From old to new

The Detroit Tigers broke in to baseball greatness in 1901, when they played their first ever American league baseball game. The game was suppose to take place on April twenty third, but the rain and lighting shut them down, and the game was moved to the following day. Going in to the the last inning in front of a home crowd of ten thousand, the team was behind four to twelve. The Tigers battled back, and with two runners on, there was a base hit to the outfield which scored both runners that put the Tigers up thirteen to twelve winning the game. The Detroit Tigers finished in third place that first year with a winning record of 74-62. For the next three years the Tigers would be at the bottom of the standing, and would have a losing record. Then the great Ty Cobb joined the team, and with his bat turned the team around, and finished third in the standings. Years down the road in 1935 the Detroit Tigers won there first ever world series championship, beating the Chicago Cubs in six games. Once again the Tigers fell in to a slump of losing seasons, however they ended winning their second title ten years later. Getting out of the early 90's, the team in the later 90's and early 2000's were on a losing streak of bad seasons, and then they got a new manager named Jim Leyland. Leylend turned the club around in just one season, and never looked back since. Under Jim Leylend the team for ten seasons only had one losing record season. Also took the team to two world series,but failed to win one. Leylend stepped down from his coaching job in 2013, since then there has been a lot of trades, and new management changes. As a Tigers fan I'm reallly looking forward to seeing what the team is going to bring to the plate.

Big Moves in Detroit

It is hard not to be excited if your a Detroit Tigers fan lately with all of the moves that they are making with the roster. Starting off with going out, and getting a new manager to fill the spot that Jim Leyland left when he stepped down. Having Brad Ausmus as the manager for the Tigers now well bring a young new face to the team, and also a modern day look at the game with game decisions. Also then just seventeen days later they traded Prince Fielder to the Texan Rangers for Ian Kinsler, the all star second basemen, which the trade seemed crazy at first, but the Tigers needed a second basemen. Also on top of getting a great second basemen, the Tigers free up a lot of money to re sign Max Scherzer the Cy Young winner of the 2013 season. Keeping with the pitching core they also came to a agreement with the closer Phil Coke on a one year deal. As a Tigers fan i feel that every year in the post season with have great pitching, batting, fielding, but we also come up short with our pitching closers. So on December third they signed the left handed closer Joe Nathan from the Texans. With forty three saves in his last season for the Rangers it's going to be good to see him in a Tigers uniform because not only is he on our team, but we do not have to face him now. Along with his save he also just didn't win, but sat down many batters with seventy three strikeouts. 

The Detroit Tigers are still not done though with trades, there are many rumors that they are still looking for more big names. There is a lot of talk of getting Shin-Soo Choo who is a out fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Some say he is the best outfielder on the open market, but with being the best comes a big contract as well. Luis Ayala is also on the Tigers radar to help the bullpen out with another great reliever from the Atlanta Braves. With a low era it would be another great player to add to the list, and would for sure help the bull pen out. With all that is going on I'm really excited to see what Detroit is going to do next season with all of there big roster moves 

The Big Trade

          My first ever Detroit Tigers jersey, was a Prince Fielder's jersey. One of the main reason's I purchased it was because i knew he had a long time on his contract. However with all major league sports, players can be traded away, and that is what happened to Prince Fielder. After only a few years played with the Detroit tigers on a nine year contract worth 214 million dollars, Prince Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers for second basemen Ian Kinsler. With this trade the Tigers are going to free up a lot of money to spend on Max Scherzer, the 2013 Cy Young winner, and also maybe go out a get a reliable closer. With sending Prince Fielder to the Texan Rangers the Detroit Tigers also sent thirty million dollars with him.
          With Prince moving to a new team, new state, new city, he has decided to change his number from twenty eight which he wore at Detroit to eighty four the year he was born.The five time all star, and youngest player to hit fifty home runs in his career is excited ti play for the rangers, and i know Tigers fans will kinda miss him. I was a big fan of Prince Fielder, and feel that not only did he play his heart out every game, but also brought a good vibe to the team. It seemed that he was always smiling on and off the field. However towards the end of the season, and in to the post season, Prince made some dumb decisions on the base paths, and also what he does best is hit the ball, and didn't do that at all.
         After a disappointing end to the Tigers season there as been a lot of changes going on with players and coaches. As a Tigers fan I'm really excited to see what they can do next year. With Ian Kinsler at second, and being a true lead off batter, the team will probably move Austin Jackson down on the batting list to let him attack more pitches. Plus with Fielder being a first basemen that moved Miguel Cabrera to third, and now Cabrera can move back to first base. It is sad to see a great man go from the team i like so much, but however it was for the better.

The Voters have Spoken

The Detroit Tigers 2013 season was cut short in the American League championship game against the Boston Red Sox’s, when they lost to them in a best out of seven series. Every major league sporting team’s goal for their season is to make it to the championship, and once there to win it. Although the Detroit Tigers didn’t reach their goal, their season was not a failure at all. With so many high explosive player’s that have so much talent the Tigers are bound to show up to every game, and make it fun to watch. Some of these player’s that make up a great roster are Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Prince Fielder, and Torii Hunter. All baseball fans, and not just Detroit fans know these all-star players. By being known to the baseball community, these players are always in the race with others for certain awards that are handed out by the league. Most valuable player award is always at the top of the major league baseball player’s list to try to obtain. Also for the pitchers the CY Young award is at the pitchers top list to try and get.

             Miguel Cabrera coming off his best season ever in 2012, winning the AL MVP, and also the Triple Crown hitting title, he was expected to continue his greatness. Starting off the 2013 season Miguel Cabrera had better numbers then he did the previous season, and was also making some big time plays at third base for the Tigers. So last week when the votes came in for the American League MVP, with 23 votes out of 30 it was a no brainer that Miguel Cabrera was the winner. Miguel was the first player since Frank Thomas to win back-to-back MVP titles in 1993 and 1994. Let’s hope he’s bat stays hot for another season.

            With Max Scherzer hiding behind Justin Verlander in the pitching line up it is hard to forget how dominant a pitcher Scherzer really is. In the 2013 season he really showed off his best stuff. Starting the season off with 13 wins before suffering his first lost proved that he was one of the best. Finishing his season off 21 and 3, and also the only pitcher to win over 20 games, he was at the top off the list to win the CY Young. With 28 out of the 30 votes it was a landslide win. Tiger’s fans are hoping that he can work out a new contract deal because he’s current one is up for the Tigers.

A Tigers Den

All the Major League Baseball team’s are known for great games, player’s that were apart of the team, winning World Series, but many do not think of the great stadiums that they play in. When I was younger I remember thinking to myself if people from the earlier days (like late 1800’s and early 1900’s) could see some of the professional athlete stadiums, they probably would think that aliens built them. If you have never been to a professional sports stadium, I would say it should be on your bucket list. You walk through the crowds, smell of fried food full the air, drunken talk, and crap talking of the opposing team surround you. As you make your way to the right seating section you walk out, and your face gets hit with a blast of fresh air. You get the first glance of the field, and everything that is around it.

            My first experience I had with experiencing a Major League stadium was at the Detroit Tigers old stadium, Tigers Stadium. The stadium was located outside of the city in a neighborhood called Corktown. Tiger Stadium sat on the corner of a nine-acre lot, and held a max capacity 52,416 people. The great stadium was opened in 1911, and teams started playing ball there in 1912. Tiger’s played their ball games there from 1912 thru 1999, and also the Detroit Loins, which is the city’s football team, played there from 1938 thru 1974.  On September 27, 1999 Todd Jones threw the last pitch at Tiger stadium, in an eight to two victory over the Kansas City Royals.

            After the Tigers had a good run at their old stadium they moved more towards downtown Detroit, which is across the street from Ford field where the Loins play, and up the road from Joe Louis arena where the Red Wings play. The Tigers new stadium is call Comerica Park, which holds 41,782 fans.  Comerica has hosted many playoff games, and also some World Series games. I have been in the stadium many times, with the home crowd roar, and as your watching the game you get a great view of the downtown skyline. Also with the stadium being right down town you can leave the game grab some good food, go to a casino, or maybe catch another great sporting event at Ford field or at Joe Louis. I would say it was sad to see Tiger Stadium go, but however Comerica Park is a great home for the great Detroit Tigers 

New Guy in Town

With the Detroit Tigers season coming to a halt in a post season push after the got beat by the Boston Red Sox’s, and then Jim Leyland’s announcement of his plan to retire, the Tigers had a black cloud over them for the past month. Well the clouds are starting to break apart today with a press conference, the press conference was held today to honor a new tiger to the team, and the new manager for the up coming season. It took the Detroit Tigers two weeks without a manager to find a new one. The man they found and decided on was Brad Ausmus. Brad Ausmus is not a new guy when it comes to being back in Detroit, the forty-four year played in the big leagues for eighteen seasons, and was on two different tiger teams. Coming back for a third time Brad Ausmus says, “I have a pretty good feel for the modern players, what the makeup is, what the mind set is”. I’m looking forward to see what this young manager has in store for the team come next season.
            Brad Ausmus was born in New Haven Connecticut on April 14, 1969. He went to Dartmouth College, which is a private Ivy League school in New Hampshire.  The New York Yankees originally drafted him in 1987, but adopted not to go, finish his school, and went in to the minor leagues. He was later drafted and played eighteen seasons with many different teams. These teams consisted of San Diego, Houston, Los Angeles, and the Detroit Tigers. Throughout his career he won three gold gloves as a catcher, and was an All Star player in 1999. When he finished his career he was ranked third of all time for catcher in put outs, and also ranked seventh in games caught with 1,938.

            After looking at Brad Ausmus background I think that he is going to fit in well with the team next year. Bringing a new young face to the team might just give the spark to finally get over the hump and win the World Series. I’m also glad that the Tigers didn’t waste much time to choose their new skipper, so he can jump right in where they left off. Detroit fans can only hope that the players and new manager can all get on the same page by next season.

The Manager Steps Down

Jim Leyland was born in Toledo Ohio on December fifteen in 1944. Growing up with a love for baseball he started his baseball career as a catcher for a minor league baseball team from 1964 to 1969. The team he played for was a chain through the Tigers. In 1970 he started his coaching career in the minor leagues for the Montgomery Rebels and the Rocky Mount Leafs. He broke in to the major leagues from 1982 to 1985 as a coach for the Chicago White Sox. After his breakthrough in to the majors with the White Sox, he got a chance to manage the Pittsburg Pirates. He managed the Pirates for eleven seasons and had some success with three division titles there.  He went on to the Florida Marlins in 1997 and won the World Series. The following year was not so hot, they ended up selling away all there talent, and become the first time to lose over a hundred games after winning the World Series the following year. Cutting ties with the Marlines he moved once again to the Colorado Rockies there after just one season he felt like he couldn’t coach at the major league level and stepped down. Becoming a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, he spent the next six seasons helping young ball players grow in to the majors.

On October 4, 2005 the Detroit Tigers hired Jim Leyland as the thirty sixth manager. Just one year in the managing the team he led them to a division title and also a World Series appearance that was not suspected at all. Leyland kept the team rolling with wins. He went on to win more division titles and more World Series appearances. Falling short always he never did win a World Series title with the Detroit Tigers. After the tough loss to the Boston Red Sox this year, after the game in the clubhouse Leyland made the announcement that he would not be returning as the manager for the tigers next season. The following week he made a press conference to address the media. The best part of the conference was him saying that he told himself that he wasn’t going to get emotional, and not even half way through he started to get tears in his eyes.

Leyland will probably go down in the hall of fame for the part he played in each team he coached. I feel he made an impact on each team with his coaching skills, but also his attitude and relationships with the players. Jim Leyland is going to be hard to replace, and Tigers fans can only hope for half of a manager that Leyland was 

One Hit Wonder

The Detroit Tigers are on a roll after a tough fought series against the Oakland Athletics that went to game seven, but now they have to take on the Boston Red Sox’s that have been waiting. With the big bats from Boston, and a solid group of closers it is going to be a huge task at hand. The last two series of the post-season playoffs goes seven games rather then five, and with the first two games in Boston, the next three at Detroit, and if it goes that far in to the series the last two would be back at Boston.

            Game one was set to be a good one with the Tigers stud of a pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who had the lowest ERA out of all pitchers on the team was set to throw. Boston brought out Jon Lester their ace of a pitcher, so the game was set to be a low scoring game. Detroit broke the scoreboard in the sixth when a run reached home, however the red sox’s were scoreless still. Anibal Sanchez was throwing a game the other pitchers dream, and when he came out of the game after the sixth he had no hits recorded. Also to add how good he was really throwing, he had a total of twelve strikeouts. Benoit would come in for the save and was also throwing really well. With two more outs to go in the game the Boston Red Sox’s broke the no hitter with a base hit single. Even if they ended up getting a hit it wasn’t enough and the Detroit Tigers got the win. This win was important because it showed that we could win on the road and could roll with the momentum. With game two the following day, and the ace Max Scherzer throwing the odds were on the Tigers winning. Scherzer come out on fire and just like the night before didn’t let the Red Sox’s get a hit until the sixth inning. Going in to the eighth Tigers were up five to one, and with one swing of the bat by big papi cut the Tigers down at the knees with a grand slam. Then in the ninth with a base hit by Boston ended the game. Giving the game away the Tigers traveled back home for game three with their heads down.

            With the home crowd back on our side we hope to get the confidence back. The next three games at Comerica are very important and our must win games. It would be great to go back to Boston with only needing to win one more game to move to the World Series. Lets hope our closer come to pitch and do not give up any runs.    

The Playoff Push!

October is heating up with all of this exciting Major League Baseball playoff matches and the Detroit Tigers are right in the middle of it. With the Tigers bats falling short when the pitching is hot, and the pitching falling short when the bats are hot made it tough to beat there first round opponents the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics only needed to win one more game to eliminate the Detroit Tigers, but with the home crowd on our side, and our ace pitcher Max Scherzer coming out of the bullpen it was going to be tough to lose.

            Detroit would end up winning that game four,three to two and that forced a game five back at the Oakland A’s place. With the ace pitcher Max Scherzer out from pitching the previous game we turned to one of the best pitchers ever to play the game Justin Verlander. Justin always says that he loves when the crowd is at they’re loudest and fuels off of the pressure so it was a perfect atmosphere for Verlander to throw one hell of a game. Oakland A’s decided to throw their young gun pitcher Sunny Gray, and after the first you knew it was going to be a low scoring game due to the pitching battle on the mound. It took all the way up to the fourth inning to see the first hit of the game. With Torii Hunter on first, and Miguel Cabrera walking up to the plate there was a tense moment at the plate. With one swing of his bat he sent the ball up and over the outfield wall for a two run homer. Justin Verlander finally got some run support from his team, and he did not slow down on the mound throwing a no hitter all the way up until the sixth inning. Even after he let up one hit he didn’t change a thing. After getting pulled in the eighth inning he only let up one run. The Tigers bats were on and off but the did score another run. In the ninth inning Oakland came out of nowhere and scored two runs. However it wasn’t enough and the Tigers got the win and moved on to the next round to play the Boston Red Sox’s.

            After the game five win I think the Tigers got back on the right path and our playing as one team again. If the bats and pitching fall on the same page there is no team that can beat the Tigers when this happens. Let’s hope the keep it going and become the champs once again. 

Game Day

The day was Friday October fourth. I was done with the long school week, and didn’t have to work until Monday afternoon. You could say at the very least I was ready to enjoy my free Friday. Waking up in the early afternoon I crawled out of bed, took a shower, and walked to my closet to get dressed. Already knowing my outfit for the day I grabbed my Prince Fielder jersey and put it on. Almost every game I watch on the weekends I make sure to wear my jersey to support the team, and not to mention that the game Friday was extra important with it being the first post game for the Tigers. Last season the Tigers played the Oakland Athletics in the first round and it was a battle every game, but however the Tigers won the battle in the end and advanced. With the same turn out like last year the Tigers flew to Oakland to battle them once again to start the road to the World Series.

            The Oakland Athletics I feel are always a sleeper team with not many big name players, but they always have a solid line up. With the playoffs being the best out of five to advance both teams were throwing the ace pitchers to start the game. For the Tigers was Max Scherzer, by far the most dominant pitcher in Major League baseball in the 2013 season and for the Athletics was Bartolo Colon, the pitcher that’s name was on the biogenesis list but never received any punishment. Colon had trouble right from the start with the Tigers bats becoming hot right from the start. Austin Jackson, the lead off man doubled to right field, Torii Hunter was hit by a pitch, and then Miguel Cabrera knocked a single to center scoring Jackson. The Tigers ended the first inning with three runs on the scoreboard. Scherzer ended up throwing seven innings and had 11 strikeouts; the Athletics though scored two runs the seventh making it a close game towards the end of the game. Joaquin Benoit being Tigers number one closer stepped in the game to help Scherzer seal the victory. With Oakland’s bats tamed by the two pitchers, the Detroit Tigers clinched the first game of the series. With it being the first game and the Tigers being on the road made it a really important win, and it sent a message to Oakland telling them that they shouldn’t take Detroit lightly.

             The Tigers are looking like a team that can make another playoff push if they stay focused. The following night they lost some of that focus and dropped a game to the Athletics in extra innings. With a day off to regroup and to travel back to Comerica park in Detroit, hopefully they come out with heavy bats and fast pitches Monday night. 

The Champs Once Again

All season long the Detroit Tigers have been a force to be wreaking with in the MLB, and certainly should not be taken lightly in any game situation. They have proven that they are a strong team with back-to-back American League Central titles, and also look to clinch another one this season. With the strong pitching core lead by Max Scherzer with twenty-one wins and only one defeat, and then you add the big bats from Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Prince Fielder, and cant forget the Triple Crown champ of last season Miguel Cabrera it is hard not to win.

            How the American League Central played out this season, and with October coming up fast meaning playoffs were right around the corner. The Tigers only needed to win one more game and the Cleveland Indians (the rivals in the division) needed to lose their next game would mean another American League Central title making it a third in a row for the Tigers. However with the Indians losing the Tigers did the same postponing their celebrations. With the Tigers ace pitcher Max Scherzer looking for his twenty first win of the season against the Minnesota Twins, it looked as though the Tigers were going to be popping bottles of champagne on the road. The first batter of the game was Austin Jackson for Detroit, and roped one in to the outfield and ended up on third base with a triple. Torii Hunter stepped up to the plate next and knocked a base hit scoring Jackson from third. The bats for the Tigers quickly cooled off not scoring another run the entire game. Luckily the ace was feeling it on the mound. Only allowing three hits against the Twins and with ten strikeouts Scherzer received his twenty first win and helped clinch the third straight American League Central title for the Tigers with a record of 93 wins and 66 loses. The visitor’s clubhouse was lined with plastic curtains to try and protect some things from the hundreds of gallons of champagne that was about to be sprayed everywhere.  With the celebrations in full swing, Jim Leyland became very emotional during an interview thanking all of the great fans that support Detroit. Torii Hunter saw this happing and picked up Leyland, took him inside the plastic curtains and received a bottle of champagne over his head.

            I feel as though moments like these really make me a proud fan of the Detroit Tigers. Our team has a strong bond within and really shows that on and off the field. This bond I believe helps them win games and really makes it fun to watch them play the game of baseball. I am excited for playoff baseball to start and to see how far they will be able to go this year. If they do make it to the world series again they better at least win one game this year!     

A Tigers Great

The Detroit Tigers have always been a powerhouse in the baseball community, and to make them always at the top of the standings they need powerhouse players. Some of the greatest players to ever put on the Tigers uniform include Al Kaline, Ty Cobb, and Alan Trammel. These players were apart of the Tigers in early and mid 1900’s, and every fan wish they still played for them. However the team of 2013 has a line up that is still filled with a lot of stars. Some names are Torii Hunter, Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, but hands down thee best player is Miguel Cabrera.

The thirty year old was born in Maracay, Venezuela and has been in the MLB(Major League Baseball) for ten years now. He really made a name for himself when he joined the Tigers in 2007 from the Florida Marlins. With his plays at first base and his explosive bat at the plate really makes him fun to watch. In the 2012 season he really flipped the page in the history book with his bat by hitting homerun after homerun, rbi’s and by keeping his batting average higher then anyone in the league. By doing this he was the MVP of the American League, and also won the Triple Crown in batting. The MVP is a great achievement, but however the Triple Crown is something that doesn’t happen a lot, it’s almost like seeing a meteoroid fall from the sky. Last season when Cabrera did this it was the first time someone won the award since 1967. With Miguel bringing the big bat to the plate each and every game this created a buzz around the clubhouse. With the bats cracking like a tree falling and the excitement on the field it boosted the team with win after win.

Although the Tigers did not win the World Series in the 2012 season they kept the momentum rolling in to 2013, and that includes Miguel Cabrera’s bat. With Cabrera once again in the race for the Triple Crown, which will put him up there in Tigers history next to Ty Cobb who actually won the three triple crowns, if earns his second. With the clubhouse once again becoming fueled by Cabrera they are starting the make the run for October. With a five game lead over the Cleveland Indians, the Tigers our on top of the American League. Recently Miguel Cabrera became put on the DL list with a groin injury putting a stop to his Triple Crown run and is falling behind in the homerun category. The injury is listed as a day by day so hopefully he will be back up swing his bat cracking homeruns boosting the team to the world series.

Lucas LeBlanc first blog

        Have you ever watched a major league baseball game on TV? Or better yet in person?Many people find the game boring and dragged out. However I find the game entertaing and fun to watch, espically when it is my favorite team the Detroit Tigers.With their explosvie offense and flashy defencive plays it's hard not to get drawn in to the game. There are 162 games played by the Tigers a season so you can always find a game on the old televison tube or head on down to Comerica park to see the action first hand. Either way I know you'll be glued in to the exciting action the Tigers bring to the feild every game, and every time I watch them i get just as excited when I first saw them live at Tigers stadium.

         My first live game I ever saw was when I was in first grade, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. My uncle picked my brother, cousin and myself up from school( an hour early i met add) and we were on our way to the game. I can look back and see my uncle already getting annoyed of us before we even got on the highway. However the great man he is, he still stopped at Mcdonald's for a burger and a pop for all of us. We started our journey that seemed like it took days to get to the stadium, we tried playing games to pass the time, but almost made it worse. Then just when we thought we were dying of boredom, we parked the car and started walking to the stadium. The smell of fried food and the noise of drunk people migrating towards the game filled the air around us. We found our seats and were all speech less as we looked around the stadium. Basically we stayed in the speech less from because the Tigers got absolutely destroyed by the New York Yankees 11-0. Although the tigers my have lost the game it was a day I will never forget till I die.

       I really enjoy Tigers baseball a lot, and that's why I believe I chose them as my first ever blog. I feel that week in and week out I will be able to write about my first hand experience, stats, games, players, and what the team is currently doing. By writing about something I enjoy not only will I have topics to write about, I will want to write in my blog each week. I'm excited about my first ever blog, and even more excited that I will be writing about my favorite team not just in baseball, but all sports in general.