2003 Season

                                           

 

 

 

Official Publication of

The Tigers

Special Edition of

From the Bullpen

Guest Editor:  Big Guy

2004 Season

Edition No. 14

May 24, 2004

Brethren:

 

Let’s start with some statistics. These are through Sunday, May 23, 2004.

 

Top 15 Hitters

1.

M. Young

SS

225

Senators

Balloon preparing to pop

2.

Lowell

3B

224

Blues

30 bonus pts., 1st half player

3.

Abreu

RF

212

Blues

I never pay attention to this guy

4.

V. Guerrero

RF

212

Chiefs

Looks like a street person, but he can rake

5.

S. Finley

CF

210

Wahoos

30 bonus pts.; never did this for the Tigers

6.

L. Gonzalez

LF

205

Tigers

30 bonus pts.; hope he passes his steroid test

7.

Berkman

LF

202

Wahoos

Career revived by Wahoos drafting him

7.

M. Ramirez

LF

202

Brnx Bmbrs

Great hitter; bad hairdo

9.

V. Castilla

3B

200

Brnx Bmbrs

I thought his bat speed was gone yrs. ago

10.

Mora

3B

200

Irates

Great hitter, but already has 12 errors

11.

Rolen

3B

199

Blues

Trying to keep up w/ points explosion at 3B

12.

Bonds

LF

197

Redbirds

Why not retire now before the steroids test?

13.

Dunn

LF

192

Wahoos

Powerful hitter in good line-up

13.

Burnitz

CF

192

Brnx Bmbrs

If this keeps up, I’ll be shocked

15.

Blalock

3B

191

Irates

The next George Brett, per Possum

 

The Cubs, Reds, and Tribe have nobody on this list. There are no catchers, first basemen or second basemen. Bonds is the only one drafted in the first round. What are the odds that Pujols, Helton and A Rod are not on this list after the first quarter of the season?

 

Top 15 Pitchers

1.

R. Johnson

301

Tigers

100 bonus points; as good as he is ugly

2.

Benitez

197

Reds

Big Black is back

3.

Glavine

185

Senators

Are you kidding me?

4.

Clemens

183

Skipjacks

Amazing. Will he go 28-0?

5.

Graves

182

Senators

On pace for 80 saves. Just might cool off

6.

Rivera

179

Brnx Bmbrs

Maybe the greatest of all time

7.

Penny

173

Irates

I knew this guy was good

8.

Sheets

168

Senators

How many Senator pitchers are on this list?

9.

Clement

165

Wahoos

Good pitcher, but shave the "Babe Magnet"

10.

C. Zambrano

164

Redbirds

Another good Cubs pitcher

11.

Nathan

162

Wahoos

This is just wrong. Wahoos have no MR

12.

K. Rod

162

Senators

Another guy I drafted and suffered with

13.

Foulke

160

Blues

Hope he withstands the Boston pressure

14.

Mesa

158

Irates

Is rape a crime in Pittsburgh?

15.

Mulder

157

Irates

Could win the Cy Young this year

 

 

 

 

 

The Chiefs, Blues and Tribe have nobody on this list. Randy Johnson got more points in one game (143.5) than any of the rest of my pitchers have scored for the entire year.

 

Top Players By Position

 

C

1.

2.

3.

I-Rod

Posada

Varitek

183

179

168

Cubs*

Wahoos

Bronx Bombers

These guys are going to keep Javy Lopez from making the All-Star team.

1B

1.

2.

3.

Casey

C. Wilson

Overbay

185

184

183

Senators

Tribe

Blues

Who are these guys? Actually, I have had Casey and Overbay, but it must have been the wrong year.

2B

1.

2.

3.

Kent

Loretta

Soriano

186

186

171

Skipjacks

Tigers

Chiefs

I have to give my brother credit for telling me to draft Loretta.

3B

1.

2.

3.

Lowell

V. Castilla

Mora

224

200

200

Blues

Bronx Bombers

Irates

Anybody think that this would be the best hitting position, and NOT include A Rod near the top?

SS

1.

2.

3.

M. Young

C. Guillen

J. Wilson

225

181

173

Senators

Redbirds

Irates

No Nomar, Jeter, Tejada, Renteria, Cabrera or Berroa.

LF

1.

2.

3.

L. Gonzalez

Berkman

M. Ramirez

205

202

202

Tigers

Wahoos

Bronx Bombers

Another stacked position. Wahoos have 3 of the top 6 (Berkman, Dunn & Lawton).

CF

1.

2.

3.

S. Finley

Burnitz

Beltran

205

192

186

Wahoos

Bronx Bombers

Blues

OK, Steve, you can wake up now. Hey, Jeromy, you can wake up, too.

RF

1.

2.

3.

Abreu

V. Guerrero

Cabrera

212

212

173

Blues

Chiefs

Redbirds

Vladdy may end up with the most points this season.

SP

1.

2.

3.

4.

R. Johnson

Glavine

Clemens

Penny

301

185

183

173

Tigers

Senators

Skipjacks

Irates

RJ could have been Prior. (0 pts) No more Senator whining is ever allowed after Glavine’s start.

MR

1.

2.

3.

K Rod

Shields

Otsuka

162

144

137

Senators

Irates

Bronx Bombers

Wahoos have no MR, and 0 holds. Isn’t there supposed to be a penalty for 0 holds during the year?

CL

1.

2.

3.

Benitez

Graves

Rivera

197

182

179

Reds

Senators

Bronx Bombers

No Gagne or Smoltz?

 

 

Random Thoughts

The top 3 starting pitchers all had over 200 career wins when the season started, and two of them (Clemens & Johnson) are automatic first-ballot inductees into the Hall of Fame. If Glavine keeps going, he could also get in. Hard to believe after watching this slug score 212 points all of last year.

The Tigers are staying near the top with smoke and mirrors (bonus points and no injuries). I expect my team to slide a bit, but you never know. There are no caps on bonus points.

The Wahoos are the team to beat. They have solid pitching and great hitting. However, I detect a slight preponderance in HRs and saves. It also looks like they could improve their infield. Have Finley and Rhodes been put on the trading block yet?

Uh-oh. I see that the Tribe only has 4 saves and no closers, and the Wahoos have 35 saves (a pace for about 140). I think I hear some carney barking in Possum’s future. This could be like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The only thing that might save us is that Underbelly’s patented lightning response to trade offers could unnerve Possum into thinking there was something wrong.

There is a Keno play that pays big bucks if you select a bunch of numbers, and NONE of them get drawn. After the start the Tribe is having, Underbelly should go to the nearest Keno parlor and give this a shot.

I’ll be the first to admit that I thought Denny drafted a team for the ages – by far the worst team I remember on a draft day. I’ll tell you what – I was dead wrong. In fact, the more I look at his team, the more I like it. If not for untimely injuries to rookie phenom C Joe Mauer (batting .750 when he went down) and Richie Sexson, the Pirates might be right at the top. I love their starting pitching staff with Penny, Webb, H. Ramirez, Vazquez and Mulder. Their relievers are doing the job, even if Mesa is the only closer. They have some really good young players who are scoring some big points (Blalock, Mora, Jack Wilson, Jenkins, Jose Guillen, Nix, and Gerut). Watch out, Possum. You may have to host a party for Denny next year.

The Bronx Bombers have more players on the position leader lists above than any other team. Great job, also, on scheduling the monthly lunch meetings.

Randy Johnson is the top point man by a mile, with 301 to date. Did you know that the players drafted just before and after him have combined for a total of 0 points? He was sandwiched in between Mark Prior and Nomar Garciaparra.

Sorry, Blongo, about the slight nudge I gave you at the draft to take Prior, as you were precariously leaning over the precipice, deciding between Prior and Randy Johnson.

I have reviewed the Reds’ roster. As Dean Wormer might say, "Old, bad and injured is no way to go through life, son."

Speaking of the Reds, there hasn’t been much chattering this year from the wire where Magpie is perched. I did see that he’s up to his old bottom-feeding ways, snatching up Jose Contreras after he was regurgitated by the Wahoos.

The Cubs sure have a bunch of guys off to disappointing (lousy) starts. I would include Sweeney, Vidro, Smoltz, Sosa, Hidalgo and Mussina in that category.

Before the season, if you knew that through May 23rd, the Senators would have the most pitching points, and that their shortstop Mike Young would be the top rated hitter, you probably would have expected them to be 350 points ahead of the pack – not 350 points out of first.

It looks like it might be a dogfight between the honey-bee bettors, as the Chiefs, Senators and Redbirds are bunched up like a tight slip. I can’t really say that I like any of the teams in the bets, or that I like any of these teams, period.

If J.D. Drew and Griffey play injury-free the whole year for the Skipjacks, there can be no doubt that Johnny is the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

Thus ends the stream of consciousness Possum-like Message Board posting known as the Tiger’s Tale. Ciao.

 

 

POINT TOTALS FOR WEEK 7

 

1.

Wahoos

474.0

2.

Tigers

436.0

3.

Bombers

398.5

4.

Irates

387.0

5.

Senators

364.5

6.

Redbirds

350.0

7.

Chiefs

319.0

8.

Reds

298.5

9.

Tribe

280.5

10.

Skipjacks

278.5

11.

Cubs

263.0

12.

Blues

256.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK 7 STANDINGS

THROUGH May 23, 2004

 

1.

Wahoos

2782.5

2.

Tigers

2748.0

3.

Irates

2629.0

4.

Skipjacks

2620.5

5.

Senators

2431.0

6.

Redbirds

2409.5

7.

Cubs

2379.5

8.

Chiefs

2343.5

9.

Bombers

2287.5

10.

Reds

2250.5

11.

Blues

2214.0

12.

Tribe

1816.5

 

 

 

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