I can’t because of logical impossibility. In short I am currently self-employed.

I should probably fire myself I suppose, but I’ve never been good at that sort of thing as a manager. And yeah the amount of time spent on baseball things some days is not trivial. But at the same time when I see me working late to make up for the time, it doesn’t look so much like a thing to fire a guy over, you know?

Can you get me a job where you work? Also, great effing post.

True he is not hitting in runs as expected; and frustratingly even more so when the situations look tailor-made for producing RBIs. But he has being doing other things. Above all he has been getting on base. A lot.

The Tigers HAVE to score more runs–even with great pitching and defense I doubt many teams have won divisions without scoring runs at least at a league average rate…which the Tigers aren’t doing:

Runs per game:
AL Avg: 4.79
Tigers: 4.59 (tie 9th with BAL)

It’s obvious why we aren’t scoring too–our big hitters become useless as soon as a runner gets in scoring position, even the Big Bat Cabrera. Well at least it seems obvious, but that idea actually couldn’t be more wrong. The problem that needs to be solved is that WE CAN’T GET RUNNERS INTO SCORING POSITION in the first place, or to be honest even on base at all:

Total baserunners:
AL Avg: 2387
Tigers: 2223 (-164 – 11th)

PAs with RISP
AL Avg: 1019
Tigers: 918 (-101 – 13th, KC: 915)

We may be a bit below average scoring; we are way below average getting guys on base; but we are a couple a baserunners away from being dead worst in the AL at getting runners into scoring position. In that light it’s a small miracle we are even above .500 right now.

And here’s the small miracle: somehow this odd offense is among the league’s best at getting runners home once they get in scoring position. Yeah, I know. But the numbers don’t lie (although they often babble incoherently):

RISP Efficiency (PA/R)
AL Avg: 2.91
Tigers: 2.79 (+.12, *4th*)

We’re getting guys on base like an out-of-contention team; we’re getting guys into scoring position like a solid basement dweller; but we’re scoring runs like an average team, because we’re scoring the runners we do get into scoring position like a playoff team does.

In light of which Cabrera’s excellent OBP–10th best in the AL–is a bigger factor for this Tiger offense right now than his subpar RBI/RISP performance. What we need most are baserunners. Desperately. Cabrera is doing his part and more.

Willis was clearly on the decline? I know alot of people think that way. To me, that’s like saying Verlander was clearly on the decline last year and this Spring. Getting an established 25 year old starting pitcher is usually a great move. I expected Willis to be atleast be a solid innings eater like Gil Meche is.

Nate Robertson was that great innings eater from 2004-07. The extension we gave him was to avoid arbitration and was probably below his market value at the time. Guys like him were going for 4 years at $10 million per season, about what Bonderman got.

Sheff got a 2 year extension because he would of vetoed the trade without it. It was the only way to get Sheff here. I didn’t like Sheff, but I thought he’d make the team better, so I supported the trade after it happened. We didn’t give up much talent to get him, only prospects. The only thing lost was $. IMO, money is worth nothing if you don’t spend it. We’d be no better with a $70 million dollar payroll. Sure, we’d have more money to spend, but on who? The problem has been getting people signed to play in Detroit, not paying them. Money is the most replenishable commodity in the world. It’s no secret that players would much rather play in NY or LA for less money, than to come here and play in Detroit.

I’m glad Renteria didn’t get that kind of extension the other guys got when we got him.

DD really has been brilliant in rebuilding this franchise. He started off with nothing but Jeff Weaver. After a few years, he built up the farm system so that he could afford to trade away top prospects like Jurrjens for proven talent, whether it be Cabrera, Willis, Sheffield, or Renteria. Usually getting All-Star or future Hall of Fame players is low risk. Being on the other end of the deal and getting unproven prospects is usually the much bigger gamble.

How is Jackson going to walk after this year? He’s not a free agent after the season. He still has a few arbitration years left.

I think the Tigers are in a wonderful situation. We have a rock solid core of young players and one of the best managers in the game, Leyland. Don’t understand how people could think otherwise.

Our PITCHING!

We could really use one more solid starter. I’m worried about Ricky, Mando is iffy/on/off and I don’t know how long Luke French can pull this off.

Two aces(JV+EJax) and a third solid guy(trade) + the hot flavor of the month/someone we have on the staff would probably be enough to have a high probability of

1)ensuring a playoff spot,
2) being able to weather a injury/overuse of Porcello
3) possibly repeating or besting 2006

Without another solid starter, I’m worried.

Pick someone or some two from the following. I am just going on two main criteria for this list

1) Said pitcher is on a team not in contention (defined as the following – Toronto, Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland, New York Mets, Washington DC, Cincy, Pittsburgh, Arizona, San Diego)
2) Said pitcher has an ERA below 4

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/leagu.....Frame=2009

There are several intriguing names on that list, that are on the named teams and fulfill the second requirement.

I think asking a guy who maybe really shouldn’t be in the 3 spot to have better ABs than the regular middle of the lineup guys do is expecting too much.

On the other hand it was pretty cool wasn’t it, how we had that L-R-L-R-L-R pattern for the 1st 6 guys, think how bad the game would have turned out without that…

Anyway, I know for the 2nd run of the inning–reached on single, advanced to 2nd on error, scored on double–that’s always an earned run, the error was only responsible for the base advance. I just would have thought the 1st run, the runner on 2nd, who you probably give the 2nd-to-3rd advance on the single, and a run-scored-on-throwing-error, would be an unearned run (and, since someone said “well he would have scored anyway when the next batter doubled,” actually the following play was NOT the double–it was the 2ND error on the play, on Galarraga).

What is the rule for run-earnedness or un-earnedness on “run-on-error” plays like that?

(And I feel bad for Cabrera, since he has been criticized some for ranging into Polanco territory after ground balls…he’s probably been getting reminders to stay within certain boundaries, started to go after the throw, and thought oops better get back near first…)