Opening day wasn't to kind to the Tigers this year they lost to the Royals 5-4 in eleven innings. I am not going to blame the bullpen for this one because this game was lost in the first three innings.
The Tiger hitters had chances in the beginning of the game to score runs and they couldn't take advantage of the situations. The Tigers left 10 base runners stranded. Guillen started off the 2nd with a double and got stranded there without ever moving up. Guillen had a big day though with the double, single and his first home run of the season. Cabrera also had his first home run of the season while making his Tiger debut.
I watched the first two innings when Verlander was cruising through the batters and then I had to go back to work. I was listening on the radio when Verlander got into the sixth inning and gave up 4 runs. Grilli came in the sixth and gave up a base hit and got credit for his first blown save opportunity.
After that the bull pen did its job until the top of the 11th when they finally gave up a run. An encouraging sign for Todd Jones was the ninth inning he pitched. He was perfect with a strikout.
All in all a very encouraging day for the bull pen but not the supposedly feared Tigers batting lineup. Next game will be Wednesday afternoon. Let's hope for a better outcome.
When I got home tonight I turned on the Cubs game as they were playing the Brewers. The Brewers were ahead in the bottom of the ninth and the Cubs got the first two guys on base. Fukudome (a Japanese born player that signed with the Cubs over the winter) came up to bat and worked the count to 3-0. The next pitch was a strike which made the count 3-1. Gagne, the Brewers pitcher, was struggling to throw strikes and Fukudome must of been sitting on a fastball because he got one and quickly deposited it in the center field seats. Game tied, crowd sounds like it is the 7th game of the world series.
But in true Cubs fashion they blew it in the 10th inning. Oh well, 0-2 for my two favorite teams on opening day.
On a brighter note the Washington Nationals, my third favorite team, won their home opener last night 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth against the Atlanta Braves. Today the Nats played at Philadelphia and won 11-6 scoring 5 runs in the top of the ninth. Get those tickets early the Nats band wagon is starting to fill up. They will be lucky to finish .500 this year but they already look better than last year. Nick Johnson is back this year and he is going to really help the Nats lineup.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Play Ball!!!!!
Folks it is that time of year again, time for the boys of summer to run out on the field and take over the sports headlines. Fastballs, curveballs, split fingers, homeruns, hit and runs, bunts, diving catches, routine plays and Sport Center Top Ten plays. It is baseball time. Today is opening day in baseball (I don't count the games in Japan because baseball is America's game and the major leagues should open in America) tomorrow is opening day for the Detroit Tigers and in a rare scheduling quirk the Tigers get to open at home this year. Normally they would start someplace just a little bit warmer.
This is the best time of the year for all baseball fans because there is hope for every team. Every team starts in first place even the Tampa Rays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Neither of these two teams should be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs until May or early June.
This year I am armed with 70 sports stations to watch just about any team I want. Just like my sisters with their reality show updates you can expect plenty of updates on baseball especially the Tigers. And the best news of all, unlike Survivor or Idol, baseball is 7 nights a week until October. It just don't get no better than that.
I thought I would start off this year with an introduction of the Detroit Tigers so everybody will be familiar with them for the whole year as I write about them.
Jim Leyland - Manager - He is an old school manager, chain smoker, a little ornery, and brutely to the point with his players. He knows how to push the right buttons on his players to get them to play exactly the way he wants. Remember back in 2006 when the Tigers were floundering away in the beginning of the season he lit them up in the media, the Tigers haven't looked back since. I think this is still the single biggest reason for all the success that has followed the Tigers since.
Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez - Catcher - Evan though Pudge is getting up there in age, especially for a catcher, I think he has one more good year left in him. I expect a big year out of Pudge not only for the great spring training he had, .429 BA and 6 homeruns, but because he is in the last year of his contract. Normally when players are in their last year of a contract they produce some big numbers.
Carlos Guillen - First Base - He played shortstop last year but his knees are starting to prevent him from being a major league shortstop he needs to be for the Tigers to make a serious run at the World Series. I have to give a lot of credit to Guillen for making this move because he did it for the good of the Team. Most players would refuse to make a move like this regardless of the Team's needs. He will be a big upgrade from last year in terms of power numbers and production. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a run at a Gold Glove.
Placido Polanco - Second Base - If I were starting a team and needed a second baseman this is one of the guys I would want. He quietly goes out and does the job he is suppose to do to the tune of no errors in 2007 and a .341 batting average. He is the best number two hitter in all of baseball. He can hit and run, bunt and rarely strikes out. You can attribute a lot of the Tigers quick starts last year to Polanco.
Edgar Renteria - Shortstop - He is one of the new Tigers this year. The Tigers got him from Atlanta last winter to shore up the shortstop position. He brings his .332 batting average and .975 fielding percentage with him from last year. He is a 5 time all star and 2 time gold glove winner. The only problem with him is the last year he was in the American League with the Boston Red Sox he hit only .276. Let's hope that trend doesn't continue.
Miguel Cabrera - Third Base - He is a huge upgrade offensively at third base and a downgrade defensively. I am hoping the offensive numbers out weigh the defensive drop. He has a career .313 batting average and averages over 30 home runs per year and he is only 25 years old. He has already played in 4 all star games in his short career. Let's hope he was worth everything the Tigers gave up for him, I think he will be.
Jacque Jones, Marcus Thames - Left Field - This will be a platoon position depending on who is pitching for the day on the opposing team. This should be an upgrade from a year ago because of the struggles of Craig Monroe for most of the year. All the Tigers need from this position is consistency, the rest of the lineup will do the rest.
Curtis Granderson - Center Field - Is there a better person in all of baseball? I think not. He is what professional athletes should be courteous, educated, and talented. He strives to improve each and every year in baseball, he is a superstar in the making. He is the lead off hitter for the Tigers with a career .280 batting average. He is the second player ever in the major leagues to post at least 20 double, 20 triples, 20 homeruns and 20 stolen bases in a season. The other player, Willie Mays, not bad company. Now if he would only cut down on the strikeouts.
Magglio Ordonez - Right Field - He was in the running for the MVP of the league last year and if he can duplicate last year I think the Tigers have a chance of scoring 1000 runs this year. Mags has a career batting average of .312 and averages almost 30 home runs a year. My only worry is Magglio's age and if he can keep up the pace of the last couple of years.
Gary Sheffield - Designated Hitter - If Sheffield can stay healthy he should have a good year. I am afraid the way he swings a bat he won't be able to though. He has to be the hardest swinger in the major leagues. What I like about Sheff is the patience he has at the plate. You will rarely see him swing at a bad pitch. I just wish this would rub off on some of the other hitters.
Brandon Inge, Vance Wilson, Ramon Santiago, Ryan Rayburn, Clete Thomas - I think Brandon Inge is the key here with his versatility to play any position. With Granderson starting the year on the disabled list Inge will be the starting center fielder on opening day. When injuries crop up this year, and they will, Inge will be instrumental in plugging the holes. Next will be Ryan Rayburn. He is a young promising player destined for a future starting spot either in the outfield or at second base. It would not surprise me if the Tigers traded him for some much needed relief help before the trade deadline approaches.
Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Dontrelle Willis - Starting Pitchers - This could have the makings of a great starting fivesome. Verlander and Bonderman are young and yet to have their best years. Willis is young too and if the Tigers can get him back to his form of 3-4 years ago he will be the stopper very few teams have on the back end of their rotation. Robertson should be steady and dependable as long as the Tiger's hitters give him some run support. Kenny Rogers is the big key in my eyes. If he goes out and pitches like he did in 2006 the Tigers will win the division and if he doesn't I think the Tigers will struggle. He won't blow batters away with his fastball but he will out think them. I think this is the most important item Rogers brings with him to this team. I thought it was very important that the Tigers sign him because of his influence on the young pitchers on this staff. There are some things that can't be measured by stats and Kenny Rogers influence is one of them.
Todd Jones, Denny Bautista, Zach Miner, Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, Yorman Bazardo, and Aquilino Lopez - Relief Pitchers - Oh boy where do you start. Let me say I am not worried about Todd Jones what I am worried about is getting to Todd Jones. This is a huge hole in the Tigers team and I believe this is the area on the team that cost them the division last year. We can all forget about Rodney coming back I don't think he will ever be back with all his arm troubles. I think the only hope is getting Joel Zumaya back to his old form of 2006. If the Tigers don't shore up the bullpen I think there may be a lot of heart breaking losses late in games this summer.
This is the best time of the year for all baseball fans because there is hope for every team. Every team starts in first place even the Tampa Rays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Neither of these two teams should be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs until May or early June.
This year I am armed with 70 sports stations to watch just about any team I want. Just like my sisters with their reality show updates you can expect plenty of updates on baseball especially the Tigers. And the best news of all, unlike Survivor or Idol, baseball is 7 nights a week until October. It just don't get no better than that.
I thought I would start off this year with an introduction of the Detroit Tigers so everybody will be familiar with them for the whole year as I write about them.
Jim Leyland - Manager - He is an old school manager, chain smoker, a little ornery, and brutely to the point with his players. He knows how to push the right buttons on his players to get them to play exactly the way he wants. Remember back in 2006 when the Tigers were floundering away in the beginning of the season he lit them up in the media, the Tigers haven't looked back since. I think this is still the single biggest reason for all the success that has followed the Tigers since.
Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez - Catcher - Evan though Pudge is getting up there in age, especially for a catcher, I think he has one more good year left in him. I expect a big year out of Pudge not only for the great spring training he had, .429 BA and 6 homeruns, but because he is in the last year of his contract. Normally when players are in their last year of a contract they produce some big numbers.
Carlos Guillen - First Base - He played shortstop last year but his knees are starting to prevent him from being a major league shortstop he needs to be for the Tigers to make a serious run at the World Series. I have to give a lot of credit to Guillen for making this move because he did it for the good of the Team. Most players would refuse to make a move like this regardless of the Team's needs. He will be a big upgrade from last year in terms of power numbers and production. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a run at a Gold Glove.
Placido Polanco - Second Base - If I were starting a team and needed a second baseman this is one of the guys I would want. He quietly goes out and does the job he is suppose to do to the tune of no errors in 2007 and a .341 batting average. He is the best number two hitter in all of baseball. He can hit and run, bunt and rarely strikes out. You can attribute a lot of the Tigers quick starts last year to Polanco.
Edgar Renteria - Shortstop - He is one of the new Tigers this year. The Tigers got him from Atlanta last winter to shore up the shortstop position. He brings his .332 batting average and .975 fielding percentage with him from last year. He is a 5 time all star and 2 time gold glove winner. The only problem with him is the last year he was in the American League with the Boston Red Sox he hit only .276. Let's hope that trend doesn't continue.
Miguel Cabrera - Third Base - He is a huge upgrade offensively at third base and a downgrade defensively. I am hoping the offensive numbers out weigh the defensive drop. He has a career .313 batting average and averages over 30 home runs per year and he is only 25 years old. He has already played in 4 all star games in his short career. Let's hope he was worth everything the Tigers gave up for him, I think he will be.
Jacque Jones, Marcus Thames - Left Field - This will be a platoon position depending on who is pitching for the day on the opposing team. This should be an upgrade from a year ago because of the struggles of Craig Monroe for most of the year. All the Tigers need from this position is consistency, the rest of the lineup will do the rest.
Curtis Granderson - Center Field - Is there a better person in all of baseball? I think not. He is what professional athletes should be courteous, educated, and talented. He strives to improve each and every year in baseball, he is a superstar in the making. He is the lead off hitter for the Tigers with a career .280 batting average. He is the second player ever in the major leagues to post at least 20 double, 20 triples, 20 homeruns and 20 stolen bases in a season. The other player, Willie Mays, not bad company. Now if he would only cut down on the strikeouts.
Magglio Ordonez - Right Field - He was in the running for the MVP of the league last year and if he can duplicate last year I think the Tigers have a chance of scoring 1000 runs this year. Mags has a career batting average of .312 and averages almost 30 home runs a year. My only worry is Magglio's age and if he can keep up the pace of the last couple of years.
Gary Sheffield - Designated Hitter - If Sheffield can stay healthy he should have a good year. I am afraid the way he swings a bat he won't be able to though. He has to be the hardest swinger in the major leagues. What I like about Sheff is the patience he has at the plate. You will rarely see him swing at a bad pitch. I just wish this would rub off on some of the other hitters.
Brandon Inge, Vance Wilson, Ramon Santiago, Ryan Rayburn, Clete Thomas - I think Brandon Inge is the key here with his versatility to play any position. With Granderson starting the year on the disabled list Inge will be the starting center fielder on opening day. When injuries crop up this year, and they will, Inge will be instrumental in plugging the holes. Next will be Ryan Rayburn. He is a young promising player destined for a future starting spot either in the outfield or at second base. It would not surprise me if the Tigers traded him for some much needed relief help before the trade deadline approaches.
Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Dontrelle Willis - Starting Pitchers - This could have the makings of a great starting fivesome. Verlander and Bonderman are young and yet to have their best years. Willis is young too and if the Tigers can get him back to his form of 3-4 years ago he will be the stopper very few teams have on the back end of their rotation. Robertson should be steady and dependable as long as the Tiger's hitters give him some run support. Kenny Rogers is the big key in my eyes. If he goes out and pitches like he did in 2006 the Tigers will win the division and if he doesn't I think the Tigers will struggle. He won't blow batters away with his fastball but he will out think them. I think this is the most important item Rogers brings with him to this team. I thought it was very important that the Tigers sign him because of his influence on the young pitchers on this staff. There are some things that can't be measured by stats and Kenny Rogers influence is one of them.
Todd Jones, Denny Bautista, Zach Miner, Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, Yorman Bazardo, and Aquilino Lopez - Relief Pitchers - Oh boy where do you start. Let me say I am not worried about Todd Jones what I am worried about is getting to Todd Jones. This is a huge hole in the Tigers team and I believe this is the area on the team that cost them the division last year. We can all forget about Rodney coming back I don't think he will ever be back with all his arm troubles. I think the only hope is getting Joel Zumaya back to his old form of 2006. If the Tigers don't shore up the bullpen I think there may be a lot of heart breaking losses late in games this summer.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A Little Baseball, A Little Food
Baseball Time
I finally did it I broke down and purchased Fox Sports Detroit from Direct TV. I just couldn't stand the thought of not being able to watch the Tigers this year. The real bonus of purchasing FSD is I also got about 70 other regional sports stations. Now how can you beat that? The wife is pleased.
I got to watch the Washington Nationals today playing in their new ballpark in DC. They were playing Baltimore and ended up winning 3-0. The Nats already look better this year than they did last year at this time. Jason Bergman started for the Nats and looked good. This was the last preseason game before the home opener tomorrow night. Tomorrow night is the first official game in the new ballpark in DC and will be broadcast on ESPN.
If anybody ever went to a game in the old ballpark the Nats were playing in, RFK, this will be a huge improvement. A high school field would be a huge improvement. At old RFK stadium you felt like you needed binoculars just to see the players. Plus the out field fences were so far out it made the outfielders look like they were playing real shallow. And we won't even talk about the food.
If I was still living in Arlington I am sure I would have been at that game today but I will settle for the next best thing for now, my 70 channels of sports channels so I can watch just about any team I want now.
Dinner Time
For the last few weeks I have been trying to decide which new barbecue grill I wanted to buy. I finally settled on a new 22" Weber Gold Series. For general barbecuing you can't beat the versatility of a Weber. If you notice it is a charcoal grill, not gas. I have nothing against gas but........................if you are going to use gas why not just cook inside on the stove?
For the last 4-5 years I have been grilling on my smoker because it has a grilling side. The only problem with my smoker is it is really set up more for smoking than grilling. The grilling side is small and makes it hard to control the temperature for proper cooking, especially for chicken. This is not the case with a Weber. While the Weber is not smoker (although you can use if for one it just doesn't work as good as a regular smoker) it is still one of the best grilling machines out there. I chose the larger size because now I can cook for a crowd. The other two sizes, the table top model and the mid sized model, I just didn't think were large enough. This particular model has an ash catcher. After using it I don't think I would buy it without an ash catcher. It is the difference of having ashes blowing around all over the place or neatly catching them in a small bucket underneath the grill for disposal later. You can also purchase this same model with a gas igniter to light the charcoal. This was the only choice I had to make regarding which Weber I wanted. In the end I decided on the old fashion way of doing things, the good old chimney starter. I just couldn't pay the money for the little extra convenience of one touch charcoal lighting. Beside I could already tell what was going to happen as soon as the gas ran out for the charcoal lighter, I would be right back to the chimney lighter.
Armed with a new grill the menu choice tonight was barbecue chicken with roasted potatoes. The new Weber cooked the chicken to near perfection without much fuss. I couldn't be more pleased. This was so much easier than cooking chicken on the old grill.
This is not the location the chicken was cooked on in the grill. The chicken was actually cooked in the center over the pan of water you can see in the bottom of the grille. Once the chicken is cooked I move the chicken over the coals after I apply the barbecue sauce just to finish it real quick.
What is in the aluminum foil package you ask? Why that is the roasted potatoes. Easy to make, slice the potatoes, a little salt, some pepper, real butter, garlic and onions (ok I will admit it I forgot onions today) and wrap it all up in the foil. Slap that baby on the grill for about a hour and presto, easy potatoes. And why not cook potatoes, the grill is hot and now with my new 22" Weber I have room.
I used my homemade barbecue sauce today on the chicken with some slight modifications. I think I made a huge step today with the barbecue sauce. I tweaked an ingredient or two today and I came real close to the flavor I wanted. It is still a secret but I think the first time someone else tries it they may be able to figure out what is in it.
Tomorrow I will try it on some ribs. I will also be using the old smoker for the ribs after all I don't want it to feel like the middle child in the family.
I finally did it I broke down and purchased Fox Sports Detroit from Direct TV. I just couldn't stand the thought of not being able to watch the Tigers this year. The real bonus of purchasing FSD is I also got about 70 other regional sports stations. Now how can you beat that? The wife is pleased.
I got to watch the Washington Nationals today playing in their new ballpark in DC. They were playing Baltimore and ended up winning 3-0. The Nats already look better this year than they did last year at this time. Jason Bergman started for the Nats and looked good. This was the last preseason game before the home opener tomorrow night. Tomorrow night is the first official game in the new ballpark in DC and will be broadcast on ESPN.
If anybody ever went to a game in the old ballpark the Nats were playing in, RFK, this will be a huge improvement. A high school field would be a huge improvement. At old RFK stadium you felt like you needed binoculars just to see the players. Plus the out field fences were so far out it made the outfielders look like they were playing real shallow. And we won't even talk about the food.
If I was still living in Arlington I am sure I would have been at that game today but I will settle for the next best thing for now, my 70 channels of sports channels so I can watch just about any team I want now.
Dinner Time
For the last few weeks I have been trying to decide which new barbecue grill I wanted to buy. I finally settled on a new 22" Weber Gold Series. For general barbecuing you can't beat the versatility of a Weber. If you notice it is a charcoal grill, not gas. I have nothing against gas but........................if you are going to use gas why not just cook inside on the stove?
For the last 4-5 years I have been grilling on my smoker because it has a grilling side. The only problem with my smoker is it is really set up more for smoking than grilling. The grilling side is small and makes it hard to control the temperature for proper cooking, especially for chicken. This is not the case with a Weber. While the Weber is not smoker (although you can use if for one it just doesn't work as good as a regular smoker) it is still one of the best grilling machines out there. I chose the larger size because now I can cook for a crowd. The other two sizes, the table top model and the mid sized model, I just didn't think were large enough. This particular model has an ash catcher. After using it I don't think I would buy it without an ash catcher. It is the difference of having ashes blowing around all over the place or neatly catching them in a small bucket underneath the grill for disposal later. You can also purchase this same model with a gas igniter to light the charcoal. This was the only choice I had to make regarding which Weber I wanted. In the end I decided on the old fashion way of doing things, the good old chimney starter. I just couldn't pay the money for the little extra convenience of one touch charcoal lighting. Beside I could already tell what was going to happen as soon as the gas ran out for the charcoal lighter, I would be right back to the chimney lighter.
Armed with a new grill the menu choice tonight was barbecue chicken with roasted potatoes. The new Weber cooked the chicken to near perfection without much fuss. I couldn't be more pleased. This was so much easier than cooking chicken on the old grill.This is not the location the chicken was cooked on in the grill. The chicken was actually cooked in the center over the pan of water you can see in the bottom of the grille. Once the chicken is cooked I move the chicken over the coals after I apply the barbecue sauce just to finish it real quick.
What is in the aluminum foil package you ask? Why that is the roasted potatoes. Easy to make, slice the potatoes, a little salt, some pepper, real butter, garlic and onions (ok I will admit it I forgot onions today) and wrap it all up in the foil. Slap that baby on the grill for about a hour and presto, easy potatoes. And why not cook potatoes, the grill is hot and now with my new 22" Weber I have room. I used my homemade barbecue sauce today on the chicken with some slight modifications. I think I made a huge step today with the barbecue sauce. I tweaked an ingredient or two today and I came real close to the flavor I wanted. It is still a secret but I think the first time someone else tries it they may be able to figure out what is in it.
Tomorrow I will try it on some ribs. I will also be using the old smoker for the ribs after all I don't want it to feel like the middle child in the family.
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