I need to make a correction to yesterdays birthdays. You all got a glimpse of what I do for the birthdays yesterday. The weekend before I go through the postings for the up coming week that I sent last year. My first step is to check each day and see if there are any new players with birthdays for the week. I also look to make sure that I dont need to update what I sent last year due a player continuing to play. Then I try to do write ups for the guys I did not get to last year. The gray area is what showed up yesterday. I did not actually read what I wrote yesterday on Dennis Kinney. Yesterday i wrote "But he only got in 6 games with Old English “D” and pitched only 3.2 innings. He was 0-0 and had an ERA of 9.82. However, I am questioning this ERA. I see he gave up 4 earned runs and the formula for ERA is 9*earned runs / innings pitched. I do the numbers and come up with an ERA of 11.25. Dennis has a posted ERA of 9.82 as a Tiger. (I will let you all know what I find out on my difference in ERA. )" I did find out what the issue was on his ERA. The issue was I was a dumb @**. It was politely pointed out to me that 3.2 innings pitched is actually 3.66 as a mathmatical number. So if you use the correct 3.66 you come up with the correct ERA of 9.82. Good thing I dont work in an engineering field where numbers are important. Oh, wait. I do. As I said before, "dumb @ss."
Craig Monroe played most of his career in Detroit. He started as a major leaguer in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. He got in 27 games as a back up outfielder and hit .212. The Rangers waived him and the Tigers claimed him for 2002. For Detroit in 2002 he did worse than his time in Texas. He was in only 13 games and his .120. But in 2003 Craig made it into a starting role as the Tigers starting left fielder. He raised his average to .240 and showed some power with 23 homers. He improved in 2004 to a career high .293 average and his homers stayed relatively up at 18. 2006 saw Craig hit his most homers in a season when he hit 28 and drove in 92 runs. But his average dropped to .255. Craig would never hit .250 again. He did not do well in the ALDS against the Yanks but he was great against the A’s in the 2006 ALCS hitting .429 with a .500 OBP. In 2007 he was hitting .222 with 11 homers for Detroit near the trade deadline when he was traded to the Cubs for a player to be named later. The Tiges later took Clay Rapada. At the end of the season the Cubs sent Craig to the Twins. Before the end of the season the Twins released Craig. He signed for the Pirates in 2009 but hit .215 in 34 games and was released July 1 and his major league career was over.
Matt Stairs played for twelve different teams in the majors and one of them was Detroit. He started with the Montreal Expos in 1992 and spent the next fourteen years with the Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals and Rangers before being picked up off of waivers by the Tigers in 2006. Matt was a .260 hitting outfielder/ first baseman with your typical extra K’s in exchange for homers. He came to Detroit on September 16 of 2006 and played 14 games for the Tigers, all at DH. In 41 at bats he got 10 hits, two were homers and struck out 12 times. But the Tigers clinched a playoff spot with Matt on the roster. After the season the Tigers let him go. He then joined the Blue Jays and went on to the Phillies, Padres and Washington Nationals before his 19 years in the majors came to an end.
John Wockenfuss played a key role in the 1984 Tigers. Johnny B came to the Tigers in a trade of minor leaguers between the Cardinals and the Tigers. The Tiges sent Larry Elliot to the Cards for Johnny B. Larry never made it to the majors but Johnny B started his time in the majors with the Tigers in 1974. He was a back up catcher and also played first and the outfield for the Tigers and was a fan favorite. He was an average fielder and an average hitter hitting .261 as a Tiger. He was known for a quirky batting stance where the bat was straight up in the air and he fluttered his back hand waiting for the pitch. His pivotal role in the 1984 season took place in March of 1984 when he was traded with Glenn Wilson to the Phillies for Dave Bergman and Willie Hernandez. John played in the majors until August of 1985 when the Phillies released him. He went on the manage in the minors for into 1997 and was successful at it leading his teams to a first place finish before losing in the playoffs three times.
Cy Perkins ended his career as a Tiger. He started his career in Philadelphia in 1915 and stayed there through 1930 with the Athletics. He was a .259 hitter as starting catcher until a guy by the name of Mickey Cochrane came along and took his starting role for Philadelphia. He then was Mickey’s back up until after the 1930 season when the Yankees bought him. He then was back up to another hall of famer in Bill Dickey. Mickey Cochrane became the Tigers catcher and manager in 1934 and one of his coaches was Cy, or Ralph as was his real name. In the last game of the season of 1934 Cy came in as a pinch hitter for Tommy ridges in the 5th inning. He faced the St. Louis Browns pitcher, George Blaeholder but did not reach base. That was the last time he played as a major leaguer. He managed the Tigers briefly in 1937 when Mickey Cochrane was beaned and sent to the hospital. He was 6 and 9 as the Tiger skipper. He would continue coaching in the majors but never managed again.
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