Motoring

Seriously, How Can You Not Root for the Tigers?

SOMEWHERE THOMAS Magnum is smiling. His beloved Detroit Tigers are this season's Cinderellas, and they're sure making the most of their time at the ball. Their turnaround from recent futility -- though that word hardly describes just how awful they've been -- is as stirring a storyline as you'll find this October. And when they sent the mighty, $200 million Yankees back to New York and the wrath of the tabloids, their charm became that much more potent. Surely Jim Leyland, the living embodiment of the baseball lifer, plays a large part of Detroit's appeal. And of course the Tigers are the ultimate underdog, with a cheap roster, little-known players, and a beaten-down city to call home. What ultimately does it for me, though, is history. Detroit is Ty Cobb and Charlie Gehringer and terrific, old-school unis and a legacy that stretches back to 1901. It is the polar opposite of the focus-grouped and market-researched Marlins and Diamondbacks, new teams that have unfairly won three World Series over the last decade. I can't help but think that if the sad-sack Tigers can write a new chapter in their lengthy history, then so, perhaps, can my favorite team.

Comments

[Mark]

"a cheap roster, little-known players, and a beaten-down city to call home"

Sounds to me like the A's have been the Tigers for the last decade.

[Patrick]

Where's the post on Lidle -- don't let us down.

http://www.recordonline.com/lidle

[Tom Durso]

Mark: I dunno. Guys like Chavez and Zito have some name recognition, at least for me, and I've been to some very upscale parts of Oakland. I've never been to Detroit outside of the airport, but is there any there there? Or is the money all out in the burbs?

Patrick: I know I'm supposed to be making dumb jokes at Lidle's expense, but, man, he died. And he left behind a wife and son. It's just awful.

[Bill]

Great reference to Magnum...God Bless You Tom Durso! And somewhere Higgins is rolling his eyes!

No names...what do you call Placido Polanco? It still boils me to see him playing for them...he could be our third baseman right now if we had any creativity here in Philly.

I hate these playoffs...except for the Tigers, there is no one to root for. Mets or Cardinals? Why not ask me to choose between Nazi Germany and the WWII Japanese?!? There is no winner. Damn Padres...they were the only team I could root for in the NL.

Go Tigers...I'm going to grab a bowl of Frosted Flakes in solidarity!

[Mark]

Okay, maybe my little quip was off target, by why didn't the A's have any fans? Shouldn't the stat-heads been waiting for Billy to finally prove them right?

Lord help me, Placido Polanco has become a household name (if Endy Chavez ends up winning the NL playoff MVP, I'll never watch another baseball game again).