The Tigers!

I haven't had much time this past weekend to get the blogs up, but, as always, that doesn't mean that the thought juices haven't been flowing. 

The Tigers are in the playoffs!  This is such incredible news!  The entire year they played like a bunch of sad sacks, toiling along behind the overrated White Sox and looking like a bloated and fiscally irresponsible "professional" squad hellbent on letting down their fans once more.  But boy do I look like the loser now.  For the second year in a row, the Tigers won the AL Central.  They were able to open the playoffs against the surprise AL West representative Oakland Athletics.  I couldn't have dreamt of a better matchup - the team with the most whiffs in the league against Verlander, Scherzer, and the rest of the strikeout crew.  It was going to be an incredible series...

I was at the game last night.  I should clarify that - I was present in the vicinity of the stadium.  Comerica Park is one of the gems of baseball and has a fence in the outfield where any passerby can peer into the stadium and see the game in stunning clarity.  I stood on the fence and witnessed Verlander dealing K after K.  I got to revel in the amazing atmosphere that only playoff baseball can bring.  I got my picture taken so many times because I was apparently one of those true diehard fans who will stand outside the stadium just to share in the glory (or so that's what I like to think...)

And today, with Game 2 on MLB Network, I went to a sports bar and watched it with hundreds of other diehards without cable.  It was so awesome to see an entire restaurant explode in excitement.  It made me realize what was so exciting about sports - it's an opportunity to come together and show pride with others.  It's a bizarre act of patriotism, where everyone, for a few hours, is bonded together and we don't have to worry about all those other things that can bog us down.  What a great thing - the cheers and shouts of jubilation and smiles - and it's even better when our team wins.

A few years ago, I had actual tickets to a Tigers playoff game.  I thought it was in the bag - the Tigers had a 3 game lead with 4 left to play.  But they blew it.  My playoff ticket was for naught.  I always wondered what I missed out on.  I knew that the atmosphere at a playoff game was something never to be missed, and there it went slipping through my fingers.  I'm not going to miss this chance though!