It'd be a remission to claim knowledge of every time former Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jason Grilli induced one of those thumb-to-left-temple and middle finger-to-right-temple forehead massages as he let another lead slip away.
Simply put, the guy was not good in Detroit. He blew more games than a fan would care to count. When Detroit faded down the stretch in 2007 and the talk was centered on the bullpen's deficiencies, Grilli was at the center of the ire.
In fairness, he started to pitch better when Detroit nearly pulled to .500 after its 2-10 start this season but he was traded to the Colorado Rockies.
His recent comments about Detroit letting Sean Casey leave via free agency after the 2007 season should have been kept to himself. It's understandable he was simply answering a question from a Rockies reporter, but to get into somewhat detail like he did served no purpose.
Unless, of course, he wanted to fire up Tigers manager Jim Leyland.
Leyland's response, while somewhat warranted, seemed over-the-top.
“Jason Grilli ought to just worry about Colorado.
“Jason Grilli isn’t here any longer because Jason Grilli didn’t pitch good under pressure situations and didn’t pitch very well in Detroit.
“Now you want to tell it like it is, and players want to start talking, then I’ll start talking.”
Leyland continued and delved into near tirade-mode. I wouldn't call it a blow up, even if he did drop the F-bomb.
Leyland is frustrated. The Tigers are 18-28. The payroll and talent indicate a much better team. He's made lineup changes, unloaded on them in at least one instance, and the front office has traded Grilli and cut oufielder Jacque Jones, but nothing has sparked Detroit at this stage of the season.
Perhaps the crotchety Leyland is fed-up... or is this a veiled ploy to motivate the underachieving Tigers?
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