Bumped to the front page for awesomeness - MnB Dave

"True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise --- the other, loyalty." - Fielding H. Yost

2008 is a blemish, but Michigan Football isn't one season. We may have lost some streaks, but you can't take away Bob Ufer, The Big House, the #1 uniform on a the top receiver, the Big Ten Titles, Yost, Shembechler, Moeller and Carr, "The Victors," the Rose Bowl, "Meechigan Football," the M Club banner, Ann Arbor, "The Game," the Winged Helmet and Maize and Blue. Michigan Football transcends what is a program, it's a tradition, a way of life.

Stay strong guys, it WILL get better.

What do you guys really see happening? Sure, I'd love to say "we have all the bugs" worked out of the team now, and '09 is going to be our 120 win season," but that isn't realistic. Unless Dombrowski can address our bullpen issue, we're going to drop another 20+ games because of that group of players just like this year. Zumaya WILL get hurt, Rodney is... Rodney, Farnsworth's gone, Seay has been good and theres guys like Glover and Fossum who could go either way. The offense was inconsistant, and with Inge now an everyday player and giant question mark at the shortstop position, I don't know if that will be a whole lot better either. The only starters set in stone are Verlander, Gallaraga and Bonderman. Verlander has 14 losses (he did get screwed a bunch of times early in the season with run support though), Gallaraga's been great, but you don't know if this is a fluke season and Bondo never has been automatic. Add two more starters to the list, who could be anyone (Miner? Willis? Rogers? Bonine? Garcia? Lambert?), and this all looks like a 85-95 win season again. What's your take?

With Farve now gone would you consider Jon Kitna the best QB in the NFC North? I know I complain about him, but looking at the Lions they should be able to go at least .500 within their division (and I think that's worse case scenario). Let's take a look around the divison...

Kitna - Weak in the pocket but that could be due to a crappy O-line. Strong passer and he is fearless.

Orton / Grossman - The Bears were 3-13 last season, so there really isn't anything positive to look at. Super Bowl 41 should prove that Grossman isn't the real deal and Orton is unproven.

Jackson - He isn't very good, but all he has to do is give the ball to AP!

Rogers - We will have to see....

Perhaps one of the greatest athletes of all time won his tenth and eleventh gold medal last night (setting a wolrd record in every event he participated in and now becomes the winningest athlete in Olympic history) and at what major university is this man enrolled at? The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor! The Baltimore native swimmer has acomplished all this and is not even 24 years old. Speaks volumes, it really does...

Go Blue!

http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/07/baseball-fans-loyal-forbeslife-cx_mw_0807sport3_slide_11.html?thisSpeed=15000

I'm sorry, but what? We have a $100M+ franchise that is under .500, yet there is still 40,000+ at Comerica every game. Every single game. I don't understand the logic here. Not only are we on the least loyal list, but we're number two! This guy is an idiot. And then the Texas Rangers are number one? How does that work?

http://mlbfights.blogspot.com/2007/08/farnsworth-fight-video-kc-royals-vs.html

What an awesome guy. It sucks to see Pudge go, but Farnsy has had a place in my heart since he defended Carlos against KC on that day. This on top of the fact that he's an intimidating reliver with a mid 90s fastball and electric breaking stuff. Let's see if he puts up numbers like during his last stint in Detroit. Go Tigers!

OK, let’s look at this situation: first and second, no outs, Guillen up to bat. Looks like a big inning could be brewing with the heart of the order coming up. Guillen has a 3-1 count and this pitcher can't hit the strike zone. He's throwing wild and his breaking pitch either hangs or misses. So with a 3-1 count, Guillen swings at a ball, and grounds out to the shortstop, opposed to loading the bases with a walk and no outs. Cabrera scores the run with an RBI groundout, Guillen advanced to third on a wild pitch (ironic), and Joyce flies out to end the inning. So with two men on, and no outs, we only score one. With a hitter's count you HAVE TO BE LOOKING TO WALK. Instead, our all-star swings irresponsibly, and may cost us a game. This is why the Tigers are a .500 team. Leyland has no problem having guys swing away on 3-1 counts with two on and no outs, but refuses to ever give the go ahead to one of the most natural base stealers in the game, who happens to be a leadoff hitter? I'm confused. Maybe it isn't a lack of player performance, but mismanagement that's killing this team.

Lloyd Carr was the Michigan coach I grew up watching. Tom Brady, Drew Henson, John Navarre, Chad Henne, and now with an unfamiliar face at the helm, Nick Sheridan or Steven Threet. Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington, and now Gary Matthews, Jr. Despite what has gone on throughout the early stages of my life, Saturdays in the fall mean Michigan football. And now, Mr. Rodriguez will take over. I was skeptical after the #1 uniform fiasco, but he made a mistake and admitted it. He learned, and will continue to. Now though, like the 1969 Michigan Wolverines, Rich has to make a team out of an underdog. A team that can win. Those Who Stay Will Be Champions; they were for Bo, they were for Lloyd, and now, it's up to Rich. I am in high school right now, and I am in the process of working my ass off so I can go to Michigan, and spend four years in Ann Arbor. There's a new coach, a new look and a new style of play, but believe this; Michigan will always be the program every other university in the country wants to be. Sure, there has only been one national championship in my lifetime, but there has been no scandals, no arrests, nothing. That's what makes a Michigan man. Hopefully one day, I'll get to skate at Yost Arena, or storm the field at Ray Fisher Stadium, but if that isn’t the case, I could at least get be a Michigan man, and carry Michigan morals for the rest of my life. And no one could ever take that away from me.

This sucks. It wasn't that cool of a show, but it was a Bo tradition, and now it's gone. Rich better no let this get out of hand. U of M football is a thing that dosen't change very often. Next thing you know, Rodriguez will be taking the wings off the helmets, and looking to build a new stadium! I know I am a little up in arms about the whole deal, but Michigan Football is a fine tradition...

Now, Jon is a great guy, and I would never think anything else, but isn't it time we get a guy that we can keep, and do an adequate job and be our franchise QB? Roy Williams wants to leave, we could have traded Shaun Rogers, and the Fords have spent money in the past, so why can't we get Carson Palmer if he wants to leave Cinncinatti? I'm just so fed up...

I know we have heard that many, many times before, but a sweep or even a series win over the divison leaders followed by a whole slew of weak NL teams coming in, on top of Verlander hitting stride, Cabrera and Polonco getting their bats going, and the team playing good defense really could turn this thing around. 8 or 9 games back is nothing, more than a month before the all-star break. It's now or never boys, but I haven't given up on the playoffs.

GO Tigers!

Why or why won't he become the starting QB for the Dolphins in 2008? Do you think he has a legitimate shot at the starting job? (Now with ol' Trent out of the picture.) I am a big U of Michigan football fan, so I will be watching the Phins a lot this year, with both Chad and Jake Long going to Miami. Let's turn this thing around, Go Dolphins and Go BLUE.

Detroit vs. Chicago White Sox – 2007

(7-11) Total Series

(3-6) @ Comerica Park

(4-5) @ US Cellular

@ Comerica

31 RS – 40 RA in 9 Games (-9 Run differential):

3.4 RPG Avg. compared to ERAs of (all statistics throughout 2007):

                Verlander -  3.74

                Rogers -  4.19

                Bonderman - 4.78

                Robertson -  4.60

                Willis -  3.78

@ US Cellular

58 RS – 45 RA in 9 Games (+ 13 Run Differential):

                6.4 RPG Avg. compared to ERAs of (all statistics throughout 2007):

                Verlander -  3.74

                Rogers -  4.19

                Bonderman - 4.78

                Robertson -  4.60

                Willis -  3.78

Detroit vs. Boston Red Sox – 2007

(4-3) Total Series

(3-0) @ Comerica Park

(1-3) @ Fenway Park

@ Comerica Park

18 RS – 9 RA in 3 Games (+ 9 Run Differential):

                6 RPG Avg. compared to ERAs of (all statistics throughout 2007):

                Verlander -  3.74

                Rogers -  4.19

                Bonderman -  4.78

                Robertson -  4.60

                Willis -  3.78

@ Fenway Park

11 RS – 15 RA in 4 Games (- 4 Run Differential):

                2.75 RPG Avg. compared to ERAs of (all statistics throughout 2007):

                Verlander -  3.74

                Rogers -  4.19

                Bonderman -  4.78

                Robertson - 4.60

                Willis -  3.78

ESPN Park Factors:

Comerica Park (Detroit, Michigan) – 1.579

US Cellular Field (Chicago, Illinois) – 1.813

Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.) – (Below .556)      

Park Factor compares the rate of stats at home vs. the rate of stats on the road. A rate higher than 1.000 favors the hitter. Below 1.000 favors the pitcher. PF = ((homeRS + homeRA)/(homeG)) / ((roadRS + roadRA)/(roadG))

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Ok, now that you have been bombarded with statistics, let’s analyze what is happening. The Tigers dropped their first run in with the AL Central Division rival, Chicago White Sox of the 2008 season. In the process, they were humiliated on national television, and not only lost the series, but were swept three games to none and dropped to 0-6 to kick off the year. Now while the rest of Detroit and the baseball community is in panic mode, and that I cannot explain the sweep by Kansas City with any reason besides poor performance, and the pressure of high pre-season expectations, let’s stop and look at the numbers.

The lowest ERA of any Tigers starting pitcher of 2007 belonged to Justin Verlander which was 3.74, and at Comerica Park (which is where the Tigers dropped the first series and fell to 0-6, occurred) against Chicago, the Tigers only averaged 3.4 runs per game. So basically, even if the Tigers’ ace Verlander could pitch three afternoons in a row, the Tigers most likely will not win because they would most likely give up four runs (3.74) and would only score 3 (3.44). Reasons? Because Chicago is in the AL Central with Detroit, they will play the Tigers 18 times, and can watch and notice patterns in Detroit’s performance is a possibility, but this isn’t the point I’m trying to make. Compare Chicago’s 6-3 record in Detroit to Boston’s 0-3 record here, and note the latter was an AL pennant winner and would go on to win the World Series.

Why would a fifth place team be able to light the Tigers up in their own ballpark, yet the best team in baseball can’t win a single game there? Well, the park factor says Fenway Park’s rating is less than .5, making a major hitters ballpark. It is a possibility that Boston is so prone to hitting in a small ballpark like Fenway, that in a very large park, it is more challenging for them to hit home runs, or base hits, while Chicago plays half of their games in a large, modern, Comerica like, ballpark, therefore they are more accostumed to the park as a team. Add that to the fact that Chicago is a divison rival of the Tigers and can asses Detroit’s play more commonly, and it is not that surprising that a weak team can beat one of the best if the situation is right, and judging by the numbers, the situation is very much so right.

The bottom line: don’t panic Detroit. Even the though Tigers have gotten off to a 0-6 start, everything happens for a reason, and it wouldn’t be a shocker for the Tigs to beat the defending champs. And even though the Tigers didn’t fare as well in Boston, it’s a smaller park, and if our hitters can read the Red Sox pitching, our power will be able to overcome their defensive talent (which isn’t particularly great, considering they committed three errors Sunday in Toronto). Let’s hope for good pitching, and we should be able to get it done this week. Eat ‘em up Tigers! – Tony Kaminski