Tag: Earl Wilson

• Dontrelle Willis returns to the D as a reliever. If he continues to pitch the way he has in Spring Training and early in the regular season, his name might very well end up ahead of Damion Easley as the Tigers most expensive contract-as-main-course ever. Rob Neyer‘s already weighed in on the move.

• Speaking of Mr. Neyer, in case you haven’t listened, today I posted an interview with him on the podcast. He thinks the Tigers are still very much alive in the A.L. Central; it’s Kenny Rogers and Willis, Neyer’s all but certain, who’re finished.

• In case you need one more article on the effect of Jim Leyland‘s verbal fireworks, check out Mike Bauman‘s column on MLB.com.

• Baseball and poetry? Why not? In college I penned a poem about my first game at Tiger Stadium. At BardBall.com, Tigers fan Jim Garner publishes baseball poetry — doggerel to be exact (I had to look it up). He’s featuring a poem on Freddy Dolsi’s first major league pitch. You remember it, the one to Manny Ramirez that might still be sailing. Here’s a sampling:
  

  Freddy went down the middle

  To show off his heat.

  Manny clobbered that apple

  Five hundred feet.

• Remember Andrew Miller? (Ahem.) He has a birthday today — his 23rd. Other former Tigers celebrating include: Bryce Florie, Bob Molinaro and Earl Averill.

• Wondering how some former Tigers are faring with their new clubs? Me too:
  • Chris Shelton, Rangers: .179, 2 HR, 3 RBI
  • Wil Ledezma, Padres: 0-1, 3.54 ERA, 1.54 WHIP
  • Tony Clark, Padres: .238, 0 HR, 1 RBI
  • Mike Rabelo, Marlins: .219, 1 HR, 7 RBI

  And here comes the Omaha Royals Trio:

  • Mike Maroth: 0-2, 12.91 ERA in three starts (7.2 IP)
  • Roman Colon: 0-0, 6.30 ERA in 10 IP
  • Jason Smith: .253, 10 HR, 27 RBI (His 10 homers lead the team.)

Finally, from Baseball-Reference.com, on this date in 1967, Earl Wilson gives Detroit its third straight win over the Yankees, 9-4. Mickey Mantle hits his fifth homer in six games but it’s not enough for Whitey Ford, who appears in his last ML game.