Trump

The past 4 years have been difficult for many Americans. The trump presidency has brought chaos and division to the forefront of our nation. Family friends neighbors even complete strangers are at each others throats. We have seen violence and voter repression. Racism and white nationalism have surged under this administration. We’ve seen and heard this president and his mealy mouthed non denials “stand back and stand by” he told the proud boys. When I was in the military “stand by” meant to be ready for action. WE KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THAT MR PRESIDENT. He was given multiple opportunities to correct the record but his heart just wasn’t in it. I am convinced that Trump is a racist. It’s a shame so many other folks cant see it. This man is a deeply flawed person and never ever should have won a single primary. This man has focused on cultural divisions and exploited them, to energize a political base. His primary tactic was fear. Fear of the “other” Mexicans. Liberals. Immigrants. He was knew he was doing this. He didn’t care, because he is deeply flawed. The right wing extremism of this President has energized the left in a way no democratic candidate could have. Americans recognized the threat to democracy that our 45th President represented and voted in record numbers to reject him. We rejected the hatred, insults and childish taunts. No more. I’m thankful. This is an encouraging sign of the kind of future I want to live in. A future where everyone is treated equally with kindness and without prejudice. I am thankful for all the Americans who voted to restore American values. We are better than childish name calling, threats and bullying. This election was far too close, considering what was at stake. Were we going to choose decency and resume our traditional place on the world stage, or continue this descent into madness and authoritarianism? By a narrow margin we have rejected Trump. While I’m disappointed so many couldn’t see what I saw in trump, I’m thankful for the multitudes that did see through the reality show president and his carnival of distractions.
When Trump first announced his candidacy in 2015 he used racist language calling Mexicans criminals rapists and drug dealers. That should have been enough to sink his campaign. But it wasn’t. I was ashamed so many of my fellow Americans embraced his message. When Trump attacked John McCain and said he preferred “people who weren’t captured” I was dismayed at how many veterans didn’t denounce him for that. You veterans who turned your back on combat vet Mccain and chose Cadet bonespurs instead really disappointed me. I thought our brotherhood meant more to you. I was wrong. I sure don’t want to hear any bs from any of you about being proud veterans after you turned your back on your brother. You showed me you definitely are not my brother. Not the way I thought we were before this. When trump attacked disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski I thought decent people would abandon Trump. Maybe decent people DID abandon Trump after that incident. Maybe all that was left after that shocking attack weren’t good people. I don’t want to draw that conclusion, but many have, and with some credibility. When the Access Hollywood “pussy grabber” tape broke really and truly no one should have been left in his camp but there were millions. Enough to win the electoral college. It was a stunning moment in our history. Trump was an unpopular candidate who barely eked out a win. Most sensible people would have attempted to expand their base of voters at that point but not Trump. Instead he attacked all that didn’t vote for him calling them “haters” and “losers”. This was a harbinger of the way he would conduct his entire presidency. His inaugural address was a dark gloomy forecast peppered with grievance and outright lies. His administration earned mockery for their insistence that the Trump inauguration was “the biggest in history”. The lie was so laughable it cost the new administration and spokesperson Sean Spicer any hope of credibility from day one.
I thought after the disaster of lying about inauguration crowds, maybe the experience would temper his behavior but the lying didn’t stop. Instead, the mendacity increased by several orders of magnitude during his presidency. It was shocking to witness in real time. A president unmoored from truth. Defiant in the face of reality. Daily, we were inundated with falsehoods from our president and his administration. He told us not to believe our eyes and ears, that only he had the truth. He told us the press was the enemy of the people. His administration was flagrant in breaking multiple federal laws in broad daylight on camera How many Hatch act violations? Campaign rallies were held at the white house in flagrant disregard for the law.
The corruption of Donald J Trump was a constant undercurrent of his entire term. For the first time, we had a president with unknown foreign business ties. There were a lot of rumors swirling around the trump empire before his elevation to president. Whispers from people close to him that the wealth was a charade. A motley cast of would be oligarchs were in the constant orbit of Trump. Russian money launderers, child pornographers thieves and political hacks like Roger Stone and Rudy Giuliani had his ear. His campaign manager was convicted of felony financial crimes and sentenced to prison. His personal lawyer was convicted of felony campaign violations and sentenced to prison. We suddenly had a president who was named as ‘individual one’ in felony crimes. The stench of corruption around this white house was constant throughout his term. His “millionaires cabinet”, the wealthiest ever assembled, was comprised of wealthy patrons, as a reward for their financial support and total fealty.. Competence was secondary to absolute loyalty when considering staff. The quality of his “hires” was questionable at best. At times I wondered what the strategy was. I’ve never held a position like president but if I did would take care to find the best. And I would intentionally bring in a few folks who had differing viewpoints than me. Weeding out any dissenting viewpoints was a big mistake by an amateur president and hamstrung his staff. Many of the mistakes he made would have been avoided if he had seriously considered opinions different from his own. Instead, staff was afraid to anger the boss. He built an organization of “yes men”. There were virtually no people of color represented in his administration. This wouldn’t be a government of the people, that identified problems and took serious action to improve Americans lives. This wouldn’t be an administration that embraced social justice. The issues brought to the forefront by movements like #METOO and #BLM were dismissed and labeled as unamerican socialist and dangerous. The irony that his ultimate defeat would be at the hands of black and women voters is perfect fodder for a Hollywood script. The reality president has crafted a classic tale of a bully getting his much deserved comeuppance, with himself unwittingly cast as the heel. Instead of meaningful action we would get jingoistic slogans empty promises and sleight of hand policy from this administration. The wealthiest of americans received a giant tax break. This trump tax law was marketed as a boon to the common man but in reality was a giveaway to the wealthiest 1% and promised to balloon the deficit in coming years. The future was mortgaged to juice the economy now, so that trump could triumphantly proclaim his prowess as a genius. This short term gain fizzled after 6 months, and many americans began to realize they had been conned. The future debt crisis being caused by this reckless combination of ballooning spending and plummeting tax revenue was a part of a cynical plan to force future government to make steep cuts to social welfare programs because of that anticipated debt. This debt was also aimed at hamstringing any future liberal government with enough debt to stifle growth. Everything was a marketing campaign. Anything and everything was promised with the standard timeline of “sometime in the next two weeks” When those 2 weeks passed , a glassy eyed trump would dissemble and try to change the subject or just move the goalposts out another a few weeks with another empty promise. By the time those 2 weeks passed another trump scandal would have erupted, almost like clockwork, and the previous lies and empty promises would be left behind, while the press scrambled to cover the newest scandal. It was remarkable that he could survive endless scandals, but he did. He seemed to thrive in this storm of scandal and enmity. It was obvious he took delight in outraging the press and anyone he perceived as an enemy with taunts and insults. He wielded his twitter account like a weapon. For the first time, we had a president who was in constant communication with his followers via his twitter feed. 4 long years we endured a stream of consciousness presidential twitter feed, littered with self pity, lies and conspiracy theories. I’ve worked in information technology my whole life. This concept of “fake news “ is nothing new to me. The internet has always been a breeding ground for misinformation and conspiracy theories and we had a president who was an avid consumer of both. Trump used his twitter account to crush any dissent from within his party. If a republican legislator got out of line, they were attacked and the white house would do their best to replace that person with someone more compliant. After a few reluctant republicans lost their seats to someone more willingto kiss the president’s ring, the rest of the party fell into line. Their self interest was more important than serving the ideals they were elected to embody. Trump’s takeover over the party was complete. He was free to say or do as he pleased and no republicans dared stop him. One of his biggest critics, Lindsey Graham, became a lickspittle toady of shocking hypocrisy. Ive never witnessed such spineless cowardice in my life. In 4 short years he transformed from trump critic to trump enabler. The administration lacked focus and seemed to drift from crisis to crisis with no real direction or end goal other than to survive whatever current self inflicted crises was consuming the white house at the moment. An ongoing joke was the eternally promised “infrastructure week” that never arrived, despite being endlessly promised “sometime in the next two weeks.” There was never any serious policy discussion. Even the presidential debates were dominated by personal attacks and lies from Trump. The media really didn’t know how to respond to this brazen liar. In the beginning, they were afraid to label his lies as more than mere “misstatements”. Over time our press gradually changed their rules for this president. No more kid gloves. The president began being called a liar. Press conferences were lessons in the art of interviewing a hostile witness. Nothing good could come of it and I was doubly scared by the doom this portended. Future politicians will need be held to a higher standard than trump was. He abused all norms of common decency and obliterated compassion and kindness.
The chaos of the Trump white house was evident from day one with a constantly rotating cast of characters. Warring factions in the white house constantly leaked damaging information about one another to the press. The administration was hamstrung from the outset by the infighting and chaos. Daily we were confronted with outright lies from the President and his administration. Kelly ann Conway introduced us to “alternative facts” which was the white house term for the lies they wanted you to believe.
Trump never one time achieved popularity above 50% during his entire term. He never really tried to reach out to those voters who weren’t already in his camp. Instead he further alienated them with playground taunts and childish insults of anyone and everyone from professional athletes, actresses, media personalities and even gold star families. The public was outraged when trump insulted a grieving widow of a soldier tortured and killed in an ambush by being either too distracted or just didn’t care enough to get Sgt La David Johnsons name right while on a call to the unfortunate soldier’s wife, Myeshia Johnson. It was a revealing episode in the ongoing unmasking of the president’s true character. He attacked this grieving widow without shame. This was the behavior of our sitting president. Attacking the grieving wife of one of our fallen heroes, from the white house no less. I wasn’t surprised, because of his attacks on the Khan family and of course his original sin of attacking John McCain’s service. He didn’t care about duty and sacrifice. He didn’t understand what service to your country meant. It was obvious. Anyone who didn’t slavishly agree with his every pronouncement was a target for his ire. Finding quality people for political appointments and work in the administration was seriously limited by this atmosphere because everyone had to pass that litmus test. No dissent allowed. Prospective staff had to have social media scoured for any whiff of anti trump bias. This resulted in partisan hacks in places throughout the administration. Loyalty was more important than competence and it really showed in the performance of duties. Quality people left in droves, replaced by incompetent sycophants. This was easily the most incompetent white house we’ve ever seen. How many executive orders were so poorly written they were stopped by legal challenges long before they were ever implemented? Throughout the entire administration the staff turnover and constant chaos, infighting, leaks and general incompetence was reflective of a President not up to the job.
Trump ignored the experts in his administration. He ignored sound military advice. He ignored sound medical advice. He ignored sound political advice. Without the support of Mitch McConnell Trump wouldn’t have accomplished anything of note in his term. His signature accomplishments- judges and a hernia inducing tax cut for the wealthy- were only achieved because McConnell made it so. Trump was merely along for the ride.
Trump couldn’t resist trying to cheat and game the system. He tried to coerce Ukraine into announcing a sham investigation into his most feared 2020 opponent, Joe Biden. That corrupt effort brought impeachment with a rescue from Mitch McConnell in the Senate. Mitch mostly held his coalition together in voting to clear the President of impeachment charges. What was remarkable about impeachment was the complete lack of interest republicans had for actually hearing evidence during trumps impeachment trial. Voters saw through the sham though. Trumps promised polling bounce from his exoneration never materialized. Voters knew he was guilty and no amount of spin could change that. People recognize corruption when they see it.
Trumps cavalier attitude towards the presidency was never more apparent than during the ongoing covid 19 pandemic. He made almost every wrong decision. He ignored and attacked the leading scientists. He ignored our CDC. Instead of confronting the virus head, on he chose to place the economy at a higher priority than Americans health. He pushed straw man arguments against mask wearing and social distancing. Thanks to the work of Bob Woodward, we heard the president admit he knew how dangerous the covid 19 pandemic was to america. He admitted that he lied and downplayed the severity to the American people. His claim that it was to prevent panic was patently false. He desperately wanted to keep the economy running at full steam. Not because it helps you. No. He wanted to help his reelection. He didn’t care about the cost in American lives. This pandemic is now raging out of control on our shores. We still have no national plan from his administration. There has never been a push by trump to get the public to follow CDC guidelines. Michael Caputo, a trump political appointee, changed public guidelines to suit the administration narrative that “all was well”. We may never know how many American lives his actions have cost us. Through Trumps weak and erratic leadership we are entering a time of economic uncertainty, with a deadlocked congress. We desperately need that missing leadership from the President. Instead of leading he has embarked on a campaign of lies, blame shifting and grievance. America needs a real leader not a crybaby making excuse after excuse. That’s why the choice of Joe Biden was a simple one. That’s why Trump lost by historic numbers. While it’s very unusual to see an incumbent president trounced in a reelection bid, it’s not hard to see why this happened. Americans see through the lies. We want a president who takes this pandemic seriously. We want action on climate change. We are sick and tired of the childish behavior. We are tired of watching the President grift up every available penny he can with frequent (and very profitable) golf trumps to trump owned resorts. We are outraged by the nepotism and corruption. How many Trump staff are now felons? How many of those felons have been given pardons or clemency for their refusal to testify against Trump wrongdoing? (spoiler alert-more than 2)
We’ve seen violence and voter intimidation from Trump voters, with the presidents very vocal approval. Trump praised the folks who tried to run a Biden/Harris campaign bus off the road as “patriots”. That shocking attack on a Texas highway in broad daylight, was recorded by bystanders. It’s being investigated by FBI and Texas law enforcement for violation of state federal laws, yet the President praises them. We’ve seen plots to kidnap and murder democratic governors by Trump supporters. Trump has praised these people as well. This President showed us he will stoop as low as he has to in his desperate bid to hold on to power. He’s challenging the validity of the vote without any evidence that the vote has been rigged. The damage he is doing is palpable. His devoted base was primed to accept these lies about voter fraud for months leading up to the election. They’ve taken to that propaganda well. 70 million americans now live in an alternate reality, one where the rightful winner, Donald Trump, has been the victim of a colossal nationwide plot to steal the presidency through voter fraud. There is no proof of this ridiculous claim, but none is needed in MAGA land. Trumpkins have been conditioned to blindly accept his lies without question over these past 4+ years. The trump base is only too eager to please their choleric leader and have responded to trump claims of cheating by storming several vote counting centers. Armed trump supporters tried to force entry into one facility. I shudder to think what might have happened on a different day. We got lucky there were no shootings.
Republicans rushed a supreme court nominee through in record time right before this election, in a transparent attempt to hold into power by packing the courts with conservative judges. They hope the conservative bias they’ve introduced into the court system will allow them to hold onto power even after being voted out of office. They may have accomplished their goal. Time will tell. We can expect an overturn of the affordable care act in the near future. This would be reckless in the middle of the biggest pandemic in a century. The republican party has no plan to cover the 20+million americans who would immediately lose health insurance, plus the 100 million+ who would lose coverage or be charged exorbitant premiums by the elimination of coverage for preexisting conditions. The longer term goal is to overturn Roe vs Wade, the landmark supreme court decision that gave women the right to choose what happens with their own bodies. If the conservatives achieve their goal, the likely reaction will be a corresponding packing of the court with liberal judges when liberals control the senate and white house. I fear this will set off an arms race of ever expanding supreme courts rigged to produce partisan outcomes. A casualty of this will be an abandonment of any pretense of judicial impartiality to partisan considerations, and our nation will suffer as a result. This is one the hallmarks of authoritarianism.
The right has begun a campaign of fear mongering. Dire predictions of millions in bread lines, out of work. Society in chaos The irony is shocking. They want you to think Joe Biden wants to destroy America. We’ve had a summer of social protests and covid made worse by the incompetent and racist leadership of trump. The dark future is one in which we have an emboldened trump, braced by the mandate of a second term. We avoided that future but more peril is dead ahead. The current republican controlled senate refused to consider a covid financial relief bill badly needed by millions out of work and countless businesses struggling to survive this pandemic. That strategy won’t change in January with the new Congress. It appears the strategy is to make things as bad as possible for the incoming president, while obstructing him from addressing the issues with a republican senate in his first term. Let’s not forget that mitch mcconnell said his number one legislative priority during the obama administration’s first term was making him a one term president. 2008 we were in the middle of a financial crisis and the Senate majority leader was focused on making sure the president didn’t get reelected. Not helping Americans devastated by the financial crisis. No, just raw political calculus in the interests of gathering and holding power. There is no reason to believe this time around will be any different. The partisan rancor joe biden will walk into his first day on the job will need to be solved to address the pandemic and the coming economic storm from the pandemic and trump’s failure to lead during these final days of his administration.
I’m encouraged by the massive turnout against this incompetent racist corrupt President. Our democracy does work. We can begin the process of healing our divisions and defeating this virus. We can unite. For all the trump voters out there, this is your chance for redemption. This is your opportunity to embrace positive change, embrace unity, love and compassion. I urge you to leave the hatred and rhetoric behind. Let’s all come together and find out what’s possible. Let’s find our common interests and put this ugly chapter behind us. America is ready to unite. The announcement of Bidens victory has Americans out in the streets, peacefully celebrating his victory. The relief is palpable. Meanwhile, our president refuses to accept reality. He says he will challenge this victory in the courts. He claims he is victim to a massive fraud. There is no proof. He has refused to concede to his opponent. The entitled toddler is threatening to overturn the table, having lost the game. It’s an astonishing display of narcissism from our president. The country needs healing but trump is focused on clinging to power.
Ive lost friends over the past 4 years. People have revealed the ugliness inside them with this presidency. I was sad about losing some friends. A little bit of time has given me a slightly different perspective. Yes, I’m sad about losing people from my life I thought were friends. But im thankful their true nature was revealed. I’m not talking about political differences. Locking children in cages, separating families, racism , raw hatred, conspiracy theories and anti science are not political positions. Im talking about fundamental things like decency, truth, love compassion and human rights. We can differ about tax rates or which projects the county road commission needs to undertake, but we cannot forget kindness and decency. We cannot differ on those fundamental values. Shame on you for making me point it out, but you’ll be forgiven if you stop now, and make a change.
If you voted for trump, it’s not too late. Accept reality. Stop the blind hatred. We can disagree on policy. We cannot disagree on our humanity. We cannot compromise our dignity. Everyone must be welcome. Learn the lessons from the Trump era. I want you in my life but you may not bring that Trumpism- hatred division racism lies and childish insults. We are done with that. It has to stop here
I’ve been thinking about all of this the past 4 years I needed to get it off my chest. I hope people will think about what ive said here Our country needs to heal. If you disagree with me, that’s ok but please do not start an argument here. Respect my right to my opinion. If you disagree with me, you are free to post your opinion on your own page. This post is for those who wish to move forward and embrace the new era of inclusion that the Biden/Harris administration represents
Thank you for listening
Love to all
Dane

Happy New Year

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Peace and love

Daner

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  To celebrate the season, I’m sending you the gifts of peace and love.   To redeem your gift, open your heart, just a little bit, to others.  You’ll receive your gifts shortly thereafter

Peace and love

Daner

Dan Rather speaks

​Ladies and gentlemen, whatever civility once existed in our politics is tonight officially dead. Never in the history of televised debates have we witnessed such a show.  And that’s what the Donald wanted.  A show.  He got it, but will he be seen as the hero or the villain?  
If you are a fan of Hillary Clinton, I suspect you are thrilled with her poised and confident performance. Perhaps her crowning line was “I prepared for this debate and I’m prepared to be President”. If you are a fan of Donald Trump, his quarrelsome, no-holds-barred approach, often facts be damned, will likely in turn have thrilled you. The question is what does everybody else watching think and how many impressionable voters remain?
Taking a snapshot of the debate stage this evening, two candidates behind podiums, each representing one of the major political parties, it would seem to be the latest chapter in our quadrennial dance with democracy. But experiencing the event, in sound and motion, it was of course anything but. 
From the very beginning, the body language tonight was striking. HIllary Clinton, the first woman ever to be on this stage was calm and substantive. Donald Trump interrupted often and slouched and sneered as he turned to address her. This is what Trump’s fans like about him, playing the alpha male at all costs. Clinton seemed completely unflustered, which is what her fans love about her. How this all plays to the majority of viewers and voters at home will be in the eyes of the beholder. 
But I was surprised by how much this man who has made so much of the means of television spent not looking into the camera, but preoccupied with his adversary. Trump came across as amped, a pacing tiger ready to pounce on every answer.  His Interruptions suggests little regard to the rules.  He’s itching for a fight…Wants to swing wildly.
At one point early in the debate Clinton, after multiple factually questionable assertions by Trump said, “I have a feeling by the end of this debate I’ll be blamed for everything that ever happened,” Clinton said. Trump replied, “Why not?” That about summed it up. 
Clinton clearly wanted to get under Trump’s skin. She attacked him for getting a hefty amount of money from his dad, challenging the narrative that he was a self-made man. And then attacking his business practices. The headline she was aiming for is Donald the Deadbeat. And then on the issue of Trump’s unreleased tax returns, when Clinton says that was because he may not have paid any taxes, Trump responded, “that makes me smart.”  Expect to hear more about this. 
Clinton was clearly the policy expert, nimbly jumping from topic to topic, policy to policy. But she was also much more able to paint a big picture than I have seen in times past. I thought she was particularly effective on the issue of race and especially the birther lie against President Obama. She had the facts on her side, but also it was an effective appeal to fire up her base. 
In the end, more than all of the specifics, I was struck by how unprecedented was the overall tenor – matching that of the campaign. We once held certain truths to be “self-evident” – that “all men are created equal” and “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These were the lofty ideals that served as a rallying cry for the founders of these United States to choose liberty over tyranny. The man who wrote these words, Thomas Jefferson, and his compatriots were imperfect and in some cases deeply flawed men. Yet their idealism fixed a North Star in our democratic firmament that has guided our ship of state ever since, with some very noted moral detours. Now I fear that the tide of progress is rapidly receding with the fierce undertow of a looming tsunami. 
Our Founders believed in reason and the power of intellect. Donald Trump made clear tonight by his wilful ignorance of important issues that he does not. Our founders feared the accumulation of power, they loathed vanity, and tried to build in protections against the demagogues who would appeal to mankind’s basest instincts. Donald Trump relishes in all of these impulses. For him they are instinctual and a prescription for success. 
To call Trump a con man, as many have, is a disservice to the art of the con. By its definition a con requires deceit. But Trump has not tried to hide his lies or the sheer unrealistic audacity of his cartoonish policy positions. He has asked the American people to bet on him. The fact checkers will certainly weigh in. The pundits will have their say. But the voters have all the information they need. The judgement is in their – or more accurately our – hands.

“Dear Donald” an open letter from Vladimir Putin to Donald J Trump

• Privyet;

I hope this letter finds you well. As comrades and stable mates on a very successful segment of the American propaganda show 60 Minutes, I feel I know you well enough to offer you some advice to help you make successful gestures in your campaign for president of the USA.

IMAGE:

First thing, you must do something about your pussy-boy western hair. It makes you appear weak and stupid. Strong men do not need such a ridiculous hair styling. Here is example of strong man, from recent USA cinematic production. Consider this as a template for your restyling.

The makeup on this man is less severe than yours, which is good. Makeup causes you to appear weak, and effeminate. He is known as the “jokester”. Very popular with many many groups. I don’t care for the color of the jacket, purple is the color of monarchy, but the stand up collar is stylish.

This hair would be ideal for a westerner who is loving the stylings of a strong russian man.

Facial expressions:

A strong leader controls his face! I cannot waste valuable energy on weakness like showing emotion. Learn to make your face and eyes dead, like mine.

I am ecstatic in this photo

I just like this photo of me. I look like Sonny on Miami Vice, no?

WEIGHT:

You are a fat ass. Strong leaders are fit. They show the people they are strong and masculine.

Show this photo to Melania. Do you see how my toned body excites her? You wish your lard did the same. Notice how masculine my hands are. This brings me to my next item.

YOUR HANDS:

All measures must be taken to conceal the effeminate nature of your hands. The people will not follow such a man! Wear padded gloves!

DRESS:

In Russia, you would be `stilyagi’ for your western costume. This word means foolish western influenced styles.

Stylish!

You should consider changing US military uniforms to copy the brilliance of the Soviet styling. I would also make Arnold a general! He is strong! I copy his line from movie. “I will be back!!” I told this to Ukraine last night in fact.

STAYING IN POWER:

Eliminate the free press. You are fighting with the press now. They are savaging you! You must sieze control of information.

You cannot allow the press to show images such as these to your zadrota [“idiot” -editor] followers! You will be exposed as a zagnut [“con”-ed.] and weakling! One western radio show I enjoy, infowars, has advertisements for products that can help with the problem this statue is showing the world. Due to your western sanctions I cannot order these but if you will also order some for me and have shipped, I would like to try. They promise discreet shipping. Have you met Alex Jones of infowars? Is he tall?

See you in Crimea Nov 10!

Vlad

Did we lose our minds?

U.S. Presidential Election 2016.   We aren’t out of the primary season yet,  and the election has already been crazier than any in recent memory.  It promises to become less sane if “The Donald” manages to secure the Republican nomination.

Some predictions:  If Donald gets the nomination, that will mark the end of the GOP as we know it.  There will be down ballot losses to the GOP is the house and senate races.    If Donald becomes the nominee,  a desperation 3rd party move by some of the GOP faithful is almost inevitable.    If all that. happens, it will be the start of a third party, a realistic third party, in the USA.  Right now, there isn’t much space for a centrist voice.

I don’t think Donald can win a national election, even against Hillary. Both candidates have near historic unfavorable levels among voters.   We truly don’t have a candidate getting much oxygen that represents anything resembling the will of the people.   Yes, you may argue Donald is that person.  I dispute that.  He was born into privelege, and has pushed the division between people, in his definition “winners” and “losers” to the maximum.  Misogynist, racist, Islamaphobic.  He is making mock of the “poorly educated” who so fervently love and follow his every pronouncement.  Most of these people loved him on his reality TV show, and nothing more, based on the maturity of their political opinions.  He promises a wall he cannot build, and a country he cannot bill will pay for it.  He plans on barring 25% of the world population from so much as ever visiting the USA, based on their religious beliefs.  He is proposing we tear up decades old alliances, and put pressure on allies to bend to our will, and pay us money.  He woudn’t oppose nuclear proliferation in Asia.  He wants to “loosen up the libel laws” to make it easier to sue those who dare publish negative stories about him.  He’s anti free speech.  He would like to take America back to a time he remembers fondly.  A time before gay rights, before civil rights, before sufferage.   A time just after the Civil war was settled.  Hardy a time of peace and tranquility.  It was a time of barely concealed racism, Jim Crow laws, lynchings…I could go on, but I think you get my point here.

The republican party left reality behind a while ago.   The “daylight” between reality and the GOP grows daily.  Global Warming?  Never heard of it.   Equal rights for all citizens?  Well, as long as you are straight and white, no problem.

It’s cachet among republicans to lament our failing military.  I guess they haven’t seen the budget allocations to the military?  Maybe they aren’t capable of seeing the % we spend on defense compared to other nations.  Maybe Donald isn’t aware of these things.  Maybe he’s just constipated on a hair ball from that combover.

 

2014 Detroit Tigers spring preview

A month before spring training opened, most Tiger fans would have said that the team was on track to win another Central division crown, and a strong contender for World Series heroics. A rash of injuries to “everyday” players has changed that outlook a little. Andy Dirks, and Jose Iglesias have been lost for at least a significant portion of the regular season due to injuries. Bruce Rondon is lost for the season with a torn UCL. A good team is able to overcome injuries, but losing three regulars at the same time, is a tall order for any team. This is a team built to win “NOW”. Tomorrow still matters, but the team realizes the window of opportunity could be closing for soon. 2014 is going to be a unique year. There is an air of excitement for the team, with a few new players and a new manager.

The success or failure of an organization starts at the top.  If you have integrity, accountability and a sense of fair play at the top, the rest fills itself in.   My look at our Tigers starts there.

The Tigers are owned by Mike Illitch.  He owns the Tigers and Red Wings, as well as being founder of Little Ceasars Pizza.  Mr I is a baseball fan.  He played in the minors for the Tigers back in the day.  He’s a lifelong Tiger fan.  His love and commitment to the Tiger franchise is very evident.  Players all say the same kinds of things about him.  They all seem to love him.  He has stated that he wants to win a World Series.  He mentioned once, that he would trade “a couple” of his Red Wing Stanley Cup championship trophies for one World Series title.  Wings fans made such an outcry that he retracted the statement.  I can understand how he feels.  Many Detroit sports fans have evinced similar sentiments.  Mr Illitch is in declining health these days.  We know he still follows the team, and he makes occasional statements in the press, but for the most part he stays out of the spotlight.  This man is one of the great sports team owners in this country.  His franchises conduct themselves with professionalism and dignity.  Many people in Michigan wish Mr Illitch would buy the Lions from the Ford family, thinking he would turn that franchise around in a similar manner to the way he righted both Wings and Tigers.  
Mr Illitch fearlessness at committing big dollars to aging superstars was a big part of the turnaround of this franchise. Spending the money to get Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen. Magglio Ordonez. Kenny Rogers. Mr I wants to win. He wants to win yesterday, today, tomorrow, and every day after that. He is “all in ” for a championship. Finishing second isn’t bad, but Mr. I is all about winning the big one.

General Manager

Dave Dombrowski is back at the helm, making trades, signing players, and doing the seemingly impossible task of keeping a 40 man roster of top notch talent available to put on the field.  This is no easy task.   Mr. Dombrowski pulled off the biggest trades of the offseason by swapping malcontent slugger Prince Fielder for the Texas Rangers Ian Kinsler in a rare one for one swap of marquee players. Another major trade moved fan favorite Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals in return for Robbie Ray, Ian Krohl and Steve Lombardozzi.   This move was to increase flexibilty, by getting some almost major league ready left handed talent, and cutting some payroll.  Dave has retooled this lineup, making the team younger, faster, and more athletic, while keeping the core intact.  Dave always seems to be thinking one step ahead of events.  He is regarded as one of the sharpest GM’s around.  His philosophy of acquiring power pitching makes for competitive teams. 

Manager

Brad Ausmus is a rookie manager.  Not only is he a rookie as a big league manager, this is his first real full time job as the skipper of a team (not counting one brief stint managing for a baseball tourney).  Brad is a former MLB gold glove winning catcher, and he logged a lot of games behind the plate.  He was respected as a player as a hard working guy.  Hard nosed, clean, competitive, intelligent.  He has a great understanding of how to pitch to any hitter, having seen thousands of major leaguers swing and miss at pitches, from a distance of less than three feet.  I guarantee he can look at a batters stance and tell you where the ball is going to be hit.  He’s a catcher.  Catchers in MLB know the game.  Well.  Very well.  He’s untested, but I think he is going to do a great job.  I think he will be wth the Tigers for a long time.  I hope so, anyway.

Starters

Justin Verlander has been here the longest. He has been one of the faces of this franchise during its remarkable turnaround. This franchise set a major league record for most losses not very long ago. The fact that they have won three straight division titles (team record) is in no small part, due to this man. He’s entering a season, however, needing to prove himself a little, for the first time in his career. The past couple years followng his CY and MVP season of 2011 have been a bit of a fall off. He had core muscle surgery this offseason. He had damage to both sides of his groin, which is a pretty important set of muscles. If he had the injury last season, as he is finally starting to admit, it would account for the fairly dramatic drop off in velocity and natural movement on his fastball. Even with the injury, he ramped it up late in the season, regaining his top-of-the-rotation stuff, through the playoffs. You could tell he was max-effort though. Having a guy like this on your squad, a guy who wants the ball, is big. He has an ego, but when you can back it up with on the field performance, its hard to get too upset. He has admitted that his issues with the groin injury most likely contributed to the problems with his delivery last year. He was wild with his fastball. JV is normally pinpoint with the fastball. This spring he has looked like the JV of old. Dominant. He has a swagger. I think he is driven to regain his “Ace” status. We know he is a big game pitcher. We know he has guts and drive and a ton of talent. A healthy JV is going to be a big plus for Detroit. He looks on track to have a typical JV season, the kind we grew used to when he was winning CY and MVP. The velocity is returning. That sets up everything. You don’t want to put too much emphasis on spring training numbers…. but JV didn’t allow a run in any of his 20 1/3 innings this spring.

Max Schezer is the rarest of rare. A Cy Young winner, who isn’t considered the Ace of his staff. Brad Ausmus confirmed JV is the opening day starter again this year. I doubt Max much cares. He just wants the ball every fifth day. He has all the tools the JV has, albeit with a different fastball. Max might have the toughest fastball to hit among MLB starters. I’m not going to bore you with all the advanced metrics and swing and miss stats. I could. But I won’t. Instead I will just say, he looks nasty. I think he is primed for another big year. He could easily win another CY. Yes, he is that good. He is in a contract year, and a good season would certainly increase his payday. I don’t think that’s what Max is playing for, but money never hurts :^)

Anibal Sanchez is an anomaly among power pitchers. He’s not a big guy. He has that little hip turn thing that he does that helps generate a lot of giddyup on the fastball. He’s having a little shoulder issue as I write this (March 2014) which dampens an otherwise great outlook for the season. He has a history of soreness in his shoulder, and he had TJ about 10 years ago. He doesn’t seem too concerned, but time will tell. His health will bear watching this spring and early summer. You have to be concerned about him breaking down at some point.

Rick Porcello is a very young starting pitcher. He is also a veteran. He has grown up, in a sense, while he was pitching in the big leagues. He has a heavy fastball, that much we know. He has a very good sinker and last year featured a new pitch, a nice curveball. I think the curveball has added a lot of depth to his other pitches. There is a bigger speed differential between the the curveball and the other two pitches for him. He is still so young….I think this year might be another mini-brekout seson for him. He’s been very durable, and I think he continues to build on the improvement he showed last season. He’s probably not going to be a Cy Young candidate, but he is going to be a good, dependable, and serviceable starter. These kind of guys can save your bullpen. I’m glad that the Tigers were able to keep Rick. I’m glad we don’t care about spring numbers either, because he got shelled this spring.

Drew Smyly is the relative unknown. We’ve seen him spot start, and he has made a ton of appearances out of the bullpen. The Tigers are pretty excited about Drew, and rightly so. In addition to his physical gifts, he seems to have a maturity, and the presence of mind of a seasoned veteran. I know he is going to struggle at times. Young players do. I also know he is going to have a lot opportunity for success this year. There are high expectations on Drew, and the team as a whole. I think Drew will end up having a good season. I think he might have a little more upside than Rick Porcello, but he also has to prove he can handle taking the ball every 5th day, all season long.

Emergency Starters

Robbie Ray will be in minors to start the season. He is one of the players obtained in the Doug Fister trade. He is a big lefty, who hasn’t really been on the MLB prospect radar. The Tigers see something in Robbie Ray. His time in camp this spring was good. He impressed a few people. Suddenly we all are starting to see what they saw when they traded MLB veteran pitching away for mid level prospects. He needs to get some off speed offerings up to par with that electric fastball he has. He’s shown progress already this spring, so don’t be shocked when he rockets through the minors later this summer.

Kyle Lobstein is another lefty that looks like he will be in the majors, if he can get better command. He has swing and miss type stuff, but until he can keep himself around the plate without putting one down the middle of the plate, he’s going to be starting in the minors. I doubt he would get much consideration unless he can solve his command issues.

Drew VerHagen, right hander, turned a few heads this spring, showing a lot of promise. He will be in Double A Erie to start the year, but he’s another guy to watch for the future. Starting the season, he wouldn’t get a call up, but if he continues to put up big numbers in the minors, he could force his way into being a candidate to fill in for any injury to a starter.

Bullpen

Joe Nathan joins the Tigers this year, on a two year deal. The veteran closer doesn’t have the big fastball he once commanded, but he still has a good one, and he can locate it. He’s still got enough to be very effective. This is something the team has been lacking for several seasons.

Joba Chamberlain was signed as a free agent this winter. He is a guy who is looking to regain the form he showed early in his career with NY Yankees. He was flipflopped from starter to reliever so many times, its no wonder Joba lost a little focus. Jeff Jones has a knack for finding and fixing those mechanical flaws in a delivery. If Joba can get anywhere near the dominance he showed early in his career, this addition will be huge. At his best, he is capable of closing games. He would be a great late inning guy to have, if he can get back to where he was earlly in his career.

Bruce Rondon was expected to be the primary setup man this year, but suddered a season ending UCL injury and in undergoing Tommy John. He will be working towards resuming his MLB career next season.

Ian Krohl, left hander, came over from the Nationals as a part of the Doug Fister trade. I’m not sure what to expect from him yet. He’s definitely going to be part of the “matchup lefty” game, but if he pitches well could easily supplant Phil Coke as the resident expert out of the ‘pen to get that one tough left handed bat out, in a high leverage situation, late in games.

Phil Coke is working on a one year contract. He hasn’t exactly lit it up this spring, but lack of other options will most likely mean he heads north with the club. He can occasionally be effective against lefties, but has allowed rh hitters a career average ABOVE .300 You can’t let him pitch to a right hander. He will get rocked. This severely limits his usefulness, but left handed pitching is hard to come by, so he will make the club. Phil has actually looked pretty sharp the second half of camp.

Luke Putkonen Luke will fill a long relief role this season. Luke has been quietly stellar.

Evan Reed will be filling a long relief role this season to start. Evan Reed is an intriguing young pitcher. I think he could easily blossom into a late inning role with the Tigers. Losing Rondon for the season leaves a vacancy at the setup position. Evan looks like he will blossom into a late inning reliever. He has an exploding fastball. Power arm. Ausmus will need to bring him along carefully in the early part of the season. If Evan can have a little early season success, he could easily have the setup role locked down by All Star break.

Al Albuquerque could become a very important part of the late inning solution for skipper Ausmus. Lack of command has been an issue. He has a slider that is so good it can be comical to watch. Big league hitters flail and miss at that slider. He also has a very good fastball. He had an arm issue two years ago. The Tigers are aware that he might have issues if they call his number too often. Ausmus will have to be careful not to overuse Al if he gets a handle on his command issues.

Waiting in the wings in Toledo will be Jose Ortega. Jose is a dark horse candidate who might see MLB playing time due to the Rondon injury. Its important to remember that even though you may lose a great player to injury, that means someone else gets an opportunity to step into the limelight. He has a +fastball, but struggles with command. He is going to have to tighten up ihs command of the strike zone in order to become a serviceable option late in games. He has an electric fastball. Good pitching, as opposed to just going up there and throwing hard, is what he needs to focus on. Athletic ability gets you to the bigs. Your ability to adjust to what the opposittion is trying to do, is what keeps you there. Jose has the tools, it just depends on how hard he works in Toledo.

Infield

Detroit lost a big part of their infield when Jose Iglesias was diagnosed with stress fractures and will miss most, if not all of the 2014 season. The Tigers made a trade to acquire Andrew Romine from the Angels. 24 year old, who expects to platoon with newly acquired Alex Gonzalez (Orioles).

Ian Kinsler was obtained from the Rangers, in a trade of star first baseman Prince Fielder. He runs well, and plays an above average second base. His offense has slipped the past couple seasons, as well as his stolen base totals. I expect him to hit around .275 and have 30 plus steals. He’s the leadoff hitter the Tigers have been seeking for several years

This is the year that we finally get to see Nick Castellanos in an everyday role. He’s back on the infield, at third base. The past two seasons, with Prince Fielder at 1st and Miguel Caberera at 3rd, his path to the majot leagues was blocked, so he was moved to left field. Prince has been traded to Texas, and Miguel moved back to 1st, clearing the way for Nick to make his debut at 3rd base this season. He has been knocking the cover off the ball all spring. He has great plate coverage, and can drive the ball to all fields. He looks like a young Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Yes, he looks that good. I think he could be a strong candidate for AL Rookie pf the Year honors this season. He plays below average defense….but it’s still an upgrade from the previous two seasons. (Sorry Miggy)

Miguel Cabrera moves back to first this season. He has offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia. He says he is fully recovered, and he definitely looks like the Miggy we know and love. He is a slugger in his prime. He can drive the ball out of the park, from foul line to foul line, on any pitch, in any count, in any stadium. Best hitter in the big leagues. He will probably win another batting title, and he could easily win another triple crown, and/or another MVP. Yes folks, he is better than good. Anyone who has any doubts about this mans ability to force the other team to account for him at all times, just needs to check highlight reels from the past 5 seasons. Ten seasons. Miggy shows up a lot.

Andrew Romine was acquired from the Angels this spring, after the full season loss of Joe Iglesias. He was obtained in a 1 for 1 swap of lh sp Jose Alvarez. Hes’s 24, athletic, switch hitter, although he recently has focused on hitting from the left side. DD originally announced he would be the left handed side of a shortstop platoon with either Danny Worth, or Hernan Perez as the right handed side. That has since changed with the acquisition of Alex Gonzalez. Andrew might see a bigger role, depending on health and availability of Alex.

Alex Gonzalez is a 37 year old utility infielder. He’s a .250 hitter, with little a little power. He’s got a reputation as a sure handed shortstop. Dave Dombrowski says that he will be the primary shortstop, with Romine spelling him for days off. This basically means that Danny Worth is never going to get an opportunity to play every day in the big leagues. Honestly, if the team isn’t going to use Danny, they should probably give him his release. It’s hard to imagine Alex playing in more than 100 games. The only shortstop to do that feat in the last seven years, past age 36, is Derek Jeter. Alex is not Derek Jeter. Not even close, although at this stage he has a better glove than Derek did at the same age. He was acquired mid camp, from the Orioles.

Danny Worth is one of those AAAA players. He is a star in the minors, but it hasn’t translated into big league success yet. If he ever gets an extended opportunity, I can see him settling in somewhere on a team that values defense over offensive production. In this ‘post steroid’ era, he actually might find a spot somewhere. It’s just not going to be with the Tigers, it’s fairly clear.

Hernan Perez will be in Toledo if they need him. Another slick fielding, light hitting, middle infielder.

Catcher

Alex Avila is entering a make or break year. He had a great season a few years ago, but has struggled mightily since. Last year he was below .200 for most of the season, with little power and a high strikeout rate. He was easy pickings for any left hander, and didn’t fare any better against righties. His defense even regressed last season. His future as a big league starter is at stake. Last year, Detroit was forced to rely on super-sub Brayan Pena for a lot of the seasn, due Alex offensive struggles. He also got dinged up several times with foul balls and home plate collisions. He’s tough as nails. He has a big desire to compete. I hope hitting coach Wally Joyner can refine that swing and get him back on track. His defense must improve, in any case.

Brian Holaday is the backup catcher this year. Young, athletic, and right handed. If Alex struggles this season, Brian might find himself as the primary catcher of one of the best staffs in the American League.

Outfield

Austin Jackson is a gold glove caliber center fielder. I’m not sure why he hasn’t won one yet. Hr plays an outstanding center field. Comerica has a lot of room to roam in center. Austin makes it look like a softball field. He seems to be able to run almost anything down. He reads the ball well off the bat, and has tremendous speed to run down balls in the gap. He is moved down the order this year. I think he is going to benefit from the move. He never fit the leadoff mold. He doesnt’ take enough pitches, he strikes out too much, and he isn’t much of base stealing threat, despite possessing good speed. I hope that the Tiger focus on baserunning/stealing translates into Austin becoming more of a threat on the bases. The things Austin does well, he does extremely well. He looks like he is going to fit in well in the 6 spot. He’s got a good stroke, and it looks like he may be ready for a breakout year in the power department. I expect 20+ home runs from him this season, to go along with an increased RBI total.

Torii Hunter will play right field. Torri might be a little older, but you can’t tell by the way he plays. He still has great closing speed and superior route to the ball. He was a multiple gold glove winning center fielder with the Twins early in his career. He hasn’t lost much, if anything, and has beome a better hitter as he has gotten older. He has a nice right field stroke, and he still can center the ball quite well. Great arm, and a clubhouse leader.

Left field is going to be Rajai Davis and Tyler Collins platoon

Rajai is a speed guy. He can run. He can really run. He is the type of player that can steal a base, when everyone in the stadium knows he’s going to. If he gets a good jump, there isn’t a catcher in baseball that can throw him out. He’s very valuable, providing he gets on base. We will see how this plays out. His defense is “ok”. Arm strength is fairly typical for a left fielder. In other words, not much there. Have I mentioned that he can really run? Detroit is committing to a speed and athletic brand of baseball. Not small ball, because a lineup with Miguel, Victor, Torii, Ian, and Austin, is not going to play a lot of small ball. The small ball tactics are going to be seen when the shortstop position is batting.

Tyler Collins wasn’t expected to start the season above the AA Erie level. He’s still in the big league camp, the last couple days of spring. He’s the only left handed OF left. He’s impressed this spring, no doubt. He has shown a good deal of power this spring, and the Tigers are hoping that he can provide a much needed power boost from the left side of the plate. The Tiger team is right hand bat heavy. How he performs this season early on, will detemine if he stays very long. The notion that a starter cannot lose his job due to injury is not exactly graven in stone. If Tyler shows some power, and can flash at least “replacement” level defense, Andy Dirks may find himself the odd man out when he returns from back surgery later this season.

Andy Dirks was expected to be the primary left fielder this year. Instead, a back injury that required surgery, has him on the shelf for the first half of the season. I don’t know what role Andy will step into when he returns. He is gold glove caliber in the outfield. Career .300 hitter at every level, until he hit MLB. He hit .300 his rookie campaign, but had a big drop off last season. He played thru a knee injury that plagued him all season. Depending on Tyler Collins performance, Andy could become trade bait if the Tigers get desperate for bullpen help.

Backups

Don Kelly will see a few games at 3rd, and probably a few in the outfield. He isn’t a great 3rd baseman, but the Tigers insist he can play there, for some reason. Sure, he can play, but so can Miguel. In my mind, the part time players need to either have a good stick or great glove, and Don doesn’t really have either. I will say that his power is developing. He is a big lanky guy, and when he can extend those arms and turn on a pitch, he can drive the ball FAR. He will also see time in left field. Not sure how much, assuming the Tigers carry both Rajai Davis and Tyler Collins. He will spell Austin in center occasionally, and Torii in right. He can play a lot of positions fairly well, but unfortunately, none of them extremely well.

Victor Martinez will be the primary DH, as well as the occasional start at 1B, and a few games a year at catcher, when the team is playing in a National League city. Victor is a line drive machine from both sides of the plate. If he’s better from the left side, it’s simply because he faces so many more right handers vs left handed pitching. He’s going to hit cleanup, and provide lineup protection for Miguel. Miggy is so good teams will pitch around him regardless of who follows him, but Victor has the ability to make opposing teams pay for that strategy. His value increases because he is good from both sides of the plate.

Overall, this team is very good. They are looking to win their 4th straight central crown. The Royals and Indians will compete. Kansas City had the best record in mlb, the second half of the 2013 season. Both clubs are scrambling to find starting pitching, which ultimately will be their undoing, despite all the improvements.

Detroit wins 95 this year. Barring injury, they should be a strong contender for post season honors. There is really just one prize that Motown hungers for this summer, and that’s a world series championship. Detroit has one of the best fan bases in baseball. Comerica is a great venue to see a game. Attendance numbers have swelled to 3 million+ each season in the D. This is a city, and a fan base, that has been dragged thru the mud the past 30 years. Thirty years ago, this October, Detroit ruled the baseball landscape. It’s been a long journey back.

My prediction? You’re going to watch this team take care of business this year. Division, league and world champs. What do you think?

Spring is almost here

Spring time means one thing to me.  The start of the MLB preseason.  OK, it means a lot more than that…hockey playoffs, football draft, March madness, fishing, morels, what am I leaving out?

Anyway, spring in almost here so Im thinking about my Tigers and their upcoming season.  The core of the team is returning, with a much more athletic supporting cast.  So many unexpected scenarios are already playing out, from Andy Dirks back surgery, Jose Iglesias shin issues, Verlander looking like the JV of 3 years ago.   We have all that drama, plus the season long “Max watch” as well asa the division race.  The Tigers are heavy favorites, but its a far from decided.  Cleveland and Kansas City are improved, with another year of big league experience for both of their young rosters.  We have a new regime in Detroit.  Brad Ausmus is a rookie manager, hoping to pick up where the retired Jim Leyland left off. No real pressure on Brad. He’s just expected to deliver another division championship, then move on thru the playoffs to the World Series,and of course, win.  No big deal.  Lol. Winning in the playoffs is why Dombrowski signed an aging  but still effective Joe Nathan to a two year deal this offseason.  He’s expected to be the shut down closer team the has been lacking in recent post seasons

I’m still working on my season preview.  With so many unanswered questions, its going to be an intresting 14 days until the season opener!

Life Springs eternal

Almost spring here in Michigan.  Sure,  we still have below freezing temps and plenty of snow on the ground, but the combination of the second half of March, plus my optimism,  will force spring upon us :^)

This spring is the 50th I have seen in my lifetime.   Lots of years and lots of snow storms.  They all run together in my head. 

I noticed how much stronger the sun is today vs a month ago.  

Makes me happy.  I don’t really have anything more to say than that tonight.   Happiness by itself is enough.   You can live on that, and a little bit of beans and rice. 

Tigers in the wild

The regular season for Major League Baseball has been going strong for a little over a month. It’s time I review my Detroit Tigers for the season.  I would normally do this pre-season, but this year I thought it might be more fun to give the team a month to play before I critique them.

The 2013 Detroit Tigers have high hopes for the regular season and playoffs.  There is a playoff atmosphere around the ballpark these days.  Last year, we saw the Tigers win a lackluster Central division, then the baseball world could only watch as the Tigers caught fire and powered their way through the American League playoffs.  The World Series sweep against the San Francisco Giants was a disappointment that many Tiger fans hope to erase this year, by winning a World Series Championship.  Owner Mike Illitch is ‘All-in’ in the hopes of capturing a World Series title NOW.  The team signed 2012 ‘rental’  Anibal Sanchez, to a multi year deal this offseason.  Victor Martinez is back at DH after missing the entire 2012 season with a knee injury.

The Tigers lineup is full of All Stars.

Position Players

Prince Fielder-  He had a career year at the plate last year, his first season with the Tigers.  He has batted behind two consecutive league MVP’s, in Cabrera and Ryan Braun.  There is a reason those two got fastballs to hit on occasion, and this big guy is it.  He can flat out HIT.  Power, average, RBI.  This guy is a tough out.  Early this season, however, he’s been scuffling a little.  He is normally very tough to strike out, but has been whiffing at an alarming rate in the past couple weeks, including a recent 0-5 with 5 K’s.  I expect him to have a big season when it’s all said and done.  He has all the offensive tools to be an MVP caliber player.   Last year saw him hit above .300 for the first time in his career, while still driving the ball, with power, to all fields.  He was over  20 HR/100 RBI. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him repeat those numbers again this season.  He has actually been working on his defense since coming over to the Tigers.  The example set by Miguel, was too much for him to ignore.  He came into camp 30 lbs lighter than last season, and you can really see it.  He’s moving a lot better out there.  He will never win a gold glove, but he’s getting closer to at least an average defender now.

Miguel Cabrera- The big man is coming off an eye popping 2012 AL MVP season, that saw him win the first triple crown in baseball in 45 years.  Miguel has no weaknesses at the plate.  The only thing that keeps opposing teams from walking him every at bat, is  simply that Prince Fielder follows him in the lineup.  Having said that, he is still getting walked.  You cannot pitch to this guy.  Last season, he unselfishly moved back to third base, to make room at first, for Prince Fielder.  There were a lot of people who thought the Tiger infield would implode from lack of defense.  That didn’t happen.  Miguel accounted for himself very well over at the hot corner. I’m not going to claim that he is a great fielder, but he is, at the very least, an average fielder.  I actually think getting moved back to third was a confidence boost for Miguel.  I think it may have helped spur him to his triple crown season.  Can he post the same numbers as last season?  I doubt it.  Not because he isn’t that good…far from it.  It’s just that no one could be expected to put those kind of numbers up every year.  Not even Miguel Cabrera.

Austin Jackson-  This guy is a plus defender.  He can steal a home run ball back from over the top of the fence.  He can throw a greedy baserunner out at home.  He has the speed to cover everything hit in the air, from gap to gap, in the spacious Comerica outfield.  If I had any complaints about Austin, it would be his strikeout rate, which has been dropping the past couple seasons, and his low stolen base totals.  He’s really cut the strikeouts down, by shortening his swing.  “Short to the ball” is what hitting coach Lloyd McClendon has been preaching to #14, and it looks like that lesson is being applied.  He is putting the bat on the ball.  Austin has always had a very high batting average on batted balls in play.  This is in part due to his above average foot speed, and partly due to the line drive swing he has always possessed.  He looks great, and I expect him to post career numbers this season.  This is the year he becomes a real All Star.  I would like to see him try to steal more bases, but I think Jim Leyland would rather see him standing on first base, safely, waiting to ride home on a Miguel or Prince homer, than sitting in the dugout after getting caught stealing.  I understand why the Tiger brain trust feels that way.  I still think that the distraction a pesky base stealer creates for a pitcher, might make for  a total mismatch at home plate, when the pitcher loses a little focus on Miguel, because he’s worried about Austin getting a big jump. It would also lead to a few more fastballs being thrown, which can only benefit our Tiger sluggers

Torii Hunter-  It isn’t often that a player becomes a better hitter late in his career.  Dwight Evans comes to mind.  Torii had the beast season of his 17 year career at the plate in 2012, as an every day outfielder for the Angels.  The Angels didn’t make much of a run at re-signing Torii, claiming fiscal austerity as the reason.  They promptly made themselves into liars by signing Josh Hamiltno to a huge free agent contract.  Torii wants to be in Detroit.  He improves right field for Detroit.  Two glaring weaknesses the Tigers needed to address in the offseason were finding a #2 hitter in front of Cabrera, and improving one of the worst outfields in MLB last season, with Delmon Young and Brennan Boesch standing at the corner outfield positions, just waiting to butcher a routine play.  Torii fills both needs.  He’s a great outfielder.  A Gold Glove winning center fielder, who upgrades the Tiger right field position by a lot.  He’s the best right fielder they’ve had, defensively…since….I don’t want to say #6 Al Kaline, but yeah, probably since Al Kaline.  Torii has learned how to drive the ball the other way.  This is a new skill for an aging outfielder.  I really like his unselfish play.  This guy is one of those outstanding people in the game of baseball.  The smile is genuine, and so is the enthusiasm and hustle you see on every play.  Torii is off to a great start this season.  I know he will cool off eventually.  He’s bound to have a few cold streaks.  It happens.  He contributes in so many ways other than his bat though, its easy to see why the Tigers jumped at the chance to sign Torii.

Victor Martinez-  Victor had a season ending knee injury last year, shortly before spring training started.  This was an early season blow for our Tigers last spring, which saw Owner Mike Illitch prove his commitment to winning, by promptly signing free agent Prince Fielder to a long term deal.  This year, Victor is back, and he looks healthy.  The Tigers have two catchers on the roster besides VMart, which is a pretty clear indication that Victor is full time DH.  Manager Jim Leyland has said he is considering playing Victor at catcher if the Tigers face a tough lefty in a National League park, but I would rather they play it safe and keep this guy as a full time DH.  He’s a terrible defensive catcher anyway.  Leyland could easily find him some at bats in a pinch hitting role, at crucial times in those NL parks.  It would be great if he really could play some catcher, because his stick is so valuable.  If the Tigers manage to make it to the World Series again this year, it sure would be nice to get him a few games behind the plate.   The problem is, the pitchers aren’t going to be comfortable, and in sync with a new catcher, in the middle of the most important games of the post season.  I think the team would be better served to dispense with the notion of Victor Martinez squatting behind the dish.  He is much too valuable as a DH to risk at catcher.  His bat in the five spot, makes the Tiger lineup much more dynamic.  They NEED this guy to get going.  He’s off to a slow start, but that’s to be expected after missing a full season.  Victor is in his mid thirties, and I can attest from personal experience…athletic pursuits do not become easier as your age advances above thirty.  Hitting a pitched baseball has been described as the hardest single act in sports.  It requires superior hand/eye, good reflexes, good eyesight, fast twitch muscle fibers, and last but certainly not least, a good baseball IQ.  Victor has all of those.  He is starting to drive the ball to all fields again.  I expect him to finish the season with an average around .300, and close to 100 RBI.  

Andy Dirks-  Andy has been tabbed as the ‘everyday left fielder’ this year…well, every day that doesn’t include a left handed pitcher.  I love this guys attitude.  He goes all out.  He’s a pretty good hitter.  Not as much power as you’d like to see from a corner outfielder, especially a left fielder, but he can take you deep if you leave one out over the plate.  He’s a .300 hitter throughout his career.  This season he is off to a slow start, but he’s begun to heat up as the weather has improved.  He is a good baserunner, but not a base stealing threat.  He runs well in the outfield, and he will lay out for the ball.  He’s not afraid to crash into a wall either.  I love the attitude, but with that head first mentality, comes a higher injury rate.  Andy seems to get injured every season, and the injuries linger.  Leyland is trying to limit his playing time, to get the most out of him, without over using him, and losing him to injury.  He has an average to below average arm.

Jhonny Peralta-  One of the persistent rumors all winter long involved Peralta.  It’s no secret the Tigers weren’t very excited about the numbers Jhonny posted last year.  He is a below average defender, and when you couple that with a poor season offensively, its really not what you want from your starting shortstop.  One of his biggest issues has always been a lack of range.  That limited range has gotten progressively more limited each season he has been with the Tigers.  Last year, it was a glaring hole in the Tiger infield.  All winter, we heard talk of the Tigers pursuing this or that free agent shortstop.  All winter we heard rumors of Porcello or Castellanos, or Garcia, or some combination of the three, in a package deal to get a better shortstop.  None of those deals became reality.  What happened instead, is Jhonny showed up to camp 20 pounds lighter than last season, and in the best shape of his career.  So far, that has translated to improved range, and I think it’s also given him a little more quickness with his hands around the plate.   I’m not sure what to expect from him this year offensively, but I’m hoping for .275/20/75.

Omar Infante-  The Tigers tried everyone they had in the organization at second base last year, hoping to find the magic formula in-house.  It wasn’t to be found.  They had to go outside the organization last year, to bring back this former Tiger.  He’s an above average defender, and he has significantly improved his base running, since coming back to the organization.  I think his offense has become more consistent as well.  He definitely gives a quality at bat from the 9 spot.  One of the strengths of this Tiger team is the offensive capability they have.  I know it seems like a minor thing, but having Omar in the lineup every day, giving quality at bats, extending opposing pitchers pitch counts, really makes a big difference in extending that Tiger lineup.  Those innings that he reaches base to lead off an inning, almost always result in at least one run scored.  Facing the Tiger lineup is tough. Facing the top of that lineup, from the stretch, is almost asking the impossible.  Omar has settled down that second base position, to the point where it seems strange when he’s not in there.

Alex Avila-  Alex is an above average defender.  He has a plus release and a plus arm.  He wasn’t a catcher until he got in the Tiger organization.  He has learned the position very quickly, becoming an All Star a couple years ago.  I think catching guys like Justin Verlander has made him a better receiver as well.  He really seems like he is in sync with the pitching staff.  Offensively, he’s decent.  He’s got some pop in that bat.  You know it has to be exhausting catching 120+ MLB games a season.  He’s in great shape.  He works hard. I think this year he recaptures some of that offense that has been missing from his game for the past year and a half.  He’s finally healthy, and he has the confidence that you can only get by being the primary everyday catcher on a big league club.  Catching is a tough job, and this guy is TOUGH.

Bench

Don Kelly-  Don has versatility as perhaps his greatest asset.  He can play almost every position on the field, including catcher (he’s listed as the third catcher, although I don’t see him ever actually catching in a regular season game).  He bats left, has little to no power, and not much of an arm.  He runs pretty well.   I think being a bench player in the major leagues is a difficult job.  He seems to have the personality to handle the stress.  He’s not hitting very well right now, and he really needs to pick that up, or its going to be tough to get him playing time.  He’s had a few big hits recently, so maybe that’s a sign he’s heating up.

Matt Tuiasosopo-  He’s the right handed complement to Andy Dirks.  He’s a veteran from the Seattle organization, wh0 made the club as a long shot non-roster invitee.  If his last name sounds familiar, that’s because he has family that played in the NFL.  He was a highly recruited quarterback coming out of high school, but ended up  decided baseball was his better option.   He isn’t much of an outfielder.  He has an average-at-best arm.  His routes to fly balls are scary.  I tremble when he’s out in left field and somebody hits one hard over his way.  I know he’s doing his best, but watching him lumber after a screaming liner brings back unpleasant memories of Delmon Young.  He’s better than  Delmon was out there, but not by a whole lot.  Matt has big time pop in his bat, but he struggles with the off speed stuff.

Brayan Pena-  Brayan is a switch hitting backup catcher.  We lost “G-Money” Gerald Laird to a big contract offer, and the opportunity to be an every day catcher.  Pena is a veteran backup.  Slap hitter, no speed.  He is good behind the plate, and has a good arm, however.  I noticed that when he caught Justin Verlander, JV was shaking him off a lot.  JV had his worst outing of the year so far with Pena behind the plate, so I wouldn’t be shocked is he doesn’t catch Verlander again.  He did catch Anibal Sanchez’ 17 strikeout performance the other day, and Leyland says he seems to be in sync with Anibal, so I’d say its likely he catches Sanchez from here on out.  Pena had a thrilling home plate collision/game winning put out of Justin Smoak in the bottom of the 14th inning in a recent game in Seattle.  Smoak lowered his shoulder and tried to bulldoze Pena at home plate.  Somehow Pena took the blow, and held on to the ball, preserving a much needed extra inning victory on the road.

Ramon Santiago-  Ramon is a career backup infielder, mostly with the Tigers.  The biggest reason he is on this team is he is in the second year of a two year deal, and the guy who would be his likely replacement, Danny Worth, still has minor league options left, as well as being under team control for several more seasons.  Barring something unforeseen, I think this is Ramons final season in Detroit.  Danny Worth is major league ready right now, and he has a lot more upside than Ramon does, at this point in their respective careers.   I’m not knocking Ramon…he’s just a marginal player on a loaded 25 man roster.  No power, and he’s not a stellar defender, plus, his foot speed rivals Prince Fielder for slowest on the roster.   I’m only including position players on the ‘slowest’ list, although I would pay money to see Jose Valverde run a couple wind sprints for every hot-dog move he pulls out on the mound.

Pitching

The Tigers have a deep pitching staff.  The five starters are good.  Middle relief loos good right now, and the back end of the bullpen has been helped out by thge unlikely return of Jose Valverde.

Justin Verlander-  What can I say about the best pitcher in major league baseball?  He commands four pitches, all at a plus level.  His fastball can range up to triple digits.  His curve is a knee buckler, and he has embarrassed a few players with the changeup he throws.  I still worry about all the innings.  All those strikeouts.  All those pitches thrown.  His fastball velocity has dropped this year.  Is it something to worry about?  I don’t know.  I think he’s saving a little for later in the year.  The past two seasons, his Cy Young and MVP season in 2011, and the good season he turned in in 2012, I thought he ran out of gas a little at the end.  It’s a long season, and I can certainly understand how you might have a tired arm by September.  I expect him to post something like 17-20 wins.

Max Scherzer-  This guy has taken the next step.   This is the year he dominates.  He’s not as good as Verlander…nobody is, but he’s pretty close.  He’s added a nice curveball this year, and he has it working.  He’s adjusted his arm slot, to help with arm fatigue and take some stress off that right shoulder.  It’s resulted in a lot more action on his fastball at home plate.  This guy could easily lead mlb in strikeouts this season.  I think he has the best shot to win 20, of anyone in the Tiger rotation.

Doug Fister-  He would be a solid number two on most any staff, and might be the ace of quite a few teams.  He plays on this Tiger team though, and it’s anyones guess if he’s 2nd, 3rd or 4th.  He’s real good.  Command is key for Doug.  He’s really making an effort to pitch inside this year.  I like it.  He’s hit a few batters, but I think that’s not a bad thing.  He doesn’t have a big time fastball, so throwing one up and in every so often makes that fastball look a lot better..  Can he win 20 this year?  I suppose so, but I’ll be happy with 15+

Anibal Sanchez-  He was a mid season addition last year, and he really dominated in the playoffs.  He was set to be a free agent this off season, and Tiger fans were resigned to the thought of him leaving Detroit for a big contract.  He got the big contract, but it was in Detroit.  He had a 17 strikeout performance earlier this season (a Tiger team record).  He’s never really been a big strikeout pitcher, but since he’s joined Detroit, he’s suddenly found that ability to miss big league bats.

Rick Porcello-  This 24 year old right hander had to win a battle in spring training, just to keep his spot in the rotation.  He has a nice sinker.  The problem he always seems to have is command.  Keeping that ball out of the middle of the plate has been a tough job for him.  The thing is, he’s still only 24.  The Tigers rushed him to the big league, before he was ready.  That stunted the development he would have likely had in the minors.  I still think this guy has a lot of potential.  I hope so, because you can never have enough pitching.  All spring training, the rumors were flying daily that he was about to be dealt.  Somehow, he weathered the maelstrom of rumors and came out of sprint training with a firm hold on the 5th rotation spot.  Keeping it the entire season may turn out to be too much to ask, but we know Rick won’t quit trying.

Drew Smyly-  Drew is a 24 year old, who pitched at Arkansas.  He entered spring as part of a three way battle for the last spot in the rotation.  He lost out to Rick Porcello, but made the team.  He’s the long reliever out of the bullpen, and he’s insurance should any of the starters go down.  He’s also a lefty, something in short supply on this staff.  He looks like he could be a good starter right now.  I hope they don’t trade him away.  This guy has some serious potential.

Joaquin Benoit-  Set up man.  He is our 8th inning specialist.  There was hope at one time that he might develop into the closer, but I can’t see that happening.  He just doesn’t have “it”, whatever “it” is, the ability to close games.

Jose Valverde-  He imploded last year in the playoffs.  We thought we had seen the last of him after he lost his job as closer in the playoffs last season.  If there were one player you could point to last fall, and blame for the World Series loss to the Giants, it would be Jose.  I know that’s totally unfair to the man.  I’d still pick him out as the one to blame.  lol  Somehow he made his way back onto this team.  I’m not convinced at all that he is really going to last as the closer.  Last year, he had suffered a drop in velocity, and he lost the ability to command his split finger.  He has his fastball velocity back up, but he still doesn’t have the splitter.  What he throws now (and calls it a splitter) is more of a forkball.   I think its a matter of time before he starts getting shelled again.  I have zero confidence in this fat, pompous, hot dog.  I wish he were anywhere but Detroit.

Al Albuquerque-  The righty came back last season from tommy john.  He has possibly the best slider in the major leagues.  He has closer stuff…except he struggles with command, and he isn’t available enough to close games.  I think the torque he puts on that elbow when he throws that unhittable slider is what hurts his elbow so bad.The rest of the bullpen, Ortega, Putkonen and Darin Downs, are all situational guys.  Of the three, Darin Downs, a lefty, might have the most value, but Ortega has a serious plus arm.

Phil Coke and Octavio Dotel are both on the 15 day DL.  Phil wuill be back.  Dotel…he’s at the end of his career, and according to Dombrowski, he isn’t even able to think about throwing yet.  He might be out for an extended period.  It would be nice if he were healthy for any playoff run the team might go on.

Jim Leyland-  Jim is a veteran manager.  I know a lot of fans are frustrated with the amount of days off he likes to give his regulars.  He does it to keep guys fresh.  He’s managing to win in the regular season, and he knows he has to save a little in the tank for the post season.  I like the way he manages.  He’s smart, and the players love him.

There are a couple honorable mentions-  Bruce Rondon, who was tabbed in the off season and the heir apparent to the closer role, has struggled this season.  He’s back down in AAA Toledo right now.  He needs to work on his command.  He can throw it in the triple digits, but you need to locate that pitch.  If its a max effort pitch, often times, it flattens out and has little to no movement.  Major league hitters murder that pitch.  Avisail Garcia, who had a really bad heel contusion in spring training, is back in Lakeland, getting into baseball shape.  Don’t be shocked if he ends up on the 25 man for the post season.

Can the Tigers win a World Series this year?  Yes.  They need to make the playoffs first.  Once they get in the post season, it’s just a matter of peaking at the right time.

I expect the team to win somewhere around 95 games this year.