The Tigers announced today that TigerFest 2007 is a sell out. Expected attendance is in excess of 12,000 fans. Unfortunately I waited too long so my son and I won’t be part of the throng.
If you were planning on seeing one of the 30 players at TigerFest your other option includes trying to catch up with the team at a caravan stop. Here is the full schedule: (more…)
It was so green. Those are the first words that I use to describe my first memory of Tiger Stadium. The bright contrast of the green grass and blue seats as I emerged from a dark tunnel is the first and most enduring sensory experience I remember at a major league game. Listening to others describe their first experiences, many stick to the same theme. This isn’t just true of Tiger Stadium, but other parks as well. But if you were to attend your first game now, I have a hard time believing the reaction would be the same. New stadium construction and better TV have probably dimmed some of the vividness.
Back in 1982 when I attended my first game, all I’d known was the game on a TV screen. Watch ESPN Classic for any sporting event from the 80’s, and once you stop laughing at the clothes and the graphics, look at how washed out the colors were. The transmission was poor and the TV sets weren’t much better. Now with games being broadcast in HD, it is crystal clear and just as bright as being there in person.
I think the other thing that will impact this is the trends in all the newer stadia. ‘Back in the olden days’ many stadiums were closed in and concourses were tucked back underneath the seats. You didn’t see the field at all until you came up through the tunnels. And when you did get your first glimpse the grass was contrasted by the backdrop of the stadium itself. Now fans get to enjoy open-view concourses and outfields that open up to reveal rivers, bays, and cityscapes.
Now none of these innovations are bad things. I love the crisp clear picture on TV. With 2 little kids, being able to see the game while venturing out for more concessions is wonderful. I just wonder when today’s kids reminisce about their first game, what enduring memory will they have?
The Tigers are extending invites to the Major League camp for 16 players. They are:
Craig Dingman (R)
Jair Jurrjens (R)
Dennis Tankersley (R)
Tim Byrdak (L)
Felix Heredia(L)
Bobby Seay (L)
Gabe Johnson
Dane Sardinha
Steve Torrealba
Brent Dlugach
Mike Hessman
Kevin Hooper
Cameron Maybin
Timo Perez
Ryan Raburn
Brandon Watson.
Pitchers and catchers will report to Lakeland on February 15, with the first work-out on February 16. The balance of the squad will report on February 20 and the first full-squad work-out will be held on February 21.
In the comments to the first first pitch swinging post Nate asked about the differences in the time of game reasoning that the value in wearing down a reliever is minimal. It was easy enough to break it down by starter versus reliever.
The Tigers swung at the first pitch slightly more against relievers going after 32.6% of first pitches as opposed to 30.7% for starters.
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While it was a great day for Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris actually lost ground on their quest for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
In Trammell’s case it was his lowest vote percentage since he was added to the ballot in 2002. Trammell’s vote total has hovered in a pretty narrow range over the last 6 elections: 15.7, 14.1, 13.8, 16.9, 17.7, 13.4. With him not gaining ground his chances of enshrinement will most likely rest with the Veteran’s Committee.
As for Jack Morris, he’d actually been gaining momentum. Over his 6 years on the ballot he had doubled his support, but backtracked this year. His vote totals since 2001 are: 19.61, 20.5, 22.8, 26.3, 33.3, 41.2, 37.1.
Of course both fared better than Lou Whitaker who failed to gain the requisite 5% in his only year on the ballot. On a related note, The Hardball Times has an article by Dan McLaughlin (aka The Baseball Crank) looking in detail at the Hall of Fame case for various middle infielders. Of course the Tigers double play combo is part of the discussion.
While I dispelled some of my issues with the Tigers and first pitch swinging, I still had some questions. I think many Tiger fans can remember what seemed like all those times there were runners on base only to see Magglio Ordonez (or any host of other Tiger hitters) take a swing at the first pitch and pop out to first base. So did first pitch swing rates, as well as success, hinge on whether or not there are runners on base?
First we’ll take a look at if the rate of first pitch swinging varies whether or not there are runners on base: (more…)
There were a couple ways to describe the Tigers approach at the plate in 2006. The optimist might say they were aggressive, the pessimist might say they were hack-tastic. I guess one measure of this might be their propensity for swinging at the first pitch.
Now with the first pitch, 4 things can happen. There are two take events, a called ball or a called strike. There are also two swinging states, the batter can have put the ball in play or be sitting with an 0-1 count. At various times during the season I saw stats on TV broadcasts or in the paper that show how well certain Tigers did when hitting the first pitch, but that data neglected to take into account the swings and misses (or fouls).
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Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Tigers have signed Timo Perez to a minor league contract.
Perez will be 30 next season. He plays all out field positions and hits left handed. His major league career numbers are 262/301/373 with his best season coming in 2002 for the Mets when he hit 295/331/437. In part time big league duty since then he hasn’t topped an OBP of 301.
He was productive at the AAA level last year hitting 295/349/515 so maybe he can help the Mud Hens win another International League Championship.
Morosi also notes that Bobby Seay will be returning with a minor league contract as well.
There’s a new Tiger blog, Dtown Baseball. It is authored by DTW commentor Eric Jackson. Eric did some further investigation into Tiger lineup configuration and examined the assertion that the Tigers used 120 different lineups.
Eric raises a great point that there are many distinct lineups, but that there was still considerable consistency.
He looked at the top 5 spots in the lineup and found that the sequence of Granderson-Polanco-Rodriguez-Ordonez-Guillen started 51 times and averaged 4.76 runs per game. He also found a bunch of other stuff and it’s definitely worth a read (plus there’s a graph).
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Happy New Year to everyone. Let’s hope that in a baseball sense, 2007 is just as prosperous as 2006.
On another note, I’ve updated the Roster page (and added The Hardball Times) and the Organizational Tree. Both now reflect the current roster which should almost ensure a trade this week.
Go Blue!