[ The Daily Fungo: Detroit Tigers Baseball ] » Curtis Granderson

The Game 5 Non Sequiturs

Mike McClary — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:26:29 +0000

Here we are, a couple of hours from the most nerve-wracking Tigers game since Game 163 and the club’s first winner-take-all game since the 1972 ALCS, as Lee Panas pointed out after Game 4. Let’s see what happens. (Not unlike to my approach to this post.)

Jim Leyland this afternoon explained why we’ll see Max Scherzer and not Justin Verlander should the Tigers need a long-man:

“I don’t think it’s a wise decision. Like I said, those innings he pitched the other night, all the innings he’s piled up this year, all the strikeouts, all the adrenaline, and the fact that he’s throwing 100 miles an hour in the eighth inning [on Monday night], if he comes in this game tonight, there’s no telling what he would be throwing with the way this crowd is going to be and everything. I just don’t think it makes sense.”

Tonight’s game marks the seventh time in the Tigers post-season history they’ve had a series go the maximum number of games. Detroit has compiled a 2-4 record in the previous six series.

Wins: Game 7 of the 1945 and 1968 World Series
Losses: Game 7 of the 1909, 1934 and 1940 World Series; Game 5 of the 1972 ALCS

Jerry Crasnick focuses on Doug Fister and Delmon Young in this ESPN.com story. Here’s one scout’s view on Fister:

“The gun doesn’t tell the story on him,” the scout said. “He’s a movement guy with good location, and velocity doesn’t matter that much. He’s so tall [6-foot-8] and he’s straight over the top, so he gets great ‘down’ plane. When he’s down in the zone, it’s like hitting a bowling ball.”

By the by, Fister surrendered five home runs over his final 19 outings of the season dating back to June 14, a stretch of 129 innings pitched. He allowed 0.46 home runs per nine innings this season, lowest in the American League.

On this date in 1945, a goat and its owner make an appearance at Wrigley Field for Game 4 of the World Series between the Tigers and Cubs. The pair is told to leave before the game ends, angering the owner (and presumably the goat). The Cubs lost to the Tigers, 4-1. The Tigers go on to win the Series in seven and the Cubs won’t win another National League championship for the rest of the 20th century. And thus was born the Curse of the Billy Goat.

Young’s two home runs during this ALDS matches a Tigers record. Both Curtis Granderson and Craig Monroe hit two home runs for Detroit during the ALDS in 2006.

That’s all I’ve got. Except for this: Tigers 5 Yankees 2.

Enjoy the game.

It’s Not Just You: The Tigers Don’t Deliver with Bases Loaded

Mike McClary — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:31:39 +0000

In the first inning of Tuesday night’s ALDS Game 4, Yankees starter A.J. Burnett was on the ropes. He’d walked the bases loaded and with two out Don Kelly ripped what appeared to be a liner over Curtis Granderson’s head in centerfield. (Lord knows we still love Grandy in Detroit, but his reaction to that ball might’ve been one of the reasons the Tigers were willing to deal him in 2009.)

Unfortunately for Kelly and the Tigers, Granderson recovered and made a leaping grab that definitely saved the game for the Yankees and perhaps the series.

It was the second game in a row the Tigers had loaded the bases in the early innings with a chance to blow the game wide open. At least in Game 3 Miguel Cabrera plated a run when he grounded into a double play.

How many times this season have we seen the Tigers load the bases only to come away empty handed?

For the past six months I asked that question only rhetorically. Thanks to some horrific relief work in the eighth, I had time (and good reason to) visit Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index to get the definitive answer.

Using the parameters of bases loaded with zero or one out and a batter making an out, I found out the Tigers were in this situation 65 times in 48 games in 2011. Thirty-three times they scored – but never more than a single run – 16 times they struck out and 15 times they grounded into a double play.

Thirty-nine times the Tigers came up with bases loaded and two out and failed to score. They fanned 11 times. Tonight’s almost hero Kelly faced that situation just twice in 2011. Brennan Boesch was up six times with the bases loaded and two out. Thirty-eight times they had the bases loaded and didn’t put a ball in play — that includes home runs, and the Tigers had three grand slams this season, and eight walks. Even though they scored 20 runs in these situations, they hit just .100 with a .289 OBP.

I was surprised to discover Miguel Cabrera came to the plate with the bases juiced three times this past season, once with no one out, twice with two out. In all three at bats he singled to left driving in one run twice, and two runs one time.

Thinking back to Tuesday night’s first-inning scenario, I looked at how many times this past season the Tigers had:

bases loaded, with none or one out,
in the first or second inning; and,
put a ball in play.

This occurred 14 times. The results: .091 average, .071 OBP and .182 OPS. The most successful at bat for any Tigers hitter in that scenario came on April 8 when Victor Martinez doubled off Kyle Davies to clear the bases. Detroit scored six runs in the other 13 games, three on sacrifice flies, three on groundouts.

For a moment I thought about digging deeper into this but, like when you’re told there’s no Santa Claus, there’s no reason to ask about the Easter Bunny. Nothing good can come of it.

*Thanks for your patience as I revised this post to clarify and correct the information.

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).

Labor Day Leftovers, SweetSpot Style

Mike McClary — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:33:37 +0000

In case you missed it, ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog has featured a nice collection of Tigers-focused posts over the past few days:

Dave Schoenfield lists his unsung heroes, among them is Jhonny Peralta:

I’ve sung Peralta’s praises on several occasions, but everyone just keeps talking about this Verlander guy. All Peralta has done is hit over .300 with power and played surprisingly well on defense. He’s been the best shortstop in the AL.
In case you missed it on Thursday, ESPN ran “What’s important in September” list for each American League team. Here was my contribution about the Tigers:

The pressing issue for the Tigers in September is finding a consistent rotation behind Justin Verlander. At times, Detroit’s starting five — or at least four of five (sorry, Brad Penny) — has looked sturdy enough to be a scary proposition for a Division Series opponent. At others, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello have looked dreadful and scare only Tigers fans. If trade-deadline prize Doug Fister can continue the trend of his past three starts (21.2 IP, 2 ER, 15 hits, 1 walk and 18 strikeouts), the Tigers will feel considerably better about October.
Joe Janish from the Mets Today blog examined the Tigers/Diamondbacks/Yankees trade from 2009 and sees all three teams as winners:

Though none of the players the Tigers received are having an MVP-caliber year, it’s fair to say the deal worked out well for them as well. After all, they are currently leading the AL Central by 6.5 games, with roughly one-sixth of the team’s 25-man roster filled by players obtained in that deal — including their starting center fielder and their No. 2 starting pitcher.
Ben Jedlovec writes Austin Jackson was the best on defense in August.

Austin Jackson led baseball with 11 Defensive Runs Saved in the month of August, and his 17 Defensive Runs Saved this season is tied for third among all center fielders. Robinson Cano tied for the infield lead with 7 Runs Saved on the month.

That is all.

Tigers Prospects Dry Up After Arizona Fall League

Mike McClary — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 05:12:52 +0000

Note: This article first appeared on ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog today.

When the Tigers traded Scott Sizemore to the A’s over Memorial Day Weekend, it brought an abrupt and mildly startling end to his tenure as Detroit’s second baseman of the future. The Tigers, after all, anointed him as the heir apparent to Placido Polanco almost immediately after they lost Game 163 to the Twins in 2009.

Polanco was eligible for arbitration, which coincided with the Tigers’ momentary spending freeze, and soon he was back with the Phillies doing everything fans in Detroit had come accustomed to: steadiness in the field, reliability at the plate.

But back to Sizemore. The Tigers sent him to the Arizona Fall League – “a graduate school” for top prospects, according to the AFL Media Guide – in 2007 and again in ‘09 in what they undoubtedly expected to be a final tuneup before handing over the keys to second base to him for the foreseeable future.

Within days of the 2009 AFL season, Sizemore’s ankle was broken as he attempted to turn a double play and his fall league experience went kaput. It didn’t stop the Tigers from hoping that he could recover in time for spring training.

Fast forward to May 27 when he was dealt to Oakland for David Purcey (himself an AFL graduate) and the book was closed on Sizemore’s career in Detroit: 65 games, a .223 average, .605 OPS and a mere three home runs. Not legendary stuff and certainly nowhere close to Polanco’s track record.

Sizemore’s flameout got me thinking about the poor results the Tigers have seen from their Arizona Fall League representatives, particularly when contrasted with Central-division rivals.

Over the past five years, the players sent by the Tigers to the AFL (including Sizemore, twice) haven’t lived up their billing. Tigers fans heard breathless projections of guys such as Brent Clevlen, Cameron Maybin and Virgil Vasquez — not to mention Jeff Larish and Cale Iorg — only to see them cut loose or traded or otherwise vanish from baseball. In some cases, Cody Ross and Burke Badenhop for example, Tigers AFL prospects have gone elsewhere and had success.

Expand the view a bit wider and you’ll see that Curtis Granderson, Tony Clark and Frank Catalanotto and current Tigers utilityman Don Kelly spent an autumn in Phoenix. But
outside of Granderson, which Tigers player and AFL alum over the past five seasons has the most big-league experience? Outfielder Casper Wells, who, at the All-Star break, had 97 games with the Tigers.

Next in line is Opening Day second baseman Will Rhymes (73), Sizemore (65) and pitcher Eddie Bonine (62). Where are they today? Rhymes is a Triple-A All Star in Toledo, Sizemore’s near the Bay and Bonine is pitching for the Phillies’ Triple-A club.

From the perspective of a Tigers fan, these under-performing prospects are that much more frustrating when the Indians, White Sox, Royals and Twins accelerate their AFL players from the desert to the big-league club.

How’s this for a collection of who’s who? Chris Getz. Gordon Beckham. Joe Crede. Alex Gordon. Eric Hosmer. Billy Butler. Mitch Maier. Joe Mauer. Grady Sizemore. David Huff.

This examination of the Tigers’ AFL classes doesn’t mean they franchise hasn’t developed important players. Since 2006, Justin Verlander, Brennan Boesch, Alex Avila, Joel Zumaya all came through the Detroit farm system – but they bypassed Arizona on their way up.

For many teams, particularly those in the A.L. Central, the Arizona Fall League has been a key stop on their development fast track. Unfortunately, for the Tigers and their top prospects this graduate school has handed out nothing but failing grades of late.

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.

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.

Three-ish for Thursday: Festivus, Feller and My New Job

Mike McClary — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:32:18 +0000

Here we are one week before Festivus and the Tigers have given fans mere stocking stuffers compared to the gifts White Sox, Nationals, Red Sox and, most recently, Phillies fans received.

Then again, only in this offseason could a guy of Victor Martinez’s caliber be considered value-bin material. Now that the big names are off the board, the Tigers are left to browse the remainder table for their missing pieces — unless a trade goes down.

In March 2009, my friends John and Steve came to town for some Cactus League action. The first game we attended was at the Indians and Reds shared facility in Goodyear, Ariz. (Though the Reds wouldn’t move to the Phoenix region until this past Spring.) We all agreed that the game between the Tribe and the Brewers might have been the longest Spring Training game in history, which made Bob Feller’s performance that day all the more remarkable. He sat in the shade down the leftfield line and signed autographs for the entire game — and it was a steady stream of fans, despite it being far from a sellout. Impressive indeed.

I was never a fan of Feller because he played the Crabby-Old-Man role for so long and his comments about Jackie Robinson in Ken Burns’ “Baseball” series seemed inappropriate.

Nevertheless, baseball lost a legend yesterday. A legend that posted a 41-29 record and a 3.44 ERA against the Tigers in his 18-year career — his record at Briggs Stadium was 21-14 in 38 starts — only the White Sox and Athletics lost to him more. In fact, the Yankees were the only club to have beaten Feller more than they lost: 37-30.

The response to our most recent Flash Poll was astounding — more than 2,100 votes. Thanks for weighing in. We asked Should the Tigers pursue Curtis Granderson to play left field? The context in which we were asking — but didn’t articulate in the question — was pure speculation that if the Yankees landed Carl Crawford, then Granderson might be available.As you can see, 86 percent of respondents would like to see him back in a Tigers uniform — though most weren’t willing to do it at any cost:
- Yes, depending on the cost. (45%, 987 Votes)
- Absolutely. (41%, 891 Votes)
- Bygones. (14%, 302 Votes)
- Total Voters: 2,180

Thanks again for participating, and watch for our next poll soon.

Random items: On this date in 1996, the Tigers traded second baseman Mark Lewis to the Giants for first baseman Jesse Ibarra. Lewis came to the Tigers from the Reds in a trade for David Wells … Today’s the 46th birthday of Bill Ripken … Shouldn’t the Tigers make an offer to Jim Thome, if for no other reason than to see what he can do at Comerica Park? … I’m intrigued by what the future holds for Jeremy Bonderman. Where does he sign? Does he come back at all? It’s been awfully quiet on the Bondo front … And this is funny, if not childish. When the Diamondbacks were pursuing (and eventually signing) reliever J.J. Putz, the D-backs’ outstanding beat writer, Nick Piecoro, had to deal with an interesting technological problem. Whenever he wrote “Putz”, the Arizona Republic‘s publishing system would replace it with “(inappropriate term)”, leaving each Web article on the subject with a few instances of “former White Sox reliever J.J. (inappropriate term)”. Putz’s name appeared uncensored, as it were, in the print editions of the Piecoro’s articles but not without the writer needing to produce a tedious workaround. Last week Piecoro reported on Twitter that the tech guys finally got it figured out.

Finally, you probably noticed that posting here has been lighter than normal over the past couple of weeks. Here’s why: after more than seven years as a self-employed freelance writer, I’ve gone back to work in the corporate world.

(If you’re interested in where I’m working, here’s a hint: it’s the parent company of the school Jim Leyland‘s son is attending (he mentions it in this piece by Lynn Henning), though Leyland doesn’t get the name exactly right.) As a result, I’m trying to get a feel for my new schedule — and a wardrobe based on more than t-shirts. Hang with me while I find the groove.

Monday Mankowskis: Winter Meetings Edition

Mike McClary — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:57:30 +0000

One by one, the Tigers’ alleged free-agent targets are signing with other clubs and in the case of Adam Dunn, with the hated White Sox. Now that Jayson Werth has sign a gargantuan deal with the Nationals — the Nationals? — Detroit is left to shoot for the moon (i.e., Carl Crawford) or swing another blockbusterish trade.

I’m still betting on the latter, though the Tigers have fewer minor-league chips to parlay into an impact big-leaguer, and the ones they have — Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner — are the premier prospects. But who wants to see them dealt? Not many, I’m guessing.

Meanwhile …

Ken Rosenthal says that the Tigers could be a dark-horse team on Cliff Lee. He’s clear that he has no information on which to base this hunch, only Mike Ilitch‘s annual mad-money spending. How great would this be? As long as Lee doesn’t end up with the White Sox …
I received an email from our man Doug Hill this morning saying that a Detroit sports talk conversation centered on the alleged availability of Curtis Granderson — and whether a return to Detroit might be possible. The hosts speculated that Grandy could return, bat fifth and play left field. I’d have no problem with this, depending on the cost. What do you think?
The Werth deal has been skewered by just about everyone since it was announced, most recently by The News’ Lynn Henning, and justifiably so. Still, I think the Nationals wanted to make a splash much like the Tigers did in 2005 when they went after Magglio Ordonez. Sometimes a club has to make a bold move to get itself back on the map. For Washington, this was that move.

I tweeted yesterday that most thought the Tigers seven-year deal with Ordonez was nuts. Despite his injury-shortened 2005, he was tremendous for the Tigers. The Common Man replied:

@DailyFungo Correct me if I’m wrong, but #Tigers got, like, one great year out of Magglio while paying, like $82 mil. I’d say that’s nuts.

Well, in the six seasons he played in Detroit, Ordonez amassed some pretty solid numbers: .318 average, 102 home runs, 501 RBI and OPS of .874. I’d say that’s hardly nuts. Plus, at the time the Tigers had zero punch in the lineup, with apologies to Rondell White, Dmitri Young and Pudge. They needed a slugger and after a decade of losing, they needed to overpay a bit. I think it worked out tremendously.
In case you’ve been wondering, Victor Martinez will wear number 41, his number in Cleveland and Boston, which means Oliver will have to go with another. Joaquin Benoit will wear number 53.
Speaking of Magglio, ESPN.com’s Rumor Central whispers that the Red Sox might have him on their radar but his age might drive them away.
While it’s only the first day of the Winter Meetings, the Tigers might make a splash today. In their history, December 6 has been a busy transaction day:

1939 – The Tigers acquired infielder Dick Bartell from the Cubs for infielder Billy Rogell.

1954 – The Tigers acquired RHP Leo Cristante and infielders Ferris Fain and Jack Phillips from the White Sox for LHP Ted Gray, infielder Walt Dropo and outfielder Bob Nieman.

1958 – The Tigers acquired infielders Eddie Yost and Rocky Bridges and outfielder Neil Chrisley from the Senators for infielders Reno Bertoia and Ron Samford and outfielder Jim Delsing.

1973 – The Tigers acquired LHP Ray Newman from the Brewers for RHP Mike Strahler.

1975 – The Tigers acquired LHPs Dave Roberts and Jim Crawford and catcher Milt May from the Astros for RHPs Gene Pentz and Mark Lemongello, catcher Terry Humphrey and outfielder Leon Roberts.

1989 – The Tigers acquired RHP Matt Kinzer and outfielder Jim Lindeman from the Cardinals for RHP Marcos Betances, catcher Bill Henderson and infielder Pat Austin.

Thanks to the record-number of responses — 1,308! — we received to our recent Fungo Flash Poll: What’s next on the Tigers’ offseason to-do list? The comments were terrific too.
Here’s how the voting came out:

Sign Jayson Werth (39%, 512 Votes)
Make a trade or two at the Winter Meetings (27%, 359 Votes)
Sign a starting pitcher (24%, 309 Votes)
Sign Adam Dunn (10%, 128 Votes)

With Werth and Dunn off the market, I still believe the Tigers are due for a big trade.

It should be a fun week. On Thursday, Ian and I will recap the Tigers’ activity on the next episode of the podcast.

Monday Mankowskis: Inge and Peralta More Alike Than You Think

Mike McClary — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:22:46 +0000

No Tigers baseball for a week, how are you managing? Here in Phoenix we’re prepping for another season of Arizona Fall League action. (More on that later.)

In the meantime, here are some odds and ends from the last week:

If you’re still coming to grips with the notion of Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta manning the left side of the Tigers’ infield next season, here’s something I noticed that will either make you feel better or worse – and nowhere in between.

Based on this year’s stats, it appears that Inge and Peralta are practically twins:

2010 Stats	Inge	Peralta
Games	144	148
At bats	514	551
Hits	127	137
Home Runs	13	15
RBI	70	81
Average	.247	.249
On-base Percentage	.321	.311
Slugging Percentage	.397	.392
OPS	.718	.703

Of Peralta, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski last Sunday said: “We don’t know what we will do with his ($7.25 million) option, but would like him back next year as our shortstop.”

I’m like many Tigers fans: skeptical, at best, about Peralta as a full-time shortstop. True, he’ll bring more pop to the position than either Danny Worth or Ramon Santiago. But that’s not saying much, is it? As for his defense, the 2010 edition of Baseball Prospectus described Peralta as “increasingly immobile.”

Gee, if we wanted an immobile shortstop, why not give the job back to Carlos Guillen?

Discuss.

Yahoo! Sports‘ Tim Brown last week gave some major love to former Tigers infielder/current Braves sensation Omar Infante.

Years ago, he was run off positions and out of at-bats in Detroit by Ramon Santiago, Carlos Guillen, Placido Polanco and Fernando Vina, so he earned back a few swings by playing six different positions, figuring it out, surviving.

Now 28, hardened by his positional vagabonding and inspired by the public ridicule that accompanied his surprise All-Star selection in July, Infante no longer plays from the bench. In the leadoff spot and back at third base, he has become part of a new core of Braves, that being what was left from a grueling and injurious season. From the Braves’ opening day eight, only two started game 162, a win that clinched the organization’s first playoff appearance in five years.

All things considered, who would you rather have at shortstop for the Tigers next season: Infante, Worth or Peralta?
Getting caught up on some recent Fungo Flash Poll results:
- Do you like the Tigers’ decision to put Phil Coke in the rotation next season? 52 percent (115 votes) said Yes; 48 percent (107) said No.
- If the Tigers decide to re-sign only one of these players, who should they choose? Inge: 79 percent (214 votes); Bonderman: 21 percent (56 votes)
- With the Tigers season winding down, what are you looking forward to the most? Top three vote getters: Michigan Football, 25 percent (41 votes); Spring Training, 24 percent (40); Red Wings, 23 percent (38). I’m disappointed that no one — not a single vote! — cast a vote for my alma mater: Any Western Michigan Team Sport (0 percent, 0 Votes). Ouch.
Some birthdays today: Patrick Leyland, 19; Jeff Larish, 28; and, Dmitri Young, 37. Today’s also the 81st birthday of George Kell‘s brother, Skeeter.
On this date in 2006, Alexis Gomez and Curtis Granderson each hit home runs as the Tigers beat the A’s 8-5 in Oakland to take a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.
And on this date in 1944, the Tigers acquired catcher Bob Swift and infielder Don Heffner from the Athletics for outfielder Rip Radcliff.

Finally, on this date in 1975 “Saturday Night Live” debuted on NBC, which makes me feel old — and bummed out that it’s not nearly as funny as it used to be.

Familiar Faces in Playoffs for Tigers Fans

Mike McClary — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:38:45 +0000

Not sure if this makes the postseason more or less interesting to you, but if you watch each league’s division series you’ll likely to see lots of former Tigers:

Yankees

Curtis Granderson
Marcus Thames

Rays

Carlos Pena
Matt Joyce
Gabe Kapler

Rangers

Matt Treanor
Colby Lewis

Giants

Aubrey Huff
Edgar Renteria
Cody Ross
Andres Torres

Braves

Kyle Farnsworth
Jair Jurrjens
Omar Infante

Phillies

Placido Polanco
Chad Durbin

Tigers Today: September 7, 2010

Mike McClary — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:37:13 +0000

Tigers’ Record:

68-70, 3rd Place; 13 GB

Today’s Game

Tigers vs. White Sox | 7:05 p.m. ET – Comerica Park | On the air: FSD/AM 1270 and 97.1 FM

Pitching Matchup
Justin Verlander (14-8, 3.61 ERA) vs. Freddy Garcia (11-5, 4.82 ERA)

Yesterday’s Results

White Sox 5 – Tigers 4 (10 innings)

W: Chris Sale (1-1)
L: Jose Valverde (2-4)
HR: Don Kelly (6)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

Tom Matchick, 67

On this Date in Tigers History

2007 — Curtis Granderson hits his 20th home run to give him 20 or more doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases. The only prior players to do that in major league history were Frank Schulte (1911) and Willie Mays (1957). He will be joined by the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins in a few days.

2002 — The Tigers defeat the Yankees, 2-1, as Eric Munson hits a home run in his first major-league at bat.

1999 — Colorado manager Jim Leyland confirms rumors that he will retire at the end of the season.

1997 — The major league mark for the most combined strikeouts in a game is tied when 33 players fan during a 15-inning 5-4 Angels victory over the Tigers.

1993 — Chad Kreuter homers from both sides of the plate in the Tigers’ 10-6 win over California. He is the second Tigers player — and catcher — this year to perform the feat, joining Mickey Tettleton, who did so on May 7.

1984 — Down 4-0 in the eighth, the Tigers score four runs — three on a homer by Kirk Gibson — to tie the Blue Jays in Toronto. In the 10th, Dave Bergman cracks a three-run homer and the Tigers win, 7-4. Willie Hernandez
(9-2) wins with three innings of shutout relief.

1971 — Jim Northrup goes 5 for 5 with two home runs in a 3-2, 11 inning Tigers win over the Senators.

1950 — Hoot Evers hits for the cycle, adds another triple, and knocks in six runs in a 13-13, 10-inning tie with Cleveland. The game, ended because of darkness, leaves the Tigers in first place by a few percentage points ahead of the Yankees.

How are Former Tigers Faring in 2010?

Mike McClary — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:12:15 +0000

Looking around the majors there are plenty of former Tigers doing well — and some not so well. Here’s a look at some of the more notable players and their current numbers:

Placido Polanco, Phillies: .314 avg., 6 HR, 42 RBI, .348 OBP. Currently fifth in the N.L. in hitting, which is just another reason the Tigers (and fans) are regretting his departure.
Omar Infante, Braves: .347 avg., 7 HR, 37 RBI, .837 OPS From Rob Neyer: “At the moment, he doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify [for the batting title]. To reach 502, he needs another 169 in the Braves’ 38 remaining games.”
Andres Torres, Giants: .287 avg., 13 HR, 57 RBI, .869 OPS. Torres is the embodiment of stick-to-itiveness. Nearly a decade after he was touted as a centerpiece of the Tigers new wave of young talent, he’s downright essential to the Giants offense. Good for him.
Aubrey Huff, Giants: .300 avg., 22 HR, 75 RBI, .922 OPS. Infuriating.
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: .249 avg., 14 HR, 41 RBI, .761 OPS. I haven’t followed Granderson closely this year but it seems that his best series of the year came agains the Tigers last week. Still, it looks like he’s got a great chance of winning a World Series ring.
Edwin Jackson, White Sox: 8-10, 4.44 ERA, 1.42 WHIP. Jackson’s back in the A.L. Central after half a season languishing in Arizona — his 149-pitch no-hitter notwithstanding. He was 6-8 with a 5.16 ERA for the Diamondbacks. With the Sox, he’s 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA.
Brandon Lyon, Astros: 6-5, 3.34 ERA, 8 saves, 19 holds, 1.35 WHIP. Think the Tigers could’ve used Lyon in the bullpen this season? Me too.
Pudge Rodriguez, Nationals: .270 avg., 2 HR, 35 RBI, .637 OPS. Pudge has gotten lots of praise this year for his mentorship of the Nationals’ young pitchers, including the now-shelved Stephen Strasburg. The question is, can Pudge squeeze one more season out of his aging body. He’ll need more than one year, though, to collect the 201 hits he needs to reach 3,000.
Fernando Rodney, Angels: 4-1, 3.83 ERA, 6 saves, 21 holds, 1.45 WHIP. Angels’ closer Brian Fuentes‘ roller coaster, injury-plagued season created an opening for Rodney. He hasn’t exactly seized the opportunity.
Cameron Maybin, Marlins: .235 avg., 5 HR, 21 RBI, .636 OPS. Sure-thing Maybin appears anything but at this point. He’s spent parts of this season in Triple-A New Orleans (in fact he was again recalled earlier this week). The kid is still just 23, so he’s got time and upside. Given how Miguel Cabrera‘s worked out for the Tigers, Maybin is but a distant memory for Tigers fans.
Jair Jurrjens, Braves: 5-4, 4.36 ERA, 1.29 WHIP. Imagine Jurrjens in the Tigers’ rotation last season or this season or next season. You already have? Never mind.
Edgar Renteria, Giants: .278 avg., 2 HR, 21 RBI, .706 OPS. For $10 million, the Giants have in return received just 58 games from Renteria this year. Lucky them.
Jeff Weaver, Dodgers: 5-1, 5.21 ERA, 4 holds, 1.42 WHIP. Yes, he’s still in the majors and is only 34. Weave is currently on the disabled list.

I’m sure there are others I’ve missed, but these were the biggest names that I could think of. Who did I miss?

Good Decisions by the Tigers? Huzzah!

Mike McClary — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:40:36 +0000

On Monday, Sports Illustrated‘s Jon Heyman wrote a column in which he highlights the top-20 decisions made by MLB teams in the past year. In Heyman’s view, the Tigers made two of the top decisions:

3. The Tigers’ acquisition of Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and Phil Coke in the three-team trade with the Yankees and Diamondbacks for Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson.
This was the most unpopular of moves at the time in Detroit. It’s way early to say for sure, but as of today it looks boffo, with Granderson starting slowly (.240 average) in New York and Jackson (4-6, 5.05 ERA) doing the same in Arizona. Austin Jackson is a Rookie of the Year candidate, providing Gold Glove-type defense, perhaps the most valuable piece in the deal that saved the Tigers beaucoup bucks. Scherzer has shown only flashes of greatness, and Coke is a middle reliever. But the Tigers look like they received a star, while setting themselves up to improve their offense (by getting Johnny Damon) and bullpen (Jose Valverde) with the money that was saved.

And, here’s the other:

11. The Tigers’ decision to let Magglio Ordonez’s contract vest.
They could easily have not played Ordonez to save themselves a lot of money, but they did the proper thing by fielding their best lineup, which included Ordonez, as they tried, ultimately without success, to secure a playoff spot.

[snip]

His wife was going through a cancer battle last year, so Ordonez understandably underperformed. And the Tigers did the right thing by standing by him.

Rob Neyer takes a closer look at this one today.

I wonder if the Tigers releasing Gary Sheffield last spring training and DFA’ing Dontrelle Willis last month were anywhere on Heyman’s list.

What do you think about Heyman’s assessment — and Neyer’s?

Fungo Flashback: May 27, 1980: The Day the Tigers Traded Jason Thompson

Mike McClary — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:58:09 +0000

Thirty years ago today the Tigers traded my favorite player, Jason Thompson, to the Angels for Al Cowens. Here’s a piece I wrote two years ago about the deal. Get a load of my thoughts on Miguel Cabrera who had recently been moved to first base. Another gleaming example of why I’m not fit to be a GM.

Twenty-eight years ago today, Tigers GM Jim Campbell broke my heart.

On May 27, 1980, he traded my favorite Tigers player, first baseman Jason Thompson, to the California Angels for outfielder Al Cowens. (For more on Cowens, check out this post from the archives.)

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.

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

The Beginning of the End in Detroit…Already?!

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

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

The Jason Thompson Curse

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.

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

Tuesday Tananas: A-Jax Reality Check, CoPa Reviews and Inge’s Pop Outs

Mike McClary — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:16:18 +0000

Some thoughts and recommended reading culled during what sounds like another dreary day at Comerica Park.

Despite his 4 for 28 slump during the current home stand (at least through the fifth inning today), Austin Jackson continues to be an early favorite for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Given Curtis Granderson‘s poor start and injury one would think Yankees fans would like a do over on that trade. Not exactly. Over at It’s About the Money, Stupid, Will breaks it down — and soars over my head on some of it — with a statistical view. The gist:

[Jackson's] batting average on balls in play is an outrageous .459. Regress that to league average (which is what happens when you add enough at bats to his resume), and here’s what happens to his numbers. His batting average falls from .331 to .216, and his OBP falls from .382 to .267.
Have you seen the website StadiumJourney.com? If not, take a few minutes to check it out. Paul Swaney and a host of others have produced detailed reviews of major league ballparks, NFL stadiums, and NBA and NHL arenas. You can become a member and add your comments to the reviews. Recently they added a review of Comerica Park and give the venue a five out of five in terms of return on fan investment. Take a look.
If a current Tigers player is approaching Craig Monroe-like status with yours truly it’s Brandon Inge. If the two batters ahead of him walk, you can guarantee Inge will swing at the first pitch and pop out. Or at least it seems that way.

I looked at his outs so far this season and here’s how it breaks down coming into today: 32 strikeouts, 37 ground outs and 65 flyouts. (Unfortunately, ESPN.com doesn’t carve-out the popouts within fly balls.) Bottom line:
- 64 percent of Inge’s outs on balls in play are in the air
- 28 percent are ground outs
- 24 percent are strikeouts
I’ll need to dig deeper to see how this aligns with his teammates but at the very least I feel better knowing that Inge is a flyout machine.
Last week’s Fungo Pulse Check poll was either poorly timed or prescient. The flurry of roster moves made the question practically moot, but we kept it going anyway. The results:
Who will the Tigers send down when Carlos Guillen returns from the DL?
- Don Kelly (43%, 86 Votes)
- Ryan Raburn (30%, 60 Votes)
- Brad Thomas (22%, 43 Votes)
- Alex Avila (3%, 6 Votes)
- Brennan Boesch (2%, 4 Votes)
If you haven’t yet, cast your vote in this week’s poll.

Take heart. There are only 17 more games against the White Sox this season.

Will He or Won’t He? Tracking the Dontrelle Willis Mystery

Mike McClary — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:55:14 +0000

It’s almost as if the Tigers are afraid to talk about Dontrelle Willis, today’s starter against the Blue Jays in Lakeland. Maybe not to talk about him but rather carefully measure what they say about him.

Despite amassing some solid if unspectacular numbers this spring — 1-0, 0.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 7 K, heading into today — depending on what you read, Willis is in line for a rotation spot or a pink slip.

Let’s follow the bouncing ball and see where we end up:

Tom Gage of the Detroit News indicated last Friday that Wilis was “still in the running for a starting spot on the Tigers — because he threw three more scoreless innings … in a 5-4 victory over the Astros (on March 18).”

And here’s more positive thinking, this from Jayson Stark who posted on Twitter:

Great story unfolding in Lakeland. Dontrelle Willis spins 3 hitless innings today vs Hou. Now positioned to take spot in #Tigers rotation

And the Free Press’ John Lowe wrote:

More important, Willis is throwing balls over the plate and inducing outs. On Thursday, he struck out two, though he was quick to point out he isn’t trying to strike anyone out.

Slow down, cowboy, writes the News’ Lynn Henning.

He may be getting hitters out but it’s essentially smoke and mirrors: Willis has shown better control during his Grapefruit League stints. But he no longer has the fastball, or the repertoire, that’s fundamental to beating big-league teams. He can get the ball over the plate. But he isn’t fooling any hitters.

Then, on Tuesday, Gage again focused on the positive:

Last time, Dontrelle Willis didn’t throw anything harder than 89 miles an hour. But in his one inning of relief Monday, he didn’t throw anything slower than 90.

Last week Rob Neyer shared Henning’s doubts:

In 10 innings, Willis has struck out six batters, walked five, and plunked two. On a happier note, he hasn’t thrown any wild pitches (yet).

Willis is now a candidate for the rotation because he’s got a 0.90 ERA. But if ERA over 10 innings matters, why not send Justin Verlander back to Toledo right now? He’s got a 6.10 ERA!

Sports Illustrated‘s Jon Heyman yesterday wrote on SI.com about Willis’ tentative position with the club. For me, these are the key passages of the article:

But folks around here, including Willis himself, are crazily cautious. The praise still seems feint, even if it isn’t intended to be. One comment heard repeatedly has been, “He’s had a very good statistical spring.”

– snip –

Nobody will talk today about any changes he has made in his delivery, as if the slightest whisper might throw him off again. Instead, they seem to have accepted the wild windup but have emphasized mechanical “check marks.”

Okay. So the Tigers are figuring out whether they should award a rotation spot to a man whom they have to watch what they say and what they do in terms of coaching?

And back to Henning:

I believe … that Willis will be released and Bonine will make the team as a long reliever.

There is no indication from the Tigers that any such move is likely. But it appears from how the pitchers have performed during the past three weeks that Willis is not throwing with enough zip or command to be a serious factor in Leyland’s 2010 rotation.

From the human perspective, it’s a grueling decision. But from a baseball perspective, it’s a no brainer.

And it’s a shame. At just 27, Dontrelle Willis should be at the top of his game and transitioning nicely into the role of undisputed Tigers fan-favorite, capably replacing Curtis Granderson.

Instead, he’ll likely wind up in Triple-A somewhere looking for a chance to resurrect his career with a low-expectations team like the Nationals, Pirates or Padres.

What do you think? Will Dontrelle Willis have a spot in the Tigers rotation on Opening Day? Weigh in on our latest Fungo Pulse Check in the sidebar –>

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

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

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.

How It’s Playing in Arizona

Mike McClary — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:34:32 +0000

Here’s how the Tigers-Yankees-Diamondbacks trade is covered in today’s edition of the Arizona Republic. The story appears above the fold but, not surprisingly, below the Suns-Mavericks game story. Here are some other Phoenix-focused opinions on the deal:

The Republic‘s Nick Piecoro (who, by the by, has one of the best team blogs out there): A long, hard look at The Big Deal. A snippet:

Before we go any further: Iâ€™m not crazy about this deal, either. Iâ€™m not sure I hate it as much as some people; Iâ€™m just not entirely on board.
Long-time Valley sports-radio guy Dave Burns: Breaking down the trade with pros and cons.

Pro: You just added starting pitching to your rotation without having to pay a lot for it.

Con: Of the four guys the D-backs have just added or subtracted, none of them have as high a ceiling as Max Scherzer does. And it ain’t even close.
D’backs.com/MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert: Analyzing the Jackson Deal:

[Scherzer] still needs to improve his pitch efficiency so that he can pitch deeper in games, needs to further develop his secondary pitches and also needs to show that he can cross the 200-inning barrier.

The D-backs must have felt that the above were real challenges for him and felt more comfortable with the combination of Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.

As for Schlereth, the potential is there, but there have always been concerns about his command.

As for yours truly, I got over the Jason Thompson trade. I survived Kirk Gibson‘s departure. And I guess I’ll eventually move past Curtis Granderson in pinstripes.