Tiger Geist

Reading Buster Olney this morning gave me another thought on yesterday’s post; we’ll call it item #7 to watch in the second half:

7) Detroit’s results vs potential playoff teams.

Based on the schedule, this may or may not impact Detroit’s front office’s desire to make a move.  Detroit still has a lot of games left against potential playoff opponents that are interesting.  So far, their records against potential playoff teams (Non-AL Central):

Texas (6-0), Seattle (2-1), LAA (3-3), NYY (1-2), Boston (0-3), Tampa (not played).

Games remaining against those team:

Texas (home), Seattle x2 (both home), New York (away), Boston (away), Tampa x2 (home/away), LAA (away).

Makes you wonder if there will be a difference in the desire to acquire additional help (a bat and/or an arm) if Detroit looks like they can win the AL Central but can’t compete against the other playoff teams.  We’ll get an interesting glimpse starting tonight, as Detroit throws their best two pitchers in a three game series on the road in New York — obviously French is getting the start tonight, but followed by Verlander and Jackson.

Initially, it sounded like Mike Illitch’s comments to ‘do what it takes’ was just about making the playoffs.  The Red Wings had great success this year, but it still left us a bitter taste when they lost in game seven of the stanley cup finals.  Is getting to the playoffs really the goal?

Let’s detail some areas of interest for the Tigers going into the second half.

1) Player movement into the AL Central

– Slightly nervous about Chicago making a deal (they had their Jake Peavy deal nixed earlier this year).  It sounds like Chicago isn’t going to take on any more salary at the moment, however.  Minnesota will keep their payroll in check, and we’re not worried about Cleveland or KC.

2) Internal improvements (hitting)

– The shuttling of players between Detroit and Toledo has probably stopped for a while;  can Granderson and Laird pick up their averages?  Both would help the team significantly.  Guillen is a wild card as well, if he gets on a cold streak, there isn’t a lot of time to let him ride it out.  What about Polanco?  Will Inge keep up his average (which is more impressive then his power numbers)?

3) Dontrelle Willis

– The chances the team has to win the division (I feel) will be a direct result to the amount of time they can keep Dontrelle Willis on the disabled list.  This doesn’t seem to be the type of distraction that playoff teams deal with.

4) Clete Thomas

– is he ready to be a full time player in 2009 or 2010?  Can he play well enough where Detroit doesn’t have to make a move for a bat?

5) Mike Illitch’s playoff statement

– Is he going to backup his statement that he’ll do whatever it takes to get Detroit into the playoffs?  He has every economic factor going against him.

6) Roy Halladay trade market

– Only of interest because I really think Edwin Jackson will be available for the bidding this off-season;  Halladay might help set his value.  Jackson is awesome this year, I just can’t see how Detroit can afford him and Verlander next year, unless both sign friendly deals that buy out the rest of their arbitration years.

Let’s touch on Armando Galarraga.  I’m obviously in the minority here, but I don’t expect much out of him.  I’d say his 2009 performance has been exactly what you expect out of a fifth starter who has had little success in professional baseball and missed most of spring training due to the WBC.  Giving up four runs over seven innings… thats pretty much what you’d expect.  Galarraga has only (what I would characterize) as one bad start since mid-May.  I’m confused over Lynn Henning’s statement:

Galarraga, however, has shown few signs he’s in for the long haul. He has been too up-and-down for too long to expect a second-half renaissance.

He had an ‘up’ April,  ‘down’ May and an ‘average’ June.  Its not ideal, but seems to be a small sample size.  If you’re using 2008 to say Armando is a solid #3 starter, using half of 2009 to say he’s killing the team might not be your strongest argument.

Last, I will attempt to not rag on Lynn Henning in the second half; Since Tom Gage is the beat writer, maybe i’m being too hard on him printing gut feelings over facts.  Here’s something that is killing me about all of the media:  Magglio’s contract.  All the newspapers write about whether Detroit may or may not release Magglio.  Sometimes they mention that it apparently is against the collective bargaining agreement (to release him to avoid his contract kickers), many times they just leave that out.  Know what would be a great f’ing story?  Get a lawyer, an agent, a players union rep, and a former GM to talk about Magglio’s contract and whether Detroit has the ability to release him.  Maybe there is no clear answer?  Great!  Write what each one says based on their interpretation of the CBA and the contract.  That’s a story. Constantly repeating (in interviews and in the Detroit News) that someone “thinks Detroit is putting together a case to release Magglio” for the past two months is getting old.  We all know the details of the contract.  I’ve read the CBA (hint:  its written in the greek alphabet) and I can’t understand most of it.  It seems ESPN would be the best place to report this, since they have all of those resources available (agents, Steve Phillips, etc), but since the Tigers don’t play in LA, Boston or New York, no one seems to care.  Why doesn’t one of the local reporters figure this out?  That’s the Magglio contract story I’d like to read.  Not about gut feelings about the front office, bat-speed, and outfield range.

I may have made all of those words up.  Let’s touch on a few things during the all-star break.

Carlos Guillen rehab: He’s starting in Lakeland;  went O-3 last night.  Guillen can be the biggest help for the team if he can hold down the #5 spot in the order (or, I guess #3, shifting Cabrera and Thames down one).  Otherwise, he’s just a very very expensive 6 through 9 hitter on a team with better defensive 6 through 9 hitters.  Does this mean the end of the Josh Anderson era?  Or would Guillen possibly play some first base, and force Ryan Raburn back to Toledo?  In the heart of the pennant race, before rosters expand, my guess is Inge and Cabrera are playing almost every inning anyway, so the first base backup basically turns into an emergency position.

All Star game: Here’s to hoping that Inge and Granderson both have four RBI’s, the game is a blowout, and Jackson and Verlander wave from the dugout.  I’m all for being selfish and letting the pitchers get some much needed rest.  I do wonder if Leyland kept Verlander in the game Sunday to keep any all-star workload to a minimum.

All Star Break:  I’ve been lazy due to the break.  Kurt at MackAvenueTigers has not.  Go read all of his stuff.

Podcasting, take one: I joined Joe Dexter and a panel of Tiger bloggers / enthusiasts last week on “This Week In Detroit Tigers Baseball“.  Listen here.  Or, just go ahead and subscribe via itunes.  Joe’s a master at the production of these things, and he makes it very easy to have a panel discussion between everyone.  On a personal note, I don’t sound nearly as much of a douche since I replaced my cable modem at home (damn you comcast!).  Big thanks to Joe for having me on for a second time, and thanks to Greg Eno and J Ellet Lambie for their thoughts and discussion points.  I haven’t interacted with Matt Wallace directly on the podcast, but his insights on the farm team progress are always an excellent listen.

Podcasting, take two: Apparently I listened to the last Detroit Tigers Podcast this morning.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of Mike McClary’s work, which it sounds like he’ll mostly limit to his daily fungo website.  I really enjoyed last year’s interviews with authors about Tiger’s baseball, and I can’t get over how exciting it was to re-live the 1984 season during his interview with Rusty Kuntz.  Looking forward to more podcasts from Mike, which he says will be carried on under the daily fungo title going forward.

I am holding in my left hand a ticket for the July 11th San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres baseball game at AT&T park, San Francisco.  You’d think this would be a good thing, but it would have been a whole lot better if I had a ticket for the game on July 10.  I blame friend of TigerGeist Scott for this one.

Mucho kudos to Jonathan Sanchez and the performance he put on Friday night.  He was awesome, and its a great story (his dad flew in to see him pitch for the first time in his career; his demotion earlier this year, etc).  Ever since the SF fans turned on him earlier this year, I’ve been hoping Dave Dombrowski would figure some way to nab him;  surprisingly DD isn’t answering my calls.  Now, I have no idea how the Giants could trade Sanchez, or at a minimum the asking price just went up.

I got an email Thursday from Scott, asking if I wanted to go to either the Saturday (Matt Cain) or Sunday (Barry Zito) games.  We had been wanting to catch Randy Johnson this year, but with the big unit’s injury, Scott just wanted to go to his first game of the year.  Notice, there was no option for Friday night’s game.  So I picked the Cain game.  What happens next?  Sanchez throws the first no-hitter in San Francisco history Friday night; Cain gets drilled in the elbow with a line drive (by the opposing pitcher) in the second inning of Saturday’s game.

So I’ve still never witnessed a regular-season no hitter in person, and was off by one game for the second time in two years.  First my wife, now Scott.  I did witness the Washington Nationals no-hit Detroit in spring training, which I guess might be even more random.

When Clete Thomas was recalled this week, Jim Leyland announced the new right field platoon between Thomas and Ordonez.  Magglio and Clete’s hitting will probably be similar (or close to a wash), but the defense will be much better with Thomas in the field. In last night’s game against the Royals, Thomas made an immediate impact with an RBI single in the first inning. However, he was only 1-4 for the night. After Magglio hasn’t been an everyday player in June, suddenly his 2010 option is in jeopardy (Rob Neyer quotes Tom Gage here).  I’ve stayed out the “time to cut Magglio” discussion for a while, for one reason: I don’t think its possible to cut him. Actually, its quite easy to cut him; I feel the “time to cut Magglio because he’s hurting the team” is not the same conversation as “time to cut Magglio so his 2010 option doesn’t vest”. I feel that Magglio and Scott Boras would have a legitimate grievance due to the wording of the current CBA, and if cut, Magglio would still get his money.

However, Detroit might have found the perfect loop-hole; i’ll call it the grizzly bear theory. Namely, in a group of 5 people walking in the woods who happen to stumble upon a hungry grizzly bear, you DO NOT have to be the fastest person to live. You just can’t be the slowest. That is where Detroit currently sits with Magglio; they no longer have to ‘bench’ Magglio. They just have to assemble a team that deserves more at-bats then Magglio, namely in the corner outfield and DH positions. When asked about the platoon, Magglio said as much, “I have to produce first“.  If they can make such a move, it could be a huge boost to team morale (they won’t see it as Detroit refusing to pay Magglio, but as a way of the other 24 players getting a shot at a world series ring) and it would give Detroit a strong stance against any grievance filing from the player’s union.

Quickly, Detroit realized that they won’t win that argument with Ryan Raburn, Don Kelly, and Josh Anderson.  Down goes Kelly, up comes Thomas (who absolutely shined defensively early in the season, though not that Kelly was bad).  Raburn is starting to heat up, and he’ll be their backup infielder as well.  Marcus Thames has the DH spot locked up; Guillen will push for some playing time (hopefully) upon his return.  Still, that lineup doesn’t give a huge (what i’ll call) ‘legal’ advantage to Detroit in terms of limiting Ordonez’s at-bats.  What would give them leverage?  An All-star.  If necessary, an expensive all-star.  Here, mlbtraderumors.com outlines guys who are probably available.  Pick a player, and nearly any amount of minor league talent to make the trade.  Its crazy to think about, but would you rather keep Wilkin Ramirez and owe Magglio possibly $30million over two years, or do you move Ramirez and Jeff Larish to put, maybe not a great team on the field, but a team “good enough” to keep Magglio on the bench?  And in the process, take advantage of a relatively weak AL Central and ride it to the post-season?  Mike Illitch said he’d do what he could do to get the team into the post season THIS YEAR;  he did not mention making sure the team was competitive in 2010 or beyond.

After reading about how many teams are unable to take on salary this summer, I was positive that Detroit couldn’t afford to make any moves, let alone one that involved a high salary.  Now, I feel they HAVE TO take on some salary now to avoid a massive payroll in 2010; its basic investment spending.  And the truth is the 2010 payroll is already steep, and team sponsorships and season ticket sales will almost definitely decline in the near future.

So, feel free, think about who Detroit could target for a playoff run in 2009.  Sky’s the limit, assuming the player is in the last year of their contract, otherwise more minor league talent will have to be involved.  As I (briefly) mentioned in the “This Week in Detroit Tigers Baseball” podcast last week, bringing in another Scott Boras client in Matt Holliday would put Boras in quite the pickle.  The good news is, the way things are shaking up, its possible they won’t have to give up much if they’re willing to eat some salary.

Its cute, right?  Detroit steps out of the box and pairs up with Philly to push the vote for Brandon Inge and Shane Victorino.  Here’s the press release:

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have teamed with the Philadelphia Phillies to vote for both Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge and Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino in the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote.

The Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies organizations, two of baseball’s most storied franchises, are encouraging businesses located throughout Michigan and Pennsylvania to allow their employees time today and tomorrow to vote for Inge and Victorino.

Tigers fans who vote for Inge at least 100 times on www.tigers.com in the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote are now eligible to win a “Deliver the Game Ball to the Mound” fantasy package.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows a fan to deliver the game ball to the pitcher’s mound prior to the first pitch and two infield box seats and parking for the Tigers game on Tuesday, August 4. Additionally, the winner will receive a Tigers batting practice jersey, dinner for two in the Champions Club, a picture taken at the pitcher’s mound during game ball delivery and a scoreboard announcement of the winner’s name as they deliver the game ball.

Vote for Inge and Victorino online at www.tigers.com/vote or www.phillies.com.  Fans have until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 9 to vote.  The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter.

Mobile voting is available exclusively on Sprint capable mobile phones and fans can send the word “Vote” to 1122 to receive the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot. Standard text rates apply. In Canada, fans should text the word “Vote” to 88555.

My wife’s originally from Philly, and her favorite player of all time is Mike Schmidt.  So I think this is a great pairing… though honestly I’ve been stuffing the ballet box with an Inge / Sandoval combo.  Because, no offense to any National league player not named Albert Pujols, but Pablo Sandoval is f’ing awesome (and not yet 23 years old).  Actually I’m heading to the Giants / Marlins game in a few minutes to watch Sandoval play.

Random story:  Last year at this time, I went to the Giants / Tigers game.  Galarraga was pitching for Detroit, and the Giants were making their push for Aaron Rowand to make the all-star team.  Rowland comes up with the bases loaded, two outs… and strikes out.  The Giants for some reason decided that was the best time to run the “vote Aaron Rowand!” campaign over the big screen TV at the stadium. Aaron looked just a little embarrassed as he jogged out to center field.

Most discussions around a Tigers trade assumes Detroit will have to move prospects to get a player ready to help in 2009.  But is that their only available move?  Taking that thought further, are there moves with 25-man roster players that Detroit could make that would improve their club in the future, without hurting their chances at a playoff run this year?  There is always the “draft vs free agent” argument, where sometimes its in a team’s best interest to keep a player, offer him arbitration, hope he declines it, and get some sort of draft pick in return.  At the moment, I’m not going to explore those options in depth right now, and look more at trade value.

I’m going to throw some names out there; let the discussion begin.

1) Placido Polanco.  He’s had a down year, and in the last year of his contract.  He’s due just under $3mil for the rest of the year, and I really think he would do well with a return to the NL for the stretch run.  Two teams making playoff runs that need a second baseman?  Milwaukee and San Francisco(via Buster Olney, as the Giants are looking at Freddy Sanchez).

Replacement options?  This one is the easiest — Detroit just moves Ramon Santiago into the starting lineup at second.  The downside is Detroit is already worried that Santiago and Adam Everett might slow down as the season goes on.  Will Rhymes would most likely be promoted for his glove and speed, but strictly as a backup in Detroit.  All signs are pointing to Scott Sizemore taking control of second base in 2010 anyway; you could see Detroit pushing for a one year extension for Polanco, but Polanco probably has another two year deal in him.  Brent Dlugach would be the darkhorse promotion.

Chances this happens?  50%.  I think Polanco is the most attractive of Detroit 25-man roster players to playoff teams, but I’m not sure Detroit wants to move such a steady defensive presence during a pennant race.  If they can get a solid bullpen arm, however, I wouldn’t rule this out, since I feel its the move to have the least impact on the team.  Though as strikeouts have been racking up lately on the team, putting the ball in play is one of Polanco’s strengths.  Also a possible post-waiver trade deadline move.

Benefit to Polanco:  He most likely would shine in the NL and grab a decent 2 or 3 year deal in the off-season.  He signed such a Tiger-friendly deal back in 2005 that even he has to be shaking his head as he looks around the clubhouse on payday.

2) Ramon Santiago.  His versatility (playing almost all infield positions, plus being a switch hitter) would make him very attractive.  Throw his name in the hat among many NL teams, and even the AL in a few situations.  Very inexpensive, arbitration controlled.

Replacement options?  Few.  I don’t know if Brent Dlugach can play second; Detroit doesn’t really have any other backup shortstop options.

Chances this happens?  I’d say slim to none.  Santiago is cheap, and teams don’t have a lot of payroll flexibility.  I also assume that Santiago fits into Detroit’s 2010 plans.  With Detroit having so many outfield / infielder combinations, Santiago is a nice backup that Leyland likes to have around.

Benefit to Santiago:  Maybe gets a shot at a starter’s contract.

3) Brandon Lyon.  Former NL closer (though he lost his job in 2008), seems to have settled in pretty well as a setup-type arm.  Could be a chance an NL team wants him as a closer; doubtful he’d be dealt to an AL team.  He has under $3mil owed to him for the rest of the year; free agent after that.

Replacement options?  Much tougher for a direct replacement.  Most likely Detroit would have to decide that Bobby Seay is no longer a left handed specialist and would have to take a more active role in the late innings (not that he hasn’t done that already in 2009).  So you might be looking at a cheap FA pickup or a Clay Rapada / Lucas French to replace Seay.  Doubtful that you’d see a bullpen with a combo of Dolsi, Perry and Fien to make a playoff run.

Chances it happens?  Actually I could see this one happening for the right price.  Especially as a combo to taking on more salary with a trade involving a bat.  One instance where Detroit could just let Lyon walk if the other team takes the salary, otherwise Detroit could eat Lyon’s salary and get a prospect of sorts.

Benefit to Lyon:  No idea, don’t really care.  A one year rental who probably wouldn’t want to be back in Detroit in 2010, and Detroit probably wouldn’t re-sign him.  Its possible that Detroit would be afraid of offering arbitration in case Lyon actually takes it (you offer arbitration at a minimum of 80% of the previous year’s salary).

4) Fernando Rodney.  Cheap, an unrestricted free agent after this year who will be looking to score a huge deal.  Done quite well this year (well is a relative term).  Would be a decent closer and probably an excellent setup man.  Detroit probably won’t try to re-sign him anyway.  Most likely draft pick implications if Detroit keeps him for the year.

Replacement options?  Zumaya or Lyon.  Zumaya is a great option if he didn’t walk so many batters this year; Lyon would be serviceable if he didn’t hang so many off-speed pitches.  Darkhorse in Bobby Seay.

Chances it happens?  Rodney’s really cheap and he’s had pretty solid numbers as  a closer — compared to the top closers in the league, he is among the lowest in home runs allowed, which is the opposite of the closer’s best friend.  As it seems Zumaya isn’t ready for the closer’s role, I don’t see this happening, unless Detroit is really out of it at the trade deadline.  Unlike other players, Rodney probably won’t pass through waivers due to his very inexpensive contract (for a top closer, he’s making $2.7mil this year)

Benefit for Rodney:  None.  Someone will overpay him either way in 2010.  Its possible that whatever team he’s on, including Detroit, he’ll get the K-Rod treatment this year — that is, run him out there until he looks more like Robb Nenn.  Unless Rodney has a trade kicker, he’s probably better off staying with Detroit.

5) Zach Miner.  As teams need starting pitchers, if they’re willing to pay for Miner (who’s cheap and controlled by arbitration for a few years), if Detroit doesn’t see him as a starter, its a possible move.

Replacement options?  Hard to say.  Maybe Eddie Bonine?  Lucas French?  Detroit probably doesn’t have a long reliever / spot starter in their system with major league experience.

Chances it happens?  Probably not likely.  With the recent bullpen struggles of Zumaya and Perry, its not certain Detroit can actually move Miner out of the bullpen, whether it be for the fifth starter’s spot or to another team.  If Joel Zumaya stops walking batters or giving up home runs, and the Ryan Perry spot returns in some form (either with Perry or Dolsi or Fien taking it over), its a possibility if Detroit can get great prospects back.  Texas seems like a possible destination with a solid farm system.  With injuries to Robertson, Bonderman, and ?Willis?, no sure-thing starters ready for next year in the farm system, Detroit will have to be careful trading starting pitching.

Benefit for Miner:  High if it makes him a starting pitcher.  Maybe high either way — Leyland doesn’t like Miner as a starter, Miner seems to think he’s a starter.  Leyland just signed a contract extension.. maybe the writing is on the wall for Zach anyway.

6) Adam Everett.  Cheap, defensive veteran who can play solid defense and sacrifice runners; this year also swinging a solid bat.

Replacement options?  Um… Ramon Santiago.  Maybe Brent Dlugach.  It seems more and more likely that Detroit might want Everett back in 2010 due to a lack of options at short in the farm system.

Chances it happens?  Only if Boston is interested and they give up some pitching.  In other words… not happening.

Benefit for Everett:  If he’s traded to Boston, sky’s the limit.  Potential ring, maybe a bigger contract in 2010.

If Detroit still thinks its in contention in late July (or even mid August), I see the most viable candidates to move on to be Polanco and Lyon.  As much as I’d hate to see Placido go, if you could swing a Jonathan Sanchez out of a deal, you take it.

Last, Joe D & I talked briefly last week about somehow trading for Matt Holiday.  At this point, I’d rather take any of Oakland’s left handed starters if I could get them in Detroit.  Minnesota’s going to be a tough team in the second half of the season.

I’m sure there are some, but I can’t think of any at the moment:  When was the last time an injury to a player significantly benefited both parties, the player at their respective team?  I feel Nate Robertson’s injured elbow (and subsequent surgery) is just that — an injury that will help Detroit’s win column and probably benefit Robertson’s career.

No secret here — Nate Robertson has not been very good this year.  You could interchange “not very good” with “downright awful”.  A former power pitcher, he was throwing in the mid to high 80′s.  His power slider had little power and little movement.  You could easily argue that the only reason he made the team out of camp was due to his contract ($7mil guaranteed 2009, $10mil 2010).  A month in, there was no argument — pitching out of the bullpen, Robertson did little to silence his critics.  Without any knowledge of how much his injury has affected him — Robertson had trouble getting out both AL and NL lineups this year.  Even if he was outright released, its hard to see another team adding Robertson to their major league roster.

Then, Robertson had an elbow injury, followed by surgery earlier this week.  Can’t touch a baseball for 3-4 weeks; you assume another few weeks to get his arm strength back, then a few rehab outings.  Realistically this puts Robertson to return in September at the earliest.

For Detroit?  Great news.  Already, Fu-Te Ni has been a blessing — in his first two outings, he’s pitched effectively against left handers (minus that rocket off of Ryan Sweeney) and was able to keep Bobby Seay from having to pitch in either games.  Seay has been so effective this year that he could actually be used as a setup man when Lyon and/or Zumaya are ineffective or over-used.  In essence… Detroit has another bullpen arm that Jim Leyland has been reluctant to use when Robertson was ‘healthy’.  Again, great news for Detroit (assuming Ni can assume a left-handed bullpen role effectively — so far so good).

For Robertson?  Great news.  Why?  Because he couldn’t get anybody out.  This rehab time allows Robertson to get healthy and focus on 2010 (assuming he’s basically shelved for 2009).  Where is his power?  Where is his slider?  MIA.  Now he can go find it.  If he can’t find it, he has some time to become a ‘junk ball left hander’ — think Frank Tanana, Kenny Rogers.  No idea if he can become such a pitcher, but it won’t happen overnight.  So he gives himself and Detroit another shot at pitching, this time in spring training 2010.  This might give Nate enough time to extend his career beyond 2010 without having to bounce around from team to team or in the minor leagues.  So for Nate, with the current makeup of his pitching repertoire, this gives him some time (paid) to improve it.

I would almost extend this ‘blessing’ to Dontrelle Willis, but I don’t think its the same situation.  Something bothers me about the use of the DL for Dontrelle.  When Joey Votto explained his depression and DL stint, he listed reasons.  Dontrelle keeps saying “I feel fine”; at this point, his DL stint probably benefits Detroit more then it does Dontrelle.

Well, i’ve had an interesting season attending Tiger games.  I attended the Nationals no-hitter against Detroit in spring training;  also during spring training I watched Brandon Lyon get bombed (four home runs in a row vs Boston).  Porcello’s loss on Monday, and today’s struggles against Oakland.  Joe D wrote about it and then talked about it on the podcast yesterday.  SO I BLAME JOE D FOR BRINGING IT UP.

Its hard to recap a game I attend, since you rarely see replays, and the screens in the Colesium in Oakland were described as “maybe from 1985?” by the person next to me.  Tix were 30 rows behind home plate.  So here’s my memories:

• Granderson’s bunt was a horrible idea.  Either Granderson or the coaching staff thought the best idea, following a lead off double early in the game, was to have the team’s lead off hitter AND leading home run hitter sacrifice the runner to third.  I disliked this move greatly.
• Verlander was starting to warm up, and was pitching pretty well (albeit with a high pitch count).  He got pissed off at the call on an infield single.  Then, he got more pissed about the balk call.  After dominating Giambi all game, he lost his concentration and Giambi killed one.  Giambi’s batting under .200.  Just saying.
• Not sure why Miner only pitched to one batter.  I guess he had to get some work in?
• Brandon Lyon came back to earth.  I have had thoughts that Lyon might be trade bait back to an NL team that needs a closer (Marlins?).  “Sell High”.
• Gerald Laird is swinging the bat very well.  With some rest that hopefully Dusty Ryan can help provide, I think Laird may be poised to have a better offensive second half.
• I seem to remember the first base umpire calling most balks;  I could be wrong.  But today, it was the home plate ump, who then danced a little jig with his leg (showing Verlander’s movement) after he called the balk.  An interesting move
• At one point, Brad Ziegler was warming up in the bullpen and shot a pitch into left field, on the warning track, behind Raburn.  No one on the field seemed to notice, making the crowd excited that a double into the corner might confuse the left fielder about which pitch to throw in.  While a foul drive did head down the line, nothing came out of the excitement.
• Forgot to mention before, but Monday night’s game featured a recording of Huey Lewis and the News singing “the star spangled banner”.  A Cappella.  Probably the only stadium with that recording;  tearfully, didn’t play it today.