Roger Hodgson at Ravinia: Simply super

Two things were apparent very quickly Thursday night when Roger Hodgson appeared at Ravinia in Highland Park for his first show in the Chicago area in more than 30 years: He was genuinely having fun, and his voice is as strong as ever.

After completing his first song, a man was heard to say to his companion: “Roger sure hasn’t lost his pipes.” At age 62, Roger’s hair is longer than it was 30 years ago (grayer, too), and his voice seems to defy Father Time with its strength, sharpness and tone.

“Sometimes it surprises me, too,” he said after the show.

However, even before his pipes were booming throughout Ravinia – a top-notch outdoor venue that was filled with baby boomers, some of their parents and some of their kids – Roger’s smile indicated that everyone was in for a night of fun. Sure, there were a few appreciative smiles throughout the show, but when Roger took the stage to a standing ovation, his smile said more about his passion to perform than a casual thank you.

Then he told the crowd to leave their troubles outside for the next two hours and have fun.

It seemed as if everyone was listening intently as one of the co-founders of the progressive rock band Supertramp and his modern band of tramps hit the stage at 8 p.m. sharp, and he immediately he belted out, “Take the Long Way Home,” the opening song for most of his tour this year. It’s quite appropriate, too, as longtime fans and more casual fans can connect with one of the hits from the album “Breakfast in America,” which in 1979 reached No. 1 on the charts in the United States and won two Grammy Awards in 1980.

He followed that with “School”, the Supertramp anthem from the “Crime of the Century” album that marked the start of the group’s rise from a routine band to a classic band. The only disappointment was the lack of the inviting harmonica solo that hauntingly opens the song, but that was quickly forgotten.

Then, Roger dipped into his repertoire of songs from his first solo album, “In the Eye of the Storm.” He flawlessly delivered “In Jeopardy” and “Lovers in the Wind,” before going back to the “Crime of the Century” album with the popular but sometimes overlooked “Hide in Your Shell.” Roger spoke of this song being requested because it had helped many people get through tough times, and he said it had done the same for him.

Roger dedicated the next song, “Sister Moonshine,” to a 12-year-old girl in the audience who was celebrating her birthday. The song is off the album “Crisis? What Crisis.” It was released in 1975, 25 years prior to the birth of the young girl. His music can still reach the youth of today.

That set the stage for “Breakfast in America,” the title track from the album of the same name. He followed with “Lady,” “C’est le Bon” and “A Soapbox Opera,” all superb songs that are favorites of the hardcore fans but not as recognizable to casual fans.

Then Roger said something like, “I think you’ll remember this next song,” and he belted out “The Logical Song,” one of the top singles from “Breakfast in America.” It energized the crowd and set the stage for an introduction to a song that, while very popular among Roger’s hardcore fans also is relatively unknown to his casual fans. He caught their attention with this introduction about the song: “If you were a captive animal in a zoo, would you prefer to live without your freedom, or would you choose death?”

That is the message in “Death and a Zoo,” which mixes various animal sounds into the song and probably sent more than a few fans in search of “Open the Door,” Roger’s solo CD that debuted in 2000 and includes “Death and a Zoo.”

Roger, still smiling as if it was his first live performance, followed with “If Everyone Was Listening,” the touching “Lord Is It Mine” and then the upbeat “Child of Vision,” which had the crowd itching for more. “Know Who You Are” and “Don’t Leave Me Now” followed, and Roger introduced his next song explaining that it actually was the result of three pieces of music.

It was obvious that “Fool’s Overture” was next, and the lengthy and emotional song that includes parts of Winston Churchill’s famous “we shall never surrender” speech in 1940. It was a classic performance. It also set the stage for an unforgettable final three songs of the night.

The Minstrel invited the fans to come to the front (“Security, it’s OK,” he said) to sing and dance, and many did not need to be asked twice. The upbeat “Dreamer,” a single from “Crime of the Century,” had much of the crowd singing along with the fans near the stage who were singing and dancing.

Roger and his band then left for a few minutes before returning for two encores: First, the easily recognizable and popular “Give A Little Bit” and finally the get-on-your-feet-and-dance “It’s Raining Again.” Nobody who came to the stage prior to “Dreamer” had retreated to their seat, and the crowd was in a frenzy as the concert came to a close.

That’s how it’s supposed to be done, and Roger was masterful in doing it.

The concert featured an incredible 21 songs in a full two-hour performance, as promised in his opening remarks. In addition to his lead vocals on every song, Roger performed on the keyboards, grand piano and guitar.

He was accompanied by an excellent group of performers: Aaron MacDonald on the saxophone, harmonica, keyboards and backing vocals; Kevin Adamson on the keyboards and backing vocals; David J. Carpenter on the bass and backing vocals; and Bryan Head on drums and percussion.

MacDonald, in particular, was incredible. The saxophone is such an important part of many of Roger’s songs, and John Anthony Helliwell seemed unchallenged on the horns when Roger was with Supertramp. However, MacDonald’s talent, energy and on-stage persona met the standards set by Helliwell, and with each saxophone solo, it seemed that Roger’s connection to Supertramp is indeed alive and doing very well.

It sounded just like a Supertramp concert despite the absence of the other original band members.

Some longtime Supertramp fans hold out hope for the reunion of Roger and his Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies, and that’s understandable. Rick has many fine songs that Supertramp fans would love to hear: “Goodbye Stranger” and “Bloody Well Right” to name a few. But on his “Breakfast in America” tour this year, Roger is showing that he’s doing quite well on his own, and he relies entirely on his songs.

Roger gave his fans two full hours of his best music. If this had been a Supertramp concert with Rick, many of Roger’s songs would not have been heard to make room for some of Rick’s.

Sure, it would be nice to see a Roger and Rick reunion, but it sounds like it’s not going to happen. And it doesn’t need to. That’s because Roger and his new-age band of tramps are, well, simply super.

Set list

Take the Long Way Home

School

In Jeopardy

Lovers in the Wind

Hide in Your Shell

Sister Moonshine

Breakfast in America

Lady

C’est le Bon

A Soapbox Opera

The Logical Song

Death and a Zoo

If Everyone Was Listening

Lord is it Mine

Child of Vision

Know Who You Are

Don’t Leave Me Now

Fool’s Overture

Dreamer

******

Give a Little Bit

It’s Raining Again

The Tigers’ first Opening Day 111 years ago – the greatest Opening Day comeback

Opening Day in Detroit is a special time, but it’s safe to say the Motor City has never seen an Opening Day like the one that hosted the Tigers’ first American League game.

The date: April 25, 1901, one day later than scheduled after inclement weather had postponed the scheduled game the previous day. At right is a look at the caps worn by the Tigers in 1901. Red was a prominent color for the team.

Here is the starting lineup for the Tigers’ first Opening Day:

Casey, Doc 3B

Barrett, Jimmy CF

Gleason, Kid 2B

Holmes, Ducky RF

Dillon, Pop 1B

Elberfeld, Kid SS

Nance, Kid LF

Buelow, Fritz C

Miller, Roscoe P

What happened that Thursday afternoon at Bennett Park was worth the wait after the previous day’s postponement, although a majority of the fans in attendance didn’t wait long enough to enjoy the incredible heroics. But who could blame them? The Tigers trailed 13-4 after eight innings.

The festivities started in the morning with a street parade, featuring the Tigers decked out in red coats accompanied by city officials and various invited guests.

The Tigers’ mascot, “Oom Paul,” a dog owned by J.B. Beattie, was brought out and placed at home plate. The dog was considered a good-luck charm for the Tigers, who were 21-1 when “Oom Paul” was present in 1900 when the Tigers were members of the then minor-league American League.

Former Judge Byron S. Waite made a speech and presented a cup to owner Jimmy Burns and manager George Stallings, who owned a share of the club. Jacob J. Haarar, president of the common council, threw out the first pitch to former Tigers catcher Charlie Bennett, for whom the ballpark was named.

Finally, it was time for baseball.

An overflow crowd of 10,023 jammed Bennett Park for the first major-league game in Tigers history. But many of them were not around for one of the most incredible ninth-inning comebacks in baseball history.

Milwaukee jumped on Tigers rookie starting pitcher Roscoe Miller, scoring seven runs off him in 2 1/3 innings before Emil Frisk came on in relief. Although Miller gave up six hits and walked one, he didn’t get any help from the defense. Shortstop Kid Elberfeld made three errors in the first three innings, including one on a ground ball by Brewers rookie center fielder Irv Waldron in the first at-bat of the game.

The Tigers went into the bottom of the fourth trailing 7-0 but got two of them back on back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Pop Dillon and Elberfeld. Kid Gleason added a run-scoring double in the fifth as the Tigers cut Milwaukee’s lead to 7-3, but the Brewers seemingly put the game away with three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to build a 13-3 lead.

Kid Nance singled in Dillon, who had doubled, in the bottom of the eighth to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 13-4, and Bennett Park begin to empty.

What happened next defied logic.

Trailing 13-4, the Tigers opened the ninth inning with six consecutive hits: A double by Doc Casey, a single by Jimmy Barrett, a run-scoring single by Kid Gleason (13-5), a run-scoring double by Ducky Holmes (13-6), a two-run double by Dillon (13-8) and a run-scoring double by Elberfeld (13-9).

Milwaukee player-manager Hugh Duffy decided to pull left-handed relief pitcher Pete Dowling and replace him with right-handed reliever Bert Husting. The Brewers still led 13-9, and the Tigers had Elberfeld on second with nobody out.

Husting uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Elberfeld to advance to third, but retired Nance on a grounder as Elberfeld remained at third. At that point, the crowd that circled behind the outfielders (there was no outfield wall at Bennett Park and fans were allowed to stand a reasonable distance behind the outfielders) began to inch closer, and the game was delayed as some of the Tigers players had to urge the fans to retreat.

Husting then walked catcher Fritz Buelow, and Frisk, the Tigers’ pitcher, drove home Elberfeld with a single to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 13-10, still with just one out. The Detroit Free Press reported that at this point of the game the fans were throwing hats and coats onto the field as they cheered the rally.

Casey, who had started the inning with a base hit, beat out a bunt to load the bases, but Barrett was called out on strikes. The bases remained loaded, and the Tigers trailed 13-10 with two out. Gleason then hit a hard grounder to Brewers third baseman Jimmy Burke, who made an error that allowed a run to score and slice Milwaukee’s lead to 13-11. If Burke had made that play, the game would have been over.

Holmes then hit a slow roller to Burke and beat it out for a hit as Frisk crossed the plate to bring the Tigers within one at 13-12. Dillon, who already had collected three doubles in the game, came to bat. He delivered again, smashing the ball over the head of left-fielder Bill Hallman for a game-winning, two-run double, scoring Casey with the tying run and Gleason with the winning run.

The Detroit Free Press described the scene: “Dillon was the hero of the day and pandemonium broke loose when he made his last hit. The crowd surged out onto the field, and everybody wanted to pat the hero on the back. The big first baseman was almost torn to pieces by the fans, and finally he was picked up and carried around on the shoulders of some of the excited spectators.”

Dillon finished the game with four doubles, a franchise record that was tied by Billy Bruton on May 19, 1963. Dillon was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and five RBIs. Frisk was the winning pitcher in relief.

Overlooked in the game was the Tigers’ defense – or the lack of it. The Tigers made seven errors as Elberfeld had three, while Gleason, Holmes, Dillon and Nance had one apiece. But game-winning rallies of 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth have a way of making people forget about errors, even seven of them.

However, there was an ominous moment during practice. Elberfeld overthrew Dillon at first base, and the ball hit one of the spectators who was on the field. He was taken away bleeding from the mouth.

Bennett Park was located at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, although the park was not set up in the same fashion as Tiger Stadium. Home plate was located where right field was at Tiger Stadium, but when the ballpark was rebuilt in 1912, the field configurations changed.

Below is how Bennett Park looked in 1901.

Carlos Guillen better than Alan Trammell? It “could” have happened

Carlos Guillen retired today, and it probably was the right decision. His body was never going to hold up for any sort of playing time anymore. Heck, the guy could even get hurt as the DH. But I bet few of us realize just how good he was because the injury problems of the last few years have clouded our view.

He COULD have been as good as or even … gasp … better than Alan Trammell.

OK, before I get tons (OK, dozens … OK, maybe a few) of responses, I do not think Carlos Guillen was a better player than Alan Trammell.

However, if Guillen had remained healthy for the duration of his career, it would have been interesting.

Let’s take a closer look at the career numbers:

Trammell: AB-8,288. HR-185. RBI-1,003. Avg.-.285. OBP-.352. SLG-.415. OPS-.767.

Guillen: AB-4,673. HR-124. RBI-660. Avg.-.285. OBP-.355. SLG-.443. OPS-.798.

And here are Guillen’s numbers during his career with the Tigers:

Guillen: AB-3,008. HR-95. RBI-449. Avg.-.297. OBP-366. SLG-.476. OPS-.842.

Guillen had a clear edge in slugging percentage and OPS – the trendy No. 1 statistic to gauge offensive value. And an .842 OPS with the Tigers? From a shortstop? To get a feel for how good .842 is, Cecil Fielder had a career .849 OPS with the Tigers. Trammell was at .767.

If Guillen had the same longevity that Trammell had, he probably would have equaled or surpassed the home run and RBI numbers.

But Trammell has to get credit for his durability. That’s part of the equation when comparing players, and that is where Guillen comes up short the most.

Again, this is not to say Guillen was better. He wasn’t. Trammell was a better fielder, although Guillen, even as gimpy as he was, was able to play first base, second base, third base and the outfield after he could no longer play shortstop. That’s defensive versatility, even if he never won a Gold Glove Award.

In fact, here’s a stat you might not read anywhere else: No other player in Tigers history played at least 40 games at five different positions (counting OF as one position). He’s his final tally: SS-487; 3B-89; 2B-72; 1B-71; OF-48.

Unfortunately, Guillen might be remembered more as an injury-prone player than anything else, but he was a vital cog for the Tigers from 2004 until 2008. He made the All-Star Game three times for the Tigers, and he finished 10th in the voting for AL MVP in 2006 – the year the Tigers won the AL pennant. He also was 24th in MVP voting in 2004.

The point to all of this? Don’t underestimate how good Guillen was during his Tigers career (.842 OPS! Really?).

He wasn’t Alan Trammell, but if Guillen would have had Trammell’s durability, there might be a different discussion today.

Nine observations: Tigers 18, Braves 3, and the bombing of Teheran

NINE OBSERVATIONS

A look at the Detroit Tigers during spring training in 2012

March 4: Tigers 18, Braves 3. Tigers’ spring record: 2-0.

1, Could we start the season now please? Ryan Raburn (right) is in second-half mode, and the Tigers hit seven home runs in the first three innings – yes, that’s right, seven home runs in three innings – in their windy preseason home opener at Joker Marchant Stadium. Here is the roll call of home runs: Alex Avila, Raburn, Brennan Boesch, Prince Fielder, Delmon Young, Jhonny Peralta and Austin Jackson. Everybody in the starting lineup except Miguel Cabrera and Andy Dirks belted home runs in the first three innings.

Raburn must believe it’s the middle of August. He added a grand slam in the fifth inning for his second homer of the game and the Tigers’ eighth. Raburn is the first Tigers hitter with two homers this spring.

Meanwhile, Brandon Inge, in his bid to win the starting role at second base, believes his checked-swing misses would be benefited by a strong wind. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Inge doubled to left field, and in the bottom of the eighth, he doubled again. Wow, there really must be some strong winds in Lakeland today. Inge also was involved in his first double play as a second baseman, too, on a 5-4-3 twin killing in the eighth inning.

OK, there WAS a stiff wind blowing out to right field, but the visiting Braves weren’t able to do anything. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News tweeted that Peralta’s homer definitely was aided by the wind and maybe Raburn’s first one, but the other five were bombs. Maybe the Tigers had a HOMEWIND advantage today. Either way, it won’t mean a thing when the regular season opens in a month, but it’s fun to enjoy today.

P.S. Danny Worth went deep in the bottom of the seventh to make it nine home runs for the Tigers. The final hit tally: 14 hits on nine home runs, three doubles and two singles.

2, It has to be mentioned that the victims in that early onslaught were Braves pitchers Randall Delgado, a right-hander, and Julio Teheran, another right-hander. Delgado gave up the first bomb, and Teheran gave up THE OTHER SIX HOME RUNS. Teheran was No. 8 on Baseball America’s top prospects list for all of baseball for 2012. But now we know he has a weakness: He can’t pitch in the wind.

The meltdown by Teheran led to the “Tigers tweet of the day on Twitter” (say that five times real fast) by Phil Coke’s Brain (not really Phil Coke, a joking imposter): “The Israelis have to be happy. We are bombing Teheran!”

3, On the first ball hit to him, Miguel Cabrera made an error at third base. It was the first ball hit to him in two preseason games, and he went to his left and booted the play. He’s not going to win a Gold Glove, and he might be bad, but we’re going to have to live with it. Let’s just hope it does not affect his offense. He was 0-for-3 and still looking for his first hit of the preseason. No panic alert yet.

4, On Saturday, Chris Bootcheck gave up the first hit allowed by a Tigers pitcher in the eighth inning. Today, it was left-hander Tyler Stohr who allowed the first run of the season, ending a 13-inning scoreless streak by the Tigers. Stohr walked two in one inning.

5, Max Scherzer and Duane Below each pitched two scoreless innings. Scherzer gave up three hits, walked one and hit a batter, so it’s amazing he got out of it without allowing a run. Below allowed two hits. Aren’t Tigers pitchers supposed to throw hitless innings like they did Saturday? Maybe they were wind-aided hits.

6, I don’t know who Jason Rice is, but the Atlanta Braves pitcher walked three and gave up three hits in just one-third of an inning. He’s lucky that just five of the six runs he gave up were earned, otherwise his preseason ERA of 135.00 would be even higher. Delgado’s preseason ERA is 36.00, and Teheran’s is 31.50 – after giving up six home runs!

7, Closer Jose Valverde comes in for the top of the sixth inning trying to hold a 17-1 lead. After the first two batters are retired, a Braves player reaches base on an error by outfielder Avisail Garcia. Valverde strikes out the next batter, proving he CAN throw a scoreless inning in a non-save situation – as long as the games don’t count. New relief pitcher Octavio Dotel followed with a scoreless seventh inning in his preseason debut for the Tigers.

8, Lost in all the early power was the first home run for the Tigers by Prince Fielder, Detroit’s best Prince since Hal “Prince Hal” Newhouse. Sorry, Tayshaun. It was a solo shot leading off the bottom of the third inning and went to right field.

9, It really must be the preseason. With the Tigers batting in the bottom of the seventh inning, new reliever Collin Balestar tweets, “Tiger really needs to eagle 18. I would like to see him win.” I don’t have a problem with not watching a meaningless preseason game, but does he have to publicly admit it?

Nine observations – Tigers 2, Braves 0, and who is Jerad Head?

NINE OBSERVATIONS

A look at the Detroit Tigers during spring training in 2012

March 3: Tigers 2, Braves 0. Tigers’ spring record: 1-0.

1, Yes, the first run scored by the Tigers in the preseason came on a home run by Jerad Head (right). Who? Here’s a primer: Head, a former NCAA Division II baseball player, appeared in 10 games for the Indians last year and signed as a free agent in November. He is 29, plays left field, throws right and bats right and has been in professional baseball since 2006. He hit 24 home runs in AAA last year. It will be tough for him to make the team, but he’ll go to Toledo and could see action in Detroit if the injury bug hits. The best bet for his future: He’ll be the answer to a trivia question: Who hit the first preseason home run for the Detroit Tigers in2012?

More on Mr. Head: He and two minor-league teammates were involved in a fight at a downtown Akron nightclub in 2010. He was charged with felonious assault and pleaded not guilty. A jury later reduced the charges to disorderly conduct.

P.S. Because of his last name, this guy must be a magnet for nickname-taggers. Coke (that one’s taken on the Tigers); Butt (apologizes to Beavis); or my personal favorite, Bone. And he can be thankful his first name isn’t Dick. And then there’s Pig, and Sleepy, and Fat. Geez, the list goes on and on.

2, Speaking of pitching, starter Doug Fister was effective. He had a 1-2-3 inning in the first on just seven pitches and finished with two scoreless, hitless innings with a walk. Expecting him to be as good as he was with the Tigers last year is probably a little unrealistic. But to think he’s a flash in the pan is another. He’ll have a solid season.

Fister, Jacob Turner, David Pauley, Daniel Schlereth, Collin Balestar and Phil Coke had a combined no-hitter through seven innings. Chris Bootcheck came on to pitch the eighth for the Tigers, and on his first pitch Atlanta’s Jordan Parraz singled to right. Why did Tigers manager Leyland take Fister out when he had a no-hitter going? (Yes, Sheldon, that’s sarcasm). The Tigers finished with a one-hitter.

3, By all accounts, Brandon Inge played a superb game at second base. If he wins the job and becomes the starter, Inge haters (and there are thousands) are going to commit Harry Carey (or hari kari for those non-baseball fans). Inge walked in his first at-bat without swinging the bat (“That’s why he got on,” Inge hates exclaim) and struck out in the second (“That’s more like it,” they say in unison). Inge left a team-high four runners on base, a stat he shared with catcher Gerald Laird, who was 0-for-2 in his return to Detroit.

4, Miguel Cabrera only had one play at third base in five innings, and it was a routine ground ball that he handled. Wouldn’t it be great if Cabrera gets nothing but routine grounders to handle this season? By the way, he was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Yawn. , Audy Ciriaco had a single in his only at-bat for the Tigers. Why is this important? I just like the name Audy Ciriaco, and he scored the Tigers’ second run of the game.

5, The topic: No. 5 starter. Former Tigers beat writer Danny Knobler tweeted during the game that people who have talked to the Tigers are convinced the team will trade for a starting pitcher prior to Opening Day. Four Tigers left-handers and a Tigers right-hander fail to retweet Knobler’s message.

6, One player to keep an eye on is Clete Thomas, who is battling Andy Dirks for a spot on the team. Thomas missed all of last season with an injury, but he’s healthy, and manager Jim Leyland never seems to forget to mention him. Thomas made a nice play in the outfield and went 1-for-3. He could fit in as a backup outfielder, part-time DH, etc. It seems like Leyland really like him. I like Dirks but understand how Thomas would fit on this team.

7, Austin Jackson had an opposite-field single in his second at-bat. If he’s going to be successful, he has to cut down on his strikeouts (he struck out in his first at-bat) and use the entire field. I’ll say it every day in spring training: Austin Jackson is the most pivotal offensive player on the team, because if he’s good, he’ll make everyone else even better, and if he’s not good, he won’t be on base to set the table for the sluggers.

8, Prince Fielder was 2-for-2 with two singles and a walk. We know he can hit, so this isn’t news, but it was his first appearance in a preseason game for the Tigers. Yea, I know they played Florida Southern yesterday, but that was a “preseason preseason game,” as Pat Caputo of the Oakland Press called it. Fielder was the only player in the game to collect more than one hit.

9, Chipper Jones started and drew a walk for the Braves. He’s going to be 40 next month. I’m still honored that his parents decided to name him after me.

Who was the best throwing catcher in Tigers history?

Here is a statement that you’ve probably never heard: Paul Richards (right) was the best throwing catcher in the history of the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers have had several outstanding catchers over the years – one, Mickey Cochrane, is in the Hall of Fame,and another, Pudge Rodriguez, is destined to be there – and two others (Bill Freehan and Lance Parrish) were perennial all-stars.

But why is Richards considered to have the best throwing arm of them all? Obviously, this is a subjective question and is one that cannot be answered with the human eye because nobody has seen them all. That leaves one way to judge them: numbers.

Before I go on, the numbers are not an end-all to the question. Obviously, pitchers play a big part in opposing runners stealing bases. But it’s also obvious that the best-throwing catchers traditionally throw out a higher percentage of runners trying to steal than the rest of the catchers.

So, that’s the standard: Percentage of runners thrown out. But let’s add one more step to it: Let’s compare every catcher to their counterparts each year. Here is an example:

Bob Swift had a percentage of .525 throwing out runners trying to steal.

Brad Ausmus had a percentage of .395 throwing out runners trying to steal.

It appears obvious that Swift was much better than Ausmus, but in reality that is not the case – at least by the numbers. Here is a closer look:

During Swift’s career with the Tigers, American League catchers had a percentage of .446 throwing out runners. During Ausmus’ time, AL catchers had a percentage of .312 throwing out runners. Obviously, it was much tougher in Ausmus’ time to throw out runners than in Swift’s time.

So, a simple formula can give each catcher an arm rating: Subtract the AL catchers’ percentage from the individual catcher’s rating, and VOILA – we have an arm rating.

Using that formula, it is pretty obvious that Paul Richards had the best throwing arm of all Tigers catchers. And if his arm wasn’t the best, it can’t be argued that anyone was any better at it than Richards.

Here is a little background on Richards, who was the Tigers’ starting catcher on the 1945 team that won the World Series:

1, Richards threw out 108 of 189 runners trying to steal on him for a percentage of .571429. During his time with the Tigers, American League catchers threw out a percentage of .426870 – a difference of .144549. Multiply it by 100, and you have a better number with which to work: 14.4559.

2, George Case, the best base-stealer during the time Richards played for the Tigers, reportedly said Richards was the toughest catcher to run against.

3, Richards was so knowledgeable that he was known as the Tigers unofficial pitching coach in those days and was credited with the rapid improvement of two-time AL MVP Hal Newhouser.

4, Richards was never much of a hitter, but he delivered a bases-loaded double in the first inning of Game 7 of the 1945 World Series to give the Tigers a 5-0 lead, and they went on to beat the Cubs and win the world championship.

Now, guess who is No. 2 on the Tigers’ all-time list? None other than current backup Gerald Laird, who had a rating of 11.8056 during his two years in Detroit. Laird threw out 38% of runners trying to steal, but during the same time AL catchers were successful just 26% of the time.

Way to go, G-Money!

Anyway, here is a ranking of the throwing arms of Tigers catchers who have appeared in at least 200 games behind the plate in Detroit (players with negative rankings threw out runners at a lesser rate than the average of all AL catchers):

1, Paul Richards 14.4559

2, Gerald Laird 11.8056

3, Pudge Rodriguez 11.1362

4, Chad Kreuter 10.8515

5, Lance Parrish 8.5043

6, Brad Ausmus 8.3059

7, Bob Swift 7.8804

8, Frank House 7.8655

9, Birdie Tebbetts 7.4711

10, Aaron Robinson 7.4182

11, Dick Brown 7.0655

12, Brandon Inge 6.2615

13, Alex Avila 4.6535

14, Milt May 4.5177

15, Mickey Cochrane 3.5472

16, Johnny Bassler 3.0121

17, Ray Hayworth 2.9434

18, Boss Schmidt 2.7199

19, Red Wilson 2.1193

20, Fritz Buelow 0.8809

21, Rudy York 0.7676

22, Mike Heath -0.0833

23, Bill Freehan -0.1625

24, Matt Nokes -1.1779

25, Mickey Tettleton -3.2933

26, Oscar Stanage -3.3828

27, John Wockenfuss -3.7303

28, Eddie Ainsmith -4.0268

29, Larry Woodall -8.2071

30, Joe Ginsberg -11.2085

It’s the best time in American League history to steal bases

Maybe the Tigers should have Austin Jackson develop his base-stealing ability.

Here is something that has not gained much attention in recent years: The last decade has produced the most successful base-stealing percentage in the American League in history.

Want proof? Here is a list of the top 10 single-seasons percentages for stealing bases:

1, .738 (2010)

2, .736 (2009)

3, .734 (2007)

4, .728 (2008)

5, .720 (2011)

6, .707 (2001)

7, .702 (2006)

8, .701 (2005)

9, .700 (2003)

10, .697 (1996).

There must be a reason for this, and I have a few theories. The first is technology, and my guess is that teams are using video in a better way to study the pickoff moves and deliveries of today’s pitchers, thus giving the base runners a better chance to steal. Seconnd, with the surge in home runs, pitchers might not be paying as close attention to the base runners as they used to.

I might be wrong on both counts, but numbers rarely are wrong, and the time is ripe to be stealing bases.

For fun, here is a look at the bottom 10, the worst seasons for base-stealers:

1, .513 (1920)

2, .518 (1953)

3, .530 (1957)

4, .533 (1958)

5, .539 (1952)

6, .542 (1947)

7, .545 (1946)

8, .545 (1908)

9, .545 (1914)

10, .546 (1909)