Bromances

While I'm partial to the term "man crush", there is no easy way to smash those two words together.  However, the words "bro" and "romance" were MFEO (that's "made for each other" folks).  There are several bromances on the Tigers team and broadcasting crew right now.  Let's take a look!

Rod and John Keating:  These two are the "road dawgs."  Rod enjoys quiet dinners with John Keating on the road, and even defers to Keating's preferences in terms of food.  I think I can guess who the dominate personality is in that bromance.

I wish Keating was my "everyday dawg"

Mario and Ryan Field: With Rod already caught up in his own bromance, Mario was dying for one of his own.  I think he's found one.  He spent ample time today talking about how the Field works out in designer clothes and "looks good doing it."  The Field could do nothing but shake his head and give an awkward grin.  On second thought, this bromance may not be in the cards if Mario keeps pushing it on the Field.  50 texts in one day is too many Mario!

Let's work out!

Verdiggity and Laird: I don't know what it is with these two, but there is definite bromance potential.  It's obvious they have a sparring relationship. G$ is also not afraid to put JV in his place. With Verdiggity still unable to get his first MLB hit, it was G$ leading the way on the razzing.  JV has even been known to speak of G$ on days that he pitches, which if you know JV, you know he doesn't talk to anyone on game day.  I see these two as an Abbott and Costello type duo.

Bros don't let bros get thrown out of games

Cabby and the Prince: These two bonded immediately when the Prince was signed.  The elaborate handshake (I'm sorry, but anything more than two moves on a handshake is a dead give away that a bromance exists), the shared experience at 1st, the home run power...this is a bromance that can only be doctored by Daddy Dave Dombrowski.

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

Shannon Hogan and any couple in the stands that is holding hands: OK, so she's not a bro, but Shannon Hogan's over enthusiasm at anything hinting at love indicates a lady in her mid-late twenties who is DYING for someone to put a ring on it.

Maybe the photo bomb man is your Mr. Right?

Tigerberry and AJacks: The quick 1-2 punch at the beginning of the lineup, the quick feet covering 7/9 of the outfield.  And now they have a celebration ritual.  True bros throw themselves into each other after a win.

BBoesch and Delmon? ... No, no, that's too crazy even for bromance standards.

I'll hit after you, but I can make it out for drinks later in New York.  I have to wash my hair.

Dotel and Benoit: When you are D-Town's set up men, you tend to stick together.  Although not a confirmed bromance, I feel like this is something that is going to happen.  Who knows, they could end up like Will and Grace, having all sorts of crazy adventures with their eccentric friend Jack, AKA Valverde.  I smell a sitcom somewhere in there.

Let's just not invite Papa Potato to live with us.   Agreed.

Trading spaces

So all you true Tigress fans out there are dying to know my opinion of the trade that happened earlier this week.  Well, your prayers have been answered, Tigress true.

There are three big factors in this trade.  Let's break it down.

You mean you don't play for the team anymore?

Omar Infante, 2nd
Oh, wait, who said we needed a steady 2nd baseman.  That was me!  Other people (cough, cough) have been saying that a solid 2nd baseman wasn't necessary.  I say, any weak spot in the lineup is not acceptable for a team that is looking forward to the World Series.  Infante was a fixture in the Tigers organization in the mid 2000s, although Smokes used and abused him much like he does with Worth and Santiago.  With Infante getting experience with Atlanta and Florida/Miami, he may be finally "ready" in Smokes' mind for a full time job.  He's quick, has a good glove, and has matured (he's thirty now...old man) since he left the Tigers.  I'm not mad about this.  He was 1 for 4 last night and is currently sitting at .289.  He needs to maintain that average or Santiago may have his job back.

Sanchez checks out the new fade on Omar

Anibal Sanchez, SP
Here's the other part of the argument, a starting pitcher.  Personally, I liked having Smyly on the team, bringing a much needed left handed starter into the mix.  Sure, he'll be better in a year or two, but he's done nothing this year but prove that he belongs with the club.  I just hope the Tigers do right by him when he gets off the DL.  Now, on to the man in question.  Sanchez was 5-7 with Miami with a 3.94 ERA.  Not bad, especially given 110 strikeouts.  In case your Tiger memories are failing you, Dougie Fresh had less than stellar stats when he was traded from Seattle last year and we all know how that is turning out (another good outing last night Dougie...so fresh and so clean).  I'm hopeful with him and hold off on any rash opinions until I see him pitch, which won't be until Saturday.

Bye bye Jakey

Jacob Turner, SP
He just turned 21.  He's young.  He spent most of the year in Toledo.  I think he is going to have a fantastic career.  Someone pointed out to me yesterday that Andrew Miller was also supposed to be a star and he hasn't quite panned out.  That aside, I'm sorry to see him go.  Good luck kid.  Remember that JV was less than stellar in 2006 when he was in his early 20s.  Flash forward to 2011 when he was both the Cy Young winner and AL MVP.  Keep working kid.  See you in a couple years.

Not going to lie, the pin stripes will make you look fat Ichiro

Mid season trades are always exciting (Ichiro?  I did NOT see that coming!).  Only time will tell who the winner of this trade is.  We never stop hearing about the trade that sent Granderson to the Yankees where the Tigers acquired SchEYEzer, AJacks, and Philthy Phil.  It wasn't a mid season trade, but it was a game changer that the announcers at FOX still bring up EVERY time the Tigers play the Yankees.  As always, I'm rooting for our boys in blue to be the true beneficiaries of this one. 

Snickers satisfies

Just like Snickers, the Tigers satisfy this week.  They pull a Rolling Stones and gave some satisfaction.  You get the drift.  Impressive pitching from Verlander and Porcello (so close to that complete game).  A MUCH better start out of Turner.  Run production out of AJacks.  Home runs out of Bboesch.  Wicked defense out of Tigerberry.  Actual relief pitching out of Dotel and Benoit (a little bit for Papa Potato, but I don't want him to get too satisfied with himself).  And of course, 300 home runs from Cabby.  Insane.

Oh wait, I forgot about one thing...a sweep of the Sox (the bleached ones, not the ones that got thrown in with the red underwear), which now means the Tigers are leading the AL Central by 1.5 games.  So tasty.

Warning: 100 MPH Verlander fastballs may cause severe damage to equipment

The only thing that really would have capped off the weekend is if Sister Tigress would have taken the bet I issued to her at a bar this weekend.  We were watching Porcello stomp the bleached Sox when I noticed that there was a guy sitting at the table next to us wearing an LA Dodgers shirt.  The thing is, he was clearly there to watch the Tigers, talking on the phone and to the waiter about them.  Then, his friend showed up and had on a Red (underwear) Sox hat on.  COME ON!  You are in Detroit (we were literally within 30 miles of the park), clearly enjoying the Tigers dominate their Central opponent, at least have the decency to wear a Tiger shirt or non-MLB shirt.  So, the bet to Sister Tigress was to have the following conversation with one or both of these dudes:

Sister Tigress: Excuse me.
Homie: Yo.
ST: You have something on your hat (or shirt, depending on the fella).
Homie: Really?  (Looks at shirt/hat confused)
ST: Ya, looks like puke.  Go Tigers!

She could have earned an easy 10 spot, but NO.  I think that it is within the rights of Tiger Country to call out a person wearing a different team's apparel WHILE watching/cheering for the Tigs.  So it has been written, and so it shall be!

Talent scout

Did I mention I love summer?  After a stress-free afternoon of a nap and then a Tigers win (3 out of 4 from the Angels, yes please), I ventured to a Tigers single A affiliate for a night game.  The West Michigan Whitecaps out of Comstock Park are one of the 3 single A affiliates for the Tigers.  Their mascots are some kind of river-swimming rodent and a pig.  Classy.

Not only was I there scouting talent, I was also there to enjoy "Thrifty Thursday" for two dollar pretzels and beers.  Did I mention it was 80s night?  It's a tough job being a scout.

First, the Tigers organization is kind of like a sorority.  There are "legacy" players that are drafted based on their last name.  Now, that's not to say that they aren't talented, but I think the lettering on their jersey has more to do with their spot on the roster.  The Whitecaps have 3, yes 3, legacy players.  Nick Avila, right handed pitcher, Patrick Leyland, catcher, and Colin Kaline, 2nd base who is currently on the DL.  It should also be noted that Rod Allen's son Andrew is also playing for the Tigers in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.

None of these guys played last night though!  I won't read too much into this, but I'm guessing they were intimidated after hearing I was coming to scout.  Understandable.

Since I was at the game on official business, I decided to keep score.  Below is my score card for both teams.  The following details should be noted:
1. It was raining
2. I went to the team store and left Brother-In-Law Tiger in charge for an inning
3. The beers were 2 dollars
4. The beers were Leinenkugel's Amber (thanks Leinenkugels brothers for coming to the game and drastically reducing the price of your beverage)
5. I had Dippin Dots, the ice cream of the future (there's a little ice cream on the book)

Visitor- Peoria Chiefs (Cubs)

One thing is for sure, I was not impressed with the first two batters.  I clearly wrote "Not gonna make it" with three exclamation marks.  Wow.  Easterling dropped an easy fly ball in center (and went 0-3) and DeVoss struck out twice looking.  Not good.  Baez had two hits including a home run, Hoilman is a big dude (6 foot 4 inches), and Geiger hit the ball well.

Home- West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers)

I cut it out of the picture, but I marked that Holm had intensity (he dove over a side fence for a foul ball, much like Blue Jay's Brett Lawrie).  I also marked that the pitcher (Wilsen Palacios) was quick throwing to home.  If you've read the blog, you know that's a quality that's important to me.  Carlos De Los Santos (who is so new he wasn't even in the program) had a slap bunt that went for a base hit.  The lady behind us had never even seen that before.  Westlake was 3 for 4, King had a triple, and the team overall had a good bull pen.

So, those are the names to look for.  Obviously, Nick Castellanos is the big name out of the Tigers farm system.  He got the MVP in the Futures Game as a part of All Star festivities.  He is with AA Erie right now.

But enough with the future.  This weekend is a huge series versus  the White Sox and the Tigs need to take control of things.  Hits and runs, boys.  Fister and SchEYEzer were ON like Donkey Kong against the Angles and I hope the rest of Tigers pitching stays hot. 

By the by, I don't get the trade talks for another starting pitcher.  What happened to needing a 2nd baseman?  We have four solid starters and once Smyly is healthy, I have confidence that he will be another OK starter.  2nd base Dave, 2nd base!

Trouty mouth

Everyone else is talking about him so I guess it's our turn.  I'm talking about Mike Trout, aka Trouty Mouth.  If you don't already know who he is, then please, stop living under that rock.  This is your personal intervention.  That rock looks heavy and it can't be a comfortable sleep.  It had to be done.

Trouty Mouth is simply ridiculous.  He's currently hitting .355, which leads the AL.  In fact, the next closest is Joe Mauer with an average of .328.  That's a pretty big difference considering the kid out front is only 20 years old and was brought up from the minors at the end of April.  He was 4 for 6 yesterday with a long home run ("Cabrera Country" according to Rario).  He's ridiculous (did I already say that?). 

The good news?  Although he made Turner look like a high school pitcher (little league even), Ricky P did a great job of controlling him and held him to 1 hit in 4 at bats.  He's also struck out 4 times in the past two games.  So maybe, just maybe, he's a little streaky.  Or he's too free swinging.  Or he will get lots of strikeouts (like the AJacks of old).  Or maybe he will trip and fall down the stairs carrying boxes out of an apartment during a wildfire.  It could happen.  Either way, the Tigers (and the rest of the AL) have to find a way to control him.  Not only is he an effective hitter, but he energizes the whole team.  He's also a sick outfielder, with what I think was the best catch of the first half of the season.

The keys today for Dougie Fresh will be to keep him off balance and not let him get too comfortable in the batter's box.  Then, we can only hope he catches the flu the next two series that the Tigers meet the Angels.

Big boy pants

Gem of the day (in response to BBoesch's monster, game winning, home run):
Mario: He hit that a mile.
Rod: And then some!
Mario: Big boy pants territory.

So, I need a visual for big boy pants (or BBP).  Here's my best guess.

A shirt cannot be contained in BBP

BBP come all the way up to the top of your son's head

BBP can be loosey goosey and flow from the knee down

Although BBP used to be as tight as jeggings

I think these are what BBP really look like

But here is the Tiger version of the BBP

So BBoesch, we'll see you on August 6th wearing your Tiger BBP.  They make them for Tigresses too, but we call them "Lovely Lady Pants" or LLP.

'O' say

Top ten reasons this series versus the Orioles was successful:

10. The Tigers finally got some run production from BBoesch, Avila, and Peralta.  If the Tigers want to have any hopes at a playoff run, these are three key guys that need to pick it up. 

9. The Tigers were hot before the All Star game and they continued to be on fire after, not letting a little break slip them up.  They are 7 for their last 8, and that, my Tigress friends, is so tasty.

8. Even though the Tigers lost Saturday's game in a grueling 13 inning game, the Tigers never stopped fighting and came from behind multiple times.  That's the mark of a good ball club.  I'm OK with the loss because the offense did what they needed to do.

7. Tigers got 2/3 from the Os, who are 2nd in the always good AL east and in the wild card hunt.  They played good ball versus a good team, which is a relief when the Tigers had played the weaker Twins and Royals before the All Star game with equal success.  It's easier to play good ball versus mediocre teams, but much more difficult to play hot against those hot teams.

6. QB had some rough at bats (going 0-5 today), but he had the catch of the series (possibly of the second half) on Friday night.  That's one we'll be seeing for the rest of the season.  Dougie Fresh's finger wave afterwards was also priceless.

5.  Speaking of Dougie Fresh, he had a quality outing on Friday and was really on point.  If you remember, Dougie Fresh was traded to the Tigers at the end of July, 2011, where he proceeded to tear the AL Central a new one.  Now that it's the second half of the season, maybe this is just Dougie's way of telling us he's a second half player.  I'd like that.

4. Verdiggity had an impressive outing today, going 8 innings with eight strikeouts.  After his horrific start at the All Star game, it's nice to see JV come out and pitch like...JV.  You know, the way he's perfected over the years, instead of just coming out and zinging the ball like a dumb teenager.  It had to be said.

3. AJacks continues to be on a tear and he has some ridiculous stat, like he's scored a run in the past 12 games.  His bat wasn't very hot this series, but when he comes up, I just smile and know it's going to be OK.  I even made a case the other day why Bboesch shouldn't have tried to come home on the short single because AJacks was up next and he could be counted on to score BBoesch from 3rd.  I never would have said that last year.

2. Cabby is just ridiculous and hasn't cooled off over the break either.  He's really settled in to his role and it looks like he's even taken some leadership responsibilities.  It's nice to see him get excited when he gets on base (somebody else has to be clapping out there besides Tigerberry).

1. This may be my favorite quote in a while from a baseball player: "If you're going to be a fan, you have to be a fan for 162 (games)."  Spoken by our own Verdiggity.  I've always been with him on this and try not to grumble when the going gets tough.  After this weekend series, I have very little to grumble about (I won't even mention Papa Potato, that's how generous I feel) and just take our series win with a smile.

Goofus and Gallant

So this is a little late, but the All Star game this year was terrible.  I think JV summed it up best when he said, "That's why I don't try and throw 100 MPH in the first inning."  Then why did you do it?!  ARGG.  And if this whole Kate Upton dating rumor is true, well then, you are going to be on my "List."  Trust me, you don't want to be on the Tigress's "List."

I went to an All Star game once.  It was glorious.  I actually remember more about the Home Run Derby (Bobby Abreu tore it up that year), but the memories that stick in my mind involve two beer vendors.  Now, here's a little factoid.  Food and beverage vendors are brought in from many other stadiums to deal with the massive amounts of people that attend the festivities.  I saw two beer vendors that stick out in my mind.  Let's call this, the tale of Gallant and Goofus (remember those?).

Gallant: Selling beer while players are warming up on Monday (Home Run Derby day) in the right field bleachers.  He happens to be in the aisle when Johnny Damon (pre-Tiger days) hits a ball that lands at his feet.  He picks up the ball and has a souvenir of his time selling beer in Detroit.

Goofus: In the aisle next to me as I watched the game, tripped up the stairs and spilled at least 10 cans of beer.  Here's all I could think...that's going to come out of his tips!  Talk about a disappointment!  That's a lot of cash to lose.  Beers were 8.50, times ten, 85 dollars, plus tips he missed out on.

It was a lonely week without regular baseball, but now that we are back, I'm excited for the second half.  Dougie Fresh was quite good today and the Tiger bats were alive.  A good Dougie Fresh means a solid starting pitching line up, if only our relief pitchers would step it up.

Boiling water

You know what they say, a watched pot never boils (although I'm pretty sure you could wait this out.  Given the right temperature and time, water WILL boil).  I didn't get to watch the game yesterday because I was celebrating with friends and our Tigers finally got to .500.  This weekend is key to set the Tigs up before the All Star break.  The Tigers NEED to stay at .500 or better going into the break. 

A small friend of mine is at her first Tiger game today and she made the following sign:

You can see her contribution next to the word "my."  Good job Little Tigress!

Unwritten rules

I just read the book Calico Joe by John Grisham and part of the story is about "unwritten rules" in baseball.  For example, if a batter does something to show a pitcher up, he has the right to bean him.  Sounds like boys just wanting to belt each other with hard things to me. 

I've never played baseball, so I don't know all the unwritten rules.  I do know a slow pitch softball unwritten rule is that you don't hit the ball back at the pitcher.  It's bad form.  The thought behind this is that in slow pitch softball, the batter has more control over where the ball goes (if you have any sort of talent that is).  So here's my question, does the same rule apply for baseball?  Last night, Avila hit a ball right up the middle that managed to hit Duensing's left leg while in the air.  Then, as he put his left leg down to go get the ball, he fell over in pain.  It looked dreadful. 

This happens a lot though.  Ricky P is always sticking his hand out to try and stop balls as they whiz by his face (haha).  So, is it an unwritten rule, or is there not enough control when the ball travels over 90 MPH?

A gem of a gem

Gem of the day:

Rod- Avila will be putting down the finger for Mr. Fister.

"What?!  I didn't sign up for this!"
 
On a side note, every time they talk about Trevor Plouffe, I can't help but think that his name is like the sound of some kind of bodily function.  And Plouffe is funny sounding too.

The Shout out today goes to AJacks and Tigerberry who have been "setting the table so the big boys can eat" all season.  Keep it up boys.  Cabrera might be hitting amazingly, but without you two, he doesn't have as many RBIs.  The shout out would be even more amazing if a win was attached though.  Just saying.

Peralta in June

I'm not a stat person.  Math's not my thing.  However, even I can tell you that soft J had a much better June than he did for both April and May.  To cap off the month of June, Jhonny hit a two run single in the ninth with two outs.  That's clutch.  I love the two out hits, they are so tasty.

Yesterday I watched most of the game in a bar, which definitely has it's advantages and disadvantages.  Let's examine:

Disadvantage:

• Did not get to hear Verdiggity's interview with the Fox boys, which are usually pretty hilarious.
• Missed hearing about Rhymes' hilarious (although scary) incident where he was hit in the arm and proceeded to pass out after getting to first.
• Didn't get to hear Evan Longoria's interview (what can I say?  He's good).

Advantage:

• Didn't have to hear the Fox boys' terrible commentary.  Seriously, they talked about pine tar for 15+ minutes at the end of the game.
• Got to hang out with awesome friends.
• Got to have delicious beverage not found in the normal fridge.
• Watched Brother-in-Law Tiger win a ninja watermelon.  That's right, he's the JV of watermelons.

 Advantages takes the cake.