Sunday: Padres at Tigers

Jason..I read your post on the previous blog.I`m kinda new as a blogger.In fact this is the first computer I have ever owned.Whe you say you dont want rumors posted here,I am confused because I am not exactly sure what constitute a rumor.If we hear something on Fox Baseball or an announcer from another franchise makes certain claims howare we to know the truth.I figured that since you travel with the team,that this is the obvious place to bring that item up.You are the guy we look to for the real scoop.The reason I thought Bonine would be dropped from the rotation was that would give us the opportunity to throw Verlander,Rogers,And Gallarraga at the Twins in the 3 game series.So,I asked you to comment,figuring,you would know the truth.The Renteria-Orlano Cabrere feud Was talked about on Fox Baseball.The Freddie Garcia speculatin is posted on another Detroit homepage blog that I accessed from your blog. I am not trying to be controversial,because I appreciate what you do for us fans.I veiwed other sites,but I prefer this one because I think the posters here are baseball wise,moreso than me.So I wish you would explain to me the guidelines of this post so I dont shame the site.....(its gonna be hard if JL PH for Verlander with one out in the top of the 7th,and a runner on 3rd with a 3-3 tie)but I`ll do my best..............Bruce

That Hurts. Levin' 'em loaded. Curtis has historically struggled when it comes to getting a run home from 3rd and less thatn 2 out

JV is having a tough start here.

Any bets on whether JV plunks someone today?

These SD TV guys don't seem smart enough. They were discussing the Rayburn out and Renteria going to 3rd .. and the speculate he tried to steal but was caught half way before the throwing error .. and he wasn't running all out in the steal. And Rayburn hacking at a ball way outside the zone for a strikeout. Helloooo wouldn't that seem like the hit and run was on?

No comment on Ordonez. Raburn looked a tad silly on that strikeout. It was nowhere near the plate but interestingly enough, had he drawn the walk we wouldn't have scored.
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JV is throwing well. A little wild though.

Hate when that happens on an 0-2 pitch. The Tiger pitchers have this fetish about trying to throw a strike on 0-2. That should be a setup pitch and if it is over the palte it should be an accident on the corner.

I`ll bet he does Dan,Gotta keep those hitters from digging in,so its natural to bust them inside to set up the out side pitch.Sometimes it comes in a little too close and they get hit.I suppose it serves the same purpose,of course then you have a runner to contend with........How does Ryan rate to become the 2 hitter....Never heard of a guy with his strikeout ratio hitting in the 2 hole.Renteria would have been thrown out by 12 feet if the throw was good.

The ump is missing Justin's breaking ball. At least 3 times this game so far. JV got Edagar anyway but he had him on the curve 2 pitches prior.

As far as the hit and run theory,again Ryan does not make enough contact to be considered a 2 hole hitte.My guess is that even Renteria could see that the pitch was ball four and was jogging to 2nd before he realized that Ryan had swung

Thats something.. seems JV is gonna have a short outing.. First 8 of 9 outs are Strikeouts.

yep .. some pitches did seem like strikes that the ump didn't give

I know this is a different era,but i am sick of hearing about how many pitches a pitcher has thrown.Whoever started the idea of pitch count should have kept it to himself,let the pitchers pitch.

Bruce, maybe u r right .. but i thought Renteria was running rather than jogging, but not fast enough for a steal.

I repeat what the SD announcer just said: W-O-W!
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These guys need to stoke themselves up and get JV some run support. It's important to provide that when you have your pitcher throwing like this.
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Afflack question---probably Tony Gwynn.
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Man these Padre outfielders have been robbing us this series.

Well if that play was called from the bench it was one of the stupidest I have seen this year.

so was that a smart call? Hit and run or a double steal with JV batting? either way ? I think more to lose if it doesn't work, and it didn't

Pretty hard baseball to understand. Let Verlander bunt or simply strike out. Don't take the bat out of Renteria's hands.
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Whey would any sone manager put on a hit and run with no speed at 2nd, a batter who is a 90% chance to NOT hit the ball and a playaer known a s aclutch hitter on deck?
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Give your head a shake JL.
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Let's go out there and get some runs---nice AB by Curtis against a tough LHP.

Gomez,Agree 100 percent about pitch counts(stupidest stat in baseball in my opinion)If you cant tell when the pitcher is tiring,then its time to replace both the catcher and the pitching coach.Bhavin,you may be right,but that only reiterates my concerns about JL`s managerial abilities.Nobody in their right mind would even consider putting Ryan in the 2 hole.I think JL has another favorite down in Toledo and wants to demolish Ryans confidece so he can have an excuse to bring him up

Big HR after another questionable managerial decision. I figured Raburn has to bunt Renteria over. And I agree about not batting Raburn 2nd. I don't think it is an appropriate spot for him either. I'd rather see Pudge there than Raburn.
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Big HR for Magglio and a little run support for JV.
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JV, what are you doing walking the pitcher? They better keep an eye on him. That is not a good sign to be sure.
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Dan, I have a new theory about JL.I read(I dont think it is a rumor,Jim Hawkins wrote a story about it) that JL goes to the casinos every day(lives next door to one in Greektown)and horse races when he can.I`m wondering if JL just cant resist long shots and and putting his players in near impossible spots just for the excitement.You can access that story from this blog...under additional Tiger Blogs to the right of this screen

Watch those rumours Bruce!.
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I hope I am wrong but I would have PH for Verlander. I love the guy but he is on borrowed time today and right now.
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Curtis is not having any puck luck today is he?

JL should have PH for JV. He showed he was tired in the 5th.

Damn .. hope Seay has got it together .. He is inheriting 2 runners. Should hv been dolsi for 5 outs and zumaya in the 8th ..

This was my point about the PH. Verlander is a gimmee out so you are conceding the run thinking that you want to leave him in ther because he is dominant. He struggled last inning and his, I daresay, his pitch count was up. Made some sense to me to hit for him with a RISP since it was doubtful he might get through this inning anyway.
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Now you have a game where Verlander can take another tough loss.
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Let's hope seay can pick up where he left off yesterday.

C'mon Seay--ya gott throw strikes. You got away with one against Clark. this next guy has been killing us.

Cabrera comes up big. He made a couple of nice plays that inning. The leadoff hit and the barehand play by Guillen saw Cab save the ball from going down the line and held Greene to first base.
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Be nice to get some runs ther since Seay does not look sharp and he will most definitely be in there next inning.

This is not the kind of inning you want to see offensivley when you are holding on for dear life.

Thank you Magglio and great base-running by Carlos.

Well it's gonna get interesting now. 3 innings of bullpen mystery to deal with yet.
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I take back my lobbying on Cab's part to bat 3rd.....Maybe he should be batting 6th. I know he is suposed to be the kind of hitter to spray the ball around the park but I think we will not see the MCab we thought we were going to get unti lhe starts to hammer the ball to left.
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Zumaya in with A Gonz coming up? I'm a little surprised. Well, maybe not. Fingers crossed folks.

Dan,I dont disagree with PHing for him in this game. 5.2 innings 115 pitches. 45 strikes...70 balls. no first pitch outs. Totally differant game than his last outing. 6 inn complete 98 pitches and I think close to 70 were strikes.Differant Game Differant stuff. Coincidently his 115 pitch today was clocked at 96mph. But his control was not here for the entire gameAnd he has a 2 run lead.I thought he did a good job and worked real hard for a guy that obviously didnt have his best stuff. I hope our pen can hold cuz we really need this win.

zoom looks good, still want to see what AL hitters do to him. he'll only get better with more time on the mound. forget the run..... he needs to be out there.
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btw- he was adriane was safe at the plate, clearly safe. tigers caught a break.
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but anyways, the more zoom throws the better he will become, i dont think JL should be afraid to pitch him in any situation. a managers confidence to play a pitcher builds confidence of the pitcher.
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mike

YEAH! go pudge! would love to see more of that!!!

Can we take advantage of this break we were given?
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Zumaya is not fooling anybody.
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Holy cow I was thinking of starting a pool on on when would hit his 2nd HR of the year!
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2 more innings for the bullpen mystery to play out.

Dan,My mistake 5.1 IP 70 strikes 45 balls, still not good for someone of JV caliber.....Way to to go Pudge, We needed that

Grandy's on and I say let him run.

Ya figure they leave Zumay in?
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I wouldn't be real big on that idea.

I tell you one thing I'd be doing about now and that would be to get Polanco in at 2nd.
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We need a classic Miner ground ball now.

We got it and the replay showed tht it did not hit his foot.
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What surprises me is why umps who toss a manager don't just turn their back and walk away. They often continue to argue. why bother? Toss him and walk away. End of discussion.

Cleveland lost to LA. Zu...2hits 1 walk in 2thirds of an inning.plus a gift out at home I hope they dont let Bautista hanging out there too long,before someone else snags him.We still have a huge middle relief problem....Might as well take a look at Blaine

zoom is not fooling anybody,let's hope he get's better the more he pitches,time will tell

Zach did a pretty good job there. Give me Polanco!!
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Jones freaks get their boy once again.

Wouldn't it have made better sense to switch Thomas with Zumaya Batting 5th and Miner with Thames batting 6th ? Then, the pitcher spot goes 1 lower. It's still a close game.

Polanco, in particular, has been given a day off with a 2 day rest in mind. So we won't see him.

I know Miner would be pinch hit for, but it delays using a bench guy and clete gets an AB if someone gets on base.

For those who are not wathcing the SD broadcast. The announcer stated that SD is 0-36 when trailing after 8 and the Tigers are 32-0 when leading after 8.
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Great stats to be confident about and let's hope those "perfect "records remain intact.

Oh man, here we goa again. Take him out. If he was hit on the knee he has nothing to push off on.

Thank you very much for 1st pitch swinging with your brother coming up!

This was a good win overall .. everyone played well .. managing was good, but the best part was .. we kept scoring, even if it's just 1 run .. the bats didn't quiet down abruptly.
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GO Tigers

Take a day off guys!!
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One more comment. I don't see the big deal for a professional athlete to come in for defensive purposes even if they have been given the day off. Your team needs you in the bottom of the 9th and you go play for 5 or 10 minutes.
Polanco is a character guy, he can handle it. It didn't factor but it could have. Raburn had a poor day at the plate and it would not have been a shock to see him have some trouble in the field after that. It happens all the time.
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It's a moot point but a win is important to preserve as much now as in April or September.

I was pleased to see JL bring Zach on in the 8TH,Zu in the 7th.Would have preferred Dolsi to clear out the 6th,but it all worked out for much needed win.Way to go Tigers Keep it going

Dan,
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It's true what you said bout professionals. Thats why JL inserted Pudge for defense on his off days, for the early part of season. Polanco might be healthy now, but he has played a lot lately. Even if he is not 100%, they play and don't acknowledge it.
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When JL gave Polly off today, which combined with tomo will be a 2 day rest, I figure he is being careful with him, considering his early season struggle. He is a major cog in our machine, and JL acted accordingly.

Point well taken. But Polly should be glad I'm not mangaing because he would have been in there in the 9th.

Gary Sheffield hit another homerun tonight in Lakeland. He also has a walk and scored. His on base % is .444. I think the kids are afraid to pitch to him.

I have a question bout Sheff. - Why is he in Florida and not at the AAA level?

Bhavin,I looked up his stats down there.He is only hitting .154 after 5 games. It might be they want him in that warmer climate to help him heal.He has scored 7 runs.I`d rather see him in the leadoff role up here than in the 3 hole.He either walks or strikes out with an occasional homer,not enough hits to drive runs in consistantly at the 3 hole.He would,however make a better 2 hole hitter than Ryan. Best bet though is to leave him down there,its far enough away to not cause anymore distractions up here.A .444 on base average doesnt mean much considering the talent level he is facing.He ought to be batting .450 with an on base percentage .675 at that level,but lets see where he is at after 40 AB.

Bhavin, My bad. He has only stuckout 1 time.I dyslexed his total bases and walks.Anyway he has only 2 hits,both homers and 6 walks..........Dan, There are no stats whatsoever on Dontrelle Willis..........Maybe Jason can shed some light on this......I can only assume that they are not pitching him because he`s not ready,but honestly I have no idea.

Maybe you are right bout the climate. I just hope he is tested well at the AAA level before joining the club. I don't want this team chemistry (for a lack of better word) down the drain.
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We have won 4 series in a row, with 2 being sweeps. Good going. If we hadn't been 11 games behind then, we would be close to the top now.

At the same time, we have to realize that the team had a boost in confidence since they were going to play the NL. Baseball players have more of a mental thing IMO. But they have the confidence now, and coupled with the initial sweep of the CWS, they hopefully keep it going against the AL.
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CWS was swept twice recently, and Minny seemingly is better, so our visit to the dome is an important series.
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Go Tigers

As to the thinking that Willis may not be ready, ready for what?
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They thought (or more accurately, hoped) he was ready after his rehap stint in Toledo. Then the meltdown against the Indians which it was determined that he needed to work on his "mechanics". How do you work on your mechanics by not working?. A little perplexing.
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Perhaps Sheffield was asked where HE would like to rehab. Why choose "Toledo, Ohio", when you can play baseball < 50 miles from home?
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I am more than a little perturbed about how the club is keeping us fans in the dark re Dontrelle. They may hand him his pay check but it is our revenue stream that funds their treasury. Dontrelle was a major acquistion and one that both excited some and alarmed other fans. If we are interested in what is happening with him we should be kept informed. If the plan is to shut him down, then tell us. Is this is another example of the credibility issues that have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way? Where we were told one thing and another thing is done?.
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If they are putting him on the roster in name only and intend to have him working exclusively on the sidelines with Joe Coleman and/or Jon Matlack, then let us know that too.
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Let's lift the gag order.

Looks like yesterday's game was pretty entertaining. I was in the middle of a heavy Ohio thunderstorm at that time. In Detroit now, but the weather isn't too good. Hope we can have good fireworks weather tonight.
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Re the Ordonez injury thing, I'm pretty sure it was Rod Allen who alluded to that during Wednesday's game. I just assumed everyone had heard that. I wouldn't have posted it if it hadn't come from what I regard as a reliable source. I thought it was common knowledge. My apologies.
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--Rich

Willis has pitched in 3 games, 1 win 1 loss, with a combined 4.41 ERA. He has a total of 16.1 IP, with 6.0 being the most he's pitched in a single game (the win). In the win, he had 4 K's and 4 BB's, with 1 ER and 5 hits. If you wanna look at more stats, just go to the minor league affiliates page and click on the roster link for the lakeland flying tigers.

Peace

zlevine, when you click on that link it takes you to Dontrelle's stats when he was with Toledo. He hasn't pitched in any games for Lakeland yet.

Zlev,I think Goblue is right,I have him listed on the 40 man active roster(at Lakeland)#21. But he shows no stats there.Are you sure that the stats you saw from Toledo are`nt from his first stint down there(after his 2nd game as Tiger?)..........Jason........If you`re out there,we have all been wondering if there is any news on Dontrelle......At this point we`d all settle for a geographical location............Rich,If you see Bill Freehan(I know he wont remember me)tell him Ick said hey,and he`s still the greatest in my book. Bruce

Blue you are, of course, right. Those total MiLB stats reflect Dontrelle's performance only for Toledo. He has yet to pitch in a game for Lakeland where he was ostensibly sent 2 weeks ago.
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Ah ha, I stand corrected

The Plot Thickens............

Dan...You`re killing me...First absfuscate........now ostensibly........Now I`ve got to go out and purchase a dictionary.......I`ve asked Jason a couple times about Dontrelle.He has`nt replied. I know you have asked recently too....Wonder what is really happening with that situation....Should we just give up on him being in the starting rotation this year,or what?I`m curious to see what Bonine will do with AL lineups...But,I`m kind of scared to put too much hope in him for the duration of the season.These NL team hitters are nothing compared to what he is going to see real soon,if he stays up here.

Was just looking at Mud Hen stats. Cruceta has 20 k`s in 11 innings.High ERA.Rapada...Good strikeout ratio, High ERA.Lopez has not started a game.He has pitched 2 innings in the only game he has pitched since going down. 2 strikeouts, 1 Hit Batter. 0 Hits 0 Runs, 0 Walks.Wonder if the Hens are going to start him soon.Hope so.Curious to see how he will do in Sarting Role.

I think if they were throwing him they could make a reasonable determination of his abilities. It seems they just want to sequester him away from the media and hope they forget about him.
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It's a shame because the "D" man really would be a good guy for this team and this city. The double "D" man must be feeling a bit foolish with the big contract they shelled out for him.

I notice Sheffield is not in the lineup for Lakeland tonight. With him that could mean just about anything!

Aki is starting tonight for Toledo!!!

I thought maybe you fans might like the following quote ..... "Though we didn't need to see the White Sox get swept to know that these South Siders bear little resemblance to their 2005 championship-winning predecessors, confirmation never hurts. Obviously, the White Sox won't admit they are doomed, even after their eighth loss in 12 games..... The White Sox are in first place only because the Tigers and Indians were kidnapped by aliens on April Fool's Day and replaced by a bunch of slow-pitch softballers. Said Guillen of the sweep: 'I don't think it's a good sign for the team.' You're not the only one, Ozzie." Mike Nadel, GateHouse News Service Chicago sports columnist. (mikenadel@sbcglobal.com)

Just went over to the Mud Hens page to see howAqL was doing and they havent started yet because of rain

Dan & Bruce,

Bout Willis, nobody has a clue. I feel Jason might not answer this either. Remember the whole fiasco bout Guillen talking bout too much expectations for the team, and then the Grilli stuff and Inge said a little something? Leyland was pissed, and it's understandable. There are some things that need to stay in the clubhouse. We as fans want every tidbit, but that won't happen. If we were DD or JL, we would put a lid on it too.
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In the next broadcast, Mario n Rod were discussing that and they too commented that they know a lot more about stuff in the clubhouse, but what happens there stays there(like Vegas). They never talk bout such stuff, and keep the team's confidence. Thats why they get up close access of the team and the clubhouse.
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In my opinion, Jason too cannot let us in on everything he knows. We can speculate, and sorry Jason if you don't like it, but when there is a total lack of information, that is bound to happen.
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Dontrelle is probably shut down for an extended period, which suggests it might be physical. Won't be surprising when you consider his action. The Tigers of course, don't want to look stupid, so it's a no comment zone. His command, or lack thereof, probably prompted an overhaul of his mechanics.
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Regarding Sheffield, he had to ok a rehab stint, considering his years of service. So it's possible he agreed to rehab on the condition, if it's in Florida. It's still a good thing, compared to activating him without a rehab stint.
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Go Tigers

Bhavin,I never thought of that.You`re probally right.I thought maybe Jason was mad at me cuz I brought up that Freddy Garcia story.But your post makes more sense when I think about it.Anybody out there know what the rest of the central did tonight?.......I hope we can gain some half games somewhere tonight.Keep it going Tigers

Well Lopez went the first 3 innings. 5K`s 1 single ,1double and 1...2run HR in the second inning.The Hens went on to win the game 4-3.Didnt look like he had too much trouble in 3rd,so maybe he was on pitch count.Clevlen played center tonight.

The suppression of clubhouse chatter is understood and prudent. The withdrawl of infromation when it comes to assingning individuals to minor league teams is transactional and falls into amuch different category.
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We're not asking what kind of body deodorant Michael Hollimon uses or who is flirting with who's gal, we are asking what is being doen with our multi-million dollar pitcher that also cost us a promising player.
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I just don't like the idea that management feels it can marginalize the fans by telling them anything they feel like. This happened earlier in the year and I think it is very unproductive.I think we should know what they are doing with Willis. They should respect their fans' intelligence as well as their loyalty.
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Yes Dan,

Then again, Jason or the Tigers can release a statement for the sake of it. "Willis is in Lakeland, working on his pitching with coaches. We don't have a time table for his return. We just want to be sure that he will be able to contribute when he is back in the bigs"
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Thing is, that has been pretty much been said. And saying this again would actually be insulting our intelligence. I am not sure what more we can expect.
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As paying fans, we do have expect stuff. But if we were part of management, this in our opinion, would fall under internal management. We can question game decision, losses, team performance etc. But expecting them to be transparent in such things is expecting too much. It's more like if you own shares in a company, just like tiger fans, you are part owners of the company, and the Board will report to you. But some dealings will stay private, and we won't be privy to it unless we file a lawsuit and are successful.
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The tigers probably feel, rightly or wrongly, that it's in the best interest of the club and Willis.

And what Bruce said bout you using those words, I am absolutely loving it, go to the online dictionary to figure out what you meant. Great ... that we can learn something from you ...

None of the AL Central teams except KC had a game tonight. KC won against Colorado. They now have a 3 game winning streak
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It's surprising that Det, Min and KC .. all 3 teams are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Dan...I was talking to a real old timer and he told me that absfuscate was what Ty Cobb did to the opposing teams shortstop when he slid into second.Said he still holds the record from 1912 when he absfuscated the shortstops from 6 differant teams.He was`nt positive about ostensibly, but he thought that was when you intentionally hit a batter as opposed to walking him,in order to keep his pitch count down....I`m going out to get that dictionary today,just to make sure he`s not pulling my leg.Go Tigers Keep it rollin

it's interleague play, the american league always smashes the minor league NL. i mean the NL. nothing surprising there.
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the AL central played all the same teams that the tigers have stomped. Dodgers, SF, etc.
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i'm waiting for interleague to be over before i start declaring this team has turned any corners. get back to the REAL baseball division and not NL fantasty camp.
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mike..

There are some good comments regarding what Dontrelle may be up to based upon statements already released by the organization.
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My guess is that if they are in fact overhauling his delivery that a majority of the early work will be done on the side to try to develop consistency with the delivery, hence the 2 week lapse in new details about Dontrelle. If this is the case, I have to agree that it is a good idea to try to form some sort of "regular" delivery before throwing him into a game, even if it is agains single A competition.
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This of course is mostly speculation, but based upon some articles on the Tigers website a few weeks back. Quoting DD from the article on 6/10:
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"Our objective is to get Dontrelle back to being Dontrelle," Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said at the pregame press conference. "We don't want to put a timeframe on this; we want to get it right. The arm strength is still there, on occasion, the breaking ball is still there, but we want to get him back to being comfortable throwing strikes. "
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On a separate note, remember Jacque Jones? Well apparently they didn't like him in Florida either. He was released back on June 11 after hitting .108 in 18 games for the Marlins. The difference between Florida and Detroit is that Florida wasn't paying him 6 million a year to stink up the joint. Thought that was interesting as I'm always curious as to what players do after they leave Detroit.
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Anyhow, hopefully the Tigs can keep it going tonight. St. Louis has been scuffling a bit as of late, but they're throwing 3 pitchers with good stats at us.
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Jason

TIGERS CORNER
"Sheffield may return to roster tonight"
BY JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • June 24, 2008

Not Sheffield!!!!!!!! I don't want him back. I know our DH's haven't been any better, but at least they're fun to watch. Shef's personality scares me. I worry about how his attitude affects the team. I know it shouldn't at all, but I will always wonder. What are the chances that they put him right back in the 3 spot? Seems to me that Carlos has been doin' well there.

Well Dan, if that's true I must say it's a real head-scratcher. I can't say how Sheffield looked in his rehab down in Florida but according to the numbers and level of competition it doesn't seem that he would be ready. It will prove interesting to see how the team plays if/when he does return since the whole attitude of the team has changed since he has been gone.

Well Sheff is not in the lineup for lakeland today so i figure he's on his way back to town. I would imagine this would mean the end of the line for Larish.

I hope that if he's coming back he is truely healthy and we will get some decent production out of him. I'd like to see him lower in the lineup.. maybe 6th or 7th instead of 3 but i doubt that will happen.

Sheff is not ready, in most people's opinion. But does that matter?
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The important point is, he does not bat in the 3 hole. He needs to bat lower, and prove he is healthy, or else he will start killing Rallies.
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I am not sure if Leyland is going to do that though. His mentality is ridiculous at times. He will say the he has put him in the 3rd spot to get his bat going at his natural spot. Whereas, putting him in that spot will get the team going.. downwards.
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I am worried just cuz he inserted an untried Rodney in a jam with insane logic : he is a Major league pitcher and should make his pitches. Unless he has learned from that experience, he will bat Sheff 3rd and say, this team needs Sheff to click for us to win.. NO IT DOES NOT. A healthy, in form sheff is always welcome, but before that, don't try it on this winning team
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If I am the manager and i have to activate Sheff, i do it against NL teams and hope he gets his timing back by the time we face the AL..
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As it stands right now.... it's not very good news. Hope I am wrong.

Just Announced: Sheffield is in the starting lineup tonight batting 7th.

At least he's batting 7th. I have nothing against Sheffield, if he can still produce. I worry that the repeated problems with his shoulder have taken away his abilitiy to be successful, but I am willing to give him a chance. Batting that low in the order should give him a chance to re-adjust to major league pitching and hopefully start producing some positive abouts.
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One thing is for sure, if Sheffield can be productive it will change the whole dynamic of the lineup in a very positive way.

Thats what everybody wants. A healthy, effective Sheff. He won't be the sheff of old, but we can't settle for what he was so far either.
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Great he is batting 7th, and that is great. He takes Larish's spot on the roster and in the lineup. In the end, he might be more effective than Larish in the 7th spot. We might be a better team this way ... for now.
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Overall, as expected, JL never gave the DH spot a chance to contribute to the lineup. It is more obvious now that they kept the DH spot as a gift for Sheff.

I'm so excited to have Gary Sheffield back in the lineup. I support him 100% like I always have no matter what. Let's go Tigers!