Yeah, he deserves credit for owning up to his mistake. He's a classy guy for seeking Galarraga out and apologizing.
Doesn't change what he did. He took away history. He took away one of the rarest occurrences in sports. Baseball's been around for what, 140 years? And there have been 20 perfect games. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of games through decades and decades of baseball...and 20 have been perfect. And it should've been 21, except for one of the most egregiously wrong calls in the history of sports.
There was no gray area here. No "bang-bang" play at first. Galarraga got there, his foot on the base, and he caught the ball. And Jim Joyce said he thought the runner beat him.
I don't make baseball a consistent topic here, simply because it's pretty much impossible for an on-again off-again blogger to write about a sport that is always on-again...until the season ends. Until you watch your team gack up a seven game lead in a month. Until for the first time in history, a three game lead with four to play is erased. Until a 163-day stay atop the standings ends on the final day of the season. Until your team makes mistake after mistake after mistake while epically choking away the season.
I like baseball. I like the Tigers. I'm not one of those fairweather douches that magically appeared in 2006. I sat through the 2003 season, one of the worst of all-time, with nobodies like Craig Monroe, Alex Sanchez, Warren Morris, Nate Cornejo and Matt Roney. I've been blessed to see some magical moments from my teams over the years. Four Stanley Cups, an NBA title, a national championship in football. And Magglio's homerun in the bottom of the 9th in Game 4 of the ALCS to sweep Oakland and send the Tigers to the World Series was one of the holiest moments I've ever been witness to.
Despite all that, baseball is probably third on the pecking order for me, behind football and hockey. I know much, much more about the strategies and intricacies of those sports than I do about baseball.
But when you put this in front of me, it doesn't take a genius to reach a conclusion.
2006: Swept at home by the 100-loss Royals to finish the season and lose the Central Division after leading it for 147 days; Lost the World Series to one of the worst teams to ever make the postseason in baseball history.
2007: Led the division by a game at the All-Star Break...and finished eight games back, a complete nonfactor in the second half. Oh, and then traded a 21-year old pitcher for a 32-year old shortstop whose 12-year career at that point had been entirely in the National League save for one abortion of a season in Boston. That shortstop (Edgar Renteria) lasted all of one season in Detroit while having one of the worst seasons of his career. That pitcher (Jair Jurrjens) just finished with the 5th best ERA in all of baseball at age 23.
2008: Traded for Renteria, traded for Miguel Cabrera, traded for Dontrelle Willis. Exactly one of those players is useful. Touted a lineup deemed one of the greatest of all-time and a shooin for 1000 runs. They started 0-7 and finished in last place with the second highest payroll in baseball.
2009: Led the Central Division for 163 days before losing it at the very end, thanks in part to going 1-5 against last place Kansas City in the final month.
That's four meltdowns in four seasons. There have been a lot of different players on this team in the past four years. Kenny Rogers, Mike Maroth, Pudge Rodriguez, Chris Shelton, Craig Monroe, Todd Jones, Jamie Walker, Sean Casey, Gary Sheffield, Chad Durbin, Andrew Miller, Armando Galarraga, Jeremy Bonderman, Aquilino Lopez, Nate Robertson. The list goes on. All of the above are either gone or have seen their roles drastically changed. The list of players that have been with the team in a solid capacity for all four seasons from 2006-2009 is short: Polanco, Guillen, Inge, Granderson, Ordonez, Thames, Verlander, Miner, Rodney, Zumaya (I guess). Aside from them, lots of turnover.
One thing has been consistent in each and every collapse in each season: The man in the dugout signing the lineup cards.
Jim Leyland deserves credit. Before he and Dave Dombrowski took over, the Tigers were one of the biggest jokes in sports. It was never a case of injuries or being too young. They were just laughably bad at everything. Leyland and Dombrowski fixed that. They restored some semblance of respectability to the franchise, and brought fans back to the ballpark. But there comes a time when a ceiling is reached, when you've done all you can do.
The ceiling has been reached for Jim Leyland. Another night of inexplicable fielding blunders and maddeningly stranding runners in scoring positions regardless of how many outs there were when they got there, this time in the biggest game of the season. Essentially everything that went wrong for the Tigers last night has happened on a consistent basis for the better part of four years now. It isn't magically going to be fixed.
Well, the Tigers are finally starting to roll now and the future is looking bright. Granderson is back (3 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 RBIs yesterday), Polanco and Sheffield should return soon and Guillen and Cabrera will be switching positions in the upcoming days. While the pitching has been atrocious, Verlander finally had a good start and I don't doubt that Bonderman, Robertson and Rogers will follow soon. There is no way things can get worse than they are at the moment. While I'm beginning to wonder whether Bonderman is ever going to turn into the ace he has the potential to be, he's going to be a solid pitcher for years to come. At least Gallaraga has been pitching lights out, though I doubt it will last. I suspect his performance has more to do with lack of scouting, though that's not to take anything away from the job that he's done. He has pitched very well.
The bullpen has been decent, with Bautista, Rapada and Lopez all pitching very well. It's good to see that help is coming from unexpected quarters. I think that 'pen is still going to be a liability for the rest of the year, I really believe they will be okay.
Since I never really got to write anything baseball related because of the sick feeling in my stomach thanks to the Tiger's awful start, I wanted to at least type out a few things today. A slump at the beginning of the season is never good, but I think they can overcome it. They are already climbing out of the hole (they are only three games out of first in the central) and I think that trend will continue tonight against the Rangers and in their upcoming series with a good Angels team. Despite that, I do think the start to the season will be a liability for the Tigers, mostly because they can't afford too many more slip ups. But, it's early, classes are over and I'm finding it very hard to be pessimistic.
The Tigers fucked up badly, but it's baseball season... and it's summer, so I'm just happy to be able to relax and watch. I saw a statistic this morning that the Tigers were fourteenth in the AL in runs scored before yesterday, but came into today fourth. I''m sure I'll have more on the Tigers later, but for now I'm just happy that they are winning again and I have some enjoyable baseball to watch. Even if they lose, I'm confident that they will be competitive for the rest of the season.
Now, we here at GS are going to head off and play some sandlot baseball. I'll tell you all how Brian did later.
DETROIT (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians beat the Tigers so badly Jim Leyland was compelled to unleash a booming, expletive-filled tirade that could be heard outside the clubhouse.
Detroit's Chris Shelton hit his major-league leading ninth homer, but it wasn't enough to overcome Paul Byrd's seven solid innings or a six-run third in Cleveland's 10-2 victory over the Tigers on Monday.
"We stunk," Leyland said while speaking to reporters for less than a minute, a terse session that ended with him abruptly storming out of his office. "The whole ball of wax was lackluster.
"It's been going on here before."
The Tigers lost the next day in Oakland before railing off 28 wins in their next 35 games, putting them at 35-14 and sitting pretty for a playoff run. The ignition to the hot streak, where everything clicked and it was evident that Leyland's rant had worked? April 20th in Oakland, where the Tigers scored three runs in the 9th, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win.
Fast forward to the present now, where the "mighty" Tigers have been pussy cats for the entire season up to now. Prior to last night, I was planning on doing a post tearing down basically every person in the front office and dugout; that has, for the moment, been shelved now while we wait and see what the latest will bring.
What's the latest? Another Leyland explosion, this one after an embarrassing 11-0 loss in Chicago that bottomed the Tigers out at 2-10 and saw them make the final nine outs of the game on just 24 pitches.
The response? A stirring 6-run 8th inning last night, turning another ugly outing into a surprising 11-9 win over the Twins.
Time will tell now. If the Tigers follow this up with another series of humiliating performances that plunge them deeper into the cellar, then that rant I had planned will explode here. This is a team that is full of prideful men that haven't played like it so far; they've been playing for their paychecks and the names on the back, not the Olde English D on the front. Leyland has been anything but innocent in all of it, too. The Tigers have been entirely mediocre since the All Star Break in 2006, and it has become apparent that Leyland's specialty is rallying the troops when nobody believes in them. Was the whitewashing in Chicago the wakeup call they finally needed?
Was the venom spewed by Leyland enough to make these sleeping cats lie no longer?
Nate Robertson. He sucks. The miracle of 2006 has blinded many Detroit fans to the flaws of some of the people in this organization, and Nate Robertson is one of them. They like to point out that he never gets any run support. Well the fact is, he's just not good. He's a marginal starter. His stuff is mediocre at best, his control comes and goes, and when he gets in a jam, he makes like Chris Webber circa 1993 - el choke job. Further proof that spring training stats mean dick: Nate Robertson.
Jason Grilli. Why is he even on this team? Three pitches was all it took today to give Chicago an 8-5 lead from a 5-5 tie. First pitch, double by Konerko. Second, single by Dye. Third, 3-run jack by that jackass Pierzynski. Three pitches, three hits, game over. And then he gave up hits to the next two batters to boot. When he finally got a strike past the next guy, the CoPa roared in mock approval. That's how much fans expected, and that's what it's come to - the fans being so pissed they're mockingly cheering the pitcher as he gets a strike. Grilli should've been released LAST year, and yet he still pitches. The bullpen sucks as it is, and still players like Grilli pitch.
Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez. Hey guys, you don't have to swing at the first pitch, you know? There's no new rule saying your batting average automatically suffers if you don't hack at the first thing you see. I guess some of this could be blamed on the cold weather, and I do believe the offense will come around...but while these guys free swing, do you think Cleveland is going to hang around? I scoff at those that say games in April and May don't count. Come back in September when you're trailing by 3 games, and tell me the losses that piled up in the early months don't count.
Gary Sheffield. Props to Sheff for refusing to go on the DL with the torn tendon in his finger, but while we're on the topic...stupid, stupid move going for second base yesterday, Sheff. Mental mistakes and inexplicable fuckups have been the name of the game for the Tigers' offense so far.
And that brings me to...
Jim Leyland. Grace period is over, Smokey. The only difference between Detroit and a place like New York is when you suck in Detroit, the fans don't show up as opposed to mercilessly booing in New York. When you're good, expectations are just as high. And expectations have never been higher for this team or this manager. It's time for Leyland to man up and fix what he's done so far. The team has been listless. They've been reading their own press clippings ever since Cabrera and Willis arrived, expecting the ball to magically jump off the bats and into the stands. It doesn't work that way, and that falls on Leyland. It's his job to get these guys focused and to buy into the team concept. There were glimmers of it today, and getting Granderson back (hopefully sooner than later) can only help, but so far Leyland has been a complete noshow in four games. He had the midas touch in 2006, but he has not done a single thing correct so far this year. Clete Thomas came through today with three hits and a sacrifice, but what was the reasoning for putting him at the top of the order yesterday? Renteria gets 3 hits - the only 3 hits the Tigers had - on Wednesday, and on Thursday he's batting 7th while Clete Thomas is leading off? Where is the logic in that? I certainly hope Granderson gets well quickly, because teams will start getting film on Clete Thomas, and many 0'fers will follow in the box scores.
The sky isn't falling. Yet. Granderson will be back, Sheff and Cabrera will heal up, and at some point in this season, the Tigers will rake and lay waste to opposing pitching. Fernando Rodney will return, and hopefully Joel Zumaya will at some point too. If those two can come close to matching their 2006 seasons, the Tigers' bullpen will be okay. Leyland will, at some point, get control and start making rational, correct baseball decisions. Until then though, I'll rely on Mick Jagger to do the talking for me:
"I'll shout, and scream, I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants..."
I've absent for too long, I know, but hopefully this will make up for it somewhat. While the excuse that it is the offseason might seem like a good one, it really isn't. There has been plenty of interest going on, plenty I've wanted to write about, but have been too slow... by the time I get around to thinking about writing an article, it is irrelevant already. Classes, girlfriend, reading of dead British political philosophers... it all adds up. But anyhow... on with the show.
When the Michigan winter inevitably gives me a glimpse at spring, has a rare peak into the forties, I can't help but think of baseball. I know spring training started a while ago, but I never really feel that excitement of baseball season until its warm enough to shed the winter coat, until I can smell nature in the air again. I simply get the urge to grab a wooden bat, go out and hit fly balls, just to feel that sting in my hands again.
Opening Day is just a few days away, and I probably should have something deeper, something longer to write about because of that, but I doubt I can do it better than I did last year. If you'd like to read that piece, head over to Opening Day, but for now I'll just talk about the Tigers.
Baseball has always been huge for me, but the excitement has never been as high as the past couple of years, and now with the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera it seems that the sky is the limit for the Tigers. The line up is amazing, and while the pitching may have some questions, I definitely think it will suffice to get us far this year. I know that so many people feel like it's World Series or bust this season, but I'm not willing to even think about that yet. There are 162 games to go, and I'm just ready to enjoy the ride.
Unfortunately for me, I'll be class during the Tigers' game tomorrow, but I'm sure I won't be paying any attention to lecture. I have no idea how I could, with spring in the air and baseball going on. It's going to be a good summer.
Cabrera, Willis traded to Tigers in blockbuster deal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tigers have acquired third baseman Miguel Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins in exchange for a package of six prospects including outfielder Cameron Maybin and left-hander Andrew Miller.
The package of prospects includes catcher Mike Rabelo, RHP Burke Badenhop, RHP Eulogio de la Cruz and RHP Dallas Trahern from the organization.
As a result of the move, the Tigers are now willing to move Marcus Thames, Brandon Inge and Chad Durbin.
There's actually not much to say about the bullpen; it's pretty much an outright disaster. The middle relief has been a revolving door; Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, Fernando Rodney, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chad Durbin, Tim Byrdak, Joel Zumaya, Zach Miner, Aquilino Lopez, Jose Mesa, Eulogio De La Cruz, Jose Capellan, Yorman Bazardo, Macay McBride, Virgil Vasquez, Todd Jones.
The number of relievers pretty much says it all. Seay has been good of late, Miner and Capellan have been alright in the short time they've come out of the pen. Other than that...blah. Mesa, Ledezma, Lopez, De La Cruz, Bazardo and Vasquez are either in the minors or with other teams now because they suck. Rodney has been hurt most of the year, and when he hasn't been on the DL, he's been a trainwreck on the mound. Byrdak was decent until he started pitching hurt, and he's on the DL now. Durbin has been entirely average since moving to the pen. Grilli's been a mess.
Jones....seriously, he should come out to Crazy Train playing at the CoPa everytime he trots out there. It's like there's an anxiety clause in his contract, that he is obligated to surrender hits, and if he has more than a one-run lead, he must give up runs. Since getting his brains kicked in in Cleveland on June 1st, he's lowered his ERA from 6.04 to 5.20 and hasn't blown a save, although he did give up 3 runs to Texas and lost the game on June 26.
And then...Zumaya. He's been gone for over two months now with that damn finger injury, and still quite a while from returning. He wasn't his usual "omfg this guy is god" self, walking a LOT, even by his standards. But Mr. 103 brought an attitude and swagger that nobody else in the bullpen has. Even if he's rusty and a little shaky when he returns, the edge he brings into the game mentally with his thermonuclear fastballs is HUGE.
The key to success in baseball is ALWAYS the pitching. Great starting pitching will almost always beat great hitting. To that end, it's no surprise that the foundation of the Tigers' 95-win season in 2006 was their starting pitching, which was the best in baseball, with a collective ERA of 3.84.
This year has been a bit more tumultuous, with Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson and Jeremy Bonderman missing time due to injury, Mike Maroth being traded, and Andrew Miller and Chad Durbin being impressive enough to shake things up upon Kenny's return.
So, without further babbling...The Tigers' Starting Rotation in the first half, 2006 vs. 2007.
2006 Rotation
Jeremy Bonderman: 8-4, 3.46 ERA, 111 K's, 30 BB's
Kenny Rogers: 11-3, 3.85 ERA, 65 K's, 27 BB's
Nate Robertson: 8-5, 3.36 ERA, 78 K's, 41 BB's
Justin Verlander: 10-4, 3.01 ERA, 69 K's, 33 BB's
Zach Miner: 6-1, 2.57 ERA, 29 K's, 13 BB's
*Mike Maroth: 5-2, 3.56 ERA, 22 K's, 15 BB's
* - Injured on May 25
2007 Rotation
Jeremy Bonderman: 9-1, 3.48 ERA, 98 K's, 24 BB's
Justin Verlander: 10-3, 3.14 ERA, 97 K's, 39 BB's
Nate Robertson: 5-6, 4.92 ERA, 48 K's, 32 BB's
Kenny Rogers: 3-0, 1.04 ERA, 11 K's, 4 BB's
Andrew Miller: 4-2, 3.31 ERA, 25 K's, 17 BB's
*Chad Durbin: 6-3, 4.26 ERA, 48 K's, 35 BB's
**Mike Maroth: 5-2, 5.06 ERA, 28 K's, 33 BB's
* - Moved to Bullpen ** - Traded
Analysis: Bonderman's numbers would've been better, but he spent two weeks on the DL with blister issues, and he would have more wins but he got a no decision in each of his first five starts, four of which he allowed 3 runs or less. He was great in his last two starts especially, shutting out the Twins over 8 innings while striking out 7 and getting the win, and striking out 9 Red Sox over 8 innings while only allowing 2 runs (the Tigers won in the 13th).
Verlander's been the star of the staff so far, pitching his way to the All-Star Game. Of course he had the no-hitter against Milwaukee, but other than that, aside from two rough outings (against Cleveland and Minnesota), he hasn't allowed more than 3 earned runs in any start.
Robertson and Maroth were entirely mediocre. Robertson was spared with a trip to the DL (and has looked decent since returning), while Maroth was the odd man out when Kenny got back, and was traded to St. Louis. Durbin did such a good job in Kenny's place, he's remained with the team in the bullpen since Kenny returned.
Speaking of which, Kenny's been great. It's only three starts, but he's fresh and his leadership with the younger pitchers is immeasurable.
And finally...the phenom. Andrew Miller was called up in May to start while Bondo was on the DL, and although he went back down when Bondo returned, Robertson's injury brought him back, and brought him back for good. His breaking ball is still developing, but his awkward delivery and blazing fastball is more than enough for now.
Despite Verlander being the only consistent and injury-free guy in the first half this year, the Tigers still rank 5th in the AL in team ERA at 4.31, and the blazing offense has stepped up big for them. I feel compelled to give them a C+ or B- overall. It would be more like a B+ over the past few weeks, but the early inconsistency brings it down just a bit. I'm confident that the second half of 2007 will look a lot more like 2006 for the starting rotation, though.
Hard to believe the 2007 Major League Baseball season is already half over. Technically it's a little bit past the halfway mark in terms of the 162 game season, but it's the All-Star Break, the unofficial official halfway point. The Tigers have had a roller coaster first half to 2007, and considering the expectations placed on them headed into this year, it's intriguing to compare how they've done in the first half this year compared to the first half last year, when teams, fans and analysts were still trying to figure out when they were going to flame out.
So before looking at individual progress, lets look at the overall numbers.
Overall Record - 2006: 59-29 - 2007: 52-34 - Difference: -6 games Home Record - 2006: 26-13 - 2007: 25-19 - Difference: -3.5 games Road Record - 2006: 33-16 - 2007: 27-15 - Difference: -3.5 games
April Record - 2006: 16-9 - 2007: 14-11 - Difference: -2 games May Record - 2006: 19-9 - 2007: 16-12 - Difference: -3 games June Record - 2006: 20-7 - 2007: 16-10 - Difference: -3.5 games July Record (to the Break) - 2006: 4-4 - 2007: 6-1 - Difference: +2.5 games
Division Lead - 2006: 2.0 games up on Chicago - 2007: 1.0 game up on Cleveland -Difference: -1 game
Extra Inning Games - 2006: 3-3 - 2007: 3-6 - Difference: -1.5 games One-Run Games - 2006: 15-10 - 2007: 17-10 - Difference: +1 game Blowouts (5+ run difference) - 2006: 17-10 - 2007: 16-7 - Difference: +2 games
Days in First Place - 2006: 59 - 2007: 31 Most Games over .500 - 2006: 31 - 2007: 18 Most Games under .500 - 2006: 0 - 2007: 1
Biggest Lead in Division - 2006: 3.5 games - 2007: 2.0 games Farthest Behind Leader - 2006: 3.5 games - 2007: 4.5 games
Interesting stuff, to say the least. It's obvious that the Tigers were better at this point last year than this year. What's also obvious is WHY. But that's for tomorrow.
He strikes out a lot. For a leadoff hitter, he doesn't draw nearly enough walks. Against left handed pitching, he is essentially useless, batting around .150. And yet, when Curtis Granderson plays, it's a thing of beauty to watch.
His swing - when he's not swinging and missing, that is - is fluid and smooth, Griffian in a sense. His stride is potent and purposeful. Like the cheetah chasing down the gazelle, Curtis Granderson chases down doubles and triples when on the basepaths, and flyballs when in the field.
And at times, like today, his excellence cannot be restricted to the ground. At times he must take flight, obligated to dazzle the eye and illuminate the mind with his graceful, understated dominance. And beneath it all is the mind of a child simply playing in the backyard. After scaling the heavens to fetch the flyball, he comes down laughing, the goofy grin of a 12-year old plastered on his face like even he cannot believe the level of greatness he has reached, and the level of greatness that lies ahead. And when all is said and done, the masses give him not one, not two, but three standing ovations, worshipping the center field superstar.
It is like Comerica Park was designed for him, designed so that his swings send the ball into the gap, into the alley, designed so no flyball is out of reach, designed so that it provides enough of a challenge for Curtis Granderson to show off his powers, designed so that at any given moment, lightning might strike.
In a lineup where Sheffield and Ordonez hijack the souls of opposing pitchers, where Polanco and Guillen spray basehits to all fields, where Pudge's desire to win smothers all other emotions, it is always Curtis Granderson leading off, leading the charge, leading the Tigers into battle.
A wise man once said that when learning to fly, coming down was the hardest thing. Soon, Granderson's throne may be threatened from within, as the heir to the throne is groomed to prowl center field for years. But as he once again showed today, he will not surrender his position quietly. He will swing away, and he will sprint and run and leg out extra basehits, and he will chase down flyballs, and he will lunge at the wall, and sacrifice his body in the field.
Baseball is a sport full of superstition; lots of guys refuse to step on the baselines; in a close game, guys never talk to the closer; and in no hitter/perfect game situations, nobody sits within 20 feet of the pitcher in the dugout.
The superstition extends from the playing field, too. Broadcasters, if they're smart, don't mention it until it's over. For fans, openly discussing it is considered taboo. Personally I normally don't buy into superstitions like that...but tonight was different. On an intolerably hot and humid night like tonight, I found myself glued (literally) to the leather upholstry of my couch, fearful that any shift in position could upset the sports gods and ruin everything.
So there I sat, agitated by the heat, agitated by the leather clinging to my skin, knowing that I was in for some pain when I did eventually move. I assumed that position at the start of the 7th inning, and there were some scares along the way. Magglio made a great sliding catch with 1 out in the 7th. With one out in the 8th, noname Gabe Gross hit a sharp liner up the middle, and Gold Glover (no, I'm not lying) Neifi Perez snagged it, and from the ground, flipped it to Polanco at 2nd to get Bill Hall out (who had walked one batter previously); Polanco then fired to Casey at first, getting Gross by a step to end the 8th. My heart jackhammered in my chest, and, with a little sleight of hand, I pumped my fist.
3 outs to go.
For the 9th, I couldn't resist; I shifted positions. I ripped myself from the couch and sat forward, fidgeting my hands nervously. The 9th inning wasn't even fair. Verlander struck out Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino with unhittable breaking balls. It ended with a flyout to Maggs, and I jumped up in celebration.
Funny how just two years ago, the Tigers were still a laughingstock. Now, the defending AL Champions have the best offense in baseball....and their pitching ain't too shabby either.
As a Detroit/Michigan sports fan, I've seen some pretty magical moments: Stevie Y finally hoisting the Cup in 1997; Vladdie being brought out onto the ice when the Wings repeated a year later; Woodson willing Michigan to a National Title in the 1998 Rose Bowl; the Pistons escaping Miami with the Eastern Conference Championship after Game 7 in 2005; Magglio's walkoff homerun that swept Oakland and won the pennant last year.
Tonight probably doesn't match those moments...but it's got its own special spot in Detroit lore now.
