Listening but not hearing

Six degrees of frustration
Tigers fall to 0-6 as batting woes continue; defense also goes off the rails as White Sox complete three-game sweep.
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- It's no longer just an issue of a losing streak, which is horrid enough for a Tigers team that is 0-6 heading to Boston. It's no longer a matter of hitting, although there has been precious little of that.

Sunday night, in view of an ESPN national audience that probably also wonders what's going on in Detroit, the Tigers were so unraveled they seemed disoriented during a 13-2 drubbing by the White Sox at Comerica Park.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland met with his team afterward, but he did not spit lightning bolts, in contrast to a legendary blowup two years ago that set the tone for a 2006 World Series season.

"Right now, we just look like a bad ballclub," Leyland said, calmly, as he sat in his office following an all-out collapse by the Tigers.

"I'm not mad at anyone out there. Personally, I'm embarrassed. I don't sugarcoat anything, but I'm not gonna rip the team, either. I don't think that's an issue right now.

"There are too many professionals who know what's going on. I think they understand that.

"I'm personally embarrassed, and I would hope they are, too. They know we've been (awful). I can put on a big show, or the players can have a meeting, and it would read good in the paper. But it's all eyewash."

The Tigers have been swept in each of their three-game series against the Royals and the White Sox. A team that was supposed to have competed out of the gate for a playoff ticket has looked during the past week as if it is contending for the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009.

Offense, again, was the Tigers' great failing Sunday night. The Tigers managed nine hits, seven of them singles. They grounded into five double plays.

But blaming the hitters was at least a tougher call Sunday, given the infield defense was not sharp, nor was Yorman Bazardo's ninth-inning relief effort (one inning, four runs, four hits, two walks) anything kids under the age of 18 should have been watching.

Although the White Sox made three errors, Carlos Guillen had the night's big miscue. He dropped a throw from Miguel Cabrera that helped the White Sox to a six-run sixth inning in which five of the runs were unearned.

Justin Verlander paid much of the price Sunday. He allowed nine runs, four earned, in a 5 2/3 -inning outing that was eminently better than the boxscore implied.

Verlander snapped back from Nick Swisher's home run on the second pitch of the night. He guided the Tigers into the fifth with a 1-1 tie when things fell apart.

The White Sox got a pair of runs in the fifth, helped by a potential double-play ground ball Guillen missed. An inning later, disaster arrived, set in motion by a throw from Cabrera on a ground ball off the bat of Paul Konerko. Guillen conceded he missed the throw. Six runs followed.

"I have no problem with that," said Leyland, who understands mistakes will happen. It's the other malfunctions on a supposedly elite baseball team that had the manager shaken Sunday.

"I think we're listening, but I don't think we're hearing," Leyland said, repeating words he said to his team.

"It's a manager's responsibility to have the team prepared," he said. "We're just not executing. We're not going out there with a hungry, determined approach."

Detroit's offense was again so limp that reserve infielder Ramon Santiago, filling in for Placido Polanco (stiff back), joined Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen as Detroit's hitting stalwarts Sunday. Each had two hits, with Santiago and Guillen getting Detroit's only extra-base hits of the night, both doubles.

For the Tigers, it is on to Boston. For a team that has every reason to wonder when it will win its first game of the season, today at least offers a respite: no game.

At least we can't lose today.

thank U God!

TigersGirl wrote:

At least we can't lose today.

That's small comfort. But hey, i take what i can get.

Like I've been reading, it's a bunch of highly paid superstars who are good in their own right but lousy playing together!

Who is this team and what have you done with my Tigers?

Even in Spring Training, many times it was our A or AA players who did the scoring...

And what happened to Pudges bat?? He ended ST doing well, now???

All the highly paid players barely played in ST. Everyone can afford to get better, and that's what ST is for!

They are overpaid for sure, no one deserves millions of dollars for doing any job, that's ridiculous to begin with. It also proves that spending millions makes no difference. It should be like the real world, you don't do your job, you get written up, up to and including termination, LOL. Like someone said somewhere on here, their money shouldn't be guaranteed. They just signed Miggy for, what, 7 years, at a bazillion dollars? What if this is what they get for their money???

they are resting on their laurels WAAAAAy too much!

Miggy is insurance for later this year and the future. Remember, they knew he would probably slump against AL pitchers until he learns them. He felt Maggs would help him there. Right now he will do well against ex NL pitchers he has batted against in the past.

But don't expect wonders overnight with him. Also, that muscle pull is messing with his swing.

I give him a short-time pass and will be very happy with any hits or HR he gets. But as to Maggs, Sheff, Los, Polly, Pudge, ect...that is something different!!!

I am just happy and surprised when Edgar and J. Jones hit well, considering they also are having to learn the AL pitchers!

You'll have to excuse my ranting LOL. Sometimes sitting here filling out 500,000 job applications that take over an hour each and then searching the open positions daily tends to get to me just a little bit
Wish I could make millions though, give me a bat and a LOL :haha:

500,000?

iluvpudge7 wrote:

They are overpaid for sure, no one deserves millions of dollars for doing any job, that's ridiculous to begin with. It also proves that spending millions makes no difference. It should be like the real world, you don't do your job, you get written up, up to and including termination, LOL. Like someone said somewhere on here, their money shouldn't be guaranteed. They just signed Miggy for, what, 7 years, at a bazillion dollars? What if this is what they get for their money???

WRONG!! I think TEACHERS should be the highest paid people on the panet....all the absolute SHIT we have to put up with daily....

teachers and prison guards!

....same basic thing.

I was thinking that when I wrote it!

tigersaint wrote:

iluvpudge7 wrote:

They are overpaid for sure, no one deserves millions of dollars for doing any job, that's ridiculous to begin with. It also proves that spending millions makes no difference. It should be like the real world, you don't do your job, you get written up, up to and including termination, LOL. Like someone said somewhere on here, their money shouldn't be guaranteed. They just signed Miggy for, what, 7 years, at a bazillion dollars? What if this is what they get for their money???

WRONG!! I think TEACHERS should be the highest paid people on the panet....all the absolute SHIT we have to put up with daily....

It would be nice....some states I've looked into, when I saw the pay I was like, "you gotta be kidding me!!!!

Try Alaska! seems like they pay well up there!
(wait! what am I SAYING?!?!??)

laprimamirala wrote:

Try Alaska! seems like they pay well up there!
(wait! what am I SAYING?!?!??)

Cost of living is also very high in Alaska!

yup. It's all relative. However, many teaching programs will allow entire student loan forgiveness if you teach in Alaska for 5 years following graduation!

laprimamirala wrote:

yup. It's all relative. However, many teaching programs will allow entire student loan forgiveness if you teach in Alaska for 5 years following graduation!

That is true.

Happened to my husband's college roommate. He liked it so much he stayed up there! and now student loan debt free!

Hey, wait, isn't there a really high men to women ratio up there??? Like 20 men to each woman??? :haha: That might be something to think about!!!

must've been why my husband's ex went up there! Sho' 'nuff, she found somebody!

Uhhhh lp! You are nasty!

nope! just factual!

haha

Maggs has to take extra batting practice today, reports the Freep...
remedial batting?