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

Dirks remains out due to swollen knee.
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Andy Dirks wasn't ready to return to left field on Saturday. The swelling in his right knee, which he banged into the fence at Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday, was still too much to get much flexibility out of it.
He's hopeful of playing sometime in the next couple days, hopeful enough to make the long overnight bus trip to Port St. Lucie and Jupiter on Sunday and Monday despite the knee soreness.
"It feels better," Dirks said Saturday morning. "I just have to get all the swelling out of it."
Matt Tuiasosopo started in Dirks' place in left field for the second straight day.
from the Tigers official site
 
Rondon's command off against Yankees.
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Bruce Rondon had shown steady progress over the last couple weeks since working with pitching coach Jeff Jones to improve his mechanics. Command-wise, though, Rondon's inning of work Saturday looked more like his early spring struggles.

Rondon fell behind Yankees outfielder Ben Francisco, challenged him with a fastball on a 3-1 count and watched Francisco line it over the left-field fence for a two-run home run in the eighth inning. He didn't walk anyone, but he gave up two other hits and spiked a slider in the dirt for a wild pitch that advanced a runner.

More important than results, Rondon struggled to locate his secondary pitches to get hitters to wave at it until the end of his inning, when he induced a Chris Stewart groundout and fanned Melky Mesa. Both outs came on sliders, and they came after Jones made a mound visit to tell him to calm down.

"I think [teammates] had already talked to him about stuff like that, being able to get a secondary pitch over for strike one, things of that nature," manager Jim Leyland said. "I know Jonesy's talked to him about it. I'm sure he's very aware of it. Would today stick out even more? It might be a reminder. I don't know that it would stick out more."

Leyland said Rondon's secondary pitches have been inconsistent.
"There have been some outings where he's executed a good breaking ball," Leyland said, "and some outings where the breaking ball was OK, but it wasn't tempting enough. It's been a good swing-and-miss pitch in some outings, and there have also been outings where it really wasn't a threat because it wasn't close."
Rondon said through a translator that he considers his slider his second-best pitch. He also throws a changeup in the upper 80s to complement a fastball that hits 100 mph at least once an outing. He said he mixed his pitches more after they were hitting his fastball.

Leyland has shied away from questions about Rondon's readiness, and true to form, he hesitated when asked if he felt like Rondon was ready to be a full-time closer.
"I'm not willing to give my opinion just yet, because I don't know the answer," he said.
from the Tigers official site
 
Hunter showcases HR-robbing skills for Tigers.
LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers have watched Torii Hunter take away home runs for years. Saturday was their first chance to see him do it for them rather than against them, and his first homer robbery in a Detroit uniform was a memorable one.

Hunter had a chance to time a jump when Yankees infielder Kevin Youkilis lofted a ball heading into the wind to right field during the third inning. He not only timed it well, he was able to scale the right-field fence to get his glove over the top and make the grab.

"I thought the way the conditions were today that it was going to blow out," manager Jim Leyland said. "Under normal conditions, it would not have been that close. Today, the ball was flying out.
"I've seen that before. I saw him rob one of my former players in the All-Star Game. He took one away from [Barry] Bonds."
from the Tigers official site
 
The roster competitions that the Tigers were anticipating heading down to the end of camp might not make it that long. They might not even make it to the Tigers' last home game of the spring.
"I would like to be cut down by Thursday morning," Leyland said. "But I don't know if we will or not, so don't hold me to that."
Leyland said he doesn't have many decisions left to think about other than his last bullpen spot, which could depend on the fifth-starter competition.

Leyland continues to be impressed by the work of left-hander Darin Downs, who allowed a hit and fanned two in a scoreless inning Saturday. That makes it 12 1/3 innings of one-run ball with 13 strikeouts so far this spring for the reliever.
"He's a guy that came into camp this year and said, 'I'm just going to come in and do my job,'" Leyland said.

from the Tigers official site
 
March 24 in Tigers and mlb history:

1960 - Commissioner Ford Frick says he will not allow the planned Continental League to pool players in the Western Carolinas League, as it would violate existing major-minor league agreements.

1970 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders a halt to the use of X-5 balls, which are much too lively for major league play.

1984 - The Detroit Tigers acquire relief pitcher Willie Hernandez and first baseman Dave Bergman from the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher John Wockenfuss and outfielder Glenn Wilson. Hernandez will win the American League MVP and Cy Young awards after saving 32 games with an 1.92 ERA and 140.1 innings in 80 pitching appearances. His brilliant pitching during the postseason will help Detroit to the World Championship.

Tigers players, scouts, and front office birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dick_Kryhoski
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kryhodi01.shtml
Dick Kryhoski 1950-1951.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dick_Egan_(egandi02)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/egandi02.shtml
Dick Egan 1963-1964, scout 2002-2006, assistant to GM 2007-present.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jose_Valverde
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/valvejo01.shtml
Jose Valverde 2010-2012.

Tigers players and announcers who passed away:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jerry_Robertson
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberje01.shtml
Jerry Robertson 1970.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Birdie_Tebbetts
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tebbebi01.shtml
Birdie Tebbetts 1936-1942, 1946-1947.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/George_Kell
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kellge01.shtml
George Kell 1946-1952, broadcaster 1959-1963, 1964-1996.

from Baseball Reference
 
http://www.freep.com/article/20130324/SPORTS02/303240197/The-Mark-Fidrych-story-in-a-nutshell
The Mark Fidrych story in a nutshell.

http://www.freep.com/article/201303...roit-tigers-mark-fidrych-flashback-drew-sharp
Flashback: How free-spirited Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych quickly became a national obsession.

http://www.freep.com/article/201303...Mark-The-Bird-Fidrych-into-national-sensation
Book excerpt: Tiger Stadium madness turned Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych into national sensation.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130324/SPORTS02/130323028/detroit-tigers-mark-fidrych-doug-wilson
Q&A with Doug Wilson, author of 'The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych'.

from the freep
 
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