When the Tigers made their run to the World Series in 2006 , they did so by staying relatively healthy. The key to making a run was an ability to keep everyone in the lineup. The only significant injuries were Mike Maroth and Dmitri Young. Last year, injuries to Kenny Rogers and Gary Sheffield significantly hurt the Tigers chances.
This year, the bumps and bruises are already starting to accumulate. Sheffield, Wilson, Rodney, Zumaya, Granderson, and on and on. The good thing is that the Tigers are relatively deep in all areas except the rotation. They can ride out a stretch without Granderson and Sheffield. My only concern is that the injuries don't hit the rotation. The recent trades of Andrew Miller, Jair Jurrjens, Eulogio de La Cruz and Dallas Trahern have left the system a little short on depth. Several major injuries to the starting rotation could have a major effect on the Tigers chances this year, loaded line-up or not.
Let's hope the Tigers can ride out the current wave of injuries and at the same time keep the starting rotation healthy. If you see Jim Leyland pull Kenny Rogers out o####ame a little early this season, don't freak out. He can't be greedy with his veterans. He has no choice but to make sure his rotation has enough gas to go the distance and stay healthy. Managing a pitching staff is one of the toughest tasks a manager has, This year, it is imperative that the skipper gets at least 30 starts from everyone. That takes some planning. As Leyland likes to say, "It's not always the best pitching staff that wins, it's the healthiest."
Yes, teams can win without great starting pitching, but the Tigers also seem to have a smugness issue. Even Leyland mentioned as much after the loss to the Royals recently. And here's the kicker; no team has won the World Series after starting 0-4 or worse. Add it up, and you've got panic in the Motor City.
I am not buying that injuries are the cause of this embarrassing start. The Tigers are far and away the worst team in baseball right now. That second highest payroll looks really bad. Can anyone say Juan Gonzalez. They dont even look competative.
Relying on Sheffield as a number 3 hitter played a more defeating role for the Tigers than the loss of his bat. Guillen should be the everyday 3 hitter with Sheff dropped to 6th. There comes a point when you have to question whether the respect you show for an individual player is detrimental to the team. Why not bring Kaline back and put him in the 3 spot out of respect? Also, you should make a bet with Rod that he cannot go an entire broadcast without using the phrase "from an offensive standpoint." Maybe for someone with poor grammar skills it sounds smart, but the word "offensively" would suffice.
Mario Impemba is in his seventh season as play-by-play announcer on FSN Detroit’s Emmy-winning Tigers coverage.
In addition to Tigers duties, he has done play-by-play on FSN's coverage of MHSAA football and basketball championship games, as well as CCHA hockey and college basketball. In the off-season, he is the radio and television voice of Oakland University Golden Grizzlies basketball.
Before joining the FSN broadcast team, he spent the previous seven seasons as the radio voice of the then-Anaheim Angels and served as a fill-in TV play-by-play announcer during his final three years in Anaheim.
Check out more about the craft of baseball broadcasting at his website, thesoundofbas eball.com.
