February 18, 2010

Happy Birthday, Jerry Morales

Happy 61st to Julio Ruben (Torres) Morales, the light-hitting, basket-catch-making rightfielder of the 1979 Tigers.
Wearing number 27, he hit a wispy .211 in his only season in Detroit with 14 home runs and 23 doubles — just one fewer than Magglio Ordonez hit last year.
He wasn’t a total loss for the Tigers though. He [...]

January 28, 2010

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

If you were holding out hope that Timo Perez would be the answer to the Tigers’ left-handed hitting outfielder problem — I’m looking at you, Big Al — we have some disappointing news: Timo signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers.
Perez, 34, split the 2009 season between the independent Can-Am league’s New Jersey and Veracruz [...]

January 21, 2010

Non-Sequiturs: Winter Caravan Memories

Tigers thoughts while listening to a pounding rain:

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

October 4, 2009

Game 162: Vintage Verlander

ESPN highlights available here.

The Score: Tigers 5 – White Sox 3

The Gist: You couldn’t ask for more than Justin Verlander delivered on Sunday afternoon in the Tigers’ home finale of the as-yet-undecided 2009 season. Ryan Raburn went yard twice and the resurrected Magglio Ordonez went 4 for 4 to power most of the offense. Of [...]

September 29, 2009

Game 157: Exhale…for Now

ESPN highlights available here.

The Score: Tigers 6 – Twins 5

The Gist: Justin Verlander looked like a man on a mission but despite his terrific outing the Twins kept coming. And if it weren’t for Curtis Granderson’s homer in the eighth, the Tigers would’ve come to bat in the ninth inning of a tied game for [...]

September 22, 2009

Game 150: Back in Bidness … for One Game Anyway

ESPN highlights available here.

The Score: Tigers 3 – Indians 1

The Gist: Two things returned to form on Monday night in Cleveland: Edwin Jackson (13-7) pitching deep into the game holding the Indians at bay, and the Tigers’ offense oversleeping as it usually does when Jackson starts. Ryan Raburn flashed leather and lumber with a homer [...]

September 21, 2009

Monday Mankowskis: Magglio’s Durability, Leyland’s Tightrope and a Glass Half-Full

The Tigers must be enjoying their last day off this season, albeit in Cleveland. While they rest up for the final two weeks, we’re left to root for the White Sox to wear down the Twins over the next three days. But even under these circumstances I cannot support an Ozzie Guillen/A.J. Pierzynski-led team.

Just [...]

September 8, 2009

Tuesday Tananas: Feeling the Moment, Power Poll Respect and Steve Kemp’s Pain

Just saw the news that Fernando Rodney has been suspended for three games for his inexplicable heave-ho of the ball after Friday night’s win. Well, it was inexplicable to me; Rodney says he was only “feeling the moment.” Still, a three-game suspension? Please.
Anyway, enjoy him, folks. He’ll be frustrating another team’s fans next year.

August 26, 2009

Wednesday Walewanders: Non-Sequiturs Galore

Celebrate Nate! I might be the only person in the Tigers Fan Universe looking forward to Robertson’s return to the rotation. Ian?
Today’s Walewanders are fueled by Almighty Blend coffee from Ann Arbor’s Mighty Good Coffee Roasting Co., sent along by the aforementioned Mr. Casselberry.

July 22, 2009

Wednesday Walewanders

In our recent Fungo Pulse Check, readers said — barely — that they prefer the Tigers go after Toronto’s Roy Halladay (38 percent, 10 votes) over Oakland slugger Matt Holliday (27 percent, 7 votes).

Interestingly enough, almost as many votes came in for “Neither” (35 percent, 9 votes) as votes for Halladay. Personally, I’d like [...]