Tiger Stadium Demolished . . . But Not The Memories

DETROIT – Witnessing the demolition of Detroit’s historic ballpark, Tiger Stadium, is like attending the burial of a loved one. While we cannot stop death from consuming one’s final breath and beat of a heart, we can never allow it to pilfer the memories.

At the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, demolition experts and heavy machinery continue to flatten Tiger Stadium, one beam and support at a time. Those bulldozers may rip the concrete and riveted steel girders out of that structure and bury it in a nearby landfill, but it will never purge the heart and soul out of that ballpark.

August 26, 2008 | Read the story »

Most Bizarre Moment In MLB History?

On August 19, 1951, the Detroit Tigers played the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis in a game that many believe provided one of the most bizarre moments in MLB history.
During the second game of a double-header, Brown’s owner Bill Veeck inserted Chicago-born Eddie Gaedel into the line-up to pinch hit.
Unusual? In [...]

August 19, 2008 | Read the story »

Great Hitting Pitchers in MLB

Previously published in Baseball Digest Daily on July 15, 2008.

It’s the bottom of the 6th inning with two outs and a man on base for the Arizona Diamondbacks who trail the visiting Houston Astros 7-5. The raucous crowd of Diamondback fans at Chase Field rise to their feet as the pinch hitter digs in, awaiting the delivery. The pitcher Dave Borkowski, confident, rears back and fires the ball, challenging the hitter.

The ball is greeted with a solid crack of the bat and the crowd erupts as the ball sails into the right field seats for a two-run pinch hit homer to tie the game.

In a matter of seconds, one pitch, one crack of the bat. . . and two runs on the board for the Diamondbacks.

Unusual? This time it was.

July 30, 2008 | Read the story »

Fat Lady Warming Up Her Mic For The Braves

Previously published in Baseball Digest Daily on July 29, 2008.

ATLANTA – At All-Star break the Atlanta Braves were poised to make a run. Their schedule allowed them a realistic opportunity to create a tight, four-way race in the NL East.

Being in the hunt for a playoff spot would put the Braves in the position most analysts expected them to be in throughout this season. Being in the hunt could also convince Braves GM Frank Wren to stop accepting calls inquiring about a Mark Teixeira trade.

On July 16 with the Braves sitting 6.5 games behind first and the last-place Nationals coming to town, it wasn’t time for the Fat Lady to sing just yet.

July 29, 2008 | Read the story »

Braves Need Early Win Streak To Save Teixeira

Previously published in Baseball Digest Daily on July 16, 2008.

ATLANTA- Now that we’ve taken a few days to come down from the adrenaline rush furnished by the longest game in All-Star history that included appearances from Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, it’s time to take a look at the importance of a strong Braves start to begin the second half.

As the Braves come out rested after the break, two issues seem to be of interest. One, closing the gap on the NL East leaders and two, GM Frank Wren seems to need a reason to keep clean-up hitter Mark Teixeira past the July 31 trade deadline.

July 16, 2008 | Read the story »

Demoted Francoeur Joins Dontrelle Willis

Previously published in Baseball Digest Daily.

DETROIT – This year, star MLB players are learning there are no guaranteed positions on the rosters. Despite receiving enormous salaries and long-term contracts, All-Star players and fan favorites are being forced to trade chartered flights to MLB cities for trips to away games on a bus.

Dontrelle Willis (29 million over three years) discovered that in June when the Detroit Tigers sent the All-Star left-handed pitcher to their Single A affiliate in Lakeland. Willis was given that assignment after posting an 0-1 record with the Tigers over four starts, lasting a total of 11.1 innings. He experienced severe control problems in those games, walking 21 (almost two per inning average) and posting an ERA of 10.32.

July 5, 2008 | Read the story »

Jair Jurrjens Making Early Run For Rookie Of The Year

Previously published in The Detroit Free Press and Baseball Digest Daily on May 28, 2008.

ATLANTA – The last time Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox said, “This kid can pitch, he’ll be around here for a while.” he wasn’t kidding. The year was 1988, Cox was the GM for the Braves and the “kid” he was referring to was John Smoltz, a young, hard-throwing pitcher who had just been obtained in a trade with the Tigers. Since then, Smoltz, who still pitches for the Braves, has blossomed into a sure Hall of Famer, posting 210 wins, 154 saves and over 3,000 strike outs.

In May, 2008 as manager of the Braves, Cox made a similar statement, “This kid can pitch, he’s gonna’ be a good one”. This time the “kid” Cox is referring to is another acquisition from the Tigers.

June 1, 2008 | Read the story »