History is a funny word. Sometimes it means something is done or finished (that book is history), or maybe that it's outdated or old. Other times, it refers to something, usually a bad something.
For an example of the latter, I quote Bill James, one of the greatest statistical minds baseball has ever known, from his 1988 Baseball Abstract. Note that he uses "past", but it means the same thing.
The problem is that you acquire a past. In the beginning, what needs to be done is so clear, so obvious. When you have no players you must acquire the best young players that you can find. When they are ready you put them in the lineup because the people who were there before them are just a holding action, just waiting until the future is warm. When you have no past you have no loyalties, no debts. You know exactly where you are in the cycle. You have a memory of no yesterday's dreams which still might flower tomorrow, and thus there is no confusion of tomorrow with yesterday, plans with dreams or what is right with what is best for the team. On September 20 of 1987 the Toronto Blue Jays had a clean slate. They never will again.1
He is referring to the 1987 season, when Toronto and Detroit fought for the AL East division title for most of the season. Toronto took the first three games of a four-games series against Detroit in Toronto, September 24-26, and led by 3.5 games with 7 games to play for them and 8 for Detroit. Detroit won the final game of the series in Toronto, split four games with Baltimore and swept Toronto in three one-run games. Toronto was swept by Milwaukee before the Detroit series, and as a result, the Tigers clinched a tie for the division on Saturday and won the title on Sunday.
According to coolstandings.com, Toronto had an 89.9% chance to win the division as things stood on the 26th, taking into account their remaining schedule, Detroit's remaining schedule, and other factors. (The site explains it in slightly more detail.) It was the 25th-biggest collapse in MLB history, at least prior to this season.
Prior to 2003, the Tigers already had a long history: one of the eight original American League clubs that began play in 1901, one of only four to have played in the same city the entire time (Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland the others), the first AL team to win three straight pennants (and the first team to lose three straight World Series), a team that went 52 seasons before first losing 100 games and finishing last ... but with only four World Series titles and no pennants since '84, Detroit's history was mostly history.
In 2003, they lost 119 games. That's not good. But they rebounded the next year to win 72, and then two years later, they won 95 games and stormed through the AL playoffs to capture their first pennant in 22 years before losing to St. Louis in five games in the Series. (One of the biggest jokes in history: David Eckstein getting the Series MVP.)
But wait: Detroit didn't win the division in 2006, even though on August 22, they had a 93.1% chance of winning the division (7.5 games up). They had a 78.3% chance of winning the division on the final day, but lost their fifth straight game, all at home, to fall into the wild-card spot instead.
In 2007, it was different, oh yes. On July 19th, they had an 88.7% chance of making the playoffs. This time, the collapse was bigger, and by the last week of the season, the Tigers were completely out of the race. That was collapse #28.
This year, on September 30, Detroit had an amazing 96% chance to win the division. They were in the midst of a four-game series in Detroit against the Twins, having arrived with a two-game lead with seven to play. With a magic number of 6, all Detroit needed was three of the four games to clinch. They lost the first game (the first half of a day-night doubleheader forced by a rainout on Monday), but won the next two, and when October arrived, all they needed was 2: 2 Tigers wins, 2 Twins losses, or one of each, and with a game left between the two, they could do it all at once.
But they didn't. I got no birthday present. Minnesota went on to sweep Kansas City, Detroit stumbled against Chicago, winning only the final game of a three-game series to force a playoff, and then you know what happened next.
The problem wasn't whether or not Leyland should have given Porcello the hook for Zach Miner (probably; Porcello was already overthrowing a bit) or whether he should have made Rodney the designated finish-up guy (probably not; no sense in killing your pen with a possible game tomorrow, but you do have to win for that game tomorrow to be yours) or whatever, but rather that the Tigers couldn't consistently beat Kansas City or Chicago. They went 9-9 against each team while the Twins went 12-6 against each team. That, my friends, is the problem. The Tigers made themselves have to win in the last week, and with a history of collapsing, they couldn't do it.
Sure, there are a number of franchises with a longer drought than Detroit has (the Cubs, obviously, but the Rangers came into the league as Senators II in 1961 and haven't won ever; the Indians haven't won since 1948 ...), but at some point there isn't too much difference between them. All you know is that you didn't win this year, you didn't win last year, and you can't feel like you can win next year.
However, the Tigers do have some good young players, and they have made a run at the playoffs three of the last four seasons. And at some point this will pass, and the Tigers will win again, and everything will be all right.
But right now it sucks.
1James, Bill, The 1988 Bill James Baseball Abstract, p.84.
A profile of zlionsfan
- zlionsfan
- Indiana, United States
- I like cats. I play a lot of games. Sometimes I develop web-based applications; this keeps my current employer from firing me too often. My favorite color is blue, or maybe green.
Showing posts with label tigers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tigers. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
XM
Today, I got another reminder of why satellite radio has a dim future, at least under its current providers. (Usually, I think about things like DJs who WON'T. SHUT. UP. Because, you know, that's what we loved most about terrestrial radio, so we really need that on XM/Sirius. Or combining forces to save money and then still being unable to provide a full lineup.)
I was heading out to feed Evil Cat and trying to listen to the Tigers' pregame show on XM. Unfortunately, the wires they set up to pick up the Detroit feed must have been crossed, because I couldn't clearly hear the people talking ... there was a hard-rock station playing in the background. When the game started, they must have got that fixed, because it wasn't a problem.
Sometime in the bottom of the second, though, the signal just went dead. I checked the other stations - no problem, so it must be the feed. Of course, XM/Sirius just puts on a few extra commercials for their own stuff, just seeing if we notice. (Yes, we do.)
Eventually, after 5 minutes or so (when we should already have been in the third inning), they change the text to read "Tech Difficulties." (Another thing I don't like: they never use more than half of the text area on my display.) o rly?
In the bottom of the third, the signal comes back ... well, not really. It's the Rangers' feed. Okay, whatever. (Obviously, it would be smart to do what DirecTV does, and carry both home and away feeds, particularly when you think about all the channels they have and what they're not using. So they don't.)
Then, in the top of the fourth, we finally get the Tigers' feed back. Except that when they break for station identification, XM/Sirius plays the clip of Ron Washington telling us we're listening to the Rangers' radio network on XM.
When my contract expires in October, I'm renewing for the shortest possible amount of time. Hopefully whatever replaces XM/Sirius will work with what's in my car.
I was heading out to feed Evil Cat and trying to listen to the Tigers' pregame show on XM. Unfortunately, the wires they set up to pick up the Detroit feed must have been crossed, because I couldn't clearly hear the people talking ... there was a hard-rock station playing in the background. When the game started, they must have got that fixed, because it wasn't a problem.
Sometime in the bottom of the second, though, the signal just went dead. I checked the other stations - no problem, so it must be the feed. Of course, XM/Sirius just puts on a few extra commercials for their own stuff, just seeing if we notice. (Yes, we do.)
Eventually, after 5 minutes or so (when we should already have been in the third inning), they change the text to read "Tech Difficulties." (Another thing I don't like: they never use more than half of the text area on my display.) o rly?
In the bottom of the third, the signal comes back ... well, not really. It's the Rangers' feed. Okay, whatever. (Obviously, it would be smart to do what DirecTV does, and carry both home and away feeds, particularly when you think about all the channels they have and what they're not using. So they don't.)
Then, in the top of the fourth, we finally get the Tigers' feed back. Except that when they break for station identification, XM/Sirius plays the clip of Ron Washington telling us we're listening to the Rangers' radio network on XM.
When my contract expires in October, I'm renewing for the shortest possible amount of time. Hopefully whatever replaces XM/Sirius will work with what's in my car.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Renteria is what?
I know, I know, fish in a barrel, but anyway, apparently Lynn Henning of the News thinks that Renteria is beginning to look like an utter liability at shortstop.
My understanding is that the Tigers signed him to improve on Guillen's performance, not to be Omar Vizquel, and in that respect, he has succeeded. You name it, Renteria's improved it: fielding percentage, range factor, zone rating, revised zone rating. A better criticism would have been to suggest that Renteria's performance at the plate has not been what the Tigers hoped to get from him.
Certainly, there's an argument that facing AL pitching will drop the average NLer's numbers, and Renteria is 33, not 23, so he's not likely to improve (nor even maintain, not necessarily), but nonetheless, Renteria's RC/27 is 3.48, below Sean Casey's 2007 level of 5.09 (remember, the idea was to put Renteria at SS so Guillen could play 1B with Cabrera coming in). Even Inge posted a 4.10 RC/27 last season, so hold off on commenting that Guillen is actually replacing Inge at 3B ...
Anyway, the biggest problem the Tigers have had is not defense at SS, but pitching, and Renteria isn't going to be taking the mound soon. If you're going to be criticizing an acquisition, it should be Willis (or maybe Jacque Jones, but of course he's already gone), not Renteria.
My understanding is that the Tigers signed him to improve on Guillen's performance, not to be Omar Vizquel, and in that respect, he has succeeded. You name it, Renteria's improved it: fielding percentage, range factor, zone rating, revised zone rating. A better criticism would have been to suggest that Renteria's performance at the plate has not been what the Tigers hoped to get from him.
Certainly, there's an argument that facing AL pitching will drop the average NLer's numbers, and Renteria is 33, not 23, so he's not likely to improve (nor even maintain, not necessarily), but nonetheless, Renteria's RC/27 is 3.48, below Sean Casey's 2007 level of 5.09 (remember, the idea was to put Renteria at SS so Guillen could play 1B with Cabrera coming in). Even Inge posted a 4.10 RC/27 last season, so hold off on commenting that Guillen is actually replacing Inge at 3B ...
Anyway, the biggest problem the Tigers have had is not defense at SS, but pitching, and Renteria isn't going to be taking the mound soon. If you're going to be criticizing an acquisition, it should be Willis (or maybe Jacque Jones, but of course he's already gone), not Renteria.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Dude!
Holy cow.
So the Tigers want to win big, and win now. I love it.
I saw rumors about the deal this afternoon. When ESPN ran the story from Gammons that it was all but done, I nearly broke off my workout to go home and write about it. (Then I remembered that I'm 25 pounds overweight and really don't need to be ditching cardio work.)
Left field isn't set yet, at least the PAs that Sheffield won't use when he's not DH/1B with Guillen, but aside from that, Detroit now has
1B Guillen (123 OPS+ in 2006)
2B Polanco (122 OPS+ - yep, that's right)
3B Cabrera (150 OPS+)
SS Renteria (125)
LF Jones (87)
CF Granderson (136)
RF Ordonez (167)
DH Sheffield (120)
C Rodriguez (85)
(Yeah, I forgot the acquisition of Jacque Jones. My bad.)
Pudge may remain below-average, LF might be another below-average bat, and a couple others may drop as well, but right now, that's one solid lineup. I may head over to WIS to see if I can test it against some other current teams ....
SP Verlander (ERA+ 125, WHIP 1.23)
SP Willis (ERA+ 83, WHIP 1.60)
SP Bonderman (ERA+ 91, WHIP 1.38)
SP Rogers (ERA+ 103, WHIP 1.43)
SP Robertson (ERA+ 96, WHIP 1.48)
More questions in the rotation, of course: can Willis regain his form, is Bonderman going to be healthy, is Rogers going to be healthy/clean/not cheating ... anyway, the rotation should be stable, at least, which it hasn't been in a long time.
RP Rodney (ERA+ 107, WHIP 1.32)
RP Jones (ERA+ 107, WHIP 1.42)
???
The bullpen has some work to do, with Zumaya likely out for the year. Byrdak and Seay posted some good numbers, and the new guy might help as well, but the Tigers will need consistency from the pen. Not much more, though. If the lineup lives up to its billing, the pitching will be fine.
So the Tigers want to win big, and win now. I love it.
I saw rumors about the deal this afternoon. When ESPN ran the story from Gammons that it was all but done, I nearly broke off my workout to go home and write about it. (Then I remembered that I'm 25 pounds overweight and really don't need to be ditching cardio work.)
1B Guillen (123 OPS+ in 2006)
2B Polanco (122 OPS+ - yep, that's right)
3B Cabrera (150 OPS+)
SS Renteria (125)
LF Jones (87)
CF Granderson (136)
RF Ordonez (167)
DH Sheffield (120)
C Rodriguez (85)
(Yeah, I forgot the acquisition of Jacque Jones. My bad.)
Pudge may remain below-average, LF might be another below-average bat, and a couple others may drop as well, but right now, that's one solid lineup. I may head over to WIS to see if I can test it against some other current teams ....
SP Verlander (ERA+ 125, WHIP 1.23)
SP Willis (ERA+ 83, WHIP 1.60)
SP Bonderman (ERA+ 91, WHIP 1.38)
SP Rogers (ERA+ 103, WHIP 1.43)
SP Robertson (ERA+ 96, WHIP 1.48)
More questions in the rotation, of course: can Willis regain his form, is Bonderman going to be healthy, is Rogers going to be healthy/clean/not cheating ... anyway, the rotation should be stable, at least, which it hasn't been in a long time.
RP Rodney (ERA+ 107, WHIP 1.32)
RP Jones (ERA+ 107, WHIP 1.42)
???
The bullpen has some work to do, with Zumaya likely out for the year. Byrdak and Seay posted some good numbers, and the new guy might help as well, but the Tigers will need consistency from the pen. Not much more, though. If the lineup lives up to its billing, the pitching will be fine.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Evened up!
Well, I feel a lot better now, although I thought for a minute I was going to cry on the bar. Todd Jones has to be the shakiest closer in AL postseason history. I would have left Rogers in myself, which is what I've learned from all my experience managing in the bigs.
Basically, the Tigers played pretty well, and the Cardinals didn't play well until the ninth. The one thing Detroit can improve upon is getting runners home. They stranded five runners in two innings - getting a key hit in either inning would have blown the game open and got them even deeper into the Cardinals' pen.
Oh well, at least the Series is even. A nothing-to-lose Game 3 on Tuesday facing the Cardinals' ace, and I bet that's how Leyland puts it to his team. We'll see if the oddsmakers still favor the Tigers.
coolstandings.com is back to picking the Tigers by quite a bit. After Game 1, the Cards had a slight edge, but now, the three most likely scenarios favor Detroit. (It's worth noting that they have the odds about 3 to 1 that the Series will come back to Comerica.)
In 1990, Detroit had home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, but split the first two games with Portland. Much was made about the fact that the Pistons hadn't won there in something like 17 years (although it was only 14 games or so - at one point, I guess you didn't necessarily play home-and-home against every team in the other conference), and some people were predicting a three-game sweep to end the series. Well, they were right ... but it was the Pistons who took three, not the Blazers.
I'm not saying the Tigers will win three in St. Louis.
But I wouldn't bet against it.
Basically, the Tigers played pretty well, and the Cardinals didn't play well until the ninth. The one thing Detroit can improve upon is getting runners home. They stranded five runners in two innings - getting a key hit in either inning would have blown the game open and got them even deeper into the Cardinals' pen.
Oh well, at least the Series is even. A nothing-to-lose Game 3 on Tuesday facing the Cardinals' ace, and I bet that's how Leyland puts it to his team. We'll see if the oddsmakers still favor the Tigers.
coolstandings.com is back to picking the Tigers by quite a bit. After Game 1, the Cards had a slight edge, but now, the three most likely scenarios favor Detroit. (It's worth noting that they have the odds about 3 to 1 that the Series will come back to Comerica.)
In 1990, Detroit had home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, but split the first two games with Portland. Much was made about the fact that the Pistons hadn't won there in something like 17 years (although it was only 14 games or so - at one point, I guess you didn't necessarily play home-and-home against every team in the other conference), and some people were predicting a three-game sweep to end the series. Well, they were right ... but it was the Pistons who took three, not the Blazers.
I'm not saying the Tigers will win three in St. Louis.
But I wouldn't bet against it.
Off to a bad start
Well, I guess the best thing about Game 1 was that it wasn't one little mistake that cost the Tigers the game. They made enough mistakes to give the Cardinals an advantage if St. Louis had played poorly, and St. Louis did enough things well to win without Tigers mistakes.
Verlander got too many pitches high in the zone, the defense wasn't particularly good, and even though the Tigers were more patient than maybe any other game so far in the playoffs, they didn't hit enough balls on the ground. Reyes kept the Cardinals' bullpen idle until the 9th, negating much of the advantage Detroit had from its six-day layoff.
But the good news is that Rogers is pitching tomorrow, and coming from behind is nothing new to this team. If you believe in omens, the '68 team fell behind 3 games to 1 and still won the Series.
In addition to that, Sparky, the only manager to win the Series in both leagues, recorded his AL title nine years after an NL title.
Nine years ago, Leyland's Marlins won the Series.
(Yes, I know, the last Reds title was in '76, not '75, but see, this is how TV shapes statistics for their story.)
Verlander got too many pitches high in the zone, the defense wasn't particularly good, and even though the Tigers were more patient than maybe any other game so far in the playoffs, they didn't hit enough balls on the ground. Reyes kept the Cardinals' bullpen idle until the 9th, negating much of the advantage Detroit had from its six-day layoff.
But the good news is that Rogers is pitching tomorrow, and coming from behind is nothing new to this team. If you believe in omens, the '68 team fell behind 3 games to 1 and still won the Series.
In addition to that, Sparky, the only manager to win the Series in both leagues, recorded his AL title nine years after an NL title.
Nine years ago, Leyland's Marlins won the Series.
(Yes, I know, the last Reds title was in '76, not '75, but see, this is how TV shapes statistics for their story.)
Sunday, October 15, 2006
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!
Seven down, four to go. It's 2:15 in the morning, I have an eleven-hour drive tomorrow, and Magglio Ordoñez is worth every penny.
By the way, Dayn Perry thinks Chris Shelton should be on the WS roster. He's a fool (Perry, not Shelton). I'd write him and let him know that a) Shelton hasn't hit well since April and b) part of the reason the Tigers traded for Casey is that Shelton's defense isn't that good either, but I can't, because Fox doesn't want you to contact their writers. Whatever.
I'm not sure if I'd rather see the Tigers shell Jeff Weaver and the Cardinals, or watch them beat the Mets and burn up the other half of the "Subway Series". Either way, I'm busy the 21st, 22nd, 24th, and 25th, and possibly the 26th, 28th, and 29th.
I say Tigers over the Cardinals in five. I'd almost rather see it go six, so that the Tigers can celebrate in Comerica one more time, but I'd rather not lose two games. Either NL team can definitely cause problems for Detroit, but if they keep playing like this, Bud Selig will be shaking hands with Mike Ilitch in late October.
By the way, Dayn Perry thinks Chris Shelton should be on the WS roster. He's a fool (Perry, not Shelton). I'd write him and let him know that a) Shelton hasn't hit well since April and b) part of the reason the Tigers traded for Casey is that Shelton's defense isn't that good either, but I can't, because Fox doesn't want you to contact their writers. Whatever.
I'm not sure if I'd rather see the Tigers shell Jeff Weaver and the Cardinals, or watch them beat the Mets and burn up the other half of the "Subway Series". Either way, I'm busy the 21st, 22nd, 24th, and 25th, and possibly the 26th, 28th, and 29th.
I say Tigers over the Cardinals in five. I'd almost rather see it go six, so that the Tigers can celebrate in Comerica one more time, but I'd rather not lose two games. Either NL team can definitely cause problems for Detroit, but if they keep playing like this, Bud Selig will be shaking hands with Mike Ilitch in late October.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Two games to none!
Despite having an automatic out in the lineup, the Tigers take Game 2 from the A's, 8-5. Todd Jones gets the save by bringing the winning run to the plate and then getting him to fly out to center. I believe my heart has started beating again.
This is a very good position for the Tigers. It's definitely possible to blow this lead, but not very likely. If they can take Game 3, they'll be in great shape.
No off day! I want a Thursday night game. :)
This is a very good position for the Tigers. It's definitely possible to blow this lead, but not very likely. If they can take Game 3, they'll be in great shape.
No off day! I want a Thursday night game. :)
LCS Game 1 in the books
Now that was the way to start a series. I wonder if Leyland is trying the tennis trick, putting his #4 starter in the #1 spot and hoping for an upset that will give him an advantage the rest of the way through the rotation. If so, it worked like a charm. It was great to watch the Tigers knock Zito out early. If they can get to him, they can get to anyone in the A's rotation. Of course, the trick is to get to everyone in the rotation ... stealing a game on the road doesn't help if you lose one at home.
Game 2 tomorrow (well, tonight), with a lot of pressure on Oakland. Win this and they're in good shape; lose and they have to take at least two in Detroit, with Rogers and Bonderman in games 3 and 4.
My only real concern at this point is with Casey. If the Mayor isn't able to play, they'll miss his bat in the lineup, and perhaps his glove at first - the error by Guillen was a tough one, almost looked like he didn't look the ball into his glove.
Go Tigers!
Game 2 tomorrow (well, tonight), with a lot of pressure on Oakland. Win this and they're in good shape; lose and they have to take at least two in Detroit, with Rogers and Bonderman in games 3 and 4.
My only real concern at this point is with Casey. If the Mayor isn't able to play, they'll miss his bat in the lineup, and perhaps his glove at first - the error by Guillen was a tough one, almost looked like he didn't look the ball into his glove.
Go Tigers!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
How sweet it is!
Wow, how time flies. I still haven't caught up with last week's NFL roundup ... anyway, what a finish! There's nothing like crushing a heavily-favored opponent. Sometimes you don't even feel the full impact right away, like when the Pistons whacked the Lakers in 2004. It's so unexpected that it doesn't really sink in until later.
This is different, though, in part because it's only the division series. The Tigers have four more wins before they even get to play for the real thing ... still, knocking out the Yankees, and better yet, maybe even getting Joe Torre fired? Amazing!
Classic overreaction by Steinbrenner as well, although I do like this quote:
I want to congratulate the Detroit Tigers organization and wish them well.
I love it!
It'll be an interesting weekend. I'm not sure I'll be in front of a TV for very long ... hopefully the first two games go well enough that I don't need to glue myself to the set.
This is different, though, in part because it's only the division series. The Tigers have four more wins before they even get to play for the real thing ... still, knocking out the Yankees, and better yet, maybe even getting Joe Torre fired? Amazing!
Classic overreaction by Steinbrenner as well, although I do like this quote:
I want to congratulate the Detroit Tigers organization and wish them well.
I love it!
It'll be an interesting weekend. I'm not sure I'll be in front of a TV for very long ... hopefully the first two games go well enough that I don't need to glue myself to the set.
Friday, October 06, 2006
2 games to 1!
Wow! What a start by Rogers! The Tigers have been steadily improving with each game, and I think it's safe to say that the Yankees have been declining each game. However, it's still up in the air. The thing about a five-game series is that every game is important. Detroit can't afford to lose tomorrow - you don't want to have to win two road games, even if you had the best road record in baseball.
I nearly had a very embarrassing thing happen. I was at BWW watching the game, and at some point in the third or fourth inning, after a big hit, a Yankees fan kind of stood up on the rungs of his bar stool and shouted. No words, just a noise. The first time, I wasn't expecting it (he was four seats down from me). The second time, I figured it was because he was an obnoxious Yankees fan.
Later in the game, another regular and his date sat down between me and the Yankees fan. Between innings, the regular turns to this guy and waves at him or something. I'm playing trivia, so this is out of the corner of my eye. The regular turns back to his date and says, "He is deaf. I thought so from the sounds he was making." (He had been signing to the guy - the regular used to be an interpreter.)
:o
I'm glad I didn't stand up and cheer, or point, or anything like that.
:o
(I didn't. I'd just thought about it.)
This is why I keep my mouth shut, for the most part, when I get mad. Almost without fail, when I'm mad at something, it's for the wrong reason.
Game 4 tomorrow afternoon. I'm busy. Don't call me.
Hopefully I'll be free on Sunday. :)
I nearly had a very embarrassing thing happen. I was at BWW watching the game, and at some point in the third or fourth inning, after a big hit, a Yankees fan kind of stood up on the rungs of his bar stool and shouted. No words, just a noise. The first time, I wasn't expecting it (he was four seats down from me). The second time, I figured it was because he was an obnoxious Yankees fan.
Later in the game, another regular and his date sat down between me and the Yankees fan. Between innings, the regular turns to this guy and waves at him or something. I'm playing trivia, so this is out of the corner of my eye. The regular turns back to his date and says, "He is deaf. I thought so from the sounds he was making." (He had been signing to the guy - the regular used to be an interpreter.)
:o
I'm glad I didn't stand up and cheer, or point, or anything like that.
:o
(I didn't. I'd just thought about it.)
This is why I keep my mouth shut, for the most part, when I get mad. Almost without fail, when I'm mad at something, it's for the wrong reason.
Game 4 tomorrow afternoon. I'm busy. Don't call me.
Hopefully I'll be free on Sunday. :)
Split on the road ...
... and you know the other part. On the one hand, I was afraid they wouldn't be able to do it. On the other, well, this was the best road team in baseball this season. Verlander did a great job of settling down after the Damon home run (as opposed to Robertson in Game 1), and the Tigers again got a steady parade of hits, although this time they did a better job with them.
So now, all they have to do is ... you know.
Detroit doesn't have much of a playoff history, at least not in the post-expansion days.
In '87, the Twins had home-bubble advantage, and the Tigers were down 0-2 before winning Game 3 in Detroit. Even that required an eighth-inning homer by Pat Sheridan (trivia: the tying run was scored by Jack Morris. Sparky used him on a few occasions as a pinch-runner).
In '84, nothing was a problem. The Tigers took two games in Kansas City (the ALCS was 2-3 back then, with the higher-seeded team getting three home games at the end of the series) and one of two in San Diego (the Series was 2-3-2).
'72 was weird. Somehow, Detroit had home-field advantage, even though they had a worse record than Oakland. I guess it must have alternated. Anyway, the A's won both games in Oakland, Detroit took the next two, and then Oakland won Game 5 in Detroit.
So ... three seasons, four series, 3-6 record on the road, now 4-7. 7-2 at home, though, with their only losses being in the ALCS, Game 4 in '87 and Game 5 in '72.
That means nothing this season. Announcers like to talk about history and all that, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is how you play today.
At 8:20 EDT.
Go Tigers!
So now, all they have to do is ... you know.
Detroit doesn't have much of a playoff history, at least not in the post-expansion days.
In '87, the Twins had home-bubble advantage, and the Tigers were down 0-2 before winning Game 3 in Detroit. Even that required an eighth-inning homer by Pat Sheridan (trivia: the tying run was scored by Jack Morris. Sparky used him on a few occasions as a pinch-runner).
In '84, nothing was a problem. The Tigers took two games in Kansas City (the ALCS was 2-3 back then, with the higher-seeded team getting three home games at the end of the series) and one of two in San Diego (the Series was 2-3-2).
'72 was weird. Somehow, Detroit had home-field advantage, even though they had a worse record than Oakland. I guess it must have alternated. Anyway, the A's won both games in Oakland, Detroit took the next two, and then Oakland won Game 5 in Detroit.
So ... three seasons, four series, 3-6 record on the road, now 4-7. 7-2 at home, though, with their only losses being in the ALCS, Game 4 in '87 and Game 5 in '72.
That means nothing this season. Announcers like to talk about history and all that, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is how you play today.
At 8:20 EDT.
Go Tigers!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Baseball in October???
Sunday's game: Jim Joyce sucks. The best thing you can say about him is that his strike zone is equally mysterious for both teams. Granted, I'm not going to watch a Tigers game and be completely impartial, but there were a lot of pitches called in a way that demonstrated that Joyce understands even less about the strike zone than the average major-league umpire.
Some people believe that this gives baseball character, the fact that for this umpire, a pitch four inches outside is a strike, and for this one, a belt-high pitch is a ball. I think it's a crock. It's one of the ways in which Bud Selig's lack of leadership is palpable. MLB needs consistent officiating more than the other sports because there are so many isolated calls that need to be made, calls in situations where the wrong call is easily identified.
At some point, umpires will be forced to use some kind of system to help in calling balls and strikes. I don't know if this is a recent development, or if it's always been this way and we just never noticed as much, but it's clear that umpires can't call strikes on all sides of the zone. Something has to be done to help them.
Tuesday's game: Yuck. Well, hey, the whole postseason is a bonus. Most people are in agreement that the Tigers will be solid next year, although you wonder if maybe they need another bat (and please, not a current or former cheater: you know who I mean). Still, I'd rather be losing to the A's than the Yankees.
But really, if you look at the field, the Twins can't win outside the bubble (and apparently can't win a postseason game in it), the A's can't win in the postseason, and the NL? Whatever. So it looks like it might be yet another Yankee title. Great.
It still doesn't erase 2004, though. Hee hee!
Some people believe that this gives baseball character, the fact that for this umpire, a pitch four inches outside is a strike, and for this one, a belt-high pitch is a ball. I think it's a crock. It's one of the ways in which Bud Selig's lack of leadership is palpable. MLB needs consistent officiating more than the other sports because there are so many isolated calls that need to be made, calls in situations where the wrong call is easily identified.
At some point, umpires will be forced to use some kind of system to help in calling balls and strikes. I don't know if this is a recent development, or if it's always been this way and we just never noticed as much, but it's clear that umpires can't call strikes on all sides of the zone. Something has to be done to help them.
Tuesday's game: Yuck. Well, hey, the whole postseason is a bonus. Most people are in agreement that the Tigers will be solid next year, although you wonder if maybe they need another bat (and please, not a current or former cheater: you know who I mean). Still, I'd rather be losing to the A's than the Yankees.
But really, if you look at the field, the Twins can't win outside the bubble (and apparently can't win a postseason game in it), the A's can't win in the postseason, and the NL? Whatever. So it looks like it might be yet another Yankee title. Great.
It still doesn't erase 2004, though. Hee hee!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
S-M-R-T
Tonight, during the Tigers-Blue Jays game, Placido Polanco laid down a squeeze with Craig Monroe at third. Monroe took off with the pitch, Polanco bunted to the pitcher, sacrifice, run scores.
There are two types of squeeze plays: a suicide squeeze, where the runner takes off with the pitch, and safety squeeze, where the runner takes off on contact. The former is "suicide" because if the batter doesn't make contact, you're dead. The latter is a safety squeeze because you stay on the bag if the batter misses.
So the announcers are talking about how Leyland called for the safety squeeze one pitch after Toronto tried a pitchout. Um ... that's not a safety squeeze. Note that part about "with the pitch."
They come back from the break and are now discussing how it was a suicide squeeze (although Monroe did break a little late, it was way before Polanco made contact). My guess is that the little voice in their ears mentioned that it was not a safety squeeze.
All I have to say is HA!
There are two types of squeeze plays: a suicide squeeze, where the runner takes off with the pitch, and safety squeeze, where the runner takes off on contact. The former is "suicide" because if the batter doesn't make contact, you're dead. The latter is a safety squeeze because you stay on the bag if the batter misses.
So the announcers are talking about how Leyland called for the safety squeeze one pitch after Toronto tried a pitchout. Um ... that's not a safety squeeze. Note that part about "with the pitch."
They come back from the break and are now discussing how it was a suicide squeeze (although Monroe did break a little late, it was way before Polanco made contact). My guess is that the little voice in their ears mentioned that it was not a safety squeeze.
All I have to say is HA!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Celebration time
Fox sucks. They don't show it correctly (although they do show the magic number, which ESPN does not). Anyway, the champagne is flowing in Detroit, or to be more accurate, for Detroit, but in Kansas City. The team with the longest playoff drought in the AL loses to the team with the second-longest drought, putting them in (the Royals haven't made the playoffs since the '85 Series, the one with Don Denkinger; this is also why the teams in World Series, the cool game that kept your pitching and batting stats, had teams in red and blue uniforms).
Magic number: 6.
Magic number: 6.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Bonus!
I figured the Twins would have some trouble with the Yankees. I forgot that Jose Contreras is a batting-practice pitcher these days. 5.5 games up. Huge inning for Zumaya today, getting Guerrero to end the inning, and then having the Tigers go off in the next half-inning. Somewhere, Sparky was quoted as saying that you should plan to take about a week to make up one game in the standings at this point in the season. If that's the case, well ... anyway, the focus should be on the Angels right now. Win two more, and the magic number drops to 21 minus help from the Royals and/or the Yankees as appropriate.
If they're not careful, I might even forget about the Lions' opener ...
If they're not careful, I might even forget about the Lions' opener ...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Outlook good?
Looks like there might be some believers in the Fox camp. Dayn Perry has an article on the Tigers' youth and how it may help set them up for success in future years, not just in 2006. That's something for a team that hasn't made the postseason in consecutive years since 1934-35.
Ball, or maybe strike, or something else
Wow. Now that was a great finish. Huge too, salvaging a split, especially with the Twins losing.
I will say one thing, though. Mike Everitt may not be the worst home-plate umpire in baseball, but if he's rated anywhere in the top 90%, it's as bad as I thought. When YES is running replays showing that strike three is actually a ball, you know the calls are bad.
To be fair, they weren't just phantom strikes. In the ninth inning, Everitt's strike zone shrank to about the size of Alex Rodriguez' confidence. The sooner that baseball can implement a strike-calling system like tennis has for line calls, or at least to determine over the plate vs. not over the plate, the better off the game will be.
"Personal" strike zones have always been a pet peeve of mine. All it means is that the umpires can't interpret the rules correctly, and that ever since Richie Phillips was the head of the umpires' union, the commissioner has been too scared to make them do anything (except for the one time most of the NL umps, I think, quit for a day and then didn't get their jobs back).
It's really easy. Make umpires call strikes by the book, or find umps who can.
That's just part of it, though. The real problem is that the game is simply too fast for umps any more. Too many pitchers throw 95-mph heat on either corner, and there's no way an umpire can make accurate calls on either side of the plate - they just pick a side, call that one the best they can, and guess at the other side, which they do as well as you or I do from the offset-center-field camera that provides the standard TV angle.
Too many games are decided by individual umpires' vagaries any more. Can you imagine if NBA refs used their judgment on a particular type of play that happened all the time? Oh wait, they actually do that. Can you imagine if, for example, NFL refs had different interpretations of what constituted a false start? Yeah, it'd be a disaster. But Tagliabue would have put a stop to that before it really began.
Baseball has too many things wrong with it that people believe are "part of the game." (I had a rant about beanballs on my temporary Fox Sports blog - I may move it here or retype it at some point.) Personal strike zones shouldn't be part of the game.
Even if the Tigers won anyway.
I will say one thing, though. Mike Everitt may not be the worst home-plate umpire in baseball, but if he's rated anywhere in the top 90%, it's as bad as I thought. When YES is running replays showing that strike three is actually a ball, you know the calls are bad.
To be fair, they weren't just phantom strikes. In the ninth inning, Everitt's strike zone shrank to about the size of Alex Rodriguez' confidence. The sooner that baseball can implement a strike-calling system like tennis has for line calls, or at least to determine over the plate vs. not over the plate, the better off the game will be.
"Personal" strike zones have always been a pet peeve of mine. All it means is that the umpires can't interpret the rules correctly, and that ever since Richie Phillips was the head of the umpires' union, the commissioner has been too scared to make them do anything (except for the one time most of the NL umps, I think, quit for a day and then didn't get their jobs back).
It's really easy. Make umpires call strikes by the book, or find umps who can.
That's just part of it, though. The real problem is that the game is simply too fast for umps any more. Too many pitchers throw 95-mph heat on either corner, and there's no way an umpire can make accurate calls on either side of the plate - they just pick a side, call that one the best they can, and guess at the other side, which they do as well as you or I do from the offset-center-field camera that provides the standard TV angle.
Too many games are decided by individual umpires' vagaries any more. Can you imagine if NBA refs used their judgment on a particular type of play that happened all the time? Oh wait, they actually do that. Can you imagine if, for example, NFL refs had different interpretations of what constituted a false start? Yeah, it'd be a disaster. But Tagliabue would have put a stop to that before it really began.
Baseball has too many things wrong with it that people believe are "part of the game." (I had a rant about beanballs on my temporary Fox Sports blog - I may move it here or retype it at some point.) Personal strike zones shouldn't be part of the game.
Even if the Tigers won anyway.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Not the best of weeks
Well, at least they started off right. Splitting with the White Sox wasn't so bad, but losing two of three to Cleveland wasn't so good. It's a good thing the White Sox and Twins were playing each other. Coming out of that mess with a five-game lead is a good thing, and it looks like the Tigers are still a lock for the playoffs.
With ten road games left against the Yankees, Twins, and Sox, there is a lot of work to be done. Nine home games against the Orioles, Royals, and Mariners should help (they also have a road make-up game with Baltimore and a normal three-game series with Kansas City on the road). It doesn't matter that much, though. They could win the division by ten games or sneak into the wild card on the last day of the season, but either way, they'd still have a five-game series to win. Even in a seven-game series, the better team doesn't always win. In a five-game series, luck is an even bigger factor.
On the other hand, some teams are easier to beat than others. We'll see.
With ten road games left against the Yankees, Twins, and Sox, there is a lot of work to be done. Nine home games against the Orioles, Royals, and Mariners should help (they also have a road make-up game with Baltimore and a normal three-game series with Kansas City on the road). It doesn't matter that much, though. They could win the division by ten games or sneak into the wild card on the last day of the season, but either way, they'd still have a five-game series to win. Even in a seven-game series, the better team doesn't always win. In a five-game series, luck is an even bigger factor.
On the other hand, some teams are easier to beat than others. We'll see.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
7.5 games up
Another win, 81-45, no losing season. Wow. This is so totally different than '84. Back then, by the end of April, pretty much everyone knew the Tigers were going to the Series. The only question was by how much they'd win. This time, it's almost like playing a season of MLB 07 and swapping the rosters around - hard to believe they've improved this much in one season. The franchise record for increase in wins between seasons is 30, but that was partly from moving from a 154-game schedule in '60 to a 162-game schedule in '61. Still, that '61 team didn't win the pennant, which gives me pause for thought.
But thinking that three seasons ago, they lost 119 games, and this season, they could win 100 ... wow.
But thinking that three seasons ago, they lost 119 games, and this season, they could win 100 ... wow.
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