OPEN MIKE

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It’s a holiday……and you know what that means! Today is the day where readers rule and run with the baseball topics of their choosing.

Do you want to talk about the Tigers or MLB in general? It’s your choice. Let everyone know if you have comments, want to offer kudos, have questions or need to express concerns.

The usual rules apply but on this day only, you’ve got a maximum of 10 sentences to make your case.

What’s on your mind?

What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

  • J. D. Martinez said something that no Tiger (former or current) has ever said.
  • What Riley Greene’s concussion means for his development.

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17 thoughts on “OPEN MIKE”

  1. Don’t see your comment? Have you checked the rules for posting? Comments are only approved if they address today’s topic, do not exceed the maximum length and meet all of the other requirements (including no all caps) posted in our rules section ( the “Rules” button located at the top of the page). Please make sure to check them out!

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  2. J.D. Martinez said it well and I hope, if the tigers are in fact starting to say bye-bye of a few long time employees, will extend to the pathetic looking wayyyy overweight head trainer. The teams whole medical/training team needs to disappear.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Some random thoughts on this Monday:
    1) I think Tyler Alexander penciled into the rotation makes as much sense as signing an “innings eater” free agent.
    2) As a baby boomer I am still stunned by how joined at the hip all sports have become with gambling. and have to wonder how many players, coaches and staff are hooked on online gambling.
    3) Last night’s “ground rule double” off the outfielder’s glove reminded me of being in the stands the day Ryan Raburn slapped the ball over the fence giving the opponents a homer. I still haven’t gotten over that one!
    4) If his name was not Verlander, would any of us be urgently hoping that the Tigers would sign a 38 year old pitcher coming off major surgery to a big contract?
    5) Fans would not stand for it if a fat-contract player just laid down and went through the motions for a 3-5 seasons, but some buy into the idea of a fat-cat owner tearing down payroll to the studs to “rebulid.” Tanking needs to be addressed by MLB.

    Liked by 5 people

    • 6) Why does the Tiger front office seem to get “stuck” on certain players (e.g.,C. Stewart, W. Castro) and hype others (J. Rogers) when it’s obvious even to the most casual fan that they either don’t have the talent to play at the MLB level and/or are not living up to their hype?
      7) in reference to the above, who was/is responsible for the this ‘over evaluation’ of talent in the front office? Is it just Al Avila or are/were others involved (e.g.,,Jim Leyland) and is this typical of other organizations? Is this going to dramatically change under the new front F.O.?
      8) Jim Leland’s influence on Tiger coaching and player decisions seemed to have been ubiquitous under Al Avila int the past. Has he finally, at long last, been put out to pasture?
      9) In what would seem to be a clear conflict of interest, why did FSD and then BSD tolerate an assistant to Al Avila in the broadcast booth in the form of Kirk Gibson?
      10) Does Hinch really have an opt out clause in his contract next year and if so, what’s it going to take to keep him in Detroit?

      Liked by 4 people

  5. The reserve clause needed to be addressed but the evolution to multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts for the promise of future performance well past the player’s ability to perform has changed the game as much as anything. For smaller market teams with smaller wallets, this leads to teardowns, tanking, multiple years of rebuilding, higher ticket prices, fan frustration, and constantly changing personnel. None of this is good for the actual game.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Hard payroll cap with Payroll minimum based on %% of total revenues has been used as an equalizer in other leagues. This helps insure owners don’t profit opting not to compete and mitigates big market / small market crap. But maintaining reverse-finish order protocol for draft still has some teams (see Pistons) deliberately losing. It would be best for fans MLB had the cap/base and eliminate reverse order draft.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. From Akil’s slam to left to Zach Short at short, 2021 had many highlights for loyal long suffering Tiger fans. But for this fan, it began and ended with pitching. AJ made it clear from day one that they needed to get the pitching right. And he hit a home run in assisting in the hiring of Chris Fetter who quickly met all his pitchers with a plan and a purpose prior to spring training. Despite front line injuries, they accomplished solid maturation of a staff of young phenoms, retreads and leverage bullpen arms. It was genius how they metered innings to keep the phenoms pitching instead of shutting them down at 150. It was the wizardry of AJ in letting roles develop while building a pen of guys ready for today’s situation. What they found in Fulmer, Funkhouser, and Lange is a testament to their skill as leaders and coaches. What impressed me the most was in game 160, when Manning came to the dugout after shutting out the Chisox for five innings, after being lit up a week earlier, and was greeted with a big hug from Fetter. It showed me the investment he has in the poise and performance of his staff.

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Yes I think all this gambling on baseball is bad for the game. Also teams like the Tigers and Cubs and in the future more teams aligned with these mega gambling companies is headed for trouble. Is MLB going to monitor and or regulate this?

    Liked by 4 people

  8. I’m looking forward to the winter meetings where AA better be connected all the time to AJ at the hip. Based on AA’s previous free agent signings/trades I never trust him however AJ on the other hand has to be the best manager they’ve had since they got Sparky but can’t really make a comparison given how much the game has changed since the 80’s and now and thankfully AJ doesn’t proclaim that ….fill in the blank is the next Mickey Mantel/ect. So guess I’m cautiously optimistic that this winters meetings go well but not holding my breath based on years of past bad decisions and I still don’t trust CI until (to steal a line from Jerry McGuire” show me the money”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Hughie #2: Injecting gambling into sports has really bothered me. It must be a sign of our times. It does make me wonder what all the fuss was about Pete Rose and if maybe Arnold Rothstein should have been MLB’s first commissioner instead of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Pete Rose and Joe Jackson–two fairly decent players–are locked out of the HOF, maybe forever. And now we have the beginning of an incestuous relationship between MLB and the gamblers. Is there something wrong with this picture?

    Liked by 3 people

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