IdahoBert

Yes, that sucks.

They have relegation now in UCI world cycling. Two of the biggest teams Lotto Soudal and Israel Premier Tech were relegated, and it created great consternation, but other teams that are not automatically invited to the biggest races now will be. The big issue is the way points are allocated which many find contrived and irrational. But anyway, relegation is never pretty.

It’s too bad MLB doesn’t have relegation. If the Tigers were relegated to the Mexican League they might even make it into the playoffs.

So is nothing really happening? It’s so bad we’re talking about McCann? Following this team is like watching grass grow. In the winter. Not a hot stove, but a cold stove? The Lions are more interesting than the Tigers? My iPhone is so bored with things that when I tried to tap in the address to this site it automatically tried to send me the Motownsports. My damn phone even forgot to care. I’ve been reduced watching the Premier League, which was sadly on hiatus due to the World Cup, but which at least has the attraction of only taking two hours instead of four. I haven’t been this apathetic in years. I’m watching YouTube videos of people walking in the rain in Japan because it’s more interesting.

I hope his power numbers don’t go down the toilet at Comerica Park.

Has Verlander signed yet? . . I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist…

Wins, like strikeouts, are fascist.

Indeed. I think what’s south of Detroit is either Windsor or the river. I understand when Journey’s performed live in Detroit people love singing along with that line.

In my heart I was born and raised in South Detroit. But I have stopped believing. Is it safe to start believing again?

I’m glad I don’t own a gun because I feel like shooting myself.

This really explains a lot though. Because he appeared at least to be doing a lot of the right things and occasionally when all the planets lined up you had a surprising season like 2021. Then, you see what the deficits really were when you have a season like 2022 and this explains really well at least one of the factors in how that deficit was expressed. I think Woody Allen said that 80% of success is in showing up and Al showed up a lot less often than everybody else.

Thank you for putting this together. This is a very good overview of what was not done that other teams on average are doing. Imagine with the teams who are above that average are doing…

According to the TIGERS official MLB site Schoop is a finalist for the second base Gold Glove award. If he wins that would really redeem this season in my heart of hearts.

Since we’re talking about postseason here this photo came up on my Facebook memories feed from 10 years ago today after the Tigers defeated the Yankees 8-1 and then moved on to be humiliated by the San Francisco Giants in the WS. Wow, it was really that long ago.

That thing about Tork being the worst ever position player drafted first is troubling. I am one of the least astute observers around here. But simply because he was playing first base in college - sort of like me being stuck in right field in LL because it was the one place I could do the least damage - I found myself wondering if we’d be lucky if he were even a diminished version of Dave Kingman and if he was a one dimensional player and that one dimension didn’t work out it would be regrettable. But I heard all this talk about his athleticism which I am in no position to judge so I assumed everything would turn out OK. It’s too early to tell, but I can’t say that I am surprised especially since I hold the development side of this organization in low esteem (another assessment I don’t have tangible facts to back up so I’m going on a hunch). I hope I’m wrong but I really drank the Kool-Aid this season and I feel like I ended up in Jonestown and that I should’ve seen it coming.

Oh I will. It’s hard to live on hope, though. I wish I lived nearby and could go to games easily. When Scott treated me to a game three years ago it was just amazing to be around other Tiger fans. I’ve almost always been the only one I know. It was great to see the intergenerational love for the team among families with the parents and the kids wearing jerseys from different eras passing on the lore of the club. Seeing a happy 13 year old wearing a ‘60s road jersey really warmed my heart.

After living out of the region for almost the last 50 years — before the Internet era hit in stride — my ability to follow the team in earnest was spotty. When I discovered MTS in 2004 I followed the team minute by minute day by day no matter what. This year for the first time in 19 seasons I stopped following them. The team was like bad heroin laced with battery acid instead of good heroin that helped me take flight. This team was like waking up every morning and peeing broken glass into the toilet. Frequently before bed I would go “oh hey there was a game and I totally forgot“ and instead of following it assiduously in real time as before I would just look at maybe the box score or perhaps not even that. It takes a lot to wear me out and this team wore me out this year. The idea of more years of rebuilding futility makes me sad. Since so much unaccountable bad stuff happened this year next year has to be better but other teams are going to be better too so it makes me wonder if it’ll just be treading water, if that, again. Sigh…

I didn’t watch the game so I don’t know about Shep’s comments, but since I live in the northwest and all sorts of people from Seattle live in Idaho - which makes me scratch my head - some of them were heartbroken and wringing their hands that the Tigers won the first game of the series on Monday because that nixed the M’s home-field advantage for the playoffs and since they all have connections they were going to get tickets. HA! At least something positive came out of this.

The way these guys are playing gives me hope. I sincerely hate disliking this team. These guys are like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance and they’re really rising to the occasion. They are the D word, baby! “It can cut you like a knife, if the gift becomes the fire On a wire between will and what will be.”

How much further will General Harris’ March to the Sea take us? Through Minnesota? Will we burn Seattle to the ground?

Right now they have the longest current win streak in MLB of six games.

Achievable goals are good. Don’t lose 100 games. Don’t finish last place in the Central. Have a lower negative run differential than KC. On a cold December night I’ll snuggle in the icy air of my cold water flat with my teeth chattering and the memory of these achievements will keep me warm. It’ll be like that old Ambrose Bierce story where that guy thinks he’s on the gallows at owl creek bridge but actually it was a bad dream and he’s coming home to his loving wife.