I dated the Tigers; I married the Cubs. (You can stop laughing now.)
It sure was good to see my first love slay the mighty giant and bring victory back to the city of Detroit. Go Tigers!
DETROIT (AP) -- As a reborn baseball town erupted in splashes of orange and blue around them, the Detroit Tigers danced in the infield, kicking up dirt like kids on a sandlot.
They grabbed Jim Leyland, hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him off the field as 43,000 delirious fans screamed as one. The manager's ride was a short one, but the party was just getting started.
The Tigers are still on the prowl. The mighty New York Yankees struck out.
Three years after losing 119 games, they moved back among baseball's biggest cats with an 8-3 victory Saturday in Game 4 over the Yankees, whose $200 million payroll couldn't help them against Detroit's pitching.
These man-eating Tigers simply devoured New York, outplaying the Yanks in every phase to advance to their first AL championship series since 1987. On Tuesday, the Tigers will play at Oakland in Game 1 of the AL championship series, the first postseason meeting between the clubs since 1972.
The AL championship series in a way is a tribute to the strength of both team's farm systems- and it all starts in the Midwest League.
The Whitecaps, affiliate of the Tigers, is routinely in the playoffs. The Kane County Cougars (remember them?), affiliate of the A's, is routinely in the playoffs. They both have fielded some great teams based on strength of pitching, and they usually end up playing each other in the post season. There are Whitecaps on the Tiger roster- I'm sure there are Cougars on the A's roster. That winning attitude starts young.
And so we meet again.
Game 1 Tuesday night- but watch the debate first. The game probably won't start until 8:20 or so anyway.