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Clearing the In Box

Mike McClary — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:49:21 +0000

Some random bits of Tigers this-and-that for you:

The Tigers lead off MLB Network’s Spring Training series “30 Clubs in 30 Days” on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET. Based on photos from someone’s Twitter stream today (can’t remember whose) it looks like the show will be hosted by the unfortunate Hazel Mae.
I might be the last to find this, but Lynn Henning of the Detroit News and John Keating of Fox Sports Detroit have put together some interesting two-minute video updates from Lakeland. You can find them here.
Individual game tickets, including Opening Day, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. According to the Tigers, you can purchase tickets at the Comerica Park Box Office on Witherell Street, online at tigers.com, at outlets inside select Meijer stores in Michigan, and by calling 1-866-66-TIGER (84437). Good luck.

I won’t be buying any tickets that day but I will be going to see the Giants and Diamondbacks play in Cactus League action. In case you were wondering, of course.

4 Tigers Spring Training Games on MLB Network

Mike McClary — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:12:00 +0000

MLB Network announced its Spring Training game schedule, which includes four Tigers games, three of them live:

March 15: 1 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers
March 16: 10 p.m. (tape) – Detroit Tigers @ Philadelphia Phillies
March 18: 1 p.m. – Houston Astros @ Detroit Tigers
March 20: 1 p.m. – Philadelphia Phillies @ Detroit Tigers

The March 15 and 18 games will also be available on Fox Sports Detroit (MLB Network is likely picking up that feed). FSD will air two other games, March 21 versus the Yankees in Tampa and March 25 against the Blue Jays in Lakeland.

The Yin and Yang of Johnny Damon

Mike McClary — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:01:39 +0000

Yahoo! Sports’ Steve Henson says Scott Boras — bagman for Johnny Damon — saved the Tigers’ season. Them’s fighting words.

[Tigers owner Mike Ilitch] whipped out his checkbook and, just like that, Damon became the Tigers’ left fielder for 2010.

Luckily for Dombrowski. And for manager Jim Leyland. Both are consummate pros with solid track records, but without Damon they were headed pell-mell for disaster.

Were the Tigers headed for disaster without Damon? No way; they’d have made some other move to steady the offense, but probably not as nifty a move as Damon.

On the other hand, this wire report appearing in the Miami Herald says “not so fast” in anointing Damon as the Tigers’ 2010 elixir:

As far as the Tigers go, I am not quite sure how he makes them better. People are sadly mistaken if they think he will come anywhere near the 24 home runs he hit last season.
The only real advantage I see is that he is an instant upgrade at the top of the lineup, where the Tigers were going into the season with rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore at the top of the order.

But let’s face it, he is not Torii Hunter in the outfield. He may be an upgrade defensively over Carlos Guillen, but that is really not a compliment.

Not to mention, he is 36 years old

Of course, if Ryan Raburn could hit like Damon, this wouldn’t be an issue. But he can’t. So here we are.

And closer to home, Lynn Henning tells us there’s much to look forward to this season — due to and not in spite of the rookies and newcomers.

During decades of covering spring training, rarely, if ever, has one player so energized a ballclub already at camp as Johnny Damon’s signing this week lifted the Tigers.

- snip -

Damon has changed that outlook sufficiently to make the Tigers a better bet to at least break even in 2010. They have the pitching to be a solid club, and now they’re closer to having just enough offense to surprise some of the fans (and media) who aren’t expecting much in 2010.

I agree with one point in particular that Henning makes in this column: the vast majority of Tigers fans hasn’t seen Jackson, Sizemore, Max Scherzer or Daniel Schlereth perform. Ever.

So why all the angst?

Fans in Detroit have groaned for the better part of a decade about the Twins’ uncanny ability to develop their own talent and, you know, win. The Tigers embark on a similar, though smaller-scale, path and it’s doomsday.

I’m not buying it.

P.S. Happy 51st Birthday, Bryan Kelly.

Video: Damon Arrives

Mike McClary — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:07:17 +0000

Edgar Renteria Comes Clean on His Awful Season. No, Not 2008.

Mike McClary — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:56:58 +0000

We’re not one to hold a grudge — ahem — but after reading this about Giants’ shortstop Edgar Renteria …

… [He] played all last season with a bone spur in his right elbow, about the size of a piece of pea gravel.

– snip –

Renteria hit a career-low .250 with 19 doubles, five home runs and 48 RBIs in 124 games before the Giants turned to hot-hitting Juan Uribe as they fought for a playoff berth down the stretch. It was the fewest homers for Renteria since 1998 and resulted in a season that he called simply “embarrassing.”

… don’t you wonder how he would characterize his 2008 season with the Tigers?

In case he comes up short, here are a few suggestions: slothful, unprofessional, disrespectful, arrogant, dreadful.

Any I missed?

Happy Birthday, Jerry Morales

Mike McClary — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:41:16 +0000

Happy 61st to Julio Ruben (Torres) Morales, the light-hitting, basket-catch-making rightfielder of the 1979 Tigers.

Wearing number 27, he hit a wispy .211 in his only season in Detroit with 14 home runs and 23 doubles — just one fewer than Magglio Ordonez hit last year.

He wasn’t a total loss for the Tigers though. He came to Detroit along with Aurelio Lopez and was traded (with Phil Mankowski) to the Mets for one my all-time favorites, Richie Hebner.

Most of his success came with the Cubs. In seven seasons he batted .275 with 59 homers … for some really bad teams.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Julio!

Updated: Uniform Numbers Assigned to New Tigers

Mike McClary — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:13:07 +0000

If you were wondering, here are the uniform numbers for the newest Tigers:

Phil Coke #40
Max Scherzer #37
Jose Valverde #46
Scott Sizemore #20
Austin Jackson #14

For whatever reason, Daniel Schlereth hasn’t been tagged yet. But we’ll be sure to break into regular programming when it’s announced. I’m guessing it’s #36.

Update 11:19 a.m. ET: I was wrong; Schlereth will wear #55.

Wednesday Walewanders: Just Barely

Mike McClary — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:52:56 +0000

There are about 29 minutes left of Wednesday, so I can still file this collection of Tigers thoughts and make my self-imposed deadline.

Did you see that Hall of Famer and Detroit Stars centerfielder Norman “Turkey” Stearnes will be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Friday? The article in the Nashville Tennessean begins with this anecdote:

Norman “Turkey” Stearnes could work for Walter Briggs. He just couldn’t play for him.

During the offseasons between leading the Negro League in home runsseven times, the Nashville native worked in a Detroit car factory owned by Briggs, who also owned the major league Detroit Tigers.could work for Walter Briggs. He just couldn’t play for him.

Stearnes hit .400+ three times and posted a .350 career batting average with the Stars, the Nashville Elite Giants, the Montgomery Grey Sox, and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.
I’ve had it with the Johnny Damon saga. Here’s hoping that Dave Dombrowski and Mike Ilitch gave up dealing with Scott Boras for Lent. Assuming they’re Catholic, of course.
I tweeted about this but it’s worth repeating (at least I think it is): On this date in 1995 Sparky Anderson lit the flame that burned his bridge to Mike Ilitch when he refused to manage replacement players. He was put on an involuntary leave of absence but probably would’ve been fired if someone hadn’t talked Ilitch down from the ledge. Quick quiz: Who managed the faux Tigers in Sparky’s absence? Answer: Tom Runnells.

Whew! I made it.

Video: Scherzer Among A.L. Central’s Big Arrivals

Mike McClary — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:34:42 +0000

Bondo on the Mend

Mike McClary — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:59:10 +0000

ESPN’s Buster Olney checked in with Jeremy Bonderman this week, and it seems that Justin Verlander’s assesment of Bondo is spot on. And, just in time, Bonderman pinpointed some mechanical issues not long before he arrived in Lakeland:

About a month ago, he and his father, Gene, reviewed some videotape from earlier in his career and compared that to video taken this winter in Washington, where Bonderman throws at the facility once owned by Mel Stottlemyre. Right away, father and son could see how different he looked, as compared to those days when he used his legs.

Since then, Bonderman has focused on dropping lower in his delivery, drawing his front arm higher — “instead of a lazy front side,” he said — and driving off the mound more. He has endeavored to get back to the way his delivery was before, and he can see a difference in his fastball. “Instantly,” he said.

Can you imagine how tough the Tigers’ rotation will be on the American League if Bonderman and Max Scherzer live up to their potential?

Baseball Tonight on Damon and the Tigers

Mike McClary — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:59:03 +0000

One is the Loneliest Number: Tigers Announce 2010 TV Sked

Mike McClary — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:11:50 +0000

If you like watching the Tigers on TV, you’re in luck. The club today announced its television schedule. From the press release:

Currently, 156 games are scheduled on FOX Sports Detroit, one on FOX Sports Detroit Plus and four selected for the FOX Saturday Baseball Game of the Week.

FOX Sports Detroit’s regular-season coverage begins with the April 5 season opener at Kansas City, preceded by four spring training telecasts (March 15, 18, 21, 25).

The vast majority of the telecast schedule is also available in high-definition on FOX Sports Detroit HD (the HD games to be announced at a later date). All games are slated to receive a same-day, late-night replay, typically at midnight.

The lone regular-season game without firm television plans is April 7 at Kansas City, a date on which the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons are in action at the same time. Telecast schedules set several months ago have the Red Wings game on FOX Sports Detroit and the Pistons airing on FOX Sports Detroit Plus. The network is working to determine if it can also distribute that night’s Tigers game.

Life is good, baby.

Three for Thursday: Verlander, Branyan and Birthdays

Mike McClary — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:59:11 +0000

Who needs a groundhog? Two weeks until pitchers and catchers arrive in Lakeland for Spring Training.

I never doubted for a minute that the Tigers would sign Justin Verlander to a long-term contact, did you? Given the questionable extensions of recent years — Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson to name two — the Tigers were due for a wise contractual decision.
Last year at the trading deadline I thought the Tigers might make a move for the Mariners’ Russell Branyan. Instead they went after Aubrey Huff. Bygones. Today, Branyan is still looking for work. Should the Tigers be interested? Not at the three years, $20 million he had in mind, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. ESPN Rumor Central spells out the risks of Branyan for any team:

Branyan hit 22 homers and posted a .956 OPS before the All-Star break last season, but his OPS dipped to .688 after the break and he was forced to shut it down in late August with a herniated disc in his back.

So, the question then is, “Is Branyan essentially Carlos Guillen?” Probably.
Happy Birthday today to: Stan Papi (59), Rusty Kuntz (55), Chris Bando (54) and the late Joe Sparma. If you want to hear an interview I did with Rusty Kuntz, you can find it here.

A Friday Freehans Two-Pack

Mike McClary — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:00:43 +0000

Here are a couple of random items to round out the week:

The Detroit News‘ Lynn Henning hosted an online chat this afternoon and I was able to sneak in a question:

Me: Lynn, recent injuries notwithstanding, how did Jeff Larish’s star plummet so dramatically? He was viewed as a home-grown power bat until last year. Does he have a future in Detroit?

Henning: Ah, the Larish mystery. That one’s got everyone puzzled. A year ago, he was a hot ticket. The Mariners wanted him in that Putz deal and the Tigers thought Larish and Joyce were too much to give up. He just fell off a cliff. But it was a cliff some scouts saw coming.
Twenty-two years ago today Kirk Gibson left the Tigers and signed a three-year contract worth $4.5 million with the Dodgers. Even though he’d return to Detroit at the end of his career, that day still stings.

Have a great weekend.

Three for Thursday: A Timo Sighting, Maggs vs. Dye, and Cecil Cashes In

Mike McClary — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:01:22 +0000

If you were holding out hope that Timo Perez would be the answer to the Tigers’ left-handed hitting outfielder problem — I’m looking at you, Big Al — we have some disappointing news: Timo signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers.

Perez, 34, split the 2009 season between the independent Can-Am league’s New Jersey and Veracruz of the Mexican League.

And here I thought he was still in Toledo.
First, let’s tip our cap to birthday boy Magglio Ordonez. With that out of the way, let’s compare Maggs to someone else who was born on this date in 1974: the ulcer-generating-Tigers-bully Jermaine Dye. If you had to guess, who would you say hit more home runs?

If you said Magglio (as I did) you would be incorrect. In fact, Dye has hit 48 more home runs. Now, I soon remembered that Magglio missed most of 2004 (52 games) and half of ‘05 (82), and Dye has one more season under his belt. But when you look at their other career offensive stats, they’re darned comparable (with Ordonez ahead in all the other stats cherry-picked for this post):
- Dye: .274
- Ordonez: .312
  
  –>Hits
- Dye: 1,779
- Ordonez: 1,974
  
  –>RBI
- Dye: 1,072
- Ordonez: 1,145
  
  –>Doubles
- Dye: 363
- Ordonez: 399
  
  –>OPS
- Dye: .826
- Ordonez: .884
Who knew? Oh, and Happy Birthday, Jermaine. May Opening Day 2010 find you in the Tigers dugout or in the National League.
On this date in 1992 the Tigers avoided salary arbitration with Cecil Fielder by agreeing to a $4.5 million contract. At the time, it was the largest one-year deal in major-league history. And soon Justin Verlander will blow right past that number.

Wednesday Walewanders: Late-night Mish Mash

Mike McClary — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:57:16 +0000

Yes, I want an iPad, of course I do.

I wonder if Dave Dombrowski thinks of Johnny Damon in Detroit and only sees Jacque Jones.
I couldn’t see the Tigers making room for Jim Thome without eating another big contract — and we know that isn’t happening. Still, it would’ve been fun to see him play at Comerica Park 81 times in a Detroit uniform. But instead we’re left to hope that Carlos Guillen’s power numbers return. Sigh. (If only the Tigers had made a run at Bobby Abreu last offseason…) Oh, and what about Jermaine Dye? He’s still available.
It bums me out that the Tigers have apparently cut ties with Lou Whitaker (as loose as those ties were). Sweet Lou was always a bit flaky but he was so good for so long — and revered by Tigers fans — the Tigers should not let him vanish. Alas, it looks like it’s a moot point. And one more thing: I still can’t believe he was a one-and-done guy on the Hall of Fame ballot. That, dear reader, is a crime.
Happy Birthday to Phil Plantier (41), Rusty Meacham (42) and Steve Demeter (75).

Carry on.

How Miguel Cabrera’s Recovery is Playing in Venezuela

Mike McClary — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:11:55 +0000

Jorge Arangure Jr. writes an interesting piece today on ESPN.com’s La Esquina blog [$]. Here’s the gist of it:

Cabrera needs to repair his reputation, not only in Detroit, but also in his native Venezuela where he remains a polarizing figure. Despite being perhaps the best player from his country, Cabrera is universally beloved — not even close. Even this latest news, as humanizing as it was, may not be enough to sway public opinion yet.

“Some fans were a bit skeptical,” said Venezuelan journalist Efrain Ruiz, who writes for El Univeral. “Miguel has a difficult personality, without a doubt. But he’s always been asked to replace Andres Galarraga as the country’s national idol, and he simply doesn’t have that type of charisma. I really believe that’s weighed on on a lot, the tremendous pressure that exists to replace ‘The Cat.’”

How are you feeling about Cabrera these days: holding a grudge or forgiving and forgetting?

Monday Mankowskis: Are the Tigers the 2007 Padres?

Mike McClary — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:32:23 +0000

We survived Stormageddon in Arizona and are delighting in the prospect of Cactus League games in five weeks. In the meantime …

I was looking at my notebook of random Tigers thoughts and here’s one leftover from the fall. The 2007 Padres lost a Game 163 and began a downward spiral that’s still in motion, more or less. Are the ‘09 Tigers following a similar path? What might the Padres look like if they had beaten the Rockies — and has Matt Holliday yet touched home plate? How would the 2010 Tigers look had they beaten the Twins in Game 163?

My initial thoughts on the subject led me to believe the Tigers’ competitive window was just about shut and locked. Now, I’m not so sure. A month after the Curtis Granderson trade, I’m more confident that the Tigers are on footing that’s much more solid than the Padres of recent years. What do you think?
Found this on Baseball-Reference.com yesterday:

In a story in the New York Times, Detroit Tigers President Frank Navin blames the length of the games on the coachers (sic) boxes. Navin, reacting to American League President Ban Johnson’s complaint that too many games the previous season had taken two hours to play, says the boxes should be moved back so that the catcher can give the pitcher his signals more quickly. From where they are now, he said, the coaching players can detect the catcher’s signals unless he takes a lot of time to hide them. Navin said this slow signalling (sic) is the reason for the longer games.

Two hours to play? If only we had that problem today.
Were you as surprised as I was that the Giants signed Aubrey Huff to be their starting first baseman and cleanup hitter? Here’s what general manager Brian Sabean said of the Huff signing:

“The more we examined what he has done and what we need, we thought this would be a good fit. He’s a fourth hitter who’s been a run producer and quite frankly he’s got the track record we were looking for. Even in a down year he drove in 85 runs which is something we needed.”

You have to admire the man’s optimism.
In our recent Fungo Pulse Check we asked: If only one of these Tigers could be elected to the Hall of Fame, who would you choose? Here are the results: Alan Trammell: 85 percent (33 votes); Jack Morris: 15 percent (six votes). I guess I’m in the distinct minority on Morris. Be sure to take our current poll in the sidebar –>.
Happy Birthday to Jose Macias (38) and the late Vern Ruhle.

Have a great week.

Non-Sequiturs: Winter Caravan Memories

Mike McClary — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:33:42 +0000

Tigers thoughts while listening to a pounding rain:

I attended the Tigers Winter Caravan one time, in 1991 when I was living in Kalamazoo and had some connections with the local paper. Back then, only the media was invited. Or so I thought. I walked into a Kalamazoo hotel and saw dozens of fans asking for autographs from the players and Sparky Anderson.

If memory serves me, Cecil Fielder was there. Recently signed Tony Bernazard was too. This I remember because I asked Sparky during the Q&A how he’d work Bernazard into the lineup without Tony Phillips losing at bats. The answer was classic Sparky and basically amounted to: “I have no idea but Tony is Tony and we’ll be all right.” Uh, yeah. (Bernazard was released in April after playing in just six games and hitting .167).

The real story that winter was the recent firing of Ernie Harwell and, lo and behold, new Tigers President Bo Schembechler was on hand to answer questions about it. As you might guess, Bo was not happy with the first round of reporters’ questions being about Ernie and not the team. After that, he said he wouldn’t answer other questions on the topic and though people tried, he wouldn’t bite — other than to bite their head off for even asking.

It was a great experience. If you get an opportunity to attend a Winter Caravan event, do it.
I tweeted about this yesterday, but I think it’s worth repeating: Dave Dombrowski insists that the Tigers have no interest in Johnny Damon. Fine. But he said the same thing about Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez. Wouldn’t be surprised if Damon arrives in Lakeland in a few weeks.
Speaking of moves, I don’t understand all the anger around the Jose Valverde signing. While he drove me nuts as the Diamondbacks’ closer a few years ago, that was mainly because of his antics after earning a save. Remember: no one could make sense of the Tigers signing Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers in the winter of 2005-06 but that worked out fine. Expect the same with Valverde.
On this date in 1993, Tigers Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer died at the age of 89, one month after suffering a stroke. During his 19-year career in Detroit, The Mechanical Man posted a .320 batting average with 184 home runs and 1,427 RBI. In 1937, he led the American League with a .371 average.

Finally, Happy Birthday to a pair of former Tigers: Wil Ledezma,29, and Tom Urbani, 42.

Looking for an Internship with the Tigers?

Mike McClary — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:34:12 +0000

A colleague of mine passed along this Tigers internship opportunity for the coming season and I thought I’d share it. Don’t send applications to me, I’m just the messenger. Contact information is included at the end.

SPORTS BROADCASTING INTERNSHIP: Detroit Tigers.

This position is designed to assist with department activities, programs, planning and general office responsibilities. Create and communicate the clubâ€™s image and position in the consumer and business marketplace.

Support the organization through an integrated and centralized media effort working collaboratively with new media, marketing partnerships, ticket operations, broadcasting, and community relations.

Work directly with national and local broadcast rightsholders including, TBS, MLBN, NHK, ESPN, FOX, FS-Detroit, and WXYT The Ticket; Assisting with daily requests from the Tigers broadcast partners, Providing day-to-day support for onsite media interviews with players and front office staff promoting the Tigers business and community efforts, and Aiding the production of Detroit Tigers radio and TV game broadcasts, programming and broadcasters.

Work with rightsholders in the areas of business, entertainment, health, technology, and community in order to deliver the Tigersâ€™ brand as a well-managed and diverse organization.

Prepare message points and coordinate interviews with front office management and staff for rightsholders. Facilitate and track media exposure for team partners.

The ideal candidate must:

Be at least a college junior, senior or recent graduate (within 6 months).
Have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Have excellent customer service skills.
Have excellent organizational skills.
Be available full-time.
Be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.

The ideal candidate fluent in Spanish or Japanese would be a plus.

Internship duration: March 2010 through October 2010.

Please send resume here.

If you get the job, don’t forget the humble blogger that gave you the lead.