The long way home

I'm not ready to write that "If you'd have told me back in April that the Tigers would make it to the World Series..." post just yet. Obviously, it was a fantastically surprising baseball season in Detroit. As Big Al said, it's been the "most unexpectedly enjoyable season" many - if not all of us - in this area have ever experienced. And in a couple of days, I'll be able to articulate my thoughts on the 2006 Detroit Tigers, which I've been wanting to write for the last couple of months. (Billfer is already way ahead of me - and eloquently so.)

What's most disappointing is how the Tigers played on baseball's biggest stage. I don't want to say they beat themselves, because that sounds like sour grapes and I was sore enough after Game 4. But I don't think most of the country (those who bothered to watch the World Series, if you pay attention to all the chatter about ratings) didn't get to see these Tigers at their best. They weren't able to see what we witnessed all summer long in Detroit, as our team danced with the best record in the majors.

But as I watched the Cardinals get their trophy, I felt really good for the St. Louis fans. Two years ago, I was able to visit a friend out there and I demanded that we spend a big chunk of the weekend at (the old) Busch Stadium. And that was some of the most fun I've ever had at a baseball game. The fans are great. It's like a college football game out there, with the love, support, and spirit they show for the Cardinals. So I'm really happy they get to celebrate.

I'm also happy for Jeff Weaver. Okay, I took a shot at him in the comments of my last post, but it was good-natured. After the Angels cut him earlier this season, he looked like he might be done. But he revived himself in St. Louis in the best way possible.

Weaver beating the Tigers to clinch a World Series victory is the kind of situation that compels a lot of sportswriters to abuse the word "irony." But he gave a lot to the Tigers during the four years he was here, racking up a bunch of innings without many positive stats to show for the effort. He fought hard to give his team - which was usually bad - a chance to win, and was easily the only thing worth watching during some rough years at Comerica Park.

And I was pissed when Dave Dombrowski traded him in 2002. Obviously, that deal worked out for the Tigers. Weaver was essentially a sacrifice for a franchise that just finished losing the World Series.

(I even remember where I was when I heard about that deal. I was helping my sister put together a TV stand at her first apartment in South Carolina. And I whapped one of the shelves with a screwdriver when I saw the news on TV. Don't tell Lil' Sis that's why the VCR shelf was kind of wobbly.)

So here's a sincere tip of the cap to the Cardinals and their fans. If the Tigers weren't involved, I surely would've rooted for them to win the World Series.

And warm hugs and pats on the back to the Tigers and their fans. It was one hell of a season, as we were all reminded just how fun baseball could be in Detroit. Let's hope this is the start of some sustained excellence at the corner of Montcalm and Witherall (I know - it'll never have the same ring to it), a la the 1991 Atlanta Braves. It didn't have the ending we wanted, but it's been just about the best story we've read in a long time around here.

P.S. Kudos to Mike McClary for a great title to his pre-Game 5 post. I wish I'd have thought of that one. Further thanks to Mike for asking me to participate in The Daily Fungo Podcast throughout this season. He picked one hell of a time to get into the Tigers blog and podcast business.

Ramblin' through the Game Four follies

You can tell me that this series isn't over yet, the fourth win is often the toughest to get, and the St. Louis Cardinals have blown 3-1 leads before (perhaps most memorably - for old-time Tigers fans, at least - in 1968). But it sure feels like the Detroit Tigers lost the World Series last night.

This one hurt, man. Because there was so much that the Tigers did right. Pudge Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson joined the got-a-hit club. Sean Casey hit a home run (alas, a day too late to give America a free taco), which had me thinking today's post would be titled "The Greatest Trade EVER." And Jeff Suppan (whom I like a lot more after watching his instructional pairing with Scooter), the Cardinals' second-best pitcher in the playoffs, was gone by the sixth inning.

(Quick digression: I'm glad I won't have to watch Suppan pitch anymore in St. Louis, because all the signs with plays on his name were brutal. "Supp's On"? "Tonight's Supp: Tiger Stew"? Go crazy, folks! I was waiting for "Pardon me, sir, but do you have any Jeff Suppan?" Or "The Tigers are good... for me to Suppan!"

Never mind that someone went to the trouble of making a "J-Rod" sign for John Rodriguez, or "Coming Up Next... Late Local News," a blatant ploy to get on TV. Okay, I might be bitter.)

Meanwhile, Jeremy Bonderman fiercely maintained the oh-so-precarious one-run lead that his teammates gave him, and Fernando Rodney made Jim Leyland look like a stinkin' genius for holding that lead to close the sixth. It was the kind of effort that should've earned a win.

Unfortunately, the Tigers have gotten clumsy at the absolute worst times in this series. You could make a highlight (lowlight?) tape of Detroit's blunders set to Benny Hill music. Errant throws, players colliding, outfielders slipping... Oh, I'd love to watch that this offseason - while stabbing myself in the thigh with a Swiss Army Knife.

Of course I don't fault Granderson for slipping. (Yeah, yeah, yeah - Curt Flood in '68. A little before my time, okay?) That stuff happens - especially on a field that's been pounded by rain. It was just one hell of a moment for the grass to give out under his feet. And Craig Monroe's misplay of David Eckstein's drive into left-center field was just... unfortunate. Did Monroe misjudge the ball? Maybe. Probably. But he was also playing shallow to make a play at the plate. Eckstein just hit the ball in the right place. At the risk of tossing out a hollow, throwaway cliché, that's baseball.

(Besides, there never would've been a runner to score on that play had Joel Zumaya been able to find the strike zone. What is that, anyway? Is he too amped up? Does the wrist still bother him? Is he trying to throw the ball 150 m.p.h.? Forget the radar gun, kid. Throw a strike.)

But sweet Lord Jeebus, if another Detroit pitcher besides Kenny Rogers has to field a ground ball, I might just go stick my head in an oven. I'm ready for Leyland to go off on a Joe Riggins-esque tirade ("This... is a simple game. You throw the ball... you hit the ball... you catch the ball!") during PFP. And the Tigers' pitchers - especially the relievers - need some #@$%ing PFP right now.

Rodney's lollygagging toss to first base - don't you dare give me that "wet grass" excuse - should be used as an example to Little Leaguers for years to come as to why you throw the ball after you field it, not lob it like an alley-oop to Yao Ming (who's probably the only guy who could've caught that ball).

All the good that Rodney had accomplished - and he was well on his way to saving this game for the Tigers - just sailed away with that toss down the right-field line.

Sure, Detroit can do this. Just... play better. Sounds simple, right? If they can keep the mistakes to an absolute minimum (Pitchers, if the ball is hit back to the mound, run away like it's on fire) and maintain a tough approach at the plate, the rest of what they've been doing has been enough to win. I don't like the Tigers' chances against Chris Carpenter in a possible Game 7 (though it would be at Comerica Park), but the series has to get there first.

The Cardinals, of course, will want to close this out at Busch Stadium with the home folks going crazy, and will surely try like hell to make that happen. Personally, I think Tony La Russa is doing the Tigers something of a favor by starting Jeff Weaver tonight over Anthony Reyes. (What, did he not watch Game 1? Did he miss something while his sunglasses were on?) But maybe he figures Weaver will be extra motivated to beat his original team. Or he just honestly thinks that scarecrow is his third-best starting pitcher.

And if Justin Verlander gets rocked tonight, it'll be one cold winter of second-guessing in Detroit. (Hell, it's already started.) I'm not exactly sure why Leyland is so adamant against starting Kenny Rogers "in this environment." Maybe he thinks the Cardinals fans will rattle Dirty Hand Kenny, and perhaps compel the umpires to inspecting Rogers' hand, glove, and uniform closely. Or maybe he just thinks Rogers is in a zone at home and doesn't want to mess with a good thing.
Besides, Verlander would have to pitch at some point. Tonight's game isn't any more "do-or-die" than the next two would be. So does it really make a difference?

Either way, I know I'll be wearing gloves tonight, to prevent myself from biting my fingernails down to the bone. And yes, I love this. I could just use a bit less anxiety with the whole thing.

Doing the anti-rain dance...

▪▪ In his piece detailing the havoc that rainouts will wreak upon this World Series (70% chance of rain tonight, by the way - and Friday isn't looking so good, either), ESPN.com's Jayson Stark includes this gem of a quote from Jim Leyland.

When asked how he spent the three hours of waiting while MLB decided whether or not Game 3 would be played, Leyland responded: "I smoked about a carton. It was probably one of the worst days of the year -- for my lungs."

▪▪ Also at ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick asks several Tigers and Cardinals a question I've heard from several casual-to-non-baseball fans over the past week: Should the World Series be played at a neutral (warmer) site each year? (You can probably imagine what most of the answers were.)

▪▪ Why would the media even bring up such a subject? Well, they hate the Busch Stadium press box, which is exposed to the elements. The Baseball Writers' Association of America hates it so much, in fact, that they're asking MLB not to award the 2009 All-Star Game to St. Louis until those facilities are improved.

▪▪ Did the Cardinals dial down the Busch Stadium radar gun to mess with Joel Zumaya's head? MLB.com's Jason Beck explores yet another conspiracy theory surrounding this series. (So does that explain Zumaya trying to throw to third on Tuesday night? Maybe he was trying to loosen up his arm some more?)

▪▪ I don't have any feeling for this, but Slate's Larry Borowsky seems to think that America is annoyed that the Cardinals are in the World Series (and two wins away from a championship). No rooting for the underdog, apparently.

▪▪ And here's a guy who seems annoyed that the Tigers are in the World Series. Former major league pitcher Mark Knudson now writes for Mile High Sports and holds Jim Leyland in rather low regard for the job he did in Colorado. Knudson also doesn't care much for Kenny Rogers - and he felt that way before the recent "pine tar" controversy in Game 2.

[Edited at 11 a.m.]

Hey, self-defeaters - quit looking down

First thing this morning, my buddy Rob told me not to worry. I wish he'd have been there for me last night when I was chewing on my remote.

It's not that I'm worried. Actually, I'm kind of mad. Because Chris Carpenter was very good - maybe great - but I think the Tigers more than helped him out with that.

How about making the opposing pitcher work for his victory? These were the "bad" Tigers creeping up again - impatient at the plate, swinging at bad pitches, making it easy for the opposing starter.

82 pitches in eight innings? As Billfer points out, no Tigers batter ever reached three balls in the count. No one in the road greys saw more than five pitches in an at-bat. I'm ready to join Jim Leyland in the smokers' lounge after typing that out.

And Carpenter was a guy that looked spent in the NLCS. Tony La Russa squeezed that sponge dry during the division series against the Padres, pitching Carpenter twice, getting anything and everything he could from the Cardinals' ace in order to advance to the next round. Against New York, he was tapped out. And the Mets didn't bail him out by chasing pitches out of the strike zone, either.

But last night's game also provided plenty of other stuff to worry about. Things that the Tigers had found dependable virtually all season, such as Placido Polanco at the plate, suddenly aren't looking working out for them. (Curtis Granderson and Pudge Rodriguez are obviously concerns, too, but they've been prone to strikeouts and lunging at bad pitches throughout the season.)

And then there's the bullpen, which perhaps had been the Tigers' most fearsome weapon. That was one hell of a meltdown by Joel Zumaya. Had his two-week respite taken away his edge? Is his wrist still bothering him? Regardless of the reasons, Zumaya essentially lit himself on fire by walking the first two hitters. ESPN.com's Keith Law thinks Zumaya was getting squeezed by an inconsistent strike zone. Yet Law's colleagues at "Baseball Tonight" said after the game that Detroit's Voodoo Child didn't look very sharp while warming up, either.

But Zumaya almost got himself out of trouble when he got Albert Pujols to hit a grounder back to the mound. A sure double-play ball. Just turn around and toss the ball to second base, and everyone on the Detroit side could exhale.

Well, not so much. For whatever reason, Zumaya opted to go to third, which no one expected, least of all Brandon Inge. What the hell was he thinking, especially when Jim Leyland came to the mound and told him to throw to second if just such a situation arose? Who knows? It was infuriatingly similar to Justin Verlander's ill-advised decision to try and pick Pujols off first base in Game 1 of the series.

Both of the runners Zumaya put on base scored, and the game was pretty much over after that. I was screaming at my television until I caught a glimpse of Zumaya looking up at the sky for answers. You could see it in his eyes. He knew he made a huge mistake and probably cost his team the game. At that moment, he looked a lot like the kid that his age says he is, and it was difficult to stay mad at the poor guy.

Still, some extra "PFP" with Todd Jones before tonight's game might not be a bad idea.

Yes, Carpenter had great stuff last night, and deserves plenty of credit for a dominating performance. But I just can't shake the feeling that the Tigers largely beat themselves. And if they don't begin to find some discipline at the plate - as well as some more bat finding the ball - this series, despite my friend's assurances, likely won't be coming back to Detroit.

Ooooh, that smudge!

Kind of a shame for the post-game chatter to focus on that "big clump of dirt" on Kenny Rogers' pitching hand during the first inning, eh?

Considering Rogers' pitched seven amazing innings after that with clean hands, the mysterious "discoloration" on his left hand would seem to be a moot point. I had kind of a sick feeling in my stomach, however, when ESPN showed clips from Rogers' other post-season starts, in which he also appeared to have something on his left hand.

But hey, if the umpires didn't think the smudge was suspicious enough to examine Rogers' hand, glove, hat, or anything else on his uniform, and if the Cardinals weren't demanding that kind of examination - or his immediate ejection from the game - then I guess it's not an issue, and Rogers isn't the real-life version of Major League's Eddie Harris.

If La Russa says "it's not important to talk about," Aaron Miles doesn't think Rogers was cheating, and Albert Pujols didn't notice anything, then that's it. No accusations. No excuses.

Or, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bryan Burwell (welcome back to Detroit, Bryan) speculates, Tony La Russa just didn't want to pursue that route. He wants his team to win because of their play on the field, not from pointing at the rule book.

As you might imagine, however, Cardinal Nation doesn't agree with that and is more than a bit upset about the smudge. Viva El Birdos cites the exact rule and calls Rogers a "cheat." Go Crazy, Folks! thinks Rogers was busted, should've been tossed, and may have still been cheating later in the game. (I'm eager to see what Mr. Leitch might have to say on the matter later today.)

Who can blame them? If Jeff Weaver had something on his hand last night, and the Tigers lost, I'd probably be writing about it right now, too. I'd like to think I'd let it go if Weaver pitched even better after washing his hands, but who knows?

But if Rogers ends up pitching Game 6 of this series back at Comerica Park, I'll bet he receives some much closer scrutiny, whether it's from the umpires, the FOX television cameras, or the Cardinals' dugout. Hey, if the series is on the line, that rule book could suddenly become quite a handy weapon.

And knowing is half the battle

So now we finally know. A rematch of the 1968 World Series, if you haven't already heard. Even though I said yesterday that I wanted the Mets because they looked weaker, pitching-wise (and Vance Wilson could wreak vengeance upon the team that spurned him), I'm glad the opponent is the Cardinals. It's more of a "classic" match-up, and I like that two supposed cornerstones from the Randy Smith regime will be returning to Detroit.

The Midwesterner in me also loves that the East Coast is being frozen out. But really, I'm most excited about the Battle of the Soul Patches, between Brandon Inge and Scott Spiezio. Keep the color natural, Ingie. (Note to FOX Sports, take it easy with the close-ups on Spiezio's red stripe.)

Let's create some new baseball memories, Detroit. Bubba Helms is dead. (There's a potential title for a new Tigers blog, if anyone wants it.) That brings us to the World Series edition of...

Like stripes on the fur coat of a Tiger...

▪▪ ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists the reasons why the Cardinals are in trouble. First and foremost? The Tigers have been watching you, St. Louis. And they've been taking notes.

▪▪ Anyone else looking forward to Jeff Weaver likely starting one of the first two games in Detroit (probably Game 2)? If I were FOX, I'd try to make sure Weaver bumps into Dave Dombrowski at some point during workouts or warm-ups. (Too bad he won't be matched up against Jeremy Bonderman...)

▪▪ Of all the nicknames I've tried to give Craig Monroe this season, "Monroeguez" never once occurred to me.

▪▪ I missed Endy Chavez's catch when it happened (I was joining Mike McClary for a recording of The Daily Fungo Podcast - to be posted within the next day or so, I'd bet), but after seeing the highlight a half-dozen times now, I'm thinking that has to rank among the all-time catches (especially among post-season highlights).

Salon's King Kaufman says it might have been considered the greatest, if the Mets had won the game. Slate's Josh Levin also has some thoughts on that subject.

▪▪ Do you think Carlos Beltran suffered a knee injury from the way he buckled at that last Adam Wainwright curveball? That, as they say, was nasty. (Mets GM Omar Minaya called it "unhittable.") Prediction for future Beltran nickname: Mr. Freeze. Or is that too lame?

▪▪ You already knew Deadspin's Will Leitch was a huge Cardinals fan. But apparently, an editor at Gawker (a colleague of Will's within the Gawker Media blog conglomerate) is a huge Detroit Tigers fan. Thus, the two editors are making a World Series bet: On the Tuesday following the completion of the Series, the loser has to post not only on his own site, but cover the posts at the other site, too. (Thanks to Fried Rice Thoughts' New York Bureau Chief, Mis Hooz, for passing this along.)

So if you really, really like Will Leitch (and here's his side of the bet), you'll root for the Cardinals, I suppose. Deadspin's been berry, berry good to us over the past year, but we're still going to cheer for the Tigers.

Three nights in June

Well, two nights and one afternoon, really. Hey, I'm trying to be clever, okay?

It's all I'm left with, in trying to describe what happened at Comerica Park this weekend. Maybe you'd prefer I contribute the 482nd piece on the friendship and professional admiration between Jim Leyland and Tony LaRussa?

If there's anyone still wondering how the Tigers might fare against "good" teams, how does a sweep of the second-best team in the National League (with their best player back in the lineup) suit you? St. Louis came into Detroit hoping to stop a three-game losing streak, and left with six straight losses pinned to their wings.

Pick a moment, any moment, your favorite moment from this weekend. Was it Marcus Thames' game-tying home run in Saturday night's ninth inning? (Or Placido Polanco's game-winning double in the 10th?) Brandon Inge doing his best Brooks Robinson impersonation on Sunday, with two highlight-film snares at the third-base line (and throwing out the runner at first from his knees)?

Me, I'm going with Curtis Granderson - who had a fantastic series - and his drive over Jim Edmonds' head (!!!) in the eighth inning yesterday. Not only was it a hard-fought at-bat versus Randy Flores. Not only did it happen on a 3-2 count. But it was a double over Jim Edmonds' head.

Doesn't Edmonds always make that catch? Didn't it look like he was getting himself in position for his latest over-the-shoulder, back-turned-to-home-plate web gem? (Am I overestimating him as a centerfielder?) Instead, Edmonds raised his glove up in vain and watched the ball sail past him. Alexis Gomez scores, Tigers take the lead for good. Get out the brooms and sweep up those Cardinals feathers.

Lest it need be mentioned again, Curtis Granderson is sooooo My Tiger.

Even better, the Tigers gained a game on Chicago. I went to sleep cursing Brad Lidge for giving up a ninth-inning grand slam to Tadahito Iguchi in last night's Astros-White Sox finale. Just can't shake those Sox! But my morning coffee tastes much sweeter with the news that the Astros pulled out the win in the 11th. Thanks, Willy Taveras.

Now let's see what you can do against these Tigers. Bring on that Clemens guy, too.