Just Checking in

I've been day to day with flu-like symptoms for the past week. That and not wanting anything to do with sitting at a computer after spending mind numbing hours sitting in front of one equals no blogging. But with the baseball season just around the corner, there will be more stuff. Until now here are some things of note:
Todd Bertuzzi is a Red Wing, ending a NHL trade deadline the likes which have not been seen since my little cousin got a hold of my NHL 95 saved season for the Sega Genesis. If adding Colorado's public enemy #1 can't add a spark to the fizzled Wings-Avs rivalry, I don't know what can.
Ben Wallace returns to Detroit to a less than warm reception. I still think the second he took the court, Steve Miller Band's "Take the Money and Run"should have been blaring.
Matt Millen will do what he chooses thank you very much. This guy must have the brain the size of a pea and balls of solid steel if he was serious in those quotes. Millen will do the right thing and draft Wisconsin T Joe Thomas, and fulfill his legacy of idiocy by trading him for Carson Palmer's brother and a steak taquito.
Tommy Lasorda likes the hookers. For the love of God Tommy, will you please put your Dodger Dog away? Loose skin and old...balls. Gross!

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift...Hate

With this being a day dedicated to loving and caring for others I thought what a perfect time to list the people and teams that should bring of the ire of the denizens of Tigerdom.
Honorable Mention:

• Toronto Blue Jays. This used to be the Tigers main rival before alignment. But with the last major spark in this rivalry being the 1987 pennant race, the hatred has shifted to the back burner.
• David Eckstein and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mini-Me & Co. turned a few hits and a few more Tiger errors into a World Series victory. Annoying, yes. Hateable, no. Plus the Tigers owned Bob Gibson in 1968.
• The Yankees. Just because everyone else does.

On to the list:
10) Bobby Higginson
Nothing personal, it's just to me he's the personification of everything that went wrong with the Tigers in the pre-DD era.

9) Freddy Garcia
One of the biggest moves affecting the Tigers was the White Sox trade of Garcia to the Philles. Garcia has owned Detroit. He has 15 wins and a career ERA of 3.63 vs. the Tigers. There is still a 60% chance of facing him this year, with the Phillies on the interleague schedule, and that's enough to land him at #9

8) The Minnesota Twins
OK so it's hard for me to hate anyone from Minnesota, so this is more a friendly rivalry. That Pat Neshek guy with that kooky delivery is kind of annoying, but that's it. The only cursing the Twins get out of me is when Johan Santana strikes out the side.

7) Red Sox fans
Ever since 2004 they seem to be multiplying. The series when Boston comes to town is probably one of the worst when it comes to visiting fans in the stands. At least Yankee fans have 27 Championships to back their talking up with. Two championships in 91 years do not give you free rein. Hopefully with the increased ticket sales the games this year, the Boston accents will be few and far between.

6) The Cleveland Indians
Travis "Pronk" Hafner is one of those guys you say "crap" in your head when they're up to bat, because they always seem to do something bad to a baseball. Also, they look to be good this year, making it one of the few times both teams have been good in the same year. That plus the proximity could make for some fun games.

5) Rob Parker
In the height of his asshattery, claimed that Dave Dombrowski was worse than Matt Millen in a column so terrible that it is nowhere to be found in the Detroit News archives. He would be higher, but being on television with Skip Bayless is punishment enough.

4) Fox Sports (particularly Joe Buck and Tim McCarver)
These two with heavy Cardinal ties, couldn't hide their delight in "busting" Kenny Rogers in Game 2, and Cardinal success in general. Add to that McCarver's Alzheimer patient routine, and the fact that Joe Buck always sounds like an insufferable prick, it makes you reach for the mute button. No I'm not still bitter, why do you ask?

3) Randy Smith
If #10 Bobby is the symbol for everything wrong in the prior regime, Randy Smith is the cause. Poor trades, poor drafts, poor contracts. You name it; Randy did it to the Tigers. The reason for 679 losses in 8 seasons. I still think it should be legal to kick him in the nuts if he every steps foot in Detroit again.

2) Ozzie Guillen
Toeing that line between eccentric and crazy is Ozzie. Whether calling his countryman, Magglio, a "piece of shit", voting for Tony Bautista so Joe Crede would win the Gold Glove, or benching pitchers who won't bean batters, his transgressions against sanity have been well documented. The only reason he's not #1 is because he hates Jay Mariotti.

1) A.J. Pierzynski
This one's just too easy. Pretty much everyone in the MLB, including teammates, hates this guy. Whether it's the smug "baby who just farted" look permanently stamped on his face, or stupid acts like slapping home plate vs. the Cubs or bumping Craig Monroe after a home run, the guy is a jackass. A jackass that plays the Tigers 18 times. How can a guy that everyone loves to boo, not be number one?

The Winter of My Discontent

A simple equation:

Me + my job = anger and infrequent posts.

With the start of Spring training just around the corner, and the Pistons and Wings getting ready for their playoff runs, I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about later. But for now my free time will be spent updating my resume, and searching for a new job that won't give me hypertension and ulcers.

I leave you with my favorite (non-Piston) NBA player, Gilbert Arenas, in a shooting contest.

14 more days...

After watching the replay of the ALDS Game 2 on FSN, and catching an interview with Ernie Harwell on the MLB network on XM, I'm ready for pitchers and catcher to report on February 15th.

Not that there is nothing going on right now in the world of sports, it's just that the Pistons and Red Wings are slogging through the middle of their respective seasons. And by their efforts most games it looks like both teams seem dead set on saving themselves for the playoffs, at least they had better be. As for the Super Bowl, don't get me wrong I like football just as much as any other red-blooded American man, but as a Lions fan my caring for football ends when my fantasy team is eliminated. Why then am I still a Lions fan? Well it's kind of like a marriage where the spouse gets a little fatter and a little hard to deal with, but then they get a serious disease and you'd feel like a dick asking for a divorce. So you stick around hoping if they get better it changes them a little, but if they die...well you won't feel as guilty for ogling that hot brunettes at your office. That and I might actually give a shit if I didn't hate Indiana and Chicago.

So to get back on track, TigerFest and the last few days got me looking forward to spring training and the arrival of the new season. Here are a few things I'm looking forward to:

1. Watching every game. I already will be a first hand witness to 27 home games, and finally the Tigers have a television deal fitting of a major league team. 161 Tiger games will be televised this year. I already have Rod Allen's "WOO HOO HO...HOO!" echoing through my head.
2. The future. Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller are both top 5 prospects in their positions. The talent pool took a bit of a hit in the Sheffield deal. But the fact I can rattle off names like Virgil Vasquez, Kody Kirkland, Jair Jurrgens, and Euglio De La Cruz says something about the state of the Tigers farm system. I never thought I see the day where there was excitement about the Tigers of the future. Somewhere Rico Brogna is smiling. Most of the young guns will be at AA Erie, but I'm sure I'll take a field trip or two down to Toledo to see Miller and Maybin if the play there.
3. In addition of the kids in the minors, the development of the young guys already in the Majors will be something to look for. Will Verlander, Bonderman, and Granderson continue to improve, or regress towards the mean? On a sort of related note, I think Granderson needs a nickname, I propose "Silky". Silky Granderson, it kind of just rolls off the tongue.
4. The possibility of rivalries forming. In 1994 The Tigers and Cleveland joined 3 AL West teams to create the AL Central. Other than the preexisting one with Cleveland (and it wasn't really much of one), rivalries have yet to develop. With the seemingly overnight transformation from the "Comedy Central" to a division that produces 3 of the top 5 AL teams last year the games have the chance to be a little more heated. Chicago is easy to hate with noted dickbags A.J. Pierzinksisksi, and Ozzie Guillen. It is also common knowledge that Minnesota's Johan Santana punches babies to strengthen his arm in the off-season, and Ron Gardenhire pees on public restroom toilet seats. Ok maybe not, but it’s really hard to hate anything out of Minnesota. And Kansas City well now that they have Gil Mech..hahaha. Sorry KC you still suck and will be dominated this year.
5. Opening Day. I have never been to one. In fact, due to working and school, I don't think I've seen more than one. Well not this year. The day has been requested off, the tickets are en route and on April 2 I will finally be there to soak it all in.

So there you have it, 5 out of hundreds of things to look forward to this season for a Tiger fan.

Happy Birthday Ernie

Today is Ernie Harwell's 89th birthday. Being a living legend and a Hall of Fame announcer is certainly cause enough to point this out. But Ernie is one of the main reasons that I fell in love with the Tigers and baseball itself. This dates back to when I was a wee lad and every now and then I would be hauled off to numerous family gatherings in the summer. Inevitably at some point during the day my Great Grandfather would amble over to the television, find the Tiger game, turn the sound down, turn the radio on WJR and crank it up. Something about Ernie's voice just drew me in. That and the fact that I thought Jack Morris was Magnum P.I. (one of my boyhood idols, along with Murdoch from the A-Team and the helicopter from Airwolf). And while I was still young enough not to realize that he didn't actually know the home town of every fan that caught a foul ball, when he was "let go" in 1991; every time I see a strike three pitch I still hear "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by." There was just something about the way he described the game that after it was over you wanted to go out into your backyard, hit a wiffleball and bellow out "That ball is looooong gone!" So I wish you a happy birthday Ernie, with the hope of many more years of your voice providing the soundtrack to Tigers baseball.

TigerFest Fun-O-Rama

The unofficial start of the preseason began today with TigerFest down at Comerica Park. I was one of the 12,000 in attendance today. If you weren't able to get a ticket, here's a run down of what you missed.
I arrived a little before the scheduled 12 noon start(full season ticket holders were allowed to enter @10) time. A line had formed(a reoccurring theme for the day) stretching from the main gate around to Montcalm and 3/4ths of the way to Brush St. Once you made your way in through the main gate the concourse was full of tents and merchandise tables. Signs were strewn about giving directions to all the attractions and Autograph spots. Basically the all the events were divided between the main concourse (from behind the RF Bleachers clockwise to just about third base) the 200 level, and the well for lack of a better term the basement. I firs made my way downstairs to view the clubhouse. You could peer into Jim Leyland's office and walk through the clubhouse. You were roped off from entering the main locker room area, but there were some empty lockers on the side you could view. Also, while downstairs you could take a swing in the batting cages, and view the AL Championship trophy.
Other than the autograph tents the main concourse offered a kids batting cage and a fast pitch booth. The fast pitch booth was the same one that is there during the season. The upper level didn't have much either. There were autograph stations in the Montgomery Inn BBQ and in the Tiger Club; and what looked like a banquet room overlooking the Big Cat (carousel) court which hosted the seminars and Q&A sessions. I sat in on the hitting seminar with Lloyd McClendon and Chris Shelton. For future reference do not talk on a cell phone if Lloyd is talking. There was a guy who quickly found that out, I thought Lloyd was going to throw a base at him. Shelton was very self-deprecating and funny at times. Like saying he had Lasik in the offseason, now he has no excuse not to see the ball, and shots at Lloyd saying the Pirates didn't think he was a major league caliber player.
All in all, I wasn't that bad if you didn't mind waiting. There were numerous complaints that lines were too long, which weren't helped by the outdoor nature of some line placements. I don't know how anyone would think with over 12,000 people there you weren't going to have to wait an hour or 2 to get an autograph.
Speaking of autographs, there were done in a well..different manner. There were six stations scattered throughout the park, which different players assigned to each. The catch was the players would change on the hour. So there was a good chance who was signing when you entered the line would not be the Tiger who was signing when you reached the front. The reasoning I would think would be, if people don't know who is signing there won't be a rush to one booth over the others. Which if it was the case, it worked. Lines were about 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the peak times. The downside is, well not to be selfish, but who wants to wait in a two hour line to get to the front and see Kody Kirkland and Virgil Vasquez. But this did work in my favor as the first line I was n had Carlos Guillen at the head. Well when I was just nearing the front, Magglio was switched in. So I was able to get my ALCS game 4 ticket signed by him, unlike my Verlander SI cover and 2005 All-Star game ball (for Kenny Rogers) which remain unsigned.
See the post below for some sights from TigerFest 2007:

Tigerfest Photos

You might need to click on some of the pictures to get a better view. Also I apologize for the haphazard placements, I am not a HTML guru and it's late Saturday night. Enjoy.



Here's one of the Tiger statues out in front of the main gate, with a winter coat on. Because it's cold, remember?











One of the many ice sculptures decorating the concourse.









Chris Shelton and Lloyd McClendon teaching you how to make contact.










A very tan Placido Polanco signing autographs. No there was not a Gore-Tex hoodie sighting.










A snowy CoPa field, which will probably be the same for Opening Day.










The First thing you see when you enter the clubhouse it this sign.








Here's Jim Leyland's fridge. Check out the bottom shelf, it's stocked with Twinkies and HoHo's









Here's the locker room, there was still the faint smell of champagne.