Oh, and that we can't catch the ball worth ####. It might be a different game if Infante actually makes a play on Reddick's grounder last nite.

the tigers make the playoffs without playing defense all year and now you complain?

That's a clown closer bro!

If the A's end up playing the Yankees in the ALCS, I don't think my remote will survive. My son already thinks that I am the Hulk from Game #2 behavior last weekend.

I don't know when Tigers fans became so entitled but it is very annoying.

Concur. I've wondered this myself this season.

the tigers make the playoffs without playing defense all year and now you complain?

Oh don't worry, I've been complaining about it all year. They're horrendous. At least neither Delmon or Raburn is playing left anymore.

I don't know when Tigers fans became so entitled but it is very annoying.

I don't think it's "entitlement"; it's just with this team you can never relax. No lead is safe; any ball can be dropped; any opposing pitcher can suddenly look like a Cy Young candidate. It's almost like we're afraid to cheer, as if the baseball gods will hear and punish us.

The A's are the least despicable team left in the tournament.

What's wrong with the Giants?

double post

I don't think it's "entitlement"; it's just with this team you can never relax. No lead is safe; any ball can be dropped; any opposing pitcher can suddenly look like a Cy Young candidate. It's almost like we're afraid to cheer, as if the baseball gods will hear and punish us.



Sure, it's a very flawed team that seems to make everything (including winning a piss-weak division) as difficult as possible. Still, the 2012 Tigers season has featured a Triple Crown, a Cy Young quality season, Doug Fister King 9 guys in a row, Andy Dirks's neck, WINNING THE DIVISION... we're pretty lucky, considering.
Edit

I don't think it's "entitlement"; it's just with this team you can never relax. No lead is safe; any ball can be dropped; any opposing pitcher can suddenly look like a Cy Young candidate.

In other words, the Detroit Tigers are a baseball team.

The Tigers do have a legitimately bad defense, which is frustrating to watch, but the fact that their bullpen isn't impregnable and opposing pitchers are unpredictable, that's just how baseball is.

I note that RMc did not say that any lineup can suddenly look like a murderer's row against their starters. Because the Tigers have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. But fans of most other clubs, if they were venting their spleen, would have mentioned that.

I was wondering the same thing. If Garcia plays that ball clean, I'd bet on Smith being out at the plate. Is Smith faster than I thought he was? He looks like an oaf.

He never seemed particularly slow to me when he was in Colorado. FWIW and I'm not sure how much this means, his baserunning runs on bb-ref are pretty average (+2 lifetime), the XBH stats are also pretty average.

Is this the thread where we can talk about Delmon's moustache? It's been months now and it still unsettles me.

Is this the thread where we can talk about Delmon's moustache? It's been months now and it still unsettles me.

Don't remind me I'm rooting for Delmon Young tonight. I can still change.

Whenever fans of a team in a playoff series claim it's over before the elimination game I think...if you want to know what a season being over looks like, look at the Jays. You could be watching your team play in a playoff game. How could you not feel lucky? If I ever get to the point in my life where that's not at the very least the highlight of my day I may as well stop being a baseball fan.

the Tigers have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball

...which is surprisingly useless when you have a pathetic offense and an awful bullpen. Detroit allowed just three runs (count 'em) in the first 17 innings in Oakland. They lost both games anyway. So, yeah.

Verlander will probably pitch well tonight. I won't be watching.

Don't remind me I'm rooting for Delmon Young tonight. I can still change.

You are? Tigers fans don't.

I mean, baseball fandom is highly personal, and one's relationship to one's team is completely subjective and one's own business... but... what Greg said in 63.

GO TIGERS

I am hoping that somehow the Tigers win this game. Honestly neither the Yankees or Orioles frighten me enough to think we will get swept by them if we somehow make it. I will be seeing The Master though tonight...probably better for my nerves.

Whenever fans of a team in a playoff series claim it's over before the elimination game I think...if you want to know what a season being over looks like, look at the Jays. You could be watching your team play in a playoff game. How could you not feel lucky? If I ever get to the point in my life where that's not at the very least the highlight of my day I may as well stop being a baseball fan.

QFT

Whenever fans of a team in a playoff series claim it's over before the elimination game I think...if you want to know what a season being over looks like, look at the Jays. You could be watching your team play in a playoff game. How could you not feel lucky? If I ever get to the point in my life where that's not at the very least the highlight of my day I may as well stop being a baseball fan.

I felt that way from 1989 through 2006. Then I wanted the team to actually achieve what it was capable of achieving, instead of being satisfied with the mere capability. 2007 and 2009, especially the latter, left a bad taste in my mouth, and those of a lot of Tiger fans. This season was impossible to enjoy, too, because they should have been leading the division all year, or at least within a game or two given the surprising White Sox, but they were several games behind most of the way, and showed no signs of rallying. It looked like a lost opportunity. Mike Illitch isn't getting any younger, and the team will not have nearly as high of a payroll after he goes.

The playoffs are a crapshoot, and I'm the first to say that. But there's a difference between losing while playing like a team that has some business being there and doing what the Tigers have done in this series. Game 2 was an absolute gift. Only in Game 1 did they play remotely decently. If the Tigers had had the series the Reds had, or the series the Nationals and Cardinals have had, and were tied 2-2 or had just lost 2-3, I would be satisfied. Obviously, if they were to win tonight, I'd still find a way to be satisfied, but I don't exactly have to worry about that.

What's wrong with the Giants?

I'm rooting for a Tigers-Giants World Series with a specific ending.

Whenever fans of a team in a playoff series claim it's over before the elimination game I think...if you want to know what a season being over looks like, look at the Jays. You could be watching your team play in a playoff game. How could you not feel lucky? If I ever get to the point in my life where that's not at the very least the highlight of my day I may as well stop being a baseball fan.

Yes.

You think you guys have it bad? We've been listening to Buck Martinez all year.

I've got Verlander for 8 IP and 3 H, with 11 K and 1 BB. Don't think Parker makes it past the 5th.

I see you, John Halfz. Nice prediction.

Actual:
Verlander 9 IP, 4 H, 11 K, 1 BB.
Parker did made it into the 7th.

Congrats to the Tiggers. I really think you guys have a chance to win it all this year. Have some faith!

The Tigers have proved -- beyond any shadow of any doubt -- that they don't belong here. (So have the Orioles: you let Raul Ibanez beat you? Raul Ibanez? How old is he, sixty? Raul Effing Ibanez?!) They don't care, so why should I?

So, I'm done. F@ck this.

I so do not understand this kind of fandom. It sounds unhealthy.

It was a heck of a season, A's. The Texas sweep ranks right up there with win #20 in my Beane era A's support.

It was a heck of a season, A's. The Texas sweep ranks right up there with win #20 in my Beane era A's support.

No doubt. I feel weirdly at peace even after last night's loss. There was something immensely satisfying about winning the division against the longest of odds this year. That it was a very fun/likeable team to watch, too, made it even better. I have no idea how good this team will be going forward, but flags fly forever and the AL WEST 2012 CHAMPIONS flag is going to look pretty snazzy.

That and the A's took it to 5 games. I don't think the warm, fuzzy feeling persists if they get swept.

On the other hand, if they had true home-field advantage (start and end at home), maybe it goes different.

Anyway, if the birds win both their games today, all the 1 and 2 seeds will be out.

On the other hand, if they had true home-field advantage (start and end at home), maybe it goes different.

I'm not crazy about the higher seed starting on the road, but it seems a minor complaint. The A's just didn't play well enough, especially in game 2.

Shooty: I'm definitely not saying it WOULD have made a difference. Just that it might. Mostly, I'm just a guy whose team (the higher seed in its game) got bounced and is sitting here watching all the higher seeds go down. It's "fun" in that zany-March Madness-NFL style but it seems wrong to me.

Shooty: I'm definitely not saying it WOULD have made a difference. Just that it might. Mostly, I'm just a guy whose team (the higher seed in its game) got bounced and is sitting here watching all the higher seeds go down. It's "fun" in that zany-March Madness-NFL style but it seems wrong to me.

I think it might have, too. The emotion of the Oakland crowd for game 1 would have been off the chart and may have helped the team. We'll never know, but I think the higher seed has earned the right to start at home. I understand the rationale for doing it the way they do, though.

No doubt. I feel weirdly at peace even after last night's loss. There was something immensely satisfying about winning the division against the longest of odds this year. That it was a very fun/likeable team to watch, too, made it even better. I have no idea how good this team will be going forward, but flags fly forever and the AL WEST 2012 CHAMPIONS flag is going to look pretty snazzy.

At peace here as well. The whole thing was such an impossible dream, I can't feel anything but happy about the 2012 squad. The first round losses of the early '00s were gut-wrenching becuase expectations were so much higher. This time, a game 5 appearance was just gravy -- rich, mushroomy, savory gravy -- after a fantastic & giddy second half.

I think it might have, too. The emotion of the Oakland crowd for game 1 would have been off the chart and may have helped the team. We'll never know, but I think the higher seed has earned the right to start at home. I understand the rationale for doing it the way they do, though.

Could've helped snag game two, i guess, but what are you gonna do.

People are PO'ed about that here in Washington also, especially since it meant the cities first playoff game in 80 years was at 1 pm on a wednesday.

But at least this is only for one year./

Could've helped snag game two, i guess, but what are you gonna do.

Of course the flip side is that it could have cost them game 4.

Posted this in the chatter but to rehash: The ovation that the team got after game 5 was amazing. I've rarely heard as loud "let's go Oakland" chants as in the stadium after game 5. The team was sitting on the bench kinda sad and the crowd just kept chanting for several minutes, and you could see them pick up a bit, and eventually they came out and there was just a HUGE roar. The players hugged each other, Cliff Pennington threw batting gloves (I think) into the crowd, various players waved and were appreciated, tipped their caps, etc.. It was one of the most incredible scenes I've seen at the ballpark, and a huge contrast to after the game 5 losses in 2000, 2002, and 2003 when everyone was just miserable.

(As a side note, this must have been weird for the Tigers, who were dogpiling on the mound while everyone was chanting for the home team.)

I think this format ended up better for the A's. If the first 4 games go the same way (all home team wins), wouldn't you rather go into game 5 on a 2-game winning streak and a jacked-up crowd, rather than a two-game losing streak and a correspondingly nervous crowd (a la 2002)? Of course, math-wise, it doesn't matter at all, except for the 3-game sweep case where the higher-seeded team loses a bunch of revenue to the lower-seeded team. But none of this affected the series really -- games 1 and 3 were mirror images, games 2 and 4 were mirror images (the A's surely should have won game 2 and the Tigers surely should have won game 4) and the rubber game went to a great pitching performance by one of the league's best pitchers. I'm at peace with the outcome and good luck to the Tigers.