Deadspin
We'll get to the Cardinals in a second, but first, here's Jalopnik's Ray Wert on the Tigers win against Oakland last night:
My brother Logan and his buddy Steve, took the camera by the strap yesterday camping with Momma Wert and brother Corey in section 148, while I made do watching the amazing game from the comforts of luxury suite territory. But before I get to the pictures, I need to take a moment and talk about the city of Detroit and the jungle of suburban sprawl surrounding it.
This is a city which, when the Tigers won in 1968, had 3.5 million residents, and just under a million living on the north side of eight mile. In 1984, it was a city with 1.5 million on the city side and 3 million on the suburb side. It's now a city with 3.5 million in the suburbs and just under a million residents living on the south side of eight mile. It's a metro area which is more segregated than any other city in the United States — Detroit's 90% black, and the suburban communities ring it like a lace doily of whiteness. Both sides think the other is full of shit, and both sides are more racist than they'd admit to an outsider — and both the suburbs and the city claim that fault is not their own.
Drop on top of that the city's (not the sprawling suburbs) stratospheric unemployment rate, and you can see how something taking our minds off the everyday and mundane is so welcome. That's because despite these problems, Metro Detroit's found a way to be unified — a singular purpose by which all can cheer for. Now I'm not one of those people who thinks sports hold the key to solving all a community's problems — but I am a believer that a city's sports teams tell a lot about the city spawning it. I've said before I think this city uses sports teams as surrogates — doing battle in arenas where the citizenry can't always tread, or where the city can't always win, and again I've found it to be true.
But on top of the the Detroit Tigers being Detroit's surrogate gladiators, these boys have gone and proven yet again that although it often helps, you don't need a $200 million payroll to win a league championship. And when you put all this together, I stongly believe that they, more than any other team in sports today, deserve to be embraced as America's team. That's right, fuck the Yankees and Red Sox, fuck the Dallas Cowboys, fuck U of M (doubly when they play MSU) — this team is a team that represents America — or at least the America that was and the America that we should all strive to see. It's a hard-working team, a team that embraces the dual requirements of success in any enterprise here in the good ol' US of A — that of leadership — something the Yankees, and their vaunted lineup, couldn't seem to muster — and a desire to put winning as a team above winning as an individual — something the Oakland A's never seemed to show. But the Tigers, whoa nelly, they showed throughout this season they've got both in spades.
Whether it was from a guy like Pudge Rodriguez, who took owner Mike Illitch at his word when he told him "I will give you the tools this team will need to win." Whether it's the guy Pudge came in to replace, Brandon Inge, who was such a hard-chargin' athlete, the team said "You know, we don't need him at Catcher, but damned if we don't think we'll find a place for him" — and thus moved him to almost every non-pitching position until finally letting him settle in at third base. But it isn't just them — it's also guys like the game winning home run hittin' Magglio Ordonez — a free agent who came here because he thought they'd have an opportunity "down the line" to make the playoffs.
So I guess what I'm saying is that people outside of Detroit should be cheering on this team, because they should be cheering on this great city. It's a city that despite the problems and despite the hardships, helped give this nation's dreams the wheels to take them where they needed to go. More importantly, it's a city that did it without the big bucks, without the big words of the big sports folks, and without any help but that which they received from their own hard-working and hard-knock fans. So feel free to cheer on this Tigers team — and hop aboard the fan-bus, because you're more than welcome. And if it gets filled, don't fear — we've got the wherewithal to build another one. But if you decide not to hop on, we're ok with that too, because you know — that's just how we roll here.
—-
Ray's a passionate guy. And turning to the Mets/Cards series, let's take a walk through the world of Jeff Suppan, evidently the world's greatest athlete. The Cards took a 2-1 series lead on the Mets last night, winning 5-0 behind eight brilliant innings from Jeff Suppan, on top of a solo home run, and a pair of nifty sacrifice bunts.
The Mets have picked a bad week to have one of those weeks. Steve Trachsel took a Preston Wilson comebacker off the thigh in the second inning - after he threw 43 pitches and never once got a swing and a miss. The Mets now find themselves in the position of having to rely on Oliver Perez in a crucial game four.
Comments
Well, that sure made me stand up and slow clap. Well said, Ray.
Nicely said Ray. I'm on the bus if you guys got a keg.
What's not to love? These guys' grit and determination (along with the sense I have that they're just good guys) makes them the natural choice. Why would you pull for the overblown, overpaid New Yorkers when you can get behind real workers like the Tigers and Twins?
What's not to love? These guys' grit and determination (along with the sense I have that they're just good guys) makes them the natural choice. Why would you pull for the overblown, overpaid New Yorkers when you can get behind real workers like the Tigers and Twins.
I'm all for the Tigers, though I'm thoroughly tired of the "winning team as morally superior" b.s. The A's lost because they couldn't hit. Ironically, hitting is only allowed to be performed on an "individual" basis. Though I'm sure Sean Casey's grit and leadership (from the bench) were the real key to Polanco's hitting.
I like the Tigers too. Middlesex is my favorite book from this millenium.
Chris -- was it because the A's couldn't hit, or was it because the Tigers could throw?
Mags didn't come to Detroit because they might win down the line, he came there because they offered him far, far more money than any other team. Dead on with the Detroit dynamic though, it's truly amazing just how bad the race relations are there, and nice to see some life in the city for a change other than the few events that draw people from the burbs and other areas into the city (DEMF, the hoedown, the auto show, etc).
This team looks just like the White Sox did last year, which portends well for the Series, especially since they'll be able to line up the rotation and rest Zumaya.
You know, I've only been to Detroit once and it is kind of a sinkhole. But when the Tigers win it all (and you're crazy if you think they won't), I'll be happy for them.
The Red Wings, though, can still lick my scrotum.
As a Detroit natvie
Excellent post. It captured beautifully the reasons I both love and hate my place of birth.
I just remember shouting "ONE RUN! ONE RUN!" in the middle of the ninth, then Mags' swing, my father yelling "IT'S OVER" as I caught the ball on its majestic arc. I looked right at Payton (the left fielder) who wasn't even moving and saw the ball deposit into the left field stands amidst the white towels and raised arms. I got onto my chair and thrust my own hands into the air, thankful for the opportunity to witness a moment that will go down as one of the city's best in its long and storied history. And I already have my World Series tickets. And thank you to Michael Young...because of your ASG triple, I can make it back to Detroit for each of the WS games without failing any of my college courses.
detroit really is a shithole. and the tigers represent that slice of america that makes millions of dollars a year to play a game.
i hate how people claim that you have to respect a certain team or how a team represents america. no sports team represents even a plurality of america. they represent highly talented people who get paid lots of money to do something only they can do.
so they represent hedge fund managers.
I don't know if it shows up this way for every visitor, but the Gawker Artists ad here displays a pretty grim-looking scene of guerrilla-style urban warfare -- sort of how inner-city Detroit probably appears in the imagination of Sergio Leone.
After the game, the entire Tigers roster, front office, luxury suite and season ticket holders headed north of 8 mile in their heated foreign automobiles, passing all the ushers and concessionaires at the bus stop.
Where will this great "team" hang their WILD CARD ENTRANT banner that Brandon Inge managed to acquire all by himself against the Kansas City Royals?
There are two reasons that people outside of Detroit might like the Tigers, 1) they're not NY or BOS and 2) Jim Leyland. Just be thankful that this somehow overshadows the loathsome acts of Kenny Rogers and Ivan Rodriguez.
Eat your heart out Mitch Albom.
I'm on the bus and i'm bringing a keg. party on.
Leyland winning in Detriot gives Pirates fans a sliver of hope. That is, if we had a Real GM (tm)
I think the same thing was written about the Pistons two years ago. That doesn't make it untrue, I just thought it's interesting how the responses to these two teams have been very similiar. (Even if the Pistons are an example of the white flight, being in Auburn Hills and all.)
I couldn't agree with you more, Khamel. Although I can respect how excited mr. wert is about his team, the fact that the stadium they play in happens to be in a festering wound of a city really doesn't mean I have to like them or root for them or any of the other bullshit cliches that post was filled with.
More importantly, it's a city that did it without the big bucks, without the big words of the big sports folks, and without any help but that which they received from their own hard-working and hard-knock fans.Yeah, like that couldn't be said when talking about Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland, or a half-dozen other cities. And what exactly are the "big words of the big sports folks"? What does that even mean?. I have nothing against the tigers, I really don't, but for some reason the tone of ray's "Aren't we great, and hey this really means something" post annoyed the fuck out of me.
Well, I don't think the Pistons championship had the same emotional gravitas for many here in Metro Detroit as seeing the Tigers win the ALCS -- much less the impact of a potential win in the World Series would have -- partially for that reason -- the Pistons are an example of suburban white flight. But really the main reason is that for so many people baseball's still "America's game" -- and the old folks who'd given up on seeing another World Series after the disaster that was the '03 season, are finding themselves surprised to have the possibility in front of them.
RashaanEnis, in response to your comment:
While I'll admit my comments were obviously a bit hyperbolic, I feel they were firmly rooted in some of the commentary I'd read like George Vecsey's commentary at the New York Times as Detroit began their series versus the Bronx Bombers.
That's true. There has been a different sort of redeption quality around the Tigers than there was with the 'Stones. I was always amazed at the sleeping giant of Tiger fandom. My old boss had pictures of Tigers players on the wall in his office. You could tell they frustrated him a little bit. Once the Tigers even got competitive, I was sure that Comerica would be rocking.
You've got to give Detroit it's props. What other sports city has hosted the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and NHL Finals all in the past 5 years? Or in any 5 year span for that matter? None that I can think of. And 3 out of 4 of those involved their own teams. (fucking Lions) They've truely become America's sports city lately. Glad to see it too since the city gets such a bad rap. Hopefully the urban renewal can continue there.
I get sick of people saying how much they hate reading articles of any kind. No one is making you read anything. If it makes you sick, stop reading. It was obvious after the first paragraph what the article was going to sound like.
I agree that there's some hyperbole here, but I think the Tigers are an easy team to get behind (but I've been a fan for my whole life).
And what are the "despicable actions of Kenny Rogers and Ivan Rodriguez?" Kenny Rogers "attacking" a cameraman who was annoying him may have been wrong, but I hardly see it as 'despicable.' And I don't even know where the Rodriguez comment comes from.
I never root for the Wild Card. Period.
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