Am I the only one who thinks it's a bad thing for a power hitter to lose 20+ pounds over the course of a couple months? You can't really lose fat that quickly. Odds are that he's starving himself and that least half of it was muscle. I'm not a nutritionist or anything, but I have some experience in that arena ... I really hope they're not turning the best hitter in baseball into a singles hitter just so he can play slightly better defense at third...
I believe I read somewhere that the Tigers and cabby had already been having talks of moving him to third before the Fielder signing. I mean if he's been working out for the past couple of months trying to shed some weight I don't think 20lbs is ridiculous or means that he is starving himself to do it. Now if only they could get Fielder on the same plan, they might be able to prolong his career.
Yet more on Cabrera being less fat this year. To put his weight gain/loss in perspective, apparently he was up around 285-293 last year. His target weight for spring training is around 250 lbs, and he apparently still needs to lose ~15lbs to get there.
How will that affect his power, that's what I'm worried about. Dude was the best hitter in baseball last year and now he's severely altering his physique. Even if it's healthier for him, it may not be healthier for his OPS.
Honestly, it might improve his power. Shed some fat, get a bit more limber, maybe able to move his hands through the zone quicker to generate more bat speed...Weighing in at nearly 300lbs, it's not like all of that was muscle.
Quite the tale of two careers for Verlander and Zumaya...broke in together, Verlander's stock is only rising while Zoom is broken down. I wish it would've worked out better for him...it was electric at Comerica when he'd get the call from the bullpen.
For the amount of pain and disappointment he has had to endure, he deserves every penny
He's been well-compensated for his troubles. At this point I'm saving my sympathy for those who have to endure that kind of misery and DON'T get a million bucks a year to perpetually rehab and never actually produce anything.
It's nothing against the guy - like I said, it's great work if you can get it. But he's making a lot of money and hasn't pitched in years. All he has to do is stop cashing the checks and he never has to deal with the injury problems again. It's not like he has cancer or has some lousy fireman's pension to look forward to. He's well taken care of and isn't looking at anything that will affect his daily life when he stops pitching. All he has to do is stop pitching.
Nobody's going to pay me a million bucks to ruin my throwing arm and not play baseball. If they did, I'd take it - but I wouldn't expect anyone to feel sorry for me.
The guy I feel bad for is Sizemore. Finally seemed to nail down a starting job with the A's, and his knee goes out.
I'm happy none of these guys are still on the Tigers, though. The past few years sucked with so many guys always breaking down and constantly wondering if this guy was going to make it back, or that guy. I'll gladly take the concerns of Cabrera at third over whether Guillen could manage to not maim himself at second.
Sizemore is only a MLBer because the A's are running a glorified AA ball club. I doubt he'd be more than a bench player, even on the 2nd worst team in the league.
Now that the rest of the world has heard of Sabremetrics, the only Moneyball guys left for Billy Beane are the ones that really don't have MLB talent. The good players that previously fell through the cracks are all snapped up by other clubs.
Sizemore is only a MLBer because the A's are running a glorified AA ball club. I doubt he'd be more than a bench player, even on the 2nd worst team in the league.
Now that the rest of the world has heard of Sabremetrics, the only Moneyball guys left for Billy Beane are the ones that really don't have MLB talent. The good players that previously fell through the cracks are all snapped up by other clubs.
Sizemore would have been an improvement at 3rd for us last year, and his splits consistently climbed since July when he started getting consistent playing time. If Sizemore hadn't hurt his knee, I bet that trade would have become a mirror image of when we moved Infante for Jones. We give up on a guy too soon, only to have him become something we could have used with another team.
So what do you guys think of the new deal he just signed?
8 years, 132 million dollars and 60 million in guarentees. This makes him the highest paid WR in NFL history.
I think this is a great move by the Lions, no matter how you look at it they had to give the guy whatever he asked for. He in a large part has helped bring life back to Detroit. He gives Lions fans something to get excited about, and it would be devastating to everybody to let him walk. Management has now sent a message to CJ and the rest of the team that they have faith in Calvin, and expect a lot from him. The very fact that a superstar like Calvin signed a big contract like that shows everyone that the Lions are serious about bringing competitive football back to Detroit.
This deal also frees up approximetely 10 million in cap space for this season.
Here is probably the most important detail in the fast-breaking news of receiver Calvin Johnson's monster contract extension: It will shave about $9 million off his 2012 salary cap number, according to the Lions' website.
That means Johnson's 2012 cap number will fall somewhere between $12 million and $13 million, a significant reduction from the $22 million hit the Lions were taking under the final year of his original rookie contract. It's enough to ensure the Lions can sign their draft class along with a couple of veteran free agents, one of which could well be middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.
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Tim Fuller/US PresswireCalvin Johnson's contract extension with the Lions includes $60 million in guarantees.
As whopping as the numbers in Johnson's deal are, the truth is Johnson probably could have asked for more. I'm not sure that I would call a $132 million deal, of which almost half is guaranteed, a "hometown discount." But Johnson had all of the leverage in this negotiation; had he done nothing, he would have earned $18 million in 2012 and then been eligible for a $26.4 million franchise tag in 2013 and a $31 million tag in 2014. Over three years, his annual salary would have averaged $25.6 million.
There was no way the Lions or any other team could afford such a huge cash or cap commitment, and Johnson knew that. In exchange for accepting a deal that averaged "only" $16.5 million per year, he received $60 million in guarantees.
That number blew away even the richest NFL players, but around the league, Johnson has received instant praise and well-wishes as the type of player and person who would merit such a deal.
Among them was a tweet from Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson: "Calvin Johnson! Brother you're Worth every cent!!! But hey,Can I borrow a Dollar! Hahaha Now that's how its done! Congratulation!"
Peterson's contract extension last summer was worth $100 million and included $36 million in guarantees, which should give you some context for how lucrative Johnson's deal is.
I'm sure you're tired of the dry salary-cap discussions we've had in relation to Johnson's future. But they were critical to the short- and long-term success of the Lions franchise. Johnson will continue to represent a significant cash and cap commitment in the years to come, but the Lions now have more cost certainty and no longer face a short-term crisis. That's a win for everyone.
I don't know much about Football, but Johnson was their MVP so he should get paid good.
And didn't the tigers get Fielder?
Detroit sports teams paying the big money it seems
Yeah i might actually be watching some regular season Tiger games. I like playoff baseball but the regular season is pointless and terribly boring. Unless maybe JV is pitching.
That being said, I've been a Lions fan all my life. I'm 20 years old and i haven't missed a game in 8+ years. (Including radio broadcasts because they don't air home games if they don't sell out. Which happened alot during the 0-16 season.) Stafford is a fantastic quarterback but CJ is an absolute freak. So glad they are turning it around.
I am mildly surprised that CJ took the deal. He could have fleeced the Lions or any other franchise for that matter. Dont get me wrong, the dude is paid and damn near half of it is guaranteed, he could blow his knee out next year and still be $60M richer.
He was already a favorite of mine because he doesnt have to/never has talked the talk yet no one can walk his walk. This deal just solidifies my appreciation.
This whole deal further solidifies why CJ is my absolute favorite player in the NFL (other than Stafford). What I've always loved about him is the fact that he's such a phenomenally talented player that isn't also a headcase on/off the field, so we're never questioning whether the skill outweighs the headache. You never hear him whine, he's never all about him himself... he's the ultimate team player through and through, which is just so fantastic and rare for an athlete of his skill set in today's NFL (obviously there are others, but you know what I mean).
I'm so glad we got him locked up. Watching him and Staff for the next eight years should be a real treat, and overall, I'm loving the direction that this team is headed. See? Isn't it just amazing what an actual competent front-office can do for an NFL franchise?
