July 1, 2009

Wednesday Walewanders

These Walenwanders come to you with visions of a Chipotle burrito dancing in my head. Meanwhile, the mercury rises in the desert.

Despite MLB’s efforts, I realized that I still hadn’t cast my All-Star ballot. Voting ends tomorrow night, so vote late and often.

As we watch Magglio Ordonez’s swing atrophy, I’m thinking that he might personify [...]

June 22, 2009

Monday Night Lite

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Checking in from the land of Google and Apple, on the border of Mountain View and Cupertino, Calif.:

It’s a shame that I read the USA Today only when I’m traveling, as I am today. There’s usually one or two outstanding pieces in each edition and this morning proved it: a feature [...]

April 20, 2009

The Monday Report: Week 2

The Skinny:

7-5, Tied for 1st Place in A.L. Central with Chicago and Kansas City
Streak: W2
Home Record: 4-1
Road Record: 3-4

Streaks:

Last 10 Games: 7-3
Last 5 Games: 3-2

Who’s Hot from the Past Week:

Josh Anderson: .545 avg., .615 OBP, .818 SLG, 4 RBI, 2 SB
Miguel Cabrera: .455 avg., .478 OBP, .591 SLG, 10 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Gerald Laird: [...]

March 1, 2009

2009 Player Profile: Magglio Ordoñez

Magglio Ordoñez #30

Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 215
2008 Stats: .317 – 21 HR – 103 RBI

Few hitters can weather a 50-point drop in batting average and still be within shouting distance of a batting crown. But that’s how 2008 shaped up for Tigers rightfielder Magglio Ordoñez. The 2007 A.L. batting champ served up an encore [...]

February 25, 2009

The Non Sequiturs Return: “Play Ball!” Edition

If you’ve been a long-time Daily Fungo reader, you know that I’ve posted a semi-regular series called The Non Sequiturs. More recently I’ve posted similar items under the Wednesday Walewanders banner (or Friday Fungoes, Three for Thursday, etc.). You may ask: What’s the difference? Truth is, there isn’t any. Just thought I’d come clean on [...]

January 28, 2009

Wednesday Walewanders

First, let’s raise a glass — or mug of hot chocolate — in celebration of Magglio Ordonez’s 35th birthday. ¡Felíz Cumpleanos, amigo!

I wonder what was going through Tigers’ owner Mike Ilitch head today when Lynn Henning of the News asked him about the team’s off season progress — at a press conference in which Ilitch [...]

January 9, 2009

Friday Fungoes: New Year’s Style

It’s not often I go a full week without posting something here at the The Daily Fungo but there were circumstances beyond my control, namely my computer. It went kaput in December and only after the most drastic of all measures — erasing the hard drive and starting over — was I able to resuscitate [...]

December 30, 2008

The Top 10 Tigers Stories of 2008: #5 – The Emergence (and Trade) of Matt Joyce

When I began pulling together this list over the past month or so, it became clear that possibly the only positive story to come out of the Tigers season was the emergence of Matt Joyce. Joyce finished the 2008 season with a .252 average, 12 homers and 33 RBI in 92 games.
At long last, the [...]

August 24, 2008

Game 130: Robertson Brilliant in Relief!

The Score: Royals 7 – Tigers 3
The Gist: The Tigers got off to a fast start but the Royals decided not to lose their eighth straight on Sunday and scored seven unanswered runs off Tigers starter Kenny Rogers. Recently banished Nate Robertson pitched two-thirds of scoreless, hitless relief (huzzah!). Placido Polanco had three hits and [...]

August 15, 2008

Back in Time: 2008 is 2005

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Here we are, approaching the third weekend of August, and the Tigers are mired in third place, nine-and-a-half games out of first place. And, as I’m always reminding myself, only five games out of last place. This was supposed to be like 1984, 1968 or even 1945. It [...]