Jimmy Leyland, we here at OSG love you. Seriously.
In last night's game, Leyland's Detroit Tigers were battling the Toronto Blue Jays - in a game broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet. In the bottom of the 7th, tied 2-2, Detroit outfielder Andy Dirks lays down one helluva bunt. Toronto's 2b Aaron Hill charges, and tosses a side-arm gem to get Dirks out. However, 1st base umpire Ed Rapuano says Hill's throw pulled 1B Adam Lind off the bag.
Out comes Toronto skipper John Farrell, and gets Rapuano to ask home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez for help. The call is overturned, and Dirks is ruled out. (Good call, by the way...Hill got Dirks out by a full step.)
You could here the collective murmur of the crowd when Jim Leyland came running across the field...
The Detroit Tigers Justin Verlander went the full nine innings against Toronto- walking one and striking out four for the second no-no of his career...
A 9-0 win over the Blue Jays...
He was even asked a few years ago how to actually throw one of these no-hitters... ((HT: StackTV/StackBaseball))
Verlander's only baserunner was with one out in the eighth inning when J.P. Arencibia walked on a full count- on Verlander's 12th pitch of the at-bat.
It was the fourth time the Blue Jays have been no-hit in the team's existence- the last was by the Texas Rangers' Nolan Ryan, on his 7th no-hitter May 1, 1991.
Here's the ninth inning... ((HT: FSDetroit/youtube))
Thursday Update: As of 1:44 this afternoon eastern time, Sparky Anderson has passed away due to the complications resulting from the conditions described below...
Our thoughts and prayers are to the Anderson, Reds, and Tigers families...
((HT: Cincinnati Reds))
From the desk of Rob Butcher, Director of Media Relations...
Hall of Fame Manager Sparky Anderson has been placed in the care of hospice for complications resulting from dementia at his home in Thousand Oaks, CA.
The Anderson family, which consists of wife Carol, sons Lee and Albert, and daughter Shirley Englebrecht, wishes to express appreciation to all friends and fans for the support and kindness they have shown throughout Sparky's career and retirement.
The family is particularly grateful for the respect for privacy the national and local media has demonstrated during this trying period.
Reds President and CEO Bob Castellini added:
"We are very sad to hear the news of Sparky's failing health. Every day here we are reminded of his contribution to the success of this proud franchise. The Reds' family offers its prayers and support to Sparky and his family during this difficult time."
Our thoughts to the Anderson family in this trying time... We prefer to remember him this way... from 1982... ((HT: WDIV/MLB/Youtube))
The closest Matt Garza came to a no-hitter was an outing on June 26th of 2008 against the Florida Marlins... until tonight in a 5-0 shutout of the Detorit Tigers.
Garza faces the minimum, one reached, and he registers the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history.
Falling behind 3-1 to Don Kelly in the ninth, Kelly would eventually ground out to Reid Brignac for out number one. Tigers catcher Gerald Laird was called out looking for out number two, and pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago flew out to right fielder Ben Zobrist.
Santiago was 0-for-2 lifetime against Garza going in... He goes out 0-for-3...
Here's the last out, one of many posts until they all get pulled... ((HT: MLB/FS Rays/MLBAM/lifeiscubes))
Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya is gone for the rest of the season with a fractured right elbow.
The team said Tuesday that he fractured his right olecranon, which is the bony tip of the elbow right under the skin.
Zumaya was literally shaking in pain after throwing a pitch that Delmon Young fouled off in the eighth inning of Detroit's 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins.
He has missed large chunks of the last two seasons because of shoulder problems.
Here's the injury, while it lasts... It's not pretty... ((HT: MLB/FS Detroit/tomnet825))
OK, after being bombarded with Jim Joyce hatorade today, I took a nice long look at the perfect game that wasn't.
If you live under a rock, MLB umpire Jim Joyce is the latest official embroiled in controversy (refer to earlier article, about three or four under this one). Detroit pitcher Armando Gallaraga was one out away from a perfect game (first one in Detroit franchise history and the third this season). He needed only one out, and Joyce prevented that from happening. Judge for yourself below:
((Image HT:MLB Network))
However, Joyce did something most umpires that suck DO NOT do: he admitted he was wrong. He admitted to Gallaraga he blew it. He gave the guy a hug.
UMPIRES ARE HUMAN! Even Detroit skipper Jim Leyland admitted that "players are human, umpires are human, and managers are human."
Did the call suck? Yes. Is Jim Joyce the Anti-Christ? No.
As a fellow umpire, I've seen my fair share of close calls. Have I gotten them all right? Hell no. Have I given my best every time I put on the blue? You damn right. Jim Joyce has done that his entire career (2 World Series games, several playoff games, a couple of All-Star games), and one call shouldn't haunt him his entire life.
You want to be mad at someone? Be mad at Uber-Selig for not reversing the call. He has the power to overturn Joyce's bungled call and give Gallaraga the perfect game. He said no. All Uber-Selig said today in a press conference is that MLB is looking into expanding the use of replay. Didn't even mention the blown call.
I loved the quote St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa gave the AP:
"I was thinking if the umpire says he made a mistake on replay, I’d call it a no-hitter, perfect game. Just scratch it. If I was Mr. Selig, in the best interest of the game. The guy got it and I’d give him his perfect game. But here again, I should just shut my mouth."
Bad calls are a part of the game. Selig could have used his power to fix it. He did not.
Be mad at Uber-Selig. In my opinion, Jim Joyce is one classy individual for how he handled this situation. I do not hold this one call against him. If we were all perfect , then life would be boring.
Get off of Joyce's back. Get onto Selig's. Write letters. Send emails. Pick up the phone. Call your congressman. MLB screwed this one up more than Joyce did.
Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers lost his bid for a perfect game Wednesday night with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he blew.
Here's the play in question and subsequent on-field discussion ((HT: FSTigers/jkeep31895))
Joyce regretted what he had done on the field...
"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."
"It was the biggest call of my career."
Tim Kurkjian discusses on the four-letter... ((HT: FSTigers/MLB/ESPN))
Galarraga almost became the first Tigers pitcher to throw a perfect game...
Here's Tigers postgame, thanks to our friends at WXYZ-TV in Detroit...
UPDATE: Major League Baseball was still deciding whether to review Joyce's blown call. Commissioner Bud Selig has the power to reverse it, but he would likely consult with his top advisers before making such a ruling.
One of the true characters of baseball of the last decade, former All-Star right-hander Jose Lima died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 37.
The cause of death was ruled a heart attack, according to his wife, Dorca Astacio.
"Jose was complaining while sleeping and I just thought he was having a nightmare," Astacio told ESPNdeportes.com. "I called the paramedics, but they couldn't help him."
Lima was 89-102 in 13 seasons with the Tigers, Astros, Royals, Dodgers and Mets. He was selected to the All-Star Game with Houston in 1999, when he won a career-high 21 games.
Here's one of Lima's lighter moments with the Golden Baseball League's Long Beach Armada, where his singing talents were once again on display... ((HT: LongBeachArmada))
((HT: WXYZ-TV Detroit)) Monday night was the first night that the Detroit Tigers were able to play at home after the death of Ernie Harwell.
A flag with Harwell's initials was raised up the center-field flagpole and several of Harwell's co-workers, broadcast partners, and friends were around for the celebration. Jose Feliciano even returned to sing the National Anthem.
Fans lined the sidewalk outside Comerica Park to pay their final respects to broadcasting legend Ernie Harwell- who was considered by many Tigers to be the voice of summer.
Hundreds of fans started lining up overnight to view the open casket bearing Harwell -- dressed in his signature Walter Mitty hat. He was positioned behind metal barriers just inside the stadium's front gate.
The casket was placed near the life-sized statue of Harwell on the Comerica grounds.
Here's coverage from our friends at WJBK-TV... ((HT: MyFoxDetroit.com))
Or Jim Rome, who spent the first hour of his Wednesday show talking about him and Tour Stop 31 in 2003...((HT: PurpleLatex))
But someone like Harwell, when he rubs off on you, you never forget...
In 2002, he was making his farewell tour. And a lot of us in the business were making a huge fuss over the whole thing- something Harwell, I'm sure, pooh-poohed up-and-down since he never thought of himself as that much of a big deal.
I decided that when he came to HQ's base of Atlanta, I wanted to spend some time getting Ernie to talk about the past and the present. The Tigers organization told me to send a note to his representatives. The Tigers were playing the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, so I faxed a two-page letter to the hotel explaining what I wanted to do. I'm fairly certain, to this day, I have the letter somewhere in the stacks of paper I call "my life."
Returning home from a party at one in the morning, my cell phone starts ringing. Since I didn't have a holster to put it in while I drove, I dropped it in between my golf shirt and undershirt. It was resting on the belt line, and as I fished for it, I think I keyed it to answer.
After what seemed like forever, I dragged it out from the in-between and said hello...
"Mister Nelson?" the voice on the other end asked... I knew exactly who it was...
"Well, sir," I replied, "my father is always 'Mister Nelson.' Mister Harwell, I'm just 'Jon.' But thank you for that..."
He laid out the time and place, and I was fortunate to sit with him for 17 minutes ((you remember little things like that)) to barely scratch the surface on a 60-year career. Good enough for, about, 2:00 minutes of tape that really should have been eight or nine. I'm fairly certain that I have that interview in the boxes of tapes that I call "my life."
And I realized after I hung up the phone for that call from Phoenix, that Ernie Harwell, THAT ERNIE FREAKING HARWELL, was hearing some odd sounds for forever before I found my phone...
Here's the story we did on Harwell during his farewell tour... ((HT: WGCL-TV))
But I wasn't done...
There was one more game I wanted, almost needed, to watch... his last... in Toronto against the Blue Jays on September 29th. I was one of the few, strangely and surprisingly so, to stay in the Tigers radio booth on that day. The list was very small: The Tigers radio crew- Harwell, Jim Price, Dan Dickinson, the local radio engineer- a videographer from WDIV-TV, Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, Chuck Swirsky ((Toronto Raptors play-by-play announcer at the time)), and me...
Traffic was intermittent... a production assistant had a handful of baseballs for the gentleman eating his popcorn in the middle innings to sign- asking "Are you Mister Harwell...?"
It's the only time I've ever asked an autograph from someone I interviewed... The lessons I learned in only two days of being around him are still with me...
Two more tributes before I sign off... One of Ernie's last public appearances was at the Fox Theatre in Detroit for a fundraiser and a promotion of Albom's latest book: "Have A Little Faith" ((HT: OfficialMitchAlbom))
And Vin Scully's story-telling of Harwell during last night's game- a delicate balance that he does all too well... ((HT: goopotato/KCAL/MLB))
We all have people that stick with us and, in Harwell's case, the Detroit Free Press' Mike Thompson has Ernie's next destination all figured out...
There will not be a public memorial service for long-time Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcer Ernie Harwell. A public viewing for Harwell will be held at Comerica Park on Thursday, starting at 7AM...
“It might be an all-night vigil,” Harwell's friend and attorney, S. Gary Spicer, said.
Spicer's probably right...
The Tigers will raise a flag bearing Harwell’s initials on the centerfield flag pole before Monday's game against the Yankees- their first home game at Comerica after the service. It will be flown through the end of the season. Also, for the rest of the season, all players will wear a patch on the right sleeve of their uniform in memory of Harwell.
A private service will be held by his family.
If you'd like to make a donation of some kind: Donations can be made to the Ernie Harwell Foundation. The Foundation furthers the endowment of the Ernie Harwell Collection at the Detroit Public Library and funds partial scholarships to the four colleges that bestowed honorary degrees on him: the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Northern Michigan University and Adrian College.
Donations can be sent through Spicer...
Ernie Harwell Foundation, c/o S. Gary Spicer Sr., senior trustee, 16845 Kercheval Ave., Suite 5, Grosse Pointe, MI, 48230
Cards and letters to the family also can be sent to the above address.
Harwell is survived by Lulu, his wife of 68 years; four children, William Harwell, Gray Harwell, Julie Harwell and Carolyn Raley; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Here's WXYZ-TV's tribute to Harwell from Monday night that ended their newscast... All 16 minutes of it...
And here's how the Detroit Free Press looked at the passing...
Broadcasting legend and former voice of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell has passed away after battling cancer.
Harwell, who was 92, had been battling cancer of the bile duct for the past year. He had retired a few years ago from baseball and was living in the Detroit area.
More on his passing and a perspective and a very detailed account of his legendary career from the Detroit Free-Press is RIGHT HERE
Here's a tribute from our friends at Fox2 ((HT: MyFoxDetroit.com))
Harwell would always start his seasons quoting from the Song of Solomon 2:11-12
For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
When it was announced that Harwell was fighting cancer, the Tigers honored him in a game last September... here's that tribute... ((HT: FSTigers/MLB))
Charlie LeDuff caught up with Harwell after Tiger Stadium was set for demolition ((HT: Detroit Free Press/leduff))
The HQ will have more as we go on this profound loss...
Thus the scratches on his face that were noticed by fans on Saturday night and beyond...
Cabrera and his wife got into a fight at their home over the weekend after the Tigers slugger came home drunk around 5 a.m. Birmingham Police Chief Richard Patterson said Monday that Cabrera's wife, Rosangel, called 911 at 6 a.m. Saturday, requesting police assistance. Miguel Cabrera opened the door for officers.
The chief says Rosangel Cabrera asked that her husband leave the house, so officers took him to the police station, where he was picked up by Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski around 7:30 a.m.
No charges are pending since it was decided that both Cabreras were the aggressors in the case.
Roop Raj has sound from the Birmingham, Michigan police chief Richard Patterson ((HT: MyFoxDetroit/WJBK-TV))
Ernie Harwell will thank fans and be honored by the Tigers on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
During the game against the Royals, the Tigers will show a video tribute and Harwell will acknowledge fans for their support.
Harwell, 91, will speak to the team before the game and watch it from the Ilitch family suite.
On Sunday at Ford Field, Harwell will be a Lions honorary captain for the home opener against the Vikings and take part in the ceremonial coin toss.
Harwell has been diagnosed with cancer and is making few public appearances. He requests fans no longer send items to be signed to his residence or his attorney’s office.
((Harwell)) has a tumor in the area of the bile duct. It is incurable. Yet Harwell said he feels calm and prepared for what comes next.
"We don't know how long this lasts," Harwell said in a phone interview. "It could be a year, it could be much less than a year, much less than a half a year. Who knows?
"Whatever's in store, I'm ready for a new adventure. That's the way I look at it."
Harwell, who gained an enormous following during 55 years as a major league baseball broadcaster -- 42 of them with the Tigers -- spent about a week in the hospital in mid-August with an obstructed bile duct, and tests revealed the tumor.
He is 91. Harwell, his family and doctors have decided against surgery or other treatment.
Asked what he wanted to have written about him, Harwell spoke about his fans and his faith.
"I don't want to make it too sweet because I don't want to get diabetes as well as this other stuff," he said, chuckling.
Here's local coverage from our friends at MyFoxDetroit Al Allen got to do the insta-react fan piece...
Those of us at OSG HQ will be the first to admit who we think the "best in the business" are...
Ernie Harwell ((pictured, thanks Eric Seals/DFP)) has always been one of those guys who is the best in the business. At the age of 91, he can still run rings around a lot of us who are three-quarters his age.
He was jobbed by Tom Monaghan when Monaghan was the owner of the Detroit Tigers, but Harwell was brought back when Monaghan checked out. Harwell got to check out on his own terms, and we were most fortunate to follow those last steps.
One line that Ernie liked to drop was: "I didn't want to have people come up to me and say, 'I heard your last broadcast and it should have been.' "
We were fortunate enough to sit down with him in his last season, and learned a lot from a guy who personifies "true professional."
All we can really do, for the time being, is wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
((HT: Detroit Free Press))
Harwell spent most of last week hospitalized with an obstructed bile duct, according to Gary Spicer, his friend and attorney. Spicer said Saturday the obstruction was dislodged, Harwell was released Friday, and he was resting at his home in Novi.
Spicer said Harwell needed additional tests and, because of doctor's recommendations of rest, had canceled appearances and appointments for the next several weeks. Spicer declined to reveal more details about Harwell's health.
Spicer said that while resting, Harwell was looking forward to his 68th wedding anniversary with Lulu on Aug. 30. His 92nd birthday is Jan. 25.
Spicer requested that friends refrain from calling or visiting Harwell. Get-well wishes should be sent via mail this way:
Ernie Harwell c/o S. Gary Spicer Sr. Attorney at Law 16845 Kercheval Ave., Suite 5 Grosse Pointe, MI 48230
Do it, people, don't just sit there... For some dialing music, here's a tribute to Tiger Stadium that the Detroit Free Press put together... ((HT: Freep.com))
Tiger Stadium's stay of execution turned out to be a brief one as a judge ruled Monday that demolition of the historic ballpark could begin again.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards rejected a request by the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy to issue a preliminary injunction preventing further demolition of the stadium. He also lifted a temporary restraining order issued Friday afternoon that halted work begun just hours earlier.
Edwards agreed with attorneys for the city that the nonprofit group likely can't raise the funds for a proposed $33.4 million redevelopment project, noting there is little financing in hand after years of work.
"It appears here that the plaintiff has been given every opportunity to succeed with this project," Edwards said after about an hour of arguments, but the conservancy has "simply failed to come up with the requisite funding."
The prospects for success in the future, Edwards said, are "very, very dim."
Crews were expected to resume tearing down what remains of Tiger Stadium "immediately," Waymon Guillebeaux, executive vice president for project management and contract services at the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., said after the hearing.
Much of the ballpark, which opened in 1912 as Navin Field, was demolished last year after sitting vacant since the Detroit Tigers departed for Comerica Park in 1999. But a section extending from dugout to dugout was left standing while the conservancy sought to raise money to transform the stadium into a commercial building with a working ballfield.
Michael Myckowiak, attorney for the conservancy, argued in court Monday that the city's Economic Development Corp. has acted in "bad faith" in its dealings with the conservancy. He blasted the vote last week by the EDC board to level the stadium, saying the conservancy wasn't told a decision was imminent.
"It's our belief that what went on ... was a sham," he said.
Myckowiak asked for more time to raise money, saying the group has paid for security at the site through the end of June.
But Frederick Berg, attorney for the EDC, said the conservancy had been given plenty of time but simply didn't come up with the tax credits, loans and other financing necessary for the redevelopment project.
"They don't have them today, they won't have them tomorrow and it's not likely that they're going to have them any time soon," he said.
Stopping demolition now will cost the city $150,000, in addition to the $400,000 already being paid to the demolition contractor to carry out the work, Berg said.
"There are a multitude of economic reasons why the EDC believes the time has come and gone for the conservancy to make its case," he said.
After the hearing, conservancy leaders appealed to Mayor Dave Bing to intervene to save the ballpark. But Bing said in a statement that while he remained "sensitive to the concerns of those who wish to preserve Tiger Stadium," he would "honor" the judge's decision.
Myckowiak said the conservancy would decide later Monday whether to appeal Edwards' decision.
Tiger Stadium's final out appeared at hand Friday as crews began demolishing what's left of the venerable ballpark, until a judge halted the demolition -- with an assist from a fan who charged the mound armed with the court order.
A temporary restraining order issued by Wayne County Circuit Judge Isidore Torres around 5 p.m. EDT halted demolition work that had started several hours earlier.
Crews are barred from "engaging in any demolition activity" at the Detroit stadium until a Monday morning hearing before Judge Prentis Edwards. The judge then will decide whether to extend the ballpark's reprieve from the wrecking ball.
The injunction was requested by the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, a nonprofit group that had tried to raise money to preserve and redevelop the ballpark, much of which was knocked down last year in a first round of demolition. But the city's Economic Development Corp. board voted Tuesday to reject the $33.4 million plan, saying the funding wasn't in place.
"The argument is easy -- is there irreparable harm to the city by waiting and is there irreparable harm to us by continuing?" said Gary Gillette, a conservancy board member.
But when attorney Michael Myckowiak and others arrived at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull to serve the order on the demolition contractor, they found they couldn't get inside the covered fence surrounding the site.
That's when stadium supporter Chip Owen took the order, got inside the fence and "ran toward the mound with the papers," said Rick Ruffner, a conservancy board member. "He gave the papers to the construction company and demolition stopped immediately."
Owen, 48, of Grosse Pointe Park, was given a warning by police.
"I found myself inside the fence and I just wanted them to stop. There was a court order and we couldn't serve it. ... I did what anybody here would have done," Owen said.
Earlier Friday, a backhoe tore apart a portion of the lower deck along the former third base line shortly after Detroit Economic Growth Corp. executive vice president Waymon Guillebeaux emerged from an onsite meeting with the demolition contractor and told The Associated Press he had given the green light to begin.
As the backhoe worked on the lower deck, another machine blasted water overhead to keep down dust. Other equipment and workers could be seen at the site. Dozens of fans watched from a nearby pedestrian bridge.
Leveling the stadium was to take 30 days and crews would remain onsite for an additional 30-60 days to handle cleanup, according to DEGC spokesman Robert Rossbach. Rossbach said the city of Detroit is paying $400,000 to a joint venture of MCM Management Corp. of Bloomfield Hills and Farrow Group of Detroit to handle the project. The demolition contract also allows the companies to sell the remaining portion of the stadium for scrap.
Myckowiak said the conservancy will argue in court that it should be given more time to put together the money for its proposed redevelopment of the ballpark.
"They have paid for security at the site through the end of June with the understanding from the city that they would have at least until that time to have their financing in order," he said.
City development officials have said the group was given more than enough time to raise money and that the partially demolished stadium is becoming unsafe.
Tiger Stadium opened in 1912 as Navin Field, on the same day Fenway Park opened in Boston.
The Tigers departed for nearby Comerica Park after the 1999 season.
Wrecking crews went to work last June, and much of the stadium was torn down by fall. But a section stretching from dugout to dugout was left standing while the conservancy sought to raise money to preserve and redevelop the stadium as a commercial building with a working ballfield.
WXYZ-TV/ABC7's Val Clark was at the Corner as demolition started, and then, stopped...
