[ The Daily Fungo: Detroit Tigers Baseball ] » Alan Trammell

Tuesday Tananas: Tiger Stadium’s Finale, Fister’s Dominance, and Meat Loaf’s Birthday

Mike McClary — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:16:31 +0000

Things keep looking up for the Tigers. The ALDS is fast approaching, Wilson Betemit is playing tonight and Ozzie Guillen is leaving the American League. Good times.

The Tuesday Rundown

The Tigers are in first place, 13 games ahead of the Indians.

Today’s Game: Tigers vs. Indians - Max Scherzer (14-9, 4.37 ERA) vs. RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5-2, 3.52 ERA) | 7:05 p.m. – FSD/1270 AM and 97.1 FM

This season against the Indians, Scherzer is 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA. Lifetime he’s 3-3, 4.79 ERA.

Did you know that Scherzer has never thrown a complete game or a shutout in his major-league career?

Leading Off: The Tigers crushed the Indians and Ubaldo Jimenez Monday night 14-0. Doug Fister was his usual phenomenal self: eight innings, three hits, no walks, nine strikouts. And, 74 percent of his 109 pitches were strikes.

ALDS Start Time (Maybe): Matt Dery (@deryNBA) posted this on Twitter: “According to reports, Tigers would either host Bos or TB at 5 pm Friday for Game 1 or play at NYY at 8:30 fri night.” If it’s a 5 o’clock game, looks like I’m leaving work early.

The Tigers enter tonight’s game versus Cleveland having won 28 of their last 37 games dating back to Aug. 19, a .757 winning percentage — tops in the majors.

On this date in 1999, the Tigers played their final game at Tiger Stadium — an 8-2 win over the Royals. Homers by Karim Garcia, Luis Polonia and Robert Fick power the Tigers behind Brian Moehler.

We knew Doug Fister was good, but this is ridculous. From Elias Sports Bureau:

Remember at the trading deadline when the biggest-name pitcher moved was Ubaldo Jimenez? On Monday he was outpitched by a player whose trade received considerably less attention, Doug Fister. Fister improved to 8-1 since joining Detroit, making him only the fourth pitcher in the post-WWII Era to have at least eight wins with no more than one loss for a team after pitching for another major-league team earlier that season. The three others: Randy Johnson (10-1 for the 1998 Astros, after starting with the Mariners); Doyle Alexander (9-0 for the 1987 Tigers after starting with the Braves); and Rick Sutcliffe (16-1 for the 1984 Cubs after starting with the Indians.) Fister will end the season with a seven-game winning streak and Justin Verlander has won his last 12 decisions. They’re the first teammates to end a season with each on a winning streak of seven or more games, mainly or exclusively as a starting pitcher, since 1993, when Jason Bere and Wilson Alvarez of the White Sox each won their final seven decisions. The pair preceding Bere and Alvarez was Doyle Alexander (9) and Walt Terrell (8) for the 1987 Tigers.

I was talking to a friend of mine today about possible successors to Ozzie Guillen and we did a quick review of higher-profile bench coaches around the majors. One name he brought up was Kirk Gibson’s bench coach, Alan Trammell. While I fully support Tram getting another shot at managing, I can’t abide by him taking over the White Sox. Oh, and did you see where former Tigers manager Buddy Bell is in the mix for the Sox’ gig? Oy vey.

Happy 67th Birthday to Gary Sutherland. He hit .251 with a .295 on-base percentage with the Tigers from 1974-76 and played primarily at second base.

Checking in on trade pieces: In 31 games with the Mariners since the July 29 trade, Casper Wells is hitting .216 with seven home runs, 15 RBI and a .742 OPS. Meanwhile Charlie Furbush is 3-7 with a 6.62 ERA in 10 starts, and Chance Ruffin is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 12 appearances.

Why should you keep watching baseball this week?, asks Rob Neyer. One reason he offers is to see if Jose Valverde can keep up his perfect-save routine:

Valverde’s been phenomenal this season, and is only seven saves from tying Tom Gordon’s American League for consecutive saves (over different seasons). And the best part is that Valverde’s doing all this with lower strikeout and higher walk rates than his career norms.

Wanna bet he blows one in October? I don’t know. I predicted Lidge would blow a postseason save after his perfect 2008, but he didn’t and the Phillies won the World Series.

On this date in 1986, Jack Morris shut out the Yankees 1-0 in 10 innings, raising his record to 20-8 and snapped Don Mattingly’s hitting streak at 24 consecutive games.

I’ve had seller’s remorse on Omar Infante for a couple of years now — and especially since Placido Polanco was set free after the ’09 season. Infante just signed a two-year, $8 million extension with the Marlins. He enters tonight’s game batting .279 with seven home runs, 49 RBIs and only eight errors in 146 games. He’d look pretty good playing second for the Tigers these days, no?

Finally, Happy 64th Birthday to Meat Loaf.

Rolling

Mike McClary — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 05:05:45 +0000

When Victor Martinez crushed an offering from Tony Sipp on Wednesday for a grand slam, things seemed to change for a Tigers team that is on a remarkable roll.

Up to that point, I was thinking (and maybe you were too), that you could see a loss coming in the finale against the Indians.

As the script often goes in these situations, it was a getaway game, the Indians were ready to make their last statement of the season and Justin Verlander was due for a bad outing.

Nope.

This team is rolling.

Frankly, I’m tired of all the reminders of 2009 – and the Indians radio announcers beat that drum incessantly during the series.
Starting play on Friday against the Twins, the Tigers have played 143 games. Here’s a look at how the club’s 81-62 record and 8-1/2-game lead compares to seasons in which it contended:
- 1984: 92-51, 10 1/2 games up
- 1987: 86-57, Tied for first with Toronto
- 2006: 86-57, 3 games up
- 2009: 77-67, 5 1/2 games up

From Elias Sports Bureau: Victor Martinez hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to give Detroit a 7-4 lead at Cleveland and help Justin Verlander notch his 22nd win of the season. The Tigers entered the seventh inning trailing by two runs, matching the largest deficit they’ve had in any of Verlander’s wins this season. Detroit has trailed in only five of Verlander’s wins this year, but Wednesday’s game was the first one of them in which they trailed in the seventh inning or later.
On this date in 1977, in the second game of a doubleheader loss in Boston, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell debuted together and would do so for a record 19 years. The Red Sox won both games, 5-1 and 8-6.
Four years ago, Curtis Granderson stole his 20th base and became the third player in history to have 20 doubles, triples, homers and steals in the same season; the others were Wildfire Schulte (1911) and Willie Mays (1957).

Feeling Better About Hall of Fame Weekend

Mike McClary — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:53:33 +0000

Tomorrow afternoon Roberto Alomar and Pat Gillick will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Tigers fans (or at least this Tigers fan) will be thinking about Detroit players that should be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Sour grapes? Of course.

I do, however, feel better today after reading Christina Kahr’s list of “Stars of the Forgotten ’80s” which, she writes, is “an excellent lineup of stars from the ‘80s who haven’t made it into the Hall of Fame.”

Former Tigers abound in her brilliant – brilliant! – assessment:

Catcher: Probably the weakest position, but Lance Parrish’s 324 career homers and 35.7 WAR (28.8 in the ’80s) would suit. Parrish was also one of the best-throwing catchers of his day, gunning down 39 percent on his career, helping to land him on eight All-Star teams. Effectively, he was to the AL what Gary Carter was for the NL.

I’ve been saying this for years!

Second Base: Has to be Lou Whitaker.

Once in a while, you’ll still get the odd stathead who argues that the BBWAA doesn’t make huge mistakes, making the easy comparison of its track record for putting people into the Hall against the various flavors of Veterans Committees the process has been saddled with over the years. Fair enough, but what about Lou Whitaker? The BBWAA eliminated Whitaker from all future consideration in his first year on the ballot, one of its most spectacularly thoughtless decisions where Hall voting is concerned.

Whitaker was the best second baseman in baseball between Joe Morgan and Robbie Alomar. Whitaker is the post-World War II WARP leader among all Hall-eligible players not in the Hall of Fame; he beats Sandberg and Willie Randolph fairly easily. He also beats Bobby Grich, 69.7 WAR to 67.6. Whitaker tops Raines (64.6) and Larkin (68.9) and Trammell (66.9).

But by receiving just 15 total votes in his first (and last) year on the ballot, Whitaker was dropped forever after from BBWAA consideration, because he didn’t reach the five-percent cutoff. He deserves much, much better, so we can hope this is one of those mistakes that whatever rules apply in 2015 or later can get him voted in by the Veterans Committee, the electoral college or the Diet of Worms. Somebody has to get this right, don’t they?

I think observers are finally recognizing what a colossal screw up this was by the writers. Speaking of which …

Shortstop: If Whitaker has been flat-out screwed by the process, there’s still some hope that ’80s great Alan Trammell will get his due from Cooperstown. Tram was the signature player from those great-to-good Tigers teams of the ’80s that seem to have been collectively forgotten ever since their manager, Sparky Anderson, got elected. Maybe Trammell suffers from being the best shortstop in baseball before Ripken, and maybe he’ll get his due after Barry Larkin gets voted in, but there really shouldn’t be any controversy over voting him in. Jay Jaffe’s JAWS system puts Trammell seventh overall among Hall-eligible shortstops (leaving Alex Rodriguez out of the conversation since his career’s still a going concern).

Amen.

Kahrl also takes a closer look at the Jack Morris Affair and her conclusion, well, hurts.

I often wonder if the Tigers had won or at least appeared in another World Series in the ’80s if Parrish, Whitaker and Trammell would’ve gotten more – or in Sweet Lou’s case, any – Hall consideration.

Maybe not. After all, Morris appeared in three World Series and look at what good that’s done him.

All-Star Game Notes and Non Sequiturs

Mike McClary — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:15:31 +0000

Sometimes I want to rail on Major League Baseball about the lameness of so many things it does — the vapid celebrity softball game, the interminable Home Run Derby, the “this-time-it-counts” angle on the All-Star Game — but then I realize it’s probably me just getting old.

The Tigers’ collection of All Stars is the largest since 1985 when the club sent six players to the Metrodome for the game managed by Sparky Anderson. Here’s a look at the largest classes of Tigers All Stars since 1984 and the team’s record that season:

1984 (104-58)
Willie Hernandez
Chet Lemon
Jack Morris
Lance Parrish
Alan Trammell
Lou Whitaker

1985 (84-77)
Willie Hernandez
Jack Morris
Lance Parrish
Dan Petry
Alan Trammell
Lou Whitaker

2007 (88-74)
Carlos Guillen
Magglio Ordonez
Placido Polanco
Ivan Rodriguez
Justin Verlander

2009 (86-77)
Curtis Granderson
Brandon Inge
Edwin Jackson
Justin Verlander

Clearly, the better the Tigers were, the more players they sent to the All-Star Game. For a long time though, the Tigers were a team that had little to offer the American League manager. From 1996 through 2003, Detroit sent a single player to the game. In some cases the pickings were particularly slim (see 2002).

1996 (53-109)
Travis Fryman

1997 (79-83)
Justin Thompson

1998 (65-97)
Damion Easley

1999 (69-92)
Brad Ausmus

2000 (79-83)
Todd Jones

2001 (66-96)
Tony Clark

2002 (55-106)
Robert Fick

2003 (43-119)
Dmitri Young

Ugly, no?

I still think it’s remarkable that Alex Avila is the starting catcher in tonight’s game. Whoda thunk it, especially after a dreadful Opening Day series against the Yankees when Avila looked about as lost as a player can look. I guess that’s why, as Rod Allen says, you play the games. Jason Beck has a nice piece recapping the Tigers’ All Stars’ respective experiences in Phoenix.

The water is so far past being under the bridge, but isn’t it still a bit weird to see Curtis Granderson starting in the All-Star Game … as a Yankee?

Six years ago today in the Home Run Derby at Comerica Park, Bobby Abreu destroyed the records for a single round, the championship round and the grand total for all three rounds of the derby by hitting 41 homers into every part of yard. The Phillies outfielder went deep 24 times in the first round, tacks on six more in the second round and finishes with 11 more in the championship round.

Looking ahead to the pitching matchups for this weekend’s series against the White Sox:

Friday | 7:05 p.m. FSD/1270 & 97.1
Justin Verlander (12-4, 2.15 ERA) vs. Gavin Floyd (6-9, 4.59 ERA)

Saturday | 4:10 p.m. FOX/1270 & 97.1
Max Scherzer (10-4, 4.69 ERA) vs. Edwin Jackson (5-7, 4.30 ERA)

Sunday | 1:05 p.m. FSD/1270 & 97.1
Brad Penny (6-6, 4.50 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (4-2, 4.83 ERA)

Hey, look who’s available: The Dodgers designated Marcus Thames for assignment today.

Happy Birthday to Mike Schwabe (47) and Mike Munoz (46).

Finally, on this date in 1979 the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game of twi-night doubleheader against the Tigers when more tha5,000 fans refuse to leave the field during Disco Demolition Night. I wrote about it on the 30th anniversary.

Meet the Kinder, Gentler Kirk Gibson

Mike McClary — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:06:21 +0000

The next best thing to Kirk Gibson being the Tigers’ manager is watching him lead my local team, the Diamondbacks. He’s getting lots of attention as the Dbacks arrive in camp as 2011 marks his first full season as the club’s skipper.

The focus seems to be on how he and his staff, which includes bench coach Alan Trammell, will shape this relatively young team — Melvin Mora notwithstanding — and emphasize the positive.

In his blog today, the Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro writes about how Gibby is falling in line with the organization’s new fan friendly mindset — specifically, autographs. As one whose autograph requests of Gibson as recently as three years ago (actually it was a photo request at Spring Training; I was wearing a Fungo t-shirt for crying out loud) have been spurned, this interested me:

The Diamondbacks’ daily schedule is posted on video boards in and around the clubhouse, and right there, before the day’s work is complete, is a required task for every player: sign autographs.

Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall loves to call his organization the most fan-friendly in baseball, but it isn’t just the front office that’s on board with the autograph policy.

There’s agreement coming from the manager’s office.

“They’ll sign every day,” Gibson said. “When the catchers are done, they’ll sign. That’s something that’s important.”

Gibson admitted to being “terrible” at signing when he was a young player but said Detroit manager Sparky Anderson convinced him of the importance of treating fans well.

“Sometimes, when we’re young, we think we’re the most important thing about the game,” Gibson said. “The reality of it is, when you leave the game, it just keeps right on going.”

Anderson’s point to Gibson: What happens if the fans leave?

“None of us would be around,” Anderson told him.

“It really is important,” Gibson said. “As good as times are right now, I went through five work stoppages. The last one was 1994 and I remember how the game was after that. We don’t want to destroy that. They’re very important. They’re great human beings and support our game of baseball. They deserve to be treated with respect as well.”

I’m heading over to the Dbacks’ new Spring Training site on Monday to watch some workouts. Do you think Gibby or Tram will agree to a photo for one of their fanboys?

What about you? Do you have any experiences with Gibson or any other big leaguer brushing off your autograph requests?

Today’s Tiger: Jason Thompson

Mike McClary — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:13:18 +0000

Jason Thompson

Born: July 6, 1954 in Hollywood, Calif.
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6′ 4″ Weight: 200 lb.
Acquired: Drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 1975 amateur draft.
Seasons in Detroit: 5 (1976-80)
Uniform Number: 30
Stats: .256 avg., 98 HR, 354 RBI, .779 OPS
Awards: Three-time All Star (1977, ’78 and ’82)

On May 27, 1980, Tigers GM Jim Campbell traded my favorite player, first baseman Jason Thompson, to the California Angels for outfielder Al Cowens.

The Hollywood native joined the Tigers full time in 1976 and played 123 games that year, hitting .218, with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. Two of the homers cleared the rightfield roof at Tiger Stadium. It was in 1977, though, that he made his mark: .270, 31 homers and 105 RBI — and earned an All Star Game selection.

The 1977 Tigers yearbook noted:

Jason led the Tigers with 31 home runs and 105 RBI — the first Tiger since Norm Cash (32) in 1971 to top 30 homers and the first since Willie Horton (100) in 1966 to attain the century mark in RBI.

At that point, the Tigers had to like their team of the future: Thompson, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish, Steve Kemp, Ron LeFlore, Jack Morris, et al, with a third baseman to be named later.

Thompson had another solid year in ’78, hitting .287 with 26 homers and 96 RBI.

The Beginning of the End in Detroit…Already?!

In 1979 he continued to hit homers and drive in runs — 20 and 79, respectively — but his average dropped 40 points to .246. That was also the year that Sparky Anderson arrived and, so the story goes, Thompson and Sparky didn’t mesh.

In 1980, Thompson got off to a slow start: .214/4/20 in 36 games, and Sparky invoked his My Way or the Highway clause and sent his first baseman to Orange County.

As I’ve said before, Thompson’s replacement, Richie Hebner, was a favorite of mine too. But, who were the Tigers kidding? Hebner over Jason Thompson?

From Anaheim to Pittsburgh to Montreal

Back home in southern California, Thompson thrived. In 102 games he batted .317 with 17 homers and 70 RBI. (Hebner hit .290/12/82.) On the eve of the 1981 season the Angels traded the three-time All Star to the Pirates for Ed Ott and Mickey Mahler.

In his five seasons in Pittsburgh, Thompson hit 93 home runs and averaged 93 RBI (not counting the 42 in the shortened ’81 season).

On April 4, 1986, the Pirates traded him to the Montreal Expos for players to be named later. Thompson played only 30 games for the Expos, hitting .196 with no home runs and just four RBI. On June 30, at the age of 31 and with balky knees, Jason Thompson was out of baseball for good.

The Jason Thompson Curse

If you remove the years that Darrell Evans and Cecil Fielder manned first base, the Tigers have had a revolving door at the position since they traded Jason Thompson. I call it The Curse of Jason Thompson: Hebner, Enos Cabell, Dave Engle, Keith Moreland, Tony Clark, Eric Munson, Carlos Pena, Chris Shelton, Sean Casey and Carlos Guillen. (And now, of course, Miguel Cabrera. Though I’m not convinced he’s long for first base.)

When looking back on the 1984 World Series team, I often think about how that team, or three-quarters of the starting nine, could’ve been homegrown talent — if Thompson were still in Detroit then.

With the exception of Chet Lemon and Larry Herndon, the Tigers could’ve had six of eight starters developed from Lakeland on up. (Or seven of nine if Morris or Dan Petry were on the hill.) Quite a different scenario from the 2008 Tigers when only two full-time, homegrown position players — Curtis Granderson and Matt Joyce — roam the field.

Today Thompson runs “Jason Thompson Baseball” in Auburn Hills, where kids can get hitting and fielding instruction from old #30 himself. He’s also an executive with Wachovia Securities.

If you can’t tell, even 28 years later I’ve still not gotten over the trade involving my favorite childhood player. I quickly hitched my wagon onto Hebner as a way to ease the pain. But that didn’t last long either, come to think of it.

So I threw my allegiance behind Kirk Gibson and five years later, when Gibson signed with the Dodgers, had to deal with the anguish all over again.

Today’s Tiger: Morris Madden

Mike McClary — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:44:07 +0000

Morris Madden

Born: Aug. 31, 1960 in Laurens, S.C.
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6′ 0″ Weight: 155 lb.
Acquired: Signed as a free agent on Nov. 23, 1985.
Seasons in Detroit: 1 (1987)
Uniform Number: 42
Stats: 0-0, 16.20 ERA, 1.2 IP

Don’t feel bad if you don’t remember Morris Madden‘s mini-career with the Tigers. He pitched just twice for Detroit during the 1987 season and one look at his stats tells you why.

On June 11 versus Milwaukee at Tiger Stadium, he came in during the sixth inning to relieve Eric King (who had relieved starter Jeff Robinson) with the bases loaded and promptly walked Brewers second baseman Jim Gantner. In his one inning of work, he allowed two earned runs and three walks. The Tigers lost the game 8-5.

Robinson’s next start, five days later at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, the lefty Madden came in to start the fifth inning. The first hitter he faced, Fred McGriff doubled to center, then Garth Iorg grounded out to Alan Trammell, advancing McGriff to third. Tony Fernandez singled, Lloyd Moseby flied out to center, then Jesse Barfield got an infield single. And that was the end of Morris Madden’s Tigers career.

Less than a month later, on Aug. 12, 1987, Madden was sent by the Tigers to the Pirates to complete the Aug. 7, 1987 trade of Darnell Coles for Jim Morrison.

If you’re wondering how he fared with Jim Leyland‘s Pirates, well it depends on the year. In 1988, he appeared in five games, allowed five hits and seven walks in five innings (!) but didn’t allow a run. In ’89, Madden pitched 14 innings across nine games — including three starts — he allowed a stunning 13 walks, 17 hits, 14 runs, 11 earned. Final ERA: 7.07.

On Nov. 21, 1989, he was released by the Pirates and while he pitched for the AAA Albuquerque Dukes in 1990, his major-league career was over.

Hall of Fame Leftovers

Mike McClary — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:28:59 +0000

So after all the Hall of Fame ballots were counted, Tigers fans could only take solace in that Jack Morris saw his percentage of votes jump to 53.5 percent. That could bode well for the future but probably not next year.

Anyway, all the debates about whether Morris or Alan Trammell belong in Cooperstown got me wondering who the most-similar players are two these Tigers greats.

Thanks to the invaluable Baseball-Reference.com, we can get a quick look at how a player’s stats compare to others in baseball history.

I decided to look at how Baseball Reference compares Morris, Trammell and the BBWA-voter-shafted Lou Whitaker.

Jack Morris: Similar Pitchers — *indicates Hall of Famer

Dennis Martinez (903)
Bob Gibson (885) *
Luis Tiant (873)
Jamie Moyer (873)
Red Ruffing (860) *
Amos Rusie (859) *
Chuck Finley (859)
Burleigh Grimes (855) *
Bob Feller (855) *
Jim Bunning (854) *

So of the 10 in the list, Morris, who misses the cut for so many writers, actually aligns closely in career numbers with statistically to six Hall of Famers. Six!

Lou Whitaker

Ryne Sandberg (901) *
Alan Trammell (868)
Roberto Alomar (857) *
Buddy Bell (850)
Joe Morgan (849) *
Joe Torre (846)
Ray Durham (845)
Brian Downing (843)
Barry Larkin (841)
Julio Franco (834)

Sweetness compares to three Hall of Famers and one soon-to-be, Larkin. It’s astounding to me — and should be shameful to the writers — that Whitaker was one-and-done on the ballot.

And finally, Alan Trammell

Barry Larkin (914)
Edgar Renteria (895)
Jay Bell (876)
Lou Whitaker (868)
Ray Durham (866)
Tony Fernandez (865)
B.J. Surhoff (860)
Ryne Sandberg (859) *
Pee Wee Reese (850) *
Julio Franco (849)

Seeing Renteria on this list is painful if not appalling. And, it might just have obliterated any credibility of these comparisons. Nevertheless, Tram compares to a pair enshrined players and, like Whitaker, to Larkin.

What does this all prove? Probably not much. However, if, as we so often hear, writers must look at how a player compares to his contemporaries — or even to others across the history of the game — this trio of Tigers legends certainly deserve much stronger support than they’ve received to this point.

What do you think?

Today’s Tiger: Warren Morris

Mike McClary — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:11:16 +0000

Warren Morris

Born: Jan. 11, 1974 in Alexandria, La.
Bats: Left Throws: Right
Height: 5′ 11″ Weight: 190 lb.
Acquired: Signed as a free agent by the Tigers Dec. 19, 2002.
Seasons in Detroit: 1 (97 games in 2003)
Uniform Number: 24
Stats: .272 avg., 6 home runs, 37 RBI, .689 OPS

If you keep trying to remove the memory of 2003 only to be reminded by, well, us, we’re about to hurt your effort a bit further. Today we’re looking back on infielder Warren Morris.

He played second base for the ’03 Tigers, hitting .272 in 97 games for that record-setting club. Four seasons earlier Morris finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .288 with 15 homers, 73 RBI and a .787 OPS for the Pirates.

Three seasons before that, in 1996, Morris hit a ninth-inning College World Series Championship-winning home run against Miami. From Wikipedia:

LSU reached the championship game of the College World Series in 1996, and was trailing Miami 8–7 in the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Morris came up to the plate with one runner on base, and hit Miami relief pitcher Robbie Morrison’s first pitch just inches over the right field fence. The walk-off home run won the game for the Tigers 9–8. It was his only home run of the season, and is the only walk-off championship-winning home run in College World Series history.

(Watch it here.)

After being drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the ’96 draft, two years later — while still in the minors — he was traded to the Pirates. He played parts of three seasons in Pittsburgh before being released in Spring Training 2002.

Then he had a sip of coffee with the Twins — no hits in four games — before arriving in Detroit for the abysmal 2003 season. With the Tigers’ stunning Spring Training contract-eating of Damion Easley, Morris became Alan Trammell’s starting second baseman.

You’ll have to dig deep to find a remarkable moment from his time with the Tigers but here’s one that might qualify — in relative terms, mind you. After all, we are talking about the ’03 Tigers.

On June 21, with the Tigers trailing the Rockies 9-3 with two out in the ninth at Coors Field, Morris hit a three-run homer off Jose Jimenez that allowed Detroit to lose by only three runs. (In a sign of things to come, the next batter, Craig Monroe, fanned to end the game.)

Morris re-signed with the Tigers for the 2004 season but didn’t see any action with the big club. He signed with the Indians and Brewers organizations in ’05 but after his final game with the Tigers on Sept. 28, 2003, Morris never appeared in another major-league game.

Still, he has to be proud of that clinching homer in the College World Series, right?

By the way, Happy 37th Birthday, Warren.

Today’s Tiger: Wayne Krenchicki

Mike McClary — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:39:35 +0000

Wayne Krenchicki

Born: Sept. 17, 1954 in Trenton, N.J.
Bats: Left Throws: Right
Height: 6′ 1″ Weight: 180 lb.
Acquired: Traded by the Reds to the Tigers for Pat Underwood on June 30, 1983.
Seasons in Detroit: 1 (59 games in 1983)
Uniform Number: 15
Stats: .278 avg., 1 home run, 16 RBI

The summer of 1983 gave Tigers fans a glimpse of what was to come a year later: a young core of star players ready to move to the next level in the American League East. Detroit was in the race until September when the eventual World Series champion Orioles pulled away for good.

That season also introduced fans — ever-so briefly — to a role player with one of the best names in baseball history: Wayne Krenchicki.

He came to the Tigers in a late-June trade with the Reds for once-promising lefty Pat Underwood. With Alan Trammell nursing injuries, the club needed some infield help.

As he always did with newly acquired players, manager Sparky Anderson put Krenchicki right to work, inserting him in the starting lineup against the Orioles and rookie Storm Davis.

On July 1, batting eighth in the lineup, Krenchicki went hitless in three at bats against Davis and the Tigers lost 9-5. He got his first Tigers hit two days later, a third-inning double off Tim Stoddard, in a 10-1 Tigers win.

In all, Krenchicki appeared in 59 games for the Tigers in 1983, seeing time at every infield position but played primarily at third. His time in Detroit was brief; in November that year, the Reds purchased his contract from the Tigers.

He finished his eight-year big-league career with the Reds and Expos, and retired after the 1986 season.

Same Time, Next Year for Me, Morris and the Hall of Fame

Mike McClary — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:08:52 +0000

It’s early January which means I have to write a post about how I’ll hold out hope that Jack Morris will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Gobs of articles have been written in the past couple of weeks, the majority of which put The Cat squarely in the “great but not Hall-of-Fame great” category.

Sadly, many of them, such as this one by Joe Posnanski, make terrific arguments against Morris’ chances. Even sadder, I’m starting to believe them. As a result I’m resigned to the fact he won’t be elected this year, if ever.

But wait! I have some anecdotes of my own:

In the summer of 2008 I attended the SABR Convention in Cleveland and asked former Indians outfielder Rick Manning if he thought Morris belonged in Cooperstown. He hemmed and hawed and eventually said, “That’s a tough call.” I took it as a “no”.

Then, last spring — thanks to a twist of fate — I had coffee with former major leaguer Ken Phelps and I asked him if he thought Morris belonged in the Hall and he responded without hesitation: “Absolutely.” I told him that many writers disagree and he replied, “Well, they didn’t face him.”

Touche.

I think today I realized why I so badly want to see Morris in the Hall of Fame. It’s because Tigers fans that grew up with the players that formed the core of the 1984 team expected so much from them. Didn’t we honestly think the Tigers would win again and again in the 1980s — not just one other division title in 1987?

For crying out loud, there was Morris, Dan Petry, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson — the best collection of Tigers players in a generation! And all we got was a single World Series championship?

Granted, I wouldn’t trade the summer of ’84 for anything, I just expected it to be the beginning of something great, not a one-time trip to the baseball summit. Didn’t you?

That’s why I want to see Morris or Trammell in the Hall. They deserve — and I think they’ve earned – a lasting baseball legacy. One that includes more than the magic they displayed in October 1984.

Looking Back on Tigers Gold Glove Winners

Mike McClary — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:31:28 +0000

Well, no Tigers player won a Gold Glove this season, though some held out hope that Austin Jackson might’ve come away with some hardware. His day will come, I’m sure.

Let’s look back at the Gold Glove winners in franchise history:

1957

Al Kaline OF

1958

Frank Bolling 2B

Al Kaline OF

1959

Al Kaline OF

1961

Al Kaline OF

Frank Lary P

1962

Al Kaline OF

1963

Al Kaline OF

1964

Al Kaline OF

1965

Bill Freehan C

Al Kaline OF

1966

Bill Freehan C

Al Kaline OF

1967

Bill Freehan C

Al Kaline OF

1968

Bill Freehan C

Mickey Stanley OF

1969

Bill Freehan C

Mickey Stanley OF

1970

Mickey Stanley OF

1972

Ed Brinkman SS

1973

Mickey Stanley OF

1976

Aurelio Rodriguez 3B

1980

Alan Trammell SS

1981

Alan Trammell SS

1982

Lou Whitaker 2B

1983

Lance Parrish C

Alan Trammell SS

1984

Lance Parrish C

Lou Whitaker 2B

Alan Trammell SS

1985

Lance Parrish C

Lou Whitaker 2B

1988

Gary Pettis OF

1989

Gary Pettis OF

2004

Ivan Rodriguez C

2006

Ivan Rodriguez C

Kenny Rogers P

2007

Placido Polanco 2B

Ivan Rodriguez C

2009

Placido Polanco 2B

The Non-Sequiturs: Trick or Treat Edition

Mike McClary — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:21:40 +0000

Each October, I’m astounded to learn that Halloween is the second-largest retail holiday of the year. I’m not a fan of Halloween, though I do like the occasional, or frequent, Kit Kat.

It’s a treat to be able to watch the World Series on Halloween, though the Aubrey Huff and Edgar Renteria sightings are undoubtedly the “trick” part of the equation.

In our highest vote-gettin’ poll of the season, Fungo readers were emphatic on what the Tigers’ next offseason move should be: target Nationals’ slugger and free-agent-to-be Adam Dunn.

Twenty-four percent (148 voters) of the 628 readers casting votes selected Dunn as their top choice. Here are the runners up:
- Sign Jason Werth (16%, 103 Votes)
- Sign Victor Martinez (15%, 97 Votes)
- Trade for a starting pitcher (14%, 88 Votes)
- Pickup Jhonny Peralta’s option (14%, 88 Votes)
- Sign Magglio Ordonez (12%, 73 Votes)
- Other (5%, 31 Votes)
Thanks to everyone who voted and a special thanks for those that left comments. It was a great discussion. Keep those comments rolling in.
As we noted earlier this week, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson named Alan Trammell as his bench coach. It didn’t take a genius to see this as a possibility once Gibby was given the job full time.

On Thursday the Dbacks made it official – along with the hiring of Don Baylor as hitting coach and Charles Nagy as pitching coach – and here’s what new GM Kevin Towers had to say about Tram (courtesy of Nick Piecoro’s blog):

I go back to ‘Tram’ in the late ‘80s. At the end of my playing career, I was a free agent and I had four or five different options to go to different ballclubs and that offseason there was a workout and conditioning program that they always held in San Diego. It was mainly young minor league players and the only big league player was Alan Trammell. He was the first one there, the last one to leave. When it came to running, he led the running every time. When it came to make my choice, I said, If this is what the Detroit Tigers are all about – here’s a guy who has been an All-Star, is one of the premier players in the game. If he puts this type of time and effort into his game in the off-season, if they breed those kind of players, that’s the type of organization I want to be with.”

And Gibby on his new bench coach:

“I probably talk more baseball with Alan Trammell than anybody. I think we share similar beliefs and philosophies. We have the same foundation. We were taught the same way in the Detroit organization with Sparky (Anderson). He’s a very trusted friend of mine, a great baseball man, a great competitor and he has high standards. I wasn’t sure that was going to work out and I think many took it for granted that he would be on my staff, but I know KT can attest that was one of the things I didn’t want to do. I wanted to make sure I hired Alan or anybody on my staff for the right reasons. Interviewed several other guys for that position and in the end felt that Alan was the right pick.”

On this date in 1984, Willie Hernandez won the American League Cy Young Award, edging fellow reliever Dan Quisenberry of the Royals. Hernandez posted a 9-3 record with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA. Hernandez becomes only the third reliever — and only the second Tiger — to win the award

Finally, Happy Birthday to the Fonz. Henry Winkler turns 65 today.

Monday Mankowskis: World Series Edition

Mike McClary — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:59:51 +0000

This edition features flashback photos of Tigers alumni we’ve all heard too much about this postseason, Cody Ross and Andres Torres:

Tomorrow the Diamondbacks will announce that Alan Trammell will be Kirk Gibson’s bench coach in 2011 — the same role Gibson served under Trammell from 2003-05. This was a no-brainer once Tram was told he wouldn’t be considered for the Cubs managerial job. The only thing that delayed it was, among other things, the matter of Gibson having the interim tag removed from his title.
There’s been a lot chatter about Rangers’ catcher Bengie Molina playing for both the Rangers and Giants this season. He’s one of only five players in major-league history to have played on both World Series teams in the same year.

Did you know that one of the remaining four did so with the Tigers in 1984? Indeed: ye olde Sid Monge. The lefty reliever appeared in 13 games with the Padres (2-1, 4.80 ERA) and 19 for the Tigers (1-0, 4.25 ERA). SI.com has a story on the last player to do so before Molina.
Oct. 26 Update: As posted on Keith Olbermann‘s baseball blog, Monge doesn’t fall into this category because he wasn’t on the Tigers’ World Series roster. I knew Monge didn’t make the roster, but I didn’t realize the qualifier for this two-team distinction was to appear in the World Series. Live and learn.
It’s not easy to decide who enrages Tigers fans’ more, Jim Leyland or Brandon Inge. I’ve gone on record as being a Leyland supporter and have surrendered on the topic of Inge. I tend to think re-signing him was the best of the meager options (and after reading Jason Beck‘s post, I don’t feel entirely insane — particularly about Adrian Beltre. I remember him blowing off the Tigers the year he signed with the Mariners.)

Then comes this from Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts and I had to re-evaluate. But then I saw this piece from Joe Pawlikowski at Fan Graphs, came full circle and am again okay with Inge’s return. Thanks for hanging with me on that one.
Time to commemorate a couple of Tigers birthdays: Wilkin Ramirez turns 25 today, and Al Cowens was born on this date in 1951. He passed away in 2002. Here’s a piece on Cowens from the Fungo archives.
Rob Neyer and I have a running thing about Jack Morris and what I feel is his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Well, it’s not really a thing because he doesn’t keep trying to convince me that The Cat doesn’t belong. It’s me trying to sway him.

Bottom line: It ain’t happening. To illustrate the point, here are another few crystals of salt aimed at my wound, courtesy of Rob.
For what it’s worth, I expect the Rangers to knock the Giants for a loop in the World Series. San Francisco has shown an incredible ability to win despite, well, those players. They are, in my view, the White Sox of the National League and must be defeated — with Aubrey Huff going hitless, of course. Rangers in six.

Finally, on this date in 1986, the Mets won Game 6 of the World Series in the 10th inning when a routine ground ball went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs. And I, ashamedly, watched it happen at a Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Tigers Today: September 13, 2010

Mike McClary — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:36:37 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

72-72, 3rd Place; 13.5 GB

Today’s Game

Off Day

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 6 – Orioles 2

W: Justin Verlander
L: Mike Gonzalez (0-3)
HR: Brandon Inge (11)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Luke French, 25

Nelson Cruz, 38

On this Date in Tigers History

2002 — The U.S. Senate passes a resolution honoring Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell who is retiring at the end of the season. The 84-year-old has been a major league baseball announcer for 55 years.

1995 — Tigers Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell set a new American League record for joint appearances (1,915
games).

1969 — The Tigers are eliminated when they lose to the Senators, 11-6. Washington scores five in the fifth, three coming home on a Ken McMullen homer, one of his four hits in the game. Detroit rallies in the sixth on Willie Horton’s third grand slam of the year, but McMullen knocks home another two runs to give Darold Knowles (7-3) the win over Tom Timmermann.

1934 — With his fiancee, Edna Mae Skinner of Oklahoma, watching, Schoolboy Rowe leads the Tigers to a 2-0 win over Washington. He asks in a radio interview: “How’m I doing, Edna?”

Tigers Today: September 9, 2010

Mike McClary — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:41:14 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

71-70, 3rd Place; 12.5 GB

Today’s Results

Tigers 6 – White Sox 3

W: Rick Porcello (9-11)
L: Gavin Floyd (10-12)

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 5 – White Sox 1

W: Jeremy Bonderman (8-9)
L: John Danks (13-10)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Edwin Jackson, 27

Dan Miceli, 40

Reggie Sanders (1949-2002)

On this Date in Tigers History

1997 — Scott Sanders hurls a one-hit, 4-0 shutout over the Rangers. Domingo Cedeno’s single is the only Rangers hit.

1990 — Right fielder Scott Lusader loses the battle to bright sun and soggy turf and makes three errors (two fielding and one throwing) in the first inning against the White Sox. It’s a first in the American League since 1925. The Sox score seven runs in the inning and coast home 13-3, snapping the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak.

1977 — In the second game of a doubleheader loss at Fenway Park, Tigers rookies Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell debut together. They will hold down the second base and shortstop jobs in Detroit for a record 19 years. Boston wins both games, 5-1 and 8-6, respectively.

1970 — Bowie Kuhn hands Denny McLain his third suspension of the year, this one for carrying a gun, plus other unspecified charges, and ends McLain’s season with a 3-5 record.

1932 — The Tigers beat the Yankees 14- 13 in a 14-inning game in which Lou Gehrig hits a grand slam and
drives in eight runs. He has reached this RBI feat twice before. Frankie Crosetti strikes out four times in the game, including twice in one inning.

Detroit also tops the Yanks, 4-1, in five innings to finally complete the protested game of August 1, and the tie of yesterday. The Yankees score their lone run in the third inning off Buck Marrow with their only two hits of the game.

Tigers Today: August 30, 2010

Mike McClary — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:01:00 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

65-66, 3rd Place; 10 GB

Today’s Game

Off Day

Tomorrow @ Minnesota

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 10 – Blue Jays 4

W: Rick Porcello (7-11)
L: Marc Rzepczynski (1-2)
HR: Ryan Raburn 2 (10), Brandon Inge (9)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Randy O’Neal, 50

Steve Baker, 54

Steve Partenheimer (1891-1971)

On this Date in Tigers History

1995 — Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell tie an American League record by playing in their 1,914th game together, a 10-7 loss to the White Sox. The record was set by the Royals’ George Brett and Frank White.

1912 — At Navin Field, the Browns’ Earl Hamilton no-hits the Tigers, 5-1.

1905 — Making his major league debut, Ty Cobb doubles off Highlander Jack Chesbro in a 5-3 Tigers victory at Bennett Park.

Tigers Today: July 15, 2010

Mike McClary — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:06:28 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

48-38, 2nd place; 1/2-game behind White Sox

Today’s Game

All-Star Break

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Scott Livingstone, 45

On this Date in Tigers History

2000 — The Tigers retired number 23 in honor of Willie Horton.
1982 — The Tigers collect nine hits and drop 11 runs on the Twins in the first inning en
route to an 18-2 pasting. Dan Petry is the winning pitcher. Tom Brookens and Alan Trammell hit back-to-back home runs off reliever John Pacella.

1973 — Before 41,411 at Tiger Stadium, the Angels’ Nolan Ryan hurls his second no-hitter of the season against the Tigers 6-0. Ryan fans 17 batters, the most ever in a 9-inning no-hitter, including eight straight, but only one over the last two innings. Ryan’s arm stiffens while watching his team rally for five runs in the top of the eighth.
With two outs in the ninth, Norm Cash, who had struck out his three other times at bat, comes to bat wielding a piano leg. Umpire Ron Luciano points out the illegality and Cash then pops out using a regulation bat. Ryan’s eight straight strikeouts ties the American League record he set in 1972.

1969 — With President Richard Nixon attending his fifth game of the season, the Senators
beat the Tigers again, 7-3. The Tigers pull off the first triple play of the year when Ed Brinkman grounds to third baseman Don Wert. Tim Cullen, hitting .206, drives in four runs with a single, double and home run.

1936 — After an absence of several weeks, manager Mickey Cochrane rejoins the Tigers in New York, as they split a doubleheader with the Yankees. The Tigers take the opener, 5-1, then lose 7-4, as New York maintains its nine-game lead. Cochrane will suffer a relapse and coach Del Baker will take over on the 21st.
1909 — Ty Cobb has two inside-the-park homers to lead the Tigers to a sweep of the Washington Nationals. Detroit wins, 9-5 and 7-0.
1900 — Tigers manager George Stallings, afraid that his home crowd would injure umpire
Joe Cantillon after the previous day’s hostilities, refuses to let him work, and the game is forfeited to the Cleveland Lake Shores. But Lake Shores manager Jimmy McAleer agrees to play using reserve player Sport McAllister as the
ump, and Detroit wins, 6-1.

Tigers Today: June 21, 2010

Mike McClary — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:05:56 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

38-30, 2nd place; 1.5 GB of Minnesota

Tomorrow’s Game

Tigers @ Mets | 7:10 p.m. ET – Citi Field | On the air: FSD/AM 1270 and 97.1 FM

Pitching Matchup
Justin Verlander (8-4, 3.54 ERA) vs. LHP Jonathon Niese (4-2, 3.64 ERA)

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 3 – Diamondbacks 1 | Fungo Recap

W: Max Scherzer (3-4)
L: Ian Kennedy (3-5)
Save: Jose Valverde (16)
HR: Brennan Boesch (10), Carlos Guillen (5)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Sean Runyan, 36
Gene Pentz, 57

On this Date in Tigers History

1997 — The Tigers blast the Red Sox 15-4 at Tiger Stadium. Trailing by 12 runs, the Red Sox try outfielder Darren Bragg at third base, and put infielder Mike Benjamin on the mound for the ninth. Benjamin retires all three batters he faces, the only one of five Sox pitchers to do so.

1988 — With two outs in the ninth inning, Alan Trammell blasts a grand slam to give the Tigers a 7-6 win over the Yankees.

1970 — Cleveland wins the first game against the Tigers, 2-1, but Detroit’s Cesar Gutierrez then goes 7-for-7 with six singles and a double to tie a record set in 1892, in a 12-inning 9-8 nitecap win. Mickey Stanley’s home run wins it
for the Tigers. Gutierrez, wearing #7, starts the game hitting .218, and was 0-for-18 before today. Gutierrez will collect just seven hits in all of 1971, and 128 hits for his career.

1969 — Willie Horton powers two homers, one a grand slam, and drives in six runs to lead the Tigers to a 9-5 win over the visiting Senators. Mickey Lolich (8-1) is the winner, allowing just four hits.

1958 — The Tigers’ Frank Lary pitches his third straight shutout, beating the Yankees’ Duke Maas, 1-0. Al Kaline
throws out Maas at the plate and hits his seventh home run to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. Lary was known as the Yankee Killer thanks to his 28-13 career record against New York in 56 appearances.

1914 — Senators legend Walter Johnson connects for a fifth-inning grand slam off the Tigers’ George Boehler; Washington wins, 7-3. The Big Train hit two-dozen homers in his career — but only one grand slam.

[ The Daily Fungo: Detroit Tigers Baseball ] » Alan Trammell

Tuesday Tananas: Tiger Stadium’s Finale, Fister’s Dominance, and Meat Loaf’s Birthday

Rolling

Feeling Better About Hall of Fame Weekend

All-Star Game Notes and Non Sequiturs

Meet the Kinder, Gentler Kirk Gibson

Today’s Tiger: Jason Thompson

Today’s Tiger: Morris Madden

Hall of Fame Leftovers

Today’s Tiger: Warren Morris

Today’s Tiger: Wayne Krenchicki

Same Time, Next Year for Me, Morris and the Hall of Fame

Looking Back on Tigers Gold Glove Winners

More Video: Sparky at the ’84 Tigers Reunion in 2009

The Non-Sequiturs: Trick or Treat Edition

Monday Mankowskis: World Series Edition

Tigers Today: September 13, 2010

Tigers Today: September 9, 2010

Tigers Today: August 30, 2010

Tigers Today: July 15, 2010

Tigers Today: June 21, 2010