Breaking Dawn

Can you feel it?

Feel what, you ask? Why, just the glorious sensation of this 2013 baseball season finally, mercifully starting up again. Pitchers and catchers officially reported to training camp today, and it feels like the beginning of something beautiful.

While the Indians may be making wanna-be flashy, late off-season moves, our team doesn't have to. Our Tigers are, once again, the team to beat in the AL Central, and THIS year our boys have the leadership and all-around experience to make another post-season run. The question is: are they going to put us through as much pain and stress as last year?

Seriously. You remember the absolute torture of last season. The last month was fun and exciting, but we do not deserve the up-and-down emotional roller coaster of 2012. But this year, we have our beloved V-Mart back, and the addition of perennial leader Torii Hunter. They can hopefully keep our team on pace and not give us so many heart attacks.

But lets get to one of the burning issues of the offseason, a question which we're sure you're all sick and tired of, which has been dissected by almost everyone and talked about at length. But who cares, because we're going to talk about it anyway!

There aren't many uncertainties on our roster this season, but the biggest and most obvious one would have to be Bruce Rondon.

Welcome to the team, Bruce! The haters have already started talking about how his inexperience and youth are going to doom our closer spot and wreck our chances at being an elite ball club. While it is true that having a crappy closer  can definitely affect the swagger of a team, how is it fair to say that Bruce Wayne Rondon is going to fail before he even starts?

Look. If Jimbo and our main man Dave Dombrowski think that the kid has the stuff to be a closer for this team, then he does. It's just a matter of him executing. We think Master Bruce is talented enough to close for our club. Whether he can handle the pressure remains to be seen, but we're not going to count him out before he even steps on the field.

The sun is rising once more on our team. It is no coincidence that our team is seemingly getting better and better as the years go on, but we think that our time is now. Who knows how long we're going to have all of these superstars and young talents together? It's time for our boys to take what is theirs, and it all starts in Lakeland. We can't wait to see what happens next.

ALCS Games 3&4: Pitch Perfect

Do you hear that?

That is the sound of thousands and thousands of people jumping on the Detroit Tigers bandwagon. Why would they be doing that? Well…

Because the Detroit Tigers are going to the WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With some of the best collective pitching we have ever seen, the Tigers swept (!!!) the Yankees (!!!!!) in the ALCS at home and are advancing to the Big Show. Sure, the national media may be focusing more on the Yankees losing than our boys winning, but it's all good. Because we Tigers Faithful know what our team has done this year. We know how far they have come. Hell, a month ago our boys were 3 games out of the AL Central lead with 15 left to play, and many fans were calling it a season. But our team believed. And we believed. And we got to witness an absolute blowout last night, highlighted by great pitching by Max Scherzer and Phil Coke and booming offense courtesy of four home runs.

Speaking of Phil Coke, how awesome is it to see him step up in such clutch situations? The last three games were closed by him, two of those being two-innings worth of work. When he spiked his glove (which he later referred to as a "she") for the final out, we lost it. Actually, we were losing it from the moment Prince Fielder caught that ball and our boys stormed the field.

We're going to the World Series. The Detroit Tigers are going to the World Series. It doesn't seem real. Sure, the three of us have supported the team all year and never gave up the faith and all that jazz, but we didn't know they could ever win the American League in such a dominant fashion. All year the team has been trying to find their groove, and they found it at just the right time. Cabrera won the Triple Crown. Our starting pitchers, all around the same time, started not just getting good, but getting really good. And our hitters, while not being the most bombastic offense ever, actually started to get clutch hits and rally. It all pieced together at the same time.

And while we're very happy/surprised for Delmon Young, the real MVP has to go to the Fab Four: Fister, Sanchez, Verlander, and Scherzer. Two runs given up? Total? In four games? Against the Yankees?!?!? Granted, whoever the Tigers face in the World Series is going to be a tougher offensively, but still. So. Freaking. Impressive.

We're so, so happy for our boys. We're so happy for Jim Leyland. We're happy for the organization, the fans, and especially the city of Detroit. And the best part?

We ain't done yet.

This isn't 2006 anymore. Our boys don't just want to make it to the World Series: they want it all. As exciting and emotional as this season has been, it can still get better. And we can't wait to see what happens next.

ALCS Game 2: When Life Gives the Other Team Lemons...

…make some sweet, victorious, clutch lemonade.

Hear him ROAR!!!!!

Sure, the Yankees and their fans may bitch and moan about the obviously erroneous call at 2nd, where Omar Infante clearly did not beat a tag by Robinson Cano. And they should be mad. But they were already losing 1-0 due to a fantastic pitching performance by Anibal Sanchez (who just keeps getting better). And so of course the Tigers took advantage of the situation, plating two runs thanks to Miguel Cabrera and Avisail "Little Mig" Garcia.

Speaking of Avisail: what an asset he's been in this postseason! Can you imagine where we'd be if Brennan Boesch made the squad instead? Probably not up in this series 2-0. Maybe not even in the ALCS at all. Kid's gonna be a star one day, and this postseason sure has given him an opportunity to shine.

Also: we never expected to take two out of two games from New York to start off. Though Lord Jeter has regrettably gone down with an injury, the Yankees are still very good, and their hitting is bound to pick up some time. But now look: going into Detroit up two games to none with our two best pitchers on the mound. It's not over--definitely not--but you are fooling yourselves if you think we're not in great position right now.

How excited are you for Game 3 tonight??? Close to peeing your pants like us? Justin Verlander could be the death blow that the Yankees have been dreading. Our offense and shaky bullpen just need to come through tonight, and we should be fine. It's gonna be a fun night!

ALDS Roller Coaster: Games 3, 4, and 5

Well everyone, it wouldn't be the Tigers if it wasn't dramatic, right? At least our boys are consistent in making our hearts stop!  What matters now isn't that we lost two games in the middle, but that the Tigers are going to the ALCS to face the hated New York Yankees. Just saying that surprises us a little.  A few weeks ago, it didn't look to likely that we'd be here, but now that we're here, we look good.

So, let's talk about the games shall we?

Game 3: Athletics-2 Tigers-0
 This was kind of disheartening to watch.  No one wants to be shut out in the post-season, especially when it the series win was just dangling there for the taking like a carrot on a stick. It felt especially disheartening for us Tigers fans because we've only been shut out twice this season, which is the lowest shutout rate in the majors. There were a few positives about this game though, despite the fact that we lost.  Annabelle Anibal Sanchez looked really good out there.  He made a couple of mistakes that cost him early in the game, but the A's are a talented team, and holding them to two runs was a pretty impressive feat.  Prince Fielder came very close to scoring for us, but he got robbed by an impressive outfield play by Coco Crisp. Another promising sign was that Juh-honny Peralta got on base THRICE. Is this a sign that dormant Juh-honny is awakening? Probably not, but we hope so!

Game 4: Athletics-4 Tigers-3
Our reaction to game four was to reach for the nearest cyanide packet. To come so close to making it to the ALCS was particularly disheartening, especially considering the impressive efforts of Max Scherzer, Alex Avila, and Avisail Garcia.  We were winning 3-0 for Christ's sake! We had the sparkling wine out and ready!  But then it all went to hell when Valverde came on the mound. To be fair to Jim Leyland, there really wasn't another choice.  Valverde was 19-20 during regular season save opportunities, so who are you going to put on the mound during the division series in a save situation? Your closer?  Or Kid F**king Rick who's never pitched in a save situation in his life?  Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit were available too, but we'd be calling for Leyland's head regardless of who pitched that terrible ninth and lost it for us.  We don't want to talk about it anymore.  It was a dark time for us all.

Game 5: Tigers-6 Athletics-0
This was one of the best games we as Tigers fans have ever had the pleasure to watch. Justin Verlander proved for the 120380523568th time why he is the ace of our pitching staff, pitching a complete game shut out with eleven (count 'em, eleven) strikeouts.  JV said after that it was the game he was most proud of as a pitcher, including his no-hitters, and we can see why.  Watching those A's swing and miss at his filthy pitches was absolutely joyful.  In the third game, our hitting failed us, and in the fourth game our pitching failed us, but Game 5 showed Tigers fans just exactly what can happen when all of the Tigers are on.  The A's were a great opponent, but when Justin Verlander pitches like that, nobody stands much of a chance.  Our hitting manufactured plenty of runs for Justin to play with, but in the end, all he needed was one.  Sorry to play the spoiler, A's, but the Tigers are heading to the ALCS!

So. Tomorrow the Tigers take on the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in what will likely be an epic rematch of last years dramatic ALDS.  The Yankees are definitely looking for blood, but for some reason, we're pretty happy here at April in the D that it's the Yankees and not the O's.  It'll make reaching the World Series that much sweeter.  Perhaps we do have the worst record out of any team that made the post-season, but at this point, the regular season is in the past.  What matters now is the tools we have, and the Tigers have threats in excess.  Doug, Max, Ani, and Justin each showed just what exactly they can do on the mound, and we have faith that the Tigers offense will come through when it counts.

TO THE ALCS WE GO! (Congrats to those of you who have tickets to the games.  Get loud and show everyone just what exactly the D is made of!)

Hey Now, You're An All Star

Well, that All Star game was…interesting, to say the least. Prince Fielder kicked ass and took names at the Home Run Derby. After a shaky first round in which we weren't sure he'd even make it through, he went on to blast 11 homers in the second round and 12 in the final, beating Jose Bautista and winning all. Plus, how cute was it to see his AH-dorable little sons running into his arms for a Fielder Family Group Hug at the end? Absolutely precious. As for Miguel Cabrera, he didn't do too much--although we did get our first look at his super cute son too! What is it with this team and adorable kids?!?!?

And then we get to our third All Star, Justin Verlander. Justin, Justin, Justin. Where do we even begin with you? First of all, we think his excuse for his performance in the All Star Game--where he was shelled for four hits, two walks, and six runs--was a mostly good one. He didn't want to go into Emo-Serial-Killer Mode before this mostly "fun" event, and this makes sense to us. Let the man enjoy the game. However, he should have known not to get overly excited and light up the radar at 101 so early in the game. He should know that this rarely works in his favor when he is properly mentally prepared. Silly Verlander!

And that's all that's in the news about Justin Verlander this week that pertains to baseball, right? There's nothing else of note to comment on. Now, moving on…

…Oh, wait. We're missing something here. Ohhhhh. You wanted us to say something about the Verlander/Kate Upton rumors that have been a-swirlin'? Well, first of all, we don't think there's anything to this. At all. We think they're just friends. Not like it matters at all, but we think it'd be pretty fucking sleazy to ditch your high school sweetheart for some 19-year-old swimsuit model. That's just our opinion. Not that it has any relevance to baseball. At all. So we'll just stop there!

If he IS dating her, though, we'll just go ahead and blame every bad pitch he ever throws ever again on her. Kay? Kay.


Moving on. This upcoming series starting tomorrow against Baltimore may not seem like a huge deal, but it is. As many have pointed out, we are only a game off our pace from last season (44-42 this year as compared to 45-41 last year). We all know how that turned out. If we can win or tie the next two series against Baltimore and Los Angeles, then we are in prime position to get close to or overtake Chicago when we play them next weekend. It's time for our boys to make their move.

…And speaking of, all THREE of us will be at two games that series! We will be at the park on July 20th & 21st, so if you see us there, tweet us or be sure to say hi!

Ball So Hard

You hear that?

You hear that, Cleveland Indians? Hear it, Chicago White Sox? That noise coming closer and closer? Yeah. That's the sound of the Detroit Tigers catching up to you. That's the sound of a change in the Baseball Tide. That is the sound of a team clicking for the first time since opening week.

We've won three series in a row and 6 of the past 9 games. Now it's time for our team to show their talents off to the St. Louis Cardinals--a good team, but certainly one we can beat, especially at home. With Octavio Dotel off the DL and Alex Avila back this weekend, our team is finally, finally, FINALLY coming back in full force.

For the first time since opening week we are optimistic and happy with how our team is playing. Of course, this could mean they will suddenly go on a 10-game slide, but we honestly don't think they will.   In that last series against the Rockies, our team looked good, and better yet, dangerous.

We also hear the ever-annoying sound of the bandwagon fans clamoring around, waiting for our Tigers to pounce into first place so they can clamor on board as usual, pretending like they never left. Whatever. We've had confidence in this bunch the entire time.

We're not saying that our boys are about to go on a 20-game winning streak and win the AL Central by August, but we are expecting that THIS is what it will take to finally turn the corner. So kick, back, relax, and watch the show. It's about to be an interesting series.

A Recap from Rosie

After facing the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, our Beloveds are 5-1. Did you predict that?

I think it is safe to say that we have the potential to rock this year.  Despite the catastrophic what-the-f***-are-you-doing-Justin blow up that was the 9th inning the second game with the Rays, I'm so proud of our boys. They've really been making the world a better place for us Tiger fans recently. 


 Have a really hard day at work?  It's ok, the Tigers are on TV and they're winning. Have a hard exam at school?  It's fine, because the comedy duo that is Rod and Mario will put a smile on your face in two seconds flat.  Feeling like crap because your boyfriend broke up with you? It's cool gurl! As we speak there is a stunning shot of JV's perky baseball behind filling your screen.  His pitching is pretty wonderful too, I guess.  The Tigers have been the cure-all for every evil and there have only been five games.  That's right. Let that sink in.  We are only five games into the season.  

Think about what that means, folks. Even though JV hasn't gotten the wins, you just need to look at the stats. Opening day was a two-hitter.  It was a shame he couldn't get the W, but his pitches were masterful.  Wednesday was the same. He threw 83 pitches and allowed ONE HIT in eight innings.  It was sick.  It was nasty. It was freaking beautiful. We have a winning horse, and we know it, and everyone else know's it, and he's only just left the gate.  Isn't he supposed to have kind of a down month in April as well? 


Then there is Porcello.  He is not only a gorgeous specimen of man, but he looks like, this year, he'll be a gorgeous specimen of pitcher, too.  He allowed 2 runs in his 5 innings.  Not too shabby for the first time out.  AND SMYLY!  Besides some first inning shakiness, he did stellar in his Big League debut. He allowed only one run in his four innings, and the boys showed up to support him.  WELL DONE.  


Scherzer. Well. This is a happy, lighthearted post, and it's still early, so........well done bullpen! Glad to know you've got what it takes to save our starters when they implode.  But in all seriousness, we think Scherzer will right himself, and when Fister comes back, our starting lineup will definitely get those wins they so justly deserve.

Our hitters are stellar as well. AJax, Juh-honny, Brennan, Andy: they're ALL HITTING. Good ol' Lloyd is surely sleeping well at night, and he's a saint for what he did with Austin, who's playing out of his mind.  Everyone is contributing, and it seems like whenever we get one or two men on we are actually sending them HOME.  Our Big Three Hitters, Miggy, Prince, and Avila, seem to be having their own private home run derby that none of the opposing pitchers knew about.  It's kind of scary admitting it out loud, and I feel like a need a block of wood, or a tree, or an entire forest to knock on, but our team is looking scary good. It's really nice looking at the leader boards for the AL and seeing a player from the D on every one, if they aren't at the very top. if Our pitchers are pitching (nastily), our hitters are hitting (consistently), and the team chemistry and handshakes are alive and well.  We rule.  

It is really, really fun being a Tigers fan right now.  Do you think we can keep it up all season long?  I do. Sure well have our dips and trouble spots and (hopefully minor) injuries, but this shouldn't be too big of a problem. 


I think everyone is starting to realize that the Tigers are one of the strongest forces to be reckoned with. Other teams will try to rise to the occasion, but I believe our boys can make them fail.  It's time everyone realized that this powerhouse team is here to stay.


Oh, and as always, follow us on twitter at @April_in_the_D !!!!

The Boys Are Back in Town!

Well, we can honestly say that this first series against the Red Sox was one of the most exciting that the three of us have seen as Tigers fans.  It had everything...dominant pitching, powerful slugging, and comeback wins that made all true fans want to weep with joy.  All this against a not-too-shabby Boston Red Sox team.  There have only been three games this season, and we don't want to make predictions too early, but we thought we'd point out a few of things that we saw in these first three games that we hope continue for the season (and some things that we hope are changed immediately!)

Good Thing 1: Justin Verlander
To be honest, throughout this offseason we were kind of worried about our ace JV.  Not that he was slacking, but the talk from all of our news sources showed him making commercials and playing golf as opposed to throwing and practicing like he did last offseason.  However, if its possible, Justin looks even better than the beginning of last season. He seems to have finally found a sort of solution to his April woes, and we just hope that the trend continues.  He deserved the win, yes, but what's most important is that he gets off to a good start.  He wasn't MVP for nothing. When Justin does well, the team tends to do well too.

Good Thing 2: Big Bats
Our offense seems to be as powerful and dominant as it was in Spring Training.  We put up big numbers in games two and three of this series, thanks most notably to Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, but to all the other players as well. It was truly a team effort to win, especially in game 3, when every player who came up to bat had at least one hit.  At this point, there is no obvious weak link in the Tigers lineup, and Prince Fielder seems to have settled many people's fears about being able to hit home runs in the expansive fields of Comerica Park, blasting two home runs in game two.  Even when our pitching struggles, it seems like we will have our bats and clutch players (@Miguel!!!) to bail us out.

Good Thing 3: Team Chemistry
Was it just us or did it look like they were just having fun out there?  From the good natured jokes at Miguel's ungainly foul territory catch to Prince talking about how he loves his new club, it just seems like our boys are on a mission.  Many people think that Chemistry doesn't matter in baseball, but we really believe it does.  It also makes for a much more entertaining game when players are rooting for one another, and we're looking foward to a fun season!

Best Thing: Austin Jackson
Rod has often stated that Austin (and Curtis before him) is the "Straw that Sitrs the Drink."  We're not entirely sure what that means, but from context clues, we gather that when Austin is playing well, the team plays well. Austin Jackson has been freaking amazing this week.  In the game on Sunday, he was 4-6 with a double and three singles, and he had the hit that one the game in walk-off fashion on Thursday.  He's been coming up clutch, and he seems determined to shut up the haters by having has few Ks as possible. We hope he keeps doing well!

Concern 1: Dougy F.
We don't want Doug to be injured, mainly because we don't want Andy Oliver or any of the other no-name shmucks who got beat out for the starting job to come up to the big leagues.  They are not reliable, and its conerning to have the player we were most excited about at this blog be injured. Thankfully, it's the beginning of the season, and we can deal without him for a little bit, but we hope he recovers ASAP.

Concern 2: Max Scherzer
Max will be one of the keys to the Tiger's success this year, but judging by his performance on Easter, we're going to need a different key.  We really like Maz Scherzer... if you don't follow him to Twitter then you should because he's crazy hilarious... but he needs to get his act together to help out the team.  We think he can; this was just his first game of the season afterall. Max has good stuff, and we really just want to see him use it.

Concern 3: Brennan Boesch
Brennan played pretty poorly.  Everyone else in our lineup was hitting like a champ all weekend, but Brennan was the lone weak spot in the lineup. He has the power and he has the skills, but it just didn't work against the Red Sox. Once Brennan gets hitting (and we belive he will) we will have a pretty much unstopable lineup.  Its also a hard place to be hitting, but that's why he has to do a good job and get on base for Miguel and Prince.  Its times like this when we miss the best 2nd man the Tigers have had in a long while in Placido Polanco!  Brennan can do it though...we have faith!

Anyway...it was kind of a crazy first series, but we were glad to sweep the Sox and and show those clueless FOX commentators a thing or two.  What are they going to do now that both the Sox and the Yanks are 0-3? 

Here's to a fantastic rest of the season!

Let's Get This Party Started

He Means Business.
(We don't know who this should be credited to, but it is too awesome not to use).

It's that time of year again, folks: the fantastical month of April, and as everyone who has access to the television station FSDetroit knows, that means it's also April in the D time! Loathe it if you must, but the three of us personally love all the songs, commercials, and fanfare (except the FSDetroit Girls, who, by the way, have added another girl to their ranks). It just signifies that the most glorious of sports has returned to us: Major League Baseball.

Just typing those words are exciting. Seriously. In two (long, interminable, excruciating) days we will see Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder take the field together for the first time. The incredible lineup we have been looking forward to seeing since January will be smashing baseballs out of the park. Our park, with it's enormous, brand new big screen. Be honest: how excited are you that we will soon hear the melodic  "RAWWRARARAWRARR" of our feline mascot when we score our first run?

The roster is "set", but not really;  Drew Smyly (!!!) is making his first start in AAA, so as soon as he is called up for his first big league start on April 12th, either Clete Thomas, Andy Dirks, or Danny Worth will go down to the minors in his place. Even more annoyingly, Brandon Inge is on the DL, so it will be about two weeks, so poor Danny gets a tease of Major League action before he has to go back down. So our 25-man roster is really a 27-man roster. Fun. Our money is on Dirks, not Clete, to make the final cut. But we shall see. Tigers management has surprised us before…

Our pitching IS set, however, and we couldn't be more pumped about it. Our starting rotation is one of the best in the majors, and definitely the best in our division, and it will be exciting to see what the three-headed monster of Valverde, Benoit, and Dotel can put together in the bullpen, which says nothing of other strong additions "Insane" Phil Coke, Luis Marte (replaced by our sweet Bumble Below due to an unfortunate injury), and Collin Balester. Daniel Schlereth is the one guy we're still on the fence about, but there's one of those guys in every group, right?

Last year we had surprises, and a lot of them, from Alex Avila to Doug Fister. This year we already have some surprises (V-Mart, anyone?), but mostly we have expectations-a lot of them. It seems like a given that we'll take the Central, and if we don't, heads will roll. But we, like most Tiger fans, want more than just another pennant. We can see the potential glory this year,  with our powerful bats and solid bullpen and ace starters. Sure, there are some question marks, but this is going to be a crazy fun year. We can just tell.

In celebration of the beginning of one of the most exciting seasons in a while (and our 100th blog post!), the three of us decided we need to do something besides grinning stupidly and breaking out into excited, hysterical giggles. So, with trepidation, we made the executive decision to start…a Twitter page. Though social media scares us a little (stupid, since we're bloggers for chrissakes, but whatevah), we'd be thrilled if you guys could give us a follow. Now you get to hear our ridiculous ramblings all the time. How exciting is that?!?!?!!?!? Oh, you are so welcome.


Happy April everyone! Be sure to follow us @April_in_the_D if you can stand it. And seriously, thanks for everyone who's been reading for over a year. This little blog has turned into so much fun for us.


See everyone on Opening Day!!!! Who else just cannot WAIT for Rod and Mario???

Random Tigers Thoughts From Laura: Pre-Spring Training

It's a casual, boring Monday night. You have work or school or SOMEthing in the morning, and it has been a stressful and exhausting day. There aren't even any good games on tonight. Yet, something feels different. Something magical is in the air…

BASEBALL. BASEBALL STARTED TODAY.

No, it's not the regular season. It's not even the start of Spring Training games. It's just pitchers and catchers reporting. But there's nothing "just" about it. Baseball is baseball is baseball and will always be baseball, and right now Tigers Baseball is starting and our boys are finally reuniting under the Lakeland Sun!!!!!!!!!!

They'll be in Comerica before we know it, folks, but for now they're stationed on the hallowed grounds of Joker Marchant. After the jump are a few lingering thoughts from me as the first baseballs are thrown...

Glimpses of Perfection

As many of the Tiger Faithful know, the Tigers' Winter Caravan started last Thursday. Now, we don't know about you, but initially the three of us were pretty pissed at Tigers Marketing. No TigerFest? Hello?!? We we were actually planning on going this year. "Screw that," we muttered bitterly while marking down the days until Spring Training on our 2012 Detroit Tigers calendar.  "We don't need them!"

Sour grapes, indeed.

Well, it looked like we did need those big 'ol goofballs after all. Seeing those (many) glorious pictures after (many) long days of Tiger-less-ness was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. For us, seeing Justin Verlander atop a tank, Jose Valverde bagging groceries or Rick Porcello just standing there was almost like being in a cold, dark room for three months and then suddenly being thrust into the sun. If you didn't get that cheesy and ridiculous metaphor, let us put it this way:

SEEING THE TIGERS, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST BY WAY OF PHOTOGRAPH, IS ALWAYS AWESOME. ESPECIALLY AFTER MONTHS OF NOTHING BUT BORDOM AND PAIN.

The one thing that would be better than seeing Justin Verlander on a tank or Rick Porcello just standing there? Seeing them on the pitcher's mound, throwing freaking baseballs. We're close, people. But yet so far!

In case you missed out on the extreme awesomeness that was the Tigers Caravan, here are some of our favorite pics that we have stolen posted from the Tigers' website. We take it back, Tigers Marketing. We take it alll back.

In other news…

Obviously since Victor's injury the rumor mills have been a-whirlin' about who will replace him. We personally are big Vlad Guerrero fans, but that is just one of many options (not all of them good). Lately there has been lots of talk about Johnny Damon returning to the D. At first this idea wasn't really an attractive one--been there, done that--but the idea is quickly growing on us. Johnny only brought positivity and cohesiveness to the clubhouse, something that will be lacking with the departure of sweet V-Mart. Plus, he has a wonderful influence on the youngsters (we're looking at you, Austin!!!) and we all know how much the team liked their robes!

In all seriousness, losing Victor clearly was a blow, but it looks like the team will be fine--depending on who we get. If we get Vlad or Johnny, that's great! If we get someone like Manny Ramirez, euuhghghghghh! But In Dombrowski We Trust. His brilliance last year has given us few reasons to doubt him. All we can do is wait and see.

Good thing we're incredibly patient.

Not.

Oh No They DI'INNNN

Yeah, he's a boss.

Oh, yes they did.

We have never, in our many years of watching Tigers baseball, seen* a comeback that momentous. A blend of bad Brad Penny pitching, untimely poor defense, and the usual crappy umpiring put us in an 8-1 hole. Fabulous. In the past, we could expect our boys to take this loss sitting down, getting a major smackdown from the hated Sox today and focusing on tomorrow, hoping to win the series finale with Scherzer on the mound. By the third inning, all of Tiger Nation had accepted that the White Sox were probably going to take this game.

The Tigers, however, had other ideas.

What, did you think this was 2009?  This team obviously isn't going to take a loss sitting down. This team clearly isn't going to give up in a pennant race. This team has learned that every. Game. COUNTS.
How else can you explain the onslaught of offense that built up to the most dramatic ninth inning we've seen in years?

After Austin Jackson (four more hits!!! Someone's getting hot), Wilson Betemit, Delmon Young, Juh-honny Peralta and more made a seven-run deficit into a two-run one, and the not-so-oft-used David Pauley and rookie Luis Marte pitched four scoreless innings to keep the White Sox at bay, it was time to stage the biggest comeback in Comerica Park history. And this is where the Drama comes in.

Wilson Betemit Strikes Out. One gone.
Austin Jackson Singles. Of course he does!
Ryan Raburn Homers (!!!!!!!!).

Seriously?! Look, we know we have never been the biggest Raburn fans. But we've also never been part of the Haters Club. So for Ray Ray to launch that majestic, 420 foot shot into the stands, give a fist pump, and round the bases with the game all tied up was a very heartwarming thing indeed. Haters, without Ryan Raburn we probably would not have won that game. It was beautiful.

Funny thing was, as far as epicness goes, it wasn't even close to what happened next.

Delmon Young Strikes Out. Two gone.

Ok, we thought. We can settle for a tie ball game. We'll just win it extras!
Our thoughts were not shared by Miguel Cabrera.
Why? Because Miguel Cabrera wanted to win NOW. Miguel Cabrera wanted to make a statement to these White Sox. The statement: The Central Division is Ours.

The No-Doubter that came off his bat off of the first pitch had such beautiful timing, we almost teared up. The team went crazy, we went crazy, the fans in the stadium went crazy, Jim Leyland went crazy (for him), and we're sure all you people watching at home did too.

That was one of the the final nails in the coffin to the White Sox's season, don't you think? What a demoralizing loss for them. In fact, it seems like the kind of loss our boys might have taken down the stretch in the past few years. But this year, it seems everything is Different.

We have been afraid to say it, because we've been down this road of false hope before. But this team wants the Postseason, and they're going to get it. Valverde is still--still!--perfect. We have a club full of professional hitters ready to back our big slugger up. AJax has awoken. Our bullpen is finally pitching to their potential. We've had amazing pickups late in the season. But it is players Justin Verlander,, who's great outing yesterday was overshadowed by today's theatrics, and Miguel Cabrera, who's becoming more and more clutch by the game, who we need to thank the most.

What this long and rambling and emotional article is trying to say is that this team is Going The Distance. And it's games like these that fuel teams to go far. Keep it up, babies. Keep it up.

PS-Did anyone see Max Scherzer's reaction to Cabrera's homer? Holy crap, he's excitable. If you don't know what we're talking about, watch the bench's reaction to the walk-off. You'll see what we mean.

*We didn't get to actually WATCH this game. We listened on the radio and watched Gametracker. Stupid Fox broadcast wasn't in our region, so of course we miss the most exciting game of the year. So typical.

Megan Attempts a Play-by-Play; Overuses Exclamation Points

Okay, so this is my first attempt at a play-by-play of a game, so by all means skip around.  We're playing against the Oakland Athletics, a pretty cruddy team, so let's hope we win this one huh?  Here we go!

Top 1st


-Rick looking smokin' today. As per usual. And the lineup looks pretty sweet as well. Poor A's don't stand a chance!

-Jemile Weeks reaches on an error. I spoke too soon.

-AHHHHH GO ALEX!!!! Weeks thrown out at second. It's almost like that error never existed! You best thank your teammates, Miguel.

-Sweeney strikes out. Two gone.  Rick's stuff looks pretty good today!

-Coco Crisp to Magglio Ordonez and it's a fairly quick first inning. Go Tigers!

Bottom 1st


-Austin up to bat.  Everyone's been saying he can't hit recently, but I think he's doing pretty well. Not too bad anyway. His speed certainly helps him once he gets on the bag.

-I spoke too soon again!  Austin strikes out. I guess it's true that he's always striking out.  I need to stop complimenting people, I suppose.

-Brennan Boesch grounds out. Two gone really fast.

-Maggs singles!!! I'm so glad he's back in the lineup.  If he can keep hitting well, we really have a pretty darn good lineup!


-Aaaaand I spoke too soon again. Cabrera strikes out and the inning is over.  What a great idea to do a play-by-play!! It's been so exciting thus far!

Top 2nd


-Let's have some action! Let's see some defense!!


-If catching a pop up counts as defense then I guess we're seeing some. Brandon Inge catches a ball in foul territory to get Hideki Matsui.  Didn't he used to be an MVP?  Oakland must be where talented players go to die.

-SCOTT SIZEMORE!!! Oh I forgot about you, my beautiful boy!! How are you?  I can't say I miss you too much, but it's nice to see you again! (I must be losing my mind.)

-Scotty Boy strikes out swinging. Two gone.


-David DeJesus is up to bat.  For some reason I hate this guy.

-And Ricky hits him with a pitch!! Not too smart, Ricky, but I'm not too concerned. We've got two outs still, and hopefully we can get out of this inning unscathed.

-Aaaaand Connor Jackson contributes to a force out at second!!  The Tigers get out of the inning without a run scoring thank goodness. Rick seems like he hits batters a lot. That's something he needs to quit doing. However, missing inside is still better than missing right over the heart of the plate!!

Bottom 2nd


-OKAY!  Let's go offense!! I have a great feeling about this half inning! Martinez is up to bat.

-Victor flies out to center. Great. Hooray. Go offense.  One out.

-Juh-Honny flies out to left field. Great. Yippee. Go offense. Two outs.

-Ahhh Carlos! It's still surprising to see him up to bat! How I've missed him. Now hopefully he can prove that the real Carlos Guillen is back and not just some broken nobody.

-Carlos singles!! Hooray! It's really Carlos!

-And Avila draws the walk!! Avila actually has the second most walks on the team with 36 now. Miguel has the most, and has almost double Avila's total. Anyway, I was just trying to point out that the kid has a pretty good eye. Good work, Avi!

-And it's all up to Brandon Inge. Come on Brandon!!! Show all your haters what Brandon Inge can really do!! I'm rooting for you!!

-Brandon Inge strikes out swinging.  Great. Woohoo. Go Brandon.  To the Top of the 3rd we go.


Top 3rd

-Another one of those in the stands thingies.  Chris from Florida, who looks about 8, is the Best Tigers fan ever.  If I ever have a son then he better be as loyal as this kid.

- It's really sad but I have no idea who these Athletics guys are.  Kurt Suzuki flies out to Magglio. One gone.

-Pennington singles on a short hit to center. So long no hitter!

-This Weeks guy is almost as short as Will Rhymes! He's only 5'9". He may be short but he's the A's best hitter.  He's hitting .317 since the beginning of June.  Good for the rookie, I guess, but it's not so good for the A's.  We really need to beat them.

-Can Rick get together with Justin and learn a pick-off move? Actually, can Justin just teach a class to his teammates?  Can he get together with Max please? His move stinks.  Weeks flies out to center.  Two gone.

-Rick's stuff looks pretty good, but he's already thrown over 40 pitches. Looks like we're gonna need the bullpen in this one.

-Rod and Mario keep talking about how bad the A's are. They've only had 52 home runs total. Porcello strikes out Sweeney! End 3rd. That's three K's for the kid already.  If he can lower his pitch count, then this might be a good game for him. His stuff looks good today!

Bottom 3rd

-Ewwww it's DeJesus!! I forgot all about him! Ajax just flew out to him and I feel sick.  He was the Royal's best player once upon a time. One of the many "Tiger-Killers" in the American Leauge.

-Brennan promptly grounds out to Scotty Boy.  Two Out.

-Maggs grounds out to the pitcher. Three out. That took about five minutes!!  As Rod says, "Our offense is stumblin'."

Follow us after the break!

IT'S. ALMOST. TIME.

In less than three days, our amazing, talented, badass, glorious team will be taking the field against the hated Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Are we excited? Extremely. Are we anxious? Yeah, kind of. Maybe not for opening day--Justin Verlander definitely seems like he's on a mission this year--but what about when Max Scherzer starts?

We are the world's biggest Scherzer fans, and his second-half performance last season made him one of the best pitchers in Major League ball. But his Spring Training starts have been troubling, to say the least. Giving up 11 runs on 9 hits to the Orioles is never, ever a good thing, especially on your last start before the regular season. Then again, it is Spring Training. It doesn't count. Scherzer was obviously not focused. So we hope know he will turn it around before his first start.

Anyway. Now that THAT concern is off our chests, we can get down to how freakishly excited we are for Opening Day. There is something special about this team. Perhaps it is because players are coming in with things to prove: Brennan Boesch isn't a one-hit wonder. Will Rhymes deserved to make it over Scott Sizemore. Austin Jackson won't fall into the dreaded sophomore slump. Justin Verlander is an Elite Pitcher.  Miguel Cabrera is the MVP.

It might sound kind of stupid to the non-baseball fan, getting so worked up about Opening Day. But we know better. It means so much more than people realize. It means boring weekdays will be fun again. It means the start of summer. It means we will once again be subject to Rod Allen-ridiculousness. It means a city comes together to root for their team. 

There are very, very few things that we like more than watching a Tigers game, especially when our team is good. There are so many reasons for us to get excited about Opening Day....and FSDetroit's April in the D, from which this blog owes its name!!!

Also, from a completely shallow, dumb-girl point of view, our team physically is pretty attractive this year. If that doesn't get all the ladies out there excited for this season, nothing will! (Kidding. Kind of).

...If you're STILL not pumped for the season, maybe this will help! In a few days Laura will be on The Knee Jerks, a podcast show co-hosted by none other than Greg from "Where Have You Gone, Johnny Grubb?" If you want to listen (duh, we know you do) go to www.sportsgeeksradio.com on Monday, April 4th at 7 pm. We can't wait!