If you’re new here and like what you see, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Need more info on what subscribing entails? Here’s a primer. Thanks for visiting!The very newly created Detroit Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is hosting a pretty big program this weekend. [...]

No rhyme, reason, or subheadings. Just a quick link dump as I watch Jair Jurrjens carve up the Pirates.

Kaline or Clemente: Joe Posnanski tackles who was the better sixties right fielder.
Tigers interested in Cordero?: Ian points to a report that the Tigers inquired about Chad Cordero during spring training. I don’t [...]

Defensive metrics have evolved considerably as the charting of batted ball types and locations has become common place. PMR, UZR, and the like give us a much better understanding of defensive value, but what about past years. What about the years where there is play by play data, but not with the same [...]

With the thermometer rocketing all the way up to 7 degrees this morning, and spring training a few weeks away here are some items to try and keep you warm on a Friday. No heavy analysis here, just some diversions.
The Tunes
I was surfing around the WDFN website and came across some great audio. [...]

Rob Neyer called for further investigation of the point. Neyer stated:

Two, while I’m intrigued by the notion that Trammell’s solid defensive credentials — he won four Gold Gloves, and Bill James has him as a Grade B-minus shortstop over his entire career — are partly the result of the high grass in the Tiger Stadium infield, I’d sure like to see somebody do some actual work on this one. Yes, sinkerballer Walt Terrell’s home/road splits were massive when he pitched for the Tigers, particularly from 1985 through ‘87. But did other sinkerball pitchers fare particularly well in Tiger Stadium during Trammell’s career? Were Trammell’s fielding stats significantly better at home than on the road? If the grass was long and did lead to more plays for Trammell, did it cost him anything as a hitter?

Inspired by Neyer I decided to at least take a very crude look at what effect the grass had on ground ball hit rates. This isn’t exactly answering Neyer’s question or refuting Sheehan’s claim, but at least it is another data point. My methodology was to look at all groundballs hit, and see at what rate they produced baserunners. I then converted those rates to park factors.

Wrapping up some outstanding items from what very well could be one of the most significant trades in franchise history…
Replenishment
Peter Gammons astutely pointed out that the Tigers were able to make this trade because of Ilitch’s and Dombrowski’s refusal to adhere to the asinine draft slotting system. Not only did a willingness to pay [...]

Over the last couple weeks fans who purchased items in the Tiger Stadium auction were able to head down to the Michigan and Trumbull and pick up their items. There were some items that weren’t bid on, or discovered after the auction ended that were also available so I went to check it out. [...]

Here’s where I hand it over to you the readers. Earlier this year I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my first Tigers game. I was able to pinpoint the date by searching through retrosheet.
After seeing the amazing pictures that were taken of the Tiger Stadium last week, and the auction and [...]

Sales began at 6:00 a.m. this morning for Tiger Stadium memorabilia, and by 9:00 a.m. the web site was already down. Nice. Even when the city of Detroit contracts with other people stuff gets screwed up.
Still, you can get Tiger Stadium seats which are available on a first come first serve basis. [...]

Reuters
I wish I could type up something poetic or dramatic or chuck full of literary goodness. I don’t really have that in me, and I don’t think I could muster it right now anyways. But watching this unfold was a thing of beauty. Justin Verlander was good in the first inning, and [...]

The Detroit Economic Development council approved a plan to tear down Tiger Stadium. The nearly $3 million cost will be offset by a web based memorabilia auction.
The plan will be taken to the City Council in July.
The plan calls for the preservation of the field for youth leagues while the site is redeveloped for [...]

A little bit of this and a little bit of that:
More Curtis
Curtis Granderson opened up his mailbag again. This time he talks about the high socks (love the high socks), his at-bat music, and bubble gum. Hard hitting stuff? Not at all. Interesting? I think so.
I always liked how the [...]