No Longer Jokes

Just three years ago the Detroit Tigers were one of the biggest jokes in MLB. They were a team always threatening to lose 100 games and always certain to finish near the bottom in MLB tickets sales…then came 2006.

That year the Tigers pulled off a turnaround that found them selling World Series tickets in the fall. The Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park were a new fountain of hope. Detroit sports normally went into hibernation After the Pistons and the Red Wings finished their playoff runs.

The Tigers would not win that World Series, but suddenly the Tigers were on every MLB team’s radar. The Tigers followed last year with another terrific season, but a second place finish that found them out of the playoffs. This season they suffer from the same mysterious symptom that has infected the rest of the American League Central contenders.

The Tigers, Twins, and Indians have fallen behind the White Sox early on, but since it is early on Detroit’s roster still ahs a chance to shine, so have no fear those with Tigers tickets.

The offense has been good, but not one of the baseball’s best. Placido Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen are having pretty good seasons. Marcus Thames has been a bright light, providing most of the power.

The pitching came into the season with perhaps the deepest rotation in MLB, but has proven that they have problems. Justin Verlander, Nate Roberston, Jeremy Bonderman, and Dontrelle Willis have battled injury and mediocrity all season long. Detroit fans purchased Tigers tickets thinking they would be watching the best pitching staff sine the Braves in the ‘90s, but they have been disappointed.

They should be helped by the long field dimensions, including a long center field, that make Comerica Park such a pitchers park. But, bad pitching is bad pitching. Comerica has been home to the Tigers since 2000 and has seen them at their worst and at their best. They hope that this start to the season is just a mirage and not a full-fledged return to the Tigers that were closer to the worst record in baseball than needing World Series tickets.