papalawrence

I'm missing all the fun while at work. Tigers' groove continues.....

I didn't love the trade. I thought Kemp would be a perennial all-star. I was wrong, and I loved watching Chet all those years. Fwiw I also hated trading Leflore for Schatzeder. And who did they get for Jason Thompson? And even though it helped Detroit, Mickey Lolich should have been a Tiger for life

Jose Ramirez became the first 3rd baseman in MLB history to reach 250/250 hr/sb. Only 2 others ever reached 200/200. George Brett (reached 300/200) And former Tigers Howard Johnson. I forgot that Ho Jo had a really nice career https://www.facebook.com/share/15Uue9RaVF/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Wow, so sad to hear. Excellent baseball player. His children speak to what a great and humble father and man he was. RIP.

I think the Central could be a dogfight for the next 3-4 years. A lot of good, young talent

6-29, on pace for 28 wins. Sound like Detroit's recent 7 seasons.

A baseball America staff said he sees multiple batting titles for McConigle, that his bat to ball skills are that good. Of course only time will tell

Amen! It's been a long 8 years

From all-star that same year, to 7+ era with Detroit, iirc

The Leyland years were awesome. And they went 1-8 in the world series. They had a loaded line-up that was more station to station. They were mostly not developed by the Tigers system. Castellanos, JV, Inge, Porcello. They had stars. The current bullpen is better. The JV led rotation was better, but the current one is arguably top tier today. I disagree that it's a slam dunk that the Leyland squad would crush this squad. Definitely more talented, but a different style of baseball. And I disagree that the current system will end up with the same long-term issues. DD did have Mayben and Miller at one point in the farm, and turned them into Miggy. DD was the best at trades. But the DD farm does not compare to the current farm. I think it's the best farm since the mid-late 70s into the early 80s. It's different now. There was great success for a decade. I loved those teams. I have more confidence that Harris will draft and develop players better than earlier eras. So I have more hope for sustainability. I could be wrong. As a fan I like this system better. You disagree. Bottom line is that it's subjective.

I loved that era, and that team certainly had more talent. But I agree with others in that I prefer the current style of play and view it as potentially sustainable. As DD kept adding contracts like Fielder, JV-Miggy-VMart extensions, etc -- all players who were aging Nd slow on the base paths, I was always aware that there would be a down period of bloated contracts and aging stars. The down period turned out to be much lower than I expected. This culture is different. More aggressive. I loved the JV/Miggy era. I enjoy watching this style of ball more, and I have more hope it will be sustainable

KC continues to roll and the Twins are playing better ball. The Central is gonna be a dog fight

You just boosted the Tigers and they'll win even more

While that's true, has there ever been a Boras client accept a smaller contract to stay with a certain team? It does happen (Cleveland with Ramirez, AZ with Burns). But generally, players choose Boras for a reason - to get the best contract. I hope I am wrong. I want him to stay.

That's priceless!

Very cool!

One of my childhood neighbors played for the Grand Rapids Chicks. Dolly was very kind to me always. RIP https://www.mlive.com/sports/2018/09/connie_konwinski_grand_rapids.html

I agree, and believe there will be teams, likely including the Yankees who will pony up an even larger contract for Skubal.

Everyone on the Cubs is raking. They're due for a collective slump

I've also watched *61 about a dozen times. One of my favs.

I would love to see a full length motion picture about the summer of 1976 and a dude called the bird. I was 10 that summer. It was one of the highlights of my life

Nice article on Ranier's exit velo https://www.si.com/mlb/tigers/news/detroit-tigers-star-prospect-receives-wild-praise-from-scout-after-hot-start

They will name a pizza after him

I enjoy baseball movies, but Hoosiers is my favorite sports movie

Gerrit Cole got 9/324 in 2020 when he was 29. I don't see Boras settling for less. And JV and Max got 2-3 year contracts @ 43 mil per approaching age 40. If Skubal agrees to a shorter deal he will be north of 40 per. Maybe even 6/270, something like that. He will get those kind of offers if he remains elite with no further injuries