tigers

The Tigers are in the Playoffs. Miguel Caberra won the Triple Crown. And the team the Tigs are playing won the AL West on the last day. The Oakland A's. And a pitcher for that team experienced the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows in a 24 hour period.

The Tiger that was many fans "Tiger" is hanging it up. The hero of the 2006 American League Championship series Magglio Ordonez is retiring this weekend with a ceremony at Comerica Park. The image of the homer he hit to send the Tigs to the World Series only three years after the team lost 119 games is burned in many Michigan sports fans' memory.

Not much else is like baseball opening day here in Michigan. I have a couple personal Opening Day stories, but first, I start with the late Ernie Harwell's Ode to Spring. He would always read the Song of Solomon 2:11-12 before the first Spring Training game every year. Even though it's Opening Day, it still is fitting and is part of the lore of Baseball in America.

This is just kinda creepy. First the Smurf got kicked off the "blue carpet" with Katy Perry at the Smurfs movie premiere, now Papa Smurf is throwing out the first pitch at an actual Major League baseball game. It was last night's Tigers-White Sox game in Chicago...

It's true. Brandon Inge is playing for the Tigers main Minor League team the Toledo MudHens. Instead of retiring, or being traded, the Tigs sent him down to the farm to try and correct his .177 batting average. So they can trade him or ask him to retire.

So the Tigs beat Toronto last night 4-2 in a makeup game of a rained out game from earlier this season. The Tigers stay in first place with the win. Jim Leyland got an early exit in the 7th inning after he had "issues" with a call from first base umpire Ed Rapuano.

Talk about and the worlds oldest Tiger Fan. She remembers when Sparky Anderson was a kid! A woman's dream of celebrating her 104th birthday by seeing the Detroit Tigers play in person will have to wait a little bit longer.

Here is the actual headline from today's online Mlive.com Sports section. You can't make this stuff up!

If you have the talent, you could be playing along side Brandon Inge or Miguel Cabrera! The Tigs and Caps are having an open tryout!

"What the hell were you thinking?" "According to the arrest report, Cabrera smelled of alcohol, had "heavily slurred" speech and grabbed a bottle of James Buchanan Scotch and began to drink in front of a deputy." Nice...good idea. "Tigers' Miguel Cabrera charged with DUI in Florida" Really...