Larkin received 86.4 percent of the BBWAA votes for a first place finish.

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell are two players that many Detroit Tigers fans have been waiting to see mentioned as inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Morris achieved second place in the voting with 66.7 percent, while Trammell placed sixth with 36.8 percent. Each player did better than last year’s 53.5 percent (Morris) and 24.3 percent (Trammell). They are gaining support from the writers. Morris will have more of a chance next year. Seventy-five percent is needed to get into the Hall.

If you would like to know how several of the particular writers voted, along with the reasoning for their choices, here is a link to the official Baseball Writer’s Association of America website. You can gain valuable insight into the thought behind the choices.

For example:

Peter Abraham, of the Boston Globe, said he had Larkin and Trammell on his ballot last year, as well as on this year’s ballot. Of the two he said, “Briefly, Larkin and Trammell were consistent, productive players who dominated a premium position for a long period of time.”

Troy Renck, of the Denver Post, wrote that “I will provide a simple defense of the other three that received my vote. Alan Trammell: Can’t vote for Larkin without voting for Trammell. Lee Smith lacked the signature moment and I really struggled with his inclusion. But he retired as the all-time saves leader. Jack Morris made it because, for me, he was Curt Schilling before Curt Schilling. His 3.90 ERA makes me uneasy, but he won 254 games, and four for World Series champions in Minnesota and Detroit.”

So, if you are among those in the crowd of Detroit fans who wonder why Morris and Tram were again overlooked you might find solace in several of the writers comments.

Here is the link: BBWAA WEBSITE

By the way, former Tiger Juan Gonzalez (2000) received less than five percent of the votes and will not be included on next years ballot. He was one of several players who are suffering from the continuing fallout from baseball’s steroids era. Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, although statistically deserving, were snubbed by the majority because of their unproven, yet perceived use of PED’s.

McGwire picked up 19.5 percent of the votes. Palmeiro managed a meager 12.6 percent.

Barry Larkin will be inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame on July 22, 2012 along with Ron Santo from the Chicago Cubs who was chosen by the Veterans Committee. Santo died on December 3, 2010.

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As 2011 winds down I thought it would be nice to honor the former Detroit Tigers players who have passed on during the past year.

Now, not all of these players were the greatest to wear a Detroit uniform, and some names you might not have heard. Some played for just a short time in Detroit, some made Detroit their home for most of their baseball career, but the common thread that runs through their names is that all of these men wore the uniform at some point during their career. Thus they will always be a Tiger, and for that they will be honored!

DeeTown Tigers remembers:

Benny McCoy (November 9, 1915 – November 9, 2011) was a second baseman who played for the Tigers in 1938 and 1939. He played in place of an injured Charlie Gehringer in 1939 before being traded to the Philadelphia Athletics at the end of the season. Before his death he was recognized as one of the oldest living major league ballplayers. He died on his 96th birthday.

Red Borom (October 30, 1915 – January 7, 2011) played his entire major league career for the Tigers (two seasons). Shuffling among second, shortstop and third base, he mostly played second base in 1945 – a year in which the Tigers won the World Series. He ended his career having never hit a major league home run.

Dave Sisler (October 31, 1931 – January 9, 2011) was a pitcher who got his start with the Boston Red Sox in 1956. He was traded to the Tigers in 1959 along with Ted Lepcio for Billy Hoeft. He stayed with Detroit through the 1960 season. His record was 7-5 and he boasted a 2.48 ERA. In that same year,  Los Angeles and Washington were expansion teams in the American League, and despite having a good season Sisler was declared eligible for the baseball expansion draft.  Sisler was selected by the Senators.

Gus Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) had the nickname “Ozark Ike. He was a left fielder billed during his career as the “new Joe DiMaggio.” He had joined Mickey Mantle, Larry Doby and Yogi Berra for most home runs in the decade (fifties). Although an outfielder, he played 32 games at first base for the Tigers in 1959. He ended his career as mostly a pinch hitter.

Woodie Fryman (April 15, 1940 – February 4, 2011) pitched for the Tigers during the 1972 championship season. His record was 10-3 with a 2.06 ERA. His .769 win percentage led the American League in 1972 and his ERA+ is one of the highest in Detroit franchise history.

Charlie Metro (April 28, 1919 – March 18, 2011) was born Charles Moreskonich. He adopted the name of his father Metro Moreskonich, a Ukrainian immigrant. He was an outfielder for the Tigers. He wasn’t a great hitter, and never made it as a full-time player. He was with Detroit from 1943 – 1944. He was released after attempting to organize a players union. Later, he would become a scout for the Tigers and the Dodgers.

Reno Bertoia (January 8, 1935 – April 15, 2011) played two separate times for the Tigers as an infielder. His first stint in a Detroit uniform was 1953 -1958, and then again in the 1961 – 1962 seasons. He was close friends with Al Kaline and became an important part of Kaline’s early years with the Tigers.

Lawrence Sidney “Bobo” Osborne (October 12, 1935 – April 15, 2011) also played twice for the Tigers from 1957 – 1959 and 1961 – 1962. He was a first baseman.

Jim Northrup (November 24, 1939 – June 8, 2011) was an outfielder for the Tigers between 1964 and 1974. For more about the “Silver Fox,” here is a link to the story I wrote about him shortly after he passed away. DeeTown Tigers

Ted Gray (December 31, 1924 – June 15, 2011) pitched eight seasons for the Tigers in 1946, and then again from 1948 – 1954. He was born in Detroit and broke into the bigs with the Tigers. He pitched briefly for Detroit in ’46 and played the rest of the season in the minors before coming back with the Tigers. Ted Williams once said of Gray, “He’s (Ted Gray) tough. He’s real quick and he has the moxie to throw the ball in there. He throws it and dares you to hit it. I like that in a pitcher. He’s one of the toughest for me to hit.”

Billy Baldwin (June 9, 1951 – June 28, 2011) was a back-up outfielder during the 102-loss season in 1975. In 1976, he was traded with Mickey Lolich to the Mets for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton.

Don Buddin (May 5, 1934 – June 30, 2011) played shortstop for the Boston Red Sox for most of his career. He played a portion of the 1962 season (his last) with Houston and Detroit Tigers.

Bill Taylor (December 30, 1929 – September 15, 2011) played in just nine games as an outfielder for the Tigers in 1957. He saw action during eight games in 1958. Taylor played his last major league game in May of that year, spending the remainder of the season with the Tigers AAA affiliate, the Charleston Senators.

Al Federoff (July 11, 1924 – August 2, 2011) spent most of his career in the minors except for 76 games with the Tigers in 1951 and 1952. He played seven seasons in Detroit’s farm system and managed for nine years during the 1960′s winning two championships. He was also a scout for the Detroit Tigers.

During my research I used Wikipedia and Baseball Almanac. I gleaned a small portion of information from Wikipedia to provide a encapsulation, and I have included the Wikipedia links for the players.

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The DIBS was formed in 2005 to acknowledge independent baseball writers, aka bloggers, who regularly write about the Detroit Tigers and have a passion for Tiger’s baseball. The group of writers honors Tigers players through yearly awards.

The group of 22 voters from 17 sites cast their ballot for various categories. Here are the results announced on Friday, December 2, along with the choices that I voted for.

MOST VALUABLE TIGER

Justin Verlander won hands down, as I figured he would. However, my vote in this category went to Victor Martinez. My reasons are simple. First let me say that I am a big Justin Verlander fan. I eagerly waited on July 4, 2005 to listen to the Tiger’s broadcast of game two of a double-header mainly because we were told by baseball pundits everywhere that “this kid that everyone will be talking about one day” was going to come up from Toledo for a spot start. The first game was televised. The second game could only be heard on the radio. Even though JV had a bit of rough time that day, and took the loss, I became a fan and ardent supporter.

With that said, Verlander earned the Cy Young Award and the AL MVP. Fair and square.

But I thought I would go with another Tiger who I felt was overlooked in several respects. V-Mart’s bat and lineup position provided protection for our biggest hitter – Miguel Cabrera. He powered his way to a .330 batting average. He scored 76 runs in 2011, batted in 103 runs, safely hit 178 times in 540 at-bats, and had 40 doubles. His OPS (on-base and slugging percentage) was .850.

Verlander was the Tigers most valuable, but I chose Martinez because I thought he was deserving, too.

BEST ROOKIE

Al Alburquerque got the honor from voting DIBS members here, and from me as well. He was fiercely competitive on the mound with the grace of a veteran pitcher. Sometimes it was hard to believe he had only arrived this season, making his big league debut in April. As a reliever his win-loss record was 6-1, and his ERA was just 1.87 in 43 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, Alburquerque suffered a concussion during batting practice one afternoon when he was hit in the head by a batted ball while conversing with team mates. He was carried from the field and and spent the night in the hospital. He was immediately placed on the DL. Upon his return to the mound he seemed to struggle, and was not the same pitcher we saw earlier in the year.

BEST ROLE PLAYER

Ramon Santiago was the winner of best role player in Detroit for the 2011 season.

I thought there was one guy who was just a little more used when needed – and that was Don Kelly. Heck, he even pitched in an inning on June 29 during the Tigers 16-9 loss to the Mets. He became the first position player to hurl a ball since Shane Halter in 2000. And, don’t forget his bat coming through when it was needed.

BEST MOMENT

Austin Jackson’s throw home to Alex Avila on August 21 to complete a game ending double play in the Tigers win against the Indians got the majority of DIBS votes, as well as mine. I still get chills when I think of that dead-on perfect bullet he sailed through the ballpark to nail Kosuke Fukudome at the plate in Detroit’s 8-7 victory. The throw also helped closer Jose Valverde secure his 37th save of the season.

TEAM CLOWN

Speaking of Papa Grande, he earned my vote in this category. The majority of writers chose Phil Coke.

I can’t count the number of games that I went to and saw Jose Valverde (with a wry smile) flashing deuces to fans seated on the third base line. I watched him toying with Ryan Perry in pre-game warm-ups. At one point while Perry was trying to tie his shoe, Valverde leaned on his elbow using Perry’s back for support as if he were in the local pub waiting for that order of chili fries to arrive from the kitchen. Then, too, his antics of water-spitting before exiting the bullpen led me to cast my ballot for him in this category.

However, Coke is a funny guy, and is deserving of the award.

BEST HAIR

Alex Avila is the clear winner in this category. I picked him, too.

TIGERS ORGANIZATION NAME OF THE YEAR

Doug Fister. I debated between Fister and Furbush primarily because of the many jokes that were offered by many people. Both names became the subject of some funny, albeit juvenile humor.

GOOFIEST MOMENT

There was a tie with votes cast for sparks flying off of Alex Avila’s mask during a game. Andy Dirks rounding the bases for an inside the park home run – not realizing the ball had been caught. Jim Leyland’s pantomime argument with the ump. And, Verlander lighting Don Kelly’s shoe on fire.

I cast my ballot for Victor Martinez dancing around Kurt Suzuki at home plate to avoid being tagged out on July 19 in a game against the Oakland Athletics. Martinez had reached on a single to center, and made a dash for the plate on a Carlos Guillen ground ball that was ruled an error as it went down the right field line. As Martinez approached the plate, Suzuki had the ball. Instead of barreling into him, Martinez performed a little Curly Shuffle dance move around him and reached his hand in to touch the plate before Suzuki could get the glove on him. Martinez was safe at the plate, and the Tigers took the lead, 1-0, in the bottom of the fourth inning en route to an 8-3 win at Comerica Park.

BEST VICTOR MARTINEZ SR or JR

The big guy beat out the little one in this category.

Those are 2011 DIBS Awards results. I want to thank Kurt Mensching of blessyouboys.com for the honor of letting me vote in this years awards. The group of writers who bring you their thoughts and viewpoints from each game put a lot of time into their sites, and definitely have a lot of love for the Detroit Tigers. I am thrilled to be a part of this group of dedicated Tiger’s fans.

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2011 Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes voting members:

● Roar of the Tigers — Samara Pearlstein
● Motor City Bengals — John Parent
● Tiger Tales — Lee Panas
● Phil Coke’s Brain Matters — Anonymous
● April in The D — Laura, Megan and Rosie
● Fire Gerald Laird — Greg Papke
● Tigers Amateur Analysis — Erin Saelzler
● Where have you gone, Johnny Grubb? — Greg Eno
● Detroit Tigers Scorecard — Austin Drake
● Detroit Tigers Weblog — Kevin Vela
● DesigNate Robertson — Scott Rogowski
● Deetown Tigers — Skip
● Detroit Jock City — Zac Snyder
● Bless You Boys — David Tokarz, Matt Wallace, Al Beaton, Kurt Mensching and Alli Hagen
● Mlive’s Tigers coverage — Matt Sussman, James Schmehl, Ian Casselberry
● Old English D — Jen Cosey

1. Justin Verlander (Detroit)
2. Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston)
3. Jose Bautista (Toronto)
4. Curtis Granderson (New York)
5. Miguel Cabrera (Detroit)

12. Alex Avila (Detroit)
16. Victor Martinez – tied (Detroit)

The last time two Tiger’s players made the top five was in 1968. Denny McLain, Bill Freehan, and Willie Horton all placed in the top five.

Verlander is the 10th pitcher to win both MVP and Cy Young in the same season, joining former Tigers Willie Hernandez (1984) and Denny McLain (1968).

Verlander is the first pitcher to win the MVP and Cy Young in the same season since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 (ESPN).

For more on Verlander, and the award, here is a link to an article written by Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press. HERE

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Laird, who just turned 32 on November 13, was with the world champion St. Louis Cardinals last season. He started in 22 games behind the plate as the back-up catcher to Yadier Molina. He had a .232 batting average.

Should Laird be back in a Detroit uniform he will serve as Alex Avila’s back-up. Avila started a whopping 141 games in 2011 and withstood a harsh diet of foul tips off his body. The punishment he received became daily conversation from broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen.

But when his back-up Victor Martinez was hurt last season Avila had no choice but to handle the brunt of the duties.

Laird is a good choice for the minimalistic role. He knows the Tiger’s pitchers well, having worked with them in 2009-2010. He caught 135 games for Detroit in 2009. However, his game-time was significantly reduced in 2010. He started in 76 games.

While with St. Louis he allowed 16 stolen bases.

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