Official Blog | Friday | March 12th, 2010

Mar
11

The Meaning of Spring Training

By Jeff Lutz

I will be honest, I put way too much stock in spring training. Joel Zumaya has a bad outing as he works on a new pitch – I have a bad day. Miguel Cabrera goes 0-4 against the NY Mets split squad – I wonder if something’s wrong. Max Scherzer has back-to-back bad starts – I question whether the trade was worth it. Spring training is what it is, a number of weeks where players see some game situations as they get ready for the 162-plus game run through the regular season. For players like Minnesota’s Joe Nathan, spring training means much more.

Wednesday’s game against the Yankees was part of the healing process for Tigers fans still mourning the loss of Curtis Granderson to New York. Granderson now wears pinstripes, or whatever ugly uniforms teams decide to wear during this time of the year, and we as fans need to recognize that sports are a business and the Tigers are one mere company within the larger conglomerate. Granderson the ballplayer was more of an asset to these owners than Granderson the citizen, and the result is a deal that will hopefully make both teams better in the long run.

Much like Granderson in a Yankees uniform, seeing Johnny Damon or Jose Valverde wearing a Tigers uniform has been quite an alarming site. We have watched these players from a distance for a number of years now, and to see them in the Old English D has been something rather unusual. The pressure that these newcomers have to perform at a higher level during this time of the year must be incredible. For the Tigers to be successful, these players (and the other 23 on the squad) will have to sustain their high level of performance for an entire schedule.

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Mar
10

EL SID

By Tom DeLisle
I hate Sidney Crosby.
 
Now, before that statement sets off a border war with our neighbors to the south (yes, we in Detroit can literally look down on Windsor, towards which generations of Motown Men have beaten a frenzied path in search of the famed Cheetah’s Lounge, home of the Forty – count ‘em 40 — Jungle Maidens) let me explain that my frustration with the little fellow is on solid historical footing.
 
If you grew up in Michigan and played and love hockey — and I say we have as much a claim here to the game as they do in any of the outposts across southern Ontario — you understand the almost mythic hold that our Red Wings have had on local hearts.  Canadians (some of them, anyway) apparently think that Americans don’t know Boom Boom Geoffrion, longtime number 5 with the Montreal Canadiens … from Boom Boom LaVoom, legendary number 23 of Cheetah’s 40 — count ’em, Forty — Jungle Maidens.  They forget that we cut our sporting teeth here on a wonderfully successful NHL franchise that afforded us as real and passionate a grasp on their alleged national game as you’d find in any of their famed and farflung outposts — places like Moose Jaw, Nanaimo, and Saskatoon. 
 
I threw in that last locale, of course, with a purpose.  For it was the hometown of merely the greatest hockey player of all time … a man who made his claim to that title by skating circles around — and then around again — the best players in the hockey world for 25 years on a small pond of ice located just off Grand River Avenue on the near west side of our town.  Let’s hear somebody top that rich tradition.   And that brings us to the latest pretender to the throne of Gordie Howe … the afore-mentioned and personally reviled Sidney “Call Me Sidney” Crosby.
 
No question the kid is pretty good.  Landing a Stanley Cup (how it hurts to say so, and I’m convinced he did it just to piss me off) at the Joe Louis Arena last spring, AND the gold-medal winning goal in the Olympics recently (see the previous reference regarding pissing me off) places a nice pair of feathers in Sidney’s propeller-spinning beanie.
 
But here it gets goofbally:  It seems that for many Canadians it’s not enough to force foreigners to admit that ice hockey is THEIR national game; or to insist their team MUST win Olympic gold; even to field a team of women players who can smoke cigars, drink beer by the case, and beat the crap out of the Russian men’s team in a fistfight.  They also seem to maintain a flaming NEED to claim the current “Greatest Player in the History of the Game” for their country.  Of course, they — and we — had that once in the person of Saskatoon’s and Detroit’s #9.  But that wasn’t enough … not current enough, anyway … for our galoshes-sporting and competition-nervous neighbors 25 years ago.  Thus they had to foist a half-a-hockey-player, Wayne Gretzky, on the world as the then “Greatest Player of All Time” following Howe’s retirement from the game in the early 1980s.  (Had Gretzky, who had no defensive game, and has yet to visit any corner in any official NHL rink, been a native of the USSR … Hockey Canada would have merrily mocked and quickly dismissed even a whispered claim to his world supremacy.)   Still, Wayne it was.
 
But times change; paranoia rules.  So now comes Crosby.  By Canadian acclamation … via their own delirious appointment.  The new Latest Greatest.  
 
It was difficult enough that Howe had to survive bloody battle, wage an epic struggle with Maurice Richard to earn his heavyweight title.  The universally acknowledged Greatest of All-Time circa 1955-85 lived to see his crown suddenly swiped from his head; humbled by manic Gretzkyites who simply had to have a then-current Canadian as the new Best of All Time, to keep up with increasing threats from foreign lands.  And now Wayne-O is apparently being pushed aside for young Sidney and Crosbymania, so that Canada’s rewarded claims to hockey supremacy stay intact … and current. 
 
A question.  Why can’t they honor their history, and acknowledge that unmatched heritage, without periodically and frantically running to Keep Up With The Ovechkins?   It makes them look … frantic.  Unsure.  Uncool.  Insecure.  As though running scared.
 
A suggestion.  Win, even lose … without the weeping, minus the suicides.  It’s enough … well, it’s enough to make you dislike poor little Sidney.  (All right…maybe all that … and his personality.)  I say give The Kid 20 more seasons … and produce a balanced and honest evaluation of One-Way Wayne over that time.   And history, which subsists on emotionless perspective and the sure focus of the long-distance lens, will come back ’round to the man from Saskatoon … who made Detroit one of THE great hockey capitals of the world.

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Mar
09

The Detroit Tigers’ Pixie Shortstop Donie Bush

By Steve Thomas

Long before shortstops were expected to bat .300 and hit for power, the Detroit Tigers fielded a miniature fielding machine named Donie Bush.

detroit-tigers-donie-bushHis career with the Tigers began in 1908 and blossomed the next year as Bush became the team’s full-time shortstop for the 1909 American League champions. Bush, 22 at the time, stood at 5′ 6″ and weighed a mere 140 lbs. Over the course of his 14 year Major League career, the switch-hitting Bush accumulated 1804 hits, 1158 walks, and scored 1280 runs. He also had an impressive .937 fielding percentage. His lifetime batting average was .250.

During his rookie season, Bush led the American League in games played (157), plate appearances (676), sacrifice hits (52), and walks (88).

Bush is often overlooked by Tigers fans because he played in the shadows of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford and Harry Heilmann. But during the 1909 World Series, Cobb and Crawford slumped, and Bush was the star of the show as he played the role of counterpart to Pittsburgh Pirates’ SS Honus Wagner.

In the ‘09 World Series, Bush batted .318 with 7 hits, 5 walks, 5 runs and 3 RBIs. At short, Bush had 9 putouts, 18 assists and 3 double plays. The Series went seven games, but Detroit lost the deciding game at Bennett Park. It was their third consecutive World Series appearance to end in disappointment.

In his day, Donie Bush would have been the pride of Detroit baseball. He may have been small, but he left a large impression on the Tigers faithful. It is with great pride that we remember Tigers great Donie Bush.

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Mar
08

Detroit Lions Make Early Off-Season Splash

By Jeff Lutz

The news that the Lions had kicked off their own offseason with a number of free agent signings, and for once, a trade that seems like a steal, may be a shock to most of us that picked up the paper or read online about the news. We have grown accustomed to hear the negative news about the Lions, the jokes and the disappointment that has come with one losing season after another. Each coach has brought their own system and the players associated with that system, leaving behind a trail of despair with stains of losing. Time will only tell whether this week will mean something on the field, but the warnings have been sent that this team has no intentions to lie down to the rest of the NFL.

Kyle Vanden Bosch.

Kyle Vanden Bosch is a fantastic addition to any team. Sure, his production has declined in recent years, but listen to Titans defensive players and they will mention his leadership. Listen to community members in Lincoln, Neb. and Nashville and they will mention his charity. When Jim Schwartz rang the KVB door bell at midnight, he made the commitment necessary to demonstrate where the Lions need to be.

This team has begun to fortify that defensive line with players who know how to win, and help is soon to be on its way.

When the Lions make their draft selection in a few weeks time, the massive amount of holes on the team will have decreased. Though the latest moves have not created a game-changing scenario, the next draft pick will not have the entire weight of the team on their shoulders. Think how differently this team would play if Calvin Johnson had some support around him, or if Ernie Sims had joined the team when there were champions around him. No matter which player the Lions select this April, he will be surrounded by more winners than his predecessors.

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Mar
07

“Black Mike” and Detroit’s Roaring ’30s

By Steve Thomas

We know of him as “Mickey” or “Black Mike,” but his real name was Gordon Stanley Cochrane. He was born 107 years ago in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in the spring of 1903 to Scottish immigrant parents.

For Detroit Tigers fans, however, his life began in 1934 when owner Frank Navin was unable to acquire Babe Ruth in the off-season and instead brought Cochrane onboard to serve as player-manager. The Tigers traded Johnny Pasek and $100,000 to the Philadelphia Athletics to acquire him.

mickeycochraneCochrane was a fiery ballplayer and a fabulous catcher. He proved to be the missing ingredient the Tigers needed to bring a championship to Detroit. Cochrane led the Tigers to two consecutive World Series appearances — and their first World Championship in 1935.

Many Tigers historians consider the 1934 Detroit Tigers to be the best team the franchise ever fielded. Cochrane joined forces with Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Billy Rogell, Goose Goslin, Schoolboy Rowe, Tommy Bridges and Elden Auker that year to compile a 101-53 regular season record which still stands as the team’s all-time best winning percentage at .656.

Unfortunately, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Gas House Gang defeated the Tigers in seven games in the World Series. Cochrane won the American League’s Most Valuable Player award in 1934 by batting .320 with a .428 on base percentage, 76 RBIs, and 32 doubles. He was the first catcher to be named the American League MVP.

The very next season, the Tigers were back at it in the post season — this time against the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers limped through the season at times and almost lost the pennant to the New York Yankees as the season came to an end. But they clung to a three game lead that gave them their second American League Pennant in a row.

The Cubs, on the other hand, were red hot when the 1935 World Series began. The team won an amazing 21 games in a row during the month of September. Every indication was that the Cubs were going to steam roll the ailing Tigers who ended the season by losing 6 of their last 7 games. Momentum was definitely on the side of the Cubs.

After losing Game 1 to the Cubbies, Hank Greenberg suffered a broken wrist in Game 2 and missed the remainder of the Series. Detroit won the game, but it looked as though fate, once again, was working against the Tigers.

Even without Greenberg, the Tigers continued to battle against Chicago. The Series ended at Detroit’s Navin Field on October 7 in the sixth and deciding game. Fittingly, it was Mickey Cochrane who crossed the plate in the ninth inning to score the winning run that gave Detroit its first World Championship since the Detroit Wolverines held the title in 1887.

What Cochrane gave to Detroit was a much-needed emotional lift as the population suffered through the Great Depression. As a result of his effort, many Detroiters think of the 1930s as a golden age despite the economic woes that plagued them. To this day, Detroit owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to “Black Mike” and the roaring Tigers of the 1930s.

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Mar
06

Abbott & Costello’s Baseball Classic “Who’s On First?”

By Steve Thomas

Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s On First?” routine has been a part of American pop culture for over 70 years. It was first performed by the pair in 1937 shortly after they formed their burlesque team. This was back in the days when they were appearing in vaudeville revues and the like.

In Cooperstown, New York, a video of “Who’s On First?” is shown in a never-ending loop at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Time Magazine rated “Who’s On First?” the greatest comedy sketch of the 20th century.

The general premise behind the exchange has Costello (a peanut vendor named Sebastion Dinwiddle) talking to Abbott who is Dexter Broadhurt, the manager of the mythical St. Louis Wolves. However, before Costello can get behind the plate, Abbott wants to make sure he knows every one’s name on the team.  What follows is an intricately woven exchange between the two legends of comedy.

Here is a clip of the comedy duo performing “Who’s On First?” in the 1945 movie, The Naughty Nineties.

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Mar
05

Remembering George Kell’s Tiger Pre-Game Show

By Bill Dow

Growing up in the 1960s, one of my favorite Saturday afternoon delights was tuning into the WJBK telecast from Tiger Stadium for George Kell’s pre-game show called “Tiger Warm Up.” (Black and white television, mind you.)

Standing behind the batting cage, Kell would greet the fans with, “Good afternoon everybody, this is George Kell for another Tiger Warm Up, and my guest today is Tiger first baseman Norman Cash.” Or perhaps, ”Minnesota’s fine manager Sam Mele.”

In the background you could hear that glorious sound of the balls being launched out of the batting cage and sometimes see your favorite player walk into the cage to take their cuts. In the meantime, Kell, in his warm and familiar Arkansas accent would ask each guest aspects of the game and perhaps what their outlook was for the coming season.

Somehow these simple interviews put me right into the game and set me up for the upcoming telecast. My only regret was that I was not going to be sitting in one of those green seats and seeing the game in all that Technicolor.

Compared to today’s often overhyped baseball coverage, like the 24-hour MLB network shows and all the fancy pre-game stuff, Kell’s simple “Tiger Warm Up” seems rather outdated. But for me, back when there were only four television stations to tune into and there were very few baseball games to watch except for the odd Tiger telecast or NBC’s game of the week, Kell’s pre-game show was just perfect.

Oh and by the way. If “Tiger Warm Up” was being taped down at Comerica Park today, you wouldn’t even hear the wonderful background sound of the balls being knocked out of the batting cage. Why? Because of all the extremely loud and obnoxious high decibel crap being blown out of the loudspeakers during batting practice.

Memo to the Tigers’ new president Tom Wilson: Turn it down. Or better yet, off.

Detroit Tigers announcer George Kell on the field at Tiger Stadium during his pre-game show "Tiger Warm Up."

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Mar
04

The Detroit Tigers’ New Coke

By Jeff Lutz

Doesn’t it always happen this way? Team makes blockbuster trade, team gets throw-in player to even up deal, throw-in becomes best player in trade. While the Tigers wouldn’t mind him being a close second to Austin Jackson, Phil Coke needs to make an impact this year if the Tigers plan on doing anything late in the season.

Coke may be the answer to the fifth spot/lefty scenario. While Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson have the big contracts associated with their southpaw arms, Coke has the drive of a player looking for a big deal similar to his pitching competitors. His immediate impression on Leyland and Co. was also a solid one, as he made it clear from day one that he was willing to do whatever it takes to get a spot on a Major League roster.

If the Tigers do plan to make Coke a starter, the stretching out phase should begin immediately. If the Tigers were to break camp with only four legitimate starters (while waiting for Coke), the potential is there for the relievers to get overtaxed. An overexerted bullpen in April and May does not fit well for chances in September and beyond. I’ve always felt that spring training lasts too long for these players, but in Coke’s case, the amount of chances to take the mound may be a good thing.

Also to note: the Tigers may not be sounding the warning bell, but the players that have been thrown out on the field the first two games show that this team is looking for immediate impact players. Jackson and Sizemore will be under a heavy microscope during these few weeks, as will players like Bonderman and Robertson.

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Mar
03

Listen To a Rare Ty Cobb Radio Interview

By Steve Thomas

Ty Cobb shaped and defined Detroit baseball more than any other player. The Georgia Peach’s aggressive, gritty style of play is the foundation upon which the Detroit Tigers franchise is built.

While there is ample video footage of Cobb during his playing days, very little audio exists. That’s because video cameras didn’t capture sound in those days.

This clip provides audio from a radio interview that Ty Cobb gave on the Coca-Cola Top Notchers program in 1930. The interview is conducted by famous sportswriter Grantland Rice.

I can tell that the interview was scripted because I’ve heard other, more candid talks by Cobb. In any event, it’s still amazingly cool to hear Cobb’s voice — and to hear him share insights from his remarkable career.

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Mar
02

The Forgotten Detroit Tigers’ Season of 1915

By Steve Thomas

It’s fairly easy to recall most of the years the Detroit Tigers have won 100 games or more because most times the feat included a memorable post season.  However, there are two seasons in which the Tigers won at least 100 games and finished in second place.

One year is still relatively fresh in Tigers fans’ minds.  In 1961, the Tigs won an impressive 101 games and finished eight games behind the New York Yankees.

The other year is one most fans overlook.  It was the magical season of 1915.  That year, the Tigers won exactly 100 games in a 154 game season and finished second to Babe Ruth’s Boston Red Sox. 

 Ty Cobb led the Tigers with a .369 average and orchestrated an incredible offensive attack.  He stole 96 bases (including home six times), scored 144 runs, had 99 RBI, and boasted a .486 on-base percentage. 

In reality, 1915 may have been Cobb’s best hope of being a World Series champion.  In 1907, 1908, and 1909, the Tigers were very young and outmatched by both the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  If Detroit had won the American League pennant in 1915, they would have faced the Philadelphia Phillies — a team the Red Sox knocked out 4 games to 1 in the World Series. 

More importantly, in 1915, Cobb, 28, was a seasoned veteran and had Sam Crawford and Bobby Veach in his outfield.  The Detroit trio is still regarded today as one of the greatest outfields of all-time.

Unfortunately for Cobb and the Tigers, Ruth’s first full season was also 1915 and his pitching and hitting abilities proved to be the difference.

The baseball magic in Detroit must have been overwhelming that year.  Navin Field was only four years old, the Tigers drew nearly a half million fans, and the American automobile industry was really starting to blossom.  Detroit was in its heyday and the Tigers were the center of its entertainment world.

1915 may not resonate with Tigers fans today, but it is unquestionably one of the greatest seasons in the team’s 115 year history.

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