Many Happy Returns

Hello again sports fans,

Well, first I'd like to apologize for my absence.

Sorry.

Well that was easy.

Now here's your long overdue update. In short form.

JV has been a little up and down, the Tigers got their shit together to get above 500 with just 5 seconds left in the first half, The Prince won the Tigers the home run derby, JV blew fire in the All Star Game, they swept the Chi-Sox and headed for the road.

Now, I had some time off so I decided to head to Canada to see the Tigres on their field trip to the great white north. This was supposed to be a normal weekend but I wouldn't be writing this post of that's happened.

I arrived in Toronto via train Friday morn. I hate to be all endorser on you, but the train is seriously the way to go. Fairly great food, smooth ride and seats that recline the way that makes most airplane seats feel like brick walls. So the train dropped me off in the middle of town and proceeded to my hotel. I dropped off my stuff and made my way to a very special place to pass the time until I was to attend a baseball game between the Blue Jays of Toronto and the Tigers of Detroit: The Hockey Hall of Fame.

This place is downright cool. Home of the Stanley Cup and a slew of other awards and plaques, it's the valhalla of hockey. Seeing the great hall and all the inductees was quite a treat. Highlights include Gretzky's 802nd goal net, "The Lucky Loonie", a Neal Peart drum kit, a bank vault with the retired cup bands and ORIGINAL Cup, and last but not least, all the funny pictures of Rick Nash in a Blue Jackets Jersey. On a random note, the last time I was there, the souvenir shop was located in what's popularly referred to as a closet. However, wisdom seemed to have touched the people in charge. The store has since been moved to a much roomier space. Though I will admit, there's still an absurd shortage of Denis Lemieux goalie jerseys. I took my picture with the most holy grail of hockey and headed for the dome.

I was excited to arrive, only to be let down by the information that the Hard Rock Cafe inside the stadium had been closed. I'm a big Hard Rock guy so this news hit me hard. But, the show must go on, I dried my tears and headed inside. My seats for the evenings events were much better than expected. 100 level, row 10, even with 3rd base. JACKPOT. Even more to my surprise, I heard my named called as I neared my seat. I turn to my left and see a familiar bushel of hair. That's right kids, none other than the Shakabrodie himself, Ben Christensen. After the most epic Bro hug imaginable, we took our seats for the game.

Now The Tigers would go on to lose the game but something very special happened to make the night not a total bummer.

Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hit back to back jacks for the first time this season. Both home runs equaled roughly a bajillion feet. (don't quote me on that)

The THUNDERCATS went yard and I was content. Once the game concluded, I made the pilgrimage to Wayne Gretzky's restaurant. This place is classy as hell, kudos to the Great One on having such a friendly and awesome place to hang out, regardless of a win or loss. I had as much Molson Canadian as I could then made my journey back to my hotel. However, as I exited the bar, I noticed a man bearing a striking resemblance to Joaquin Benoit. And to my shock, it was actually Joaquin Benoit. I gave him the Detroit Nod and then noticed there was another man at the door, bearing a striking resemblance to Duane Below. And sure enough, it was actually Below! I patted him on the shoulder and said good game. He said thanks man. It's the little things guys that make it all worthwhile. I passed out in my room shortly after.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of room service. I got dressed and proceeded to head back to the Dome for what I hoped to be a Tiger retaliatory victory. To make the day even more special, I was excited to meet up with not just Benji Christensen again, but Captain Canada himself, Dave Barclay. After exchanging information, we headed inside to witness what would turn out to be another Blue Jays victory. Damn Damn Damn.

It was an enjoyable time still though, catching up with Dave and Ben on all the happenings around the league. Did you guys hear about Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson? Crazy shit.

Anyways, after another frustrating and baffling Tigers loss, I was on the lookout for ways to soother my pain. In excellent display of Canadian Kindness, Dave Barclay invited Ben and myself to a "Shakespeare in the Park" performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Having never seen this show in any way before, I was more than excited to see it in such an intimate setting. Located in High Park, this little amphitheater was the perfect spot to make me forget that Anibal Sanchez had a very pedestrian debut as a Tiger since being acquired from the Marlins. (Or as I like to refer to them, "The Major League Menards" Great deals, or so you think...)

What followed was one of the best night of theater I have ever witnessed. Forget Broadway, this is the stuff that made Broadway what it is today. A classic performed in an excellent setting. The blankets were comfy, the Coca Cola was flowing like waterfalls, and the Barclays were most hospitable to me, an enemy on home soil. It was a very pleasant evening and I couldn't have for anything more. Except, maybe, you know, a Tigers win. Once again, I made my way back downtown to my hotel and walked past the hotel bar. I saw Austin Jackson, Brennan Boesch, Max Scherzer, Quintin Berry, The Prince and Delmon in the lobby. Convinced I was blitzed beyond repair and seeing things, I stared at each one of them for a good 10 seconds, confirming their identities, then went upstairs to fight dragons in my sleep.

I awoke Sunday morning to head to a local establishment called "The Irish Embassy" for Brunch. This place earned my stamp of approval after one bite of their maple and cinnamon apple pancakes. THERE ARE APPLES IN THE PANCAKES YOU GUYS. I finished this feast for kings and head northwest to the humble abode of Dave Barclay to partake in a Podcast. I arrived at Barclay Manor and was greeted by Dave in his socks and then proceeded to the living room. It is there I would meet a man who needs no introduction, due solely to the fact that I have no introduction for him: Paul Frank. Over the next few hours, Ben, Dave, Paul and myself waxed poetic on a number of topics, ranging from Indiana Jones casting surprises, to Nude Andre Dawson. Yup, you read that correctly. The Tigers would make this trip just that much more worthwhile on the strength of Twisted Doug Fister and Jhonny Peralta's 2 homers. One crazy Podcast and copious amounts of Sour Cream and Onion chips later, It was time to head back south to catch my train back to the States. With a heavy heart and satisfied stomach, I bid my personal versions of Doug and Bob Mckenzie adieu and boarded the bus with Ben.

Getting back to Union Station was a cinch. I said my goodbyes to Shakabrodie, who would continue his journey deep into Mordor, I mean, Montreal. I boarded my vessel knowing the trip was a success and plugged in my earbuds to listen to the soothing tones of Wang Chung and Pearl Jam. As I returned to Windsor, I was greeted by the Detroit Skyline. I was back home.

But this trip made me realize just how awesome following local teams on the road is. Baseball has a side that can only be seen while on the road. Of course you know how your team plays at home, but how does this grand game translate to other regions and cities? Sometimes this game can be all at once foreign and familiar. It's amazing how much your perspective changes when you're in someone else's den. Congrats Toronto, you've made it very easy for me to come back to your fair city.

P.S. Would it kill you to play songs that AREN'T by Rush? How about some Neil Young for cripe's sake!

The Blowtorch Deserved Better

The last time JV took the mound, he threw a near No-Hitter.

His follow up to that performance was just as stellar as he only gave up 2 runs.

However, we could only muster 1 run and The Blowtorch took the loss. I would have liked this to be a grandiose post about how we should have won but there seems to be an abundance of those kinds of posts. To keep things sweet, I'm giving JV an 8 on the Verland-O-Meter. Solely because of his 8th inning performance. Dude reached 102 with his fastball and followed up with an 82 mile an hour Curve. The man can take 20 MILES off a pitch.

Ridiculous.

GOOO TIGERS! Yeah....

The Ballad of the Blowtorch

On a whim, I went to the game last night.

I hadn't been to a game in a few weeks so I felt it was time to take a stroll downtown.

I made my way to the Hard Rock Cafe, took the shuttle to the park and settled into my seat. Now, I know everyone could say this but yesterday I had a feeling about something. I didn't know what it was but I felt like something awesome was going to take place.

You got a friday night, perfect weather, A Tigers game and The Blowtorch is on the mound. It just felt......right.

So as I watched the game, I started to notice 2 things going up on the board: Lots of K's and lots of zeroes.

This was nothing new mind you, this is Justin Verlander we're talking about here. But then in the 7th inning, Garret Jones struck out looking and the ump had quite possibly the most electric strikeout call. I feel like it was similar to this:   STEEEEEEEEEERRRIIIIIKE!

So now, S&^# just got real.

Then in the 8th, The Blowtorch carved up McGehee, Mclouth and Barmes. 3 straight punch outs to launch this game into crazy town.



Now the 9th started and everyone was one their feet. Some were on their chairs. I looked around at the crowd and saw a mixture of cheering, nervousness and camera phones. We all knew what was up and all we needed to do was take the ride. Michael McKenry's ground out made it seem like a sure thing then. Pumped beyond pumped. So in walks Josh Harrison to take his cuts agains the Ace.

With just 2 outs from his third No-Hitter, Justin Verlander threw a mediocre pitch. A mediocre pitch that Josh Harrison was able to dink into center field.

The agony and the ecstasy.

This was me for the next minute:



The No-No was Bye-Bye. But then JV just did what he had been doing all night. Induced some ground balls and gave the Tigers a masterful win. A win they sorely needed to keep pace with the Indians.

The last out was made and the whole team came sprinting on the field to show JV his effort was second to none. The crowd was ecstatic and cheering on the man who just dazzled them with pure domination. All I could do was soak in the moment as JV got the high fives he deserved.

Then in a moment all to brief, the jumbotron camera was turned to Justin. The expression on his face was one of bittersweet determination. Yes, he got the win but he was fully aware of what he lost. With the camera still trained on him JV said empahtically, "I'm Sorry". The epitome of class.

Whether it was meant for the crowd or for someone off camera, I'll reply to JV:

No Apologies Needed My Friend

The Blowtorch threw a one hit shut out with 12 K's. The best thing about this guy? He's only 5 days away from trying again. This rocked the Verland-O-Meter for a 9. Bravo Maestro, Bra-Flipping-Vo.

Go Tigers, Go Verlander, Go Detroit! ThunderCats GOOOOOOOOO

I Guess He's Just What We Needed

So you're in a situation where you need to salvage a split against the A's.

Brandon Inge had been striking with a vengeance and the A's pitching had been surprising. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. We put up 10 runs, A's put up 10 runs he very next night.

This was a series that I had hoped would set some things right, I had hoped we could take 3 of 4. But alas, with the whirlwind reunion against Inge and the struggling offense, here the tigers were on the verge of LOSING 3 of 4. 

So again, when you need to split the series, who ya gonna call?

THIS GUY

The MVP, The Ace, The Motor City Blowtorch

Boy oh Boy did this guy throw well. He had 8 K's and threw half a perfect game. I won't waste time spinning the same old yarn about JV. I know he's great, you know he's great, even residents of Asgard know he's great. (Lest we forget, JV is a descendant of the God of Thunder. Don't believe me? Look it up!) (Don't look it up)

The man was on fire and got us the win we needed to split against Oakland. Putting to bed the Inge madness and making us look better, not great, but better. Clutch doesn't even begin to describe.

The man rocks an 8 on the Verland-O-Meter. I hope this guy throw a PG or a NO-NO this year. I want to see if the Verland-O-Meter can take it!

Later this week, I should be able to unveil both my way too early Playoff Bracket AND some crazy trade ideas. Emphasis on the crazy folks, I leave nothing to the imagination. Anyways, Go Tigers and GOOOOO THUNDER CATS!

Better, Closer, Warmer

After a 9th inning snafu that resulted in a walk-off win for the Mariners the night previous, the Tigers needed a boost. Yes, that sentence contained the obvious.

And since we're on the subject of being obvious, it would make sense to also point out that Justin Verlander pitched last night. The Blowtorch rides again.

In the previous post, I had asked that the Tigers to not sit on their hands and to put up some run support for JV. It was quite refreshing to have that request answered in the form of Dirks and Delmon tag teaming to scratch 5 runs across. Ask and ye shall receive.

The Tigers looked like they had a burr in their saddle, something that I seldom see in sports these days. I fear that the days of teams being "OK" with poor games and heartbreaking losses are beginning to outweigh the days where teams would be pissed. JV and the Tigers showed up last night, and they did not disappoint.

The Blowtorch was locked in, making sure the Mariners would not get an easy ride. Things got a bit heated after Leyland was tossed for arguing with the home plate ump. Leyland was tossed and the next batter took his cuts. There was a....generous call in favor of the batter and JV didn't look to happy. It looked like Verlander was seconds away from being tossed as well, but JV's teammates and coaches came to save the day and, ultimately, the quality start of our ace. Though JV would give up 7 hits and 3 runs, he didn't give up anything else. 6 K's would compliment his ability to keep the ship straight and true. His stuff was nasty once again and he definitely gave the speed gun a workout. This was a situation JV has been in time and time again, and he played it the same way he always does.

The Tigers needed a win after a loss. They needed a stopper and The Blowtorch answered the bell. He got win #3 and the Tigers are above .500. Here's hoping we can continue the trend of playing better baseball, but that goes without saying. Yet here I am, saying it. Last night was a wild and difficult ride for our ace but hell if it wasn't entertaining. Plus, he got his first win IN Seattle in 3 years. I render an 8 on the Verland-O-Meter. As I said, The Blowtorch rides again.

Now I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't mention Prince Fielder's home run. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....

In honor of this most holy lift-off, I present the video that will sweep the nation. At least, that's the goal then! Gooooo ThunderCats!!!! GO TIGERS!

OK, That's Enough Messing Around

Justin Verlander is great. 

He's got top notch stuff and has come into his own to be come arguably the best pitcher in the game.

HOWEVER!

There seems to be a trend developing that I'm not fond of. I've noticed that when JV pitches, there's not a lot of offense from our guys. Maybe it's a confidence in your pitcher thing, but on the flip side, JV's gotta be able to have confidence in the guys behind him. 

JV brings his best stuff every time he comes to the mound. But that doesn't mean he only needs a couple runs to be great. Verlander is a horse, we all know this but the fact is that he isn't gonna go 8 innings every night. There are gonna be days where he's gonna work his tail off and leave in the 6th.Don't get me wrong, I love it when JV is pitching, it's a tight game and he's dazzling with pitching. But how about we post like 5-7 runs just to make sure nothing weird happens, eh? As much as I want him to throw a No-No or a Perfecto, I wouldn't mind seeing some vintage Verlander where he has some wiggle room to get creative. It's time to pay back the favor boys. 

This offense has too much talent to only score a small handful of runs when JV is pitching. The batting tagged KC pitching for 7 hits and 5 runs IN THE FIRST INNING the previous evening. Yet somehow they fell silent when it's JV getting the call. This can't happen anymore. 

The Blowtorch's outing was solid, dealing his best stuff to keep the game close, and kept it close for B-Boesch to blast a 2 run homer in the 8th to make things interesting. Classic Verlander, working to keep the team within striking distance. So with that in mind, I render a 7 on the Verland-o-Meter. (You may notice that it's gonna be rare for this better to dip below 7. C'mon, it's Verlander, he earns it every night!)

GO TIGERS!

JV NYC

Oh New York.

Home of those Damn Yankees. 

Given that the cranks took 2 of 3 from the Tigers, I'll keep this a bit short.

I was in attendance at Yankee Stadium for JV's outing against Ivan Nova. I will say that it was a typical Yankee crowd, not too much hostility but enough to keep up appearances. A lot of people asked me what I thought of the stadium. This got me thinking because while it is "Yankee Stadium", it isn't. It felt too new and not broken in yet. I'm actually lamenting not going to the original one across the street because that's the one with the history. That was the house that Ruth built. This one felt like a copy. It's a nice place but I guess I just can't love it because Ruth, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, Berra, Joltin' Joe and Gehrig never set foot there. 

 To be completely honest we should have won that game. We really fought to get that lead but golly gosh the bullpen just couldn't get JV another win. 

However, The Blowtorch was in excellent form, making the pitches he had too. I mean, he got roughed up a bit but that happens in the Bronx. For sure I thought he pitched well enough to get himself a W. 

Taking that into consideration, plus the fact I got to see JV in an opposing ballpark for the first time, I render a 7 on the Verland-O-meter. Yankee stadium is always a great venue for a great matchup and the evening did not disappoint. Always another game around the corner boys, we'll get them next time.