad job of managing, it would be acknowledged as such across the board. But ask any opposing manager where Leyland sits on the list of guys they most hate to manage against.

He finishes in the top two or three on anyone's ballot, and No. 1 with most of his colleagues. He managed thousands of games in the minor leagues and has now managed 2,500 in the big leagues.

If you're looking at Leyland as the Tigers' problem in 2007, we weren't watching the same games.

Big Al: From the looks of the question, it's obvious Henning has been reading the message boards!

First off, I agree with Leyland's baseball strategy the vast majority of the time. He's loath to use small ball, unless absolutely necessary. He rarely gives up an out by bunting. Leyland is more from the Earl Weaver school of baseball, that your best weapon is the 3 run homer. He'll often let a starting pitcher try to pitch out of their own jams. He's not afraid to be unorthodox, and buck conventional baseball wisdom, such as visiting the mound, or even pulling a pitcher, in the middle of a count. Leyland's seen it all, and done it all.

Leyland knows exactly what he is doing when he reams a player, or the team as a whole. He's not going to go off half cocked, and alienate his players by doing or saying something stupid that could easily come back to haunt him. Leyland has a legitimate reason behind all his actions, and everything he says. He's aware of the consequences if he makes a bad move, or says the wrong thing.

After years of questionable, and at time outright awful, managing, I really can't see anyone in their right mind thinking the Tigers would be able to find a better manager than Jim Leyland.

The Tigers had 1 foot in the grave tonight

In fact, they were as close as a team can be to asking for last rites, being dead and buried, and calling for an autopsy. Yet somehow, someway, and much in thanks to the arguable AL MVP Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers dodged baseball's Grim Reaper once again with a miraculous 5-4 win.

Talk about whistling though the graveyard...

You have to agree that it was looking damn grim going into the bottom of the 9th. Pudge Rodriguez had left the game earlier with dizziness, Joel Zumaya hurt another finger (Thank God it was only a torn fingernail, and not a tendon), and the Blue Jays looked to have put the game on ice in the 8th with 2 insurance runs.

After TEE-MO Perez had grounded into his 2nd double play of the game in the bottom of the 9th, the game was over. Seriously, it was over. I thought it was over. You thought it was over. Everyone at Comerica thought it was over, including the Blue Jays.

I mean, come on. It was time break out the old "Game over man, game over!" quote.



I wasn't as freaked out as Hudson, but I sure as Hell agreed with him...

I was ready to write the Tigers off, and down 4-1, with 2 outs and no one on, against the Blue Jays' ace Roy Halladay, no one in their right mind would have blamed me. Tonight had the feeling of a "The season is over if they lose" game. Luckily, the Tigers weren't ready to call it a season.

4 consecutive singles by Casey, Inge, Granderson (Scoring 2 runs) and Polanco, a hard earned base on balls worked by Sheffield, and an Ordonez 2 RBI single later, the game was actually, truly, finally over.

Shows what I know...

You know how important this win was for the Tigers when Jim Leyland ran on to the field like like a kid hopped up on vodka and Red Bull. Thinking back, I've never seen the Marlboro Man that excited over a win, any win, even after those crazy last at bat wins in 2006. He was ecstatic, and that's saying something.

From Leyland's actions, you saw just how badly he wanted this game. But even he had to be surprised, shocked and amazed that the Tigers pulled their asses out of the grave.

If, and it's a big IF, the Tigers do make the post season, this win will be the game everyone looks back to as the turning point. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Waaay ahead of ourselves.

Worry about magic numbers, the Indians, the Mariners and the Yankees tomorrow. Let's just enjoy tonight's stunning victory, and revel the fact that the Tigers are playing meaningful games in September, something we thought was nothing more than a pipe dream just 2 short seasons ago.

Fun with the "Simpsonizer"

In an attempt to keep myself from doing anything useful tonight, I figured I'd play around with the "Simpsonizer."

My first attempt was Jim Leyland. Not bad, but he needs a Marlboro! But the only way to have him smoking was to add the pipe, so a pipe it is...

Next on the agenda was Rod Marinelli. I really like this one! No, I LOVE this one! It nailed "Mr. Pound The Rock." I barely had to do a thing...

For some reason, my attempt at "Simpsonizing" Matt Millen had him come out looking more like a demented John Waters. Being unable to add a wispy porn 'stache was my undoing...

Next was the patron saint of TWFE, Wayne Fontes. Not bad, not bad at all. Actually, to capture the true essence of the Big Buck, I need a "Fred Flintstoneizer." Seriously, the internet needs a "Flintstoneizer."

Last and definitely least, me. A "Simpsonized" Big Al has me looking like I belong on some sex offender list. "Hey baby, what's your sign?"

Timo Perez is NOT a number 3 hitter

Jim Leyland is a great manager, no question about it. I love the fact that he smokes like a chimney, and is totally unashamed about it. He has a sense of humor, and doesn't take himself overly seriously, unlike some other managers. cough//LaRussa//cough

I give the Marlboro Man well deserved kudos on a regular basis, and he gets the benefit of the doubt from me 99.9% of the time. What follows is the .1%...

Why on earth is Timo Perez, and his .143 hitting 4A player ass, batting 3rd for the Tigers tonight!? There is no legitimate reason for Perez to be hitting so high in the order. None whatsoever.

To be honest, I wondered why Perez was brought up to begin with, as he did not do a damn thing in his first go around with the big club. Whatever, he's the 25th man. Thing is, THE 25TH MAN ON THE ROSTER SHOULD NOT BE HITTING IN THE 3 SLOT! NEVER! NO WAY, NO HOW!

I can only think of a couple of reasons as to why the Cigarette Smoking Man would do such a bizarre thing. It's thanks to either his odd obsession with refusing to move players around in the batting order, or he's smoking blunts.

My money is on the blunts. It makes more sense than his batting order fetish.

Are the Tigers in a death spiral?

If Friday's loss to the A's was any indication, you'd have to say yes. I don't things are yet that dire for the Tigers, but my confidence that they have to ability to turn their season around is waning.

At least I didn't have to watch the latest debacle,a 16-10 loss to the A's.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, as it turned out, I was unable to watch tonight's Tigers game as my Charter cable had some sort of bizarre satellite issues. For some reason, they had the feed of Fox Sports South (Huh?) at 7 pm, and had a blank screen after 8. Go figure.

I guess Charter was trying to do me a solid, considering how awful the game turned out to be. I was stuck listening to, for the 2nd day in a row, the heavy nose breathing of Jim Price.

I almost decided to say the Hell with it, as the Tigers found themselves 7 runs down, and the season opener for "Survivorman" was going to air shortly. Watching Les Stroud dodge starvation and dehydration in the Kalahari Desert HAD to be more entertaining than listening to Price's heavy breathing, and the Tigers rolling over and playing dead. Right?

But wonder of wonders, the Tigers came back from 7 runs down, and actually had the lead. Holy shit, maybe this was the game that the Tigers turn around their near month long slide! Hope srings eternal!

Hope quickly turned into disgust. Again.

But their season long Achilles heel, the bullpen, gave it all back, and then some, in Oakland's 8 run 6th inning. Game over, man. Game over.

You'd be tempted to say season over, after such a nightmarish loss. But it's still August, and Detroit's only a 1.5 games out of 1st place. There's time to turn things around. So, as a fan, I'm not going to panic. But the urge is definitely there, trust me.

I just can't figure the Tigers out. They aren't this bad. They can't be this bad. Yet, you can't ignore the fact that the Tigers have been like the worst team in baseball for over 3 weeks.

It's something different every game. Thursday the starting pitching and offense were putrid. Friday, it was the pitching as a whole that stunk up Comerica. Tomorrow, who knows?

I'm at a loss, and I think Jim Leyland is as well.

We all have more questions than answers. If the Marlboro Man can't come up with a few solutions, pronto, come September the Lions will be playing more important games.

Sometime you can over manage...

Here's the situation, you make the call.

1 on, 2 outs for the Devil Rays in the top of the 8th, and Tigers were leading Tampa 6-2. Nate Robertson was literally cruising along, with only 96 pitches thrown. Then, out of nowhere, for some ungodly reason, Jim Leyland felt the need to suddenly channel his inner Tony LaRussa, and "Manage."

So what would you do if you were in the Marlboro Man's spikeless cleats?

A: Do nothing.

B: Grab a smoke.

C: Go out to the mound, say a few encouraging words to Robertson, and trot back to the dugout.

D: Tell Robertson to call it a night, and bring in anyone but Jason Grilli.

E: Tell Robertson to call it a night, and bring in Jason Grilli.

Jim Leyland decided on -- E. Yes, Tigers fans, he thought it was a good managerial decision to bring in their worst reliever, the gas can named Jason Grilli. Any of the other moves could have been argued as the correct one, EXCEPT for that one.

4 hits, 1 grand slam, and 10 pitches later, the games was tied 6-6. Grilli was mercilessly, furiously, and deservedly booed off the mound. Leyland had no choice but to get his pitcher out of there, or there would have been a riot at Comerica. They wanted Grilli's head on a pike. The crowd was THAT incensed.

Leyland and Grilli are a very, very, very lucky men tonight, as the offense bailed them out with a huge 3 run rally in the bottom of the 8th, along with Todd Jones and Curtis Granderson doing their thing in the 9th to finally finish the Devil Rays.

What could have been a horrific, season changing, gut punch of a loss, was miraculously avoided.

The Tigers somehow end up winning 9-6. And to show you that if there is a God, he's a merciful one, as Grilli avoids the loss. The Tigers have consecutive wins for the first time in 3 weeks, and all is somewhat well in the world.

Baseball's a funny damn game...

If 1968 was "The Year of the Tiger," the 2007 season should be called, "Tigers' Unsolved Mysteries"

With the Tigers, I have moved past thinking the current struggles are just a "Speed bump," and I'm officially concerned. Not panicked, but concerned.

I'm not ready at all to write off the season. But injuries have taken such a toll on the Tigers' roster, that I'm beginning to wonder if they have the ability to overcome them. But it's been more than just injuries that have lead to the Tigers' current situation. Why the Tigers struggle is a mystery to me.

Mysterious circumstances to Detroit's recent slide in the standings abound. In fact, the Tigers have several "Unsolved Mysteries." Cue Robert Stack...

"This post is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, actual bloggers have participated in recreating the events. What you are about to see is not a news broadcast."

Unsolved Mystery #1: Rayburn vs. Monroe, and why is Raburn losing? Marcus Thames is hurt, which was a damn shame, as he was playing the best all around ball of his career. But Ryan Raburn has played well in his absence. So why isn't Ryan Raburn, who has done nothing but hit, isn't getting the vast majority of playing time in left field? Every fan has been asking, "Why play Craig Monroe?"

Monroe hasn't hit a ball hard in weeks, if not months, yet Leyland continues to hold on to the hope that he'll break out of what is a season long slump. If you consider "Breaking out" to be raising your average over .200, then "Breakout out" he has!

We are 1 week into August, I think we can be sure that "Breaking out" is out of the question. It's sticking too long with players like Monroe, who has inexplicably morphed from being a long ball threat, to a threat to every fan's sanity, is when we become overly frustrated with Leyland's overly mysterious loyalty to some Tigers veterans.

Unsolved Mystery #2: Why Mike Hessman? Why Hessman is playing at all is a mystery, yet Leyland has felt the need to use him on a regular basis. He's the Marcus Thames of the infield, having considerable power, but doesn't connect for the long ball nearly as often. He's the 25th man, and should be used as such. The more he plays, the more he's getting exposed. And he's really getting exposed...

Hessman is hitting .179. He is making even TBHoS look good. It's time to send Hessman back down. Why hasn't that happened? It's a mystery.

Unsolved Mystery #3: Why does Jason Grilli leads the bullpen in both innings and appearances? The constant use of Grilli has all Tigers fans scratching their head...Till it's bald. I know that for the past 2+ weeks, the starting pitching has been batted around like a pinata, rarely getting past the 5th inning, which means lots of innings from your bullpen's long man. It hasn't given Leyland much choice, in that he has to trust the pen to keep the game close.

But doesn't mean he has to implicitly trust Grilli. Grilli has been used as a batting practice pitcher by the AL all season, and is a rally waiting to happen. Not exactly what you are looking for from a long man who's only job is to keep his own team in the game, by not letting things get out of hand.

Why the Tigers brain trust haven't dipped into their system for a long man, when they have some capable arms who could step into Grilli's role is another of the Tigers' "Unsolved Mysteries."

Unsolved Mystery #4: What happened to the starting pitching? Your guess is as good as mine. The strain of 2 consecutive pennant races taking a toll? On a staff that's very young, and in Kenny Rogers' case, very old, could playoff stress caught up with them?

The Gambler's elbow doesn't seem to be responding to rest, if you go by the discouraging results of his throwing this past weekend. Nate Robertson has struggled mightily with his velocity and control since May. Youngster Andrew Miller has shown flashes, but is inconsistent, and currently laid up with a strained hamstring.

As for the young studs, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander , they look gassed, as if having to carry the Tigers' pitching load has been too much for them.

If Vrigil Vasquez and Jordan Tata hadn't picked up some of the starter's slack, well, I don't want to even think about how ugly things might be at Comerica.

The starters, especially Bonderman and Verlander, need to step up, and step up immediately.
If not, the big story of the playoff stretch run will be the mysterious demise of the Tigers' rotation.

Unsolved Mystery #5: What happened to the offense? I think that isn't quite so mysterious. The offense is in suspended animation thanks to an injury and a slump, specifically Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson.

Sheffield's shoulder injury needs to heal, and heal fast. He's a huge cog in the offense. But he's not the only cog to have stopped working. Curtis Granderson has slumped badly over the past week, and that made the offense even more impotent, if that's possible.

As go Granderson and Sheffield, so goes the offense. Mystery solved.

But how long has it been since we've seen a big, inning busting, hit? A hit to win a game? From anyone? The offense has been in a slumber for going on 3 weeks, and when combined with the starting pitching suddenly going south, makes for a mysteriously bad looking team.

And that's the biggest mystery of all. What happened to the juggernaut of a team that we saw steamroll through the AL in the 1st half of the season? It's one not even Robert Stack has been able to solve.

But somehow, someway, Jim Leyland has to unravel the mystery that is the Detroit Tigers.

Reason #95 why Jim Leyland is a great manager

When word came from the MSM that Jim Leyland was pissed, and wasn't going to take it anymore, it was just another example as to why the Marlboro Man is such a damn good manager.

"I respectfully disagree with your decision, and wish to speak with your supervisor."

To say that Leyland was quite unhappy about Pudge Rodriguez's getting hit for a 1 game suspension, is an understatement.

"I think the suspension is totally out of line. The umpire gave a very fair report that Pudge did not intentionally bump him.

"I don't think it's a matter of him taking a day off so it's OK for him to be suspended," said Leyland. "That's bull. That's just saying they're right, so we'll pick the right day and everybody's happy. That's not the point. The man shouldn't have been suspended. That's ridiculous.

I know some fans think, "What's the dif? Pudge is going to be taking a day off anyway."

But doing so would be condoning MLB's questionable, or should I say, asinine, decision. Like most of you, I saw the whole thing, and Pudge did have a legit gripe on the play in question. The ensuing bump was totally accidental. It wasn't helped by the ump in question getting right in Pudge's face.

You have to factor in that the umpires had an awful weekend in Seattle, where they blew calls on both sides. The most egregious example being rundown involving Carlos Guillen and Adrian Beltre, where the crew stumbled and bungled through call enough to piss off both teams.

This brewhaha will eventually blow over, but Leyland is doing just what he's supposed to do, stand up for his player. I'd rather he back Pudge 100%, than kowtow to MLB.

"I'm not looking for a war with Major League Baseball, but I have a problem that the minute anything happens, suddenly a suspension comes into play. I don't think that's right. There are going to be arguments. When you're playing for big stakes, there are going to be arguments."

"If they want to take that away, let's just go to Sunday school"

Damn straight.

It's because of words like this, speaking out and showing his displeasure with the umpiring while fully supporting his players, the Tigers would run through a brick wall for Jim Leyland.

Inside Jim Leyland's brain: At least I have Neifi

I need a smoke. Damn, I need a butt. Bad.

Christ almighty. I'm on the road, and I'm out of smokes again? Fuck me. Where'd all the reds go?

Oh, yeah. Thanks to our damn bullpen, I'm up to 3 packs a day. Wife's gonna kill me if she finds out. Hell, I'm spendin' more time hidin' in the tunnel from those damn dugout cams, than on the bench. Can't a man enjoy a cigarette without feeling the wrath of smokin' nazis? Bunch of damn nanny state lovin' liberals, that's what they are...

Nothin' better than a cold Bud, and pack of Marboro reds after a win. Damn straight. Those anti-smokin' nazis will never understand. But I still need a smoke.

It's just not the damn pen that's givin' me chest pains. That Inge, who's drivin' me nuts at the plate as it is, breaks his toe? As we are goin' into Cleveland? Fuck me.

Then I find out my made of crystal shortstop pulling his gonad muscle? Fuck me twice. His groin is worse than that nutty damn goalie, what's his name? The snow angel makin' crazy ass that gives Babcock angina? Whatever. I need a smoke.

So we're goin' into the meat grinder that is Cleveland, and I now have to play Neifi and Infante as the left side of my infield? Shit.

I love that Neifi to death, fans will never understand why. Kid's a warrior, that Neifi. Give me 9 Neifi's, and I'll win the damn division! But warrior or not, we're still screwed. And I still need a smoke.

Who's pitchin' for the Indians tonight? We'te openin' against that fat-ass Sabathia?! I have to play Neifi, Infante, and the Mayor in the infield? At the same damn time?! Wonder-fucking-ful. Jesus H. Christ, Toledo has a better infield than I do. The kid's little league team has more power. Shit!

OK, OK, Calm yourself down. Never let 'em see you sweat or smoke, that's what I always say.

Short of breath or not, I GOTTA have a smoke. Where's the clubhouse boy? I know, I'll send Infante out to get me a carton. He ain't good for anything else...

Well, I can't let on to the guys in the room, let alone the piss ants in the media, that I think we're up shit crick without a paddle this weekend. With that infield, they'll probably figure it out for themselves anyway.

The media couldn't be that clueless, could they? Nah. Except that little shit know-it-all from the Freep, what's his name? Wrote that book, what was it? "The Four Dickweeds You Meet in Houston," something like that? Oh yeah, that guy with the ears. Albom. Ahhh, He's nohtin' to worry about, probably watchin' the Pistons anyway.

Thank Phillip Morris I don't have it nearly as bad as Flip. His locker room is a damn insane asylum. Ridin' herd over Pudge is a piece of cake compared to Flip havin' to handle that 'Sheed character. That kid is nuts. Small favors, I guess.

Small damn favors or not, I still need a smoke. Now where's that Infante kid with my reds?!

Inside Jim Leyland's brain...

I need a smoke. Damn, I need a smoke.

Where's the clubhouse boy? If he doesn't get here soon, I'm going to have a nicotine fit. I sent him for a carton of reds an hour ago! He best not bring me back those wussy 100's, or God forbid, menthols. I told him, "Reds, box, not soft pack." If he screws this up, he'll end up like the kid that brought back a pack of Parliments. Parliments? Fuckin' Christ.


Good thing I keep my smokin' on the QT. What would people say if they knew I got tossed from the Twins game because I was in the throes of a nicotine fit? I had to get back in the clubhouse, and hit a red. HARD. Thank God that bullshit call about the rundown gave me an out.

Is it game time yet? Nope. Got time for a cancer stick. Do I have any left? I sure as Hell don't want to dive into the ashtray, lookin' for butts. It's unseemly, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...Yes! Now where's my Zippo?

AHHHHHHH, smoke of the Gods. Manna from Phillip Morris. Nicotine is my friend.

How long till game time? Still have 15 minutes?Thank fuckin' God. Is the kid back with that carton? It better be reds...

OK, now that I have a couple of smokes in my system, let's make out the lineup.

Lead off? Pudge. HA! I know he still thinks he's a 3 hole hitter. Hittin' lead off keeps him in his toes, he sure as Hell isn't going to submarine me like he did Trammell. I need a smoke.

2nd? Polly. He's been fuckin' Superman so far. Dombrowski sure cornholed the Phillies on that deal. That's what they deserve for not hiring me, the pricks. I need a smoke.

3rd, we'll plug in Sheff. He has such a man crush on me. I had to laugh when he went of on the O's the other day. "No one talks trash about my manager!" HA! Thank Phillip Morris he's startin' to hit. I need a smoke.

4th will be Maggs. I hate that fuckin' hair, but he's hittin' like stink.

5th? Guillen. He's made of fuckin' glass, but what are you gonna do? Put in Infante? Yeah, right. I need a smoke.

6th, let's go with the Mayor. I hope the media is buyin' my BS that his glove is savin' us runs. What a load! They'll believe any God damn thing I tell 'em. I can't believe we have a 1st baseman with 2 fuckin' RBI! LaRussa calls every damn day rubbin' it in. It's always Pujols this and Pujols that. Just to fuck with me, the son of a bitch. Christ. Tomorrow, I'm playing Pudge at 1st, just to piss him off. It's fun, and it's easy. HA! I need a smoke.

7th? Hmmm. Monroe. Thames. Monroe. Thames. Who to play? I'll play...Monroe. If Casey keeps hittin' like Neifi, Thames is playin' 1st base. Full fuckin' time. I need a smoke.

8th, it'll be Inge. Even if he's hittin' like Neifi, I got no choice. Dombrowski gave the scatterarm a 4 year deal, but what are you gonna do? Put in Infante? Yeah, right. I need a smoke.

9th? Grandy. I know he should be hittin' leadoff, but it's so much fun to fuck with Pudge! HA! I need a smoke.

OK, lineup's done. Game time! I need a smoke. Damn, I need a smoke.

Why do Tiger fans love Jim Leyland? Today's reason: Answering Da Meat Hook

I find it hard to believe that Dmitri Young is clean and sober, as he currently claims, for a couple of reasons.

One, he's trying to make the roster of the Washington Nationals, a National League team. Where in the Hell is he going to play? Left fry cook? 3rd bartender? Designated drinker? The NL is no place for a player whose only true position is as a light switch hitting DH.

I remember the claims that Da Meat Hook was going to play several positions with the Tigers. 3B, 1B, OF, DH were all mentioned. Only it turned out that Young's best position was with his legs spread and hands against the wall. He showed more boxing that baseball ability last spring with his mistress beating ways. The only hitting Young did last season, other than belting around women, was hitting bottles of Wild Turkey. He sure as Hell didn't hit fastballs. Probably because he was seeing 3 of them, along with a pink elephant on the mound...

To think that Young would be an asset to ANY team, let alone a team in a league where you have to more than occasionally whip out the leather, is ludicrous. Young and glove leather mix like Barry Bonds and the 25th man on the Giants roster. Never the twain shall meet...

Then again, the Nats' GM is Jim Bowden, which explains why Young is under contract. This is the same GM who somehow managed to NOT trade Alfonso Soriano, despite the fact that he was going to become a free agent, and would be priced much higher than the Nats would be willing to pay. Bowden then let Soriano walk via free agency, receiving absolutely nothing in return, thus leaving the Nats with players like...Dmitri Young.

It must be God awful to be a Nationals fan. But I digress...

Second, is Young's claim that the Tigers hung him out to dry, and did not support him during his season long "Troubles."

"They were probably saving their own tail, because they thought that the whole court thing there was going to be a distraction for a team that was winning," Young said. "I thought it was a little (unfair) on their part, especially (because of) the time that I spent with the Tigers and represented them in a positive manner. I would have figured they would support me in the same manner, but they didn't."

As Jim Leyland would say, "What a bunch of @#%$!*&$@!!!" Speaking of which...

Today the Marlboro Man confirmed what we all were assuming last September. His response to Dmitiri Young's claim that the Tigers hung him out to dry last season was classic Cigarette Smoking Man. He was blunt, honest, and straight to the point.

Leyland begins his comments as if he's going to step cautiously when addressing Young's problems with the Tigers...

"I like Dmitri Young very much, and I wish him the best, but in my opinion, Dmitri Young was not an asset on the field last year and he also had to take care of some very important issues for the welfare of Dmitri Young."

He continues, while taking full responsibility for Dmeat's release...

"You can hold me totally responsible for his dismissal last year. Don't put it on the organization or anyone else. "

Then Leyland lowers the beer bottle boom...

"The part that upsets me is that this guy missed a lot of the season taking care of a problem he created, not one the Tigers created. The fact that we didn't support him is (wrong). We supported everything."

But the Marlboro Man doesn't stop there...

"For Dmitri to criticize the organization for lack of support is totally out of line. That's uncalled for. If you want to know the truth, it appears that Dmitri feels the organization disappointed him, and I'm sorry he feels that way. But I feel Dmitri disappointed us."

I think Leyland throughly closed the bar book when it comes to the Dmitri Young era.

What's interesting to note is that on WXYT this afternoon, the Freep's Drew Sharp claimed that what we are seeing in print is actually the PG version of Leyland's diatribe. Now that's the Jim Leyland we know and love, that God damned glorious son of a bitch!

Seconding Sharp was the last line of John Lowe's article...

Leyland read aloud that passage (The Young quote at the top of this post) of the interview to reporters, then delivered his own comments on it.

I'll make an educated guess, and say that's when Leyland began to swear like a 62 year old manager who is secure in his position, and thought he had heard it all.

When all is said and done, it seems the only person who believes the Tigers screwed Dmitri Young is Dmitri Young. Maybe his umpire clubbing brother Delmon, and Jim Bowden do, but no one else with even a modicum of sense (Which explains Delmon and Bowden) believes Dmeat's revisionist history.