MLB’s Cabrera Coming Clean, Are You Listening Tiger Woods?

LAKELAND, Fla. - Coming off a bad incident that occurred during the Detroit Tigers’ late season run for a playoff spot last year, power hitter Miguel Cabrera has been campaigning with the media to clear the air.The All-Star first baseman while playing in the midst of a giant $152.3 million contract was arrested after blowing a 0.26 blood-alcohol reading which is approximately 3 times more than the Michigan legal limit for driving. He also had bruises that were speculated to be from a domestic dispute he was involved in.

After Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski picked Cabrera up from the slammer, Cabrera apologized to his teammates for the incident.

The timing of the event couldn’t have been any worse. The Tigers were battling the Minnesota Twins for a playoff spot when it occurred then went on to lose the AL Central after losing the tiebreaker game against Minnesota.

Cabrera spent the off season undergoing counseling and says he gave up drinking.

“You guys write in the paper ‘alcoholic,’ that’s not right,” said Cabrera. “I don’t know how to explain, but it’s not an alcohol problem.”

“When you want something and you know what you’re doing is bad, you say this thing is not right, this thing is not going to help me in my work,” he said. “So first you’ve got to think about yourself. First you help yourself and then you can help everybody.”

Referring to earlier interviews with the Detroit media, Cabrera said, “I was comfortable talking about everything because I think you can’t hide it. I can’t hide what I’m doing; I can’t lie to people when they see something. If I worry about what everybody is saying, there is going to be a lot on my mind. I don’t want that. I want to do everything I can to play baseball.”

The 26-year-old Cabrera started his career at the age of 20 when he played in 87 games for the Florida Marlins in 2003 and is now recognized as one of MLB’s most fearsome hitters.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland agrees with Cabrera’s decision to confront his personal matter head-on with the media. “He took on a challenge that he needed to take on. That’s a sign of maturity,” said Leyland.

“I know it was wrong what I did. but I can’t hide that, you know?” Cabrera said. “It’s there, so I have to be a man and say the truth, and say I made a mistake and I’ll work in the season to be better. It’s part of life to be a man and don’t try to hide something if it’s broken.”

Are you listening Tiger Woods and Ari Fleischer?

It’s finally official; Johnny Damon is a Detroit Tiger

LAKELAND, Fla. - It’s finally official; Johnny Damon is a Detroit Tiger.

After reports first surfaced this weekend on SI.com on Saturday night that Damon had signed a one year deal for approximately $8 million with the Detroit Tigers pending a physical, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com that “significant progress” had been made in talks with Damon but he could not confirm a signing.

Today, in a press conference held at the Tigers’ spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida, Damon was officially presented as the newest Tiger.

The 36-year-old outfielder has an impressive resume that includes being a part of two World Series winning teams, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

A two-time American League All-Star, Damon hit 24 home runs and drove in 82 runs for the Yankees last year and since 2007 has batted .325 at Comerica Park.

Over the past couple of weeks, rumors were flying that the Atlanta Braves had thrown a hat into the ring along with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. Both Atlanta and Detroit hold spring training in Florida near Damon’s Orlando area home so they were the front-runners when the bidding began.

According to MLB.com reports, when the Braves learned Damon was interested in the team, he was offered a one year contract that included deferred funds. However, according to one MLB.com report, the Braves made the offer “with an understanding that they would likely be outbid by the Tigers or another Major League club.”

Other reports surfaced that Damon’s wife wanted to go to Chicago. During today’s press conference when Damon was introduced and given a Detroit Tigers No. 18 uniform, he said repeatedly that Detroit was where he and his family wanted to be.

He also warned that talk that his wife did not want to go to Detroit was untrue and that if the quotes did not come directly from him or his wife, then they probably were not true.

“This is where I wanted to be. Detroit is the team I wanted to play with. It finally worked out, “said Damon.

In addition to writing her Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com, Miriam Romain has been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is a contributor to SportsClimax.com . She is also writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax™

Tiger Stadium Leveled to Final Shovel of Dust

DETROIT - Witnessing the demolition of Detroit’s historic ballpark, Tiger Stadium, was like attending the burial of a  loved one. We can’t stop death from consuming a family member’s final breath and beat of a heart but we never allow it to pilfer the memories.

While Sports Illustrated is featuring the Tigers’ current home Comercia Park on their cover this week; at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull demolition experts and heavy machinery continued to flatten Tiger Stadium one beam and support at a time.

Those bulldozers ripped the concrete and riveted steel girders out of that structure and buried them in a nearby landfill but could not purge the heart and soul out of that ballpark.

Tiger Stadium provided the hard-working, blue-collar fans of Detroit a place to escape from the stresses of their physically-demanding jobs at the steel mills and auto assembly lines.

Though ancient, rusting and long-outdated, it withstood decades of punishing winters and the wear and tear of thousands of fans stomping in its aisles in unison as their favorite hitter stepped to the plate.

While preservation groups and a few politicians led by Tiger radio icon Ernie Harwell attempted to stop the complete demolition of the stadium and convert a portion of it into a museum, the wrecking ball continued to dismantle the historic landmark and this week, the final beam fell.

As the last piece of rusted metal made its way to the landfill and the stadium was reduced to one final shovel of dust this week, it’s a great time to reminisce.

The first game I ever attended at Tiger Stadium was on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Donning my full baseball uniform with ball glove in hand and chomping on an oversized wad of baseball card bubble gum, I accompanied my Little League baseball team to a game against the Minnesota Twins.

The area near the ticket windows felt like a disaster scene to a scrawny eight-year-old, like me. People scurried around like ants, bumping into each other, trying to gain position and make their way to the ticket windows and into the stadium. I felt like a human pinball but somehow managed to stay connected to my group.

Once inside, I bee-lined straight to the hotdog vendor where I quickly learned Mom did not make the best hotdogs. There was something about those Ballpark Franks at Tiger Stadium. They seemed to plump more when they cooked ‘em.

The journey through the short tunnel to our right field seats was almost surreal. Hustling through that corridor seeing only the blue sky, I couldn’t wait to get a full view of the park.

As I made my way to the end of that tunnel I saw the most extraordinary image I had ever seen; like the scene in the Wizard of Oz I felt like I stepped out of a black & white world into one full of vibrant colors. The blue skies, vast field of vibrant green and borders of perfectly manicured dirt has left a lifelong impression etched in my mind.

Tiger Stadium provided many memories for Detroiters over the years; most notably the 1968 dramatic comeback World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals and the record-setting Tiger team of 1984 led by World Series MVP Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson.

It’s amazing how some of these images remain as clear as if they happened yesterday . . . Norm Cash crushing the leather off the ball, sending another one over the right-field roof and onto Trumbull Street . . . Mark “The Bird” Fidrych pacing the mound like a maniac, having full-on conversations with the ball triggering a roar of approval from 53,000 screaming fans.

Many hard-working blue-collar families in the Motor City took advantage of ‘Family Night’ games at Tiger Stadium. On Family Night, the head of the household paid $3.50 for a reserved upper deck seat down the third baseline then only .50 cents apiece for the remaining tickets.

A family of five could see an MLB game for the price of a Starbuck’s  latte and the product was outstanding with baseball icons Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Denny McClain in the lineup. Family Nights were the only time I remember my father refusing overtime on the docks.

Tiger Stadium was also the home of the Detroit Lions where fans had to endure severe weather conditions and the team played outdoors on natural grass, like the game is meant to be played.

Three layers of clothing was no match for the frigid Canadian winds that blew off the Detroit River on some of those December Sundays. The only heat provided during those games was the body heat of the thousands of devoted Lions fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder in their seats. Peering through a steady cloud of cold breath, hot chocolates in hand, the fans survived those frigid afternoons and many of us learned at an early age what being a loyal, die-hard Lion fan was all about.

Demolition work now complete, the corner of Michigan and Trumbull sits empty, desolate but like loved ones, the memories will survive forever.

Updated from previously published article.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Top 10 Reasons to be a Detroit Piston

#10 You know ahead of time you can plan family vacations just before the Finals.

#9 You will never have the most technical fouls on the team. (Google ‘Rasheed Wallace’)

#8 You get to hang out at a Palace with a guy named Prince.

#7 Great chance of attending a victory parade next year . . . (Google ‘Red Wings’).

#6 If you don’t like a coach, relax, every few years you get a new one.

#5 Where else can you refuse a coaches order to go into a game and get away with it. (Google ‘Ben Wallace’)

#4 There are great housing deals.

#3 If you’re ever accused of under-achieving, you can divert the attention to the Lions and Tigers.

#2 There’s no pressure to perform-a coach drove through a Wendy’s naked and is still with the team. (Google idiot Lions Coach Joe Cullen busted for driving thru Wendys naked’)

#1 If you decide to look for another line of work, the Mayor’s position is open soon.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Most Bizarre Moment In MLB History

ST LOUIS - On August 19, 1951, the Detroit Tigers played the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis in a game that many believe provided one of the most bizarre moments in MLB history.

During the second game of a double-header, Brown’s owner Bill Veeck inserted Chicago-born Eddie Gaedel into the line-up to pinch hit.

Unusual? In this case it was . . . Gaedel was a midget who  stood 3 feet 7 inches tall.

The crowd of over 18,000 rose to their feet to give the little newcomer a standing ovation as the shortest man to ever play in a MLB game waddled to the plate. Gaedel, who was wearing a St. Louis uniform donning the number 1/8 and a pair of elf shoes, stepped into the batter’s box.

The Tigers immediately protested the move and after a long, heated conference with both teams and the umpires, it was determined that Veeck had covered all the league’s requirements and it was legal for Gaedel to bat.

Bob Cain was on the mound for the Tigers and had the challenge of hitting Gaedel’s one-and-a-half inch strike zone. Nearly an impossible feat, Cain delivered four consecutive balls, walking Gaedel triggering a roar of approval from the crowd.

Gaedel was replaced by a pinch-runner and the Tigers eventually won the game 6-2.

Veeck was verbally reprimanded the following day by the American League office and Gaedel’s contract was voided by the league.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

All-Star Willis Booted Down to Single A

DETROIT - This year, star MLB players are learning there are no guaranteed positions on the rosters. Despite receiving enormous salaries and long-term contracts, All-Star players and fan favorites are being forced to trade in chartered flights and room service at five-star hotels for Greyhound bus rides and overnights at low-budget motels.

Dontrelle Willis, $29,000,000 over three years, discovered that in June when the Detroit Tigers tossed the All-Star left-hander out on his ass and shipped him to their Single A affiliate in Lakeland.

Single A? How’s that for a kick in the nuts.

The organization couldn’t even trust the former All-Star at their AAA or AA affiliate.

Willis was booted off the Tiger sqaud after posting a dismal 0-1 record with Detroit over four starts, lasting a total of 11.1 innings. His problem seems to be a major one–he couldn’t throw strikes and walked 21 (almost two per inning average) while posting an ERA of 10.32.

After reporting to sunny Florida, Willis (see his photo in our Sports Mugshots Gallery) and his control problem got even worse. He couldn’t come close to the strike zone in Lakeland while facing teenagers struggling to make it to AA ball.

$29,000,000 over the three years equals $185,897.43. Let’s see . . .  at $10 a pop, the first 18,589 medium Little Caesars pizzas that owner Mike Ilitch sells each week goes into this underachieving flop’s pocket while the rest of us bust our asses trying to make ends meet.

Another victim of demotion is the Atlanta Braves’ Gold Glove winner Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur. After batting a miserable .121 over an 18 game span, Bobby Cox relegated the starting outfielder to AA affiliate Mississippi, the same team Francoeur played for before his MLB debut in 2005.

Over the past two and a half seasons, Francoeur has started 408 games and was settled in as a regular for the Braves until the surprising news came after the Braves lost to the Phillies on Thursday. He was held hitless in four at bats that game, swinging at the first pitch in his last three at bats for routine outs.

Francoeur who hit .293 last year couldn’t hit a watermelon tossed to him underhanded right now. He visited an eye doctor in late June and began wearing a corrective lens in his right eye hoping to break out of his slump but that worked about as good as whatever Willis has tried lately.

After that doctor visit, Frenchy’s performance at the plate got even worse. His average before the corrective lens was .246 and dropped even lower to .234 over the next few weeks.

His mechanics were horribly out of synch during Thursday’s Philly game; so bad that Cox had finally seen enough and immediately after the game, demoted Francoeur.

The Tigers responded to the Willis move that occurred on June 10th by winning 15 out of the next 18 the rest of the month of June.

Talk about putting the fear in the rest of those players! Those remaining guys wearing the “D” in Motown weren’t gonna give up those steak dinners for Denny’s. 

Both of these transactions are justified and they send a strong message . . . get off your ass and produce or don’t let the door hit you in the ass.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Jair Jurrjens Making Early Run For Rookie Of The Year

Previously published in The Detroit Free Press and Baseball Digest on May 28, 2008.

ATLANTA - The last time Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox said, “This kid can pitch, he’ll be around here for a while.” he wasn’t kidding. The year was 1988, Cox was the GM for the Braves and the “kid” he was referring to was John Smoltz, a young, hard-throwing pitcher who had just been obtained in a trade with the Tigers.

Since then, Smoltz, who still pitches for the Braves, has blossomed into a sure Hall of Famer, posting 210 wins, 154saves and over 3,000 strike outs.

In May, 2008 as manager of the Braves, Cox made a similar statement, “This kid can pitch, he’s gonna’ be a good one”. This time the “kid” Cox is referring to is another acquisition from the Tigers, 22 year-old starting pitcher, Jair Jurrjens. After eleven starts this year, the rookie pitching phenomenon, is taking the National League by storm.

After being part of an unpopular trade that sent hometown favorite, Edgar Renteria to the Tigers, Jurrjens is now being referred to as the most impressive rookie pitcher the Braves have had in over a decade.

The Braves were at home on Memorial Day Monday and Cox, again showing confidence in Jurrjens, put the rookie right-hander on the mound against the first-place Diamondbacks and their ace Brandon Webb (9-1). Going into Monday’s game, Jurrjens had a 5-3 record with an impressive 2.64 ERA.

At that time, Jurrjens ERA was 4th best in the league and better than Webb’s (2.69).

Against the Diamondbacks, Jurrjens, out-pitched Webb during the Braves 7-3 win, but was pulled with a 5-3 lead because of a blister developing on his throwing hand, just one out shy of recording his 6th victory of the season.

During his post game interview Monday, Cox said, “Jurrjens pitched incredibly good. He’s a young kid; he’s pitched a ton of good innings for us this year.”

Yes he has and his record should indicate that. In two of his past outings, the rookie walked away with no decision after giving up no runs in one game then only one run in another. It is safe to say both of those outings deserved to be victories as well as Sunday’s game if he were left in for one more out.

Jurrjens record could easily be 8-3 right now which would only rub more salt in the wounds of Tiger fans as they watch their team’s starting pitching staff struggle throughout the year.

Jurrjens who has not given up more than four runs in any of his outings this season, is way ahead of Smoltz’ pace, thus far, as Smoltz struggled his first year as a rookie in 1988 then went on to win 12 games in his second year, posting an ERA of 2.94. Jurrjens’ performance is creating a buzz around Atlanta and talk about the possibility of him taking home the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year award.

While Renteria is having a respectable season hitting .279, the Tigers sit near last place with one of the statistically worst starting pitching staffs in baseball, it’s hard not to notice what contributions Jair Jurrjens could be making for the Tigers at this point of the season.

This season, only one of the Tiger’s starters has more than three wins and with the Tiger starters having ERAs between 4.58 and 6.66, they could use a young right arm like Jurrjens’. While the top four starters for the Tigers have given up at least seven home runs each, Jurrjens has given up just a total of two long balls in his 11 outings.

Many Braves fans hated to see Renteria get traded and were bitter and questioned the move. Over the years, Bobby Cox has shown he has a knack for recognizing talent, and the Braves manager liked the potential he saw in shortstop Yunel Escobar.

When Jurrjens’ name came up in trade talks, he jumped on the opportunity to land the great prospect, even at the expense of Renteria, his all-star shortstop.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Escobar was hitting .310 compared to Renteria’s .279. Both players each had 4 home runs, 4 errors and almost an identical number of RBI’s.

Clearly the Braves have not lost any offense from the transaction and have made a huge gain in their starting rotation. With John Smoltz on the mend from typical aches, pains and injuries of a 40 year-old pitcher and Tom Glavine turning 42 years-old this season, Jurrjens success coupled with the evolution of Escobar is making Braves fans forget about the loss of Edgar Renteria.

With solid starting pitching hard to acquire in Major League Baseball, this trade appears to be an excellent move by the Braves.

Time will tell if the Renteria/Jurrjens trade will haunt the Detroit Tigers and their fans, like the Smoltz trade of the 80’s.

In the meantime, in Atlanta, the team and fans are reaping the rewards.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax