Gary Sheffield (Again)

Well, I'm turning into a sports blogger!

Now the whiner in chief on the Tigers weighs in again: Gary Sheffield is not happy being DH.

When you came here, Gary, you knew it was to be DH. Your body can't take playing defense every day, and you have proved that over your season and a half in Detroit. Every time you play defense, you hurt yourself, and when you are hurt you are worthless.

But let me say this too: I'm not happy with you being DH either. You are hitting .219 for the year. You are hitting .225 for the last 30 days. So even as a DH you aren't contributing. If you were holding up your end, maybe you would have grounds to complain, but Brandon Inge is the only regular player that is hitting worse than you for the season. Even Rentaria is hitting better than you.

Jim Leyland needs to sit you down Gary. There are others who are producing, and you are not. At this point in the season, we can't afford the dead wood.

Detroit Tigers Collapse in progress

And while I'm thinking about it, I have to comment on the woeful Tigers. They were one of the hottest team in baseball before the All-Star break, but this past weekend's series in Tampa showed with blinding clarity the fate of this team in 2008. They have some guys with heart, but not enough pitchers who can throw strikes, especially in the bullpen.

I realize the trade deadline is past and we are likely stuck with what we have for the rest of the season, so here is my official "I'm Throwing In the Towel Offseason Moves the Tigers Need to Make" list.

• Get a Decent Catcher. Brandon Inge is a good catcher, but you need him at 3B.
• Move Inge back to 3B. The guy is a gold-glove caliber 3B and you have him catching. You need to have him at 3B. Caveat: Brandon needs to get a lot more serious about his hitting - .220 just doesn't cut it. You're making lots of money - hire the best hitting coach you can find and spend the offseason at his house thinking, eating, sleeping, and breathing hitting. You need to hit .280 with 20-30 HR's every year to be earning your keep, no matter how good your defense.
• Let Miguel Cabrera continue to develop at 1B. I think Leyland is right: he can be a very good 1B, and he's shown some of it already. I like this move and I hope it sticks, because he stunk it up at 3B.
• I like Marcus Thames, but we need a left-handed power hitter in LF next year. I don't think Matt Joyce is the answer.
• What to do with Guillen? Get rid of Sheffield and make Guillen the DH. He's still got a good bat, is a switch hitter, and has some pop. It'll help his knees too. Then find someone who can play SS.
• Starting Pitching. Robertson and Rogers need to go. Willis needs to get his head out of his butt and pitch, or else give back that contract extension and go get a job a WalMart or something. Verlander was lights-out for a month, but has regressed. Still, this is only his 3rd season in the majors, I think he's doing pretty good. I hope Bonderman's surgeries fix his coconut and he will start getting out of the first inning without getting scored on. He needs to come back strong. Then, you need to find a fifth starter, preferrably a left-hander.
• Relief Pitching. The only keepers in the bullpen right now are Zumaya, Seay, and maybe Fossum (I like his BB/K ratio, and his ERA for his last 10 games is 2.41). Beyond that, this is the area that needs the most help on this team.

US House Republicans making a statement against Dems, Pelosi

Republicans in the US House are trying to raise the pressure on the Dems, and Speaker Pelosi in particular, to address the critical domestic energy needs of the United States. The Speaker adjourned the House last week for a six week vacation, presumably so Congresscritters can go back to their districts and campaign.

I listened to Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) on The Paul W. Smith Show on WJR radio this morning, describing what he and about 30 other Congressmen were about on Friday. Apparently, the Speaker has control of the C-SPAN cameras, and once the House was adjourned, the cameras were turned off. According to Rep. Hoekstra, the adjournment was made contrary to normal House procedure, which allows members who wish to, to make 5-minute speeches after the daily business of the House has concluded. Speaker Pelosi did not allow this on Friday. So the Republicans did it anyway, in front of only the tourists in the Capital and whatever media happened to be there - apparently they were warmly received by all, and they are going to continue to demand that the Congress debate energy policy and provide for the energy needs of the country.

Speaker Pelosi is being shown for what she is: an out of touch with reality, environmentalist marxist, who is clueless about how the real world operates and what the needs of real Americans are. (Gee, sort of like her party's candidate for President)

Having said that, I also have to say this to the Republicans: It's about bloody time!

You doofuses have sat on your backsides for 7-1/2 years and done NOTHING. You had majorities in both houses of Congress, and you had the Presidency, and you squandered it all! So while I applaud your grandstanding now, I have very little sympathy for your whining about the Speaker and how mean she is being to you for not letting you speak. You had your chance and you blew it! Go back to your districts, find yourselves some spine, get yourselves elected (or re-elected) and do what you're supposed to do: LEAD!