The Year of 1,000 Excuses?There's no beating around the bush on this one...I hate watching the Tigers play so far in 2008. In fact, you might say I haven't found this level discomfort on my couch with the Olde English "D" on the screen since the horror of 2003. There's some magic, but there's more phoned-in effort than is statistically possible. Errors are losing games. Starting pitching offers a quality start once every 9 games or so. Worst of all, the 2007 team was shut out 3 times. I'm pretty sure this team has close to 5 or 6 already...and MLB pitching has not improved quite that much in the off-season.
It is important to note that being schitzo is a Tiger tradition dating back to the Magical Season of 2006, when the same team that dominated the Majors from April to July took a gigantic flop to end the year, dropping a series against the awful KC Royals at home to eventually lose first place in their division on the very last day of the season. And last year, the Tigs played great and flubbed down the stretch and against division rivals to miss a return trip to the post-season. And despite all this, I enjoyed watching the Tigers more than ever. (I also love watching the Dodgers, despite similar underachieving fates in a few recent seasons.)
So what's different this year? That would be a payroll of $130 million, a lineup of three or more Hall of Famers, darn-near double digits of All-Stars and a preseason swagger worthy of the Bronx Bombers.
Who knows what will happen. But the scrappy, loveable Tigs are getting perilously close to turning in a pathetic, Country Club-type season of elitist moping. They're not just underachievers, they're starting to look like wimps. And that is something that just won't fly in Motown...or in Glendale, where I chose to spend my Extra Innings feed elsewhere.
4 comments:
The Tiges are actually safely in the upper-half of the majors in most offensive categories, but their situational stats are awful.
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The off season moves were spectacular but where's the left-handed power we've been looking for for 3 years?
No, Jacques Jones doesn't count as a smart stab at left-handed power.
Jeez what a stupid acquisition; Next time you want to make a trade with the Cubs, Dave, PLEASE call someone who has a finger on their pulse. Cough cough.
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Having said that, I heard Steve Phillips say last night he heard a rumor the Tigers were looking at Barry B***s.
To me Phillips is the least-reputable (and biggest idiot) of all the ESPN baseball guys. But if Dombrowski has uttered Bonds' name in the company of anybody other than his immediate family in the last 12 months he should be fired immediately.
Team chemistry is over rated, but oh my God can you imagine that club house?
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Renteria is a nice player; at this point he is what he is.
Hindsight is 20/20 but it sure would be nice to have the pitching help we gave up to get him though.
Shouldn't we know better than to trade pitching with the Braves than in all but the most dire dire situations?
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And yes I'm a White Sox fan. But I'm so upset about some of the stuff that's going on with my boyhood team that I hope you won't mind my use of the Royal 'We.'
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They're still only 3.5 out.
I can see it now... "the first 10,000 fans (ages 12 and up) get a free needle and syringe, compliments of the Tigers." Welcome Barry Bonds !
The opposite of "bless" is not "darn."
What is the opposite of darn then???
one thing i could NOT find on google.
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