I Met Lou Whitaker!

Yesterday was "Family Fun Night." The options were a movie, a 45-minute trip to Grand Haven to see the sunset on a night with popup thunderstorms, or a Whitecaps game. Let's be real, I wanted to go to the Whitecaps.

My Imaginary Trade Deadline

July 31 is coming. The non-waiver deadline, always an exciting time of transactions, looms large. In 2011, Detroit received Doug Fister, Wilson Betemit, and (after the non-waiver deadline) Delmon Young. In 2012, the Tigers swindled Miami into trading Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. Nobody mention 2009, please.
 Will the Tigers be wheeling and dealing as the cutoff approaches? Knowing Dave Dombrowski, probably. What is he going to do?

Jim Leyland vs. Pythag

Following up yesterday's post, a reason for angst among Tigers fans lies in their Pythagorean record. Bill James' formula for "true" team success pegs Detroit as a 46-28 team. This is four wins better than the team's actual 42-32 record. Is this a recurring issue during the Jim Leyland tenure?

Is Detroit Underachieving?

3 out of 4 from the Sawx. Everyone's gotta love that, right? Not exactly. There seems to be an undercurrent among fans that Detroit is underperforming expectations. Obviously, this is completely subjective, as some people expected a 105-57 season, while others would settle for a repeat of the 2012 regular season. Still, let's take a look and see if Detroit is "underachieving."

An Introduction

Hello, out there. My name is Nolan, a Tigers fan living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You and I may have different views on our team, but we can probably agree on one thing: Miguel Cabrera is pretty good.

I made this blog to give myself a creative outlet in an area where I spend way too much of my thinking: the Detroit Tigers. I've been a diehard fan since 2004. This is only impressive because I was 6 at the time. Anyway, you should probably know some of my stances on Tigers-related subjects for future reference.

My favorite player- My method for finding my "Who's your Tiger?" Troll. Find a player on the team who is either forgotten, hated, or criminally underrated by the fanbase. That player then goes on to have a banner year, like Ramon Santiago in 2011 or Drew Smyly in 2012. This year? Jhonny Peralta is hitting over .325. You're welcome.

Jim Leyland- #HireLeyland all the way. Jim knows more about baseball and the state of his players than any fan does. If Phil Coke pitches to a righty, there's probably some deeper reason than "Smokey is just too stubborn." He's done a fantastic job during his tenure in Detroit.

Jose Valverde- Worth a shot. He sucked. Too bad, the guy is just so likable.

Sabermetrics- I consider myself a blend between the two. Sure, I understand and am impressed by Carlos Gomez's WAR. On the other hand, a Triple Crown is just so rooted in baseball history that it's impossible not to be in awe of. 

Call up Castellanos? I'd like to wait until 2014 and give him more time defensively.

Justin Verlander- The dude's a stud, let's give him some time to work out his mechanical issues. He's still backing up a Brink's truck worth of Ks. Once the defense remembers how to turn 2 behind him? Watch out, AL.

Don Kelly- In the past, I wished he would be pecked to death by Comerica seagulls. He's somewhere in between "exists" and "mildly liked" now. Good year for the guy. It's also good for Andy Dirks, who has to keep and eye out for Donnie. Hopefully Kelly keeps it up.

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Jacob all the way. Cullen's a douche.

There you have it. Let's see Detroit try to make a little playoff magic this fall.