What Happened To Tiger Fever?
By: Eric Thomas
The Tigers are a legitimate pennant race with a chance to win and the town is alive with...well I don't know what the town is alive with. Tiger nation seems to have written the team off. The fan base has fluctuated wildly. Yes the Tigers have been tough to watch this season, but when the starting pitching is doing well, and the offense has woken from a coma, you would think that there would be more excitement, more fun. What happened?
Tigers fever has broken, and fans at times have the same enthusiasm usually associated with funeral processions. The same fan base that spent decades starving for a shot at the post season decided sometime during the off season that the playoffs are a birthright. It's been disappointing, and the lineups were goofy down the stretch. The White Sox are collapsing and the Tigers are playing terrible teams. Isn't that all that matters in the end? Why the long face?
Fans are cut in two. Half of them waiting for the other shoe to drop, like a dog that was kicked as a puppy and spends days waiting for the next one. Others are Jim Leyland haters, and they aren't Tiger fans. They are fans of themselves hoping that they can influence the team to bend to their will. I am sure that my personal Twitter and email will spin wildly from me saying they aren't Tiger fans but it's the truth. If your team is on the edge of getting into the playoffs and you root against them, you aren't a fan of that team.
Haters are entitled to their opinion. I have given my opinion on the haters several times this year and they start yelling at me, telling me I shouldn't have an opinion, not even aware how ironic that is, and I am the dumbest human being that has ever lived in the history of this planet universe or galaxy. The fun part about sports is that everything is debatable and open to interpretation. If you constantly engage in opinion and never root for a team you are just rooting for yourself. You're rooting for your opinion. Perhaps you need something more abstract so that you can continue to develop those opinions. Maybe impressionist painting is more your speed.
But for all of Jim Leyland's head scratching line ups, the Tigers are tied for the top of the division when it counts. Win and you're in. Granted, this is usually where things get a little sticky. We have to just keep our lips closed and watch the games from here on out and there aren't many to go. The bad news is that the season closes on the road, a place where the team struggled.
The haters might still get their wish. My guess, and it's a guess, is that this is Leyland's last year whether they make the post season or not. Seems like the team is in heat over Terry Francona and if there is mutual interest, I think it's going to happen. That's a guess. So, if you're a hater, just sit back and enjoy a little baseball because I think you'll get your wish anyway. You can stop screaming for a minute and just watch. It's okay. Have a soda, maybe some decongestants, and calm down for a minute.
The Tigers have a lot of questions in the off season and I think you will see a much different team next year. I can't imagine Peralta, Boesch, or Valverde coming back next year. I don't anticipate Leyland either. But these things aren't going to happen in the next week so relax. There is nothing more that you or any of your friends can do at this point.
It's just a ride. Take it as it comes. You'll have the entire off season to freak out over decisions that are made. The die is cast, and the only thing left to do is watch. You still like watching games, don't you?
