Baseball is back, and so are we! As the regular season has finally gotten underway, the three of us think it's high time to resume writing on this blog regularly. With the added stress of school, work, family, and other stressors, we haven't gotten to see as much baseball as we would like. That is about to change.
After the first week of baseball, our boys are 4-3. Not great, you say? We beg to differ. This season we have made a solemn vow--we are NOT gonna let the haterz get us down. How quickly people forget what happened last season! A shitty first 2/3rds of the season and almost everyone was checking out, and then BOOM! Our Tigers were World Series bound. So even if we DON'T do as well in April (in the D! [!!!!!]) as everyone thinks we should, who the hell cares? It's one month! That being said, 4-3 ain't all that bad, folks, and we'll tell ya why.
This top 5 (Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez) is the best we've ever seen on our team. When they're on, they're on, and it has been evidenced very early in the season that they can be hard--if not impossible--to stop. Save for V-Mart, who we are expecting to take a little more time to get going (he HAS been gone for a year) the Fab Five have already made their mark.
Ajax is the catalyst for this group, and whenever he gets on base their is a high likelihood that the Tigers will score. Torii has been extremely impressive in his first week as a Tiger, hitting .424 and scoring 4 runs. While we obviously don't expect him to keep up with that BA number, we do think he is going to fit in quite nicely in the D. And don't even get us started on his bromance with Austin!
And then there's our big boys, the dynamic duo of Miguel & Prince. If we're perfectly honest here, we think both have the potential to win an MVP award. Seriously. The potential of their numbers has grown exponentially thanks to V-Mart's intimidating presence. In our minds, Triple Crown King Miguel has a great shot a repeating by simply coming close to the numbers he did last year. We're not saying he will win the Triple Crown again, but we are saying he should be plenty of folks' pre-season pick for MVP.
As far as starting pitching go, we're willing to overlook a few bumps in April! All these group of fine (and we mean fine) gentlemen need are a few outings under their belts and they can get back to kicking ass and taking names like they did in the postseason. Why, look at Anibal Sanchez! His outing today against the better-than-average Toronto Blue Jay offense was outstanding. We predict by May/June JV & Co. will be utterly dominant.
And then we come to our bullpen.
This, as we have said before, is clearly going to be a trouble spot--our only real trouble spot, hopefully--this year. While we are confident in Drew Smyly, Al Alburquerque, Joaquin Benoit and Octavio Dotel, we honestly have not a clue what is to happen with our closing spot. True, the club did sign Jose Valverde, but we wouldn't call ourselves (or the rest of the Tigers fanbase) big fans of that move. Hopefully the team can figure out this issue sooner rather than later, or it could end up costing us more than a few games.
So for now, before people get too caught up in the stress and worry of will-the-or-won't-they-be-good-enough-to-make-the-playoffs-gahhh-help!!, relax and enjoy this lovely season of April in the D. IOnce again, it's going to be a fun and exciting year. We just know it.
PS-Congrats to Alex Avila and his wife on the birth of their first child!!!!! We remember when Alex was just a yougin' making his first start in the bigs....*sniff sniff*
Showing posts with label Prince Fielder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince Fielder. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
It's Go Time
We're not so big on finality here. Now or never? Not really our thing. It's never over until it really actually is over in our minds.
So when people say that the Tigers need to make the playoff push NOW, we technically should just roll our eyes and scoff. But these Debbie Downers are actually right. The Tigers have been basically playing it safe and just kind of "hanging in there" instead of really pushing forward like last year and seizing the AL Central. To be blunt, it's time for our boys to stop dicking around and start winning consistently. It's GO TIME.
Looking at our remaining schedule, it is apparent that with all of our games against the Indians, Twins, and Royals, there should be a lot of series wins over the next month and a half. Besides two series against the Angels and one against the Athletics (featuring the return of Brandon Inge) it looks like our boys should have a fairly easy schedule. Emphasis on 'should.' Oh, and of course we have seven games against the White Sox, three of which are at home. Bring. It. Awn.
It's never exactly heartening to see our boys lose 2 of 3 to the Orioles. At home. Not the best time for a Doug Fister pitching meltdown, either. Even though this is no time to panic, there still needs to be a sense of urgency around our team. We have faith that out resident MVP of the world, Miguel Cabrera, and his resident sidekick Prince Fielder will help save the day in any way they can.
Our boys are ready. They had an off day. They're well-rested. They can handle the Blue Jays, and all the other teams they face. It's our jobs as fans to root them on to overcome this 2-game deficit and overtake the White Sox. It's go time.
So when people say that the Tigers need to make the playoff push NOW, we technically should just roll our eyes and scoff. But these Debbie Downers are actually right. The Tigers have been basically playing it safe and just kind of "hanging in there" instead of really pushing forward like last year and seizing the AL Central. To be blunt, it's time for our boys to stop dicking around and start winning consistently. It's GO TIME.
Looking at our remaining schedule, it is apparent that with all of our games against the Indians, Twins, and Royals, there should be a lot of series wins over the next month and a half. Besides two series against the Angels and one against the Athletics (featuring the return of Brandon Inge) it looks like our boys should have a fairly easy schedule. Emphasis on 'should.' Oh, and of course we have seven games against the White Sox, three of which are at home. Bring. It. Awn.
It's never exactly heartening to see our boys lose 2 of 3 to the Orioles. At home. Not the best time for a Doug Fister pitching meltdown, either. Even though this is no time to panic, there still needs to be a sense of urgency around our team. We have faith that out resident MVP of the world, Miguel Cabrera, and his resident sidekick Prince Fielder will help save the day in any way they can.
Our boys are ready. They had an off day. They're well-rested. They can handle the Blue Jays, and all the other teams they face. It's our jobs as fans to root them on to overcome this 2-game deficit and overtake the White Sox. It's go time.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Hey Now, You're An All Star
Well, that All Star game was…interesting, to say the least. Prince Fielder kicked ass and took names at the Home Run Derby. After a shaky first round in which we weren't sure he'd even make it through, he went on to blast 11 homers in the second round and 12 in the final, beating Jose Bautista and winning all. Plus, how cute was it to see his AH-dorable little sons running into his arms for a Fielder Family Group Hug at the end? Absolutely precious. As for Miguel Cabrera, he didn't do too much--although we did get our first look at his super cute son too! What is it with this team and adorable kids?!?!?
And then we get to our third All Star, Justin Verlander. Justin, Justin, Justin. Where do we even begin with you? First of all, we think his excuse for his performance in the All Star Game--where he was shelled for four hits, two walks, and six runs--was a mostly good one. He didn't want to go into Emo-Serial-Killer Mode before this mostly "fun" event, and this makes sense to us. Let the man enjoy the game. However, he should have known not to get overly excited and light up the radar at 101 so early in the game. He should know that this rarely works in his favor when he is properly mentally prepared. Silly Verlander!
And that's all that's in the news about Justin Verlander this week that pertains to baseball, right? There's nothing else of note to comment on. Now, moving on…
…Oh, wait. We're missing something here. Ohhhhh. You wanted us to say something about the Verlander/Kate Upton rumors that have been a-swirlin'? Well, first of all, we don't think there's anything to this. At all. We think they're just friends. Not like it matters at all, but we think it'd be pretty fucking sleazy to ditch your high school sweetheart for some 19-year-old swimsuit model. That's just our opinion. Not that it has any relevance to baseball. At all. So we'll just stop there!
If he IS dating her, though, we'll just go ahead and blame every bad pitch he ever throws ever again on her. Kay? Kay.
Moving on. This upcoming series starting tomorrow against Baltimore may not seem like a huge deal, but it is. As many have pointed out, we are only a game off our pace from last season (44-42 this year as compared to 45-41 last year). We all know how that turned out. If we can win or tie the next two series against Baltimore and Los Angeles, then we are in prime position to get close to or overtake Chicago when we play them next weekend. It's time for our boys to make their move.
…And speaking of, all THREE of us will be at two games that series! We will be at the park on July 20th & 21st, so if you see us there, tweet us or be sure to say hi!
And then we get to our third All Star, Justin Verlander. Justin, Justin, Justin. Where do we even begin with you? First of all, we think his excuse for his performance in the All Star Game--where he was shelled for four hits, two walks, and six runs--was a mostly good one. He didn't want to go into Emo-Serial-Killer Mode before this mostly "fun" event, and this makes sense to us. Let the man enjoy the game. However, he should have known not to get overly excited and light up the radar at 101 so early in the game. He should know that this rarely works in his favor when he is properly mentally prepared. Silly Verlander!
And that's all that's in the news about Justin Verlander this week that pertains to baseball, right? There's nothing else of note to comment on. Now, moving on…
…Oh, wait. We're missing something here. Ohhhhh. You wanted us to say something about the Verlander/Kate Upton rumors that have been a-swirlin'? Well, first of all, we don't think there's anything to this. At all. We think they're just friends. Not like it matters at all, but we think it'd be pretty fucking sleazy to ditch your high school sweetheart for some 19-year-old swimsuit model. That's just our opinion. Not that it has any relevance to baseball. At all. So we'll just stop there!
Moving on. This upcoming series starting tomorrow against Baltimore may not seem like a huge deal, but it is. As many have pointed out, we are only a game off our pace from last season (44-42 this year as compared to 45-41 last year). We all know how that turned out. If we can win or tie the next two series against Baltimore and Los Angeles, then we are in prime position to get close to or overtake Chicago when we play them next weekend. It's time for our boys to make their move.
…And speaking of, all THREE of us will be at two games that series! We will be at the park on July 20th & 21st, so if you see us there, tweet us or be sure to say hi!
Monday, July 9, 2012
That's More Like It
It's about damn time.
This past week has really seen our boys go from the middle-of-the-road level of play they have been exhibiting all year to the kind of play of which we know they're all capable.
Five straight wins, including for games in a row with homers from Delmon Young, a man who has freaking struggled this year. He has, in fact, struggled so hard that he was named Jayson Stark's Least Valuable Player of the first half. Yikes. Although now we can totally imagine Delmon seeing what Stark wrote and getting the wake-up call he so desperately needed, and thank goodness for that. If Delmon can continue his hot hitting after the All Star break, then Tigers fans are in for a treat!
Speaking of All-Stars, a belated congrats to Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and the American League starting pitcher, Justin "God" Verlander! All three of these fine players were justly and unsurprisingly elected to the team, and while we believe all three should be starting, two out of three ain't bad. Prince is also competing in his fourth Home Run Derby tonight, and we will of course be watching and rooting for our boy. Go Prince go (and puh-lease let your cute little sons be there to root you on)!!!!
Though we are very proud of these three, we do think that our boy Austin Jackson was snubbed. He has been, in our minds, the most valuable player of the first have for the Tigers, and had he not been injured for a few weeks, he might not have been denied. At least Ron Washington could have given him the courtesy of being on the Final Vote roster, but whatever. Ajax hasn't let it get him down, so we're just gonna let it slide.
We're more excited to see what comes after the break, though. We finished on such an unexpected high note, and now it seems like this team is finally rolling. But they're are obviously a lot of questions that need to be answered if our team is going to win anything.
Will Ryan Raburn continue his campaign of suck? Will Doug Fister overcome his injuries/shakiness to have a good second half like last year? Will Max Scherzer continue his always-solid/sometimes-great year? Will Quintin Berry slow down after his hot rookie campaign? Will Brennan Boeschget his shit together actually pick up his sluggish pace, or will the return of Andy Dirks doom him to Triple A?
All valid questions, we think. But this is an exciting time. Our boys are at a crossroads. They can either take the momentum they have and use it to claim what is rightfully theirs (the AL Central) or they can scuffle and underachieve like they used to. That is up to them.
This past week has really seen our boys go from the middle-of-the-road level of play they have been exhibiting all year to the kind of play of which we know they're all capable.
Five straight wins, including for games in a row with homers from Delmon Young, a man who has freaking struggled this year. He has, in fact, struggled so hard that he was named Jayson Stark's Least Valuable Player of the first half. Yikes. Although now we can totally imagine Delmon seeing what Stark wrote and getting the wake-up call he so desperately needed, and thank goodness for that. If Delmon can continue his hot hitting after the All Star break, then Tigers fans are in for a treat!
Speaking of All-Stars, a belated congrats to Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and the American League starting pitcher, Justin "God" Verlander! All three of these fine players were justly and unsurprisingly elected to the team, and while we believe all three should be starting, two out of three ain't bad. Prince is also competing in his fourth Home Run Derby tonight, and we will of course be watching and rooting for our boy. Go Prince go (and puh-lease let your cute little sons be there to root you on)!!!!
Though we are very proud of these three, we do think that our boy Austin Jackson was snubbed. He has been, in our minds, the most valuable player of the first have for the Tigers, and had he not been injured for a few weeks, he might not have been denied. At least Ron Washington could have given him the courtesy of being on the Final Vote roster, but whatever. Ajax hasn't let it get him down, so we're just gonna let it slide.
We're more excited to see what comes after the break, though. We finished on such an unexpected high note, and now it seems like this team is finally rolling. But they're are obviously a lot of questions that need to be answered if our team is going to win anything.
Will Ryan Raburn continue his campaign of suck? Will Doug Fister overcome his injuries/shakiness to have a good second half like last year? Will Max Scherzer continue his always-solid/sometimes-great year? Will Quintin Berry slow down after his hot rookie campaign? Will Brennan Boesch
All valid questions, we think. But this is an exciting time. Our boys are at a crossroads. They can either take the momentum they have and use it to claim what is rightfully theirs (the AL Central) or they can scuffle and underachieve like they used to. That is up to them.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Random Tigers Thoughts From Laura: Pre-Spring Training
It's a casual, boring Monday night. You have work or school or SOMEthing in the morning, and it has been a stressful and exhausting day. There aren't even any good games on tonight. Yet, something feels different. Something magical is in the air…
BASEBALL. BASEBALL STARTED TODAY.
No, it's not the regular season. It's not even the start of Spring Training games. It's just pitchers and catchers reporting. But there's nothing "just" about it. Baseball is baseball is baseball and will always be baseball, and right now Tigers Baseball is starting and our boys are finally reuniting under the Lakeland Sun!!!!!!!!!!
They'll be in Comerica before we know it, folks, but for now they're stationed on the hallowed grounds of Joker Marchant. After the jump are a few lingering thoughts from me as the first baseballs are thrown...
BASEBALL. BASEBALL STARTED TODAY.
No, it's not the regular season. It's not even the start of Spring Training games. It's just pitchers and catchers reporting. But there's nothing "just" about it. Baseball is baseball is baseball and will always be baseball, and right now Tigers Baseball is starting and our boys are finally reuniting under the Lakeland Sun!!!!!!!!!!
They'll be in Comerica before we know it, folks, but for now they're stationed on the hallowed grounds of Joker Marchant. After the jump are a few lingering thoughts from me as the first baseballs are thrown...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Dave Dombrowski is a Sly, Sly, Dog...
...and we LOVE it!
In case you have no Twitter, no Facebook, and you haven't checked the Tigers' homepage in a few days, Prince Fielder is coming to Detroit!
This was probably the best kept secret in all of baseball because it surprised literally everyone. According to the idiots at ESPN, Jim Leyland didn't even know about the deal. All of a sudden, Detroit baseball is on the map. The major sports news teams are all abuzz about how amazing we will be in the years to come. We have the pitching, we have the hitting, and now, with Prince, we have the power! Apparently, he will hit behind Cabrera in the lineup, replacing poor, injured Victor, and Miggy and Prince will split first base and DH.
The best and worst part about this deal? The length. The deal is for NINE years, and 214 million dollars. This is excellent because Prince is a career .280 hitter, with an OPS of just under one. He hits with a lot of power, and if he's hitting behind Cabrera in the lineup, then Cabby will get a lot of on bases. Cabby/Prince could be the best one-two punch in the American League, if not all of baseball. The negative to this is that if Prince can't make the adjustment to the Tigers, we're saddled with a very expensive benchwarmer. We think it's an excellent move, however. The tigers get a great DH to replace Victor Martinez, and when Victor comes back, we will most likely have the best hitting lineup in baseball.
Another great thing about Prince Fielder is that he's the son of Cecil Fielder, who played in Detroit for seven years. Prince spent a large part of his childhood in the Detroit, and was certainly at one point in his life a tigers fan. Love of the organization might make his transition here easier. We're expecting more dugout shenanigans and hopefully another large personality on the team.
What does all this mean for Detroit? Only good things. We have an amazing pitching staff inVerlander, Fister, Porcello, Scherzer, Valverde, Coke, and Aburquerque, and we have some of the best hitters in baseball in Cabrera, Peralta, Avila (and least for a catcher), and now Prince. We also have three of the biggest stars in the game: Fielder, Cabrera, and Verlander. This all will put Detroit on the map in terms of both skill and star power, and we might have more exposure on the nation networks. (We can dream, right?)
We have to tip our caps to Dave Dombrowski for orchestrating what was probably a last minute trade in response to Victor's ACL injury. Bravo, Dave, and welcome home, Sweet Prince!
P.S. We screamed for a full 30 seconds when we saw this, no joke. WE HAVE PRINCE FIELDER, SUCKAS!
In case you have no Twitter, no Facebook, and you haven't checked the Tigers' homepage in a few days, Prince Fielder is coming to Detroit!
This was probably the best kept secret in all of baseball because it surprised literally everyone. According to the idiots at ESPN, Jim Leyland didn't even know about the deal. All of a sudden, Detroit baseball is on the map. The major sports news teams are all abuzz about how amazing we will be in the years to come. We have the pitching, we have the hitting, and now, with Prince, we have the power! Apparently, he will hit behind Cabrera in the lineup, replacing poor, injured Victor, and Miggy and Prince will split first base and DH.
The best and worst part about this deal? The length. The deal is for NINE years, and 214 million dollars. This is excellent because Prince is a career .280 hitter, with an OPS of just under one. He hits with a lot of power, and if he's hitting behind Cabrera in the lineup, then Cabby will get a lot of on bases. Cabby/Prince could be the best one-two punch in the American League, if not all of baseball. The negative to this is that if Prince can't make the adjustment to the Tigers, we're saddled with a very expensive benchwarmer. We think it's an excellent move, however. The tigers get a great DH to replace Victor Martinez, and when Victor comes back, we will most likely have the best hitting lineup in baseball.
Another great thing about Prince Fielder is that he's the son of Cecil Fielder, who played in Detroit for seven years. Prince spent a large part of his childhood in the Detroit, and was certainly at one point in his life a tigers fan. Love of the organization might make his transition here easier. We're expecting more dugout shenanigans and hopefully another large personality on the team.
What does all this mean for Detroit? Only good things. We have an amazing pitching staff inVerlander, Fister, Porcello, Scherzer, Valverde, Coke, and Aburquerque, and we have some of the best hitters in baseball in Cabrera, Peralta, Avila (and least for a catcher), and now Prince. We also have three of the biggest stars in the game: Fielder, Cabrera, and Verlander. This all will put Detroit on the map in terms of both skill and star power, and we might have more exposure on the nation networks. (We can dream, right?)
We have to tip our caps to Dave Dombrowski for orchestrating what was probably a last minute trade in response to Victor's ACL injury. Bravo, Dave, and welcome home, Sweet Prince!
P.S. We screamed for a full 30 seconds when we saw this, no joke. WE HAVE PRINCE FIELDER, SUCKAS!
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