"Hey, we made some signings that haven't worked out for us": 2010 Detroit Tigers

April 5, 2010, @ KCR

A Jackson CF 3 0 0 0
R Raburn LF 3 0 0 0
C Guillen DH 3 0 0 0
M Cabrera 1B 3 0 0 0
M Ordóñez RF 3 0 0 0
B Inge 3B 3 0 0 0
G Laird C 3 0 0 0
S Sizemore 2B 3 0 0 0
A Everett SS 3 0 0 0

W: Greinke (1-0)
L: Verlander (0-1)

haha

Recent highlights from Lynn Henning's Curtis Granderson Exposé Notebook:

12/09/09

Granderson fell from grace.

That's the only way to say it.

You could feel the tension building inside Comerica Park's clubhouse. Granderson, even as he hit 30 home runs, came to embody the Tigers' sputtering, sprint-and-slip offense. The supposed ignition switch often became a drag on a batting order that seemed to deflate or inflate based on what Granderson was doing.

(Granderson owes apologies to Adam ".238/.288/.325" Everett, Gerald ".225/.306/.320" Laird, number-three hitter Clete ".240/.324/.385" Thomas, Placido ".285/.331/.396" Polanco, Magglio ".428 slugging" Ordonez, and Carlos "Injured" Guillen.)

If it were just a matter of having an off season, the Tigers might have lived with it. But it goes deeper than that. Granderson has been spread too thin in Detroit. In that respect, his charm is also his curse.

He's involved in everything. He has a difficult time saying no. He loves community work. He's here for this event, there for that gathering, and almost always available for a kid who needs him at a hospital.

Wonderful, and praiseworthy. And also of likely consequence to his fundamental assignment: playing baseball.

(DANCE, BOY.)

(Also: as pointed out in other outlets, Granderson made several in-season trips to strip clubs Toledo to work on hitting with Leon Durham. Probably not worth mentioning in these articles, though.)

To underscore that point, in all its dizzying context, it was necessary last summer to listen to the crowd at Comerica Park as Granderson came to the plate. It never mattered what he had done the previous at-bat, or the previous week.

The crowd would go nuts for him. Always. Cheers, long, deep and extended, were Granderson's theme song.

It was almost comical. There was no way the customers were going to slam him; no way they were going to suggest for a moment that he was at least partly accountable for a team's serious offensive hang-ups.

(Yes, one otherwise-very-valuable player's inability to hit lefties should have been a glaring issue in a lineup featuring Adam Everett, Gerald Laird, Placido Polanco, Clete Thomas, and contact hitter Magglio Ordonez.)

The Tigers, though, I've come to believe had a different evaluation. I think they decided to cut ties with Granderson now. They had seen 2009 and didn't like it -- a bit. The 30 home runs were fine. The eight triples, the 23 doubles -- many fewer than during some previous seasons -- and the 141 strikeouts, headed by that .183 funk against left-handers, made him expendable when his market value and cachet remained high.

(What some Tigers will be paid in 2010: Ordonez = 15 million; Guillen = 13 million; Bonderman = 12.5 million; Willis = 12 million. But maybe that should not be acknowledged when you intend to make a very specific and irrational "unpopular" point.)

The Tigers will forever be grateful to Curtis Granderson. He came to personify Detroit's baseball renaissance during this decade. He was indeed the face -- a very captivating face -- of Tigers baseball.

But this game is neither a face, nor a charity appearance. Baseball must be played with passion between the white lines. And while Granderson was good, he was not as good as he had been. And with his complicated, ever-demanding life tugging at him from all directions, the Tigers perhaps correctly decided his primary vocation would always share space with too many other facets of his rich and fascinating career.

(Thanks, Buttermaker.)

Don't be surprised if playing in Yankees pinstripes re-invigorates him. Neither can I blame the Tigers for seeing with insight into a player who in 2009 didn't measure up to his gaudy reputation.

(See what I did there? If Granderson's decline does not continue, I still won't be wrong.)

12/19/09

A question, though, and it's one Tigers fans still sore about his exit to the Big Apple should ask:

Would he have been as driven for the Tigers in 2010? Or would the Tigers have gotten the same as they got in '09: a skilled player who was perhaps better at grooming his off-the-field life and persona than he was at delivering the goods at Comerica Park and elsewhere.

("who was perhaps better at grooming his off-the-field life and persona" = way to make charity work seem sleazy, Lynn.)

Fans who believe Granderson, 28, would rediscover his old magic -- big batting average, tons of extra-base hits -- next season in Detroit might be right. But I doubt it.

He had shown me, convincingly, for too long that baseball here had become a work shift. He showed up. He played seriously. But then it was on to other, greater fulfillment and pleasures.

theres some compelling statistical evidence that doing charity work can really hurt yr ba against lefties

Maybe Cashman will flip Granderson to the Mariners. The Ms do have that odd "retaining and acquiring bad teammates" fixation.

But this game is neither a face, nor a charity appearance.

Is this English? This sentence was printed somewhere, really?

Bonderman = 12.5 million; Willis = 12 million

^dang @ this

Bonderman?!

say what you will, at least he isnt supporting any charitable foundations

i mean, jeremy bonderman sucks, but hes never once visited a kid in the hospital

Bonderman signed an extension three years ago. In 2007, he was really good through the first half, and then:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=bondeje01&year=2007&t=p#half

Guess when he started to pitch through pain.

He worked his way back, did OK, and then a pitching-shoulder blood clot took him out. Last season, he made a series of brief Silvalicious relief appearances.

At least he realizes that baseball is neither a face nor a charity appearance. He'd have to go through at least a dozen shootin' cars on his back 40 (and take a couple classes) before thinking about writing a children's book.

"Hey, we made some signings that haven't worked out for us," Dombrowski said. "And we're almost through it. But at the time, people thought they were good signings. And sometimes, when you're making adjustments, unfortunately, they affect you in a different way. Everybody has bad signings on their books, but we're in a position where some of it's due to injury.

"I've seen it written: Jeremy Bonderman -- bad signing. Jeremy Bonderman was one of the best young pitchers in baseball at the time. Now, there's others that haven't worked out as well. But really, what ends up happening is, we're working through that, too, but we're one year away from working through it real well. And this sets us up to do it."

http://media.mlive.com/cutoffman/photo/101309-dave-dombrowskijpg-25928e9431306030_large.jpg

i was 99.9% sure Willis was a bad idea the second i heard about it.

bahahahaha i was going to ask please post that dombrowski lip thing picture from the 2008 thread. and there you have an entirely different picture of him doing the same thing.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0729/9064/102804_feature.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/00jd0aSgrQ0j7/220x.jpg

crouching tiger, pouting dombrowski

MERRY NEW YEAR!

Two professional baseball players and another man were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct after Wednedsay's Phoenix Suns game at U.S. Airways Center following a brawl at an arena lounge, according to Phoenix police.

Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird, 30, was cited for assault. His brother Brandon Laird, 22, was cited for disorderly conduct, police said. The younger brother is a prospect in the New York Yankees minor league system.

Police also arrested Gregory Scott Collins, 51, on suspicion of assault after the 9 p.m. incident as the Suns wrapped their 116-98 win over the Boston Celtics.

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said a fourth man "inappropriately touched a female" at the lounge on level 3 of the arena, though he was not arrested because the female victim "did not want to get involved or provide us with any information and declined prosecution."

Security previously contacted the group of men about their loud behavior, Hill said. Two of the men were allowed back into the lounge after a conversation with security, but a melee broke out shortly afterwards.

As security guards tried to arrest Brandon Laird, his brother and Collins "interfered and assaulted the security guards," Hill said.

Phoenix police could not confirm the identity of the woman, Hill said, though he added that she is the wife of an NBA player. Gerald Laird lives with his wife and daughter in Peoria in the offseason, according to the Detroit Tigers' Web site.

Brandon Laird is considered one of the top infield prospects in the Yankees' farm system. He starred this fall for the Surprise Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.

i really hope that granderson didn't go to any strip clubs in toledo, oh

http://www.freep.com/article/20100125/COL22/1250358/1318/Grandersons-N.Y.-success-wont-be-like-Detroits

Worse, the one thing that everybody should have loved about Granderson -- his off-field work -- started to be held against him. There were whispers that his full plate was hurting him at home plate. Granderson said he didn't know if those whispers came from the Tigers or not, but he was being diplomatic.

"It's amazing how so much is talked about, about players not doing something," Granderson said. "Then I do something, and it's the reason why I was playing bad. My book took two days. That's it: two days. If I did an autograph signing it was on an off day. If I was mentioned with (the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program), it's really just my name.

"So there are a lot of things on the résumé, but it's really not that time-consuming. It's amazing what's OK to spend time on and what's not. If I were married and had kids, that's OK. But the fact that I'm helping out everybody else's kids, there seemed to be a problem with that.

"It's been talked about over the past two years. And honestly, the busiest year was 2007, which was arguably my best year."

SO THIS CLUBHOUSE CANCER FINALLY ADMITS HE WAS ON THE DECLINE!

AND NOW, WITH THE MONEY SAVED BY TRADING HIM, THE TIGERS FINALLY HAVE A LEGIT CLOSER TO COMPLEMENT THEIR AWESOME OFFENSE.

HAHA!

weird. i've never seen the argument that charity was hurting anybody's game. weird.

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__45/ept_sports_mlb_experts-808158581-1264453546.jpg?ymqu5kCDDxql.UvH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/dysign/ilx/ept_sports_mlb_experts-808158581-12.jpg

That is the most calm Leyland has looked in a decade.

Stay classy, Grandpa Laird.

http://beck.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/arrest_report_released_on_lair.html

Authorities said House quickly left the arena's Verve Energy Lounge after accusing the Lairds' 70-year-old grandfather, who was never cited, of touching her inappropriately.

$80 M extension for Verlander

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4887466

Verlander's new contract a reminder that Curtis Granderson still owes apology to teammates, fans; teammates, fans too stupid to realize it
by Lynn Henning

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100204/OPINION03/2040481/1129/

Dumbrowski, bidding against himself if true

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has authorized a two-year, $14 million contract offer for free agent outfielder Johnny Damon.

Scott Boras is also considering a one-year, $7 million contract from the club, but is believed to be pursuing a two-year contract. As Rosenthal notes, a two-year, $14 million contract would match what the Yankees offered Damon before they signed Nick Johnson to be their designated hitter, so if true, this would be awful tough to pass up.

not bidding against yourself should be posted in GM HQ the way 'no betting on baseball' signs are in clubhouses

anyone else remember 80s 'no pepper allowed' signs?

lolyes

Jose Valverde had been quoted in his native Dominican Republic as aiming for 50 saves this season with the Tigers. He reported to Spring Training on Saturday and raised that total by quite a bit.

"You know what? I can do maybe 74 here," Valverde said.

Yes, he meant 74 saves. And yes, that would be a record, by far. Francisco Rodriguez saved 62 games with the Angels two years ago.

"This is a good team here," Valverde said. "You look at everybody here. We have guys who guys who can hit 30, 40 home runs -- Ordonez, Cabrera, all these guys. My guys in the bullpen here, Zumaya, all these guys. When the game's on the line, Zumaya throws the eighth and he's throwing 100, 101. This team is good. I think I can do 50 or more."

http://beck.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/02/valverde_i_can_get_maybe_74_sa.html

i hope his zumaya prediction comes true - with control
and i hope he's ok setting up for zumaya in july

yea u need 2 update ur opening day box vs greinke

― johnny crunch, Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:28 PM (53 minutes ago) Bookmark

April 5, 2010, @ KCR

A Jackson CF 3 0 0 0
J Damon LF 2 0 0 0
C Guillen DH 3 0 0 0
M Cabrera 1B 3 0 0 0
M Ordóñez RF 3 0 0 0
B Inge 3B 3 0 0 0
G Laird C 3 0 0 0
S Sizemore 2B 3 0 0 0
A Everett SS 3 0 0 0

W: Greinke (1-0)
L: Verlander (0-1)

Damon's 2009 home runs in AL East parks: 24
...in AL Central parks: 0
...in AL West parks: 0

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20100222&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=100222013&Ref=AR&Profile=1319&MaxW=320&MaxH=300&Q=50

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/02/22/amd_yankees_granderson.jpg

Fucking odd.

3. Johnny Damon becoming a Tiger
This is a huge move, for Dave Dombrowski to sign a guy who just won a World Series ring and can hit .270 with 80 RBIs and bat in the No. 2 hole.

It gives the Tigers credibility on and off the field. I think Damon is worth 10 wins to the Tigers this year, and that difference would put them in the AL Central race the entire season.

http://blog.mlive.com/hugeblog/2010/02/us-canada_rivalry_makes_olympi.html

wow - that piece is beyond offensive. what a fucking mother fucking ignorant douche bag.

there are seriously no words for how angry i am right now.

is that what americans really think? we get our anthem boo'd in some US arenas after not going into that debacle in Iraq - after joining in Afghanistan - and we're the anthem booing assholes? does he have any idea how many Canadians have died over there? WHAT A FUCKING PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT

and those fucking ignorant comments his childish, ill-informed screed has inspired is something really fucking else

sorry guys.

damon will have the best player-season since 2004 barry bonds apparently

I hadn't read the non-Damon part of that post until just now. It matches the level of idiocy I've heard from him on the radio.

the give this fuck air-time too? sweet jesus.

I think he was the one who (in July or August) accused Miguel Cabrera of "killing the team."

sorry guys.

― The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall, Monday, February 22, 2010 1:51 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

oh you just mad cause he's stylin on you

Buster_ESPN
Some details on Damon's contract: In addition to $8 milion salary, he gets $500,000 for MVP ($200,000-2nd thru 5th; $100,000-6th thru 10th).

Buster_ESPN
He gets $100,000 for being voted in as an All-Star, $50,000 selection for selection. He gets $100,000 for $100,000 for Gold Glove. (more)

Buster_ESPN
He gets $100,000 for Silver Slugger; $150,000 for winning the LCS MVP; $200,000 for WS/MVP. And he gets a suite on the road.

He walked out of his car in the Marchant Stadium parking lot in the morning wearing jeans, a black shirt, sunglasses and a smile. The dozens of Detroit fans behind a barricade a couple hundred feet away chanted, “Johnny! Johnny!”

Damon raised his arms, pointed both index fingers at them and smiled wider.

One fan bellowed: “Hey, Johnny, you are going to look good in an Olde English D!”

And after pulling it on for the first time during an afternoon press conference, Damon described the feeling he got from pulling on the new uniform.

“I’m very happy to be a Tiger,” he said. “Let’s hope the Chinese are right, and say this is the Year of the Tiger.”

During a Tigers' chat on Thursday, Max Scherzer was asked what his favorite pitch is.

"The one that strikes out Joe Mauer," he replied.

miggy cabrera quit drinking, and will not drink again, but he wants you to know that he is not an alcoholic

please god let there not be a gif of the arm break

but you know what I'm talking about?

Wasn't there that dude whose arm BROKE while pitching? This was, like, 10 years ago iirc.

That was Dave Dravecky, one of the major racists/John Birchers from the '84 Padres. It happened in '89 after he had cancer; he lost the arm.

i still can't get the .gif to load but i guess in a minute or two i'll be on youtube so i can lose my lunch.
still have no idea what happened but i can guess. i remember that first strasburg game there was an interesting "fun fact" from the booth, that even if a pitcher could go beyond 105MPH the elbow would come apart pretty quickly after enough throws.

looks like i won't be watching this today with all the server strain from co-workers streaming the world cup.. probably for the best..

"When he let the ball go, something didn't sound good," Laird said. "I seen him go down and to see the pain he was in, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. When I saw him I just said, 'Oh my God, that did not just happen.'

RIP Guitar Hero

OFFICIAL_TIGERS
Zumaya has a non-displaced fracture of olecranon (tip of elbow) and he will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. #mlb

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/blank_player2.gif?x=46&y=60&xc=1&yc=1&wc=165&hc=215&q=100&sig=MxjmloXMnUC1MDTW3HHxDQ--
Brennan Boesch
Number: #26
Pos: Left Field
Team: Detroit Tigers

More stuff on that player who doesn't have a head shot on Yahoo:

http://www.freep.com/article/20100705/COL22/7050349/Tigers-Boesch-snubbed-by-complicated-voting-system

Boesch is hitting .345 with a .390 on-base percentage and .605 slugging percentage.

Compare that with Wells (.274/.328/.544), Bautista (.236/.360/.532), Hunter (.288/.370/.498) and Ortiz (.259/.364/.556). Boesch has every right to be disappointed.

"Yeah, I am," Boesch said. "I don't know what the criteria is, and it's not my place to say who makes the team. But obviously I'm disappointed. It's in L.A., my hometown. It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I think it would be foolish to lie and say I'm not disappointed."

Around the Tigers, there is a sense that yes, Boesch clearly deserved to go, and no, it's not surprising that he was left off the team. The All-Star Game is a mix of multiple voting blocs and multiple agendas. If you set up a government this way, you would ask the citizens of Idaho to vote by a show of hands, Vladimir Putin to appoint his most trusted underlings, and the people of Chile to choose their favorite farm animals. It makes no sense. But it's not really supposed to make sense.

Three groups vote for the All-Star team. One, of course, is the fans. Many of them have never heard of Boesch, the Tigers rookie who started the season in the minor leagues.

"The fans want to see who they want to see," Boesch said. "I think that's good. When I was a kid, I voted for my favorite players. That's just how it works."

The second group is the players. They are likely to vote based on historical performance and personal experience. And as Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon said: "A lot of the players haven't seen Brennan play yet."

The players voted for Wells, Bautista and Hunter in the outfield, along with Ortiz, the longtime Boston star, at DH.

The third voting group is one man: AL manager Joe Girardi. Damon played for Girardi in New York and called him to plead Boesch's case.

"Girardi would love to be able to make decisions, but sometimes their hands are tied, with players from every team having to make it," Damon said.

Girardi chose two position players: Ty Wigginton, because somebody had to represent the Orioles, and Alex Rodriguez, presumably because Girardi does not need the headache of leaving his highest-paid player off the team.

A-Rod is not having a typical A-Rod year -- Boesch has a better batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and has hit just as many home runs. But I think it's safe to assume most fans would rather see A-Rod, if only so they can boo him.

The really surprising development was that Boesch was not even selected for MLB.com's Final Vote, wherein five players compete in online voting for the last spot on the team. Boesch sounded miffed by that one.

In the end, though, this is the reality of making the All-Star team: it is an undefined honor. The game itself has an undefined purpose. The winner gets homefield advantage in the World Series, but it is still mostly a spectacle. You are highly unlikely to see a scene like we saw in the Tigers' 8-1 loss to Seattle on Sunday, when the Tigers' Jeremy Bonderman, Gerald Laird and Jim Leyland all grew irate at home-plate umpire CB Bucknor's Incredible Moving Strike Zone. (It shrinks! It expands! It disappears altogether!)

RIP

"LEYLAND, WHAT IS GOING ON THIS HOUSE?!?!"

Jackson CF
Santiago 2B
Raburn LF
Cabrera 1B
Boesch RF
Sizemore 3B
Larish DH
Killer Bob C
Worth SS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZXikshjqQ

This time, Marty Foster's blown call on a B.J. Upton stolen base brought Leyland out of the dugout in a huff. But it was a Foster accusation that really set him off.

"He accused me of something I didn't do, and that ticked me off," Leyland said, "and that's what got me going. I had some sunflower seeds in (my mouth) when I was talking. Some sprayed on him, and he indicated that I deliberately spit on him, and I'm not going to take that from anybody. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to take that kind of accusation from anybody. That's a blatant lie.

"Now, did some of the sunflower seeds spray on his shirt? Yes, they did, without any question. (But) I don't even spit on the ground. But I'm not going to take that. I'm tired of protecting umpires, tired of not being able to say anything. I'm defending myself. If they want to kick me out, that's fine, I don't care about that, because (seeds) sprayed on his shirt. But when you start accusing somebody of deliberately doing something, you better be careful.

"I don't give a care what (Foster) says, and I don't give a care about what anybody else thinks when they read it in the (Commissioner's) office. I'm tired of not saying anything. I don't care that he missed the play. That's part of the game. When you make an accusation that's a total, blatant lie, that's upsetting to me."

Keep in mind, this is the same umpiring crew that handed Leyland his other ejection during that series in Atlanta June 27, the day after crew chief Gary Cederstrom rang up Johnny Damon on strike three to strand the tying run on third with a pitch that was clearly outside on replay.

That reaction is likely to get a reaction of some sort from the Commissioner's office, even if Leyland is one of the prime figures on the 14-person Special Committee for On-Field Matters that the Commissioner put together to look at ways to improve the game.

"I asked (Foster) if he was going to write me up," Leyland said. "He said, 'You spit on me.' I said, 'You mean to tell me that you're going to write up that I deliberately spit on you?' He said yes. I said, 'Well that's a blatant lie.' I'm tired of protecting them, worrying about what you should say and what you can't say. I don't care that he missed the play. I don't care that he threw me out. But when you make accusations like that, I'm not going to accept that. That's a blatant lie. I don't even spit on the ground. That's a serious accusation, and I'm not going to accept that.

"I don't know what they're going to do, and I don't give a care. They can do whatever they want to do. I'm tired of it. I don't care that they missed the play. That's part of the game. I don't care that he ran me. That's part of the game."

Tigers PR email blast:

By acquiring Peralta Wednesday night, the Tigers added a veteran presence in the middle of the order and at third base. They also gave themselves a chance to regroup amidst what remains a division race after losing Inge, Ordonez and Guillen to the disabled list last week.

LOOOOOL

1.1-inning, 60-pitch save for Jose Valverde.

...not a save...

but is it a hold, or just good drama?

I meant to use "quotes."

Valverde's previous pitch-count high for 2010: 27.

RIP Porcello more like

27 year-old rookie Jeff Frazier, presumably placed ahead of Cabrera to see fastballs ("We need to get this young man going," etc.): 5-4-3, 6-3, 2.

he gave up a home run to Juan Pierre. should be ashamed..

Second-half Boesch is hitting a Brandon Wood-like .097/.185/.111.

"If I were dumb and a younger manager, I might appease the public and tear the (bleeping) clubhouse apart and set the place on fire, so the fans will say, 'He really cares.' If I were young and dumb, I might do that. But I am not young and dumb any more. I am not young for sure. I might be dumb, but I am not young. I don't fall for that (bleep). I don't buy it."

"It is always my pet peeve whenever they get a new manager the first thing they say is, 'We are going to work on fundamentals.' Every (bleeping) manager that ever worked with that team worked on fundamentals. I go to spring training every year. I watch those other clubs. They work on bunts. That is what the Tigers do. That is what the Blue Jays do. That is what the Orioles do and that is what the Mets do. They work on pickoff plays. They work on cut-offs and relays. Every (bleeping) manager and every team in baseball does that.

"Screw that hitting the cut-off man. Hit the ball out the ballpark or pitch good and manage good and win (bleeping) games.

The current roster could use many base running drills.

Jim Leyland gets into a stretch now and then where he doesn't want to answer questions about his lineup, in part because he knows the questions that are going to come up. He was like that last week when Brandon Inge came back from the disabled list and the question of Jhonny Peralta's role at shortstop came up. He was like that today, when he put Ramon Santiago at designated hitter.

Armando not to gentlemanly today...

too

what happened? i listened on AM.

did he argue w/ an ump?

Chicago -- In one of the more curious events from a rough 2010 season, the Tigers had a hot dugout squabble today between starting pitcher Armando Galarraga and catcher Alex Avila during the second inning of a Tigers-Chicago White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field.

It was not known what set off Galarraga and Avila, today's starting catcher, but the tiff was heated enough that teammates Johnny Damon and Gerald Laird helped break it up.

But back to Galarraga, who required a visit to the mound from catcher Alex Avila after the first three batters, and who felt compelled to get in Avila’s face as he stepped into the dugout after the first inning.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Galarraga said.

Gerald Laird didn’t like the way the pitcher embarrassed the young catcher in front of the team. He let Galarraga know it. That led to a brief tussle.

“I said something I shouldn’t have said,” Laird said, though he wouldn’t elaborate. “I just kind of came to his defense.”

Manager Jim Leyland didn’t mind the scuffle. In fact, he said, “I kind of liked it.”
The passion. The intensity.

Perhaps Johnny Damon summed it up best: “All I know is dissension breeds winners … we should’ve done it a long time ago.”

Everyone involved said after the game that they’d put the incident/misunderstanding behind them. Besides, said Laird, “maybe it fired us up.”

Steve Stone was on the case:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=11009783

If I had been in Avila's spot, I would have said, "Next time, you can either shake me off for a different signal or ride off into the sunset with Jim Joyce in your Corvette."

downloadable Tiger media guides, 1961-82:

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/fan_forum/mediaguides.jsp

what a blast

what the hell is leyland doing leaving valverde out there

well all right, but verlander better drill gardner tomorrow

Thank you, Morbs.

Thank you, Joba.

Thank you, Mark.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092266/index.htm

Mark Fidrych is lying carelessly on a couch in his one-bedroom apartment in the Detroit suburb of Belleville. He is a lanky 6'3". 175 pounds and so eternally restless that he looks as uncomfortable in repose as someone bound and gagged. He is wearing his uniform—blue jeans, a T shirt with FLEETWOOD DINER written across the front and no shoes. Above his quizzical young face, curly blond hair rises in a coiffure accurately likened to Harpo Marx's. Fidrych always looks as if he is about to ask, "How come?"

"I don't like being in the city," he says, explaining his flight to suburban Belleville. "Action? Naw, all I'm lookin' for mainly is to play pool and the pinball machines and, maybe, dance. I don't care what kind of people I'm around as long as I'm havin' a good time. The guy that owns me [ Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer] took me to L.A. in December for the baseball meetings. He wanted to educate me. So all I see there is guys, and all they're doin' is talkin' about baseball. Baseball, baseball, baseball. Night and day. That ain't for me. Those guys live and die baseball. My dad would probably enjoy that. He always reads sports and stuff, doesn't go to bars every night like a lot of others. Me, I just wanna goof around. But these guys are askin' me, what d'ya think of this and that? Hey, I say, I don't know. I'm just playin'.

Mark Fidrych is on his feet again, this time to replace Led Zeppelin with Stevie Wonder. ("Markie loves music," Mrs. Fid often says.) He runs his long fingers through the Harpo hairdo. He pops himself a Strohs beer and, laughing, says, "When I took my physical with the Tigers, the doc asked me how much I drank. I said about a six-pack a night. He looks at me funny. I says, 'Oh, maybe it's only four or five.' I never thought about it much, but, hell, I drank beer because there wasn't much else to do at home." He flops on the couch again, there being nothing much else to do.

"I didn't learn anything last year except how to lose and not blow my composure," he says. "I'm not a smart man. A guy in the minors told me, 'You got a 10� mind and a million-dollar arm.' Well, I'll take those two. I don't think there's been a time when I wasn't confused. But that's good—it keeps you wary. What you don't know is good for you."

"Next winter, though, I wanna go to school. No, I don't want no English or ?r�. I mean automobile school, technical school. I spent this whole winter doin' things for the ball club and the public. It got so I felt like saying, 'Hey, it's my vacation, let me vacate.' So next winter I wanna go to school. Someday my job here is gonna end. And baseball, to me, is a job. How can you call it fun? My fun in baseball left in high school. I thought baseball ended in high school. In the big leagues, it's either do or die, and if you die, where are you?

Two girls, a brunette and a redhead, stride in unattended and almost unacknowledged. Local stuff. The redhead, a nurse named Karen, says, "Fid told me he met a girl in Florida who took him to a place where they put hot pepper in the food. He got sick. When he came home, he told me he didn't want any more girls who made him sick. He wanted the other kind. 'Fix me up with a nurse,' he said."

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/08/17/the-dugout-confrontation/

well all right, but verlander better drill gardner tomorrow

Guillen also had a chance to look at the replay of Brett Gardner's slide once he returned to the team hotel. Though both Guillen and the Tigers said it was clean right after it happened, Guillen had a different outlook on it Tuesday, saying it looked like a late slide.

"I saw a replay when I got home, and it looked different," Guillen said. "He knows."

Slide was late as hell.

Bonderman beans Officer Gardner in the first. Both teams get a warning.

Gaudin beans Cabrera in the eighth. Gaudin stays in the game. Leyland paces the dugout, screams the rest of the inning.

Gardner, Jeter, Kurdt coming up in the bottom of the eighth...

Enrique Gonzalez pitching for Detroit
Detroit's Manager J Leyland ejected by E Cooper in the 8th
Brett Gardner Ball, Strike (looking), Strike (looking), Strike (looking), B Gardner struck out looking
Derek Jeter Ball, Ball, Strike (looking), Ball, Ball, D Jeter walked
Mark Teixeira Ball, Strike (foul), Strike (foul), Ball, Ball, Ball, M Teixeira walked, D Jeter to second
Robinson Cano Ball, Ball, Ball, Strike (looking), Ball, R Cano walked, D Jeter to third, M Teixeira to second
Nick Swisher N Swisher grounded into double play, first to catcher, M Teixeira out at third

Gonzalez threw a pitch behind Jeter and nearly hit Teixeira and Cano. He was trying to hit Jeter, at the least. He is an exceptionally bad pitcher.

Umps allowed Leyland to bark for a long time prior to bouncing him.

Today's game could be interesting. Gardner's slide put Guillen on the DL.

During their current five-game winning streak, they have outscored the Indians and Royals their opponents 40-7.

The ovation for Brandon Inge's 1000th hit was a bit silly.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/mmb5/tigers_1991_2010

Scored 179/200, much higher than expected since '94-'99 is a blind spot. I have no recollection of Billy Ripken wearing a Tiger uniform.

Junior Felix once hit ninth for this team as its DH.

Scherzer since returning from Toledo: 110.2 IP, 116 Ks, 2.20 ERA.

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/544107/img_0198_medium.jpg

Kinsler believed he had been caught looking here. Not sure why he would think that. The pitch was called a ball. He ended up knocking in a run with a single.

Also, Murphy hit a long foul ball for a home run.

Good thing Hawk doesn't do play-by-play for the Tigers:

Manager Jim Leyland's patience with the umpiring crew probably was low at the start of the game because he felt the umpires improperly awarded Murphy a homer Tuesday night on a drive that passed the rightfield foul pole. In the bottom of the fourth Wednesday, home-plate umpire Jerry Layne and first-base umpire Mike Winters both declined to call out Michael Young on a check swing. Young then hit a sacrifice fly, and when Murphy followed with his three-run homer, Leyland lifted Galarraga and appeared to jaw with Davis on his way back to the dugout. Immediately after that inning, Davis ejected Leyland from the game while Leyland was in the dugout.

"Valverde put this in front of my locker, said I was ready for the game. The rare funny short joke."

http://plixi.com/p/43274811

Gerald Laird (.208/.264/.302), who has played over 100 games twice out of eight seasons, believes he is "not ready" to be platooned.

"If I win, I win," Cabrera said. "But right now, with this injury, I can't control that. I can say I want to win. If I play, I say, 'Yeah I want to win. I want to do everything I can to drive in more runs.' But right now, I can't control that. I don't know what's going to happen."

He isn't trying to worry about that, but he's a little frustrated over the way the injury unfolded. The pickoff throw that got him scrambling back to first came from catcher Luke Carlin throwing behind him, not pitcher Carlos Carrasco throwing over. It was the first time, Cabrera said, that any catcher had tried to pick him off this year.

"In that play," Cabrera said, "it was a situation where it's not going to be a bunt play. It's not going to be a hit-and-run because we've got our fifth hitter. I don't know why he pulled that play. Maybe he wants to prove he can play next year in the big leagues. I don't know what he's going to prove. But in that situation, I don't know.

"That kind of surprised me right there. I don't expect that play. I'm not a fast runner. I'm not going to steal second. I'm not going to do anything. I don't know why he put too much attention on me."

Carlin said he wasn't expecting Cabrera to be running, and he felt bad that Cabrera was injured on the play. However, he defended the throw as an attempt to get an out and try to get out of a developing jam.

"They have so many good hitters in their lineup, we try to get outs any way we can," Carlin said. "He got on first base when we intentionally walked him, and he had a pretty big lead and wasn't getting back very quickly. Obviously he's not going anywhere. There was somebody on second when we intentionally walked him as well. I knew he wasn't going anywhere, but I was hoping maybe we could catch him off the bag a little bit and maybe get another out and get our pitcher out of a jam.

"It's unfortunate. Obviously, we don't want anybody to get hurt. Obviously he's a great player, and I have a lot of respect for him. But no matter who's out there, if I think I can pick him off, I'm going to go get him."

Peralta, Inge, Avila, Wells, Santiago were due up -- definitely a predicament requiring defensive creativity.

Verlander did not have a great night, but this seventh-inning sequence was bananas:

Crowe
99 fastball ball
100 fastball swinging strike
100 fastball swinging strike
101 fastball swinging strike

Choo
90 changeup ball
102 fastball foul
102 fastball swinging strike
101 fastball swinging strike

http://www.dailyfungo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/imagesbo-williams-sparky.jpg