It's kind of funny, at the start of the season the Tigers had been picked to win their division. After getting off to a slower than expected start, in many All-Star break polls they were oft-mentioned as one of the mid-season's biggest disappointments. At the end of the season, not so much.
Without a doubt, the Tigers played head and shoulders above all the other American League playoff teams. 2011's American League Cy Young winner and MVP, Justin Verlander was absolutely brilliant. Miguel Cabrera showed a national tv audience how and why he won the triple crown and Phil Coke stepped in when his team needed him like never before.
The A's took the Tigers to five games in the division series but they were unstoppable in the ALCS. The Tigers sent the Yankees back home without a win. In fact, throughout the series the Yankees never had the lead in any of the four games played. Not even once. In 27 1/3 innings the team with baseball's highest payroll score only two earned runs. They were humiliated.
Yet, in all of this, there is something disappoints me terribly. The local and national coverage that the Tigers got, or should I say, didn't get. It seems that everything that I saw and heard the day after the Tigers sweep of the Yankees was not about the Tigers victory. It was all about the Yankees loss. From Derek Jeter's fractured ankle, to A-Rod's lack of hitting and subsequent benching, to the sub-par pitching performances to everything else under the sun, once again, the Yankees grabbed the headlines.
C'mon guys, give the Tigers their due. They've earned your respect and more importantly, they deserve it.
I think the Tiger's are probably glad the spot light isn't on them. They want a ring, not respect.
ReplyDeleteBoth would be nice.
ReplyDeleteSeems there are only 4 names in this not-so-wide world of sports- that is... that sports writers and sports money is interested in: The Yankees, The Pat's, The Lakers And Tiger Woods.
ReplyDeleteI'm very curious who we'll face come Wednesday!
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