Somewhere in this universe the flames are burning bright. Some fiend is cackling somewhere, and somewhere there is blight. And somewhere men are screaming, where it never grows colder. But there is no fire in Detroit — all Hell has frozen over.
All incredibly lame takes on American classics aside, it has become apparent that the apocalypse is upon us, as foretold long ago: “And lo, ye shall know that the end of days is upon ye, when there doth appear the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.” Do I speak prematurely? Perhaps. But contrary to any rational human being’s expectations a year ago, a World Series that pits the Detroit Tigers against the Mets or the Cardinals now appears to be a distinct possibility.
The Detroit Tigers, like the Arizona Cardinals and that other basketball team from Los Angeles, have long been perceived as one of those teams that just doesn’t win, an image that wasn’t helped much when only three seasons ago, the Tigers lost a whopping 119 games. And it’s not as though the past couple of seasons had been particularly great to the Tigers either. Detroit has come a remarkably long way in a very short period of time. But even those who watched their rise during the season probably couldn’t have foreseen this. The playoffs? Sure. But rolling past the New York Yankees, the best team money can buy, outscoring them 14-3 in the final two games, to arrive at the AL Championship Series? Inconceivable.
And it won’t stop here. You don’t beat what is widely considered the most consistently well-performing team in baseball (sorry, Boston fans) in the playoffs after years of humiliation without building up a hell of a lot of momentum in the process. Given that the Tigers and A’s are roughly evenly matched, first blood, which Detroit took 5-1 on the road, has to count for a lot. Now I’ll admit that I’m a Giants fan, but Oakland is a close second. Even so, I just don’t see them winning this series. I understand that we are in a situation in which precedent really has become utterly senseless, but Oakland is notorious for its post-season performances. And it won’t help that Barry Zito had the worst post-season start of his career in game one, considering how critical starting pitching is to the A’s. Now, not only does Detroit head into game two up 1-0, but they do so with impressive rookie Justin Verlander taking the mound and Zito, the Athletics’ ace, already behind them. Furthermore, the same old problems continue to plague Oakland: they consistently left men stranded on base and grounded into four double plays — the most in one game in the history of the league championship series. And on top of all that, the last time I bet on a Bay Area team against a Cinderella story, I had to watch the Angels walk off with the world championship.
The Tigers’ season so far may stand as an example and a ray of hope to other teams in the league (Tampa Bay, I’m looking at you) that no matter how abysmal the outlook, anything is possible. The question remains, however, as to what’s next. Will there be other teams in other sports to revive themselves after 20 years or more of hibernation? I doubt it. I mean, what’s next, the Chicago Bears leading the NFL? Please.
