After a hopeful beginning, a win on Friday night, the Tigers coughed up the last two games in Chicago and leave the Windy City below .500, again. It's darn frustrating. The Tigers just don't play very well versus division rivals. That absolutely has to change. Soon.
The Tigers bullpen scares me. All of them. What appeared to be a strength on paper, isn't in reality.
Aren't we all pleasantly surprised by Nook Logan? I don't know if his hitting can keep up at his current pace, but it would be fun if it did.
I know everyone wanted free agents pitchers this past winter, but I still look at Carl Pavano and Derek Lowe and think the Tigers would have paid too much to get them. Yeah, I know Lowe is off to a solid start, but it's a new league, a new ballpark and a different division. Let's wait and see how Lowe's record looks at season's end.
Not that I don't want the Dearborn native to do well. I hope he excels, but I couldn't see signing him to a deal that long for that kind of cash. Pitchers are just too frail and many of Lowe's numbers were in decline over the last several years.
Let me say this about the White Sox. In general, I am indifferent to Chicago's entry in the American League. No reason to really hate them. No reason to really like them, either. However, I have lost nearly all respect for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Guillen's ongoing verbal pounding of Maggio Ordonez, Frank Thomas and anyone else that has drawn Guillen's ire makes the Sox skipper look very small. I have no real qualms with the Sox players, but if Guillen can't close his pie-hole, I could see myself rooting against him all of the time.
The Red Sox and what's left of their starting rotation visit Detroit Monday through Thursday. Boston is trotting out Jeremi Gonzalez tomorrow night against Jeremy Bonderman. If Pudge, DY and Carlos don't pound Gonzalez, I'm going to be disappointed. This is a chance to grab the opener from the defending champs in your own yard. You have to win. Well, you have to win if you expect to play above .500 baseball this year.
Speaking of the Red Sox, I saw their now infamous games with the Devil Rays last weekend. When Eduardo Perez hit his walk-off homer, complete with his over-the-top bat tossing celebration, I said to myself "I'd plunk him tomorrow". Sure enough, both teams upped the showboating ante over the series and the beanballs followed. Contrary to Curt Schilling's opinion, Lou Piniella wasn't the problem. Players who show-up pitchers were the problem.
I know it's old school and some would suggest out of date thinking, but if you are going to admire your handywork a bit too long, I expect a pitcher to drill you. Not in the head, as the Sox-Rays hurlers opted for, but a message should be sent.
The Red Sox-Rays series was one I watched courtesy of MLB Extra Innings. I've had the package in three of the last four years, but I think this will be the last. Why? There seems to be far less games available per week. I'm amazed at the number of games I don't get each night. Conversely, MLB.tv appears to make every game available. What is worse is that MLB.tv is much less expensive. The Extra Innings deal is about $150. The MLB.tv is $80.
The only good reason to keep Extra Innings is that I can watch the tv for hours without tying up my PC. Apparently, I need to consider hooking my old PC up prior to the 2006 season.
I'm not sure what night I it happened, but did you see Oakland's Eric Byrnes make that incredible diving catch? He left his feet and appeared to flying above the ground for quite a while before grabbing the ball and hitting the ground. It was one of the better catches we will see this year.
I've got to go back to baseball and television again. The Tigers next three games against the Red Sox will be on Fox Sports Detroit. Then, Detroit's next three games, including the first two games against the (insert your California city here) Angels, will not be seen locally. The Angels contests are both the typical 10pm EST starts. What on Earth is FSN-D showing at 10pm that is more important than the Tigers-Angels games? This lame excuse of a broadcast schedule is really annoying me.
I don't like voting for a designated hitter for the All-Star Game. I just don't.
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