What a horrific weekend of action for the Detroit Tigers.  Being swept by the uber-hot Tampa Bay (don’t call us “Devil”) Rays at home where they have won 39 of their last 48 is nothing to be ashamed of.  However, what is unsettling to my stomach that has simply had enough, is the fashion that the Tigers have lost each of the three games.

Baseball fans have gotten used to seeing this lately

The Tigers are starting to resemble another professional sports team that calls Detroit home, by finding new and exciting ways to lose games.  Now, I’m not pulling the dramatic card and suggesting that things are anywhere near as bad as they are next door at Ford Field with the Detroit Lions, but I will say that at least about the Lions is that they are expected to lose.  That same statement honestly can’t be said about the Kitties at Comerica.

Detroit sports fans are used to seeing this…but not at Comerica!!!

One of the common conclusions for the recent failures is due to the fact that the entire bullpen is suddenly full of gas cans, just waiting to implode when called upon.  A ‘pen that is supposed to be improved with the return of Zumaya and Rodney, along with the deadline addition of the big righty from the Yankees, Kyle Farnsworth.  All that this group has been able to show, is that they are extremely vulnerable and don’t have the mental capacity to pitch their way out of tough situations.

It would be nice to have a solid, dependable arm coming out of this beautiful ‘pen…wouldn’t it?

Sunday was yet another blasphemous display of just how horrible things have become.  The bats gave the Tigers two opportunities to close the door, and in the 1st opportunity the prized acquisition gets touched…er; should I say SLAMMED, for a pair of moon-shots courtesy of Eric Hinske and BJ Upton which allows the Rays to jump back ahead in a game that should have salvaged a win in the weekend series.

The only reason why they were given another shot at a victory is due to Detroit Tigers catalyst, Curtis Granderson leads off the 9th with a blast of his own, off of former teammate Troy Percival (who has been lights out), followed by Bobby Seay pitching a clean bottom half of the inning to send it to extras.  At that point anything could have happened, and it did.  In the top half of the 10th Miguel Cabrera hits a ball that would’ve broken through the roof had it not hit the cat-walk above the playing field to put the Tigers ahead for another brief stint.  It’s almost as if you could see what was going to happen, before it even happened.  Cue the music.

Thought we had the win after Miggy’s blast…(insert sad face)

Chance number two comes when Fernando Rodney makes his way to the mound for another shot at his 1st save since being officially named closer.  Rodney’s line: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3BB (1HBP) 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K.  Needless to say, “FROD” (pronounced fraud) doesn’t have the closer’s knack that his stuff garners.  He may be successful elsewhere, but his value has surely hit a low and may need to start off fresh elsewhere to redeem himself and prove that he’s got good enough stuff to be a major league pitcher.

Yeah…closing isn’t going so well is it?  We’ve seen a lot of looks like this out of Fernando!

Seriously, what happened to this team?  There is little to no drive there.  All they can show are flashes here and there, but nothing has gelled enough to live up to the lofty expectations that were placed upon them.  They have had opportunity after opportunity to minimize the gap that separates them from the true contenders and have failed at each and every shot.  Maybe they are content to collect a paycheck and be mired in mediocrity, because if there was any sign of hope, it was crushed this weekend.

Add in the fact that Minnesota has caught and surpassed the Sox for first, they are going to be battling it out the rest of the way, leaving two teams to catch by the margin they are trailing.  Add to that, the Tigers can’t beat the Central on their own and that my friends is a recipe for disaster.

Slow down Twinkies…You’ve only been in first for less than a day.

Needless to say, the 2008 Detroit Tigers season has not only been a disappointment, it has been a bust, leaving a record number of fans confused at what the future has to offer.  Long gone is the high of a magical run in 2006, leaving many wondering what went wrong.  With some of the decisions made, one can only hope that the moves don’t hold a long-term effect.

Hindsight is 20/20, and unfortunately breaking even is about what this Tigers squad is capable of doing.

The non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone and we are now stuck with the pieces we have for the remainder of the season.  That is, unless we are able to acquire someone via the waiver-wire or work out a deal for a player that can clear waivers.

All of the hysteria and hoopla surrounding the Tigers before the 2008 season began, the hopes, dreams and anticipation of a long and deep playoff run, we are here after 108 games sitting 5.5 games back of first place in the Central, as well as in the wild card race.  Not necessarily out of it, but with the way lack of drive the Tigers have shown coming out of the gates in the second half, it doesn’t look as if they are too concerned with that.  This is extremely disappointing, as they headed into the All-Star break with so much momentum, certainly they must realize that time is of the essence.

Maybe the Tigers took this motivational poster a bit too literally?

Heading into Thursdays’ deadline, many fans were wondering if they Tigers were going to be buyers, or sellers.  I for one assumed that moving a player like Pudge would be in the best interest of the club, as well as possibly another star player that had some interest.  I figured that a team loaded with prospects like the Marlins, or a team that is always willing to take a chance such as the Yankees would seem to be the logical fit.

YES!  I’m going to New York!

When Florida couldn’t work anything out, (they are the most in need of an upgrade at the backstop position) of course the Yankees stepped up and made it happen.  While I was excited to hear when the news broke that Pudge had been dealt, I was a bit nervous to hear exactly what they received in return.  I was irresponsibly thinking that perhaps Dombrowski was able to squeeze away one of the few blue-chippers that the Yanks have left in their system (a quality young arm like Ian Kennedy or Dellin Betancess, prospect catcher like Jesus Montero, or even take a shot at the likes of Austin Jackson or Phil Hughes…maybe a reach) but no, they go after a hard-throwing reliever, Kyle Farnsworth.

 
High-Five!  Let’s get traded for each other in a couple years?   

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Farnsy and what he brings to the team.  And, with the constant drubbing this ‘pen receives, his arrival will be welcomed.  He will challenge, and keep Fernando Rodney honest in his tryout as the newly annointed closer in Tiger-Town.  The problem that I do have though, is this is a short-term move that doesn’t have the long-range plan in thought.  Farnsworth is signed only through the remainder of the season (just like Pudge) so this could end up being a swap for the remaining 54 games.

Farnsworth may be remembered mostly for his right-cross more than his fastball!

Yes, it gaps a need that the Tigers have struggled with all year; however, should they be unable to re-sign the big, burly hard-thrower this deal is nothing more than a parallel move.  They had a shot to get better not just for now, but for next year and they somewhat blew it.

There was a market for a veteran backstop, and teams were more than likely willing to pay a price.  With the ability that Brandon Inge has shown in being able to be the Tigers everyday catcher, Pudge’s value was lessened in Detroit.  With the repeat All-Star/Gold Glove winner being expendable, they could have used the opportunity to re-stock the shelves a bit, but instead chose to try to keep the dream alive of acting as if they are in the mix of things.

While you can’t fault them for not raising the white flag, you can certainly tack it on to the long line of short-sighted moves that the Tigers GM has signed his name off on.
Let’s hope the Tigers prove me wrong and shut me up, making me eat my words.  To be honest though, I have little fear that that day will come, as I just don’t see any signs that this team deserves to be in contention.

Dearest readers…

I apologize for the mass of blogs posted in such a short span, but it is something that I have been working on for a bit and meaning to post (close to a week now…) but time as always is of the essence.  Which put me in my dilemma!

So, with my impending trip the New York City shortly upon me (flying out Tuesday) I decided it was now or never (and I didn’t want to waste all that time putting them together…HOPE YOU ENJOY!)  I will be catching the Yankees vs. Twins (Mussina vs. Blackburn) game on Wednesday, followed by a game at Shea as the Mets battle the Phillies (Perez vs. Moyer) Thursday and won’t be posting anything for close to a week.  Loading you up may not be such a bad thing!

Oh, and don’t worry Tiger fans, I won’t be rooting for either New York squad. I just figured that I HAD to go to both parks before they move to their new billion dollar corporate digs next season.

Until next time…