Johnny Damon was recently claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. He cannot abandon Miguel Cabrera this way during his quest for the triple crown. Damon has been one the top run scorers during this decade; so it would behoove him to have Damon and other Detroit Tigers on base because it would provide more opportunities for Cabrera to drive in runs.

We live in a world where what happened last stays in the mind of the viewer, but it is not impossible for the Tigers to win the American League’s central division. Seriously, I’m, not joking when you consider that they have not yet been on the hot streak the Minnesota Twins have experienced. But you must at least consider this: it’s harder for the Red Sox to make the post season at five and a half games out in the East, while the Tigers are ten behind the Twins. Simply because the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees will be harder to surpass than the White Sox and Twins. Now that statement doesn’t seem as crazy as it originally sounded, does it?

By: Patrick Herbert

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Last week the Detroit Tigers trotted out a lineup that was so unimpressive, it resembled the infamous 2003 Detroit Tigers. You know the team that set an American League record for losses in a season, and finished just one win ahead of the 1962 New York Mets, the most abominable in MLB history. So here’s the lineup from that day, juxtaposed against the lineup from that day seven years ago.

You tell me who would win.

By H. Jose Bosch

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Alan Trammell: The Bench Coach

Trammell is likely salivating at the idea of making a different kind of managerial history this time around. During his first season as manager of his beloved Tigers, he led a woeful roster to an American League-record 119 losses. He’d eventually turn things around in his final two seasons, with seasons of 72 and 71 wins but his teams never finished any higher than fourth place. Still, he’s got an established rapport with this group of players.

He’s earned the respect of the front office and the team for his work as the Cubs’ bench coach over the years. He is also – to a far lesser extent – the Tigers’ equivalent of Ron Santo, a beloved player who amassed solid numbers over the years that many think should have earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He’s won as a player and there’s been no reason to doubt he could win as a manager as well. Besides, I don’t think anyone short of John McGraw or Joe Torre could have done a better job with the Tigers squads of the mid-2000s that Trammell was saddled with.

Matt Lindner’s conclusion of a five part series highlighting who could be the Cubs‘ next skipper.

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By H. Jose Bosch

I went into last night’s game fully expecting the Tigers to lose. There was no way, I reasoned, that Detroit could go to Minnesota, against a red-hot team and win this one-game playoff; especially with rookie Rick Porcello on the mound.

It was a self-defense mechanism. Emotionally, it was better for me to be pleasantly surprised than terribly disappointed.

But any sports fan can tell you that no matter how low you set your expectations, when the game begins that bar is still as high as the clouds. And after the Tigers took an early 3-0 lead, I was walking on cloud nine, 10 11 and 12.

Then Porcello’s error allowed one run to come in. Jason Kubel hit a 2-out homerun to close the deficit to one. And Orlando Cabrera, arguably the Twins’ best trade deadline move in ten years, slaps a two-run homerun off my least favorites Tiger.

4-3 Twins and I’m about ready to swear off religion forever because no caring God would have the heart to crush my excitement and enthusiasm so swiftly.

A Magglio Ordonez 8th-inning homerun restored my belief that this crazy world we live in isn’t, in fact, anarchy but that some forces of good exist out there.

And after Brandon Inge gave Detroit a 5-4 lead in the 10th I was ready to believe in just about anything. The moon landings were staged, there was a shooter in the grassy knoll and Bobby Thompson knew exactly what [More …]

By H. Jose Bosch

I’ve already said here on The Sports Bank that the Tigers are in first places despite winning ugly. What I hadn’t realized at the time is that the ugly is not only on the field but also off it.

Detroit’s top five paid players make up roughly 58 percent of the team’s payroll (fifth highest in the league) and it’s safe to say their combined contributions to the team are not equivalent to what they are getting paid for.

Here’s an on-the-surface assessment of the Tigers’ five-highest paid players. (Three batters, two pitchers)

Batters (M. Cabrera, M. Ordonez & C. Guillen)

.294 BA, .449 SLG, .358 OBP, 29 HR, 108 RBI

Pitchers (D. Willis, J. Bonderman)

1-5, 10.50 ERA, 18 K, 31 BB

Miguel Cabrera ($14.4 million) is the second-highest paid player on the team and he’s earning his keep and severely skewing the above combined stat line with his great averages and accounting for nearly 50% of the three players combined plate appearances. He’s the team’s leader in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.551) and on-base percentage (.397). He also leads the team in driving in runs and is tied for 2nd in home runs.

However, Magglio Ordonez ($18.9 million) and Carlos Guillen ($10 million) have little pop (combined .248, .317, .345, 8 HR, 48 RBI) in their bats and both have missed significant time due to injury or [More …]

By Paul M. Banks

If there’s one word I think describes Comerica Park, it’s “distraction.” The new park distracted Detroiters from the fact that the old Tiger Stadium remained vacant and standing for eight years after the Tigers moved into the new building. All the sideshows and ancillary ballgame activities here distract the fan from the horrible play of their home team for the first six years of Comerica’s existence. And the fountain in center field sold out to General Motors, with two GM vehicles sitting there at all times, is somehow supposed to distract you from the depressed state of Detroit and its economy.
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Restoring the Roar

This franchise actually has quite a bit of history. They were the last World Series victim of the Cubs a hundred years ago. And the last time the Cubs made it to the Fall Classic in 1945, the Tigers denied the Cubbies a ring. Of course, the 90s and oughties were quite unkind to the Tigers. They came back to life in 2006, capturing the American League pennant, but they reverted back to usual form this season.

Outside the main entrance to the stadium there is a snarling tiger statue approximately 15 high. Eight other giant-sized tiger statues roam (in place) the park, including two prowling on top of the scoreboard in left field. The “eyes of the tiger” light up after a Tigers home run or victory; accompanied by a growling sound effect. (Just like at Northwestern [More …]