In today’s edition of what’s up Jimmy’s sleeve, we find an alternating catcher. The announcement came down today that Pudge isn’t the regular catcher any more. He and Brandon Inge will rotate behind the plate.
Neither are really hitting worth a lick and at this point Inge is probably the better defensive catcher anyways. Plus with Inge under contract next year and Rodriguez not, it’s clear they are testing the waters despite Leyland’s claims to the contrary. The announcement also comes on the heels of a Vance Wilson sighting in the the clubhouse. Is Vance almost ready to go, will he be ready by the trade deadline, and does Pudge get dealt?
But of course this comes about a week after skip announced that Inge would play more third base and Carlos Guillen would play more left field. So there’s always the chance that this experiment could last 12 hours.
You can hear Tom Gage discussing this and other Tigers items on the WDFN.com Podcast page.
[audio:http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/DETROIT-MI/WDFN-AM/TOM%20GAGE%206-9.mp3?CPROG=PCAST&MARKET=DETROIT-MI&NG_FORMAT=sports&SITE_ID=1128&STATION_ID=WDFN-AM&PCAST_AUTHOR=Sports_Radio_1130_WDFN&PCAST_CAT=sports&PCAST_TITLE=WDFN_-_The_Stoney_and_Wojo_Show]
I’ve been expecting this since the beginning, and with Pudge being horrendous behind the plate as well as at it, well, I guess Leyland got the idea only months after everyone else. Maybe Inge joins Thames, our every(non-work)day Leftfielder, and rotates in behind the plate once a week.
This is the only rotation move I like. Please find a new home for Pudge by, say, July … oh i don’t know, 31st? That’d be grand.
I think that’s the goal. It would be nice if they could do the same for Rent, but we don’t have anyone that seems ready to fill the Void, even if the void only moves a few steps in either direction and doesn’t hit that well.
I wonder if all the bees in Leyland’s brain keep him up at night.
Okay, I wasn’t sure if that was Vance Wilson. That’s either really good or really bad for his recovery and the inverse for the team. Frankly, the roster flexibility Inge provides as the second catcher is nice. Wilson would be a wasted roster spot. Keep him in the dugout for his presence.
Well not much else is working, why not? and maybe play Brandon at 3rd on odd numbered wednesdays and sundays!
Do you think Inge could manage? Then the position carousel might come to a halt.
This is becoming a very silly team.
The Tigers are like a box of very expensive parts. You’re just sure they’d all work great, if you could only figure out how to put them together correctly. Problem is, nobody seems to have the right schematic.
It’s good to see Leyland doing my bidding for a change. While my powers of mind control are working, I’ll intensify my transmission of the following brain waves:
Thames in LF every day, NOW. Guillen to DH, NOW. Granderson to #3. Prevail upon DD to bring up Hessman (play him at 3B when Inge catches), trade or release Shef, hold onto Pudge (won’t fetch anything), and trade Renteria back to the NL.
I can feel the power fading already.
“Problem is, nobody seems to have the right schematic.”
We do. Why aren’t they asking us for it?
This just in.
Leyland has announced that Inge will now be splitting catching duties with Carlos Guillen, who will catch every other day. Pudge will move to Left and be the everday LF.
we are talking about a .220 hitter and a .240 hitter….big deal….
this just in Leyland announces :Willis will catch every third day because we pay him so much money and Sheff will be re-activated to play third base everyday so Guillen can pitch in the spot Willis doesn’t have in the rotation…..ya duh dadda dadda
Greg, I like this:
“This just in.
Leyland has announced that Inge will now be splitting catching duties with Carlos Guillen, who will catch every other day. Pudge will move to Left and be the everday LF”
Just to fill in some details, you left out he will get behind the plate wearing Pudge’s catcher’s mitt, and catch with a one-leg out flair that has the team calling him “mini-Sanguillen.”