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On Tigers Rotation, Lions Training Camp, Sosa And MSU-UM Recruiting
Who will take Dontrelle Willis’ spot in the rotation Saturday remains a mystery. There is no obvious answer. Brooks Brown pitched poorly in his start for Toledo Tuesday. Lucas French didn’t pitch well the previous night, either. The Tigers could start Zach Miner and call up a reliever if they release Willis, or if he accepts assignment in the minor leagues. But none of their high minor league relievers has pitched consistently well. It wouldn’t be an earned promotion, lets put it that way.
At Double-A, Alfredo Figaro has pitched well in his last two starts. He is, by the way, Fernando Rodney’s cousin and has a pretty good fastball. He does tend to run hot and cold. He seems to be hot now. Had 10 K’s and eight K’s in his last two starts.
Random Thoughts
- The idea of the Lions holding training camp at Grand Valley State University in 2010 isn’t necessarily a bad one. An issue is why not Saginaw Valley State instead? It’s a two-hour drive for most fans as opposed to four hours for Allendale. It’d be nice if the Lions considered their fans in this decision. That’s one thing that is truly missed by fans - the opportunity to watch training camp. It’d be a lot easier to do so at Saginaw Valley than Grand Valley.
- Sammy Sosa on steroids? There isn’t a person alive surprised by that. All this most recent disclosure does is make you think back to the summer of ‘98 and what a sham and a shame it was.
- Detroit Southeastern defensive end/linebacker William Gholston and Detroit Renaissance cornerback Mylan Hicks committing to Michigan State were huge coups for Spartan coach Mark Dantonio. While Michigan is still doing well overall in recruiting under Rich Rodriguez, the Wolverines are losing their foothold in the state. These are PSL players that basically could have committed anywhere - especially Gholston. Can’t help but think not doing well in-state, whether it’s losing players to MSU or elsewhere, isn’t going to comeback and haunt Rodriguez. It might be wise for him to step up his recruiting in the state.
At Double-A, Alfredo Figaro has pitched well in his last two starts. He is, by the way, Fernando Rodney’s cousin and has a pretty good fastball. He does tend to run hot and cold. He seems to be hot now. Had 10 K’s and eight K’s in his last two starts.
Random Thoughts
- The idea of the Lions holding training camp at Grand Valley State University in 2010 isn’t necessarily a bad one. An issue is why not Saginaw Valley State instead? It’s a two-hour drive for most fans as opposed to four hours for Allendale. It’d be nice if the Lions considered their fans in this decision. That’s one thing that is truly missed by fans - the opportunity to watch training camp. It’d be a lot easier to do so at Saginaw Valley than Grand Valley.
- Sammy Sosa on steroids? There isn’t a person alive surprised by that. All this most recent disclosure does is make you think back to the summer of ‘98 and what a sham and a shame it was.
- Detroit Southeastern defensive end/linebacker William Gholston and Detroit Renaissance cornerback Mylan Hicks committing to Michigan State were huge coups for Spartan coach Mark Dantonio. While Michigan is still doing well overall in recruiting under Rich Rodriguez, the Wolverines are losing their foothold in the state. These are PSL players that basically could have committed anywhere - especially Gholston. Can’t help but think not doing well in-state, whether it’s losing players to MSU or elsewhere, isn’t going to comeback and haunt Rodriguez. It might be wise for him to step up his recruiting in the state.
posted by Pat Caputo at
10:57 AM
16 Comments:
Hey Book, check your Google maps. Allendale is only about two and a half hours from metro Detroit.
Hey Pat, it will be interesting of the scuffle that might occur in the Minor leagues. It is nice to see players such as Figaro and Weber move up to the next level. Even players such as Stieby, Rainwater and Simons are doing well. Never understood why Hessman gets so much playing time with the Mudhens where the Tigers have so many middle infielders that could slide over to 3B such as Sizemore or Rhymes.
Pat, I don't think there is a name in baseball that would surprise me anymore.
Certainly not Corked-bat-Sammy.
My favourite episodes from Ken Burns' "Baseball" documentary series (now almost twenty years old - wow.) - are those about the early days - the late eighteen hundreds into the ninteen hundreds - when to be professional baseball player was a disgusting occupation consisting of thugs and drunkards who got paid to play dirty.
My kind of guys.
Now they compete for ka-jillions of dollars. That should make them men of higher integrity?
Hmmm...
I believe a new institution of recognition now needs to be created - for those who were great but broke some rules - like the 1918 Black Sox, Pete Rose, and now the McGwires, A-Rods, Clemmens, and Sosas. Call it the Hall of Fame of Lesser Integrity. And put Cobb in there to.
I also think that the Baseball Writers of America that votes in hall of famers should get the list of all who failed the roids test - and see if any existing HoFers are in there. If so - a precendence exists and these new guys go in too. Or else boot out those who snuck in.
Then we just sit back and wait untill they come up with bionic chip implants.
I really love baseball.
Anonymous,
I stand corrected, Allendale is about three hours, not four, away. A lot of Lions fans base lives within an hour or so of Saginaw Valley.
Caputo
Barry,
Thing is, teams try to win at Triple-A. Why you have 4-A players like Hessman. Stieby development important to Tigers. They need another bat.
Caputo
Fred Brill,
They have been showing episodes of "Baseball" on MLB Network. Loved the one on the Negro Leagues. It's well done. John Chancellor is great as the narrator. Do like Ken Burns' work overall. "Jazz" was really good. Didn't think he should have skipped over '68 Tigers, though. Too much emphasis on New York and New York people, too.
Caputo
I tell you what book. This maybe insane, but I think if you were to release someone I'd say it is Robertson. I still think maybe you can try and make some use out of Willis. I think of Rick Ankiel. Why not stick willis in like Toledo or AA erie or something and have him try out like LF. The guy can hit. WHo knows you might get something there.
I say let Robertson go cause he has been God Awful since he signed his contract extension. If he had gone to the Bullpen and pitched reasonable it be one thing, but he has been dreadful.
That being said I like Miner as the 4th pitcher. His numbers haven't been bad for a 4th or 5th starter. Then you give Gallaraga a couple more starts. It don't work July 1st I am looking for that 5th starter via outside the organization. Maybe you can package something to get both a bat and pitcher. With Ellsbury and Bay in Boston and rumors of them wanting to trade penny. Why not a Penny and J.D. drew?
As far as Sammy. Tell us something we don't know. If you are going to leak the names leak them all. If not stick it in your mouth and eat it. Cause we need to move on with this.
As far as lions minicamp. Maybe it would be good for us to go into the regular season with a blind eye. As oppose to watching them look good against each other getting our hopes up then sucking..
I am sick and tired of the topic of steroids in baseball. Any way you spin it, McGwire broke the rookie home run record with 49 and he was a tooth pick and Clemmens was a stud as a youth. These guys are some of the most talented specimen on the planet. The mechanics of AROD's swing are so fluent that with or without PED's (the now fashioned term that drives me nuts) he is a phenominal talent, and he will continue to put up stats regardless of whats in his body. The game of baseball has evolved but this doesn't take away a single thing (in my opinion) from any of these guy's talents. Steroids never never provided Barry Bonds with master plate discipline, this is a skill that the man possesed regardless. I'm tired of hearing from all the baseball "purists" about asterisks, the "integrity" of the game and all of this other nonsense. Also, I think the word integrity is thrown around rather loosely these days, just look at the society we live in. Just because Babe Ruth was out of shape, eating hot dogs and drinking beer, does this mean that its not an equal playing field because now these guys are superior athletes with access to advanced training, nutrition, and technology? No, its simply a fact that the game has evolved. This doesnt take away anything from these past greats, it just means the game has changed. In the last 10 years alone, there have significant advances in the field of study in training, nutrition and supplementation and this will continue to forge ahead as this is still a field of study that is infant in nature. I was at a game where Barry Bonds roped 2 doubles off Randy Johnson in '02 and the whole crowd was taunting him then. A year later he broke the single season record in spite of all the "noise". Did PED's give the man a greater ability to focus than normal human being?? NOPE!! He's just world class. Also, in the year of his record breaking feat fans were fully aware of what was going on and baseball did nothing to stop it. They let the guy continue to go out there and do his thing, and now we want to say he cant gain admission into the HOF?? That's total crap. We dont get do overs in life and we cant go back and remove someone from office after the fact. He broke the records, he played the game and now people want to step in. Whats done is done, time to learn from these mistakes and move forward rather than try to change what was already done!! This is the greatest game on earth and it always will be, but like anything else it will continue to progress, change and evolve whether we like it or not!
Lil Rob
Pat,
I would think that moving training camp to Grand Valley State University would be a business decision to try to appeal to a wider area of fans. It would be to get fans from the western half of the state, so that they may have more potential customers during the regular season.
It is a decision that makes a lot of sense to me. If they are going to move away from Allen Park, they might as well get to a new area to try to pick up more fans to stimulate regular season ticket sales. This is more about getting new customers than appeasing current ones. Plus it isn't exactly Timbuktu, it is a day trip that I have made many times.
-Marty
Maddog52,
Robertson really did not throw the ball well last night. LOw 80s with his fastball, slider in the 70s. Obviously, it is a problem. The Tigers can't just afford to carry pitchers.
Caputo
lil rob,
Easy for you to say. I have to figure out who should or shouldn't be in the hall of fame. do you think known 'roid users should be in?
Caputo
Marty,
It is a nice part of the state and it would be good for fans to kind of make a day of it. But the Lions core fanbase would be better served to have it closer to Detroit.
Caputo
I do think steroid users should be allowed in the HOF. However a wing dedicated to the Dark Days of Baseball. Maybe have some sort of timeline that shows how great baseball was.. it go cloudy and the sunshined back on the sport..
It be nice to put guys like Whitaker, Trammell, Lolich, and Morris in to show folks you didn't have to do steroids to be great. Maybe with the cloud over certain guys. Do you think it might help guys like that who deserve to get in. Mostly Trammell and Morris.. then lolich with the Veterans vote?
Yes, I think known juicers should be granted admission into the HOF. Before anyone gets all stirred up, i'm not trying to say that using the juice is a pre-req to get in, but i think if you're a known juicer and who is one of the games elite, then YES, you should be allowed in. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemmens, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, etc. etc. are world class athletes. Now a guy like Jose Canseco had some good years and some respectable stats, but the guy didnt have the type of longevity at an elite level where he would get considered regardless of the steroid issue. Frank Catalonatto and Phil Nevin were juicers with major league talent, but all the "extra" help in the world couldnt give them the abilities to be HOF's. The other guys that I mentioned above are such supreme talents that i think regardless of the situation should get in. I know baseball is a numbers game and everyone loves to focus on that aspect but they lose sight of the fact that whether stats were kept or not, the true greats would be imortalized more by their elite skill and ability to perform on the stage. stats are for guys like Peter Gammons and Buster Olney, guys that never played (which is why Tram and Morris keep getting snubbed in favor of the Ozzie Smith's). I think a true baseball man doesnt look at the stats but the skill set, and I think the names mentioned above are as skilled as anyone who has ever played. Lastly, i hear the word "cheater" associated with the juice all the time, but in truth you cannot just shoot up, eat some hot dogs and go hit 40-60 HR's a year. What anabolic steroids really do is speed up protein synthesis. intense or rigorous training leads to the breakdown/degeneration of the muscle tissue. by speeding up the protein synthesis it increases the rate at which the muscles/body can recover. these guys dont do this so they can go lift weights once a week and go hit bombs. these guys use the juice so they can train like animals day after day after day. i just think its such a misnomer to act like they are total cheaters. they spend more time preparing meals and in the gym in one off-season then any of the past greats did in a lifetime. that to me is a dedication to their trade and their craft. besides, if anyone out there had access to a smart pill that would help them in being better at their jobs, then i would like to hear them give a big speach on "ethics" and "integrity", especially when it means putting food on the table. I mean in college, the library (and this goes on across every campus in the U.S.) is packed with kids hopped up on ADD medications such as; ritalin, aderal, and concerta, in order to study 10-12 hours a day. why is this done? its done because the mind is not capable of doing the same work load with that concentration without the help of this substance that is foreign to the body. i guess according to everyones logic, we should give all of them failing grades as they are cheaters and by this same standard we should place asterisk on degrees or even better yet we should get a "do over" as a society and revoke this piece of paper. I have a feeling that most people will disagree with me on this topic, but i have strong convictions on this subject matter (once again, this is my opinion).
What would it take to get John Smoltz from the Red Sox?
Glen J Stroup (wired Tiger),
I don't think he will be dealt if he is healthy.
Caputo
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