Don't feel bad about Polanco...he does that to everyone.
While I'm talking Tigers: why does Sheffield hit 3rd? It seems like they would be better served hitting Maggs 3rd and Sheff 4th, or Guillen 3rd and Sheffield 5th. It's a pretty strong lineup, but there is a big hole with Sheffield hitting .260 at 3rd.
Well, if that game doesnt sum-up the entire season, I dont what does.
This one is on Zumaya. Sorry bud, but if your best fastball is 97 after injury, then youre screwed. All he has is a lightning fastball and a curve.
Take 4-5 mph off his fastball, and his effectivness is significantly reduced. Time to learn how to pitch instead of throw. Going to need a third pitch if he cant consistently throw 98+.
Miner pitched well, Kenny had a gem. When the is Leyland going to realize not to pitch to Peralta or Blake?! "I dont believe in any of that stuff!!" Well, there ya go old timer. Those two have killed the Tigers all season and they continue to do so.
Blake has been in a slide since the ASB and dropped in the batting order (picked it up lately), but finds a way to win the game. Peralta... ing Peralta.
Sheff's batting .260 because he played a good 3 weeks with an injured shoulder before going on the DL. His avg. dropped very fast in those weeks.
You see what Magglio has done this year mainly because of Sheffield. He gets on base and with Granderson or Polanco setting everything up Magglio is able to drive them in. If Sheff wasn't injured the division and wild card races are a lot closer.
edit: Sheffield's batting .269. Not exactly .260.
Last edited by Burn531; 09-18-2007 at 06:45 PM.
If Sheff wasn't injured, the team would still be in 1st place.
We're done. There's always next year
If Sheff's not injured, we're a lock to win it all.
Compared to the years before the Tigers run to the WS last year it's been a darn good year. Can't complain too much about still being in the playoff hunt in the middle of Sept.
Good job by the Indians, they've played terrific ball the last couple of months (or so).
I believe that of all the major sports, baseball has the fewest teams in the post season. How about expanding it to 6 teams in each league with the 2 top teams getting a bye in the 1st round?
They'd have to play a few more day/night doubleheaders to keep the playoffs from going too deep into the colder weather, but I think it's doable.
Mybe Illitch will make a run at ARod (goodby Inge) if he decides to opt out of his contract with the Yanks. Every Tiger fan needs to start buying lots of Little Caesar's pizza to help him bankroll the deal.
Well, all I have ever asked of pro teams is to be compe ive. Not to be doormats (cough* Lions).
The Tigers, Wings and Pistons are anything but doormats. All are highly compe ive and well above their league's average.
I tell ya, its just really nice to watch one sport all summer long and know the team actually has a legitimate chance. Its hard to make the playoffs in baseball and football. They were in the hunt until mid-September.
I cant too much. The second-half collapse is disturbing, but that has more to do with injuries than anything else. Sheff/Rogers/Bonderman/Miller/Rodney/Zumaya all spent significant time on the DL during the second half. I dont think any team could overcome that many injuries to so many key players. The fact that the Tigers were still hanging on this late was pretty damn good in itself.
See ya next year! No interest in baseball from this point forward (i say that, but I'll watch).
So much for Bill Simonson's "triple le year" this year.
(Wings, Tigers, Pistons)
I really thought the Tigers though, were going to pull it off.
I'm a Tribe fan and hoped the Tigs would make it in as a Wild Card. I hate both the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Yankees are everything wrong with baseball and the world in general, and the Red Sox are everything wrong in the sporting world. Here is why
Yankees: people trying to outspend eachother for the only reason to outspend. In the real world this is what kills people's lives.
Red Sox: Red Sox "Nation" = nothing but a bunch of front runners and bandwagoniers. That is the worst part of sports- sticking by your team, then having everyone jump on the bandwagon once your team starts winning. This makes it impossible for real fans to go to games at a decent price and everything else. Red Sox nation is a bunch of horse because nobody gave 2 craps about that team until 2004 when they made it past the Yankees. Now since they did, they have to infest themselves into other people's stadiums, and claim to be the best fans in the world, when in fact they are nothing but a bunch of front runners. I remember going to Tribe games in 1995 vs. the Red Sox when they had Mo Vaughn and Jose Cansaco and there was no Red Sox nation then. I hate Red Sox fans, and I hate the Yankees.
The tigers are a good team, they will be back next year.
Find myself saying that alot as well.
I actually think if we do go after Arod he should go to SS and keep inge at 3rd. Guillen can move over to first and we can get rid of casey.
Thats the way I thought about it as well.
Well Im not from Detroit, so this is not me being a homer.
Good idea, then we get rid of Casey's weak bat (heckuva nice guy, but...) and Guillen's weak glove.
Nice pick-up for Detroit. It'll be nice to have a good fielding SS (NL Gold Glove winner in '02 and '03) in place of the error prone Guillen (moved to 1B).
Tigers deal two prospects to Braves for Renteria
Associated Press
Updated: October 29, 2007, 5:35 PM ET
DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers filled their No. 1 need Monday, acquiring All-Star shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves for two prospects.
Renteria batted .332 in 124 games with the Braves this year, finishing with 12 homers and 57 RBIs. Detroit went into the offseason needing to add a shortstop after deciding to shift Carlos Guillen to first base.
"We were able to address our biggest need, heading into the winter, with one of the best shortstops in the game," Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said on a conference call.
The Tigers gave up right-hander Jair Jurrjens, who showed signs of promise last season, and minor league outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.
"We gave up a couple of good players, but in order to acquire a player like Edgar we knew we had to give up some talent," Dombrowski said.
With Dombrowski running the front office and current Tigers manager Jim Leyland in the dugout for the Florida Marlins, Renteria ended a thrilling World Series Game 7 in 1997. His hit with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Florida its first World Series championship with a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.
"I'm real happy to be a Detroit Tiger player," Renteria said. "I know Dave and Jim Leyland and I think I'm going to be comfortable in Detroit."
Leyland said the Tigers are "thrilled to death" to add Renteria.
"He was a part of the biggest night of my life in 1997," Leyland said. "To be reunited with Edgar is a thrill."
The Braves were willing to part with Renteria because they have shortstop Yunel Escobar, who turns 25 later this week.
In exchange for the 32-year-old Renteria, Atlanta added a candidate for its starting rotation and a possible outfielder for the future.
Jurrjens started seven games in Detroit last year and was 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA. He was 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts for Double-A Erie.
Hernandez hit .293 with four homers, 50 RBIs and stole 54 bases in 124 games at Class-A West Michigan last season.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3085675
Career Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/player...?playerId=3441
Tough to let go of Jair Jurjjens, but for the short term, say for the next 2-3 seasons, it's the right move. Jurjjens really had his stock rise after a couple very strong outings. Renteria immediately upgrades the short stop position defensively, but he's not outstanding. Hopefully, his bat stays as hot as it was last season. Right now, I figure he'll be in the 6th spot after Guillen, with part time lead-off work against left handed pitchers, and possibly a fill-in 3-hole hitter if Sheffield has a day off or is injured.
Overall, I'm mixed over the trade, but I do like the fact that Dombrowski was proactive in doing something. He made the deal he wanted to make to improve the line-up. Whether it works out for the better, we'll have to wait and see these next few seasons. Maggs didn't really seem like a great acquisition his first couple years here. But, if healthy, Maggs has been a spectacular free agent acquisition. Just hope Renteria can continue to hit around .300 to .315 and force pitchers to not pitch around Maggs and Guillen.
I am assuming that Renteria's problems in Boston were problems with Boston, not the AL. If that is true, I am very happy about this trade.
Jurjjens would not have helped this team during this current window of opportunity to win a championship. Long term, I am a little bummed, but JJ is right handed, so I can live with the decision.
Hernandez may never be a major league starter. It's a little too early to say, but he strikes me as more of a natural athlete than a baseball player. He has virtually no power.
The beauty of this trade is that it adds an all-star calibre player without subtracting an everyday position player, and it makes Guillen more effective.
The Tigers have expressed their interest in picking up a left fielder. Adam Dunn will be a free agent if the Reds don't exercise his $13 mil team option this year (the buyout is only 500k).
We could us a big left-handed bat in the lineup and he's averaged 40 hr's, 100 rbi's, 100 runs over the last 4 years.
2008 Lineup with Dunn
1. Granderson
2. Polanco
3. Ordonez
4. Sheffield
5. Dunn
6. Guillen
7. Renteria
8. Pudge
9. Inge
He also averaged 180 strikeouts over that span. For comparison sake, Brandon Inge has averaged 125 strikeouts.
Not that we'll get him but, this past year Dunn had 101 walks (17 more than any Tiger) and 165 stikeouts to Inge's 47 walks and 150 strikeouts.
Dunn's OBP of .386 (for comparisons sake Granderson's was .361) would have been 4th on the Tigers (Inge's .312 was dead last among Tiger starters).
On a good hitting team like the Tigers it's not unreasonable to suggest that Dunn's rbi total would be more in the 120 range.
Aquiring Dunn may be little more than a pipe dream, but it would undoubtedly make them a better team.
Dunn's strikeouts aren't a major concern if he bats fifth, as you projected. Obviously, I haven't been able to research this, but he tends to put the ball in play when he needs to do so. For example, a strikeout with two outs and no one on is no different than a screaming line drive at a fielder. Dunn strikes out a lot by gambling in those situations.
His reputation as a free-swinger is undeserved, but I think it may help to keep his price down.
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