Whatever it is, it’s part of the conspiracy/vendetta against Sheffield. Even when he’s not in the lineup. This team will not get any calls while Sheffield is on it, I tell you.

Should be posted in the Tigers locker room. Maybe it already is, but fading of the letters “im” has led to confusion.

Bless their little hearts.

Bad games inspire great humor. There’s a silver lining for ya.

I would love to see Van Slyke manage this team. He tells it like it is, and doesn’t take crap from anybody. He doesn’t care if your a veteran or a rookie.

In private, I would bet that Leyland tells it like it is and doesn’t take crap from anybody. That last part is crucial, though. Special treatment and different standards for performance seem to be happening. That’s bad management, in baseball or anywhere.

Maybe, when Sheffield came to Detroit, Leyland gave him his word on something he shouldn’t have. I can see someone like Leyland placing that kind of obligation above the team. I can almost sympathize.

Trade pudge for anything.

Yeah. My only concern is… well, given the track record on pitching so far, never mind. Trade him. This is surely a dumb fan comment, but I like the idea of Inge, warts and all, providing a spark at catcher. Something to prove, not just phoning it in. I’ll relent if they DH Guillen and give Inge 3B.

I know its a different sport, but Larry Bird once said he’d never coach any professional team more than 3 years.

Great observation and commentary.

BRING IT BACK, it seems like it was the only thing that worked.

Renteria can’t hit and can’t field. I think he should be riding the pine and Santiago, who has better range in the field and is currently performing much better at the plate should start in his place. Inge should be our full time 3rd baseman (he has a better OBP and Slugging percentage than Renteria even though his batting average is lower) and Guillen should be DH full time.

Sheff should be riding the pine. I’m willing to give him another shot if and when his shoulder is right, but until then he is an offensive and defensive liability. I can’t tell you how tired I am of hearing about that shoulder. Rayburn is hitting over 300 – someone tell my why he can’t get in the game on a consistent basis.

Basically, Leyland has to play guys that perform at the plate and/or in the field, and if that means starting someone other than a “superstar” so be it. Maybe being benched is what they need to snap out of their complacency. It’s the only thing left to try to wake these guys up. I might give them a little more slack if they looked like they were working hard out there, but they look like they don’t care, and lack of effort is inexcusable.

I agree that Van Slyke might be a great candidate to lead this team, but I think that until the vets start producing, you have to start playing Raburn, Joyce and even Hessman regularly, and if they produce, keep them in the lineup. And if someone points to their contract and bitches, reply that it’s a business, not a charity, and guys who produce will play.

Galarraga is a great case in point — If you don’t keep giving him the ball, you send the signal that history matters more than present effort and performance. And that sort of message is a VERY VERY bad one to send.

.656 for 122 games. The 1984 Tigers probably did it. The 2006 Tigers came close. Other than that… I think the last time the Tigers were that hot, uniforms were baggy and teams traveled by train.

Seriously, though. I know the team’s a drag right now, but it’s still a good time to be a Tigers fan. Better times coming soon.