For a two unfortunate years, I was a resident of the greater Houston metroplex. In fact, it’ll be 10 years this December that I moved there (and it was seven years ago this week that I escaped).
My stay in Houston coincided with the April 2000 opening of a new baseball stadium, then Enron Field, site of this weekend’s interleague series between the Tigers and Astros. Meanwhile, the Tigers were moving into Comerica Park.
Continue reading “Memories of Enron Field and Loose Tigers Connections”
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Did they burn cars in ’68 too, or is Bobby mixing his championship metaphors?
On this date in 2005, the Tigers traded reliever/troublemaker Ugueth Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez to the Phillies for infielder Placido Polanco. We all know how that traded worked out.
In his five-ish seasons in Detroit, Polanco has been merely a machine: .313 average, .357 OBP, playing in about 140 games a year, hitting .529 in the ALCS to win the MVP, consecutive errorless-games streak at second base, and so on.
As for Urbina, he pitched in 56 games for the Phillies posting a 4-3 record with a 4.13 ERA. He managed to notch a single save before turning to a life of crime — and who could blame him? He was scraping by on the more than $25 million he’d earned in his 11 seasons. He’ll be in a Venezuelan clink for another 12 years. Give or take.
Also, a bevy of notable births occurred on June 8, not the least of which is my daughter. Friends of the Fungo Doug Hill and Ian Casselberry (he of the resplendent BlessYouBoys.com) also celebrate birthdays today. Then there are the Tigers-related celebrations, Kevin Ritz and Dave Mlicki and Matt Perisho.
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