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Tigers Weekly 2010 Season |
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WEEK 5: 5/2/10 - 5/9/10 |
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For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. Ernie Harwell – Forever the Voice of the Detroit Tigers (Listen here to the yearly ritual from Ernie Harwell) ----------------------------------------------------- Ernie Harwell Forever… ----------------------------------------------------- “Thank you, folks. Thank you very much. We don't want to be penalized now for delay of the game. But I do want to express my feelings here. It's a wonderful night for me. I really feel lucky to be here, and I want to thank you for that warm welcome. I want to express my deep appreciation to Mike Ilitch, Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers for that video salute and also for the many great things they've done for me and my family throughout my career here with the Tigers. In my almost 92 years on this Earth, the good Lord has blessed me with a great journey, and the blessed part of that journey is that it's going to end here in the great state of Michigan. I deeply appreciate the people of Michigan. I love their grit. I love the way they face life. I love the family values they have. And you Tiger fans are the greatest fans of all, no question about that. And I certainly want to thank you from the depth of my heart for your devotion, your support, your loyalty and your love. Thank you very much, and God bless you.” Ernie Harwell (1918 – 2010) ----------------------------------------------------- Harwell’s Final Farewell Interview... ----------------------------------------------------- Last fall, the Detroit Free Press was granted the final official extended media interview with Ernie Harwell on the condition that it not get release until after his passing. After 92 years on this Earth, Ernie moved on to a better place and the Free Press released the three part interview Sunday. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Ernie Harwerll’s Final Words – "My words to the fans would be don't ever give up on the Tigers. This is a great baseball area. I think the ballclub appreciates your loyalty and your support and the knowledge that you have in baseball. I hope you will continue to root for them. "And I hope that you will always remember that I was there at one time and broadcast a few of their games." It is safe to say Ernie definitely will never be forgotten! ----------------------------------------------------- 4/26 – 5/2 What started out as a week 1/2 a game behind the Minnesota Twins and first place on the line ended with a sweep, tears, a flood, and a split. It was one of those weeks in the season that you know will usually come and you hope that you have many more of the other weeks than a week like last. Just about everything seemed to not go the Tigers way in the past week, but in the end they only remain 3 1/2 games out of first (it could be much worse). Austin Jackson continues to keep atop the hits leader board and both Jackson and Cabrera are 1-2 in the average department by week’s end. In the end, going 1-4 in divisional games is not something the Tigers hope to continue if they want to remain in contention come September. Looking ahead, the “Big Bad Yankees” come to town in a reunion of sorts for many players. Although Curtis Granderson is on the DL with a torn groin, Austin Jackson, Johnny Damon, Phil Coke and Marcus Thames all get their first chance to face their former team and teammates this week. Andy Pettitte was scratched this weekend thus putting Sergio Mitre in the starting spot to start the series. Javier Vazquez who has struggled all season long still has always been a thorn in the Tigers side and it should be a very interesting matchup. Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia round out the four game set, with Justin Verlander opposing Sabathia in what should be a pitching classic Thursday afternoon. The weekend series brings the other Big Bad East team to the ballpark when the Boston Red Sox come as well. Hopefully the Tigers can get through the Yankees with at least a spilt and can mind a minor miracle to win the week. At a projected glance, the Tigers are slated to face Beckett, Lester, and Lackey. Granted that the Red Sox pitchers have been MIA here and there this season, but these three pitchers all seem to turn in decent games against the Tigers. Let’s hope the downer Sox show up for the weekend. Record: 1-4 LLL--WL Undy-Five Hundy: Well the week did not go as expected and three more losses than wins dropped the index back to just a negative three. Hopefully this is the key week to driving the index out of sight into the negatives. Up Next for the Tigers... Week One May 10-13 New York Yankees (0-0, 0-0 Home) May 14-16 Boston Red Sox (0-0, 0-0 Home) Week Two May 17-18 Chicago White Sox (0-0, 0-0 Home) May 19-20 @ Oakland Athletics (0-0, 0-0 Away) May 21-23 @ Los Angeles Dodgers (0-0, 0-0 Away) AL Central Standings... W L GB MIN 21 11 - DET 17 14 3.5 CWS 13 19 8.0 CLE 11 18 8.5 KC 11 21 10.0 Tigers Division... W L GB TB 22 9 - \ TOR 19 14 4.0 NYM 17 14 5.0 DET 17 14 5.0 WAS 17 14 5.0 OAK 17 15 5.5 ----------------------------------------------------- Tiger News and Notes... -----------------------------------------------------
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Fan Ballpark Photo Board...
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Once again this year at Tigersweekly.com, we have a
devoted a photo section to the fans of MLB and the
Detroit. We are asking all baseball fans to send in
their pictures from stadiums across America and to
write about their experiences at the park. Pictures
and memories do not need to be of Comerica Park,
as all stadiums are welcome. Please take a look at
http://www.tigersweekly.com/Photos/TWReader.htm
to see all of the pictures our viewers have already
sent in over the years.
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Game Lines of the Week...
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Monday, May 3rd 8:10 pm
Starters: DET - Scherzer 4.1 IP
MIN - Baker 7.0 IP
R H E (W - L)
Detroit 000 120 001 4 9 0 (16-11)
Minnesota 430 030 00x 10 12 1 (17-9)
W Baker (3-2)
L Scherzer (1-2)
S ---
Tuesday, May 4th 8:10 pm
Starters: DET - Willis 5.1 IP
MIN - Blackburn 9.0 IP
R H E (W - L)
Detroit 000 200 001 3 11 0 (16-12)
Minnesota 200 001 001 4 8 0 (18-9)
W Blackburn (2-1)
L Perry (1-2)
S ---
Wednesday, May 5th 1:10 pm
Starters: DET - Porcello 5.1 IP
MIN - Slowey 5.2 IP
R H E (W - L)
Detroit 001 101 001 4 8 1 (16-13)
Minnesota 201 200 00x 5 7 0 (19-9)
W Slowey (4-2)
L Porcello (2-3)
S Rauch (8)
Thursday, May 6th
--- NO GAME SCHEDULED ---
Friday, May 7th 7:05 pm
--- GAME POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN IN TOP OF 5TH ---
Saturday, May 8th 1:05 pm
Starters: DET - Verlander 6.0 IP
CLE - Masterson 6.0 IP
R H E (W - L)
Detroit 300 200 010 6 9 1 (17-13)
Cleveland 000 102 010 4 7 1 (10-18)
W Verlander (3-2)
L Wood (0-1)
S Valverde (8)
Sunday, May 9th 1:05 pm
Starters: DET - Scherzer 5.0 IP
MIN - Talbot 5.0 IP
R H E (W - L)
Detroit 101 020 000 4 8 2 (17-14)
Cleveland 040 010 20x 7 10 0 (11-18)
W Talbot (4-2)
L Scherzer (1-3)
S Perez (5)
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Grey Fox on the Prowl...
-----------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, May 2, the lovely & talented Mrs. Claus
and I headed to Comerica Park for a lovely
afternoon of baseball. Justin Verlander was on the
hill, and we were hoping to see him break out of his
April slump (though, admittedly, his version of
slumping would qualify as great success for most
members of the pitching staff). We were not
disappointed.
Verlander threw what was probably the smoothest,
most dominant game that I've ever seen, in person.
Justin-Credible (blame the lame scoreboard operator,
not me) allowed no hits for the middle seven innings,
retiring 23 straight Angels at one point. If not for a
bland 2-out single to Torii Hunter in the top of the
1st, he would have carried a perfect game into the
9th. In particular, I was impressed that he was
sometimes pitching to contact, in addition to going
for Ks. As much as I love him, I think sometimes he
tries too hard to strike guys out, and gets involved in
long, drawn-out showdowns with hitters. I would
much rather have him give up a few more hits & stick
around through the 7th inning than his usual M.O. of
getting everyone out for 5 innings, but then getting
pulled with a pitch count in the 100s.
For awhile, it Jared Weaver looked like he would be
able to keep pace with Verlander, as the Tigers failed
to capitalize on early man-at-3rd-with-less-than-2-out
opportunities. However, the 7-8-9 men of Avila,
Sizemore & Santiago got things going in the bottom
of the 5th, and the Tigers got a 5-0 lead that they
never relinquished. Also, Biggie Bagel won the
unkin' Donuts race.
-----------------------------------------------------
On Thursday night, the lovely & talented One
unexpectedly found ourselves back at the park, this
time for the Ernie Harwell viewing. Not only were
we anxious to pay our respects to the greatest
announcers that ever lived, but also to see how the
whole event would run.
I've never seen anything like it. Due to piano
lessons, mowing the lawn, etc, we didn't get down to
the stadium until 10:30pm. To our great surprise, it
was packed! The 3-4 dirt parking lots on
Woodward, north of Hockeytown, were full. The
Comerica lot was full. The Episcopal Church was
full. The line stretched north on Witherall to the
corner, bent east, and went about halfway down
Montcalm. We were told that the wait would be
about an hour, and got in line.
The full Comerica Park staff was out, wearing their
orange jackets, talking to the fans, handing out cups
of water and coffee. The crowd was a bit
melancholic, but also enjoying memories of the man.
As we were getting there, the Red Wings game was
just releasing, so a lot of the newbies were fans from
the game. A few of them were drunk & a bit
obnoxious - mostly women, oddly enough - but the
vulgarities were quickly shushed down by the
majority of the crowd.
Upon arriving at the entrance, the line went through
the far left doors and bent past the statue of Ernie,
where his casket was lying open. There were several
photos of him blown up and arranged along the line -
pics of him and Lulu, him in his military uniform,
him in the booth, etc. Lots of people were taking
pictures, praying, etc, and everyone in that area acted
very tastefully.
For my part, I said a little prayer, thanking the Lord
for his service as an announcer, and for his model as
a Christian witness. As his interviews have been
played & replayed recently, one couldn't help but
notice how frequently Ernie went out of his way to
credit God for his talent, his health, and his
opportunities in life... and yet, he never struck me as
proselytizing or being pushy. I asked God to instill a
similar spirit in me, and also to allow me to emulate
Ernie's ability to always see & speak the best of
everyone I meet. Perhaps the most remarkable thing
to me is that I never heard Ernie bad-mouth anyone -
not the jerks on the Tigers in the 1990s, not Ty Cobb
(who he met & interviewed several times), not even
Bo Schembechler, who fired him against the wishes
of 98% of Tigers fans (actual poll numbers). I have
always thought that if one wants to honor the
deceased, speeches and statues don't measure up to
living one's life in the ways that the dearly departed
lived theirs. If everyone - including me - acted a
little more like Ernie, Detroit and the world would be
a far better place.
As we left, several Tigers officials were there,
shaking hands and profusely thanking people for
coming out. When we left at around 11:30, the line
was still as long as it had been when we got in it, if
not longer. I read later that over 10,000 filed
through, and that the last people didn't leave until
12:30 or 1am. It was altogether a fitting and
appropriate tribute to a great man and a local hero.
Grey Fox OUT
-----------------------------------------------------
Toolie’s Trashtalk...
-----------------------------------------------------
It wasn't such a great week for the Tigers. They
went 1-4 on the road, including a sweep at the hands
of the Minnesota Twins, and the inevitable finally
happened with the passing of Ernie Harwell. The
Harwell patches the players wore on their uniforms
seemed to sum it up best... "EH."
But whether you are up or down baseball forces you
to move on because, guess what?! There's a game
almost every freaking day! The Tigers came home to
Comerica Monday night to say goodbye to Ernie and
to open a seven-game homestand against the
Yankees and Red Sox. Yikes! To make matters
worse, the rejuvenated Dontrelle Willis had to miss
his start tonight with flu-like symptoms (again),
leaving Brad Thomas and Eddie Bonine the task of
working the early innings against the Bronx
Bombers.
But with the spirit of Ernie Harwell alive and well in
the park the Tigers won a close 5-4 contest on
national TV. The game featured a 3 RBI
performance from Brennan Boesch (who is trying to
challenge Austin Jackson for Tigers Rookie of the
Year), a lead-preserving sliding catch by Magglio to
end the Yanks' half of the 8th, a home-run for
Johnny Damon against his former mates, and Jose
Valverde striking out the heart of the Yankees order
to close out the victory. Simply put, this was one of
those games that had all the elements fitting of an
Ernie Harwell send-off.
1. Damon hit one that was "loooooooooong gone" in
the 5th.
2. The Tigers got "two for the price of one" in the top
of the 6th.
3. Yankee Mark Teixeira "stood there like the house
by the side of the road and watched it go by" in the
9th.
And I'm sure that, at some point, "a young woman
from Battle Creek" went home with a foul ball. A
great win against the class of the American League
completed a fine send-off for the greatest
broadcaster in Tigers history.
These Old Spice Body Wash commercials are weird.
"Block! Building kick! EXPLOSION!!!!"
OK maybe I like it.
Red Wings were put out of the NHL playoffs this
week. Disappointing, but after two straight runs to
the Cup finals it might be good for the batteries to
get some time off. They put up a good fight, losing
each of their games by one goal, and had to deal
with a ridiculous penalty disadvantage. They were a
few breaks away from winning that series. Better
luck next year.
Dallas Braden of the Oakland A's pitched a perfect
game on Sunday. Rays third-baseman attempted a
bunt during his at-bat in the fifth-inning, before
ultimately striking out. Some people questioned
whether bunting in that situation was breaking an
unwritten rule of baseball.
Under what circumstances do you think it's
acceptable to bunt when the opposing pitcher has a
no-hitter/perfect game going? Is it never/always ok?
As far as no-hitters are concerned, I say that as long
as it's still a close enough game (maybe like 4 runs) to
opposing pitcher/defense had better be ready to field
a bunt! A perfect game seems a little less perfect to
me if, for the last five innings, the defense doesn't
even have to consider fielding a bunt. That really
takes away from the game of light-hitting speedsters.
Why should they suffer extra because the pitcher is
on fire that day? Now, if it's 6-0 in the 9th then I
think it's in bad taste. As long as it wouldn't be a
ridiculous play under normal circumstances (like
Ricky Henderson stealing 2nd in a 7-0 game because
he was chasing Ty Cobb's Runs Scored record), then
bunt on! Curt Schilling cried a few years back when
a bunt broke up his no-no in the 7th inning, but that
was in a 2-0 game. That got the tying run to the
plate! Do pitchers throw BP fastballs when a player
needs a HR for the cycle? If you can't deal with a
good bunt then you're not perfect. Take a lesson
from the Boy Scouts and "be prepared."
Weekly Flashback to May 2003
---(begin Flashback)
Tiger of the Week...
Since they won just one measly game and I was there
to witness it, I give the TOTW to Craig Monroe.
Monroe supplied all the necessary offense that Tigers
pitching needed to beat the A's on Wednesday. He
hit a solo shot and later almost hit a walk off home
run, doubling off the right-center wall. He would
score the game winning run on consecutive sacrifices.
Quote of the Week...
"Talk about a mistake, that guy had a Tigers
tattoo...oops!" - guy in stands at the Tigers / A's
game Wednesday night.
Fortunately, he wasn't talking about me. If I ever
got a tattoo, I'm sure I could think of something
better than a Tigers tattoo. Maybe I could get .215
on my arm, for the Tigers batting average... or even
better, .209 for the team winning percentage. Ugh,
this guy must have been in the parlor in the 80s,
because I don't know of anyone that would have
gotten a Tigers tattoo in the past ten years.
Ridiculous.
--- (end Flashback)
It's hard to say anything new and fresh about how
much I appreciated Ernie Harwell. I remember
listening to him while on vacation up at Blue Lake,
washing the family cars with my dad, and on drives
to and from Hillsdale (where I went to college). He
was like a master story-teller who had a fantastic gift
for describing the scene at the ball park. But he also
left enough space in between his narrating for you to
hear the sounds of the ballpark. Broadcasters these
days do things differently than those of Ernie's era,
and though change is the natural way of things, we
will all remember with great fondness the way that
baseball used to sound. Farewell, Ernie.
Tigers Weekly leaves you this week with one final
parting shot:
I’m Loooooooooong Gone!
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Play Ball!
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