In the now 12-game regular season history between the Cubs and Tigers, the Tigers are 9-3, and the Cubs have won only two games of the six played to date in Detroit (including last night). It's definitely time to change all that.
Stopped by Reed Johnson's blog today to find Reed's reaction to the DeRosa/Wood love that was shown by fans last weekend. Reed has some personal experience with that, too:
When I went back to Toronto last year, I got a nice reception. I don't know if Woody or De-Ro felt the same way I did. I knew the fans appreciated me, but when I came back last year, it was magnified even more and you realize how much they miss you as a player and I think those two guys got a taste of that Friday.
I'm sure the fans are happy to see them but I'm sure they're even happier we ended up winning the game. That's the way everybody's wired together here. Thanks for stopping by, but, geez, I hope we win. It was a good win for us, too.
Exactly. The cheers for the two former Cubs were, in my opinion, thank-yous for what they had accomplished as Cubs. Me, I'm very happy that the Cubs swept the series.
The photo accompanying this article is poignant, and it must have felt very strange for Alan Trammell. For more see this post at our SBN Tigers site, Bless You Boys.
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Rick Porcello is the youngest player in the major leagues; he turned 20 on December 27, 2008. After a slow start in April, he's making a case for AL Rookie of the Year; since May 1 he is 7-1, 2.42 in nine starts. Oddly, his ERA is higher at home (4.22) than on the road (3.02), despite Comerica Park's reputation as pitcher-friendly. He's facing the Cubs, obviously, for the first time.
Rich Harden has a 3-1, 3.48 career record against the Tigers from his AL days; he last started against them on June 2, 2008 in Oakland. Placido Polanco is 5-for-7 lifetime vs. Rich and overall, current Tigers sport an .876 OPS against him (small sample size of 53 AB). Harden needs to step it up and be the pitcher he was the second half of 2008.
Cable-only in Chicago and Detroit today, and on EI and MLB.TV. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Overflow comment threads will post today at 7 pm, 8 pm and 8:45 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
0 recs | 79 comments
Trammell and Tiger Stadium
There’s something very poignant about that picture of Trammell looking through the fence. One can only imagine what was going through his mind. So much history there, from Ty Cobb to Trammell’s era, and now this. He looks like any other aging guy looking for a last glimpse of his youth.
BeerCub - June 24, 2009
That is a very sad photo.
It was a great park and tremendous place to see a game. By the time they moved out, the park was long past it’s prime and past saving. Testimony more to the need to maintain a treasured facility over the decades than proof storied parks have to go.
Last time I saw Trammel at Tiger Stadium, he was still playing and looked great.
Time for Harden to show us one of his premium starts and kick some Detroit butt.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Favor, Al ...
Can we declare a moratorium on name puns in headlines? Please?
elgato - June 24, 2009
You gonna write 182 of these a year?
Bad puns necessary. Sorry.
AndrewJStone - June 24, 2009
I'd be willing to go for
more generic headlines “Game #” those’d be boring, but do-able. Especially if Al ever ran out of puns. :-P
Allie - June 24, 2009
I personally hope he never runs out.
AndrewJStone - June 24, 2009
I like puns
Allie - June 24, 2009
Sigh.
It’s not easy to write 162 of these a year. Actually, 324, because there’s one for the preview and one for the recap.
Sometimes they’re lame, I admit. Sometimes they’re bad puns. Sometimes, I hope, they’re good.
Always open to headline suggestions. Fire away.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
I suggest you don't pay attention to this suggestion
chilango2 - June 24, 2009
I propose a ban on bans!
ballhawk - June 24, 2009
will you post the banns?
tootle - June 24, 2009
sorry, Al
I wasn’t trying to be a jerk.
elgato - June 24, 2009
No, I understand that.
I’ll try to do better.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
I think you do a great job with BCB
You know that.
elgato - June 24, 2009
Thanks.
Much appreciated.
Work to be done on headlines!
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Agreed.
kanderber - June 24, 2009
just looking for things to complain about?
WanderingWanderer - June 24, 2009
not really
I could bitch and moan about how we shouldn’t have traded DeRosa, how Soriano shouldn’t hit leadoff or how Dusty plays Neifi too much, if you want.
elgato - June 24, 2009
And I could complain about the heat,
can’t we PLEASE have an in-between between cold & rainy and hot & humid?
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
We skipped the pleasant part of fall last year...
… and skipped the pleasant part of spring this year. The HELL?
AndrewJStone - June 24, 2009
Get thee to a punnery
carolinacub - June 24, 2009
Great pic
tomas21 - June 24, 2009
regarding dj lemahieu
2nd round pick from lsu. i imagine he’ll be playing for our system soon. he has a reasonable bat and an adequate glove. since he has clooege world series experience, i don’t think he’ll need much time in arizona (if we sign him, which doesn’t sound problematic).
so, where do we send him, nd to play where? i had heard ideas of trying him at short to see if he can play there. second and third are also position options, with secon being the best fit probably.
matt cerda is bouncing between catcher and second in boise, and is three years younger than lamahieu. we have a legit prospect at short in boise in lee. if we would bounce lemahieu straight to peoria, ryan flaherty and junior lake are the 2b/ss and have upside.
maybe we will send ‘that guy’ they have cluttering up the third base at bats up to daytona finally, and let lemahieu be the third baseman. i’m not sure that is the best utilization of his skills, but it’s better having options up the middle in the pipeline than not.
tim815 - June 24, 2009
It would be easier to read your comment if you used caps.
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
yeah, probably
and my typos didn’t help ither. but i’m beyond fixing
tim815 - June 24, 2009
Rebelling against grammar and punctuation?
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
usually i'm better at double checking
and my spelling is rather good. my typing is deplorable. maybe even aaron miles bad.
tim815 - June 24, 2009
I can relate, my typing skills stink.
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
Then they're better than Aaron Miles bad?
JFCubFan - June 24, 2009
Porcello
reminds me of Portillo’s and now I really want a hot dog!
Reddevil - June 24, 2009
I miss
Italian Beef with cheese and peppers, Yum!!
gwood - June 24, 2009
That photo is depressing
even if I can’t put my finger on why.
Allie - June 24, 2009
It kind of sums out the economic situation in Detroit.
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
sums up, I mean
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
Given what the city is dealing with
sums out is probably just as accurate.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
I dunno, what about
a balding middle aged former athlete peering through a generic crap fence protecting the rubble on the site of his greatest accomplishments might bother you. It’s so Al Bundy.
You could tell me he’s watching cheerleaders practice or something. Doesn’t look like the revered spot where Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Yaz, Rice, Jackson, Ripken, etc. came to visit the likes of Cobb, Kaline, Kell, Greenberg, Morris, Trammel, etc.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Yeah, I think that just about sums it up.
Too bad the stadium hadn’t been properly maintained over the last couple of decades.
madcow256 - June 24, 2009
It kind of mirrors the crumbling of the city.
cowsarecool220 - June 24, 2009
for comic relief
daytona is facing a pitcher named furbush
tim815 - June 24, 2009
That's so 1960's.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Be much funnier if Rich was the opposing pitcher.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Ryan Freel called up and Reed Johnson to DL
as per Chris De Luca -
Twitter Link
cubsnlinux - June 24, 2009
apparently as per the twitter they only "plan to activate 3B Ryan Freel"...
cubsnlinux - June 24, 2009
Maybe they have to ream him out first...
… for the comments he made to the reporter from Des Moines.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Kind of surprised...
He wasn’t cut after that. Pretty ridiculous comments.
kanderber - June 24, 2009
Haven't seen or read the comments
Can someone link story?
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
Here you go.
Linky
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Thanks
Much appreciated.
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
Those commments
Were absolutely absurd. I am shocked Lou and Jim are going to put up with that from a utility guy hoping for playing time and at bats. Guy does not have enough respect for the organization or himself to keep it in house.
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
Jeez what a bonehead
carolinacub - June 24, 2009
oops
Meant Freel not you
carolinacub - June 24, 2009
You were fine
I understood you were talking about him.
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
LOL
I figured you would but I had to cover my bases
carolinacub - June 24, 2009
i thought he was going to traded or something
jesus christos - June 24, 2009
Alan Trammell was a very fine shortstop for a long time
Who can ever forget that great 1984 Tiger team that started out the season 35-5 en route to winning the World Series. The marvelous double play combo of Trammell and Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, Jack Morris and the great Sparky Anderson in the dugout. One of the greatest seasons ever for a team.
Detroit has endured tough times for decades. I pass through the Motor City on ocassion and it is truly depressing that one of America’s great old cities has been allowed to become the rotting cesspool that it has been the last 40 years. Detroit was the original “donut city,” white on the outside (the many fine suburbs) and black on the inside. Depressing. And now with the U.S. auto industry in its deepest shit yet who knows if the entire eastern Michigan economy will EVER be okay.
BLou - June 24, 2009
Yep, big Tigers fan in the WS that year
Scorched the motherlovin’ Padres 4 games to 1, I recall.
JFCubFan - June 24, 2009
I couldn't watch a single inning of that WS.
Was happy the Tigers won, but after the NLCS loss (I was in SD), I couldn’t bear to watch.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Can't forget
Guillermo (don’t call me Willie) Hernandez, Howard Johnson and the reality that the GM must have a sense of humor to have Milt Wilcox and Rusty Kuntz on the same team.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Lineups anyone?
kanderber - June 24, 2009
LINEUP
sori lf
riot ss
d lee DH
hoff-power 1b
bradley rf
fox 3b
fuku cf
soto c
fonty 2b
china423 - June 24, 2009
I like this lineup.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Me too.
I was tired of seeing Soto and his .220 in the 5 and 6 hole
cubbieblue - June 24, 2009
Me too
Let’s do some damage with it tonight! . . . please
gwood - June 24, 2009
I like the batting order
but if both Lee and Hoff are in the lineup, why is the better defender playing DH?
WanderingWanderer - June 24, 2009
to rest him
tootle - June 24, 2009
the same day you have fox at third?
WanderingWanderer - June 24, 2009
Apparently infield defense is optional tonight
Fox at 3rd, Hoffpauir at 1st….jeesh. I understand resting Lee in the field, but not when you give Fox a start in the infield on the same night.
BLou - June 24, 2009
Gonna be an adventure, for sure.
AndrewJStone - June 24, 2009
Thats ok BLou.... you were totally correct earlier in the season
with as washed up as Lee is. So I’m sure no one will notice the difference at 1st. LOL
Madison Cub Fan - June 25, 2009
Any word on unis?
It’d be nice to see an all classic of Tiger whites and Cub grays.
N Oakley - June 24, 2009
Dunno.
Sometimes Harden chooses the blue, sometimes not.
I bet you’ll see the gray tomorrow afternoon — Ted Lilly always picks pinstripes/grays.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Wait...
The pitcher gets to choose uniforms? I never knew that…
CubsWin!Oregon - June 24, 2009
Slightly OT but here's hoping Game Previews stay "user-friendly"
By now, I’ve come to expect the Game Threads to be all Jekyll & Hyde-ish depending on how the Cubs are doing that particular day, but lately Game Recaps seem to have been filled with more than a little attitude and a few pissing matches as well. Or am I imagining it?
I dunno – maybe it’s the heat???
ballhawk - June 24, 2009
Maybe.
I’ll remind people again: express your opinions, strongly if you want, but stay away from personal attacks. Thanks.
Al Yellon - June 24, 2009
Ballhawk slightly OT
But did you ever receive my e-mail thanking you for those tickets to the padres game?
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
nope, don't recall that I did but no worries - glad you were able to use them...
even if The Employee and The Punching Bag were no longer around. ;-)
ballhawk - June 24, 2009
....and we are beginning to understand how Ryan Freel wore out his welcome in Cincy and Baltimore
Guy has a mouth. Lou ain’t going to put up with too much more b.s. from Freel. Hope Freel hits like a son of a gun in his return or it will be a quick lights out for his Cub career.
BLou - June 24, 2009
I was just thinking...
The phrase put up or shut up is going to definitely apply to this lunatic (Freel)
MandMexpress12 - June 24, 2009
First Pitch Thread is up
Jump!
Clutch16 - June 24, 2009
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