Mr. Baseball, Connie Mack said it many years ago: PITCHING IS AROUND 80% OF
BASEBALL. He meant that for a baseball team to win it must start with good
pitching. Think about this: LAST YEAR THE TIGER’S PITCHING WAS VERY BAD. So
bad that before the season was even over they fired their pitching coach. Most
of their fans yelled: “WHY BLAME THE PITCHING COACH?” Why indeed? But any-
way you slice it HE WAS HISTORY.
Enter RICK KNAPP, Minnesota’s minor league pitching coach, thinking that anyone
even remotely connected with those young successful Twin’s pitchers, well, we
better hire him fast!
So, what happens? The Tiger’s pitching staff has gone from last to almost first
in every meaningful pitching statistic…especially ERA and QUAULITY STARTS. The
people close to the Tigers name many reasons for this turn-a-round. The 20 year
old rookie phenom, RICK PORCELLO is at the top of that list. With EDWIN JACKSON,
the steal of the year from Tampa Bay right behind. JUSTIN VERLANDER’S turn-a-
round season is also big.
Flying right under everyone’s radar is our new pitching coach, MR. RICK KNAPP. If
we can blame a poor season (2008) on the pitching coach and even fire the guy, why
shouldn’t we heep a big bouquet of 2009 pitching success on KNAPP? WHY NOT INDEED?
So, if pitching is still the name of the game, and, trust me, IT STILL IS. And in a short
playoff series THEY WHO HAVE THE BEST STARTING HORSES USUALLY WIN. And the
Tigers have three stallions! The so-called-baseball-experts are picking either the Yanks
or the Dodgers to win the World Series. However, IF. and it’s a big IF, the Tigers win
the Central Division THEY WILL RAISE A WHOLE LOTTA’ HELL in the Fall Classic.
They might just surprise the baseball world and win it all! Perhaps the tiny move they
made last October by hiring the unknown Minnesota minor league pitching coach will
turn out not be so “tiny” after all..
