Questions & Answers

"Why are the Tigers 4-12 in May?"

"Since July of 2007, Gary Sheffield is hitting .179 with 4 HR and 18 RBI in 74 games. Why is he still in the lineup?"

"Why is Miguel Cabrera hitting .182 with runners in scoring position this season?"

"How has a team that was supposed to score close to a 1,000 runs this season already been shut out 7 times?"

"Why do the Tigers have the worst record in the American League?"

Jim Leyland's answer to the questions posed to him, "I'm totally out of answers. I don't know what to tell you."

Jim the answer is this: the Detroit Tigers have stopped responding to you. You need to find a way to make them respond to you. If that means, acting like Larry "Mt. Bowa" Bowa, then that is what you have to do. If that means getting rid of your pitching coach, who only once in his career had a team ERA below 4.00 then that is what you need to do. If that means, taking the high road out and quitting (remember Colorado) then that is what you need to do. Whatever the answer is, you must figure this out and figure it out fast, before Dave Dombrowski makes a decision. If fact it may already be too late. Mr. D may already be making some decisions for you at your meeting today. Yes, you are a 3 time Manager of the Year, but you own a career winning percentage of .496. Please do something fast.

Is it time for instant replay in Major League Baseball?

Yes and no. In no way shape or form, do I what instant replay calling balls and strikes. Out or safe would be an "I do not know". In the case of fair or foul, something needs to be done. In the world of incentive laden contracts, the difference between an umpires call of fair or foul may cost a player tens of thousands of dollars if not more at the end of the season.

If you were watching the Mets and Yankees on ESPN last evening, you witnessed first hand what replay could do for the game. Carlos Delgado of the Mets hit a ball down the left field line with runners on first and third. The ball carried down the line and hit the bottom of the "fair pole" (more on this below)and landed in foul territory. The third base umpire called the play a home run, but after conferring with the other umpires who were farther away the decision was made to call the ball foul. Delgado ended up singling in a run, but the point is the umpire did not make the correct call as replay ended up showing. If the point of conferring is to make the correct call, then replay would work in this instance.

Two pet peeves I have with baseball announcers or just people in genreal. Why do people say "pickle" or "foul line/pole"?

The proper term for both is "run down" and "fair line/pole". The first one is just laziness and not learning proper baseball lexicon, and the second one is just plain stupidity. When the ball hits the line or pole it is FAIR! Joe Morgan are you listening. Hence it is called a FAIR LINE/POLE.