Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

3-1 Tigers in the top of the 7th, but Galarraga is in trouble.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Valverde coming in to finish the 8th. This is stupid.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

And I'll give you one good guess what happened.

3-3, bottom 8. Nice piece of managing, assmonkey. I don't know how many *ing times we need to punch ourselves in the nuts before we realize that it hurts and we shouldn't do that anymore. But, noooooooooooo, Marlboro Jimmy keeps running Valverde out there in the 8th inning.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

God-****ing-dammit. There's absolutely no reason not to let Perry have the whole 8th inning there.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

God-****ing-dammit. There's absolutely no reason not to let Perry have the whole 8th inning there.

Or anybody else for that matter, with the exception of Valverde. How many times do we need to watch Valverde shat down his shorts in the 8th inning before Pall Mall Boy gets it through his thick nicotine-addled brain that this isn't a good idea?

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Now it's the 9th, and instead of having the lead, we're tied, Valverde is not long for this game (if he's not done already) and all we've got left is Brad Thomas, Brokeback Bonine and the rest of the merry band of retards. This is just ****ing brilliant bullpen management.

Oh, and 7-8-9 due up in the bottom of the 9th.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

If you're standing on second base, is it possible to steal first base?

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Not anymore. From Wikipedia:

Germany Schaefer was known as both a baseball trickster and a tactician in the early years of 20th century baseball. Well liked, stories of his exploits dot both the memories of his contemporaries and the newspaper reports of the time. One of his most exploits was stealing first base, which was perhaps erroneously recalled in Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times by Detroit outfielder Davy Jones. With runners on first and third, a common ploy in baseball at the time was an attempted double steal, where the runner heading from first (in this case Schaefer) ran for second, hoping to draw a throw from the catcher as the runner on third tried to scamper home. The catcher did not throw the first time, inspiring Schaefer to steal first base in reverse and then attempt the double steal once more on the following pitch. It worked in Jones' recollection although factual evidence of this is lacking.
...................
Although it was not passed until 1920, after Schaefer's death, rule 7.08i states that a player is out if "After he has acquired legal possession of a base, he runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game. The umpire shall immediately call “Time” and declare the runner out." It is often said that it was passed because of Schaefer's thefts.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Willie. Bleeping. Bloomquist.

One, we're in the 12th inning with the Royals after our idiot manager managed the 'pen so poorly that Enron execs think he *ed up. Two, Babe Inge grounds into a double play to kill a 1st and 3rd set up to end the 11th. Three, Willie Bloomquist has about as much home run power as two or three Gump Lairds, but we give up a bomb to him, of all people.

4-3 KC, top 12.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Royals 4
Tigers 3

Final/12

Humber gets the win
Figaro takes the loss
Soria gets the save
Good old Jimmy Pall Mall ought to get a blown save

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Hooray for giving away the get away day game!!!

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Two, Babe Inge grounds into a double play to kill a 1st and 3rd set up to end the 11th.

Upon further review, it was Gump Laird that hit into that double play. Less than one person is surprised by that result. Brandon Inge is hereby exonerated for crimes he did not commit. And then after the game we get this gem from Marlboro Jimmy, from this morning's Detroit News:

With runners at first and second, Leyland went with what he called a gut instinct that "Gerald was going to be the hero," so he didn't pinch-hit for Laird against right-hander Phil Humber.

It was more than a hunch, however. Leyland was aware of the numbers that right-handers hit Humber "100 points higher" than lefties.

Even so, "it's a legitimate second-guess," he said. "I was wrong."

Jimmy, what on God's green earth gave you any inkling at all that Laird would do anything positive with that particular wooden piece of equipment in his hand? He hasn't connected with anything significant since that one night this past offseason in Phoenix.

We all knew who was batting after Laird. The Royals.

Laird hit into an inning-ending double play, saying later, "I just kind of missed the pitch."

Gee, really? You don't say...........

[MaizeRage]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Meh. They were better off with a righty against Humber, Laird was hot by his standards--2 for 4 on the day, 7 for his last 20--and he had just made a nice defensive play, so he had value out in the field as well. Plus, it's not like Avila is that significant of an upgrade. There's enough there that I'm not outraged by the decision.

Valverde in the 8th is a different story. Though it's not like this meltdown came from overuse. If his splitter was hanging in the 8th, it probably would have been in the 9th as well. For whatever reason, his splitter just hasn't been there in the second half of the season.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

6-0 after Peralta and Gump both homer. Of course Gump homered. The game wasn't immediately at stake.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers 2010, Part 2: Wanted: Hitting. Gerald Laird need not apply

Oh, and Danny Worth is probably out for the season.