Time to fold ’em

Kenny Rogers career as a Tiger appears to be over. Jim Leyland announced that Rogers will be shut down for the rest of the season.

Rogers has been getting hammered with regularity, and it looks like this is the end of the line. The move will cost Rogers $250K to $750K in incentives, but given his recent performance I don’t think that played a large role.

While Rogers won’t be making anymore starts, it would be nice if he could be brought into a game for a batter during the final weekend so the fans could say thanks for 2006.

17 thoughts on “Time to fold ’em”

  1. It would be good to give him a final standing o. He was more than memorable in ’06. The greatest performance of his life.

  2. Having attended the NYY game that Rogers tossed in ’06 (ALDS #3), I can say it was the best sporting event I’d ever been to. The atmosphere was electric and Rogers was even better, shutting down the “greatest lineup of all time” and setting the tone for the rest of the playoff run, as Torre was busy reshuffling his lineup.

  3. I was at the NYY ALCS game Rogers pitched, too. One of my greatest sports memories ever is going the bathroom in about the 5th inning, with everyone in the room singing “The Gambler” together.

  4. Ditto on everything rings said. It has to be the most memorable game I have been to, and I’ve been to quite a few, including the last game at Tiger Stadium and the first game at Comerica.

  5. I, too, was at ALDS Game 3. I consider it to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been to. My favorite memory was that there was a Yankees fan in our section, carrying on loudly before the game and through the early innings about how the Tigers had no chance to win the game, let alone the series. He vanished around the seventh when it was obvious what way the game was headed. It was just an amazing night all around. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

  6. As I’ve said a million times on this site, I’m also in the ALDS Game 3 club. “KENNY KENNY KENNY!”… heckling Giambi… watching A-Rod’s frustration visibly grow with each at-bat… man that was a good day. I’ve never felt like forty thousand people were on the EXACT same page like we all were at Comerica that night.

    Did anyone else listen to 97.1 on the way home, that night? Whoever was on duty was on fire, as he ridiculed the ’06 and ’27 Yankees comparison for the better part of an hour: “Babe Ruth? How about Derek Jeter? Gehrig? I’ll counter that with A-Rod!”

  7. Kenny Rogers had an amazing 2006, and don’t forget that he pitched quite a few good games this season as well. In 16 starts and 102 IP from April 29 to July 22, he was 7-3 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and even had more K than BB (40 vs. 33). Only 1 stolen base vs. 2 caught stealing, also, I see.

    Don’t forget the glove, either. The Tigers had 5 infielders when he pitched. OK, maybe 3 in 2008.

  8. And he had three terrific starts to begin his 2007, too. I always felt like Bruce Froemming took the fight out of him in that atrocious umpiring job of July 14 in Seattle.

  9. Awesome, Amanda. Be careful using “wood” and “good” in the same sentence while Lone Star Chris is about, though. Or while Ryan Raburn is still with the Tigers.

    How can Kenny retire now when it’s only just now occurring to me how many (country/adult contempo guy) Other Kenny Rogers jokes I’ve completely overlooked?

    When Rogers gets his curtain call later, I hope they play “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)” when he comes in to pitch.

  10. hahaha so true, we need an off the blog “blog” so I don’t feel guilty or more like get in trouble for not having a Tigers/baseball related post.

  11. Wow, all these ALDS memories floating about up there. Those were heady days. Unfortunately being 1500 miles away I could only watch on TV, but I freaked the eff out many times in those 4 games. My goosebumps got goosebumbs in the Rogers start, though. No matter what happens in the future, I’ll always look back fondly on guys like Rogers, Ordonez, Bonderman, Verlander, Zumaya et al for their performances that October. End nostalgic rant.

  12. We fans may never again experience the level of elation caused by that game. It’s tough now to communicate the sheer extent to which Detroit was an underdog in that series. Absolutely no one gave them a chance — aside from Tigers fans of course (ESPN had a poll of its writers, and not a single one picked the Tigers to take the series).

  13. Remember when all the guys came back out on the field to celebrate? Oh, that was so much fun!!! I watched along on TV and it was pure heaven. Course, I somehow managed to get 2 tickets to the ALCS game. Maggs didn’t disappoint. Now, that was something.

  14. I still remember watching that ball in the night sky til it landed in the stands and we all went berserk. Just like it was yesterday….

  15. Rogers hit 95 on the gun that night. Bilfer had a really nice post about it the next day…

    Hey, Bilfer, can you repost that game thread and your follow up article?

    I was also at that game. Matsui walked away sputtering Japanease to himself after his 2nd whiff….

    And we hammered “The Amazing Randy Johnson”… Great memories.

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