SB Nation - Gary Glover

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:22:13 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

Gregg "Triple G" Zaun: 2010 Brewer?

Some things to read while running to the store for orange soda.

Tourist season continues in Rumorville, with Gregg Zaun (aka "Triple G") passing through yesterday. Apparently the Brewers are one of several teams that have expressed interest in the former Rays catcher, who previously said he expects to sign by the end of the week. A few quick thoughts on Zaun:

He hit .260/.345/.416 last season between the Orioles and Rays, well above average for a catcher.
He'll also turn 39 in April.
2010 will be his 16th major league season, and he's spent at least part of one of those seasons with the Orioles (two tours), Marlins, Rangers, Royals, Astros, Rockies, Blue Jays and Rays. He needs to sign with the D-Backs to complete the Expansion Cycle.

I can't decide how I feel about the possibility, but I hope the Brewers don't overinvest in it: He could be an interesting piece, but the fact that there's competition for his services would imply the price could be pretty high for a catcher with a lot of miles on his tires.

Meanwhile, Doug Melvin flew out to LA this week to meet with Mark Attanasio to discuss the club's financial situation and develop a plan for free agency. Fire Doug Melvin has a list of the tough questions that should be asked, and actually probably should have been asked a while ago. Comments continue to drift in on Melvin's decision not to offer arbitration to Felipe Lopez and Mike Cameron:

Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks was woken up by a ticket sales rep and proceeded to pen some half-awake thoughts on the situation.
Master Reid of Quevedo at the Buffet reacted to the decision and thought out loud on projections for the winter meetings.
Keep Turning Up The Heat! echoed some of the same conversations we've had around here about Lopez's value and tradeability.

All of this mess is only making the job harder for the folks the Brewers have hired to sell tickets for next season. Caitlin Moyer has a profile and offseason work plan for Director of Season Ticket Sales Billy Friess.

If you drove by Miller Park yesterday (or stopped in the Fan Shop, as I did), you might have noticed that the lights were on. Apparently a camera crew was working in the park, shooting a three second clip that will eventually be part of a Coors Light commercial.

In the minors:

Jim Breen of Bernie's Crew recently conducted an interview with Jonathan Lucroy, discussing the recent attention he's received, and current/former teammates Zach Braddock, Mark Rogers and Chris Cody. It's worth a read.
Lisa Winston of MiLB.com also has a great read on the early results the Brewers are seeing from 2009 draft picks.
And, if you're doing some holiday shopping for the minor league addict in your life, you may be interested in some deals from the Nashville Sounds.

Around baseball:

A's: Avoided arbitration with reliever Joey Devine, agreeing to a one-year deal worth roughly $550k.
Indians: Signed reliever Jason Grilli to a minor league deal.

The Brewers may or may not be preparing to make an offer to Randy Wolf. While the Brewers may be in, the Astros are the first team I've seen to publicly acknowledge they're out.

Another day, another list of Rule 5 Draft prospects. Today's comes from DRaysBay, and includes Royals reliever Chris "Disco" Hayes.

If you're looking to learn something about sabermetrics today, here's an opportunity: Big League Stew has everything you ever wanted to know about FIP, it's uses and misuses.

Here's a problem I wish I could complain about: Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner is having a hard time finding topics to write about now that times have changed in the Mariners' front office and the organization is actually making logical moves. I'd much rather complain about that than the dent my forehead is starting to make in my desk.

Oh, but there is a former Brewer note today: The Midwest League's Fort Wayne Tin Caps have announced their coaching staff for 2010, and Bronswell Patrick is their pitching coach. He appeared in 32 games for the 1998 team.

On this day in 1901, the American League officially dropped the Milwaukee Brewers and replaced them with the St. Louis Browns, ending the city's first run in the AL after just one season.

On this day in 1971, the Brewers acquired Jim Colborn, Brock Davis and Earl Stephenson from the Cubs for Jose Cardenal. Colborn won 20 games for the Brewers in 1973, pitching 22 complete games and logging 314.1 innings. He's the only Brewer ever to pass 300 IP.

On this day in 1989, the Brewers signed Dave Parker as a free agent. Parker would spend one season in Milwaukee, hitting .289/.330/.451 with 21 home runs. He was traded during to the Angels during spring training in 1991 for Dante Bichette.

Happy birthdays today to:

Matt Childers, who made eight appearances for the 2002 Brewers and turns 31.
Gary Glover, who made 19 appearances for the 2004-2005 Brewers and turns 33.
Darryl Hamilton, who played center field for most of the 1988-1995 seasons, and turns 45.

Oh, and if you'd like to be paid to watch and score baseball games, polish up your resume because your dream job just opened up.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:31:06 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Doug Melvin, pictured here sitting behind Ken Macha in spring training, probably doesn't take fashion advice from Ryan Braun either.

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Some things to read while learning about the history of grit. (h/t Royals Review)

As you may have heard, the saga surrounding Ryan Braun's comments about Brewer pitching took a surprising turn yesterday when Doug Melvin fired back. (Also noted in FanShot.) There's a fair amount of reaction around the blogosphere today:

Doug Melvin's quote about making Braun his deputy was Circling the Bases' quote of the day.
The True Blue Brew Blog says Braun should shut up and play baseball.
Sheffield's House wants Braun to keep doing what he's doing.
Miller Park Drunk shows us what the world would be like if Ryan Braun were the Brewer GM.
Quevedo at the Buffet says Melvin should have known better than to go public with his remarks.
CZWief.com called Melvin's comments "a public slap on the wrist."

In case you've forgotten, the Brewers acquired C.C. Sabathia one year ago today. Meanwhile, if the Brewers do make a move, it could be for Javier Vazquez. The Brewers have reportedly placed a call to the Braves regarding Vazquez, although Melvin denied the report. Todd Welter of WTMJ wants the Brewers to steer clear of Vazquez, who has posted a 10+ ERA in 15.2 postseason innings. In other news, Todd Welter has never heard of sample size.

Everyone still loves Casey McGehee:

FanGraphs says McGehee has "perhaps the quietest .343/.396/.567 line in the land."
The Collective Troll named McGehee their NL Rookie of the Year for the first half of 2009.
McGehee also has four three-hit games, but that's no longer good enough to lead all rookies: D-Backs rookie Gerardo Parra picked up his fifth such game last night. (h/t TheJay)

McGehee was also one of several Brewers mentioned in Jon Heyman's midseason awards, appearing third on his ballot for NL Rookie of the Year. Also appearing: Prince Fielder (4th, NL MVP), Yovani Gallardo (4th, NL Cy Young) and Ken Macha (4th, NL Manager of the Year).

The Brewers open a key series with the Cardinals tonight, and Stan Musial's Stance has a preview of the three pitching matchups: Yovani Gallardo v. Adam Wainwright tonight, Jeff Suppan v. Todd Wellemeyer tomorrow, and Braden Looper v. Joel Piniero on Thursday.

Prince Fielder was confirmed yesterday as a participant in next week's Home Run Derby. (Also noted in FanShot) Fielder's first-half mashing in 2009 earned him the DH spot on The Collective Troll's NL All Troll Team. Unfortunately, this year's All Stars won't actually have a DH.

In the minors:

John Sickels of Minor League Ball is watching the Timber Rattlers play in Burlington this week and has been impressed by Brett Lawrie's bat speed. Lawrie is also Between the Green Pillars' Prospect of the Week.
Lawrie may be among the last generation of Brewer prospects to play AA games in Huntsville. The Stars are last in the Southern League in attendance, and while attending Sunday's sparsely attended contest, Gord Ash was quoted as saying, "They're going to be sorry in a couple of years when they don't have baseball." (h/t BrewerFan.net)

The Brewers moved up one spot from eleventh to tenth in Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star's Power Rankings.

Around the league:

Blue Jays: Russ Adams, designated for assignment over the weekend, has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent.
Cubs: Traded Ryan Freel to the Royals for a PTBNL and placed David Patton on the DL with a right groin strain.
Giants: Placed Randy Johnson on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Nationals: Kip Wells, who had been designated for assignment, has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent.
Orioles: Placed reliever Chris Ray on the DL with biceps tendinitis.
Padres: Placed David Eckstein on the DL with a hamstring strain.

Via the Baseball America Minor League Transaction Report, I learned that former Brewer Gary Glover is on the move again: this time he was released by the Marlins.

Happy birthdays today to R.J. Swindle who turns 26, and Dave Burba, who appeared in 62 games for the 2003 and 2004 Brewers and turns 43. Today is also the 35th anniversary of the 1974 game where Don Money set the major league record for most consecutive errorless games by a third baseman.

Oh, and now I know what to eat at midnight between Mac & Cheese Tuesday and Pizza Wednesday.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:01:29 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (50) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run for the fourth consecutive season.

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Some things to read while I finish the last chapter of Help Wanted.

Actually, I probably won't have much time for video games today, as the first pitch for this afternoon's game is already about two hours away. Ryan Braun likely won't be in the starting lineup: X-rays came back negative on Braun's wrist last night (h/t FanShot), but it's still a quick turnaround from a night game to a day game, and resting him today would give him two full days off, with the off day tomorrow. Paul Noonan of Brewed Sports might not have to spend the rest of his life harassing Adam Wainwright after all.

J.J. Hardy, however, is expected to play. Today's game is listed in the top spot in Baseball Musings' Games of the Day.

Adam Wainwright shut the Brewers down last night, and has been lights-out lately. Fungoes credits a change in release point for his sudden dominance. Wainwright's home run last night also gives him one in each of the last four seasons.

Along with the good news, though, the Cardinals got some bad news yesterday: Troy Glaus is being given a 50-50 shot at returning to the lineup in 2009, and Kyle Lohse is expected to be scratched from Friday's start against the Giants.

This week's schedule has been pretty rough for the Brewers, with a road night game on Sunday followed by a day game at home Monday, then a night game last night and another day game today. One would think that would be enough, but Mat Gamel also found time to visit a grade school in Racine before yesterday's game.

Maybe he was campaigning for write-in votes. Ryan Braun and J.J. Hardy are the leading vote-getters at their respective positions in All-Star balloting. In fact, no Brewer position player is lower than second.

Looking back for a moment: The Brewers are 3-1 in 1-0 games this season, but Monday's was the only of the three games to go to extra innings. It was only the seventh 1-0, extra inning victory in franchise history, and just the second since 1989.

For the first time in several days, I don't have a note on Jake Peavy today. I do, however, have Two-Fisted Slopper's argument for Erik Bedard.

I have a handful of draft notes today:

FanGraphs reviews the Brewers' last three drafts and looks ahead to June. They list second base as an organizational need, despite the fact that Cutter Dykstra and Brett Lawrie have both been moved to the position in the last three months. (h/t FanShot)
Andy Seiler has the Brewers selecting Chad Jenkins, a RHP from Kennesaw State, in the first round along with Tommy Joseph, a HS catcher from Arizona, and Brody Colvin, a HS pitcher from Louisiana, in the supplemental round.
Jim Gantner will be the Brewer representative at the draft.

Somewhat related, here are today's minor league notes:

Wily Peralta has been named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week following a week that saw him go two starts without allowing a run with a 17:2 K:BB ratio.
Mike Jones, a former #1 pick who's become a bit of an afterthought, pitched six scoreless innings in his first start in Huntsville and hit 94 on the gun.
Chris Duffy accepted his assignment to Nashville and should join the team today.

Also, Adam McCalvy is looking for mailbag questions, if you have one in mind.

Around the league:

Angels: Placed Scot Shields on the DL with patella tendinitis.
Marlins: Signed Clay Hensley and Gary Glover to minor league deals.
Mets: Placed Jose Reyes (calf tendinitis) and Ryan Church (hamstring) on the DL.
Nationals: Designated Daniel Cabrera for assignment and must add Mike MacDougal to their roster today or lose him to free agency.
Orioles: Placed outfielder Lou Montanez on the DL with torn ligaments in his thumb.
Rays: Jason Bartlett has been placed on the DL with an ankle injury.

Jason Bartlett's DL trip in Tampa opened the door for former Brewer Joe Dillon, who has been called up by the Rays. On top of Dillon (and Gary Glover), here are some other former Brewers in transactions, courtesy of Baseball America:

Former Nashville Sound Abraham Nunez signed with the D-Backs.
The Reds acquired Justin Lehr from the Phillies for future considerations.
The Indians called up Greg Aquino.
The Twins brought Ben Hendrickson off the minor league DL. Hendrickson threw one inning in his 2009 debut, and has now pitched for four teams in the last six seasons in AAA, posting a 3.88 ERA in the process.

Also, Eric Gagne has signed with Quebec in the Can-Am League. Apparently he'll be a starter there, but if he's healthy he probably won't be there long.

Speaking of players who could be available: Ken Rosenthal says the Rockies could be looking to sell, but the Pirates are probably not.

Tomorrow will be a big day in Baltimore, as #1 prospect Matt Wieters is expected to make his major league debut. In a note that's probably not unrelated, the Orioles drew just 10,130 fans to Camden Yards last night, the smallest crowd in that ballpark's history.

The Nationals have the #1 pick in June's draft and have a wide variety of needs, but perhaps they should look for someone who can spell. Roosevelt has two o's and one s.

I'm not sure what's worse, a "Teddy Rossevelt" bobblehead or a Scratch and Sniff Cap.

Oh, and happy birthday to John Jaha, who turns 43 today.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Ryan Braun had an up-and-down weekend.

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Some things to read while getting the truth.

The Brewers took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend, but the main topic of conversation coming off the series is the second straight homestand where a pitcher has thrown near Ryan Braun's head. Ken Macha wants MLB to look into it. Baseball Musings likes the way Braun responded to it. Adam McCalvy noticed the difference between Braun's reactions to the Dempster pitch and the Jeff Karstens pitch from two weeks ago. The Brewers are tied for the major league lead with 17 HBP, and Braun, Prince Fielder and Jason Kendall have taken 14 of them.

Baseball Musings thinks the Brewers should have scored more runs yesterday. They went just 6-for-33 at the plate, but five of the six hits went for extra bases and the Brewers had six walks. Timing just didn't work out.

Some would argue that continuing to send Jason Kendall to the plate also doesn't help. Balking Traditionalism is working on a formula to determine when it makes sense to pinch hit for Kendall. We'll also have more on the topic later today.

The issue will probably come up more often once Mike Rivera is back. Rivera is in Omaha today to start a three-game rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds, and if all goes well he's expected back in the lineup on Thursday when Dave Bush returns to the mound. The whole rehab assigment concept seems a little strange in this case: Certainly, Rivera is used to going 15 days between games, but it's been years since he's played in four straight, which is what he'll be doing on Thursday.

Speaking of Dave Bush: he picked up a no-decision on Friday, meaning he's still just 1-0 despite having pitched 40 innings this season, easily the most innings pitched by someone with just one decision.

Elsewhere in statistical anomalies: Saturday night's game featured a combined 40 strikeouts and walks, the sixth most since 1970.

Bill Hall is hitting .292/.364/.483 through 99 plate appearances, and while his numbers are significantly higher against lefties, he's not looking completely outmatched either, drawing ten walks to keep his line at .222/.329/.349. Ken Macha, though, is expected to start Craig Counsell at third when the Brewers open their series with the Marlins tomorrow. Take a moment to consider these numbers:

Counsell since Opening Day 2007: .233/.349/.322
Bill Hall against righties in 2009: .222/.329/.349

Hall has posted a .678 OPS against righties in 2009, so Macha is replacing him with Craig Counsell's .671 OPS? I'm confused.

The Marlins series will also mark the return of our old friend Wes Helms. Wes doesn't understand why he gets booed in Milwaukee:

"I don't know what they're going to do. They might throw rocks at me," said Helms, who is puzzled by the recent chilly receptions he has received. He played well in his three seasons as a Brewer (2003-05).

"I can understand Philly booing me because I struggled there, but Milwaukee? I had good years there," he said. "I never said anything in the paper. I never did anything, so I don't know. Part of the game, I guess."

Wait...what? Helms' best season as a Brewer was in 2003, when he was barely above average as a hitter.

One minor note today: Cole Gillespie continues to struggle in AAA after getting a late start due to injury, and At The Old Ball Game says he's not ready for AAA. Gillespie is the #10 prospect in our community rankings.

I expected people to notice the recent Brewer hot streak, but this might be a little much: Foul Balls has moved the Brewers up to second in the NL and third overall in their power rankings.

Here's one ranking that is deserved, though: Home Run Derby gave the Racing Sausages a #1 seed in their bracket to determine baseball's best mascot.

Around the league:

A's: Designated Ben Copeland, their 2009 Rule 5 pick, for assignment and acquired Adam Kennedy from the Rays for Joe Dillon (h/t FanShot).
Cubs: Placed Aramis Ramirez on the DL with a dislocated shoulder, DL'ed Chad Fox with elbow inflammation, and acquired Ryan Freel from the Orioles for Joey Gathright. (h/t FanShots)
Diamondbacks: Placed Yusmeiro Petit on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Mariners: Carlos Silva has been placed on the DL with stiffness and inflammation in his shoulder.
Nationals: Released Gary Glover.
Pirates: Signed catcher Adam Melhuse to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Designated reliever Javier Lopez for assignment.
Royals: Placed Joakim Soria on the DL with shoulder soreness.
Yankees: Designated relievers Steven Jackson and Eric Hacker for assignment.

Chad Fox's most recent elbow injury will likely end his major league career. Fox, a former Brewer, has already had multiple Tommy John surgeries and has three screws in his elbow. He sounds like he's glad he gave it one last shot.

The Cub Reporter has done the math and expects Aramis Ramirez to miss around 50 games. The Cubs, however, only play the Cardinals and Brewers in five of those games.

Major League Baseball briefly slammed on the brakes on a cool promotion yesterday, stopping players from wearing black and pink cleats which would later be auctioned off to raise money for a cancer-related charity. MLB had not approved the charity, so they ordered players across baseball, including Prince Fielder, not to wear the cleats. A resolution was later reached to allow players to wear them, but I didn't see if Fielder had his on.

Do you like living in the country and want to own a piece of baseball history? Cy Young's birthplace is for sale, and Let's Go Tribe contacted the realtor to ask some questions about it.

Ryan Braun still has a long way to go to reach this record: Carlos Delgado was plunked by Ian Snell yesterday and now has been hit by pitchers from 36 states, a major league record.

Want to work in baseball? The Book Blog has links to three internships with the Yankees.

Oh, and if you're an opposing closer in Denver, you may witness an episode of Mascots Gone Wild.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:54:44 -0000

Some things to read while keeping the dream alive.

I don't have much for news today, but when you're done here check out The Sports Bubbler, where they have interviews with Prince Fielder, Ken Macha, Mat Gamel, J.J. Hardy, Brad Nelson, Tim Dillard, Alexandre Periard and Rickie Weeks from this weekend's Winter Warm-Up festivities.

Also, Big League Stew has a picture of Kate Armitage, who apparently won a date with J.J. Hardy.

Dating J.J. Hardy probably takes some patience, because he doesn't swing at the first pitch. Over at The Hardball Times, dixieflatline has a look at first pitch fastballs. The Brewer notes: Corey Hart and Prince Fielder don't get many first pitch fastballs, J.J. Hardy doesn't swing at many of them, and Rickie Weeks doesn't hit them well.

So Jason Kendall was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball last season, despite having been below average for much of his career. Will it last? Brian Cartwright of FanGraphs rated Kendall's throwing arm as the second best in baseball in 2008, but projects him to be merely average in 2009.

Another slow news day, another "Where are they now?" with Baseball America's Minor League Transactions:

Ty Taubenheim signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.
Gary Glover signed a minor league deal with the Nationals.

Also in those transactions: The Brewers reinstated Ryan Jensen from their inactive list and released him. Jensen played for the Brewer Rookie team in Arizona in 2007.

On the hot stove:

Blue Jays: signed OF Jason Lane and IF Brandon Fahey to minor league deals.
Dodgers: Signed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Claimed SP Virgil Vazquez off waivers from the Tigers. They may also be interested in Braden Looper.
Rangers: May not make a move regarding Ben Sheets for the next few days, as team officials are on an annual trip to the Dominican Republic.
Royals: Signed Zack Greinke to a four-year deal, buying out his last two seasons of arbitration and his first two years of free agency. The deal is rumored to be worth $38 million.
Tigers: Signed Timo Perez to a minor league deal.

Of course, if you're the Reds and you're not a player in the free agent market, you could always try to draw more fans to the ballpark by adding a fourth mascot.

Do you hate, or at least moderately dislike, Bud Selig? I've heard it's a somewhat common thing. Home Run Derby has compiled a list of 24 Facebook groups you can join, starting with calls for Selig's resignation or firing and spiraling downward from there.

Oh, and after watching this guy recreate a Cal Ripken poster, I need more thumb tacks. A lot more.

Drink up.

Money In The Bank Pt.6

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:00:12 -0000

Today, I take a look at the signings/trades of 2008.

A few ground rules here.

To qualify using "worth", The player must have been acquired by Friedman prior or during the 2008 season and must have had at least 50 IP as a starter or 20 IP as a reliever with the team during the year.
Several players were acquired by Friedman, but did not qualify for worth. However, since they received a salary, I included them in the salary portion of the chart. Call them "sunk costs."

2008	SP IP	RP IP	FIP	WAR	Salary	Worth
Jackson	181	2	4.88	1.3	0.4	5.4
Howell	N/A	89.1	3.39	1.7	0.4	7.8
Wheeler	N/A	66.1	4.49	0.2	2.9	1.0
Balfour	N/A	58.1	2.22	3	0.4	12.2
Garza	184.2	N/A	4.14	2.9	0.4	13.2
Miller	N/A	43.1	3.36	0.7	1.6	3
Percival	N/A	45.2	5.87	-0.9	3.9	-4.0
Glover	N/A	34	4.66	0	1.1	0.2
Reyes	N/A	22.2	4.06	0.1	2.3	0.5
Bradford	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1	N/A
Dohmann	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.4	N/A
Birkins	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.4	N/A

After a miserable 2007 season, there was no place to go but up in the bullpen and 2008 bullpen aces J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour led the way. Howell successfully made the transition from starter to reliever and was worth 1.7 wins and $7.8 million dollars. Co-Ace in the pen, Grant Balfour, was one of the most valuable relievers in all of baseball. His 2.7 WAR was higher than Francisco Rodriguez, Joakim Soria and on par with Joe Nathan and Brad Lidge. He made only 400k last year, but was worth a whopping $12.2 million. This is why you don't play relievers a lot of money.

In the rotation, the Rays received a huge boost from Matt Garza. Garza, who also made 400k, was worth 2.9 wins and $13.2 million. This was even with some injury problems and bouts of inconsistency. For me, his game 7 performance was worth $13 million alone.

However, it wasn't all golden as the Rays lost money on a few veteran relievers, most namely Troy Percival. Percival, who was hurt for a big chunk of the season, was worth -0.9 wins and reversed his salary($3.9m) in worth with a value of -$4.0 million. The Rays are on the hook for another $4 million in 2009 and it doesn't look promising.

Also costing the Rays money is the trio of Dan Wheeler, Al Reyes and Gary Glover. Reyes and Glover didn't last the season with the Rays, but were paid a combined $3.4 million for a combined 0.1 wins. Dan Wheeler, a hot topic around these parts, was worth 0.2 wins that cost the Rays $2.9 million when he was really worth about $1 million. All in all Friedman got a 2.6:1 worth to salary ratio for his acquisitions in 2008, which is his best to date for pitchers.

Edgar Renteria is Cast Away; Will He Drift Back?

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:00:38 -0000

What a difference a year makes. 365 days ago, after the conclusion of the World Series, the Detroit Tigers acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves. There was excitement in Tiger Town. Hope.

Remember those feelings? Before they were replaced by frustration and disappointment?

Today, the Tigers officially declined the option year on Renteria's contract, which would've paid him $12 million. Instead, Detroit will pay the $3 million buyout, thus making Renteria a free agent. These proceedings were really just a formality, however, as Dave Dombrowski announced his intention to do this a month ago.

Renteria finished the 2008 season with a.270/.317/.382 average, along with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. Those were his lowest numbers in seven years. His 16 errors at shortstop were also his highest total in the last three seasons.

Does this mean that the Tigers and Renteria are officially done with each other? Well, probably. But not certainly. If the Tigers off-season shopping doesn't turn up any viable alternatives at shortstop, and Renteria can't find himself a gig that fits him as well as the one he had in Detroit, both sides could end up reuniting later this winter. At a much lower price than $12 million, of course.

Both sides seem ready to move on, however, according to Renteria's agent, Barry Meister:

"I think Edgar's going to kind of point himself in a different direction," Meister said.

The Tigers have exclusive negotiating rights with Renteria for the next couple of weeks, but the team hasn't contacted Renteria, nor has Mr. Meister attempted any negotiations for a new contract. But it could still happen. Detroit already brought back one guy they kicked to the curb a month ago.

Two other players who will become free agents are pitcher Gary Glover (1-1, 4.43) and catcher Dane Sardinha (.159/.229/.205). Both were outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, but refused those assignments, thus putting them on the open market.

Sorry, Minnesota: White Sox 8, Tigers 2

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:10:25 -0000

If the 18 games Minnesota played against Detroit this season didn't already clue you in to how miserable this season has been for the Tigers, Twins fans, today you joined us in the singular hell that we've had to endure from April through September.

Did you come into this game with some hopes? Any expectations? They were crushed, weren't they? Yeah, we're familiar with that.

You got a little bit excited as Freddy Garcia pitched well enough to win, didn't you? Yeah, he's pretty good. We hope he comes back to Detroit next year. That sinking feeling in your stomach when Garcia had to come out of the game, meaning the Tigers' bullpen had to take over? We've almost gotten used to it.

Did you grind your teeth or pull out any hair as Armando Galarraga and Bobby Seay loaded the bases? When Gary Glover was called in to pitch out of that jam, did you ask yourself "Who the #@$% is Gary Glover?" Did you throw something at your televisions or computers, or kick a nearby small animal when Glover hung a change-up on his very first pitch to Alexei Ramirez, which Ramirez then blasted into the left field seats?

Welcome to our world, baby.

Fortunately for you, Twins fans, you only have to chew on this for one night. Hell, maybe you've already gotten over it, since you get to take matters in your own hands tomorrow night against those White Sox. So the dark circles under your eyes, frown lines, pasty skin, and disdain for almost anything related to baseball won't have time to set in.

But hey, who doesn't love a one-game playoff to decide a division title? Maybe we'll tell ourselves here in Tiger Town that it was all for the good of baseball. One game, with a postseason bid on the line. Best of luck to you, Twins and White Sox.

And with that, the 2008 season has truly come to an merciful end for the Detroit Tigers. Let the off-season now begin.

So Predictable: Indians 6, Tigers 5

Ian Casselberry — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:41:21 -0000

We should be talking about Miguel Cabrera's pair of two-run homers that tied him for the AL home run lead and has him near the top RBI spot, as well. Or the brawl that erupted between Gary Sheffield and Fausto Carmona (and Asdrubal Cabrera and Victor Martinez, and somehow... Placido Polanco?) in the seventh inning. Instead...

Once again, the Tigers' bullpen - or more specifically, its complete ineptitude - is the story. And for those who think Jim Leyland does a poor job in handling his relievers, did you see what Lloyd McClendon did tonight?

After taking out Armando Galarraga with two outs in the eighth, McClendon brings in Casey Fossum. He doesn't use Freddy Dolsi to face the right-handed Ben Francisco. (We're not advocating Kyle Farnsworth, of course.) Or maybe even Fernando Rodney. And after Fossum walks Francisco, McClendon leaves him in there to face Shin-Soo Choo, who'd already had two hits (a home run among them). Not Bobby Seay, nor Clay Rapada - either of whom are left-handed specialists.

You knew what was coming. It may have been the most predictable play of the year. (Well, other than Todd Jones serving up that home run to Jermaine Dye back in July.) And it only took two pitches. Long fly ball to right field. Home run. Game tied, but really, game over.

The inevitable became official when McClendon brought in Gary Glover instead of Rodney to face Ryan Garko in the bottom of the ninth. And talk about efficiency: Glover only needed two pitches - one to Garko, and one to Jamey Carroll up next - to give up two singles that brought home the winning run.

How many more games are left to endure on the schedule?

Farnsworth Fail: Rangers 11, Tigers 8

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:30:04 -0000

With Dontrelle Willis starting for the Tigers for the first time since June, tonight had something of a "must-see" feel to it. Well, maybe that's overstating it a bit. But at the very least, there was much curiosity. Unfortunately, everyone who tuned in for the game was reminded of just how maddening this failed season has been.

For the second night in a row, Kyle Farnsworth played the role of gas can, taking a seemingly winnable game and setting it ablaze. The first three batters he faced reached base, two of whom would have scored if not for a bad, "go, stop, go!" decision by ~~future Tigers manager~~ Rangers third base coach Matt Walbeck that got Travis Metcalf thrown out at home. Even after getting that break, Farnsworth continued to pitch batting practice, putting four of the next five batters on base, and allowing three of those runners to score - with two outs.

The total damage? Four runs, four hits, and three walks in just two-thirds of an inning.

So over his last two appearances, The Farns has allowed six runs and six hits in just one combined inning of work. To try and be fair, I'll point out that he didn't allow a run in his previous seven outings before Sunday night. But Farnsworth has performed so badly since coming to the Tigers that you almost have to wonder if he's tanking it. (Here's a deceiving stat for you: Farnsworth's ERA with the Tigers is 4.80.) If he doesn't want to be with the Tigers, he probably doesn't have to worry, as he's pretty much assured he won't be pitching in Detroit next season. Heck, he might not be pitching in the United States of America, at this rate.

This loss, by the way, officially made it impossible for the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central. The numbers now support what the eyeball test had confirmed for at least the last two months.

Maybe I've buried the lede, but somewhat overshadowed by Farnsworth's meltdown was Willis' performance, which wasn't bad. The five walks were definitely a concern, but he only allowed two hits and struck out four batters in five innings. It was a good enough effort to get the win, which certainly seems encouraging.
We're picking on The Farns, but Gary Glover was awful out of the bullpen, too. Can we never see articles about him "making an impression" ever again? This is why he's been with so many teams, Jim Leyland.
By the way, could Leyland beat Magglio Ordonez in a foot race? After getting ejected from the game for arguing about Max Ramirez getting hit by a pitch, Leyland almost looked like Usain Bolt sprinting out of the dugout to get some last words in.
We won't do a full Roll Call, but it was nice to see the ol' GameThread come back to life for at least one night. Even if the result was ultimately disappointing, people were interested to see how the D-Train would do. Maybe we can bring those train wreck and facepalm photos back out on Wednesday, when Freddy Garcia starts.