Game alert

[Tigeraholic1]

Sunday 2/8 @ 3:00 P.M. on MLB Network

1996 Red Sox Vs. Tigers @ Tiger Stadium (Clemens 20 strikeouts)

From the little preview they just had on sounded like Ernie was calling the game.

[Eric Cioe]

This is before Clemens was on steroids. He was still dominant. 20 strikeouts! That's a grand total of 7 balls in play that turn into outs. Good God. He did that twice, too.

[jonjd]

Thanks for the heads up. I will be tuning in. I seem to forget what the ol' Corner looks like on TV.

[DaYooperASBDT]

I remember listening to that on the radio. I won't enjoy watching our futility at the dish but it will be a good way to reminice about the days of Randy Smith and the awesome group of players he brought to Detroit, lol.

I think we should do this like a game thread, just to warm up for the regular season. With cussing included, of course!

[Oblong]

I had a class at WSU that night and when I got in the car after class I heard he had 16 strikeouts and it was still in the 7th inning so I drove the 2 minutes down Trumbull and the guy let me in. I saw the last 2 innings.

[TigersFan81371]

Originally Posted by Tigeraholic1

Sunday 2/8 @ 3:00 P.M. on MLB Network

1996 Red Sox Vs. Tigers @ Tiger Stadium (Clemens 20 strikeouts)

From the little preview they just had on sounded like Ernie was calling the game.

Wasn't he doing TV for PASS that year?

[LostInACoinToss23]

Originally Posted by Oblong

I had a class at WSU that night and when I got in the car after class I heard he had 16 strikeouts and it was still in the 7th inning so I drove the 2 minutes down Trumbull and the guy let me in. I saw the last 2 innings.

Great story... Go Warriors!

[Oblong]

No.... Tartars!

[FloridaTigers]

Originally Posted by DaYooperASBDT

I remember listening to that on the radio. I won't enjoy watching our futility at the dish but it will be a good way to reminice about the days of Randy Smith and the awesome group of players he brought to Detroit, lol.

I think we should do this like a game thread, just to warm up for the regular season. With cussing included, of course!

Awesome idea! Practice for the actual game threads

[LostInACoinToss23]

Originally Posted by Oblong

No.... Tartars!

WSU student since '06.. had no idea they were called the Tartars!

The heck is a tartar?? lol

[DaYooperASBDT]

September 18, 1996 - From Tiger Stadium:

It's the Detroit Tigers (50-100) hosting
The Boston Red Sox (77-73)

Pitching Matchup:
Roger Clemens (9-12) versus Justin Thompson (1-5)


Weather: 70° F, Wind 15mph in from Leftfield

It could be another rough night for the Tigers. Clemens has clearly returned to full health in 1996. He has a 3.82 ERA and is once again piling up the strikeouts. He has already won twice against the Bengals this season, allowing only 2 ER in 16 innings, with 23 whiffs.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Wow, it's official. We really suck.

Here's the lineups:

Red Sox
1. J Frye 2B
2. N Garciaparra SS
3. M Vaughn 1B
4. J Canseco DH
5. J Valentin 3B
6. M Greenwell LF
7. R Pemberton RF
8. B Haselman C
9. D Bragg CF

Tigers:

B Higginson LF .317
A Trammell 2B .231
R Sierra DH .252
T Clark 1B .243
T Fryman SS .260
M Nieves RF .251
P Nevin 3B .287
B Ausmus C .223
K Bartee CF .269

[FloridaTigers]

Did you guys see that the Oasis/Blur feud is heating up? Its getting intense

[tigerbomb13]

Originally Posted by FloridaTigers

Did you guys see that the Oasis/Blur feud is heating up? Its getting intense

The Macarena is huge! I really think people will be doing this this dance craze and singing the song for decades to come!

[DaYooperASBDT]

Dammit, can't we discuss baseball for once in here? Or at least where we can hide Randy's body ????

[Oblong]

The stadium as very empty that night. I parked on the street right by the cab company.

I told the guy at the gate that I'll buy a beer and 2 hot dogs if he lets me in, that's better than nothing. The ticket person wasn't at the nearest booth. He let me in.

Oddly enough, I didn't buy a beer but got a pop instead. I never bought a beer at Tiger Stadium until the final weekend.

[JayVee7777]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

This is before Clemens was on steroids.

How do we know that?

[Corky]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

This is before Clemens was on steroids. He was still dominant. 20 strikeouts! That's a grand total of 7 balls in play that turn into outs. Good God. He did that twice, too.

How do you know he wasn't on them yet?

[Eric Cioe]

Well, no one had suspected him of it until at least 1997. Whatever. Even if he was on steroids, who cares? This is probably one of the top 25 games pitched in the history of baseball. And it was his second time doing it.

[JOliver]

Right after the Red Wings on NBC tomorrow. I'm liking how my Sunday off is shaping up.

[ToledoTigerFan]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

Well, no one had suspected him of it until at least 1997. Whatever. Even if he was on steroids, who cares? This is probably one of the top 25 games pitched in the history of baseball. And it was his second time doing it.

The trouble is, once a player is suspected, everything he accomplished before the allegations is now tainted. It may not be fair, but that be how things will be. There might be more than a handful of players from the "steroid era" that, statistically, belong in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but may end up waiting until they're good and old to be inducted. Some(read as: Mark McGwire) may never make it.

[Corky]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

Well, no one had suspected him of it until at least 1997. Whatever. Even if he was on steroids, who cares? This is probably one of the top 25 games pitched in the history of baseball. And it was his second time doing it.

Since you made a point of it doesn't that indicate you care about it?

[Eric Cioe]

Originally Posted by Corky

Since you made a point of it doesn't that indicate you care about it?

No, not at all. I don't think the "steroid records" should matter any less than the deadball records. It's a part of baseball's history now. Yeah, it should stop, but you can't pretend like it didn't happen and bar all of those guys from the Hall.

I was just pointing it out for those who might have watched it and thought of the steroid allegations, and dismissed this performance, as people dismiss Bonds' late career surge, as simply a product of chemicals.

EDIT - Honestly, I think that a lot of the steroid-haters are just a bunch of nancies who always whine about the old days being better and more pure.

[Tigeraholic1]

Trammells final year, along with Fryman and Higgy playing together. What a strange combination we had that year, kind of a change of guard....

[Tigeraholic1]

I did not even realize Ruben Sierra played for the Tigers. How did they acquire him? Wonder if they were banking on being able to sign him after the season.

[DaYooperASBDT]

July 31, 1996: Traded by the New York Yankees with Matt Drews (minors) to the Detroit Tigers for Cecil Fielder.

[JayVee7777]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

Well, no one had suspected him of it until at least 1997. Whatever. Even if he was on steroids, who cares? This is probably one of the top 25 games pitched in the history of baseball. And it was his second time doing it.

Exactly. I, personally, don't care one whit who is/was juicing. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't care about that either.

[DaYooperASBDT]

From one of those links, the sad tale of Matt Drews, and Randy's love for him:

Hard-throwing pitcher Matt Drews was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft. He had gone 10-2 with a 1.27 ERA his senior high year of high school, striking out 125 batters in 88 innings. He signed late, for a $620,000 bonus, and did not play for the Yankees system that year. Assigned to the Oneonta Yankees in 1994, Drews went 7-6 with a 2.10 ERA, walked 19 and struck out 69 in 90 frames. The tall right-hander led the New York-Penn League in ERA and was selected as the 2nd-best prospect in the league by managers. Drews did fine with the 1995 Tampa Yankees, winning 15 of 22 decisions and posting a 2.27 ERA. He led the league in wins, innings (182) and starts (28), was second in strikeouts (140) and third in ERA. Managers again picked him as the #2 prospect (behind Scott Rolen and the top pitching prospect. He made the Florida State League All-Star team as one of the top two right-handed pitchers; Shane Bowers was the other.
Rated by Baseball America as the Yankees' #3 prospect (after Ruben Rivera and Derek Jeter) entering 1996, Drews hit the skids. He was 1-3, 4.50 for the Norwich Navigators, 0-4, 8.41 for the Columbus Clippers and 0-3, 7.13 for Tampa. He walked 72 and struck out 56 in 84 innings. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Ruben Sierra for Cecil Fielder. In Detroit's system, he went 0-4, 4.35 for the Jacksonville Suns to complete a horrible 1-14 season.
In 1997, Matt (picked as the #9 prospect by BA entering the year) was 8-11, 5.49 for Jacksonville and 0-2, 6.60 for the Toledo Mud Hens. The former control specialist continued to walk lots of batters, issuing 14 free passes in 15 innings with Toledo. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of the 1997 expansion draft but sent back to the Tigers in a deal for Travis Fryman. 1998 continued his struggles - Drews was 5-17 with a 6.57 ERA for Toledo, allowing over 250 baserunners in under 150 innings. He managed to avoid leading the International League in losses, as teammate Mike Drumright dropped 19 decisions, though Drews did lead in hit batsmen (16).
Matt went 2-14, 8.27 for Toledo in 1999, with a WHIP of 1.93. He led the IL in losses, runs allowed (136), earned runs allowed (125) and walks (91). Drews' last chance came with the 2000 Durham Bulls, allowing 4 runs, 4 walks and no hits in two-thirds of an inning. His control had vanished entirely, as had his career. Overall, the former 1st-round draft pick went 38-71 in his pro career, 16-58 after his first two years.

[Tigeraholic1]

Forgot that is how Big Daddy left town. Randy with another stellar move, trade a high value chip and show nothing in return.

[DaYooperASBDT]

TLA

[Tigeraholic1]

Originally Posted by DaYooperASBDT

From one of those links, the sad tale of Matt Drews, and Randy's love for him:

Hard-throwing pitcher Matt Drews was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft. He had gone 10-2 with a 1.27 ERA his senior high year of high school, striking out 125 batters in 88 innings. He signed late, for a $620,000 bonus, and did not play for the Yankees system that year. Assigned to the Oneonta Yankees in 1994, Drews went 7-6 with a 2.10 ERA, walked 19 and struck out 69 in 90 frames. The tall right-hander led the New York-Penn League in ERA and was selected as the 2nd-best prospect in the league by managers. Drews did fine with the 1995 Tampa Yankees, winning 15 of 22 decisions and posting a 2.27 ERA. He led the league in wins, innings (182) and starts (28), was second in strikeouts (140) and third in ERA. Managers again picked him as the #2 prospect (behind Scott Rolen and the top pitching prospect. He made the Florida State League All-Star team as one of the top two right-handed pitchers; Shane Bowers was the other.
Rated by Baseball America as the Yankees' #3 prospect (after Ruben Rivera and Derek Jeter) entering 1996, Drews hit the skids. He was 1-3, 4.50 for the Norwich Navigators, 0-4, 8.41 for the Columbus Clippers and 0-3, 7.13 for Tampa. He walked 72 and struck out 56 in 84 innings. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Ruben Sierra for Cecil Fielder. In Detroit's system, he went 0-4, 4.35 for the Jacksonville Suns to complete a horrible 1-14 season.
In 1997, Matt (picked as the #9 prospect by BA entering the year) was 8-11, 5.49 for Jacksonville and 0-2, 6.60 for the Toledo Mud Hens. The former control specialist continued to walk lots of batters, issuing 14 free passes in 15 innings with Toledo. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of the 1997 expansion draft but sent back to the Tigers in a deal for Travis Fryman. 1998 continued his struggles - Drews was 5-17 with a 6.57 ERA for Toledo, allowing over 250 baserunners in under 150 innings. He managed to avoid leading the International League in losses, as teammate Mike Drumright dropped 19 decisions, though Drews did lead in hit batsmen (16).
Matt went 2-14, 8.27 for Toledo in 1999, with a WHIP of 1.93. He led the IL in losses, runs allowed (136), earned runs allowed (125) and walks (91). Drews' last chance came with the 2000 Durham Bulls, allowing 4 runs, 4 walks and no hits in two-thirds of an inning. His control had vanished entirely, as had his career. Overall, the former 1st-round draft pick went 38-71 in his pro career, 16-58 after his first two years.

Right, ended up trading Fryman to get the tool back! Didn't Ausmus get traded for twice under Randy's reign.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Almost time for the game! A 100-loss season just doesn't generate much excitement I guess.

[Eric Cioe]

I've never watched Clemens in his prime closely. Can someone take mental notes on what he's throwing? I assume mostly fastball/split, but there may be some sliders and a curve or two in there, too.

[Todd]

are they gonna have it on .... right now they are doing AROD roidfest

[MattP]

I'm getting a repeat of the Mariners/As game on DirecTV

[Tint]

I have Randy Johnson 19 K game not Tigers game like it says it should be showing.

[Eric Cioe]

I actually found a spot on MLB.com's library that has this game, inning by inning. I'm watching Clemens. He doesn't look good in the first. Lots of balls. I assume that will change.

EDIT - 2Ks through 1. Ernie just mentioned that last night, Nomo no-hit the Rockies in Denver. Didn't realize these games happened back to back nights.

EDIT 2 - 5Ks through 2 innings. Lots and lots of fastballs. Maybe 4 sliders total so far, and maybe 6 or 7 splits.

EDIT 3 - This is also the same day that the Whitecaps came into the Detroit family.

EDIT 4 - 12Ks through 5. My Lord, this is ridiculous.

EDIT 5 - Some guy keeps yelling, "you got no juice left, Clemens! That's Alan Trammel at the plate!" Tram fouls off two 3-2 pitches and the guy goes "I told ya, Roger!" Then Tram gets caught looking at a perfect low and away fastball. 15 strikeouts through 6. Clemens has fanned three in 3 innings. Two baserunners, both of whom have stolen second. Clemens has thrown a ton of pitches. I think he throws 151 or so total in this game.

EDIT 6 - Wow. Unbelievable.

Now, I'm going to watch Unit's perfecto.

[vannzee]

If anyone records this let me know, would be cool to have for those boring days. I dont have any old games on tape.

[Lousluggage]

Hmm, it seems to me that I took more than a little ribbing the day after this game. I think I'll pass.

[FloridaTigers]

lol mlb network