OT: Detroit Tigers 10/6; 5pm
As most of you are aware, it's come down to a one game playoff against the Twins. Rick Porcello (14-9) is going up against Scott Baker (15-9). I have to believe that Leyland will have the boys fired up to play, but I'd feel more confident if the game wasn't being played inside the Metrodome. Any predictions on the score? My guess is 7-1 Tigers, with Cabrera going 3 for 4.
EDIT: Does anyone else think it was dumb of MLB to schedule the game at 5pm? I understand the impending travel schedule of the winner, but I'm going to miss the first few innings due to work.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:46 PM ^
Dump Laird and make Avila your full-time catcher.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:49 PM ^
Everyone hating on Leyland is a fuckin' idiot
October 6th, 2009 at 9:51 PM ^
You could've tried to argue that any of the three previous years, but not this year. That's a vintage Leyland choke job, plain and simple. Just atrocious
October 6th, 2009 at 9:53 PM ^
this team had no business being where they are this year, there are holes everywhere, it's amazing he got them this far
October 6th, 2009 at 9:55 PM ^
Who do you think is responsible for a bunch of the holes in this roster? You think Leyland is just a homely old man who wants to manage baseball games? The Jurrjens for Renteria trade was almost entirely his design.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:55 PM ^
A team with $130 million payroll better damn well be contending for division titles.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:51 PM ^
How do you justify lettting Laird hit in that instance with Thames and Avila on the bench? How do you justify putting someone who hasn't gone two innings all year out there for their fourth inning? I don't mean to be a dick, but I'd like to hear how those are smart moves.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:53 PM ^
Exactly. I've been ripped around here for ripping on Leyland but after tonight nobody with a working brain could have a single reason to support him. How many times does he have to choke in September for people like you to realize he's not the answer?
October 6th, 2009 at 9:51 PM ^
Every year he's been here the Tigers have absolutely tanked in September. They flat-out don't perform under pressure.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:03 PM ^
And every year before that we lost what, 120 games a year? Take what he's given us (namely a WS appearance). I'm not saying he doesn't need to go, I'm just saying it's not as bad as you're making it out to be.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:16 PM ^
It's possible to believe that Leyland was the right guy for the job in 2006 and no longer is now. One position does not have to contradict the other. It's silly to portray it as an either-or. I'm not upset that Dombrowski hired him four years ago, but to keep him employed idefinitely just because of 2006 is silly. The Tigers have had one of the highest payrolls in baseball for three years running and have nothing to show for it.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:27 PM ^
This is what I'm getting at, and this year takes the cake. Not only was he handed a fairly stacked team, he also got to manage in the worst division in either league. Yet it doesn't matter how many chances you give Leyland to clinch (or how many times he can have first and third or bases loaded with less than two outs), he manages to screw it up. Leyland couldn't guess the result of a coin flip if you gave him five chances. It's stupid to pin this on the ump (some bad calls went both ways, as always), the Tigers has numerous chances to win this game, plus they had multiple chances to get the job done in the last week. They only needed one more win but Leyland was too stubborn and outmanaged to pull that off. Yeah, he seemed like the right guy in 2006, but that's three years and 0 playoff appearances ago.