GREG BOWMAN

As a Tiger Fan for the past 45 years or so, as long as I can remember, I thought I had experienced enough disappointment and frustration to last a lifetime.  But the 2009 Tigers have to go down as the MOST disappointing, aggravating Tigers team I can ever remember.  Now, they have to live with the dubious distinction of being the first team to blow a three game lead with four games left to play.  And don’t forget, they had a seven game lead over the Twins in early September.   They have no one to blame but themselves, as they just plain blew it.   Did they choke under pressure?  Maybe? Were they just not that good?  Possibly. But the bottom line is they just didn’t want it as a badly as the Twins.   The tie breaker game was a perfect example of what went wrong the entire season.   Guys on first and third. Nobody out.  No runs scored.  Bases loaded in the 12th.  No runs scored. It was an exciting finish with a nail biter of a game.  But that hardly matters that they played the Twins tough. It should never have come down to this.  Good teams don’t lose six out of seven to the Kansas City Royals, and two out of three to the Chicago White Sox in the final weekend of the season.

I hate those annoying Twins and their stupid homer hanky waving fans.  And I wish I never had to see Michael Cudyer and Joe Mauer come up to bat against the Tigers again. Bitter?  You bet.   Jealous.  Yeah.  Now,  I’ll be pulling for the Yankees to sweep them three straight and hope to never see baseball played in that Metrodome again.

Enjoy the World Series, and see you in the Spring.  Just wait till next year!

GREG BOWMAN

So it all comes down to one game, number 163, as the Tigers and Twins meet in a play-in game Tuesday at the Metrodome to decide who will win the American League Central and face the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, it never should have come down to this. The Tigers have been in first place since May, and had plenty of chances to clinch it. Just one more win somewhere during the season would have given the Tigers the title. If only they could have beaten the Sox twice this weekend, or gotten at least one more win over those irritating Kansas City Royals. But they didn’t. And now their entire season rests on the pitching arm of young Rick Porcello, who is still not even old enough to buy a drink legally, although I imagine his teammates might be willing to give him a sip of champagne if he can beat the Twins. This is undoubtedly the biggest game of Porcello’s short career, but I think he’s up to it. He’s had an excellent rookie year, and except for Justin Verlander, he’s THE guy you want out there right now to give the Tigers their best shot. Now. let’s hope the bats can come alive..

What a performance by Justin Verlander on Sunday. He had to shut down the Sox, and he did, winning for the 19th time this year. He won’t get much time to rest before the Playoffs start on Wednesday or Thursday, and we’ll need him and Jackson and Porcello to be at their best to shut down that intimidating Yankee offense

No matter what happens Tuesday, you can’t say this season has been boring! Let’s hope all those days in first place won’t go for nothing.

GREG BOWMAN

Remember  the motto the Pistons adopted a few seasons back: “If it ain’t rough, it ain’t right,” given the team’s habit of getting far behind  and losing to inferior teams before they finally  turned things around and made it to the postseason.  That seems to be the philosophy the Tigers have this year, as they have made things tough on themselves by failing to take advantage of so many opportunities to win the American League Central Division and put the Twins away.   All those losses to the Kansas City Royals really loom large now, since the Tigers would have already won the title if they had at least split with the Royals, instead of losing six games.  I still think the Tigers will win it, because I refuse to believe they are going to lose all three games to the White Sox this weekend while the Twins win all their games against the Royals. ..Thursday’s game was another lost opportunity, as the Tigers seem to be inspired after back to back wins against the Twins and needed just one more victory against Minnesota to clinch it.   The Twins did everything they could to give the game to the Tigers, giving up an uncharacteristic six walks and committing four errors.  But the Tigers couldn’t get the key hit, and the bullpen couldn’t keep the Twins off the board.

So, that means the Tigers will have to get it done this weekend against the Sox.  They can win it with two wins over Chicago, without having to worry about Minnesota.  And let’s hope they do it Friday and Saturday so they don’t have to pitch Justin Verlander on Sunday.  That would leave him nice and rested to open the playoffs against the Yankees.

The Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984, and it was nice to see so many of the old players come back to be honored at Comerica Park this week on the 25th anniversary of that magical season. Where has the time gone!?  I talked to Dave Bergman from the 84 team, and I had to agree with his opinion that it seems like “yesterday”  when the Tigers took the baseball world by storm and opened the season 35 and 5…. I got the chance to emcee a question and answer session at Comerica Park with 24 of the players and coaches from the team.  I was like a kid in a candy store, getting a chance to meet the guys and host the event.  And a huge crowd jammed into the brushfire grill area to see Sparky Anderson, Jack Morris, Alan Trammel, Lance Parish, Guillermo Hernandez, Kirk Gibson and others, despite a heavy rain that wound up cancelling the game. Despite the lousy weather, fans loved every minute of it.  Maybe these 2009 Tigers can make some memories that fans will still be talking about in 2034?!  It’s a nice thought.

GREG BOWMAN

This has been a lost year for Nate Robertson, who was such an important part of the Tigers’ 2006 run to the World Series. First, at the start of the season, Manager Jim Leyland said Robertson would not be a starter, but would have to pitch out of the bullpen, where he was not very effective. Then Robertson was hurt, and missed much of the year. But after Gallaraga went down and Washburn was awful and then hurt, Leyland turned to Robertson to pitch a game the Tigers had to win. And Robertson responded beautifully in what may have been the biggest game of his career. He held the Twins to just two runs in five innings to allow the TIgers to avoid a sweep and salvage one game of their series with the Twins. A sweep would not have mathematically eliminated the Tigers from the race, but it would have been a terrible blow, allowing the Twins to come to within one game of the Tigers, who held a seven game lead in the Central Division just two weeks ago. The race isn’t over yet, but that win gives the Tigers a little breathing room as they wrap up the season playing only Cleveland, Chicago, and Minnesota four more times! And we can PLEASE stop giving Michael Cuddyer anything close to the plate. He kills the Tigers every time. …I still think the Tigers are going to win, although it’s not going to be easy. But the Tigers rotation of Verlander, Jackson, and Porcello is better than the Twins. And fortunately, those last four games are at Comerica Park, not at that awful Metrodome. And also, the Tigers don’t have to play the Royals again this year!

This has been a tough year to be a Tiger fan…The team has played fairly well, and has been in first place since May….But there have been some losses that are much bigger than any on the field. First, we lost Hall of Famer George Kell this year; then the shocking death of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. Tiger Stadium was finally torn down and is now just a pile of rubble. And finally, worst of all, news that Ernie Harwell is suffering from inoperable cancer. Of course, only Ernie would think he needs to thank us for listening, rather than us thanking HIM for all those years of being a part of our lives. It’s all been said before, but I’ll say it again. Ernie, you are the best. To borrow a phrase from Ernie, “Thanks for coming with us to that cabin up north, to the beach, the picnic, the car, and for being that voice under the pillow as we sneaked our transistor radio to bed. Thanks for the memories Ernie, that will last a lifetime.

GREG BOWMAN

One of my favorite things about baseball is that there are statistics for just about everything.  Most people know about batting average, home runs, rbi’s (YES, I STILL SAY RBI’s WITH AN S!) wins and Earned Run Aveage.    Of course, numbers can sometimes be misleading.  But they can also be very telling.   There are plenty of batters who hit home runs when they are meaningless; when the team is already way ahead or the game is out of reach.  And then there are players who always seem to come through when the game is on the  line.  And the Tiger who does that best is Brandon Inge.

The numbers from MLB show Inge hits a home run  once every 17.9 times he comes to the plate. That is 18th in the majors, and  the best on the Tigers, ahead of Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson.  His 27 home runs puts him on a pace to hit 32 this year. And even though he may strike out a lot and his average has fallen from the 280’s early in the season, to the 230’s now,  he’s still the guy I would want out there when the Tigers need a game winning hit, like his grand slam against Tampa Bay on Sunday.  Along with his hitting heroics, who is better at third base than Inge?   I’ll say no one can make some of the plays I’ve seen him make this season. Since he finally got recognition at the All Star game this year, maybe he will finally win the gold  glove that he deserves.

As for some of the sports talk show hosts who love to make fun of Inge and say the Tigers gave him too much money,  I’m sure they won’t let the facts get in the way of their Inge and Tiger hating.  These are the same people who’ve told us all year that the Tigers suck, they won’t stay in first place, they can’t hit, they can’t play against the good teams.    Last I looked, the Tigers have been in first place for four months.  Let the playoffs begin.

GREG BOWMAN

I’ll never forget the first time I got to meet Ernie Harwell.   Sonny Elliot took me in the booth at Tiger Stadium to meet him.  And I’m sure I was so awestruck I didn’t know what to say.  But of course, Ernie put me at ease right away, with his famous charm and wit.  I got the opportunity to interview him countless times after that, and he was never anything but warm and friendly and genuine.   When it comes to Ernie Harwell,  it’s okay to meet your heroes.

The news that Ernie has inoperable cancer hit me like a punch in the gut.  He’s 91 years old, so I guess it’s not shocking that he could be facing health problems.   But somehow, I just thought that Ernie Harwell would always be there, kind of like the old ballpark at Michigan and Trumbull.   But the memories of listening to Ernie and George Kell and Paul Carey on those warm summer nights,  whether it was a great Tiger team or a lousy one, will never fade away for me. 

After the boneheaded movie to fire Ernie in 1992, I remember a Free Press Headline that summed it up best:   A Gentleman Wronged.”   Fortunately for all of us,  the Tigers realized the error of their ways and brought him back until he was ready to retire in 2002.   No offense to my friend Dan Dickerson, who does a wonderful job with play by play,  but there will never be another Ernie Harwell.   We’re lucky to have had him around for this long, but I’m not ready to let him go just yet.  ..I could never tire of hearing about the House by the side of the road…out for excessive window shopping…that was caught by a man from Kalmazoo…or LONG GONE!   Thanks Ernie.  We’re sending you all our love and thoughts and prayers.

You can hear my interview with ernie at wwj.com under pocasts.

GREG BOWMAN

Why have the Tigers been so successful at Comerica Park and had so many problems on the road this year?  I don’t have the answer to that question, and  I guess Jim Leyland doesn’t either, or he would be doing something differently.  Unfortunately, they can’t play all their games at home, and now they’re back out west, where they have not played well for the past couple of seasons.

Let’s hope the Tigers can score a few runs for Edwin Jackson, who has received the worst run support of any pitcher…

The tigers come from behind win against Seattle Thursday was one of their most impressive wins of the season,  coming back from a six to two deficit to beat the Mariners 7 to 6.   It was nice to see Brandon Inge come up in a key situation with the bases loaded and not TRY to hit a home run, which all too often winds up in a strikeout.   Inge hung in there for a quality at bat and got a sacrifice fly to tie to the game before Clete Thomas got the game winning walk off hit..

Uh-Oh.   That’s my assessment so far of Jerrod Washburn’s performance since he put on a Tiger uniform.  He’s had one good outing and three lousy ones, and is giving up way too many home runs, four in Thursday’s game alone.  Every pitcher gives up home runs, but not that many.   And he’s serving up too many batting practice type fat  pitches that don’t seem to have any movement.

GREG BOWMAN

Sunday finally felt like a real hot summer day at the ballpark. The ones I remember as a kid,  where a perfect day was a doubleheader, when you could get two games for the price of one.  And who cares how hot it was; I don’t remember ever thinking it was too hot to play baseball or to watch it….   And on this Sunday, thousands of Tiger fans got to go home hot and sweaty, but happy, as the Tigs hung on for an eight to seven win.   Of course, many of them left before they knew the outcome of the game, in the sixth or seventh inning, while the game was still tied.  I’ll never understand that.  There really isn’t that much traffic to worry about on a Sunday afternoon in downtown Detroit.

It wasn’t a pretty series for the Tigers, but it was a successful one, since they beat the Twins two out of three games, a rare accomplishment.   Now, it’s on to Boston and Fenway Park, where the Tigers have never had much success.  And  they’ll face a sure to be angry Red Sox team, after  a tough weekend in New York.

Even though I wish the Tigers had picked up a hitter before the trade deadline,  they may already have the hitters they need.   Magglio Ordonez is finally showing signs of life, and Carlos Guillen has gotten some timely hits since his return from the D.L.  If Ordonez, Guillen, and Palanco can return to their 2006 form, and Cabrera, Granderson, and Inge can keep getting on base, hitting should not be a problem.

Let’s hope we haven’t seen the best of Jerrod Washburn.  His first two outings as a Tiger have been less than impressive.  And he gave up back to back homers Sunday on two awful batting practice pitches that traveled a combined distance of about one thousand feet!

GREG BOWMAN

Like my friend Rob Sanford, I have serious reservations about the trade sending Jerod Washburn to the Tigers in exchange for Luke French and another promising rookie.   Washburn is having a great year, and he will give the Tigers a solid number three starter to go with Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson.  But Washburn is 34 and in the last year of his contract, while French is only 23.   That means Washburn could walk away at the end of the season and the Tigers will get nothing. I’m not sure if French will ever be another John Smoltz, but I’ve never been a fan of the rent-a-player for a few months strategy, unless you know he’ll agree to an extension.   And then sometimes, you sign extensions when you shouldn’t; e.g. Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and others.

But the big problem is not the deal with Washburn; it’s what the Tigers didn’t get that they desperately need:   Another hitter.    It’s usually all or nothing with the Tigers:  13 runs one night; then one or two runs the next few games.  It certainly has to be disheartening for Tiger pitchers to go out there every night and know they have to shut the opponents down to get a win.  Rick Porcello pitched his best game of the season Saturday night, allowing just one run and four hits, before watching the bullpen blow it in the ninth. Fortunately, the Tigers came back to win in extra innings in a real nail biter. …Edwin Jackson has 16 quality starts this season, and has only seven wins to show for it.

Getting Carlos Guillen back will help, but that won’t be enough.   Let’s hope there’s a bat somewhere down on the farm or someone they can pick up on Waivers to keep them in the race for the next two months.

Fortunately, the Tigers are starting a long stretch at Comerica Park, where they always play better….

GREG BOWMAN

The Tigers have no problems getting men on base. But they have a BIG problem moving from first to home.   Time after time,  Tiger batters, especially the ones with the big bats making the big bucks,  hit into double players, or strike  out, or pop up.   TIger pitchers  limited the high-scoring Yankees to just nine runs in three games over the weekend at Yankee Stadium, but didn’t win any of those games.  Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson must be getting frustrated, because they keep throwing quality starts, giving up only two or three runs, but still failing to get a win because the Tigers simply aren’t scoring any runs. 

The Tigers will be looking to pick up a bat before the trading deadline at the end of the month, but it may be slim pickings.   Matt Holliday would be a good addition for the Tigers, if the Oakland A’s are willing to part with him. And Carlos Guillen should return to the lineup soon after his long stint on the Disabled List.   While those guys would help, the Tigers MUST get more production out of their big slugger Miguel Cabrera, who has been getting hits, but not knocking in many runs. 

Somehow, the Tigers are still hanging on to first place, but they won’t be able to stay there without more offense.  And while Jackson and Verlander have been lights out at the top of the rotation, the rest of the staff is still a question mark. Rookie  Rick Porcello should be well rested, and the Tigers hope he’ll be able to win another 7 or 8 games by the end of the season.  Armando Gallaraga has shown signs of improvement, and the Tigers need him to have a solid second half to remain in the race.   Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the team can count of anything from Dontrelle Willis, and Zack Miner has not impressed.   Joel Zumaya is hurt again, and you have to wonder if he might be the Tigers version of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, always full of promise, but also always hurt.    On the plus side,  Bobby Seay has been excellent in a setup role, and Brandon Lyon is pitching much better.  And Fernando Rodney gets the job done, even though his saves are ugly, much like his predecessor Todd Jones.   …So that adds up to at least one more bat and  a reliever for the Tiger. And another starter wouldn’t hurt.   Good luck finding all that, since every team is looking for pretty much the same thing.