Tag: Detroit Tigers (Page 3 of 11)

      Jim Leyland: Interleague play “totally unfair”

      May 18, 2011 /
      Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland (R) and coach Gene Lamont watch batting practice before their spring training game against the Washington Nationals in Viera, Florida March 9, 2010. REUTERS/Phelan M. Ebenhack (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Tigers’ skipper Jim Leyland recently cried to the Detroit Free Press that interleague play is “totally unfair” and that Major League Baseball “out to look into” the gigantic inconvenience.

      “I’ll probably get chewed out for (saying) it,” he said, “but I think a lot of people feel the same way.”

      What prompted Leyland to rail against interleague play before it begins this season isn’t the three-game series the Tigers will play in Pittsburgh this coming weekend. That’s harmless enough.

      “For three games, that’s OK,” he said.

      But he takes issue with the back-to-back road series the Tigers will play in Colorado, then against the Los Angeles Dodgers next month.

      Leyland said it’s “ridiculous” and “totally unfair” for an American League club to have to play consecutive series in National League ballparks.

      “And that you can quote me on,” he said. “They ought to look into it.”

      The bigger picture is that he thinks it’s unfair for A.L. clubs to have to change their style of play for that long — meaning no designated hitter.

      It means teams with productive DHs, such as the Tigers with Victor Martinez, have to scramble their lineups for six games.

      Oh, the poor Tigers. They have to scramble for six games…out of 162. How could Major League Baseball do this to its teams? What horror. What cruelty. What injustice.

      Come on. I’ve always liked Leyland and I love when he speaks his mind. But we’re talking about six measly games out of a 162-game season here. Interleague is fun for some fans and if it means that a team like the Tigers has to cope without a DH for six games then so be it. It’s not like the league is asking AL teams to play in their underwear and with one arm tied behind their backs.

      I know some playoff races come down to one or two games in the standings, but using the term “totally unfair” seems a tad extreme here. (Especially for a team like the Tigers who have played the freaking Pirates for three straight years.)

      External Sports, MLB

      Time for the Tigers to get Miguel Cabrera some serious help

      February 17, 2011 /

      Far be it for me to tell a Major League Baseball club how they should handle one of their superstars but if I were the Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera wouldn’t be heading to spring training right now, he’d be on his way to getting some serious help.

      If a picture is worth a thousand words than I wonder what Cabrera’s mug shot (above) is saying. He was arrested late Wednesday night on DUI charges and the details are ugly.

      Apparently his car engine was smoking alongside a road when a police officer spotted the vehicle. According to the arrest report, Cabrera “smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and took a swig from a bottle of scotch in front of a deputy.” Police say he refused to cooperate, saying, “Do you know who I am, you don’t know anything about my problems.”

      No we don’t, but let’s hope someone can help.

      This isn’t he first time Cabrera has had issues with alcohol. Everyone is aware of his issues in October of 2009 when he got himself drunk the morning before a pivotal series with the White Sox. After he spent three months in an alcohol abuse treatment center, many believed that his problems were behind him. But this is just another reminder that the media and fans will never truly understand what’s going on with an athlete’s life. This is just another reminder that they’re human beings, too.

      Obviously this is a man crying out for help and the Tigers should spring into immediate action. Baseball means nothing right now, nor should it. It’s great that he got the help he needed last time but obviously it wasn’t enough. So Cabrera and the Tigers keep trying and trying until it is.

      Good luck, Miggie. Baseball will still be here when you get back, but you need to take care of your business first before you get yourself or somebody else seriously hurt.

      External Sports, MLB

      Tigers sign Victor Martinez to a $50 million contract

      November 24, 2010 /
      Boston Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez makes a throwing error as he tries to throw out New York Yankees batter Brett Gardner at first base in the tenth inning of their MLB American League baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York September 26, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      It’s official: Victor Martinez is no longer a Boston Red Sox.

      The Tigers signed Martinez to a four-year, $50 million contract that wasn’t confirmed until Wednesday. With the signing, Detroit adds a middle of the order bat to their lineup and a player that hit .302 in 538 plate appearances last year for the Red Sox. He also earned a trip to the All-Star Game for the fourth time in his career.

      The Red Sox had hoped to re-sign Martinez but it was clear that they weren’t going to break the bank for him. They offered him a choice of three years and $36 million or four years and $42 million, but in the end Martinez opted to go where the money was greener. The downside for Boston is that it lost even more power in its ever fleeting lineup but the Sox pick up a high draft pick as part of their compensation for losing him via free agency.

      The Orioles were also reportedly interested in V-Mart and offered him a four-year, $48 million contract, while the White Sox tried to lure him to Chicago with a three-year, $48 million deal.

      But the Tigers won out in the end. They’ve been arguably the biggest players in this year’s offseason, committing $39.25 million to Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta and Joaquin Benoit.

      External Sports, MLB

      In a shocking development, the Rays are involved in a no-hitter

      July 27, 2010 /
      Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza watches from the dug out in the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 17, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

      After being on the bitter end of three no-hitters since July of last year, the Rays finally flipped the script on Monday night.

      Matt Garza threw the first no-no in Rays history last night as Tampa Bay beat the Tigers 5-0. Garza allowed only one base runner, which came in the form of a walk to Brennan Boesch, but thanks to a double play he only faced the minimum. He threw 80 out of 120 pitches for strikes and K’d six batters, including three in the final two innings.

      While David Price receives more attention for his upside, Garza arguably has the best “stuff” of anyone on the Rays’ pitching staff. So it’s only appropriate that he wound up tossing the first no-hitter in club history. There’s no doubt he’s had some mental hurdles to overcome throughout his career, so to see him put it all together was impressive.

      In related news, the baseball gods clearly hate the Detroit Tigers. To make them victims to a no-hitter in the same season that a perfect game was taken away from Armando Galarraga (on the final out in the ninth inning, mind you) is just cruel. If I were a Tiger fan, I’d be thinking to myself, “Really? Really, baseball gods? Was that necessary?”

      Hang in there, Tiger fans. I’m sure Magglio Ordonez will hit a walk-off for you guys sometime soon…….

      ………no f&^ing way – really? Six to eight weeks? Jimmy Cricket.

      Congrats to Matt Garza on his no-hitter.

      External Sports, MLB

      Mikey’s MLB power rankings

      July 17, 2010 /

      The all-star game is behind us now, which means pennant races are about to heat up for real. And there are so many teams in contention this season, it really promises to be a wild rest of the summer. Here is a look at our post-all-star-game power rankings…..

      1. New York Yankees (57-32)—Playing with heavy hearts this week after the passing of George Steinbrenner, but nothing else has changed. They just keep winning, and for the Yankees, that’s just what they do.

      2. Tampa Bay Rays (54-35)—David Price is the real deal, and one of many reasons this young Rays team is battling the Yankees for AL East supremacy. They’re one of a handful of teams that can compete with the boys from Gotham, but they’d better not get swept this weekend.

      3. Atlanta Braves (53-37)—They suddenly have a 5-game lead over the slumping Mets (and 5.5 over the Phils), and have the look of a team that wants to send Bobby Cox out on top.

      4. Texas Rangers (52-38)—Cliff Lee and that lineup? The Rangers can start printing playoff tickets now.

      5. San Diego Padres (52-37)—At this point, you can’t call it smoke and mirrors. Just like the Rays, this young team plays hard, manufactures runs and keeps games close with solid pitching.

      6. Boston Red Sox (51-39)—Someone has awoken the beast that is David Ortiz. Home run derby was just a tease of what’s to come at Fenway this summer.

      7. Chicago White Sox (50-39)—A 9-game winning streak was snapped yesterday, but the south side of Chicago is beaming. Too bad Jake Peavy is out for the year, but that doesn’t seem to matter much right now.

      8. Cincinnati Reds (50-41)—See Padres, San Diego. Dusty Baker is one heck of a manager, and that is showing again now. Of course, when you have Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen in the middle of your lineup, all is right with the world.

      9. Colorado Rockies (49-40)—This year, the Rockies won’t wait to make their move until September. They have already started making it, and the Padres had better watch their collective back

      10. Detroit Tigers (48-39)—They have quietly kept right up with the White Sox, just one game back and now 2.5 ahead of the Twins. And Jim Leyland is still one of the best managers in the game.

      External Sports, MLB

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