AL Central Thread

[Sparkman]

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Tigers TV guys either ....
Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey make Tigers announcers look sad since they left.

I don't hear Vin Scully screaming in the booth ....

Not really a Vin Scully fan, don't like the single man style. Look at the history of Chicago baseball announcers, Hawk, Harry Caray (both sides of town), even Jack Brickhouse. Ron Santo on radio. Fans in the booth. One reason Harry's grandkid failed in Chicago, too blah. Now that I live out of town and have MLBEI, I notice how bland most announcers are. Have some emotion, live & die with your team.

 

[Go Sox!!]

If you don't like the announcers then don't listen. Better yet don't watch.

 

[Jimbo]

Not really a Vin Scully fan, don't like the single man style. Look at the history of Chicago baseball announcers, Hawk, Harry Caray (both sides of town), even Jack Brickhouse. Ron Santo on radio. Fans in the booth. One reason Harry's grandkid failed in Chicago, too blah. Now that I live out of town and have MLBEI, I notice how bland most announcers are. Have some emotion, live & die with your team.

Can you say overzealous homer ?

I prefer the professional side of calling the game, not the Rah rah guy.

 

[Sparkman]

Can you say overzealous homer ?

I prefer the professional side of calling the game, not the Rah rah guy.

On a local broadcast, no such thing. National broadcast, yes. That overzealous homer will also be the first one to call out his team when the screw up.

 

[riffjim4069]

Thank God I can listen to Hawk & Stoney. Sorry, but they're tons better than those bland Detroit announcers. You can put that on the Board, Yes!

I'm not a fan of the Tigers broadcast team (they are fair to poor) but I cringe whenever I hear, "He gone!" Their broadcast runs through my system faster than a, "Can of Creamed Corn." I didn't know they had Hillbillies in Chicago.

 

[riffjim4069]

Did anyone hear that giant sucking sound? No, it's not all the jobs heading down to Mexico after the signing of NAFTA. It's the sound of the Detroit Tigers flushing their season down the commode.

Trying very hard to remain positive...

 

[Jimbo]

Did anyone hear that giant sucking sound? No, it's not all the jobs heading down to Mexico after the signing of NAFTA. It's the sound of the Detroit Tigers flushing their season down the commode.

Trying very hard to remain positive...

I'm thinking they're about done.

The water has been swirling for quite some time now.

Then again, they been losing the first game of a series alot lately, if they manage to win 3 of 4, they will still be ok.

 

[hwkn]

And this game is Ovah....whitesox 6 tigers 1

 

[Jimbo]

And this game is Ovah.

This game was over when the Sox took the lead, meaning, it's BEEN over for awhile.

 

[riffjim4069]

Time to call a team meeting...

 

[Jimbo]

Time to call a team meeting...

and ?

 

[riffjim4069]

and ?

...to put some passion, smarts and urgency into their play as a team. I don't want to see giggles nor fancy-dancy handshakes after scoring a run. I want to see nasty, hate-filled, "I would rather die than lose" scowls. I want our pitches to orchestrate a little chin music, and I want our runners to slide with spikes high. We need leadership! Here's a story on ESPN's MLB Frontpage:

Inconceivable!

Tigers remain more famous than good

It's possible, in the end, that the Detroit Tigers just aren't as good as everyone believed. Famous? Sure. Big-name players? Sure. A playoff team? Not so sure.

Take Monday's starter in the first game of a crucial four-game showdown against the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox. Rick Porcello has been famous in baseball circles since he was the 27th pick in the 2007 draft. Many scouts believed he had the best arm in the draft that year but he fell to Detroit because of a high price tag. After one year at Class A ball, he was in the majors as a 20-year-old rookie in 2009 and had a pretty nice season, going 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA. Jim Leyland had enough confidence in Porcello to start him in the AL Central tiebreaker game against the Twins, and Porcello left in the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead, although the Tigers would eventually lose the game.

Many in the game still love Porcello's arm, especially his bread-and-butter power sinker, and they've been waiting for a breakthrough season. It hasn't happened. Monday night, he was cruising along through five innings, having allowed only two hits and his sinker had helped generate six ground-ball outs.

Full Story

 

[satjay]

I think tonight is one of those must games

 

[riffjim4069]

I think tonight is one of those must games

Absolutely! They need to take of business with the White Sox and finish the season at least 15-7 to win the AL Central.

Schedule:
Tue, Sep 11 @White Sox 8:10 PM Fister (8-8) Peavy (10-10)
Wed, Sep 12 @White Sox 8:10 PM Scherzer (15-6) Floyd (9-9)
Thu, Sep 13 @White Sox 8:10 PM Verlander (13-8) Sale (16-6)
Fri, Sep 14 @Cleveland 7:05 PM Sanchez (7-12) Kluber (1-3)
Sat, Sep 15 @Cleveland 4:05 PM Porcello (9-12) Masterson (11-13)
Sun, Sep 16 @Cleveland 3:05 PM Fister (8-8) Jimenez (9-15)
Tue, Sep 18 vsOakland 7:05 PM
Wed, Sep 19 vsOakland 7:05 PM
Thu, Sep 20 vsOakland 1:05 PM
Fri, Sep 21 vsMinnesota 7:05 PM
Sat, Sep 22 vsMinnesota 4:05 PM
Sun, Sep 23 vsMinnesota 1:05 PM
Mon, Sep 24 vsKansas City 7:05 PM
Tue, Sep 25 vsKansas City 7:05 PM
Wed, Sep 26 vsKansas City 7:05 PM
Thu, Sep 27 vsKansas City 1:05 PM
Fri, Sep 28 @Minnesota 8:10 PM
Sat, Sep 29 @Minnesota 1:10 PM
Sun, Sep 30 @Minnesota 2:10 PM
Mon, Oct 1 @Kansas City 8:10 PM
Tue, Oct 2 @Kansas City 8:10 PM
Wed, Oct 3 @Kansas City 8:10 PM

 

[satjay]

Well If they are going make that run, they have there big three going the next three nights

 

[Sparkman]

I agree tonight is a big game with Peavy going. No clue what will happen with Floyd coming back tomorrow, and Sale/Verlander 2 could go either way. If Sox can get a win tonight they can guarantee at least a 2 game lead at the end of the series. That would be huge.

 

[king3pj]

Everyone in Detroit needs to relax. I agree that they haven't lived up to their potential but people are overreacting. You should hear the people on Detroit sports talk radio. They are acting like the season is over, saying they are done watching and Leyland should be fired. Hell we could be tied for first on Thursday night. We have Scherzer tomorrow and Verlander Thursday. Everyone seems to forget just how long the season is and they overreact to every little swing up and down throughout the season. If the Tigers do make it into the playoffs I think they have just as good of a shot as anyone.

 

[riffjim4069]

Everyone in Detroit needs to relax. I agree that they haven't lived up to their potential but people are overreacting. You should hear the people on Detroit sports talk radio. They are acting like the season is over, saying they are done watching and Leyland should be fired. Hell we could be tied for first on Thursday night. We have Scherzer tomorrow and Verlander Thursday. Everyone seems to forget just how long the season is and they overreact to every little swing up and down throughout the season. If the Tigers do make it into the playoffs I think they have just as good of a shot as anyone.

Thank goodness I'm living in VA and TX. The Tigers have the personnel to be 20-30 games above .500. Yet they have been under-performing all season long. I feel the criticisms are fair and justified at this stage of the playoff race. Others, such as the ESPN article I referenced earlier, are all very critical...the Tigers have a championship-level team and should be in 1st place IMO.

 

[king3pj]

Thank goodness I'm living in VA and TX. The Tigers have the personnel to be 20-30 games above .500. Yet they have been under-performing all season long. I feel the criticisms are fair and justified at this stage of the playoff race. Others, such as the ESPN article I referenced earlier, are all very critical...the Tigers have a championship-level team and should be in 1st place IMO.

I agree that there are reasons to be critical. They have definitely underperformed, no question about that... But what are these people who are saying the season is over, they are done watching, and the Tigers are out of the playoff race going to do if they are in first place on Thursday? Are they really going to stop watching? Are they still out of the race? Of course they aren't so why bother making ridiculous statements like that?

 

[satjay]

Tigers get a big win, I thought they needed that one to stay in the hunt.