Meanwhile...Last Month in New York

During Game One of the ALCS, The New York Post reported that Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez wrote a note on a baseball to be given to some women in the stands asking for their phone numbers. One of them was said to be Australian model, Kyna Treacy.

This is their story.

ALLEGEDLY

I Don't Get the Point of Booing

Writing about Ryan Raburn the other day got me thinking about something. Looking back at the twenty years or so (yikes) that I’ve been going to games, I tried to remember if I’ve ever booed anyone. The only time I can come up with was two years ago on Opening Day. I was with a group of people and they were doing the player introductions. When they announced Don Kelly, everyone I was with looked at me because they’re horrible people. So I jokingly began booing. That’s it. I just find the whole idea of booing your own team’s players ridiculous and detestable. I could never be a Philadelphia sports fan, I guess.

Go look in the mirror real quick, make a poo-poo face, and yell “BOOOOOO”. Looks stupid, doesn’t it? Where did it even come from? According to the communists at Wikipedia:

Booing performers has a very long history, The first written record comes from ancient Greece. At the annual Festival of Dionysia in Athens, playwrights competed to determine whose tragedy was the best. When the democratic reformer Cleisthenes came to power in the 6th century B.C., audience participation came to be regarded as a civic duty. The audience applauded to show its approval and shouted and whistled to show displeasure. In ancient Rome, jeering was common at the gladiatorial games, where audience participation often determined whether a competitor lived or died.

While people have expressed displeasure publicly since ancient times, the English word boo was first used in the early 19th century to describe the lowing sound that cattle make. Later in the 19th century, the word came to be used to describe the disapproving cry of crowds.

You people that boo are making cow noises. Congratulations. It’s a shame you don’t voice your displeasure by saying “hee-haw”. Because you are a bunch of jackasses.

Baseball players, like most other people, are just trying to do their jobs. They don’t want to fail any more than you want to see them fail. What if other professions in this country were subject to the viewing of the stereotypical idiot sports fan?

In Defense of Detroit's Most Hated Hillbilly

In 2009, the Tigers had a guy that hit .291/.359/.533 with 16 homers and an OPS+ of 130 in 113 games. In 2010, he hit .280/.340/.474 with 15 homers and a 118 OPS+ in, again, 113 games. In 2011, he got off to an awful start, but still hit 14 homers and finished with an OPS+ of 96 with some big hits down the stretch. In the playoffs that year, he hit .286/.375/.536 with 2 home runs in 32 plate appearances. In that time, he played six different defensive positions, despite only really being suited for the outfield. But he did what his manager told him. And he put up a 3.7 WAR combined over that time.

Does this sound like the worst player in baseball history? Well, it is if you listen to many Tigers fans.

Ryan Raburn had a terrible 2012. In 66 games and 222 plate appearances, he hit .171/.226/.254 with 1 home run. He battled injuries, the death of his grandmother, and a crowd that booed his every move as if he was named Casey Anthony rather than Ryan Raburn.

The Tigers released Raburn (spelled Rayburn if you’re a mouth-breathing idiot) this past week. Personally, I would have liked to have seen him given one more year in a bench role. A healthy Raburn has value. That has been proven. But I understand the move based off his poor 2012, the salary raise he was due, and that I think he needs a change of scenery from the CoPa boo-birds.

But I cannot agree with the glee that so many folks take in his departure. Raburn was an important part of the 2009-2011 Tigers and all the good he did is constantly ignored while his mistakes are magnified like he was A-Rod in the unforgiving New York spotlight.

Do Tigers fans really have that short or selective of a memory? Do they hate all people with a Southern accent? Or are there really just that many idiots among us? You be the judge.

Catching Up On Lost Time

Well, in the few months I was off playing Father Teresa, a lot happened. Games were won, games were lost. Seasons changed. We all grew a bit older and wiser. Brennan Boesch continued to be terrible at playing baseball.

Today, we cover the stuff that happened from mid-August until, oh, noon today involving Tigers baseball. Only then can we move forward with clear minds. Or something.

LOL (Tiger)Cats: 2012 Playoffs

Sad but true.

Torii Hunter: Impact Player

via The Detroit News

 
I want to play a little catch-up on what’s happened in Detroit baseball since I’ve been gone, but I feel the need to tackle this subject first.

The Tigers signed Torii Hunter last week. I was and remain ecstatic. The Tigers finally signed a free agent that I, personally, really wanted on the ballclub. This never happens. They always seem to sign some clown like Adam Everett that makes my ears bleed. This is different.

There are Tiger killers that suck, yet somehow beat up on Detroit like Luke Scott, Joe Crede, and Nick Punto. Then, there are the guys that always seem to kill us, yet I still admire their skills from afar because they’re great ballplayers. Those are the folks like Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Mr. Torii Hunter.

And we got him. Finally, Austin Jackson has some help directly behind him in the lineup and next to him in the outfield, too. Hooray!

And everyone else seemed elated, too. Well, except for noted buzzkill Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. Drew thinks this is a mistake. Drew is an idiot.

Okay. Let’s discuss. It’s been a while, kids. Bear with me if I’m rusty.

TigerSnark FAQ

So where was I? Oh, yeah. Don Kelly sucks.

Welcome to TigerSnark, boys and girls. Baseball is a sport that many of us take way too seriously, yours truly included at times. It’s my goal to try and lighten the mood, from time to time, and hopefully add some fun to watching the Detroit Tigers play baseball. This is all an attempt at entertainment and is nothing more than that. If you’ve come here looking for serious, no nonsense, gripping baseball analysis…well, you’re in the wrong place. I make doodie jokes about Brennan Boesch.

Many of you know me and it’s great to have you reading my stuff again. Some of you may be new. I welcome you, as well. This first entry to TigerSnark is an introduction to my world and what this site will be about. Hopefully any questions you may have will be answered here in this FAQ. (How can there be Frequently Asked Questions on a blog that hasn’t started yet? Shut up.)

Let’s begin.