04/19/24
October 14, 2006
Rogers Continues His Age-Defying Brilliance: The Kenny Rogers story is the one that will make this year's World Series one for the ages. He and this series are the thing legends are made of and the reason this World Series will be spoken of in hushed tones for generations to come. Be glad you were alive during this moment in sports history as you'll be able to brag about it to your grandchildren.
posted by commander cody to baseball at 01:13 AM - 31 comments
Be glad you were alive during this moment in sports history as you'll be able to brag about it to your grand children. I would save hyperbole like this for things that don't happen on a yearly basis. How often does a pitcher step up and help his team win a world series? How often does a player with a bad reputation do something to make people think about something other than how bad his reputation is? (A: Every damn year.) Put the hype-gun down and think about people like Jim Leyland and Pudge Rodriguez, both of whom have cemented much higher places in history with this playoff run, no matter what eventually happens.
posted by chicobangs at 03:34 AM on October 14, 2006
I agree with chico, it isn't as if this year is a first time occurance. Of course, there is a distinct possibility that a Tiger fan could brag about seeing these playoffs, but only because the Tigers will probably not make them again for 20 years.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:16 AM on October 14, 2006
... brag about it to your children. Watch Kenny Rogers' response to a great play and to the player who makes the play. Watch Kenny Rogers' response to the entire team after a win. Watch another pitchers' response and to that of the team. You will see Kenny's intensity displayed by the Tigers and will understand that It is Kenny Rogers who is responsible for the Detroit Tigers' little bit of extra that will take them to the World Series, and maybe win it. Brag to your grandchildren, too.
posted by Bud Lang at 07:26 AM on October 14, 2006
Wow! An intense competitor and team leader! In sports! Will wonders never cease! I'm so overwhelmed I think I'll go watch some football! You know, something relaxing! With no little bit extra!
posted by tieguy at 07:58 AM on October 14, 2006
whats with the oldies named roger/s? last year clemens, now kenny. I'm hoping Randy Johnson will change his name to Roger and pitch like kenny roger has.
posted by bronxbomber at 08:09 AM on October 14, 2006
Whew! Might as well go ahead and immortalize him in bronze right now. But seriously, like Chico said, every year there is at least one hero in the playoffs and/or WS. Rogers is pitching great but it's a bit early to hang the MVP on him, let alone be talking about his peformance thirty years from now (unless, of course, you are a Tigers fan). And don't forget, the Tigers haven't made it to the series yet. Stranger things have happened.
posted by willthrill72 at 09:00 AM on October 14, 2006
The best part about this "dogs will start living with cats" hyperbole is that Oakland could still come back and paste Rogers in a deciding game 7. In which case this isn't "one for the ages" and we all have to call our grandchildren and apologize. If I were a Tigers fan, I'd be nervous as hell that Cody just jinxed it for us. Rogers was great last night -- love to see the rising energy of a Series-starved town with each pitch of a playoff game. He was so fired up after he got pulled that I feared for the life of any reliever who blew the game.
posted by rcade at 09:46 AM on October 14, 2006
If I were a Tigers fan, I'd be nervous as hell that Cody just jinxed it for us. Damn you cody!
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:47 AM on October 14, 2006
Rogers has pitched two of the best games of his career, and they couldn't have come at a better time. He's having fun, and his attitude has been infectious on the field and off. If he keeps this up, he could be the World Series MVP. It's an amazing turnaround for a guy whose skills and attitude made him a bit of a question mark when the Tigers signed him. I'm a Tigers fan and I still predicted that they'd be done in the first round. He's a huge reason why I was wrong, and I'm really happy about that. Having said all that, there's still a lot of baseball to be played. Let's not start clearing a space for the Hall of Fame exhibit just yet, OK?
posted by ctal1999 at 10:15 AM on October 14, 2006
Be glad you were alive during this moment in sports history as you'll be able to brag about it to your grandchildren. "Yes, Timmy, Kenny Rogers did pitch well in the 2006 playoffs. It was a real surprise since he was such a dud every other time he was in the playoffs. And yes, that's the same Kenny Rogers that attacked the camera man for taking pictures of him in the stadium."
posted by grum@work at 10:46 AM on October 14, 2006
From The Gambler: "You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table, There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done." I'm glad for him, though.
posted by mjkredliner at 11:17 AM on October 14, 2006
All this past month I'd been wondering why my privates were tingling with a little something extra. Now I know. Honestly, I thought it was the New Edition. In all seriousness, I think Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock game didn't generate prose so purple. No, that's not true.
posted by yerfatma at 11:46 AM on October 14, 2006
Leyland compared Rogers' recent efforts with the October performances fashioned by Atlanta's John Smoltz -- the man Leyland called the "best postseason pitcher I've ever seen." If John Smoltz came back and saw what's going on in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.
posted by BullpenPro at 11:48 AM on October 14, 2006
Smoltz? Best postseason pitcher ever? Smoltz is a hall-of-fame pitcher, but... if he is the best postseason pitcher ever, and he was paired with Maddux in his prime, surely the Braves should have won some more series? As overwrought as the coverage of the bloody sock was, I think that (in combination with the epic series he and Big Unit had against the Yankees in Arizona) Schilling is probably the best big-game postseason starting* pitcher of my lifetime. * anyone who thinks that anyone other than Mariano Rivera is the best postseason pitcher of our lifetimes must be batshit insane, right?
posted by tieguy at 12:46 PM on October 14, 2006
To those of you who don't remember, one Doyle Alexander replaced John Smoltz as a Tiger. Not sure if it was a mistake because there was a Championship, but the future sure took a dive. If you listen to the young pitchers in the Tigers organization, you will understand more fully what Kenny has meant to the team. Just on little instruction to move to the left on the rubber made Verlander a Rookie of the Year possibility. Others have said how his personal instruction have helped them. Sure wished the owners of the Tigers could afford to buy out the Lions. Oh well that's another thread and another time. GO TIGERS!!!!!
posted by coach at 12:47 PM on October 14, 2006
As overwrought as the coverage of the bloody sock was, I think that (in combination with the epic series he and Big Unit had against the Yankees in Arizona) Schilling is probably the best big-game postseason starting* pitcher of my lifetime. Don't forget the work he did in the 1993 World Series against the Blue Jays. His game 5 performance almost made me think they might beat the Jays. Almost.
posted by grum@work at 12:56 PM on October 14, 2006
Had forgotten about that, grum. Sad statement: my most distinct memory of that series is Chris Farley on SNL as John Kruk (or maybe Mitch Williams?) crying about the loss.
posted by tieguy at 01:12 PM on October 14, 2006
Don't forget the work he did in the 1993 World Series against the Blue Jays. Is that the time when he put a towel over his head to avoid the sight of Mitch Williams blowing yet another save? That was classic. And I'm with chico, tieguy, grum and all the gang. Rogers pitched two great games, yes. There's still plenty of time for other heros to shine, and for him to falter. But the window of opportunity for uninspired sportswriters to write cliché-ridden feelgood articles about the crusty veteran finally making good is closing really fast.
posted by qbert72 at 02:17 PM on October 14, 2006
Tell my grandchildren about Kenny Rogers? Okay, here goes... "There was a great man during my time, children, a great man indeed, who spoke to us in song...everyone considered him the "Coward of the County," and I recall that he was married once to a cold, cruel woman named Lucille, who left him with four hungry children and a crop in the fields. Then, there was Ruby, who stole away in the night and took her love to town. I always felt bad for the guy, but then, somewhere in the darkness, the Gambler, he broke even...for in his final words, I found an ace that I could keep. Now, go get Grandpa a beer, wouldja?" Kenny Rogers has pitched two postseason gems in a row. He ain't Satchel Paige, fer chrissakes.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 03:35 PM on October 14, 2006
"Yes, Timmy, Kenny Rogers did pitch well in the 2006 playoffs. It was a real surprise since he was such a dud every other time he was in the playoffs. And yes, that's the same Kenny Rogers that attacked the camera man for taking pictures of him in the stadium." Well said, Grum. To me, Kenny Rogers will always be the guy who attacked the camera man, even if he is MVP of the world series.
posted by cjets at 03:44 PM on October 14, 2006
Is this the same Kenny Rogers that beats up camera men,and all the other shit that he has done in the past on and off the field? Looks like he has finally grown out of that and has become the pitcher that the Tigers needed in the post season. Man,what anger management can do for a person. Good for Detroit,and especially Jim Leyland. What a turn around from the Alan Trammel days. I hope they win it all
posted by Ghastly1 at 04:01 PM on October 14, 2006
Well done, TBH.
posted by mjkredliner at 07:44 PM on October 14, 2006
I don't know if Kenny Rogers had that much to do with it, but somewhere, Comander Cody is smiling. Got grandkids, c.c.?
posted by steelergirl at 08:31 PM on October 14, 2006
I'll admit to a tiny bit of hyperbolye, but in my defense I was under the influence of a little wine and drunk on watching Kenny's masterful job in his last two games. It's inspiring to see him redeem himself after years of being thought of as the one who couldn't win the big one. He's capping off his career in a blaze of glory.
posted by commander cody at 08:47 PM on October 14, 2006
Nope, no grandkids yet SG
posted by commander cody at 08:48 PM on October 14, 2006
Got 9 grandchildren and one on the way. Doubt if the 7 granddaughters will care anything about baseball but I will tell them of 1968,1984, and I hope 2006. GO TIGERS!!!! Just had to brag a little.
posted by coach at 09:02 PM on October 14, 2006
Who cares about Kenny Rogers guys. Its OBVIOUSLY the young guns that have everyone raving about Detroit. However, what makes this team better than last year's AL Central club is the fact that unlike the White Sox, the Tigers are built on bright young pitching prospects and not a bunch of guys who all put it together in the same year, only to tank the next season. That said, I've missed commenting on sportsfilter and am glad to finally be back around. Now time to hide again behind mounds of organic chemistry. Go Tigers!
posted by chemwizBsquared at 11:11 PM on October 14, 2006
For those who may have seen this, but not the actual video, click here, select "more videos", and select (the last song in the list) "The Greatest." Regardless of your taste in music, I think any baseball fan will enjoy the video. "Even I didn't know, I could pitch like that."
posted by mjkredliner at 04:01 AM on October 15, 2006
Maybe Rogers found out that Maddux bet the farm on the Tigers.
posted by jojomfd1 at 07:57 AM on October 15, 2006
Good thing that Rogers pitched so well, then. Now he needn't worry about finding a pile of co-ed's corpses left in his garage and Maddux can stash them somewhere else.
posted by willthrill72 at 06:32 PM on October 15, 2006
Damn. And he is SO hard for me to root for.