TIGERS 08 SEASON THREAD

[ggazoo69]

I think Jim Leyland is the problem. I really do. He's too old-school and he's not willing to shake up the lineup enough or possibly bruise some of the egos of these high-paid athletes. And I don't care if the Tigers got to the Series under him. All I remember is how terrible they were in the Series under him. And I remember some really bad collapses in both seasons under him in addition to the early-season collapse that is going on right now.

I've posted this before, but it's a great tactic used by a coach. Billy Martin, when the Yankees' hitters struggled, would place numbers in a hat, 1 through 9. The number you grabbed outta there is where you batted in the lineup. Reggie batted 8th one time.

Not saying that Leyland should do the "hat trick," but the guy needs to start thinking outside the box. I don't think he can. I think Trammell would be a better manager than Leyland is. Tram never had the talent.

I'll eat my words if Leyland turns the team around. But the guy is an overrated manager IMO.

[TheeTFD]

I hear the Tigs have the second highest payroll. OMG
Let's give them about 10 more games before we fire the whole lot. Make that 20.

[Darth Tater]

Originally Posted by ggazoo69

I think Jim Leyland is the problem. I really do. He's too old-school and he's not willing to shake up the lineup enough or possibly bruise some of the egos of these high-paid athletes. And I don't care if the Tigers got to the Series under him. All I remember is how terrible they were in the Series under him. And I remember some really bad collapses in both seasons under him in addition to the early-season collapse that is going on right now.

I've posted this before, but it's a great tactic used by a coach. Billy Martin, when the Yankees' hitters struggled, would place numbers in a hat, 1 through 9. The number you grabbed outta there is where you batted in the lineup. Reggie batted 8th one time.

Not saying that Leyland should do the "hat trick," but the guy needs to start thinking outside the box. I don't think he can. I think Trammell would be a better manager than Leyland is. Tram never had the talent.

I'll eat my words if Leyland turns the team around. But the guy is an overrated manager IMO.

I dunno Green guy. I think Leyland is the tops. He's done well with other teams too. You follow the sport closer than I do, but I think Leyland should not be blamed for this.

Like TFD said, it's still early in the year too.

[LA Dre]

Originally Posted by Darth Tater

I dunno Green guy. I think Leyland is the tops. He's done well with other teams too. You follow the sport closer than I do, but I think Leyland should not be blamed for this.

Like TFD said, it's still early in the year too.

I think it is Leyland, some of the players and management, but not in any particular order.

First of all we know a whole season has elapsed, but I'mnot sure if this team ever recovered from the W/S loss in 2006. Management relied on the relief pitching from that team and their injured arms and lived on the starting pitching through Mid July and nothing has been the same since in the pitching or offense. The players seem tentative and Leyland still does not know when to fold or hold with the pithing staff and that definitely dates back to last summer.

Looks like they going 2-10 after today's loss and although there are 150 games left, by the time they find a couple of teams that they can possibly win a series from they will be to far behind to catch up...........

[Darth Tater]

Originally Posted by LA Dre

I think it is Leyland, some of the players and management, but not in any particular order.

First of all we know a whole season has elapsed, but I'mnot sure if this team ever recovered from the W/S loss in 2006. Management relied on the relief pitching from that team and their injured arms and lived on the starting pitching through Mid July and nothing has been the same since in the pitching or offense. The players seem tentative and Leyland still does not know when to fold or hold with the pithing staff and that definitely dates back to last summer.

Looks like they going 2-10 after today's loss and although there are 150 games left, by the time they find a couple of teams that they can possibly win a series from they will be to far behind to catch up...........

Cabrera, Ordonez, Polanco, and Sheffield. They are all hitting around...what... .160. These guys should be lighting it up. He can't hit for these guys. We should have been fine. No sir...I cannot fault Leyland.

[Nemo]

We need to switch Leyland with Saunders.......

[Delfino Delivers]

Leyland needsto change the batting order to shake things up. Move the players around in the order based upon current avg. That is going to put some players in very different spots but something needs to be done. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

If he doesn't shake things up it could be a long month.

[BillLaimbeer]

Leyland has a very even keel and demeanor about him. He believes in his players and puts his faith in them. If he panics 12 games into the season and starts creating random lineups, the players will sense the panic and put even more pressure on themselves. There is no way this many great players can continue to slump at the same time. Leyland isn't the problem. Baseball is a funny game. Luckily, they play 162 games, not 12.

[mikhail1973]

Leyland did change up some things, but nothing seems to work so far. He really can't go out there and hit for his star players. They have to do the work. And that would take pressure of the starting pitchers not having to go out there and shutout the opposition every time to keep team in the game.

[mikhail1973]

Leyland finally ripped into this team for the way they are playing:

Tigers' offense remains in hibernation

Dormant for a couple of years, manager Jim Leyland spewed ash and anger following the Tigers' 11-0 loss Sunday, when for the first time ever at home the White Sox hit two grand slams.
As explosions go, it wasn't much, especially when compared to the loud corrective measures Leyland took in his first season, when he thought the Tigers had mentally packed up early for an upcoming trip.

That's the sort of thing that can cause the magma to rise, though. He can tolerate the slumps, even one such as the 2-10 Tigers find themselves in. He also can tolerate the lack of hitting, such as two consecutive shutouts on the heels of which the Tigers left Chicago.
They lost 7-0 on Saturday, 11-0 on Sunday, and now have been blanked four times in 12 games.
Leyland stands by his players through thick and thin, but when the frustration is compounded by a lapse in the long, arduous process of simply grinding it out, it's time to jolt the players back into place.
He doesn't ever mean it personally. They don't take it personally. It's strictly business.
But whatever set it off, perhaps the amount of lame first-pitch swinging the Tigers did late in the game, Sunday was the day Leyland took his team to task. But it could have been that the root of what he said after the game actually was what he talked about before it.