How thick is the lens in a pair of Oakley sunglasses? I don’t own the instruments to determine the precise measurement but I think it’s safe to say thick enough to not only protect Miguel Cabrera‘s eye but sturdy enough to save his season, possibly his career, and almost assuredly make a Triple Crown season possible. In my lifetime, the Tigers haven’t had a player like Cabrera – or anyone close for that matter. Even the best players I grew up watching Jason Thompson, Steve Kemp, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson and Cecil Fielder, rarely assembled a season in any one offensive category that compares to what Cabrera did in three of the biggest in 2012. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a rundown…
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…
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,…
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…
Glenn Wilson Born: December 22, 1958 in Baytown, Texas Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6′ 1″ Weight: 190 lbs. Acquired: Drafted by the Tigers in the 1st round (18th pick) of the 1980 amateur draft. Seasons in Detroit: 2 (1982-83) Uniform Number: 12 Stats: .278 avg., 23 HR, 99 RBI, .739 OPS Twenty-seven years ago this past March, the Tigers orchestrated the trade that all but secured their 1984 World Series championship. In case you’ve forgotten, on March 24 that year, the Tigers sent Glenn Wilson and catcher/first baseman extraordinaire John Wockenfuss to the Phillies for lefty reliever Willie Hernandez and first baseman Dave Bergman. Certainly it worked out well that year, but I was disappointed that the Tigers traded one of my favorite…
