Month: October 2011

It’s taken me almost a week to recover from the fan fatigue that overcame me during the ALCS. Truth is, there wasn’t much time for recovery after the ALDS so what could one reasonably expect?

Come to think of it, I’m fairly certain I haven’t completely bounced back.

After watching the Rangers bludgeon the Tigers in a terrifically played series, I just don’t have it in me to watch Nelson Cruz or Mike Napoli again, let alone that Rangers bullpen, until 2012.

That doesn’t, of course, mean I’m not pulling for the Rangers in the World Series. I’d root for any team – even the White Sox – against a Tony LaRussa team.

But since Brandon Inge meekly popped out to end Game 5, I have not watched a single pitch of any game. Chances are, I won’t.

Unless there’s a Game 7 and then, well, what’s a guy to do?

With a quick 2-0 lead in Game 6 of the ALCS, the Tigers had us believing that Game 7 could be more than wishful thinking. A couple of innings later, the season effectively came to an end.

It’s not good form to blame a nine-run inning on umpiring – Max Scherzer did most of the damage to himself – but a couple calls undoubtedly went against the Tigers that helped extend the inning.

In many ways, it seemed like the Tigers had no business playing in the ALCS when you looked at the Rangers lineup. But Detroit could’ve made quick work of Texas had they gotten a timely hit or two – check that, one would’ve done in many cases – in the first two games of the series.

Some other random thoughts:

Poor Brandon Inge has made the final out in the Tigers’ last two postseason appearances.

Was it ever more evident than in this series that the Tigers needed Brennan Boesch?

Watching the Rangers bullpen carve up the Tigers made me miss Joel Zumaya … a lot.

I thought the Rangers’ base stealing with a seven-run lead was about as bush league as it gets.

How tough is Alex Avila? We’ll probably find out shortly.

Did Ian Kinsler really think Al Alburquerque was throwing at him? Get a clue.

The worst part of any season coming to an end, especially one that fell tantalizingly close to a World Series appearance, is the long wait for the next season to get under way.

Because winter stands between the last out of a season and the first pitch of Spring Training, the wait in baseball seems all the more cruel.

But maybe not as cruel as a couple of these ALCS losses, Game 6 included.

As Rick Porcello was crafting a beautiful outing through the first five innings, I allowed myself think about the Tigers heading back to Texas with a 3-2 series lead. I should’ve known better; the Tigers were up only 2-0 and the Rangers were just waiting in the weeds for the right moment to get back into the game.

When David Murphy, who’s become as irritating as David DeJesus, lined a single to left to leadoff the sixth … I had a bad feeling. No way Porcello can lose steam that fast, I thought. Ahem. All of a sudden the Tigers are losing and, well, you know.

But then Brandon Inge hit a game-tying homer in the seventh and maybe there’s more magic to be seen.

Once the game went into extra innings, my optimism all but evaporated. Hopeful, yes. Optimistic? No. Much like in Game 2, it doesn’t much matter what the final score was on Wednesday night. The chance to extend the season rests in the hands of Justin Verlander. Even if he does, how confident are you that the Tigers bats will be able to deliver one win much less three?

Me? Not so much. At least not at the moment.

Over the weekend I came across a Tigers program, excuse me, magazine from 2001 with Steve Sparks on the cover. Inside there’s an article reviewing the Tigers’ draft from that year and it includes some notables:

Fifth Round (147th overall pick): 3B Ryan Raburn, South Florida Junior College. Raburn is a 6-0, 185-pound third baseman who swings a strong bat from the righthand side of the plate. He is solid defensively at third base and he has the potential to develop plus power.

Eighth Round (237th overall pick): SS Donald Kelly, Point Park College. The second-highest player ever drafted from Pointe Park College, Kelly is a tall, lanky, true shortstop with a plus arm. The 6-4, 190-pounder was named the 2001 American Mideast Conference Player of the Year after leading Point Park with a .450 batting average, 68 hits, 45 runs and 39 stolen bases. In both 2000 and 2001, Kelly was named First-Team All-American Mideast Conference at shortstop.

Here are a couple one-time Tigers you’ll recognize:

Third Round (87th overall pick): 3B John Hannahan, University of Minnesota. The 6-2, 205-pound Hannahan is a lefty swinging third sacker who Tigers scouts describe as a real grinder and a good solid player. (We knew John, of course, as Jack.)

Fourth Round (117th overall pick): C Michael Rabelo, University of Tampa. Rabelo swings the bat well from both sides of the plate, possesses a plus arm and is very intelligent.

By the by, Detroit’s first-round pick that year (11th overall) was Kenny Baugh out of Rice University. The second-round selections included RHP Preston Larrison from University of Evansville (55th overall), and Matthew Coenen out of Charleston Southern University (65th overall).

Not a stellar draft, but at least 10 years later there are a couple of players impacting this team’s postseason run.

I’ll admit it. As this game got started I feared the Tigers and Doug Fister were doomed for a 2-1 loss.

From early on it was clear that Fister brought his A-game, but it wasn’t clear the offense showed up at all — evident by the ridiculous pitches Miguel Cabrera and poor Alex Avila and just about everyone else in the lineup were flailing at in their first at bats.

But then Austin Jackson started getting on base, beginning with a single in the first — and then two more hits on the night to finish 3 for 5 with an RBI. And before you knew it, Victor Martinez went yard to tie it at one. And Cabrera untied it, Jhonny Peralta extended the lead … and in the meantime Fister continued to keep the Rangers in check.

The key story lines leading into Game 4 will be:

• Can Rick Porcello deliver and give Justin Verlander a series tied at two apiece?
• What’s the deal with Martinez and will he be healthy enough to play?
• With a lefty starting for the Rangers, will we see Delmon Young or is his season kaput?

Something else to wonder: Is Jackson thawing out or was Game 3 a fluke? On second thought, let’s worry about that later.

For now, the Tigers have made this series more interesting, even if it’s just for one night.