HOLY COW

Rick Ankiel might have forgotten how to pitch, but he can still throw strikes. Good Lord:

Saw This One Coming: Jim Edmonds Cut Loose

When not frat-boying with the bar crowd, the Padres' Jim Edmonds has been spending his 2008 muffing fly balls and striking out a whole bunch. After sitting a game, pinch-hitting into a ground out after a double-switch, apparently Bud Black & Co. had seen enough.

It was strange watching Edmonds (the bane of Edmunds.com's existence, BTW) this year. I knew he had annoyed the Cardinals to the point of being let go, if I'm remembering correctly. But I definitely remembered that unbelievable knack for catching balls hit over his head or out of reach BEHIND him in the outfield. He really was automatic on those. And his bat was pretty impressive, too, standing for a time as one of the power threats of the Pujol's Era St. Lunatics.

But, it just didn't happen this year. I chalked it up early to playing Center in such a massive ballpark, but I guess it just wasn't too be. Adios, Jim. You made some of the best catches I've ever seen.

Darn You Boys: Why DET Sucks to Watch

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.

A Great Day for Title Town

Yes, as silly as it is for a locality to claim it is somehow better than another at professional sports...this was a great day for Detroit.

• The Tigs swept the Yankees @ the Stadium for the first time since 1966
• The Pistons crushed the Sixers to advance in the NBA Playoffs
• Least...but not if you were around in the 90s...the Red Wings CRUSHED the Avs, 8-2, to complete a Stanley Cup Playoff sweep

This is off-topic, but it does relate. Baseball is my biggest sport...by far. The Tigers are my biggest team. However, as far as teams that I despise...none (even the University of Michigan football team) can approach the bizarre loathing I hold to this very day toward the Colorado Avalanche because of the rivalry sparked by Claude Lemieux's hit on Kris Draper that nearly killed ol' Drapes.

I don't give two rips about hockey these days (I was a modest fan even at my heights). But there's no team I like to see beaten more than the Avs. For a quick refresher course (or for those newbies, a short course) watch the following few minutes of YouTubes. For the one with the Filter song, I apologize as it is a bit overwraught...but if you were watching back from the D in the late-90s, you'll probably still get chills from the 1997 Easter Massacre footage as CL gets beaten, Darren McCarty seals his status as local hero, Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon...goalies...square off, and pints and pints of Colorado's finest are collected on the Ice of Joe Louis. (And the Wings pinched 'em later that year in the Playoffs 4-2...hee hee!)

Motown!


Why Detroit Hates the Avs (:30 to 1:25)

Lemieux, a known cheap-shot artist, nearly kills Kris Draper by blind-siding him into the sill of his bench...earning him a suspension



The Full, Uncut 7 Minutes (if you really like the nuance)

Some 300 days later, the Wings had waited until the Avs were on their home ice to exact revenge upon Lemieux & Co. Claude gets knocked nearly unconscious by Darren McCarty and requires assistance off the ice. The goalies end up fighting along with Shanny, Malts and nearly everyone else.



The "Easter Massacre" of '97...to Music (So Best! 1:38 to 2:20 stand up there with any championship moment in most Detroiters minds)

Same thing, but showing that the Red Wings fans are metal nerds. I still like watching it, tho. You get to see McCarty also take down Adam Deadmarsh...and then score the winning goal in OT on Roy. Oh baby!

More of this to come...

A good-looking crowd.

"A classy guy who, one day, had just had enough."

Twenty five years ago Tuesday afternoon, manager Lee Elia retreated to the clubhouse following his Cubs' fifth loss in 19 games to open the season.

He hung up his hat and jersey, sat down and leaned his chair back against the wall.

Cub (lowercase) reporter Mark Giangreco lit Elia's cigarette. The 45-year-old rookie skipper took a long drag and kicked his feet up onto his desktop.

Giangreco and fellow scribe Les Grobstein fired up their tape recorders. And Elia let.er.rip.

Pound-for-pound this has to be the best managerial meltdown on record; an unmatched mix of rage, verve, inventiveness, spontanaiety, sociology(!) and fatalism.

Local comemoration here, here and hackneyed provincial preenster here.

*

I'm a big fan of the Lasorda rant following Dave Kingman's three-homer performance in either 1976 or 1978, but it it has an air of calculation to it. And he actually apologizes toward the end of it - major minus points.

This one re: Kurt Bevacqua is pretty awesome too, but if the reporters are laughing at you, it just doesn't carry the same weight. It's like if Santa Claus had a meltdown or something.

Ump Talk: Check Swings...How the Pros Call it

The Question: If you're like me, you've probably always been a bit confused as to why Umps call some check swings swings, and others checks. Well, that's because it's up to Umpire's discretion. (Read: there is no mechanical litmus test for a swing or no swing call.)

The Conventional Wisdom: To hear the TV folks (and most MLB players/coaches for that matter) tell it, this call comes down to a jamboree of cliches like "did he go around" and things about the batter "breaking his wrists" or "breaking the plane of the plate" with the bat. Better yet, since judging whether the batter's bat "went around" is difficult from the home plate Ump's position, we get the drama of the catcher "appealing" to the 1st or 3rd base Ump. So we get that satisfying picture in our minds of the catcher heroically appealing with his glove pointed down the basepath...and then a spirited safe or strike call if the bat swung across the plate. And then we get 2 or 3 replays from the dugout camera to see if the call was correct. Sound about right?

The Latest Example: Well, that's how I always thought it went down, but in reality...that's not the case. Indeed, these rules of thumb we've all heard can often predict the call the 1st or 3rd base Ump will make -- but not all the time.

If you were watching the Cubs v. Mets game on ESPN tonight, Mark DeRosa (2B, Cubs) got hot and bothered about a call like this. He checked his swing as the pitch crossed the plate, but was punched out by home plate Ump Angel Hernandez (55). DeRosa said some choice phrases on his way back to the bench, asking for a second opinion from down the 1st Base line. Hernandez waived him off and reiterated his call.

The TV booth guys all wondered:

1. DeRosa didn't appear to go around, so why was it a strike?
2. Why didn't Hernandez allow the appeal on such a close call?

The Explanation: The answer is that Hernandez had no reason to get the second opinion for the call he made. The test as to "swing or no swing" is whether the batter made any attempt to strike the ball. So listen up, batters...holding up after the fact won't necessarily save you.

Bat is back as the pitch reaches the plate. (click to enlarge)

Hips open, bat checked as ball is in the glove.

1. As you can see from the pics, DeRosa checks his swing pretty much WHILE the ball is crossing the plate. From this angle, it appears DeRosa was pretty well fooled on the pitch and made the decision to hold up when he realized he wouldn't be able to make contact...and he indeed held up the swing and perhaps didn't go around.

Can't get in his head, but it seems the Home Plate Umpire saw a well-timed attempt at the pitch (see how DeRosa is still moving his bat forward as the ball crosses the plate). It doesn't matter whether his bat "goes around" in this case. It really doesn't matter if he's within a nautical mile of hitting the ball. All that matters is if the Umpire believes the batter made an attempt to strike the ball. The rule is made this way to protect a pitcher who makes a good pitch against a batter who is only checking his swing because he misjudged the pitch so badly.

2. Why no appeal? Because it is the Home Plate Ump's call to make. Despite the oft-mentioned catcher "appealing" a call up the line, only the Plate Ump can pass the call to the 1st Base or 3rd Base Ump. The appeal is available TO HIM because the Home Plate Ump is tasked with the all-important ball-or-strike judgement call. He often doesn't have the bandwidth to be fooling around with judging an attempted swing and needs help from time to time. (Don't forget, if the pitch is a strike, the swing or no swing doesn't matter...which is, of course, the reason the Home Plate Ump focuses on that call.)

In this case, the pitch was likely an EASY ball call, allowing Hernandez to get a look at the swing. And with a good look, it's pretty easy to tell DeRosa made an attempt to strike the ball...a ball he realized he wouldn't be able to get around on a split second too late.

Trend watch: Reds booth crammed with asses

This time it's Jeff Brantley's turn to play straight man while Marty Brenneman aurally implodes.

This video is too meta for me to comment. Except to wonder how a cranky butthead like this gets into the Hall of Fame (my feelings re: The Cub fans go without saying):

A Fat Man Pitched Batting Practice

Detroit fans, rejoice!

Your hometown Tigers will face C.C. Sabathia at least three more times, and given the fat man's performance last night, your team might meet its bonus clauses in those three games alone.

I watched in person last night as a very fat man tossed meatballs across the dish -- each one fatter and juicier than the last -- and each one traveling faster and farther into the mild Cleveland night.

It was a horrendous sight.

And while I wish last night's game was an abberration, each game I've watched this year (in person or on the TV), the Tribe has looked lost, disinterested, tired and unprofessional -- kind of like the Cleveland Browns of the late 1990s and early 2000s ... and mid-2000s, come to think. I digress.

The Indians are now tied with the Tigers for last place in the Central -- each winning a paltry one-third of its games.

No doubt there is time for the Tribe to reverse its disasterous course, but I fear last night I watched two teams going in opposite directions.

And that means I'm stuck with a crapload of worthless tickets, and I might have to (again) adopt the Tigers as a team to watch and root for (as I did in 2006).

And that just sucks because I hate Detroit.

What my High School Means to Me

An essay by the pride of Thornton Fractional-South.

The Pudge that Roared 'n' More

"Mortgage the Stadium and sign Pudge Rodriguez." M. Hud, November 2003

Few things get the blood going for a fan like seeing their team stink up the field against all expectation, going 2 and 10 to begin what was supposed to be a magical season. But those few things include seeing that team start Lucky 13 just as stinky, commit three errors, go down by a lot of runs through 7...AND then blast the cover off the ball for the first time this season!

1. Fire and I. Rod: Pudger. I was just saying to Gaines over some sweeeeeeet Intelligentsia shots how surprised I was that Pudge hadn't lost his temper during this losing streak. But after he drilled a triple to tie up the score in the 8th inning today, he showed that same fire we've come to expect with a fist pump, point to the sky and high five with hyper-cool 3rd Base Coach Gene Lamont. He then executed a Kobe-esque slide into home plate with the go ahead run, popping up seamlessly into a clench fist pose. Well played.

2. Saito: On a micro-level, watching T. Saito of the Dodgers blow his save opp tonight was in the same league of shocking that the Tigers start has been. Saito was throwing BBs at the Pirates and had some sick looking stuff. Then some hump batting 4 for 38 took his first offering about five rows into the right-field bleachers with two on and two out. Yipe.

3. Tippy Canoe: Robinson Cano, or "Canoe" as DJ once called him in an interview, came off the bench and shot an OT HR to RF. That's a good way to jump start his season, I think.

4. The Royals! They're good, brother. And when they're not playing the Tigs, I find myself pulling for them ala Tampa Bay's DEVIL Rays.

5. Great Moments in Plate Etiquette: Two things I haven't seen before. First, some guy in some game (I forget where) honestly took a full second to admire his SINGLE he roped to RF. Second, Manny Ramirez crushed a double in the Tigers first win a few day ago. The moment it left his bat, he could be seen visibly chewing his gum before taking off down the base path. Now THAT is dialed in. (UPDATE: I dug it up for the single admiration. It was OAK v. CLE on Saturday, and I think this is Emil Brown pinch-hitting an RBI. From another game with Brown hitting an RBI against the Chi Sox, he kind of did the same thing. Look how far that ball has traveled in the pitcher's eyes without any movement from Brown.)

The guy on the left is the best pitcher in MLB the last 20 years, the guy on the right is the second best in Spartan basketball history

The Tigers drafted Johnny Smoltz very late in the 1985 draft, just as the steroid era was beginning. A couple years later he was involved in that infamous Doyle Alexander trade that helped Detroit win the AL East in 1987, and in the longer term helped Atlanta win over a dozen division titles and a world title.

He has won over 200 games, and if it weren't for the four years he was saving almost 40 a year as the best closer in the game during that stretch, he would be easily on pace to win 300. He has proven to be one of best postseason hurlers in the history of MLB.

Can you imagine had he not been traded? Sure the Tigs would've been spared the '87 division title, but instead of one title in the '80s, with Jack Morris and John Smoltz at the top of the rotation in that era they would've had at least one more.

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...I'm watching Javier Vazquez throw 90-91 mph fastballs past Tiger hitters ! They are missing these pitches by a foot. They have 6 hits and no runs in last 14 innings with umpires getting in the way of the Tiger defense as they try to field the baseball, but I still think they will win 92 more games.

Come back Voodoo Child

The pen pitched 9 innings and allowed 1 run last night. Gas Can Grilli helped put out the fire quite nicely this time. Denny Bautista has been a pleasant surprise in the 8th. When Zumaya returns, why not start him out as a 7th inning reliever to ease him back ? Point to consider.

Verlander goes today against Gavin Floyd. The Tigers owe him about 10 runs in 4 innings, however it'll be cold and damp in Chicago and runs will be at a premium. We'll see.

The Tigers are only 4 games out after a horrid beginning, and that's behind Kansas City. If you think about it in those terms, we're in a good position. Game on !

The Fat Man

Check out this line:

Year Ag Tm  Lg  W   L   G   GS  CG SHO  GF SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK  ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP

2008 27 CLE AL   0   2   3   3   0   0   0  0   14.0   24   18   18   3    9   13   1   0    74   1   0 11.57  4.23   37 2.357

This pathetic excuse for a pitching line is the biggest reason the Tribe is two games below .500. Who'd a thunk last year's CY Young trophy winner would lay not one, not two but THREE NEal Heaton-like starts on his team?

This guy's supposed to be the next hundred-million-dollar pitcher, and he's throwng meatballs.

I tell you right now: Forge the Tigers; the Indians are in real trouble.

White Sox v. Umps 2008

UPDATE: Thome suspended 1 game. He musta said something untoward...

Wish I was a little bit taller...

I'm biased in two places on this one...first, the W. Sox are playing the Tigs. Second, I tend to side with umpires/referees on most things (despite a seething problem with authority, just ask those three cops I got fired in Jackson, Mich...booyah.)

The issue has long been Ozzie Guillen running his mouth about pretty much anything. Add to this, the official "correct" call percentage in MLB hovers at around 95 percent as judged by the video monitoring system the league installed several years back, according to what the MLB veep said at the camp.

So that leaves you with 1 out of 20 pitches being called either a ball or a strike when "by-the-book" it is actually the opposite. (for an amateur, this climbs to well around 6 out of 20) The point is, every game sees more than 10 pitches that are technically called improperly. The best you can do as an Ump is to make sure you're calling the same zone no matter which team is batting. And that's usually what the league, the managers and -- to a lesser extent -- the players hold the Umpires to.


The White Sox are off to a very poor start with Umpires this year with Ozzie loudly getting into a tiff with Phil Cuzzi (10) the other day, saying he calls strikes against the Sox because Cuzzi doesn't like him. Ehh.

But the attitude pervades the organization. Today, Jim Thome was tossed by Home Plate Ump James Hoye (a rookie-ish fellow) for arguing balls and strikes. It happened after Thome sat on a strike out pitch that ate full plate and fronted at the tips of his generously tall knees (the southern border of the strike zone is defined the hollow of the knee, or the top of your shin really). He lost it. The announcers (the hot-and-cold combo of “Hawk” Harrelson and former OF Darrin Jackson) spent the rest of the game complaining about the call, the zone and how the Sox "had the bat taken out of their hands." By the end, the Sox gabbers suggested the Tigers had a different zone (Magglio and Inge both suffered borderline calls late) and that "a strike for us is pretty much anything that hits the glove of Pudge Rodriguez." On and on it went.

The point is...one pitch at one at-bat is not worth this amount of anger. For 100+ years, the league has accepted this -- hence, the reason you get tossed for arguing balls and strikes. If this was allowed, the games would never end. And worrying about it these days with the Umps under video grading is tantamount to giving yourself a complex -- always a no-no for a hitter, pitcher or team.

But it's not just baseball. Those that complain usually only serve to get inside their own heads (Kobe, Mark Cuban, Guillen) and truly lose any sympathy from the Umpire/Referee crews. It seems the Sox are being consumed by this attitude from the top already. I know this much, the Tigers liked seeing Thome leave the game more than any of the Umpires did.


Huddy Extra: If you got to see it, you can really see the difference in an experienced salt like Cuzzi taking flak and a young ump like Hoye. With the old guys, the eyes are bored, the bodies are firm, posture perfect...great body language. With Hoye, his eyes were bright and he had slightly nervous body language. It's subtle, but it's there. When Ted Barrett (65) -- who happened to by on 3rd in this game -- was screaming in my face, playing an irate manager after I blew a call, I had the benefit of sunglasses to hide my nonverbal expression...which was certainly screaming "help" thanks to Barrett's generous height of at least 6' 4" with a build and bark to match. Hoye had no such protection, but fortunately had the full support of his crew in case he was getting nervous.

I saw a clip of the other Umpires in the crew before the game giving Hoye a fist bump on the chest to pump him up before the game. So he must be a real newbie, though I saw he had been behind the plate before from some box scores. He handled himself well, I thought. And he kept his zone the same after the dust up from the normally staid Thome.