Oh Tigs

I am not even going to pretend to be a Detroit Tigers fan for the next five minutes.  I am loyal to the Atlanta Braves.  That being said, the Braves did not make the post-season.  It is almost impossible to believe, I know!  Yesterday, I was pulling for the Tigers.  With four games left in the regular season the Tigers were three games up on the Minnesota Twins for victory in the American League Central.  They blew that and ended up in a extra innings tie breaker game last night against the Twins.  Going into the game the Tigers were beyond do or die.  Continuing with Tiger history they went down in a terrible (borderline embarrassing) loss.  Not only did they pretty much have the win in the bottom of the ten (heck, bottom of the seventh) they made fundamental baseball mistakes.  

Pops taught me two things early in my softball days: when batting keep your eye on the ball and when fielding you must always stay in front of the ball.  Ryan Raburn your diving attempt is only cool if you actually make the catch... not when you make your center fielder, Curtis Granderson, run circles to find and control the ball.  He has already been a big enough disappointment this season, no need to make him appear worse.  It was you that made the mistake.  We all make mistakes, luckily most of ours do not deprive our entire team/city full of fans from the post-season.  Harsh?  Probably a little.  I should give you minimal credit.  You followed that play up with a catch and a nice accurate throw to home to end the tenth.  Allowing the Twins to again do enough damage only to tie the game.  We all know that only last for so long (i.e. two more innings).  

If the Tigers had made the post-season I would have become a fair weather fan.  I would have cheered them on, allowed Pops to buy me merchandise, and called g'pa daily to check up on the Detroit Free Press report.  The Tigers shot themselves in the foot when their city and fans needed it most.  Better luck next year!  In the words of Brandon Inge, "They [the Twins] earned it. They did."  

PS: Technically the game should have been played Monday night.  Unfortunately for both teams the game had to be played Tuesday (last night) because the Green Bay Packers were meeting the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome for the Monday Night Football!  Speaks worlds for baseball doesn't it?  The sleep deprived Twins are playing the well rested winningest team in baseball, the New York Yankees.  At least they are not post-season deprived.  Sigh!