Agent P takes his talents to the nation’s capital.

As you may have heard, Ryan Perry was traded to the Washington Nationals for Collin Balester last night.

This move doesn’t really improve the team, although Balester has some starting experience and can probably fill the long relief role Perry struggled in at times. Also, Perry has options left, while Balester doesn’t.

I admit I’m a little torn on this one. Obviously, the addition of Octavio Dotel made Perry the odd man out but part of me thought maybe the Tigers would hang on to him. I do kinda think they gave up on Perry a little too soon. He, as was mentioned before, still has options left, will turn 25 in February, and has shown potential. He’s never lived up to the tag that was placed on him when they drafted him—closer of the future—but he’s been very good at times. Though his overall numbers don’t show it, he was one of the Tigers’ best relievers down the stretch in 2010. Yes, they were, for the most part, out of it by then, but someone needed to pitch those innings. He did, and he was very effective.

That being said, there’s no denying Perry took a major step back last season. I do think some of it was due to inconsistent playing time (late in the season, even as Perry was racking up scoreless outings, Leyland used him sparingly; the longest Perry went without pitching seems to be a week). He also missed some time due to illness/”injury” (an infected eye and, later, a scratched cornea from rubbing the eye) and also had a couple stints in Toledo. Nothing seemed to go right for him this season, and one of the Tigers beat writers noted that Dombrowski spoke with Perry’s agent on Monday, and the agent expressed Perry’s frustration at how the season went for him.

As for Balester, it seems that he’s a failed starter who was finally converted to long-relief when he was unable to crack the Nationals’ deep rotation. He was drafted out of high school, when the organization was the Montréal Expos, and has been working up the ranks ever since. It’s worth noting that Balester was much better in relief than he was as a starter. I’ve seen comparisons to ex-Tiger Zach Miner thrown out in re. Balester, and his potential role on the team.

So, one chapter ends and another one begins. Best wishes to Ryan (and Vanessa) in Washington. And welcome to Detroit, Collin Balester. You’ll fit right in with that wacky mustache.

Collin Balester has a Twitter. Find him at BallyStar40. His mustache also has a Twitter of its own at StacheOBally.

Let us imagine a beautiful world where I had an MVP vote.

It would have gone to– wait for it– José Bautista.

Yes, José Bautista.

your unrealistic trade proposals suck

It’s that time of the year when fans throw out however many trade proposals they can, no matter how unrealistic they might be and without regard to the teams’ needs.

The Braves want outfielders for Prado and/or Jurrjens, so hay Tigers, just give them Dirks and Raburn! Git ‘r done, Dumbrowski!!

Or, hay the As want middle infielders so just trade them Danny Worth, Will Rhymes, and Don Kelly for Gio Gonzalez right nao!

Goodbye, 2011 season.

It was a good one. No, we’re not going to the World Series. This was still a great season, though, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I’ll tell you to get lost.

This was a great, closely played series, despite a few seemingly lopsided scores. The Tigers gave everything they had, and while it wasn’t enough, I can’t be ashamed of or angry with their effort. I’m left especially encouraged about the state of our starting four (Verlander, Fister, Scherzer and Porcello) and our future. There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a Tigers fan, rather than not.

I’m very satisfied with this season, and it only makes me even more excited about 2012 and what we can do.

Thank you, Maggs.

When Magglio Ordoñez signed with the Detroit Tigers during the winter of 2004, the skeptics shook their heads and wondered what the Tigers were thinking. Ordoñez was coming off a devastating knee injury and experimental surgery, and no one knew how he would respond to the treatment. Understandably, the rival Chicago White Sox did not want to take any risks with Ordoñez or his injured knee, and were willing to let their star slugger walk. At the time, the signing of Ordoñez was seen as a somewhat desperate move by a once-formidable team struggling to rebuild its legacy and reputation by taking on another team’s discarded junk.

The 2005 season was pretty much a wash for Ordoñez and the Tigers, as he missed significant time due to a sports hernia. Ordoñez had only 46 at bats total in the first half of the 2005 season. Predictably, the Tigers struggled and limped to the finish line, unable to improve on their 2004 season.

2006 was different though. Ordoñez was finally healthy, and so were the Tigers. He showed glimpses of his younger self, belting 24 homeruns and driving in 104. The Tigers were the best team in baseball for much of the season and made the playoffs that year, despite a six-game losing streak to end the season.

We all know what happened next.

Ordoñez helped give the Tigers legitimacy after nearly a decade and a half of embarrassment and failure. His walk-off homerun in Game Four of the ALCS might have done more for the city of Detroit than any of us could have imagined. It gave us hope—if the Tigers can rise from the ashes, maybe the city of Detroit can, too—and lifted a team and its city.

You wouldn’t find much of an argument amongst Tigers fans these days if you said Ordoñez was washed up, or headed for retirement. He had a difficult, injury ridden season—two of them in a row, in fact—along with a 2009 season that was tough both professionally and personally. Ordoñez even contemplated retirement before discussing his options with his family and deciding against it. It seems like he made the right decision, as he was hitting .294 and improved his OPS by 87 points in the second half. (Granted, a .678 OPS is nothing to shake a stick at, but it is still a vast improvement over the .591 he put up in the first half on a balky ankle with absolutely no power.)

Unfortunately, his season—and maybe even his career—might be done. If this truly is the end of the line for Ordoñez in Detroit, thanks for everything. I wish you nothing but the best wherever you end up, whether it’s retirement or another organization.

Thank you, Maggs.

We’ll always have 2006.

(Disclaimer: A lot of this is recounted from memory (minus the stats) so I might be off on some of my recollections. Apologies.)

A helpful tip:

(h/t @Detroit4lyfe/@Brady_Green for the original image)

Dancing days are here again . . .

Dancing Days from rockthescherzer on Vimeo.

One of these days, I’ll get over iMovie. Until then, you must all suffer my vidding skilz.

This is all spacemnkymafia’s fault.

My Heart Will Go On from rockthescherzer on Vimeo.

Near, far, wherever you are~

There’s no excuse for this.

Uh, note to Brad Penny if he sees this: just know it was made out of love. And please don’t throw me into Lake St. Clair.

Links roundup for 8/5/2011:

In lieu of actual content here is a links roundup of things I thought were interesting:

I posted my game photos from the 3rd here (and will be adding more later). Check ’em out and drop me a line if you’d like to use them for anything.

Phil Coke isn’t missing bats, hasn’t been the same since ankle injury. Great analysis of Phil Coke’s season thus far from Kurt of BlessYouBoys.

Where in the Midwest is Ugueth Urbina?

No Respect. NEWSFLASH, TIGERS FANS: BRAD PENNY HAS BEEN A DECENT FIFTH STARTER.

Brain Farts from @PhilCokesBrain, Vol 1. If you don’t follow @PhilCokesBrain on twitter you haven’t been living.

Homestand Mashup. Take a look at the Homestand MashUp for what you may have missed during the last homestand.

catswithbats and family take over Comerica Park, harass Don Kelly and Victor Martinez to great effect.

HERE’S A HANDY LIST OF ALL THE AWESOMENESS OF LAST NIGHT IN BULLET POINT FORM:

-ON FIELD BATTING PRACTICE

-GETTING DIRT FROM THE FOUL AREA BEHIND HOME PLATE IN MY SANDALS

-STANDING LESS THAN FIVE FEET AWAY FROM MIGUEL CABRERA

-INTIMIDATING BIG BURLY BALLPLAYERS WITH MY REALLY LONG CAMERA LENS

-STALKING THE TEXAS RANGERS

-WONDERING IF JOSH HAMILTON’S CURTAIN MATCHES HIS VALANCE

-GETTING DON KELLY TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH A SIGN I MADE

-GETTING VICTOR MARTINEZ TO SIGN MY VICTOR MARTINEZ JERSEY

-OH YEAH THERE WAS A GAME TOO, WELL THAT WAS PRETTY SWEET

-DOUG FISTER WENT AT LEAST SEVEN INNINGS AND DIDN’T STRIKE OUT OR WALK A SINGLE BATTER

-THE LAST TIGERS PITCHER TO DO THAT WAS JUSTIN VERLANDER IN MAY OF 2006 (VS. JOHAN SANTANA)

I put up a handful of pictures here. I’ll work on importing and uploading the other … 500 pictures, haha.

If you want to use the pictures for anything, like wallpaper or whatever, drop me a comment just so I know where they’re ending up. I probably won’t say no. Unless you’re planning on selling them.

I APOLOGIZE FOR MY DOUG FISTER TAG.