Like Dangerfield, Fernando Rodney Can't Get No Respect!

Toward the end of the Tigers' Sunday afternoon 8-7 series-clinching victory over the rival Minnesota Twins, color commentator Rod Allen turned to Mario Impemba, his partner in the booth, and asked him how many saves Rodney had racked up this year.

"Twenty-two," said Impemba. "That's good for sixth in the American League, but Tigers fans would have you thinking he's in millionth place with the way they harp on him."

Rodney is up there with David Ardsma, Jonathan Papelbon, and Bobby Jenks this year in number of saves. His ERA is better than big names such as Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes. He has more strikeouts than them, too.

So why the hate?

F-Rod came out in the ninth inning yesterday afternoon with his team carrying an 8-6 lead. He was set to face the heart of Minnesota's lineup: Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer, a daunting task for any pitcher.

Minnesota, of course, was fighting for its playoff life here in August. The Twins were 4.5 games back from the Tigers. A loss would drop them to 5.5 games out of first place in the American League's Central Division with 52 games to go, but a win would put them right back in it.

Rodney got Mauer to ground out to second, Morneau grounded out at third, and then Rodney blew it. Cuddyer belted a solo-shot home run to narrow the Tigers' lead to 8-7.

Then Delmon Young grounded out on an awesome throw by Brandon Inge, and Rodney walked away with his 23rd save of the season.

What? You thought I meant he blew the game?

Tigers fans have this expectation that Rodney should be Mariano Rivera, consistently getting one-two-three innings and God help him if he struggles or allows a baserunner or two, because you can bet he'll hear about it.

Enough! Tigers fans must not look around the league very often, because if they did they would see that no closer is perfect.

Brian Fuentes has blown four saves this season. Joe Nathan, regarded as the best closer in the division, has blown three. Papelbon has also blown three. Bobby Jenks has blown four.

Even Rivera has blown a save this season. You don't hear anyone beating those guys up about it.

To date, F-Rod is 23/24 in save opportunities. That's right, he's blown just one save, and the Tigers still won that game!

Do me a favor and think back to March when it was announced that Rodney and Brandon Lyon would be splitting the closing duties.

We groaned, whined, and complained all day long about that one. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski was an idiot and our closing tandem would be costing us more games than it would be saving, that was for sure.

Rodney started the season perfect and Lyon was awful at first. Now Lyon is a solid set-up man and Rodney is a hell of a closer.

Not just anyone can be a closing pitcher. It takes big-time guts and it takes an aura of unshakeability (and, yes, I had to make that word up). It means not blinking when the bases are loaded in a one-run game with two outs in the ninth and the opposing team's big slugger coming up to the plate.

Even if Rodney doesn't have Rivera's stuff, he has what it takes to be a good closer. Even if he scares the hell out of us some nights and makes it closer than we would like, he gets the job done.

We should appreciate this guy more. I hear Tigers fans and their ridiculous mantras. They sound like opposing fans rather than Tigers fans.

"Just wait until he starts blowing games for us! It's coming!"

I'm still waiting, and all I'm seeing is clutch.