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Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

A Merry and Blessed Christmas to all of you. and in the spirit of the season Happy Holidays.
 
Yoenis Cespedes? market has been somewhat slow to develop, though ?the Tigers appear to be sitting back waiting for? the free agent outfielder, USA Today?s Bob Nightengale tweets. Cespedes? asking price may also be dropping as the offseason rolls along. Detroit, Cespedes? former team, has been linked to the slugger on the rumor mill but Tigers GM Al Avila said during the Winter Meetings that his team was out on both Cespedes and Alex Gordon. That stance could change, of course, if Cespedes could be had at a lower price, though that feeling undoubtedly applies to more teams than just the Tigers. The Angels, Orioles, Royals and Giants have also been rumored to have some level of interest in Cespedes this offseason. Tim Dierkes predicted Cespedes for a six-year, $140MM contract while ranking him sixth on MLBTR?s Top 50 Free Agents list.
 
December 26 in Tigers and mlb history:

1906 - National League umpire Hank O'Day suggests that the batter's box be outlined with white rubber strips rather than chalk, making it impossible for hitters to erase the lines. But the rule will never be implemented.

1950 - With a large portion going to the players' pension fund, outgoing Commissioner Happy Chandler announces the Gillette Razor Company has purchased the television rights to the All-Star Game for six years for six million dollars.

1974 - The Little League is officially open to girls as U.S. President Gerald Ford signs legislation amending the charter of the organization. Little League had sought changes in their charter after a series of lawsuits challenged its boys-only rule.

2005: The Associated Press reports that baseball took a lot of shots in 2005 from politicians, commentators and players themselves as the sport struggled with steroids.
MLB went from no drug policy in 2002, to anonymous testing in 2003, to counseling for positive tests in 2004, to a dozen 10-day suspensions this year.
Starting next year, an initial positive test will result in a 50-game suspension, and players will be tested for amphetamines for the first time, with penalties for a second positive result.

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dick_Burns
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burnsdi01.shtml?redir
Dick Burns Detroit Wolverines 1883.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cavetpu01.shtml
Pug Cavet 1911, 1914-1915.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Herman_Pillette
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pillehe01.shtml?redir
Herman Pillette 1922-1924.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Storm_Davis
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davisst02.shtml?redir
Storm Davis 1993-1994.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Omar_Infante
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/infanom01.shtml?redir
Omar Infante 2002-2007, 2012-2013.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Darin_Downs
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/downsda02.shtml
Darin Downs 2012-2013.

Tigers players who passed away:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Chris_Brown
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownch02.shtml?redir
Chris Brown 1989.

from baseball reference
 
https://www.detroitathletic.com/blo...-the-top-five-detroit-sports-stories-in-2015/
These were the Top Five Detroit Sports Stories in 2015.
Detroit Athletic

Every year, we tend to welcome new people into our lives and say goodbye to old friends. This past year, three of the city?s four major professional sports teams did just that ? the Lions, Red Wings and Tigers.

Some of the change was warranted, such as the firing of long-time Lions front office executives Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew, while other changes were less expected and welcomed, such as the dismissal of long-tenured Tigers president Dave Dombrowski and the decision by Stanley Cup champion head coach Mike Babcock to leave the Red Wings for the Eastern Conference rival Toronto Maple Leafs.

To many Lions fans, the feeling they received when the dismissal of Lewand and Mayhew was formally announced on November 5 was the same one that a child receives when he or she obtains an early Christmas gift.

In contrast, many Tigers and Red Wings fans felt that a lump of coal had been assigned to them when Dombrowski?s and Babcock?s respective departures were made public.

But whether good or bad, these three exits indubitably make up three of the five biggest stories in Detroit sports during the past year.

It?s not my goal to put anyone in a somber mood during the holiday season. So, to brighten up your spirits, let?s talk about two other major events that happened in Detroit sports in 2015 that happened to be bright spots.

I?m talking about the emergence of Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez and Red Wings rookie phenom Dylan Larkin.

Martinez was a 20th round selection of the Houston Astros in 2009 while Larkin was a first-round selection of the Red Wings in 2014. Yet, the two can find common ground in the fact that they are arguably the two most exciting athletes under the age of 30 in Detroit sports today.

The 28-year-old home run-hitting Martinez produced 38 long balls and drove in 102 runs for the Tigers in ?15, which was just his second full major league season. Most players with his level of experience are just starting to figure out which restaurants are the best to eat at in each road city. But J.D. is producing like a veteran.

In 2015 as the Tigers suffered an off-season from Victor Martinez and endured the loss of Miguel Cabrera for more than a month due to injury, Martinez recorded his first season of being worth five wins above replacement. His eye-popping power surge helped him earn All-Star and Silver Slugger honors for the first time.

Anything close to that performance in 2016 will be appreciated by the Tigers faithful, as the club looks to rebound from its disappointing last-place finish in the AL Central ? ironically, Dombrowski?s last year as head honcho of the Detroit organization.

The Red Wings aren?t looking to rebound from a last-place finish like the Tigers, as the Wings qualified for the playoffs for the 24th straight time during the 2014-15 campaign.

However, with the squad?s captain Henrik Zetterberg having turned 35 on October 9 and alternate captain Pavel Datsyuk having turned 37 on July 20, Hockeytown was in need of its next star.

And it looks to have found itself just that in the form of Larkin, the 19-year-old University of Michigan product who was drafted 15th overall by the Wings in the ?14 NHL Draft.

Even as a highly touted prospect, he?s exceeded even the most optimistic prognosticator?s expectations thus far.

In fact, as of Christmas Day, he leads all of the NHL in plus-minus with a positive 21 in the highly utilized statistic.

Among Wings players, the Waterford, Michigan, native also ranks at least third in the three following major offensive stats: in assists (tied for third with 11), in points (second with 24) plus in goals (first with 13).

His rise to stardom in year one has helped ease new Detroit bench boss Jeff Blashill?s transition from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the pros and has helped put the Wings into the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference going into the new year with 41 points ? good for seventh place in the East and three points behind the second-place New York Rangers.

The Rookie of the Year candidate has also enabled even the most devout members of the Detroit faithful to forgive Babcock and forget that he, who led the Wings to back-to-back Western Conference championships in 2008 and 2009 and a Stanley Cup victory in ?08 over the Pittsburgh Penguins, left town this past May to coach in his native country of Canada for the Leafs.

Larkin?s and Martinez?s rises to prominence have been ?blessings? in 2015 for the Red Wings and Tigers, respectively. And it?s why they both deserve spots on my list of the five biggest stories in Detroit sports during the past year.

Now, for my ranking of the top five stories (from #5 to #1):

#5 Mike Babcock leaves the Wings for the rival Toronto Maple Leafs
Once the 2014-15 NHL campaign came to a close, it seemed destined that ?Babs? would choose free agency over returning to Motown. It?s why it came as no surprise when he inked an eight-year, $50 million deal to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the second-most Stanley Cups in NHL history yet have failed to hoist Lord Stanley since 1967.

#4 J.D. Martinez?s All-Star and Silver Slugger campaign
Martinez built on his 2014 campaign in which he recorded 4.2 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. Martinez also once again recorded an on-base plus slugging percentage above .875 (.879 OPS in ?15). A humble star, Martinez, who clubbed 38 homers in 2015, has quickly become a fan favorite in Motown. It?s hard to recall an athlete who came from more humble beginnings who become an unlikely superstar. The Astros didn?t trade J.D. to Detroit before the 2014 season, they gave him away, releasing him outright. Kudos to Avila (then the scouting director and assistant GM) for recommending him to the Tigers.

#3 Martha Ford?s firing of Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew
The 90-year-old owner cleaned house in the front office by dismissing former long-tenured Lions employees Lewand and Mayhew after the Lions started off 1-7. It was a long time coming, and yet it still wasn?t totally expected due to the organization?s former loyalty to the man who constructed the first 0-16 campaign in NFL history, Matt Millen. It was a step in the right direction, and after ?screwing the pooch? with the hiring of Rod Wood as team president, the next big decision looming for Ford & Co. is hiring Mayhew?s successor. Ford and her search committee for the organization?s next general manager better choose wisely, as the hiring ultimately will dictate the success of the dormant franchise going forward.

#2 Dylan Larkin?s rookie season
The highly touted Red Wings prospect has been better than expected in his first campaign, and is one of the current favorites to claim the Calder Memorial Trophy for the league?s best rookie as a result of ?15 #1 overall pick and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid?s clavicle injury which will keep him sidelined until after the new year. Larkin?s dominant play for the currently playoff-bound Wings is the reason why he?s got this spot in my top five.

#1 Dave Dombrowski gets ousted by Mike Ilitch
Count me as one of the many Tigers fans who was flabbergasted by the news of Dave D?s dismissal on August 4. The architect of two American League pennant-winning ballclubs in the 2006 Tigers and the 2012 version of the team did not deserve such fate. But after an unsuccessful first four months for the then-four-time reigning AL Central champs and the trading of ace David Price, closer Joakim Soria and left fielder Yoenis Cespedes before the trade deadline, Ilitch decided to give ?Trader Dave? his walking papers. Because I?m still trying to wrap my head around this bold move that resulted in the promotion of former ?Double D? right-hand man Al Avila, it has claimed the top spot in my ranking of the five biggest Detroit sports stories in 2015.
 
Let's talk Hall of Fame. Alan Trammell and Jeff Kent both suffer from my "one position" theory. Hall of voters don't like to elect contemporaries from the same league who played the same position. Cal Ripken was the best AL shortstop of the 1980s, so Trammell doesn't get in, even though he has the same numbers as Barry Larkin (who came after Ozzie Smith in the NL). Likewise, Kent slots in behind Craig Biggio, even though he's the all-time HR leader for second basemen, drove in over 1,500 runs and won an MVP.
espn
 
Tigers: Brad Ausmus was reportedly almost fired last season before former GM Dave Dombrowski fought to keep the manager. Reports then emerged in September that the club was planning to let Ausmus go at season?s end, though when ownership let new GM Al Avila make the decision, Avila opted to keep Ausmus in place. Avila?s support notwithstanding, it still seems like Ausmus is on thin ice given how badly owner Mike Ilitch wants to win; even a slow start next season could raise new rumors about a managerial change. Ausmus is signed through 2016 and Detroit has a club option on his services for 2017.
 
December 27 in Tigers and mlb history:

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Charlie_Carr
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carrch01.shtml?redir
Charlie Carr 1903-1904.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jackie_Tavener
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tavenja01.shtml?redir
Jackie Tavener 1921, 1925-1928.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jim_Tobin
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tobinji01.shtml?redir
Jim Tobin 1945.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Red_Lynn
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lynnre01.shtml?redir
Red Lynn 1939.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/palmede01.shtml
Dean Palmer 1999-2003.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Rick_Porcello
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/porceri01.shtml
Rick Porcello 2009-2014.
 
Today?s athletes are better conditioned, so given proper structure, shouldn?t they be able to handle a John Hiller-type workload? In 1973, the Detroit relief ace worked 125 innings over 65 games. The following season he worked 150 innings over 59 games.
 
ESPN has announced their Sunday Night Baseball schedule, and not surprisingly there is the usual dose of Red Sox-Yankees. If you think ?overdose? is a more fitting term, raise your hand.

On a related note, might we see the players? union lobby for teams playing these games to get Monday off? The idea was recently floated by a player rep, and it has merit. At least one of the two combatants plays their next game in another city, and with Sunday nighters pushing up against the midnight hour, they often don?t arrive until the wee hours of the morning. The MLB schedule is taxing, and these TV-money contests add yet another burden.
 
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