There’s been a flurry of activity in Detroit (or should I say Lakeland, FL - home of the Tigers Spring/Winter Training camp?) in preparation for the 2009 baseball season. As most ball fans know, especially those of us in or near Detroit, the 2008 “super-season” we were supposed to have never happened. In fact, 2008 was the most disappointing season for this Michigan team, in recent years. With the loss of Pudge Rodriguez adding flames to the fire, the team is looking to overhaul or face getting a new coach, in place of Jim Leyland’s lackluster performance.
Like any good sports fan, I’m subscribed to receive updates every time Detroit makes even the slightest move. Earlier today, the latest news was that the Tigers were working on signing Adam Everett for a one year deal. There wasn’t much information on the deal, other than to say that Everett is a veteran short stop and that he’d spent most of the 2008 season out for injuries. It also said that the Minnesota Twins player had his worst season due to injury.
Don’t get me wrong, Everett may be a good short stop, but does a team, already riddled with injuries in all of its top positions, think getting another injury-prone player is a good idea?
Apparently Everett or Detroit is having second thoughts. I just received a retraction from the Tigers.com updater. Apparently, no deal has technically been discussed with Everett though he did warm up for one of the coaches down in Lakeland. So, the question then becomes, is he or isn’t he?
When I wrote my article about Brandon Inge being an underrated player, I did so with the assumption that Brandon was a team player and that Brandon was good playing the infield (at a base). The Tigers have made a stupid mistake in making Brandon the #1 catcher. For starters, he can’t catch. He doesn’t have the instincts of a catcher. Pudge Rodriguez may not be as good as he once was, but there is no disputing the fact that he has the instincts of a catcher. What would have made more sense is to trade Renteria for a relief pitcher, moving Guillen to shortstop and putting Brandon back at third.
Brandon Inge isn’t playing baseball to help a team. He’s playing baseball for himself. He’s consistently made comments about how it “doesn’t matter what position he plays” as long as he gets to play every day. That’s all that matters to Brandon. I highly doubt he’s having a hard time dealing with the loss of Pudge. This means he gets to play a lot more frequently, so good riddance to Rodriguez, right?
Brandon went out as the catcher in the Tigers’ last game against Cleveland (which they had to fight to win), and he had a cocky attitude as if to say “I deserve to be catching”. It’s kind of funny because he boggled pitches repeatedly, couldn’t calm pitchers down and he already made his first error at the position. In just one game, he sucked at catching. While its nice he’s currently able to hit the ball (that won’t last - he’s only hitting .227), if he can’t perform well in a defensive capacity as a catcher, he’s no good to the team.
“I wan to play every day not matter what position, so I’m pumped,” Brandon said in a recent interview about the situation.
“Did I learn a lot from Pudge? He’s a future Hall of Famer, so watching him makes everybody better. I’m not Pudge, I’ll just go out and do what I can.”
That makes fans feel better I’m sure. Brandon will do what he can, but damn skippy he’s not Pudge. I hope DUMBrowski and Leyland have to eat their words. When Pudge becomes a free agent at the end of this year he might just end up back in Detroit. This is, if he’s willing to accept those who beg him to come back. I wouldn’t if I were Pudge, but that’s just my take on the matter.
Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland are the biggest assholes on the planet. Rather than allow one of the most reliable players on their team to continue to play, they’ve traded him away for a relief pitcher who has lost more games than he’s won. Pudge Rodriguez, the veteran catcher that always personified what Tigers baseball was all about has been traded to the heartless, soul-less, New York Yankees. I can’t say how angst-ridden and upset I feel. Pudge Rodriguez was “My” Tiger and now he’s gone.
Pudgey is a 13-time Gold Glove winner and 14-time All Star. Pudge is currently batting with a .295 average. He has 5 home runs and 32 RBIs. This is the guy the Tigers traded for a relief pitcher. We don’t need a relief pitcher quite as much as we need a whole new pitching staff, but c’mon. We couldn’t get anyone better than Kyle Farnsworth? That’d be like trading A-Rod for Edgar Renteria. It’s just plain stupid and the Tigers are going to suffer because of their blatant stupidity.
Kyle Farnsworth is 1-2, with a 3.65 ERA. He’s had 1 save and has given up 17 walks. This year alone he’s given up 18 earned runs and 11 home runs. Farnsworth played in Detroit in 2005. We traded him to Atlanta for a reason. He’s just not that good of a pitcher. I hate the fact that he’s being traded for Pudge. It’s a disservice and a huge slap in the face not only to Pudge, but to the Tigers fans. I can see many fans getting angry about this. Instead of getting rid of the biggest problem in the Tigers lineup, Edgar Renteria (hitting .261 and with more errors than I can count), they sacked the most awesome player on the team (next to Magglio Ordonez).
According to the AP, Pudge wanted to be traded. I can hardly blame him with how he’s been treated this last year by a team he once said “he hoped to play with until he retired”.
There has to be some way to turn this Detroit Tigers team around. The players on this team aren’t bad guys. They are actually all very good in their respective roles, with a few exceptions. So, why does Jim Leyland keep making the same mistakes over and over in an attempt to improve the team? I know I may be repeating some of the things I’ve said before, in other articles on the Tigers, but I can’t help that I’m right when it comes to who sucks on the Tigers team.
1. Letting Nate Robertson start - Nate would be best these days as a relief pitcher, if any pitching were allowed for him. He might be better served in another organization or back in the minors. Jim is nostalgic from 2006, but Nate hasn’t done sh!t for the team since then. He has one of the worst pitching records in the league let alone on the team.
2. Letting Edgar Renteria play in every game - Renteria is either on or off. When he’s on, he’s fly. When he’s off, he’s terrible both on the field and batting. He isn’t that good of a short stop and boggles the ball more than he catches it. He needs to switch things up with Santiago or even Guillen, who wasn’t that bad in the position.
It’s been said by some that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the best player to come out of Puerto Rico. Some may agree and others won’t. It’s also been said that Pudge is the best defensive catcher in MLB history. Once again, that’s open to interpretation. When compared to the man many consider baseball’s greatest catcher, Johnny Bench, there is a lot that could be said about Pudge Rodriguez and his abilities. Johnny had his strength and Pudge had his, but when it comes to catching, as opposed to overall career, I think Pudge has the edge.
Born on November 27, 1971 in Manatí, Puerto Rico, Pudge (sometimes called I-Rod) showed his baseball prowess early on, and at the age of 16 he was signed by the Texas Rangers. That was back in 1988 and he played with the Rangers for 12 seasons, from 1991-2002. In 2003, he was traded to the Florida Marlins and from 2004-the present he’s played for the Detroit Tigers.
In all, Pudge has played 18 seasons. In that time he has a .302 batting average. In comparison, Bench was a lifetime .267 hitter. While Bench has more homers than Pudge (Bench had 389 in his career, Pudge has 289 in 18 seasons). Pudge is less known for his power hitting and more known for doubling. In 2008, he hit 2,500 career hits and he now has 2,539 in total as of today. Bench may have had 100 more home runs than Pudge has thus far, but Pudge has already surpassed the slugger in hits, with Bench only hitting 2,048 times in his entire career. Of course, that’s just a comparison of their hitting abilities. There is no doubt that Bench is the better slugger, but what about on the field?
I don’t want to say that Kevin Youkilis looks kind of prissy when he’s up at bat, but honestly, he does. Ashtyn pointed out his little, rotating hip wiggle (frankly, I wasn’t really paying attention to him hitting) earlier this year during a Boston-Detroit baseball game. Since then, I honestly get the giggles (I know, not very manly of me), every time I see him bat. All I can say is wow!
While this isn’t the best footage of it, and you can certainly see it better the next time you see Boston play on television, check out this video of Youkilis at bat to see what I’m talking about!
If you haven’t voted yet, you should head over to the MLB website to vote for your favorite MLB All Stars, to give them a chance to play in the 2008 All Star Game, which is set to be held at Yankee Stadium (the last year it will be open to the public) on July 15, 2008. Also known as the Midsummer Classic, the All Star Game voting will be open until July 2, 2008.
Early numbers for the All Star Game show the AL is being dominated by Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees players. This is no surprise since these two ball clubs seem to have the biggest fan base. Still, if you’re a fan of the smaller teams or prefer to choose players by their abilities and not the name on their jerseys (leading AL team Tampa Bay has no player selected for starting positions - for example) then you need to get in your votes.
I love the Tigers, but I know some of them are struggling. I had to consider their abilities on and off the field when voting and I’ll admit I didn’t vote for all Tigers. I want the AL to win the All Star Game so I had to put my personal feelings aside and vote for who I thought would do the best job. The Tigers I did vote for include Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, who is the best catcher in the MLB. He isn’t always on when it comes to hitting, but when he is, he’s amazing. When it comes to his performance on the field, there isn’t a better catcher in the MLB. He knows how to call pitches, how to throw players stealing bases out and he is consistently good in his role.
The Detroit Tigers shouldn’t be struggling. They brought in Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrell Willis, and even the former Tiger, Jacque Jones, to make their already strong lineup an even stronger powerhouse. Still, the Tigers are struggling to win against even the most mediocre of teams. I’ve spoken about the inconsistent pitching, but the problem is much bigger than that.
There are several things that could and should be fixed to make the Tigers more powerful and productive. It’s not just the pitching that has been showing lackluster performance value. Infield boggles, sad at bat performances and unproductive hitting with batters on base have led the Tigers down the road towards being at the bottom of the AL’s Central division, and second to last in the entire AL. Luckily, there is still hope for the Tigers and here is what I think Jim Leyland should do to get his team back in the game:
First, Jim needs to seriously sit down and look at his pitching staff. Most of his starters, with the exception of Jeremy Bonderman, have been consistently inconsistent. Kenny Rogers pitches well early on, but he must be taken out when he begins to show signs of fatigue. This will prevent 5th-7th inning scoring that Rogers has consistently been giving up. Verlander can handle it to the 7th or longer in most games, but he has inconsistent backup. Galarraga has amazing days and not so amazing days, but overall does well.
Leyland needs to pick up a new starter. He needs to drop Nate Robertson. The only wins he’s gotten this season have come from the bats coming alive and the fielders backing him up. I think they know he needs the extra boost of assistance, so they play extra hard. Robertson doesn’t have the ability to strike people out consistently (or at all). It’s time to say goodbye to the pitcher that most of Michigan is sick of seeing mess up.
The Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, are known for caring about the residents of Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. The Mud Hens, who are currently ranked in first place of the INTL West host baseball camps for kids every summer. This year is the first year the Mud Hens are going to be offering a camp specifically for kids with special needs.
The one hour camp is open to every child between the ages of 5 and 18 who has a disability. The one hour camp costs $20. During camp, kids get to interact with the Mud Hens players and coaches as they take to the field. The Mud Hens Special Needs Clinic is going to be held on July 26, 2008 from 4:30-5:30 PM. Participants receive a souvenir baseball and a ticket to the Mud Hens game held after camp. You can find out more details about this camp at the Mud Hens website or you can call (419)725-HENS.
This isn’t the only camp available to kids who want to attend baseball camp. There are two three-day baseball camps. These are open to kids between the ages of 7-14. The camps cost $130 per session. The two sessions available are June 10-13 and July 28-31. Children will be divided up into three age groups 7-8, 9-10, and 11-14. During camp, there will be in depth teaching by the Mud Hens players and finally each age group will play a game before awards will be given in the Roost Banquet Hall. By attending the camp, kids get free lunch every day of camp, a Mud Hens Tee, a souvenir baseball and a ticket to one game played after the daily camp session. Campers will also have the chance to interact extensively with the Mud Hens players and coaches.
It was a three game sweep of the New York Yankees by the Detroit Tigers during the first three games of their road trip, which will take them from New York to Minnesota, before heading back to Comerica Park. The Yanks lost to the Tigers on April 29 in a 6-4 game. Kenny Rogers got the win for Detroit while Todd Jones got the save and Phil Hughes got the loss for New York. On April 30, Detroit beat the Yankees 6-2. Jeremy Bonderman, who has been on fire for Detroit, got the win and Andy Pettitte got the loss.
Tonight, struggling pitcher Nate Robertson got a win as the Tigers beat the Yankees with a score of 8-4. The loss went to reliever Jonathan Albaladejo though he really didn’t have much of a chance with the Tigers offense playing as well as it did. The game started out poorly with Bobby Abreu hitting in a three run homer for the Yanks. Abreyu got three RBIs as he batted in Jonny Damon and Derek Jeter. Nate is known for struggling terribly in at least one inning he pitches and in this game he struggled in the first. The Yanks led things off 3-0.
After things settled down in the second, starter Ian Kennedy walked one and got three others out and Robertson had a 1-2-3 second, the Tigers offense started to wake up. Ramon Santiago doubled and stole third on a wild pitch. Curtis Granderson hit a sacrifice RBI ground out as Santiago scored, making the score 3-1. Placido Polanco doubled and Gary Sheffield walked with two outs. Magglio Ordonez had a two-run RBI double as Shef and Polanco scored. The Tigers tied up the game and weren’t done yet! Miguel Cabrera RBI tripled to take the lead as Mags scored before Carlos Guillen ended the inning with a ground out.
There’s been a flurry of activity in Detroit (or should I say Lakeland, FL - home of the Tigers Spring/Winter Training camp?) in preparation for the 2009 baseball season. As most ball fans know, especially those of us in or near Detroit, the 2008 “super-season” we were supposed to have never happened. In fact, 2008 was the most disappointing season for this Michigan team, in recent years. With the loss of Pudge Rodriguez adding flames to the fire, the team is looking to overhaul or face getting a new coach, in place of Jim Leyland’s lackluster performance.
Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland are the biggest assholes on the planet. Rather than allow one of the most reliable players on their team to continue to play, they’ve traded him away for a relief pitcher who has lost more games than he’s won. Pudge Rodriguez, the veteran catcher that always personified what Tigers baseball was all about has been traded to the heartless, soul-less, New York Yankees. I can’t say how angst-ridden and upset I feel. Pudge Rodriguez was “My” Tiger and now he’s gone.
There has to be some way to turn this Detroit Tigers team around. The players on this team aren’t bad guys. They are actually all very good in their respective roles, with a few exceptions. So, why does Jim Leyland keep making the same mistakes over and over in an attempt to improve the team? I know I may be repeating some of the things I’ve said before, in other articles on the Tigers, but I can’t help that I’m right when it comes to who sucks on the Tigers team.
It’s been said by some that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the best player to come out of Puerto Rico. Some may agree and others won’t. It’s also been said that Pudge is the best defensive catcher in MLB history. Once again, that’s open to interpretation. When compared to the man many consider baseball’s greatest catcher, Johnny Bench, there is a lot that could be said about Pudge Rodriguez and his abilities. Johnny had his strength and Pudge had his, but when it comes to catching, as opposed to overall career, I think Pudge has the edge.
If you haven’t voted yet, you should head over to 
The Detroit Tigers shouldn’t be struggling. They brought in Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrell Willis, and even the former Tiger, Jacque Jones, to make their already strong lineup an even stronger powerhouse. Still, the Tigers are struggling to win against even the most mediocre of teams. I’ve spoken about the inconsistent pitching, but the problem is much bigger than that.
The Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, are known for caring about the residents of Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. The Mud Hens, who are currently ranked in first place of the INTL West host baseball camps for kids every summer. This year is the first year the Mud Hens are going to be offering a camp specifically for kids with special needs.
It was a three game sweep of the New York Yankees by the Detroit Tigers during the first three games of their road trip, which will take them from New York to Minnesota, before heading back to Comerica Park. The Yanks lost to the Tigers on April 29 in a 6-4 game. Kenny Rogers got the win for Detroit while Todd Jones got the save and Phil Hughes got the loss for New York. On April 30, Detroit beat the Yankees 6-2. Jeremy Bonderman, who has been on fire for Detroit, got the win and Andy Pettitte got the loss.