By Denny McLain
In Play! Magazine
Our city and state could have got some good old fashioned energy from what could have been. The dying September our Tigers had was dreadful and did not have to happen!
This was a tragedy that the Tigers lost the division. It should have been impossible to lose the division title in the world’s worst division in baseball, absolutely the worst! Where would we have finished in a real division with real teams? Based upon what this team did against Boston, New York and the Angels, I think we all know without saying it, right?
If you analyze the Tigers plight for the last month, allowing all of the rookies (or not tested players) so much playing time with four weeks to go either shows that Leyland could not really manage the troops or he choked.
The following are just two examples…and folks there are hundreds for the month of September.
When Porcello was pulled again in the one game playoff, Leyland allowed the reliever Zack Miner to stay in the game and pitch to three straight left handed hitters. Jim are we the only ones that knew three left handers were coming up to hit?
Hell folks, Porcello was pitching well. What was it that Jim wanted Porcello to do? Was it that he wanted Porcello to have a chance at winning a huge game? Was it that he was still using that 100 pitch BS theory of his or was there something wrong with Porcello? One thing is for sure, Porcello did not want to come out of that game, that’s’ for sure.
The other example of horrible managing was when Leyland took Mags out of the game. Why in the hell, even with a one run lead, would you take Mags out? He has been good to play in a zillion innings all year long and now in the most important inning of all time, he is sitting! Man, oh man!
Porcello may not have the “best stuff” on the team, but he is the “best pitcher” on the team. He has more savvy than anyone on the staff including Verlander who has incredible stuff, but has yet to learn how to use it.
Striking out 260 guys is not the measurement that we use. It’s the number of runs we give up, look at Verlander’s ERA folks, look at the number of times that he had a “brain fart.” Sailing along and all of a sudden, BOOM! Gives up three, four or even more runs.
Hey folks he won at least three or four games this year sitting on the bench after he had been pulled at a half inning.
Now, I blame these brain farts on the pitching coaches or the manager, don’t any of them understand the art of pitching?
When was the last time we had a guy here who was a “pitcher” in a real sense of the word? Kenny Rogers is one of the few that I recall and had Kenny had Verlander’s stuff he would have challenged 30 wins possibly. He knew how to pitch my friends.
These “brain farts” are nothing more than not knowing how to pitch, a “brain fart” is when the pitcher thinks he can just keep throwing the same pitch, one after another. The concentration is gone. The thought process if any is just throw it and throw it and throw it…then BA-BOOM!
If someone doesn’t get hold of Porcello and Verlander more sooner than later, we are going to have two very good throwers, but not very good pitchers.
I ask you one question.
If Verlander ever loses his fastball what does he have left? Because if he has not learned how to pitch by the time the fastball starts to slow down, he will be out of the game quick!
Now what can a real pitching coach mean, not one of the ass-kissing pals of the manager. God, you have even heard Jim Price talk about the “art of pitching.” That is just not the case here in Detroit.
I think the last good pitching coach who had command of the “art” was the great and funny Art Fowler. A good man, a good pitching coach, and a guy who understood the “art” in every sense of the word. He could walk and talk the “art”.
It is time for the Tigers front office to find someone who understands the “art” and to bring that guy in to only talk about pitching> Not how fast you throw and not how many you strikeout. It’s all about winning, but winning by controlling the game, not just pumping up and trying to see how high they can get the speed gun number. This contraption is the biggest piece of dog & pony BS that has ever been allowed into the game.
Pitchers are hurting themselves pitching against that “gun!”
Prime example, “Zoom-Zoom,” another one who has never figured out that these are major league hitters, not the high schoolers that he was facing a few years ago. Just take a look at his minor league stats, not impressive folks. Another one, if he ever loses his fastball, he’ll be pumping gas or riding his dirt bike again in the hills of California.
Although with some of the things that he has been rumored to have done, losing his fastball will be the least of his issues.
Do you think today Illitch would like to get back that contract extension he gave Leyland?
