  Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 566 Registered: 01-2008 |
Tarp still on the field with light rain falling at CoPa a few minutes ago. Indians on the verge of being in the CD cellar all by their lonesome for the first time this season, if the Royals hold on and win vs the Rockies. Nice loss vs Zito btw...LOL!! | ||
Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 567 Registered: 01-2008 |
In case anyone missed the Todd Jones' Maggs impersonation, and wants to watch it, it has already been uploaded to YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=13d UZTSf_lM (Message edited by Flanders_field on June 25, 2008) | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8273 Registered: 11-2004 |
What a game! Talk about scrapping for the last run! Sheffield is BACK! Gutsy gutsy performance by the Tigers tonight. The Cards would score and the Tigers would counter punch immediately. And dare I say that Zumaya seems to have some of his swagger back, although his control could still take a few more games to correct. I've always liked it when he mixed his heat up with his change-up. And Todd Jones? Who'da thunk it but he's been money in the bank this season. He earns the victory and his ERA has been pretty darn low as of late. Again, great game despite the long rain delay. Coupled with the White Sox shut out loss to the Dodgers, we'll climb that ladder a little more now- 5.0 games out! | ||
Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 568 Registered: 01-2008 |
The Sheff is back and cooked up a batch of walkoff whoopass in tonights game!! Zoom was a bit "nonplussed" in the dugout post-walk-performance, but he will get it together soon hopefully.. | ||
Emu_steve Member Username: Emu_steve Post Number: 655 Registered: 11-2006 |
Glad to see Sheff hitting like crazy. Posters confused an injured athlete for a washed up athlete. Sheff finally appears to be healthy. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8277 Registered: 11-2004 |
Let's hope Sheff is completely healed. I hate it when a player rushes themselves back to the bigs only to really hurt themselves even worse. Admittedly I thought he might've needed more time in Lakeland but if he's hitting like he's been hitting, by all means... linger around! Now I'm also wondering if Leyland has him batting 7th has any bearing on his resurgence. I know he's a veteran and all but I wonder if he (and some of the other individuals) were trying to singlehandedly trying to carry the team. Were they all putting too much heat on themselves during the lean times and making matters worse? I'd like to think that maybe... just maybe, they've realized that they're a team now as opposed to individuals. Is this realization the reason for a part of the better play? I hope so. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8280 Registered: 11-2004 |
After looking over the current standings and remembering how hyped we were at our Tigers during the pre-season, I'm left wondering how the Indians fans must feel now. As of now they're 7.5 out of first place and in the cellar of the Central Division. Even perennial cellar dweller KC has eclipsed them. At the beginning of the season, wasn't it supposed to be the Tigers and the Tribe duking it out for the division lead? I'm sure the hands are wringing at full capacity in Cleveland right now. And while our team isn't exactly in the catbird seat just yet, we're at least headed in the right direction. Cleveland seems to be going backwards in rapid pace. So much for pre-season hype. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 144 Registered: 10-2007 |
This game, now that is what I would call, ahem, "baby-step baseball". Leyland is a big league genius. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8283 Registered: 11-2004 |
Ggores, while I think Leyland is a pretty good manager, every now and then I'm left scratching my head at his strategy. I wouldn't anoint him a "big league genius" just yet. He plays his hunches obviously and is paid to do so whereas I just coach from the comforts of my armchair but there have been moves that have left me befuddled at times. Sometimes those gut calls work (prime example is having Thames PH for Granderson the other night) and sometimes they don't. He's obviously in the dugout and is with these guys day in and day out so he's got a better sense of the pulse of this team but again, every now and then he tosses in the oddest combinations out there. As a fan, we can rant & rave but ultimately it's his call and we have to trust Leyland with it. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 5034 Registered: 02-2005 |
I stayed for the whole thing last night and, boy, it was an emotional rollercoater (made worse by the anxiety of a 5-5 game during the long wait). Sheffield is back, I can tell you that. Zumaya has his stuff but isn't completely feeling right on the mound yet. Also, I moved right up front by the dugout for the latter parts of the game and watched Zumaya very closely for the first time-- he comes down on his left foot during/after delivery with tremendous force, and I noticed that his landings yesterday were very rough (made worse by the slippery mound). Something mechanical wasn't clicking last night, and the lack of control seemed to logically follow from the way he was delivering the balls. Todd Jones got smacked a couple of times but he had a good approach and created some momentum going into the ninth. I haven't been happier with him for a long time. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 147 Registered: 10-2007 |
Smog, when I have more time I will gab about what I think of strategy. Your points are correct. I exaggerate for effect when in a rush. edit: i hate those rollercoater games (Message edited by ggores on June 26, 2008) | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8285 Registered: 11-2004 |
I dunno... call me a masochist but every now and then I like a roller coaster sort of game; as long as we end up on winning in the very end. Yeah, yeah... it's selfish and completely unabashed but what can I say? I'm a fan. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8287 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bottom of the ninth and Sheff saves our bacon once more. We're fighting on! Extra innings, here we come. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8289 Registered: 11-2004 |
Hmmm... we won another series. A roller coaster ride that ended well for us. Sheff extends the game, a rookie like Thomas has the stones to stand up, get walked and to push the tying run across. None too shabby but no one ever grades on style points. It counts as a W and at season's end that's all that's gonna matter. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 5035 Registered: 02-2005 |
Totally. For Clete that was great because you'd think his confidence at the plate (in terms of his eye) may have been shot after that earlier poor call against him to strike him out (and with Polanco and others throughout the series fresh in mind). It took nerves for him to take the close ball. Sheffield has won back a lot of fans. If Cabrera gets hot again this weekend we'll be riding high. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 2404 Registered: 01-2006 |
It looks to me like Sheffield is perfectly O.K.... I had my doubts about him-- wondering if, maybe, he was finished-- but if there is anything wrong with him, it doesn't show. His return could provide a terrific boost. At the beginning of the season, I wondered if Sheffield might be feeling a bit dispirited about his place on the team. Not only was his shoulder still acting up, and he seemed to still harbor a wish to play in the field, but I wondered if the addition of Cabrera might have combined with those other factors to cause him to feel like Damn, maybe I'm not The Man around here any more. So, while he was recovering from problems in his side, we floundered around like dummies, and now that he's back, he might be feeling like, Well hell, nobody else around here is doing shit, so maybe I AM still The Man, and Sheffield loves to feel like that, and you all probably heard him raving about himself, all full of piss & vinegar and boasting about just relaxing and letting his talent take over, and as long as he feels like he's Hot Stuff, he probably will BE Hot Stuff, and I'm thinking that we may be about to see a breathtaking Last Hurrah from one of the greatest batsmen of the last twenty years as he puts the finishing touches on the back of his baseball card, a card-back which is already stunning, outstanding, and Hall of Fame worthy. Remember this moment. You won't often hear me gush like a teenage girl about a player, but as egotistical and irritating as he can be-- sometimes a real Attention Whore-- he truly is a great, great hitter. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 148 Registered: 10-2007 |
We are what? About seventy five games into a one hundred sixty eight game season? For the record, for the first time in my LIFE, when the Tigers lost that last game to Kansas City before heading out West, I proclaimed, and made no secret of it, that "they suck!" For the first time in my LIFE, I went to a Tigers game (against the ChiSox) and said, "I don't even care about the game. I just like looking at the ladies and eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the deck." My guilt knows no bounds. Now that I've confessed sin, I can now try to make amends. The first step is such (and it'll just kind of ramble on from there): Sheff is straight up and does not care what ANYone thinks of him. I read an interview he gave before the season began. He said that baseball was NOT his passion, that it is a business to him, and it's his business to cream the ball over fences, and he just happens to be good at it. \m/ That really struck me, never heard anyone in baseball say something like that, perhaps Cobb did, but I certainly haven't read an interview with him lately. Now he (Sheffield) says he can see the ball, and that he feels quite comfortable at the plate (dangerous). Of course, it cannot be denied that being repositioned in the line-up might have just struck the right nerve in him, I dunno. As we all know, you play now to play in October. You play in October to play in the MLB Championship Series. And you only play in the MLBCS to WIN. If you cannot WIN, then there is absolutely no point in even going. All is wasted. Particularly since MLB realigned into four/five team divisions, and there are no more "pennant races" per se, then even winning your division doesn't really mean squat. Remember when winning the pennant meant something? Yeah, you put a Tigers pennant on your wall. January 10, 2008 (just an arbitrary date), the Tigers were all set. The lineup was basically etched in stone. The team was going to be what it was at that moment. But then came what is probably one of the hugest acquisitions in recent MLB history - that I can recall anyways. The expectations, even prior going into Spring Training, were enormous. I was even suckered into thinking "sure thing" thoughts, but something was bothersome, like a boil on your back, my burning question was, "How you gonna manage this team? Who is going to be the leader in the clubhouse? Who gonna walk up to Sheff and say, 'maaan, you're really a SUCK, ya know that?' And likewise, on and on down the line. I still wonder who leads in the clubhouse, but it's futile to examine that dynamic with this team. Somebody do the math, just how many viable lineups are possible with the Tigers makeup? My gut guess is about 25 or 30. I mean lineups that you can give to the home plate umpire before the game begins, and can WIN an MLBChampionShip. All ya got to do is get into the playoffs, first of all. This, I don't think is much of a concern to Leyland. Hell, break it down and all a team needs to do is get a wildcard, and to get a wildcard - under the circumstances - really should be a no-brainer, but if the Tigers fail to do even that, then there was no reason to play anyways, except for the fans enjoyment and their own hefty paychecks, for what's wrong with being traded to Toronto these days anyways? But THAT is not why these guys play ball. Leyland knows, and so do the majority of this particular team, that making the playoffs does not mean crap. I don't want to preach to the choir here, you all know how things break down once the playoffs begin. Hence, "baby steps". Hence, ya still gotta find out WHO can do WHAT in all different types of situations. You have to experiment with lineups, individuals, egos, hot-streaks, cold-streaks, injuries, umpires, humidity, cold, snow, and on and on and on. Then ya got the friggin "All Star" game to worry about, as a manager. Even at their worst so far this season, everyone has acknowledged that, properly put in perspective, and relatively speaking, we were never "out" of it (meaning 16 games behind first place basically). We came close, and there is still time for a complete meltdown - but I don't see it happening. Not with consistency in four series straight. My point - which lineups are going to be available to you, and what level of confidence do you have in the various combinations available come playoff CHASE time? Heh, not quite a point, is it? ;-) I might be as close to Leyland's way of thinking as the Earth is to Jupiter. But in the vast expanse of the universe, it's relatively close. And folks, we're close. Close to .500 ball! Ha! Just what we all expected on June 26th, 2008. Gotta love it. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1890 Registered: 02-2006 |
The Tigers cannot win the wild card this year. They must win the division. Luckily, winning the division will be easier. | ||
7andkelly Member Username: 7andkelly Post Number: 827 Registered: 04-2008 |
None of the Tigs recent success excuses their poor start. IMO spring training ran mostly on auto pilot in deference to the "experience" and egos in the clubhouse. The only focus was on who would fill a couple of utility positions. And so the team came in out of shape and ill prepared. They've worked out some issues in April and May, that should have been dealt with in March, and in so doing dug themselves into a hole. Thankfully, some progress has been made, and significant hope has been restored, but we should be 10 plus games over 500 right now, instead of staring up at the white sucks and twinkies. For many, expectations have been lowered, and that's understandable. As for me, anything short of a World Series Championship will be both disappointing and unacceptable. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 151 Registered: 10-2007 |
Best known for rally-killing, snazzy defensive moves, and one of the shortest lived reality shows ever (“With The Inges”, which ran on WDIV during the ‘06 run), the notorious Ingster goes on the 15 day disabled list due to an old oblique wound re-emerging, as a result of drop-kicking a pillow on Tuesday afternoon. Demonstratively rattled by this latest bit of bad news for his underachieving team, manager Jim Leyland said, “It’s a first.” Yes Jim, we are all as devastated as you are. But when the Ing comes back – and he vill be bach – he will most likely see the ball better and feel more comfortable at the plate. BTW, my Tiger. Figures. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 600 Registered: 11-2007 |
Just got back from my 2 days in the D. Never been so cold and so hot in 12 hrs in the same place as I was from 1:30 am to 1:30 pm Thurs. Also, please delete all my previous posts earlier this wk regarding Sheffield. He's my hero.  | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 768 Registered: 01-2007 |
Stars of the Game: *** Bonine ** Granderson * Thomas | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 842 Registered: 12-2007 |
Don - Your post made me laugh...though I haven't completely forgiven him yet...I am ready to begin retracting my "Trade Sheff Now" comments if he keeps it up. For the record...I need to keep saying it before the tide turns... I have NEVER NEVER EVER said to cash in the season, I am probably the one person on here retarded enough to be postive all season | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8296 Registered: 11-2004 |
"I am probably the one person on here retarded enough to be postive all season" Absolutely nothing shameful about that at all, D_mcc. You're a fan dyed in the wool. You want this team to do well even when you know deep down they were stinking up the place- but again, that's what fans do. And when a team does do well (whether it's long term or even in micro-bursts), you're still cheering them on. The Tigers seem to be doing pretty darn good now so savor it. G'wan... you've earned it! | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8298 Registered: 11-2004 |
Detroit small ball won that 7-1 game last night. No one went yard and yet we managed to move the runners down the base path from station to station. Bonine's down low stuff seemed to be working really well too. Did anyone really go too deep with him? It seemed as though he was inducing a lot of ground balls. And maybe I'm evil here but I was so hoping that Colorado would've paraded out Grilli just so we could've smacked him around the yard a little bit. I've always detested players that leave one team to go to another and then talk smack about their old team- it's unprofessional, stupid and it makes me question their integrity. | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 843 Registered: 12-2007 |
in that case SB.... I TOLD YOU SO! There...I got that out of my system. I just couldn't believe that a team with our talent and offensive ability could slump for 162 games. I agree that they coasted through Spring Training, and they had to take their licks in the first month of the season, but even then, they were losing 1-run and 2-run games. Its a long season...and we are coming up on the halfway point. I would consider it a HUGE victory...to be 41-40...or hell...even 40-41 and the half way point. Our hitting is starting to flare up, guys like Grandy, Polly, Miggy, Sheff, Edgar, Mags, Inge, Thames, Pudge, and Guillen are all starting to hit well...and in timely fashion, which is HUGE! Our pitching is finally coming to life. We've been getting GREAT...and no one can deny it...GREAT outings from our Rotation...Bonine looks confident and poised, Verlander is regaining Cy Young like form, Kenny is spotting his pitches beautifully and inducing the ground balls that get people out, Gallaraga...I can't speak highly enough of his wuevos...he comes in, on a spot start...and hasn't looked back since...and My favorite starter...MY TIGER...Nate Robertson, always attacking and challenging batters...he'll never throw a no-htter or be absolutely lights out, but you always can count on him to pitch a solid outing and give you at least...5 2/3 if not more. And the bullpen...I know its still rough, I would like to see Fossum regain the form he had in boston...but Seay-sick, Miner, and now Rodney...who looks like he might be getting comfortable as he proved in his last outing against the Cards...Not to mention Zoom-Zoom, he is firing the ball as hard as he can, and still managing to work in that sometimes nasty breaking ball after the 101 mph fasty...all to set up...FINALLY, Mr. Consistent! Who would have thought we could ever say that about TJ...all saves converted...Pitches well...not to mention the 1-2-3 inning against the Cards last night was huge! Granted I don't like using the Long Ball to produce runs, sometimes thats what lights a fire under your ass to go out and try to match the production of your teammate...thats what seems to have happened when Thames went on his tear...suddenly the other 8 guys in the lineup wanted to show that Marcus wasn't the only one capable of producing. Our fielding has improved, very few errors...and Guillen looks to be settling in nicely at third...his feet and legs look better there then they did at short, edgar is playing very well...and polly has regained the stability at second that we all new he had. Miggy is begginning to play very well at first...just look at the way hes been digging throws out of the dirt and grabbing back handers... Our outfielders are playing well... Maggs hasn't missed a game all year...which is huge...I don't think people realized that he hasn't had a day off. We're starting to look VERY good...VERY good...I can't wait to see what type of second half we have... POST SEASON! | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 602 Registered: 11-2007 |
Somebody please explain how the Twinkies are doing it? 10 straight wins, 8 games over .500, and Delmon Young and Joe Mauer have 4 home runs combined. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8300 Registered: 11-2004 |
I couldn't begin to tell you HOW they're doing it 401don, but there's always been a healthy respect for the Twins from me. Part of it could be a strong dose of confidence but that's speculative at best. The Tigers aren't that bad as far as coming up strong as well. The AL Central is going to be a dogfight all the way to the end. This interleague play has really boosted all of the AL Central's team records up a notch; I guess it shows how weak the NL teams really are comparatively. Look at Cleveland & KC and how much they've improved the last week or so- each with their own mini-winning streaks. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 2412 Registered: 01-2006 |
Count me in with the group who thinks that the AL Central race is shaping up to be (I'm sorry, but I'm going to use a really corny term) a real humdinger. The Twins, somehow, always manage to be a pain in the ass. I do not believe that the Indians are going to just flop around all season. (Obviously, they need Carmona back in their rotation.) The Royals are in no position to vie for a post-season berth, but they sure know how to screw things up for The Other Guys. (Tiger fans recognize that fact a bit TOO well.) The White Sox have convinced me that they are going to ride their much-improved pitching staff into a very successful season. It sure would be good-- for our place in the standings, and as a psychological lift-- to pound the shit out of them, a few times, in head-to-head competition. Like, y'know, Go Tigers, an' shit like that. Stay tuned for my "Ravine looks at the Rookie Of The Year candidates" post! | ||
Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 587 Registered: 01-2008 |
The "scrub" (according to that SF sportswriter) comes up big with a Grandiose Slam filling in for Maggs who missed his first game of the season tonight. Tigers lead the Rockies 5-0 in the 5th. |
