Time to plan our now annual lunch time meeting in Detroit over the holidays. The last couple years we've met in Mexicantown, which has some great places but it might be time to branch out. I propose Hockeytown Cafe on Friday, Dec 23. My reasons are:

• Hockeytown let us hang out before the July meet up game. Yeah, many of us DID buy an adult beverage or two, but they didn't know that before we got there. They trusted alli (hmmmmm......)
• We can gaze across Woodward towards Mecca
• If you're still needing some last minute Christmas gifts, there are several venues in the area that can meet your Sports Fan Gift needs.
• Free Parking at the Fox for lunch patrons.

So -- howz by you? If you're going to be in the area on December 23 and are looking for a place to get away from all your crazy relatives eat food and drink adult beverages with Tiger fans, let me know in the comments. We'll then have an idea of how many places to ask for.

are here  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvwuQYd

You can tag yourselves in the comments.

Even though we lost, a good time was still had by all.  From the pre-game festivities at Hockeytown (including the Carlos Guillen injury pool -- thanks, frisbeepilot!) to the cool Lobby Bar of the Westin, it was a lovely occasion.  The weather ws darn near perfect, the seats were great (and shaded!) and there's nothing better than watching Tiger baseball in the company of good friends, most of whom I had never met.  Thanks to Alli for organizing all of it, and to Baroque for the lovely nametags.  Let's do it again next year (only with a better result of the game, okay?)

No editors around, so here's a new game thread. I have to write 75 words. Tigers Tigers Tigers Tigers Rally Rally Rally Rally Did I ever tell you about my camping experiences as a child?  Boy I really like ice cream.  It's hot down here.  I leave for the beach in a week.  My cat is very strange.  She likes to climb up on top of the refrigerator and cries to get rescued.

Since we're a third of the way through the season and it's an off day, I thought it was time for a little retrospective on the season so far.  And I decided to approach it from a little different perspective -- to look back at my thoughts during the preseason and talk about who has been my biggest disappointment and who has been the nicest surprise.

 I'm not talking Maggs -- I didn't expect a whole lot from him this year.  I'm not talking Victor, because I didn't know WHAT to expect from him.  I'm talking about the players who have either under-performed or over-performed from what I thought they would achieve this year.

 So here goes:

Biggest Delight:  Jhonny Peralta.  He's been surprisingly effective (even lights out) as a hitter, hitting .314 with a .908 OPS.  He is Mr. Dhependable.  He's also been no slouch in the field, either, even showing some flashes of range.  My preseason expectation of him was "meh." 

Biggest Disappointment:  Brandon Inge.  I never expected him to bounce back as a power hitter, but I did think a year after knee surgery would mean some improvement..  I was hoping he'd bat around .230 and continue his stellar defense at third.  But he's batting a paltry .211 with 5 errors so far.  I know he wasn't the pre-All Star Game 2009 Inge last year, but I was hoping to see some of that spark return.  Brandon, you disappoint. 

So who are your Biggest Delights and Disappointments so far? 

Before we get too far into the month, let me put this up as our space to post all the other stuff that is not baseball related.  We've got some graduates this May, don't we?  Let us know your plans.  Kentucky Derby picks anyone?  Don't forget that Sunday is Mothers Day -- if you're lucky enough to have Mom still around, be sure to get her something nice. The rest of us will just make do with great memories.  

And in honor of Kurt's new puppy Donner, here's a video I love: 

Ultimate Dog Tease (via klaatu42)

Five of us BYBers (tigerdog1. handsomerob, Detroitchick, SabreRoseTiger, NCDee) met for lunch at Mexican Village and had a great time talking baseball and eating fine food.  Don't worry, we have everything taken care of for next season. . 

Here are the pics I took with my pitiful phone.  Why, it's almost like being there!

via farm6.static.flickr.com

tigerdog1 enjoyed his Margarita (and thanks for the drinks, Patrick!)

via farm6.static.flickr.com

Judging by the looks on SRT and Detroitchick's faces, I think tigerdog1 just suggested having Inge bat clean-up.

via farm6.static.flickr.com

Unfortunately, you can't tell how handsome handsomerob is from this picture.

We had a GREAT time, and we are stoked for the summer meet-up.  And we will definitely do it again next year.

Lots of stuff going on that doesn't always relate to the subject of the posted article, so feel free to talk about anything at all here.  I'll start.

Looking forward to the Christmas meetup next Wednesday at Mexican Village, 12 Noon or thereabouts.  The address is 2600 N Bagley, and here's a map. 

Bobby Jenks has been traded to the Red Sox.  Guess they're trying to shore up their Amish fan base. 

I don't usually do New Year's Resolutions, but I resolve NOT to use the easy -but -in -questionable- taste graphic when Joaquin Benoit has a 2 ball count going. 

Finally, a poll:

Anybody going to be in the Detroit area over the holidays?  Last year a few of us got together for a nice long lunch in Mexicantown (thanks, Patty!) I'll be up from North Carolina and would love to get together with fellow BYBers.  Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (20 - 22) would probably work best.  We can go back to Mexican Village (which was really really good).  Or Patty, if it's just me and you, we can meet downriver!  If you're interested, let me know in the comments and we'll work something out. 

UPDATE:  We're on for Wednesday, Dec 22 at 12 Noon at Mexican Village, Detroit. Link is in the comments (for some reason it won't let me put one here, but you can always Google)   Hope to see you there!

The latest voting update for first base in the All Star game has Justin Morneau taking over the lead from Mark Teixeira.  This cannot stand!  Actually, it cannot stand that either of them plays first base in the All Star game. But Morneau has 973,563 votes, Teixeira has 931,405.  And Miggy? 659,965.

Continue reading this post »

On this Memorial Day, I thought it would be appropriate to honor Tiger players who served in the military.  Here are a few

Hank Greenberg - "Hammerin' Hank" was drafted in 1940, but released from service after Congress passed a law releasing men over age 28.  He left the service December 5, 1941.  After Pearl Harbor he re-enlisted, went to Officers' Candidates School and ended up Army Air Force,  flying "The Hump" in the China-Burma- India theater.

Steve Souchock --- played for the Tigers in the 50's.  During WWII he fought in the Battle of the Bulge with Patton's Third Army  and earned the Bronze Star in Europe.

Ted Gray --  A home grown Detroit boy who played in the minors before enlisting in 1943 at age 18.  He played a little baseball at the Great Lakes Training Center and then served in the Pacific theater as a Ship's Cook, Second Class.  After the war, he returned to the Tigers and had a 6 - 2 record in 1948.

Johnny Lipon - A high school phenom who was drafted by the Tigers and played in the minors before enlisting in 1943. He trained at the Naval Air Gunners School  in Jacksonville, FL and flew out casualties from the Okinawa region as part of an air-sea rescue group.

A lot of other players either enlisted or were drafted in WWII and served as "morale boosters," playing on military teams that toured the States, Europe and the Pacific.  And Hal Newhouser, the great Tiger pitcher, was classified 4-F because of a leaky heart valve (though he tried to enlist several times.)

Today we honor all those who served and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  I encourage you, as you enjoy your day off (or enjoy the fact that you have a job to go to) to remember all the men and women who have served and to thank them and their families. 

Tigers lineup

1  Jackson CF

2 Thomas RF

3 Inge 3B

4 Cabrera 1B

5 Guillen  DH

6 Laird  C

7 Ramirez LF

8 Dlugach 2B

9 Santiago SS

Pitching -- The Kid

In the first -- Jackson struck out, Clete doubled, Inge doubled and Thomas scored.  Miggy struck out and Carlos flied out.   Tigers lead 1 - 0 with Yankees coming up.  I missed the Yankees lineup while trying to type this. 

Jeter leading off -- hah just struck out!!!

I guess the season has really begun because I had my first baseball dream of the year the other night.  (I also had a dream last night that I invited DetroitChik and her son to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner, but that's another story.)

Anyway...I was playing baseball.  In Chicago.  And though it wasn't for the White Sox, Ozzie Guillen WAS the manager.  But it was a team made up of people from a bunch of other teams no one had ever heard of.  For example, I know the guy who batted before me wore a lime green satin uniform from "The Tubs".   

I was up at bat, but the pitcher was only about ten feet away from me, or close enough so that I could hear him talking.  And all the time his "chatter" was about the history of the city of Chicago, going back to Native American days and the Black Hawk wars.  There was also a blinding light behind him that shone into my eyes and made me sweat.  I could even feel the bead of sweat that dropped on my cheek.

On a full count, I swung away and made contact for a solid single.  It was my first major league hit and I even remembered to make sure to get the ball. 

And then I woke up.

One of my traditions every winter is re-reading my favorite baseball book of all time, "The Great American Novel" by Phillip Roth.  Now, there's a lot more in this book than just baseball, but his descriptions of the players on the fictional Ruppert Mundays and the equally fictional Patriot League always have me howling.  Throw in references to great works of literature and the politics of the McCarthy era, and I'm hooked. 

Continue reading this post »

Don't forget the fine apparel available at the BYB Shop.  Wouldn't little Billy or Susie or Miguel look great in a "No Squandering" shirt?  Doesn't Aunt Lou need a "Free Ryan Raburn" tee?  You can find something for everyone on your list!  Nothing says "Merry Christmas" (or "Happy Hannukah" or "Good Kwanzaa" or "Yay! The sun is coming back") like a BYB Sweatshop Fan Mart shirt.  Order your today and get it in time for the holiday!

(And I only do this because Ian NEVER would.  That boy needs to learn more about marketing.)

Anybody going to be in SE Michigan over the holidays?  I'll be driving up from NC on Dec 20 and staying till Dec 28, and I would love to meet with any of you for lunch, dinner or just adult beverages sometime during my stay.

Continue reading this post »

I need to get this down.

Continue reading this post »

He can be proud of this:

via farm4.static.flickr.com

See more after the jump:

Continue reading this post »

After the "tie" in 2002. Bud Selig decided that the game wasn't hyped enough so from his post on high he commanded that the league that wins the All-Star game would have home field advantage in the World Series.  Previously it had been the team with the better record that had that perk.  So, how's that workin' out for you, Bud?

Continue reading this post »