19 Years, such a long long time, 19 years was it a waste of time?

I remember that cold October day in 1987 when the Tigers lost to the Twins in the playoffs. Even at the tender age of 8, I had a premonition of doom. We'd sold away our youth (John Schmoltz) to the Braves who went on to a span of baseball greatness unmatched by any other team in baseball & we, the lowly Tigers, labored in futility. 1988 we had a shot at the playoffs, & in 1989 things hit rock bottom & never really got better since.

So, as we prepare for the first playoff game versus the Yankees tonight, let's reflect on the past nineteen years of bad baseball in Detroit. Sure, there's been highlights, Cecil Fielder's 51 home runs (he's in jail, right?), the last game at Tiger Stadium where Robert Fick hit a grand slam (didn't he & Jeff Weaver get caught smoking weed & treating flight attendants badly?) the opening of Comerica Park (actually, that's a bad memory, I still prefer Michigan & Trumbull, oh & remember the Juan Gonzalez debachle? he should be in prison for the way he treated the tigers), Ernie & Paul's last game (no wait, another bad memory, the way he was screwed by the organization, wasn't that Bo Schembecler's call?), the hiring & firing of the most loyal Tiger of all time, Alan Trammell. Come to think of it, nothing really good has happened to our beloved Tigers in the past 19 years. I remember Sammy Sosa broke the record for most home runs in one month at Tiger Stadium, I was there for that game. Todd Jones became the Tigers all-time save leader when I saw the Tigers earlier in the year. Hmm... They miraculously avoided being the worst team in baseball history in 2003, that was kinda cool, right? Maybe not.

Well, let's dwell on the positive. Let's remember the players that made the last 19 years at least somewhat tolerable. Not the good ol' guys that date back to '84, they're already up on a pedestal, let's give some other guys some credit. If anybody can think of noteworthy players I missed, feel free to tell us about him.

Come on, Detroit, make us forget about the last 19 years. By the way, what were the names of the two idiots who replaced Ernie & Paul? Goodbye mr. baseball. Don't be stupid.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Via Chicago-Wilco, Summerteeth

Looking for a Way Out-Uncle Tupelo, Still Feel Gone

Poor Places-Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Touch a Hand (Make a Friend)-the Staples Singers

Dr King-Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Exploration

Happy playoffs, friends...

andrew