Sunday, August 27, 2006
A Note To Fellow Blogger Users
Even if prompted, don't change to the new Beta Blogger. Let's just say they haven't quite worked out all the bugs yet. Trust me on this one. Take a pass on Beta Blogger, at least for now.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Grand Prix '07?
Freep auto racing writer Mark Brundell reports that the IRL and Roger Penske may be aiming for Labor Day weekend 2007 for a return of the Detroit Grand Prix.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
No Tigers Panic Here. Yet.
It's here somewhere.
Not in the desk. Not under the bed. Not in the kitchen.
Did I put it in the basement? No, it has to be up here somewhere.
Where did I put the stinkin' thing?
Oh, hello. Sorry, about that, but I didn't see you there. I've been spending that last several hours looking for my Detroit Tigers panic button. Now, Big Al, don't get upset, pal. I'm not pushing it yet.
No, even with the Chicago White Sox dispatching our hometown nine seemingly with great ease, Chicago's American League entry is still looking up at the Tigers. A sweep and the southsiders are still five and half games back of the Tigers. Now, I'm not happy about the Tigers performance and the World Champions looked like World Champions this weekend, which doesn't give me the warm fuzzies, either. Yet, digging out the panic button and actually using the thing are two entirely different propositions.
Sure, it's easy to push the ol' panic button right about now. Pitching--which as been the Tigers biggest asset in 2006--is starting to look a bit shaky. Justin Verlander's Windy City outing, coming off an injury rest, could lead one to worry. As could Kenny Rogers pre-programmed second half swoon. Jeremy Bonderman hasn't exactly been a great second half hurler, either. Todd Jones still scares us all to the point of smoking more than Jim Leyland. Then there's that terrible reliance on the homerun.
Combine all that with Chicago's experience, their record against the Tigers and their just completed sweep of Detroit and you've got, well, you've got what every single one of us would have wished for on Opening Day--an honest to goodness pennant race with the Tigers right smack in the heart of it.
Yes, there is reason for concern. The pitching, especially the starters, need to rebound if the Tigers playoff hopes are going to become something more than hopes. Yet, let's not get too carried away. Slumps in a season of 162 games are inevitable. The Tigers are in one. This is their longest of the season and where are they? In first place with the best record in baseball. That's right, boys and girls, in the midst of their worst skid of '06 and the Tigers are still atop all of MLB.
This race for the American League Central crown could get tighter. In fact, I suspect it will get much, much tighter. I'm confident that the White Sox are going to make us all even more uncomfortable between now and the end of the regular season. However, if at all possible, try to embrace the tension of actually having playoff dreams. Remember, if this were April 1st and I told you the Tigers were only five and half game behind the White Sox for first place and were in the thick of wild card chase come August, you would have been thrilled.
Don't push the panic button, yet, Tigertown. Things, in the big picture, are going well above our expectations. However, if you have some nervous energy to burn off, you can help me look for my panic button. Just in case.
Not in the desk. Not under the bed. Not in the kitchen.
Did I put it in the basement? No, it has to be up here somewhere.
Where did I put the stinkin' thing?
Oh, hello. Sorry, about that, but I didn't see you there. I've been spending that last several hours looking for my Detroit Tigers panic button. Now, Big Al, don't get upset, pal. I'm not pushing it yet.
No, even with the Chicago White Sox dispatching our hometown nine seemingly with great ease, Chicago's American League entry is still looking up at the Tigers. A sweep and the southsiders are still five and half games back of the Tigers. Now, I'm not happy about the Tigers performance and the World Champions looked like World Champions this weekend, which doesn't give me the warm fuzzies, either. Yet, digging out the panic button and actually using the thing are two entirely different propositions.
Sure, it's easy to push the ol' panic button right about now. Pitching--which as been the Tigers biggest asset in 2006--is starting to look a bit shaky. Justin Verlander's Windy City outing, coming off an injury rest, could lead one to worry. As could Kenny Rogers pre-programmed second half swoon. Jeremy Bonderman hasn't exactly been a great second half hurler, either. Todd Jones still scares us all to the point of smoking more than Jim Leyland. Then there's that terrible reliance on the homerun.
Combine all that with Chicago's experience, their record against the Tigers and their just completed sweep of Detroit and you've got, well, you've got what every single one of us would have wished for on Opening Day--an honest to goodness pennant race with the Tigers right smack in the heart of it.
Yes, there is reason for concern. The pitching, especially the starters, need to rebound if the Tigers playoff hopes are going to become something more than hopes. Yet, let's not get too carried away. Slumps in a season of 162 games are inevitable. The Tigers are in one. This is their longest of the season and where are they? In first place with the best record in baseball. That's right, boys and girls, in the midst of their worst skid of '06 and the Tigers are still atop all of MLB.
This race for the American League Central crown could get tighter. In fact, I suspect it will get much, much tighter. I'm confident that the White Sox are going to make us all even more uncomfortable between now and the end of the regular season. However, if at all possible, try to embrace the tension of actually having playoff dreams. Remember, if this were April 1st and I told you the Tigers were only five and half game behind the White Sox for first place and were in the thick of wild card chase come August, you would have been thrilled.
Don't push the panic button, yet, Tigertown. Things, in the big picture, are going well above our expectations. However, if you have some nervous energy to burn off, you can help me look for my panic button. Just in case.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Tigers Do It, Again
At this pace, even the thesaurus is going to run out of new words to describe the 2006 Detroit Tigers. Remarkable. Incredible. Unbelievable. Fantastic. Amazing. Astounding. The list goes on, but let's be honest, we've just about used them all up.
I went to last night's affair and I'm still kind of in shock. By now, you all know the story. Kenny Rogers spots Cleveland three early runs, settles down, gets two innings of relief help from Joel Zumaya and the Tigers get within a run heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Tigers then win the game with a two out, two run jack from Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge, his teammates and roughly 43,000 of Rodriguez' new best friends go bananas.
After the initial euphoria over Pudge's dinger faded, I sat back in my seat, basically, awestruck. I pondered at what point does this season make the transition from being very good to special? You could make the case that the last two games are a big step in that direction.
It's the next day and I'm still speechless. If you were not on the bandwagon prior to the Cleveland series, and by the amount of ticket sales and general buzz about this team most of you are clearly aboard, you have to be now, don't you? How much more do you need?
Thanks to Debbie and Paul for my free tickets to last night's game. Due to the Lions free practice, a concert downtown and commitments far north of Detroit during the day, I missed the first few innings--if you call watching Rogers scare the you-know-what out of Tigertown missing something. It also meant I got to park somewhere closer to Windsor than Comerica Park. However, Pudge and the boys made it an enjoyable night.
I went to last night's affair and I'm still kind of in shock. By now, you all know the story. Kenny Rogers spots Cleveland three early runs, settles down, gets two innings of relief help from Joel Zumaya and the Tigers get within a run heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Tigers then win the game with a two out, two run jack from Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge, his teammates and roughly 43,000 of Rodriguez' new best friends go bananas.
After the initial euphoria over Pudge's dinger faded, I sat back in my seat, basically, awestruck. I pondered at what point does this season make the transition from being very good to special? You could make the case that the last two games are a big step in that direction.
It's the next day and I'm still speechless. If you were not on the bandwagon prior to the Cleveland series, and by the amount of ticket sales and general buzz about this team most of you are clearly aboard, you have to be now, don't you? How much more do you need?
Thanks to Debbie and Paul for my free tickets to last night's game. Due to the Lions free practice, a concert downtown and commitments far north of Detroit during the day, I missed the first few innings--if you call watching Rogers scare the you-know-what out of Tigertown missing something. It also meant I got to park somewhere closer to Windsor than Comerica Park. However, Pudge and the boys made it an enjoyable night.
Friday, August 04, 2006
My Baseball Deja Vu
I was just outside the backdoor to the office, tossing an empty box into a dumpster, when it hit me. It was the smell of the freshly cut lawn combined with a subtle summer breeze against the backdrop of a picture perfect August morning--warm and clear with the exception of the occasional fluffy white cloud dotting the blue sky. For just a moment or two, all of these sensations transported me back in time.
In that oh-so-sweet fleeting pause from reality, I was a kid again. In that instant, it was a Saturday morning in the mid to late 1970's. It was summer and we were out of school. My father had just cut the grass and my brother and I passed him, either on our bikes or as we hopped over the backyard fence, as we headed off to the schoolyard to play baseball.
We would play baseball from morning until darkness fell. Usually three games a day. The one before lunch. The one between lunch and dinner and the nightcap of our daily triple header, the game between dinner and sunset. It was just about the game. No organized league. No umpires. No coaches. No parents. It was just the kids around the neighborhood getting together to play baseball. And we played all summer long for several years in a row.
In that brief moment this morning, I could feel every moment of those baseball filled summers of the past. It was more than just our daily triple-header, too. It was whiffle ball and strike-out. It was playing pick-off with our cousins. It was the memory of our first game at Tiger Stadium, our first trip to the Hall of Fame, NBC's Game of the Week, Mel Allen and This Week In Baseball and Ernie and Paul doing the Tigers radio broadcast on WJR.
It was a time when summer equaled baseball. It was the game. Oh, we played football and basketball, too. Street hockey came on board, as well. Yet, we all preferred our national pastime. In part, I'm sure, because summer meant no school. However, in those years before high school, baseball was a 365 day priority.
We attempted to play in the snow, ice and cold of spring, especially if a new glove or bat had arrived courtesy of Santa, but those efforts just didn't last long. We most certainly played when Autumn arrived, but as we were back in school and to complete dinner and homework, those midweek games were much harder to sneak in before nightfall. That's probably why those summer memories are so special and so strong. Nearly perpetual baseball for days on end left an impression.
When the breeze died down, and I found myself back in 2006 as an adult with all the responsibility that comes with, I was left with the usual bittersweet moment. One where I wish I could return to that time and place--where the only thing that mattered was playing the game--for a longer stay. Alas, I knew my visits there are limited to these passing moments where my senses return me to that time.
Yet, I was warmed by the notion that I have these kinds of memories to look back upon. The games played in sweltering Michigan humidity. That morning we played through the fog and drizzle. The games won in the dusk when few could even see the ball. I am blessed to have such fond memories and blessed to have parents that didn't discourage my passion.
I wonder if children today will have those kind of memories? Will their memories be of PS2 or GameCube MLB simulations? Will they remember the day they beat some kid in Tokyo online in the bottom of the ninth while with Big Papi at the plate? Thirty years from now will a summer breeze remind them of their days of baseball video games with friends? Or will their baseball memories be of organized leagues, overbearing coaches and the pressure to perform in front of their parents?
I feel sorry for the youth of today, as I believe they are missing out. They get to play, but do they get the joy of playing? Do they get the camaraderie? Maybe I'm the one missing out. Maybe it's better to bat for Magglio Ordonez in EA Sports latest game than it is to pretend to be your childhood hero and hit an actual baseball to win a game with your friends. Maybe it's better to be in an structured environment instead of unsupervised play. Maybe the tradition of playing in open fields, crowded streets and schoolyards is more romantic hogwash than fact. Perhaps, but I doubt that today's kids love this game or any game, more than we loved baseball.
Thankfully, I get these rekindled memories from time-to-time. They can come on summer mornings like today. The right temperature with just the right breeze and precisely the right moment and I'm overrun with emotions of days thirty years in my rearview mirror--the carefree summers spent playing baseball.
This feeling can come while I'm watching a game, as well. If the conditions are just right, I can watch a game and get the same feelings as I did when I watched a game when I was thirteen. It's hard to translate exactly how that feels, and it rarely lasts more than a minute or two, but it's magical.
Noted baseball philosopher, Yogi Berra, may have best described my feelings when he said "it's deja vu, all over again". Each short trip back down memory lane is special, but so was living it out in the first place. I'm grateful for both.
In that oh-so-sweet fleeting pause from reality, I was a kid again. In that instant, it was a Saturday morning in the mid to late 1970's. It was summer and we were out of school. My father had just cut the grass and my brother and I passed him, either on our bikes or as we hopped over the backyard fence, as we headed off to the schoolyard to play baseball.
We would play baseball from morning until darkness fell. Usually three games a day. The one before lunch. The one between lunch and dinner and the nightcap of our daily triple header, the game between dinner and sunset. It was just about the game. No organized league. No umpires. No coaches. No parents. It was just the kids around the neighborhood getting together to play baseball. And we played all summer long for several years in a row.
In that brief moment this morning, I could feel every moment of those baseball filled summers of the past. It was more than just our daily triple-header, too. It was whiffle ball and strike-out. It was playing pick-off with our cousins. It was the memory of our first game at Tiger Stadium, our first trip to the Hall of Fame, NBC's Game of the Week, Mel Allen and This Week In Baseball and Ernie and Paul doing the Tigers radio broadcast on WJR.
It was a time when summer equaled baseball. It was the game. Oh, we played football and basketball, too. Street hockey came on board, as well. Yet, we all preferred our national pastime. In part, I'm sure, because summer meant no school. However, in those years before high school, baseball was a 365 day priority.
We attempted to play in the snow, ice and cold of spring, especially if a new glove or bat had arrived courtesy of Santa, but those efforts just didn't last long. We most certainly played when Autumn arrived, but as we were back in school and to complete dinner and homework, those midweek games were much harder to sneak in before nightfall. That's probably why those summer memories are so special and so strong. Nearly perpetual baseball for days on end left an impression.
When the breeze died down, and I found myself back in 2006 as an adult with all the responsibility that comes with, I was left with the usual bittersweet moment. One where I wish I could return to that time and place--where the only thing that mattered was playing the game--for a longer stay. Alas, I knew my visits there are limited to these passing moments where my senses return me to that time.
Yet, I was warmed by the notion that I have these kinds of memories to look back upon. The games played in sweltering Michigan humidity. That morning we played through the fog and drizzle. The games won in the dusk when few could even see the ball. I am blessed to have such fond memories and blessed to have parents that didn't discourage my passion.
I wonder if children today will have those kind of memories? Will their memories be of PS2 or GameCube MLB simulations? Will they remember the day they beat some kid in Tokyo online in the bottom of the ninth while with Big Papi at the plate? Thirty years from now will a summer breeze remind them of their days of baseball video games with friends? Or will their baseball memories be of organized leagues, overbearing coaches and the pressure to perform in front of their parents?
I feel sorry for the youth of today, as I believe they are missing out. They get to play, but do they get the joy of playing? Do they get the camaraderie? Maybe I'm the one missing out. Maybe it's better to bat for Magglio Ordonez in EA Sports latest game than it is to pretend to be your childhood hero and hit an actual baseball to win a game with your friends. Maybe it's better to be in an structured environment instead of unsupervised play. Maybe the tradition of playing in open fields, crowded streets and schoolyards is more romantic hogwash than fact. Perhaps, but I doubt that today's kids love this game or any game, more than we loved baseball.
Thankfully, I get these rekindled memories from time-to-time. They can come on summer mornings like today. The right temperature with just the right breeze and precisely the right moment and I'm overrun with emotions of days thirty years in my rearview mirror--the carefree summers spent playing baseball.
This feeling can come while I'm watching a game, as well. If the conditions are just right, I can watch a game and get the same feelings as I did when I watched a game when I was thirteen. It's hard to translate exactly how that feels, and it rarely lasts more than a minute or two, but it's magical.
Noted baseball philosopher, Yogi Berra, may have best described my feelings when he said "it's deja vu, all over again". Each short trip back down memory lane is special, but so was living it out in the first place. I'm grateful for both.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The Firestone 400 And Other Racing Thoughts
As the only person I know that actually watches the Indy Racing League, I figure I have some responsibility to share my views from time-to-time. There is no better time than now, as this past weekend Michigan International Speedway hosted its annual venture with open wheel racing, the Firestone 400.
I wouldn't call the Firestone 400 a complete disaster. It wasn't. From all accounts the race was very good. It featured cars traveling near 200mph going three and four wide at times. There was a little paint being exchanged--something even the good ol' boys can appreciate. Unfortunately, no one outside of MIS saw the race.
It was scheduled for ABC, but a late afternoon thunderstorm soaked MIS and forced the start of the race back to a time when the race should have been concluded. This meant the time window ABC set aside for the IRL event was over before the race even began. Not only did ABC not show the race, but neither did it's partners at ESPN. Or ESPN2. Or ESPN Classic. Nope, the Firestone 400 got a tape delay broadcast at midnight and another the next day at 2pm on ESPN2. Basically, that meant a majority of IRL's small fanbase didn't see one bit of racing.
I wouldn't call this the IRL's Heidi game, but the comparison did cross my mind. Of course, no one saw an ounce of racing, so that's a major difference. People care about football, too. That's kind of a big difference, as well. But folks at the network and the league have heard the uproar. A number of IRL fans are irate and have contacted ABC, their local affiliate and the IRL. This has been met with a collective shrug and the standard "We did all we could".
No, all you could do was put the stinking race on ESPN Classic. One thing I can almost guarantee--they were running a repeat of something. (Which begs the question "Can you really preempt something that's already been broadcast?") In all likelihood, it was a World Series of Poker event or college football. I'm 100% certain that both would get better ratings than a live IRL race, but don't you have some kind of commitment to show the race? Apparently, no.
Anyway, beyond Helio Castroneves' win and regaining the IRL points led by claiming his fourth win of the year, there was other news out of MIS in regards to open wheel racing. Alas, not all of it good. Jim Hawkins of The Oakland Press reported that at the practice/qualifying session on Saturday some counted the number of people in the stands. It was almost 100. Which, not coincidentally, was close to the temperature. (I encouarge you to read Hawkins column. He has solid views on the IRL and his piece also reveals, in part, why I like Castroneves--the two-time Indy 500 champ likes his sport and tries to promote it.)
I guess had I known that the IRL's Saturday show was going to be so poorly attended, I would have just headed out there. (I originally had a commitment elsewhere, but the heat canned my plan and my schedule was unexpectedly open. I'm kicking myself for not heading to the Irish Hills.) Of course, that would only bring the crowd up to 99, which is still an awful total. While the race itself, prior to the thunder and lightning, is still reasonably well attended, the future of the IRL at MIS, and the sport in general, gets called into question with such astronomically tiny numbers.
The IRL/Champ Car split is still ridiculous. How either side maintains its position is beyond common sense. Of course, it always was, so neither part may care. Even with the rumored re-unification, this sport needs some help and soon. Like yesterday. A circuit with the combined events, combined fields and combined fanbase would be a good start. A start that cannot happen quickly enough.
As for open wheel racing's future in Michigan, Roger Penske is kicking around the idea of bringing back the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Mr. Penske appears to have a plan. One that includes the IRL and building an solid race track, with other necessary amenities and infrastructure. He's also thinking about getting on the 2007 racing schedule.
I'm going to defer to Mr. Penske here. The Super Bowl he just produced in Detroit was a success. If Penske can make Detroit's image, in mid-winter no less, better than it was before, I'm going to assume that he can build a solid race on Belle Isle. Of course, that's assuming he is given the same level of cooperation. That last part will be the biggest hurdle, but if Penske thinks it can be done, who am I to doubt him?
I would encourage Mr. Penske to jump into the IRL/Champ Car reunification process, as well. Combine a new Detroit Grand Prix, Danica Patrick's popularity and a reunified open wheel racing circuit and you've got something to market and build upon. If Penske plans on two Detroit area races in 2007, and hopes either or both can sustain long-term success, it would help if they had fields comprised of all of the sports biggest names.
Organizing a Super Bowl and lifting Detroit's image was a challenge, but unifying open wheel racing, re-igniting the Detroit Grand Prix and getting two open wheel races in Michigan in '07 might be a bigger mountain to climb. Here's hoping he finds a way.
I wouldn't call the Firestone 400 a complete disaster. It wasn't. From all accounts the race was very good. It featured cars traveling near 200mph going three and four wide at times. There was a little paint being exchanged--something even the good ol' boys can appreciate. Unfortunately, no one outside of MIS saw the race.
It was scheduled for ABC, but a late afternoon thunderstorm soaked MIS and forced the start of the race back to a time when the race should have been concluded. This meant the time window ABC set aside for the IRL event was over before the race even began. Not only did ABC not show the race, but neither did it's partners at ESPN. Or ESPN2. Or ESPN Classic. Nope, the Firestone 400 got a tape delay broadcast at midnight and another the next day at 2pm on ESPN2. Basically, that meant a majority of IRL's small fanbase didn't see one bit of racing.
I wouldn't call this the IRL's Heidi game, but the comparison did cross my mind. Of course, no one saw an ounce of racing, so that's a major difference. People care about football, too. That's kind of a big difference, as well. But folks at the network and the league have heard the uproar. A number of IRL fans are irate and have contacted ABC, their local affiliate and the IRL. This has been met with a collective shrug and the standard "We did all we could".
No, all you could do was put the stinking race on ESPN Classic. One thing I can almost guarantee--they were running a repeat of something. (Which begs the question "Can you really preempt something that's already been broadcast?") In all likelihood, it was a World Series of Poker event or college football. I'm 100% certain that both would get better ratings than a live IRL race, but don't you have some kind of commitment to show the race? Apparently, no.
Anyway, beyond Helio Castroneves' win and regaining the IRL points led by claiming his fourth win of the year, there was other news out of MIS in regards to open wheel racing. Alas, not all of it good. Jim Hawkins of The Oakland Press reported that at the practice/qualifying session on Saturday some counted the number of people in the stands. It was almost 100. Which, not coincidentally, was close to the temperature. (I encouarge you to read Hawkins column. He has solid views on the IRL and his piece also reveals, in part, why I like Castroneves--the two-time Indy 500 champ likes his sport and tries to promote it.)
I guess had I known that the IRL's Saturday show was going to be so poorly attended, I would have just headed out there. (I originally had a commitment elsewhere, but the heat canned my plan and my schedule was unexpectedly open. I'm kicking myself for not heading to the Irish Hills.) Of course, that would only bring the crowd up to 99, which is still an awful total. While the race itself, prior to the thunder and lightning, is still reasonably well attended, the future of the IRL at MIS, and the sport in general, gets called into question with such astronomically tiny numbers.
The IRL/Champ Car split is still ridiculous. How either side maintains its position is beyond common sense. Of course, it always was, so neither part may care. Even with the rumored re-unification, this sport needs some help and soon. Like yesterday. A circuit with the combined events, combined fields and combined fanbase would be a good start. A start that cannot happen quickly enough.
As for open wheel racing's future in Michigan, Roger Penske is kicking around the idea of bringing back the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Mr. Penske appears to have a plan. One that includes the IRL and building an solid race track, with other necessary amenities and infrastructure. He's also thinking about getting on the 2007 racing schedule.
I'm going to defer to Mr. Penske here. The Super Bowl he just produced in Detroit was a success. If Penske can make Detroit's image, in mid-winter no less, better than it was before, I'm going to assume that he can build a solid race on Belle Isle. Of course, that's assuming he is given the same level of cooperation. That last part will be the biggest hurdle, but if Penske thinks it can be done, who am I to doubt him?
I would encourage Mr. Penske to jump into the IRL/Champ Car reunification process, as well. Combine a new Detroit Grand Prix, Danica Patrick's popularity and a reunified open wheel racing circuit and you've got something to market and build upon. If Penske plans on two Detroit area races in 2007, and hopes either or both can sustain long-term success, it would help if they had fields comprised of all of the sports biggest names.
Organizing a Super Bowl and lifting Detroit's image was a challenge, but unifying open wheel racing, re-igniting the Detroit Grand Prix and getting two open wheel races in Michigan in '07 might be a bigger mountain to climb. Here's hoping he finds a way.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Casey Arrives
I'm fine with the Detroit Tigers acquisition of Sean Casey. (I know Dave Dombrowski will sleep well knowing his trade deadline deal meets with my approval.) I think Casey, a guy who often hits close to .300, still has some hits left in him. He's the left handed stick some have been longing for. Casey's arrival didn't force the Tigers to sell off their farm system, either. Nor are they tied to him beyond this season. Besides, I've always liked Casey and it sounds like he's excited about getting into a pennant chase. What's not to embrace about this deal?
Well, there's the opposite side of the coin. I'm not as happy about seeing Chris Shelton get demoted. The book on Shelton was always "he can't run, can't field, can't throw, but he can hit". After years of pounding the baseball in the minors, to see Shelton's bat fail him after probably his greatest April ever is disappointing. It's must be difficult for Shelton to head back to AAA when his teammates are all in the middle of the best Tigers regular season in over twenty years.
In spite of feeling bad for Shelton, this trade does make me believe the Tigers are thinking about only one thing--winning. They decided to let Shelton work out of his funk at Toledo, figuring Casey's bat will return to it's usual pace, instead of letting Red Pop struggle with a team looking for a division title. You either perform or go. For now, Casey gets a chance to produce and Shelton has to earn his way back to Comerica Park. Hopefully, he makes it back for good next time.
Well, there's the opposite side of the coin. I'm not as happy about seeing Chris Shelton get demoted. The book on Shelton was always "he can't run, can't field, can't throw, but he can hit". After years of pounding the baseball in the minors, to see Shelton's bat fail him after probably his greatest April ever is disappointing. It's must be difficult for Shelton to head back to AAA when his teammates are all in the middle of the best Tigers regular season in over twenty years.
In spite of feeling bad for Shelton, this trade does make me believe the Tigers are thinking about only one thing--winning. They decided to let Shelton work out of his funk at Toledo, figuring Casey's bat will return to it's usual pace, instead of letting Red Pop struggle with a team looking for a division title. You either perform or go. For now, Casey gets a chance to produce and Shelton has to earn his way back to Comerica Park. Hopefully, he makes it back for good next time.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
The Starting QB (For Now)
Naming a starting quarterback in July is a bit like being engaged--you've agreed to make a commitment at a later date. That's why we call it a proposal. It's an offer to make a commitment down the road, nothing more. Usually, there is a great deal of time between the proposal and the big day. That means there is a whole bunch of time for something to go horribly wrong. Or go just wrong enough that the commitment doesn't seem like such a good idea after all.
When Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli tabbed Jon Kitna as his starter this week, it meant that if everything goes the way it's going now, Kitna will be behind center on the Lions first drive on 2006. However, there is a full slate of pre-season tilts on the board. There is also the entire training camp ahead. I know Greg Eno wants Marinelli to stand firm and fend off the potential quarterback controversy, but Marinelli really hasn't committed to anything other than saying he really, really likes Kitna and hopes to stick with him forever. Unless, of course, he finds Kitna's performance incompatible with his long-term future.
The announcement was also done as a way to help placate Kitna's emotions. He's already gone on record saying he really doesn't like being in a battle for the top spot. Ok, Jon. If you prefer some sign of commitment, Coach Marinelli has offered up the ring, I mean, starter's job. If you don't let him down between now and September, you get the gig.
If, however, you start to play a bit irrationally, if your on-field performance becomes erratic or worse and you start to make Josh McNown look good, the commitment Coach Marinelli made to you in the summer will go bye-bye before autumn.
Greg brings up several legitimate points about sticking with Kitna. However, I just can't see what Kitna has done that guarantees him of anything more than exactly what Marinelli has really offered--the opportunity to lose the job. Sure, Kitna's done slightly more than McNown historically, so he gets the number one seed in the quarterback tournament. However, if he fails, there is simply no reason to stand by him.
We aren't talking Untias, Marino or Elway here. We're talking about a decent NFL signal caller with a history of getting beat out by the new kid on the block. That's not to say Kitna's pro career couldn't explode at Ford Field and he emerges as a Pro Bowl QB under the supervision of Marinelli and Mike Martz. Maybe he can, let's hope so, but history doesn't lead us to that conclusion.
Marinelli has handed him the ball first during the pre-season, but Kitna's got to keep the job on his own. (Well, I guess McNown could be so awful that Kitna could maintain the spot by default, but let's be optimistic. It's July, after all.) If Kitna had a pedigree of sustained success, I'd spot him a crummy pre-season. Unfortunately, I don't think Kitna's career warrants that kind of blank check. It's quite the contrary.
Kitna's got to be at least as good as his counter-parts between now and the first regular season game. If he's better, no problem. If he's a tad worse, well, it's a problem, but not necessarily a big one. If he's clearly the worst QB in the exhibition schedule, I suspect the courtship will end abruptly. After all, Marnelli only proposed the stater's job to Kitna, he isn't married to the idea.
When Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli tabbed Jon Kitna as his starter this week, it meant that if everything goes the way it's going now, Kitna will be behind center on the Lions first drive on 2006. However, there is a full slate of pre-season tilts on the board. There is also the entire training camp ahead. I know Greg Eno wants Marinelli to stand firm and fend off the potential quarterback controversy, but Marinelli really hasn't committed to anything other than saying he really, really likes Kitna and hopes to stick with him forever. Unless, of course, he finds Kitna's performance incompatible with his long-term future.
The announcement was also done as a way to help placate Kitna's emotions. He's already gone on record saying he really doesn't like being in a battle for the top spot. Ok, Jon. If you prefer some sign of commitment, Coach Marinelli has offered up the ring, I mean, starter's job. If you don't let him down between now and September, you get the gig.
If, however, you start to play a bit irrationally, if your on-field performance becomes erratic or worse and you start to make Josh McNown look good, the commitment Coach Marinelli made to you in the summer will go bye-bye before autumn.
Greg brings up several legitimate points about sticking with Kitna. However, I just can't see what Kitna has done that guarantees him of anything more than exactly what Marinelli has really offered--the opportunity to lose the job. Sure, Kitna's done slightly more than McNown historically, so he gets the number one seed in the quarterback tournament. However, if he fails, there is simply no reason to stand by him.
We aren't talking Untias, Marino or Elway here. We're talking about a decent NFL signal caller with a history of getting beat out by the new kid on the block. That's not to say Kitna's pro career couldn't explode at Ford Field and he emerges as a Pro Bowl QB under the supervision of Marinelli and Mike Martz. Maybe he can, let's hope so, but history doesn't lead us to that conclusion.
Marinelli has handed him the ball first during the pre-season, but Kitna's got to keep the job on his own. (Well, I guess McNown could be so awful that Kitna could maintain the spot by default, but let's be optimistic. It's July, after all.) If Kitna had a pedigree of sustained success, I'd spot him a crummy pre-season. Unfortunately, I don't think Kitna's career warrants that kind of blank check. It's quite the contrary.
Kitna's got to be at least as good as his counter-parts between now and the first regular season game. If he's better, no problem. If he's a tad worse, well, it's a problem, but not necessarily a big one. If he's clearly the worst QB in the exhibition schedule, I suspect the courtship will end abruptly. After all, Marnelli only proposed the stater's job to Kitna, he isn't married to the idea.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Out Of Town And Country Stuff
* The New York Islanders pull their general manager for their back-up goalie? That has to be a first. What has happened to this once proud franchise borders on criminal. Come to think of it, isn't one of their past looney, cheap owners still in the pen?
* You've probably heard the Allen Iverson to Boston trade rumors. Some argue that if Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce worked, why couldn't Iverson and Pierce work? Well, I guess that depends on your version of "working". If a single 49 win season and a runner-up Eastern Conference run in five years is considered working, then, maybe, an AI and Pierce combo would work. If winning a championship is the goal, well.......
* I kind of smirked when reading Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, discussing his search for a team in the English Premier League--Decision 2006. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. (It was a topic here as early as July '04.) Simmons implies he will stick with the club of choice for a season and see how it goes. Two full EPL seasons later, I'd still call myself an Everton supporter. I suppose that could change, but when I saw how early Simmons dismissed the Toffees from his search, I was annoyed. That's got to mean you're a fan, doesn't it?
* I still like Nottingham Forest, as well. The lads, however, are two levels below the EPL and, thus, two years removed (at minimum) from rejoining England's top flight football clubs. I think I can safely root for both. Although, I'm sure the diehards of both sides would disagree--vehemently.
* Seems Simmons and I aren't the only one considering EPL teams. Browns owner Randy Lerner is rumored to be interested in Aston Villa. I wonder if Mr. Lerner would be anymore warmly embraced than Malcom Glazer was when he gobbled up Manchester United?
* Yes, I'm having Tour de France withdrawal. No, you still don't care.
* While I'm apparently on a Euro-centric theme, you know that Tiger Woods triumph at the British Open and Floyd Landis' win at Le Tour must have made a number of Euros just thrilled.
* In local news, ok, it's not news, I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair Friday. Lots of fun. Lots of walking. Spent some money. Hey, artists need money, right? They are starving as I recall.
* I really do need to start getting some of my other sports photos on the wall. Next stop--frame shop.
* I still haven't purchased a NFL preview mag. I may not be able to say that after this coming weekend, but so far, so good. Of course, I'll be looking at an EPL preview publication, too. Their season begins in mid-August. The two will probably set me back $15-$20.
* There is a chance I might have to play host to a couple from Germany who are making their first trip State-side. The reason I get to play host for a day? They want to see their first baseball game and their father, now a U.S. resident, doesn't know or care about our grand old game. That's where I come in. Any advice on what to share? (Other than encouraging Tigertown to be a suburb of Bavaria?)
* You've probably heard the Allen Iverson to Boston trade rumors. Some argue that if Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce worked, why couldn't Iverson and Pierce work? Well, I guess that depends on your version of "working". If a single 49 win season and a runner-up Eastern Conference run in five years is considered working, then, maybe, an AI and Pierce combo would work. If winning a championship is the goal, well.......
* I kind of smirked when reading Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, discussing his search for a team in the English Premier League--Decision 2006. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. (It was a topic here as early as July '04.) Simmons implies he will stick with the club of choice for a season and see how it goes. Two full EPL seasons later, I'd still call myself an Everton supporter. I suppose that could change, but when I saw how early Simmons dismissed the Toffees from his search, I was annoyed. That's got to mean you're a fan, doesn't it?
* I still like Nottingham Forest, as well. The lads, however, are two levels below the EPL and, thus, two years removed (at minimum) from rejoining England's top flight football clubs. I think I can safely root for both. Although, I'm sure the diehards of both sides would disagree--vehemently.
* Seems Simmons and I aren't the only one considering EPL teams. Browns owner Randy Lerner is rumored to be interested in Aston Villa. I wonder if Mr. Lerner would be anymore warmly embraced than Malcom Glazer was when he gobbled up Manchester United?
* Yes, I'm having Tour de France withdrawal. No, you still don't care.
* While I'm apparently on a Euro-centric theme, you know that Tiger Woods triumph at the British Open and Floyd Landis' win at Le Tour must have made a number of Euros just thrilled.
* In local news, ok, it's not news, I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair Friday. Lots of fun. Lots of walking. Spent some money. Hey, artists need money, right? They are starving as I recall.
* I really do need to start getting some of my other sports photos on the wall. Next stop--frame shop.
* I still haven't purchased a NFL preview mag. I may not be able to say that after this coming weekend, but so far, so good. Of course, I'll be looking at an EPL preview publication, too. Their season begins in mid-August. The two will probably set me back $15-$20.
* There is a chance I might have to play host to a couple from Germany who are making their first trip State-side. The reason I get to play host for a day? They want to see their first baseball game and their father, now a U.S. resident, doesn't know or care about our grand old game. That's where I come in. Any advice on what to share? (Other than encouraging Tigertown to be a suburb of Bavaria?)
The Soriano Rumors
I'm not sure if I want the Detroit Tigers to add Alfonso Soriano or not. One thing I am absolutely certain of, however, is that I do not want him on the Chicago White Sox. The rumor du jour is that Washington will gladly take Brandon McCarthy off the Sox hands in return for Soriano. I'm sure the White Sox will have to pony up more than the just the righthander to land the All-Star slugger, but they can probably afford to part with one of their prized arms in order to make another title run.
This rumor does make me wonder why so many are balking at the notion of sending Humberto Sanchez to the Nats as part of a Soriano deal. If the White Sox are willing to part with a top prospect for Soriano, why shouldn't the Tigs? Yes, the John Smoltz trade of 1987 still rubs folks the wrong way, but is anyone missing Justin Thompson? Francisco Cordero had a couple of solid years for Texas, but would he have made a big impact here?
Prospects are prospects until proven otherwise. Tigers fans, perhaps, more than anyone else, should be aware of this. Has anyone seen as many non-prospect prospects as we have?
Now, I'm not about to send Washington the entire Detroit farm system for Soriano, who most likely will end up a rental, but as the old saying goes "you have to give up something to get something". The Tigers do have a number of young quality arms in the system--Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Nate Robertson and, hopefully, Andrew Miller--so it's not like Sanchez is the be-all, end-all. Besides, whose to say that the Tigers couldn't make a play for Soriano beyond '06?
If the Tigers were to make some post-season noise, Soriano got to see this town at it's baseball crazy best, the Tigers clear some more salaries off the books (as more contracts expire) and Mr. Ilitch actually makes some money this year, whose to say the Tigers couldn't sway Soriano to stay in the Olde English D?
Even if Soriano jumped shipped on Detroit, wouldn't the Tigers be in line for some compensatory draft picks for losing a top tier free agent? Two more picks in the top 40 or so prospects is also a way to ensure another wave of strong arms fills the Tigers' system
Having said all this, do I want Soriano in Detroit? Maybe. For the right price. One thing I do know, is that no one in Tigertown can feel very good about the notion of Alfonso Soriano joining the already impressive lineup in Chicago.
This rumor does make me wonder why so many are balking at the notion of sending Humberto Sanchez to the Nats as part of a Soriano deal. If the White Sox are willing to part with a top prospect for Soriano, why shouldn't the Tigs? Yes, the John Smoltz trade of 1987 still rubs folks the wrong way, but is anyone missing Justin Thompson? Francisco Cordero had a couple of solid years for Texas, but would he have made a big impact here?
Prospects are prospects until proven otherwise. Tigers fans, perhaps, more than anyone else, should be aware of this. Has anyone seen as many non-prospect prospects as we have?
Now, I'm not about to send Washington the entire Detroit farm system for Soriano, who most likely will end up a rental, but as the old saying goes "you have to give up something to get something". The Tigers do have a number of young quality arms in the system--Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Nate Robertson and, hopefully, Andrew Miller--so it's not like Sanchez is the be-all, end-all. Besides, whose to say that the Tigers couldn't make a play for Soriano beyond '06?
If the Tigers were to make some post-season noise, Soriano got to see this town at it's baseball crazy best, the Tigers clear some more salaries off the books (as more contracts expire) and Mr. Ilitch actually makes some money this year, whose to say the Tigers couldn't sway Soriano to stay in the Olde English D?
Even if Soriano jumped shipped on Detroit, wouldn't the Tigers be in line for some compensatory draft picks for losing a top tier free agent? Two more picks in the top 40 or so prospects is also a way to ensure another wave of strong arms fills the Tigers' system
Having said all this, do I want Soriano in Detroit? Maybe. For the right price. One thing I do know, is that no one in Tigertown can feel very good about the notion of Alfonso Soriano joining the already impressive lineup in Chicago.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Landis Is Back?!?!?!
A day after everyone in the cycling community wrote off Floyd Landis, he's back. Landis entered yesterday's daunting climb through the Alps as the favorite to win the Tour de France. He was already wearing the yellow jersey and had just finished strongly at L'Alpe d'Huez, the event's most storied mountain climb. Then came the Wednesday's stage.
By nearly all accounts, Landis hit the proverbial wall yesterday. That or the wall hit him. Either way, the result wasn't pretty. Landis found himself not only out of the yellow jersey, but a shocking eight minutes behind the race leader. That's a significant chunk of time late in the race. If Landis was out of gas after Wednesday's trek upward, it didn't seem likely he could gain back much time in today's final jaunt through the mountains.
So what did the Team Phonak rider do? Landis came back to win today's stage. The American cyclist is now in third place only thirty seconds behind the race leader. If Landis can stay on his bike tomorrow and can duplicate his earlier time trial performance Saturday, a discipline neither of his competitors is quite as good at, Landis could actually win this race.
Now, for my one reader who is still here after three paragraphs of Tour de France talk, let me add why this is noteworthy beyond the race's own prestige. Landis is scheduled for hip replacement. Not just ordinary hip surgery, as if that wouldn't be bad enough. No, Landis is looking at a new hip after the race. We talk about an athlete's courage, but Landis' performance today may have re-defined gut check.
I know what you are thinking. Brian, buddy, it's bicycling. Yeah, well, I get winded thinking about pedaling up the 7-11 to grab a Slurpee and this guy is win racing through the Alps? I doubt too many of us could even manage to climb up the Alps on a bike and a guy whose about to get a new hip wins a race through the mountains? Come on. That's plain embarrassing. Fine, it's embarrassing, for me. You, I'm sure, could navigate such terrain easily.
None of you are going to watch the Tour. And fewer even care. I realize that. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But, Floyd Landis exhibited all the things we admire about athletes and sports today--courage, determination and effort. He also won, something else we all prefer. His ride today deserves some attention. Mine, anyway.
By nearly all accounts, Landis hit the proverbial wall yesterday. That or the wall hit him. Either way, the result wasn't pretty. Landis found himself not only out of the yellow jersey, but a shocking eight minutes behind the race leader. That's a significant chunk of time late in the race. If Landis was out of gas after Wednesday's trek upward, it didn't seem likely he could gain back much time in today's final jaunt through the mountains.
So what did the Team Phonak rider do? Landis came back to win today's stage. The American cyclist is now in third place only thirty seconds behind the race leader. If Landis can stay on his bike tomorrow and can duplicate his earlier time trial performance Saturday, a discipline neither of his competitors is quite as good at, Landis could actually win this race.
Now, for my one reader who is still here after three paragraphs of Tour de France talk, let me add why this is noteworthy beyond the race's own prestige. Landis is scheduled for hip replacement. Not just ordinary hip surgery, as if that wouldn't be bad enough. No, Landis is looking at a new hip after the race. We talk about an athlete's courage, but Landis' performance today may have re-defined gut check.
I know what you are thinking. Brian, buddy, it's bicycling. Yeah, well, I get winded thinking about pedaling up the 7-11 to grab a Slurpee and this guy is win racing through the Alps? I doubt too many of us could even manage to climb up the Alps on a bike and a guy whose about to get a new hip wins a race through the mountains? Come on. That's plain embarrassing. Fine, it's embarrassing, for me. You, I'm sure, could navigate such terrain easily.
None of you are going to watch the Tour. And fewer even care. I realize that. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But, Floyd Landis exhibited all the things we admire about athletes and sports today--courage, determination and effort. He also won, something else we all prefer. His ride today deserves some attention. Mine, anyway.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Feeling Better?
Well, that sure feels better, doesn't it? Finally, the Tigers get a rather decisive win against the Chicago White Sox. Tonight's 5-2 victory should temporarily ease some of our collective paranoia about the defending World Champions. The Tigers can, indeed, prevail over Chicago's South Side ballclub.
I, for one, feel a bit better about the Tigers at this moment. Why? In large part, because Jeremy Bonderman, perhaps my answer to "Who's Your Tiger?", did what top flight starters are supposed to do--stop losing streaks and beat upper echelon teams. He had exactly the kind of performance--two runs in seven innings on four hits with six K's vs. the World Champs--that we've all hoped Bonderman would produce someday.
I'm also feeling better because, honestly, I just don't much care for the White Sox. I just don't. Oh, they were ok when Harold Baines was in rightfield and Chet Lemon manned center. Was that Claudell Washington in left or Ralph Garr? Can't remember. Anyway, I think I became turned off when as a Tigers season ticket holder (96-98), it seemed I saw the White Sox every week. Like eating the same thing everyday, I got real tired of Chicago's A.L. entry, real fast.
So, this current run of ChiSox dominance over the Tigers hasn't made me very happy. Conversely, beating the Sox makes me very pleased. Another reason for optimism this evening.
Finally, I'm hoping the Tigers are starting to believe they can hang around with the baseball big boys. Wins like tonight's can only help their confidence. I don't care how many times the Tigs thump Tampa or Kansas City, they will eventually need to beat baseball's elite. May as well start today.
Now, one game does not a season make, but we can all feel a bit better about tonight's triumph. Well, at least, I do.
I, for one, feel a bit better about the Tigers at this moment. Why? In large part, because Jeremy Bonderman, perhaps my answer to "Who's Your Tiger?", did what top flight starters are supposed to do--stop losing streaks and beat upper echelon teams. He had exactly the kind of performance--two runs in seven innings on four hits with six K's vs. the World Champs--that we've all hoped Bonderman would produce someday.
I'm also feeling better because, honestly, I just don't much care for the White Sox. I just don't. Oh, they were ok when Harold Baines was in rightfield and Chet Lemon manned center. Was that Claudell Washington in left or Ralph Garr? Can't remember. Anyway, I think I became turned off when as a Tigers season ticket holder (96-98), it seemed I saw the White Sox every week. Like eating the same thing everyday, I got real tired of Chicago's A.L. entry, real fast.
So, this current run of ChiSox dominance over the Tigers hasn't made me very happy. Conversely, beating the Sox makes me very pleased. Another reason for optimism this evening.
Finally, I'm hoping the Tigers are starting to believe they can hang around with the baseball big boys. Wins like tonight's can only help their confidence. I don't care how many times the Tigs thump Tampa or Kansas City, they will eventually need to beat baseball's elite. May as well start today.
Now, one game does not a season make, but we can all feel a bit better about tonight's triumph. Well, at least, I do.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Tiger Fever...Catch It
Tiger Fever, once thought to be completely eliminated, has reappeared in Detroit. The last reported case was documented in the late 1980's. Although some claim their may have been a few infected as late as the early 1990's, but there is no solid evidence of that. However, I am here to report that the rumors are indeed true. Tiger Fever is back in Detroit and is spreading at an alarming, if not unprecedented, rate.
Ok, so it's not exactly breaking news that Detroit has rediscovered the Tigers, but I got a first hand glimpse of the revival Saturday. I was at theold yard new yard Saturday night. Sure, the 40,000 in attendance were a big stinkin' clue that the Tigers might not just be the summer punchline around the Motor City anymore. However, it wasn't just the sellout that was evidence of the latest Tigers craze. The thing that caught my attention was the amount of Tigers apparel both being worn and purchased during the 6-0 pasting of the poor Kansas City Royals.
I was caught off-guard by the amount of Tigers merchandise being adorned by the local and suddenly faithful. It wasn't just your traditional Olde English D stuff, either. Although, there was plenty of that, too. I saw jerseys and t-shirts with the names and numbers of Rodriguez, Ordonez, Granderson, Verlander, Zumaya, Shelton, Robertson and Inge, to name a few. Tigertown has not only warmed up to their baseball team's success, but have apparently embraced their marketing campaign, as well. A large number of fans made it quite obvious just "Who's Your Tiger?".
For a team that's success has been all of three and a half months, I was completely surprised to see so many plunk down so much money on an still relatively unknown product. Honestly, how many of these friends of ours really knew who Curtis Granderson or Joel Zumaya were 365 days ago? Can you name how many of your buddies were debating that Brandon Inge authentic jersey? Sure, after years of sustained success--including championships--Red Wings and now Pistons jerseys dot the Detroit landscape. Yet, with only a winning record in mid-July to their credit, the ballpark was filled with fans proudly wearing their Tiger's name and number.
If the quantity of baseball apparel on display Saturday night is any indication, Tigers merchandise has to be the hot item in The D. I couldn't have counted the bags filled with Tigers related products if I had tried. With the profit from merchandise, frozen daiquiri and eight dollar beer sales on Saturday night alone, the Tigers ought to be able to land Alfonso Soriano and sign him long term. It's fairly obvious that this city has bought into the Tigers--literally.
You know the Tigers must be moving product as both newspapers now promote their Tiger coverage. Local radio is pumping up the Motor City Kitties, too. The Tigers flagship station, WXYT 1270AM (I have no idea what their moniker du jour is), talks about how much they talk about the Tigers when the Tigers aren't playing. Having a total grasp of the obvious, the local media have jumped upon the Tigers bandwagon, as well. No reason to let this unexpected opportunity slide past. (Think TV20, who just happened to sign on for a few games this year, is happy about this?)
In my own place of work, I've seen people come down with Tiger Fever right in front of me. People who have never been to Comerica Park have just gone or are about to make their initial visit. Even those co-workers who could name every Red Wing and admit to not being baseball fans are talking about heading down to the CoPa. People who know I'm kind of a baseball geek are asking me semi-serious baseball questions. This thing is spreading fast.
More wins. More ticket sales. More sellouts. More merchandise sales. More media coverage. More Tiger talk around the old water cooler. Yes, friends, Tiger Fever is back and just about everyone has come down with it.
Ok, so it's not exactly breaking news that Detroit has rediscovered the Tigers, but I got a first hand glimpse of the revival Saturday. I was at the
I was caught off-guard by the amount of Tigers merchandise being adorned by the local and suddenly faithful. It wasn't just your traditional Olde English D stuff, either. Although, there was plenty of that, too. I saw jerseys and t-shirts with the names and numbers of Rodriguez, Ordonez, Granderson, Verlander, Zumaya, Shelton, Robertson and Inge, to name a few. Tigertown has not only warmed up to their baseball team's success, but have apparently embraced their marketing campaign, as well. A large number of fans made it quite obvious just "Who's Your Tiger?".
For a team that's success has been all of three and a half months, I was completely surprised to see so many plunk down so much money on an still relatively unknown product. Honestly, how many of these friends of ours really knew who Curtis Granderson or Joel Zumaya were 365 days ago? Can you name how many of your buddies were debating that Brandon Inge authentic jersey? Sure, after years of sustained success--including championships--Red Wings and now Pistons jerseys dot the Detroit landscape. Yet, with only a winning record in mid-July to their credit, the ballpark was filled with fans proudly wearing their Tiger's name and number.
If the quantity of baseball apparel on display Saturday night is any indication, Tigers merchandise has to be the hot item in The D. I couldn't have counted the bags filled with Tigers related products if I had tried. With the profit from merchandise, frozen daiquiri and eight dollar beer sales on Saturday night alone, the Tigers ought to be able to land Alfonso Soriano and sign him long term. It's fairly obvious that this city has bought into the Tigers--literally.
You know the Tigers must be moving product as both newspapers now promote their Tiger coverage. Local radio is pumping up the Motor City Kitties, too. The Tigers flagship station, WXYT 1270AM (I have no idea what their moniker du jour is), talks about how much they talk about the Tigers when the Tigers aren't playing. Having a total grasp of the obvious, the local media have jumped upon the Tigers bandwagon, as well. No reason to let this unexpected opportunity slide past. (Think TV20, who just happened to sign on for a few games this year, is happy about this?)
In my own place of work, I've seen people come down with Tiger Fever right in front of me. People who have never been to Comerica Park have just gone or are about to make their initial visit. Even those co-workers who could name every Red Wing and admit to not being baseball fans are talking about heading down to the CoPa. People who know I'm kind of a baseball geek are asking me semi-serious baseball questions. This thing is spreading fast.
More wins. More ticket sales. More sellouts. More merchandise sales. More media coverage. More Tiger talk around the old water cooler. Yes, friends, Tiger Fever is back and just about everyone has come down with it.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Painting By Numbers
Yeah, I'm playing with the color scheme around here. Be patient. HTML color coding is like painting by the numbers, but with tons of alpha-numeric options. However, I feel the place needs a new coat of paint, so you may see some stranger than normal color patterns. Of course, I may just leave it as is for a while.
Feel free to criticize at will.
Feel free to criticize at will.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Today At The World Cup
You just kind of knew England was in trouble when Wayne Rooney got that red card. Down a man, with David Beckham already subbed out due to an injury, it just didn't look good. I'm just your basic casual footie fan, but, geez, that seemed like stupid move on Rooney's part.
As for France's latest triumph over Brazil, I thought the defending champs were almost too respectful of Zidane. Oh, the guy is an all-time great, but I haven't seen the French midfielder look quite that good in the year or so I've been watching his club team (technically his ex-club team due to retirement), Real Madrid.
As for France's latest triumph over Brazil, I thought the defending champs were almost too respectful of Zidane. Oh, the guy is an all-time great, but I haven't seen the French midfielder look quite that good in the year or so I've been watching his club team (technically his ex-club team due to retirement), Real Madrid.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Playing Catch-Up
Since my blogging has been lacking as of late and I cannot decide what to write about first, how about I do what I usually do--take it all on at once. In small doses, of course.
* Larry Brown is filing a grievance? Are you kidding me? Shouldn't Knicks fans be the ones filing a grievance against Brown? Or Isiah Thomas? Or both? It's fairly clear that neither Brown or his agent have a shred of dignity.
* Greg Eno is all behind Danica Patrick. Me? I can't decide. I don't root against her. I don't root for her, either. She's great for the IRL and open wheel racing, as she brings in new fans and increases interest, but I think it's the media overkill that stops me from embracing her. It's just too much and also makes very good drivers--Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, Sam Hornish, Sebastian Bourdais, to name just four--seem insignificant.
While, as Greg points out, Patrick appears to merit her ride, I do wonder what affect the possible IRL/Champ Car merger might mean to her chances of success? Simple math says if the boys from Champ Car are added into the mix, the field of quality race car drivers increases, thus Patrick's chances of winning decrease. Will America continue to support a middle of the road open wheel racing queen?
* I realize that as a member of the vaunted Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes, I've been strangely silent on our remarkably successful baseball club. What can I say about the Tigers that hasn't already be said? Remember I was the one who had some optimism about the Motor City Kitties in March?
At this point, my pre-season thoughts are almost scary in how close they are to being dead on. Although, I never could have envisioned the overwhelming success the Tigers have enjoyed thus far. Regardless of how the remainder of the season plays out, the first three months of this baseball season have been nothing short of spectacular.
* Who is your Tiger All-Star? That's the question I've been pondering for a couple of days. Kenny Rogers might make the team. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman (especially if Bonderman can get to win number ten next time out) also deserve serious consideration in a crowded field.
Curtis Granderson's numbers probably aren't quite good enough, although I doubt any Tiger fan would argue that he's been their best everyday player. Magglio Ordonez has the numbers to get his name into the OF logjam, but I think Ozzie Guillen might still hold a grudge no matter what he says in public.
Carlos Guillen would have to be shortstop number three behind traditional stars Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter, both of whom I just assume play in Pittsburgh this year. Pudge Rodriguez has a similar dilemma as Jason Varitek will probably win the vote and Joe Mauer would be the likely number two catcher on the junior circuit roster.
I would like to think at least two guys with Olde English D's on their caps play in the Steel City come July 11. My guess is that it's Rogers and Guillen.
* I couldn't help myself, but I had to skim through SI.com's Michael Silver's ratings of NFL owners. If you want to know where Mr. Ford ranks, as if you couldn't guess accurately, head towards page three of his article.
* I've yet to purchase a single NFL or NCAA Football preview magazine. I wouldn't quite equate this feat to someone laying off cigarettes, but it's a difficult habit for me to break. Normally, I would have, at least, one of each lying around the house by now. Yet, last year, I promised no football magazines would be obtained prior to MLB's All-Star Game.
Why am I setting such clearly ridiculous standards? Because in recent years, I've become overdosed on pigskin long before season's end. I love football, but our national obsession has become too obsessive for even me. I need the off-season to be an off-season a little while longer. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
So far, I've been able to maintain last year's objective. No magazines have made it into the house or even into the checkout lane. Oh, I've looked, but have not purchased. I've even refrained from joining the one fantasy football league I've been invited to join. Football must wait. (One caveat-These rules do not apply to the CFL that is already underway. I have watched a portion of a CFL game.)
* I'm not sure what it says when I am more familiar with the names of the players taken in the first round of the MLB Draft than the names of those taken in the same round of the NBA Draft?
UPDATE: So, I'm a moron. I could have sworn Bonderman had nine wins heading into the weekend, not seven. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, either way, it's incorrect information and seven (or even eight) wins will keep Boderman from making his first all-star appearance this year. Hey, it's a blog, isn't passing along wrong information standard operating procedure?
* Larry Brown is filing a grievance? Are you kidding me? Shouldn't Knicks fans be the ones filing a grievance against Brown? Or Isiah Thomas? Or both? It's fairly clear that neither Brown or his agent have a shred of dignity.
* Greg Eno is all behind Danica Patrick. Me? I can't decide. I don't root against her. I don't root for her, either. She's great for the IRL and open wheel racing, as she brings in new fans and increases interest, but I think it's the media overkill that stops me from embracing her. It's just too much and also makes very good drivers--Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, Sam Hornish, Sebastian Bourdais, to name just four--seem insignificant.
While, as Greg points out, Patrick appears to merit her ride, I do wonder what affect the possible IRL/Champ Car merger might mean to her chances of success? Simple math says if the boys from Champ Car are added into the mix, the field of quality race car drivers increases, thus Patrick's chances of winning decrease. Will America continue to support a middle of the road open wheel racing queen?
* I realize that as a member of the vaunted Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes, I've been strangely silent on our remarkably successful baseball club. What can I say about the Tigers that hasn't already be said? Remember I was the one who had some optimism about the Motor City Kitties in March?
At this point, my pre-season thoughts are almost scary in how close they are to being dead on. Although, I never could have envisioned the overwhelming success the Tigers have enjoyed thus far. Regardless of how the remainder of the season plays out, the first three months of this baseball season have been nothing short of spectacular.
* Who is your Tiger All-Star? That's the question I've been pondering for a couple of days. Kenny Rogers might make the team. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman (especially if Bonderman can get to win number ten next time out) also deserve serious consideration in a crowded field.
Curtis Granderson's numbers probably aren't quite good enough, although I doubt any Tiger fan would argue that he's been their best everyday player. Magglio Ordonez has the numbers to get his name into the OF logjam, but I think Ozzie Guillen might still hold a grudge no matter what he says in public.
Carlos Guillen would have to be shortstop number three behind traditional stars Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter, both of whom I just assume play in Pittsburgh this year. Pudge Rodriguez has a similar dilemma as Jason Varitek will probably win the vote and Joe Mauer would be the likely number two catcher on the junior circuit roster.
I would like to think at least two guys with Olde English D's on their caps play in the Steel City come July 11. My guess is that it's Rogers and Guillen.
* I couldn't help myself, but I had to skim through SI.com's Michael Silver's ratings of NFL owners. If you want to know where Mr. Ford ranks, as if you couldn't guess accurately, head towards page three of his article.
* I've yet to purchase a single NFL or NCAA Football preview magazine. I wouldn't quite equate this feat to someone laying off cigarettes, but it's a difficult habit for me to break. Normally, I would have, at least, one of each lying around the house by now. Yet, last year, I promised no football magazines would be obtained prior to MLB's All-Star Game.
Why am I setting such clearly ridiculous standards? Because in recent years, I've become overdosed on pigskin long before season's end. I love football, but our national obsession has become too obsessive for even me. I need the off-season to be an off-season a little while longer. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
So far, I've been able to maintain last year's objective. No magazines have made it into the house or even into the checkout lane. Oh, I've looked, but have not purchased. I've even refrained from joining the one fantasy football league I've been invited to join. Football must wait. (One caveat-These rules do not apply to the CFL that is already underway. I have watched a portion of a CFL game.)
* I'm not sure what it says when I am more familiar with the names of the players taken in the first round of the MLB Draft than the names of those taken in the same round of the NBA Draft?
UPDATE: So, I'm a moron. I could have sworn Bonderman had nine wins heading into the weekend, not seven. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, either way, it's incorrect information and seven (or even eight) wins will keep Boderman from making his first all-star appearance this year. Hey, it's a blog, isn't passing along wrong information standard operating procedure?
Thursday, June 22, 2006
U.S. Stumbles Out Of World Cup
It's difficult to be anything less than very disappointed with the United States Men's National Soccer Team's performance. In fact, I'm struggling to be anything less than angry. No wins. One tie. Two losses. And an early exit from the 2006 World Cup. It's unacceptable.
Plenty are going to call for Bruce Arena's job and I suspect Arena might oblige them tomorrow. There is simply no question this wasn't Arena's finest hour. The team appeared to lack chemistry. They lacked fight. They lacked many things that lay at the feet of their head coach. Thus, Arena will probably step aside.
However, Arena is far from the only culprit of this debacle. The players are as much to blame as their coach. In particular, Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley seemed to collectively slip between invisible, barely visible and visible, but making us wish they were invisible.
Some have suggested the PK before the half did the U.S. in today. If it did, then shame on both Arena and his captain, Reyna, for not getting the team's mind back into a WC match they trailed by only a single marker with a half to go. That's why we pay a coach, that's why a guy gets to wear the armband.
As for Donovan and Beasley, they were simply dreadful. One of them really needed to become the offensive centerpiece and neither was up to the challenge. Of course, Arena could easily be blamed for putting both players in positions that made it difficult for them to succeed. And I do. However, in futbol, like any other sport, your stars have to play like stars in order for you to win. For the USMNT, their stars failed to do so. That's why they are done in World Cup '06.
Plenty are going to call for Bruce Arena's job and I suspect Arena might oblige them tomorrow. There is simply no question this wasn't Arena's finest hour. The team appeared to lack chemistry. They lacked fight. They lacked many things that lay at the feet of their head coach. Thus, Arena will probably step aside.
However, Arena is far from the only culprit of this debacle. The players are as much to blame as their coach. In particular, Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley seemed to collectively slip between invisible, barely visible and visible, but making us wish they were invisible.
Some have suggested the PK before the half did the U.S. in today. If it did, then shame on both Arena and his captain, Reyna, for not getting the team's mind back into a WC match they trailed by only a single marker with a half to go. That's why we pay a coach, that's why a guy gets to wear the armband.
As for Donovan and Beasley, they were simply dreadful. One of them really needed to become the offensive centerpiece and neither was up to the challenge. Of course, Arena could easily be blamed for putting both players in positions that made it difficult for them to succeed. And I do. However, in futbol, like any other sport, your stars have to play like stars in order for you to win. For the USMNT, their stars failed to do so. That's why they are done in World Cup '06.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Great Sports Weekend
I love this time of the year. We've got Major League Baseball in full flight. College baseball's super regionals are televised all weekend long. World Cup soccer is going to be part of my steady diet for the next several weeks. There's IRL racing tonight, I'm guessing the NASCAR boys go at it tomorrow, too. Although, I must admit to not being sure about that.
The Stanley Cup is up for grabs (but does anyone still believe Edmonton has a chance?) and, of course, The Finals of the NBA are underway. Golf is certainly in swing and tennis only gives us a major--The French Open. Outside of, perhaps, October, this is probably the best time of the year for sports fans.
I could sit in front of the old television all day long. Yet, responsibility calls. Guess I can't sit in front of the PC any longer, either. Enjoy the weekend.
The Stanley Cup is up for grabs (but does anyone still believe Edmonton has a chance?) and, of course, The Finals of the NBA are underway. Golf is certainly in swing and tennis only gives us a major--The French Open. Outside of, perhaps, October, this is probably the best time of the year for sports fans.
I could sit in front of the old television all day long. Yet, responsibility calls. Guess I can't sit in front of the PC any longer, either. Enjoy the weekend.
Friday, June 09, 2006
The New Drug Frontier
I have to clear something up. Sports are never going to be clean again. Ever.
This is something that we as fans need to understand. Yes, it's depressing. It makes you wonder what is really and what is fake. It makes sports' records even harder to compare. It makes us worry if every youngster is going to have to inject chemicals into his/her system to compete at the highest level. There is nothing about the current drug climate that make any of us feel real good about where sports have gone. Yet, that is where we are at.
We also need to understand that a whole bunch of handwringers want us to believe, or make believe, that more staunch testing will alleviate the problem. (Insert the Napoleonic Dick Pound, head of the World Anti Doping Agency, and a whole bunch of sportswriters here.) This group is about to launch it's usual assault on Major League Baseball for it's lackluster drug testing policy without providing all of the details. (Thank you, Jason Grimsley.)
What none of these folks is willing to confront is that performance enhancing drugs, and the chemicals used to conceal them from detection, are far superior to the tests we now have. That doesn't mean we should stop testing. It just means that Mr. Pound, the International Olympic Committee, the United States Congress, and anyone else that is trying to "clean up" sports is selling us a bill of goods.
Sports will never be clean again. They can legislate to their hearts desire. They can pass more strict penalties. They can even start using blood tests, too. And while some will get caught, some will not and we will not know the difference.
Those who feel compelled to take the issue of performance enhancers head on are leading people to believe that other sports are somehow "clean" in comparison to baseball. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone from NFL lineman to Tour de France cyclists to Olympic swimmers are taking something illegal. Does that mean all of them are? Of course, not. Yet, I cannot tell the difference and, if they are on the right designer drug, neither will any test we mandate they take.
I am completely in favor of testing for steroids, human growth hormone or whatever other drug comes along to make athletes abnormally bigger, faster and stronger. I support strong penalties for those caught using any or all the above. I encourage both notions as I'm actually concerned about the long-term health affects of these drugs. I'm also enough of a romantic to think that hard work and talent should prevail over laboratory created cocktails.
However, neither you or I should be naive about where we are at. We need to comprehend that no matter how many more tests are instituted or how much tougher the penalties get, sport will never be clean of chemically enhanced performances again. Ever.
This is something that we as fans need to understand. Yes, it's depressing. It makes you wonder what is really and what is fake. It makes sports' records even harder to compare. It makes us worry if every youngster is going to have to inject chemicals into his/her system to compete at the highest level. There is nothing about the current drug climate that make any of us feel real good about where sports have gone. Yet, that is where we are at.
We also need to understand that a whole bunch of handwringers want us to believe, or make believe, that more staunch testing will alleviate the problem. (Insert the Napoleonic Dick Pound, head of the World Anti Doping Agency, and a whole bunch of sportswriters here.) This group is about to launch it's usual assault on Major League Baseball for it's lackluster drug testing policy without providing all of the details. (Thank you, Jason Grimsley.)
What none of these folks is willing to confront is that performance enhancing drugs, and the chemicals used to conceal them from detection, are far superior to the tests we now have. That doesn't mean we should stop testing. It just means that Mr. Pound, the International Olympic Committee, the United States Congress, and anyone else that is trying to "clean up" sports is selling us a bill of goods.
Sports will never be clean again. They can legislate to their hearts desire. They can pass more strict penalties. They can even start using blood tests, too. And while some will get caught, some will not and we will not know the difference.
Those who feel compelled to take the issue of performance enhancers head on are leading people to believe that other sports are somehow "clean" in comparison to baseball. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone from NFL lineman to Tour de France cyclists to Olympic swimmers are taking something illegal. Does that mean all of them are? Of course, not. Yet, I cannot tell the difference and, if they are on the right designer drug, neither will any test we mandate they take.
I am completely in favor of testing for steroids, human growth hormone or whatever other drug comes along to make athletes abnormally bigger, faster and stronger. I support strong penalties for those caught using any or all the above. I encourage both notions as I'm actually concerned about the long-term health affects of these drugs. I'm also enough of a romantic to think that hard work and talent should prevail over laboratory created cocktails.
However, neither you or I should be naive about where we are at. We need to comprehend that no matter how many more tests are instituted or how much tougher the penalties get, sport will never be clean of chemically enhanced performances again. Ever.
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