From old to new

The Detroit Tigers broke in to baseball greatness in 1901, when they played their first ever American league baseball game. The game was suppose to take place on April twenty third, but the rain and lighting shut them down, and the game was moved to the following day. Going in to the the last inning in front of a home crowd of ten thousand, the team was behind four to twelve. The Tigers battled back, and with two runners on, there was a base hit to the outfield which scored both runners that put the Tigers up thirteen to twelve winning the game. The Detroit Tigers finished in third place that first year with a winning record of 74-62. For the next three years the Tigers would be at the bottom of the standing, and would have a losing record. Then the great Ty Cobb joined the team, and with his bat turned the team around, and finished third in the standings. Years down the road in 1935 the Detroit Tigers won there first ever world series championship, beating the Chicago Cubs in six games. Once again the Tigers fell in to a slump of losing seasons, however they ended winning their second title ten years later. Getting out of the early 90's, the team in the later 90's and early 2000's were on a losing streak of bad seasons, and then they got a new manager named Jim Leyland. Leylend turned the club around in just one season, and never looked back since. Under Jim Leylend the team for ten seasons only had one losing record season. Also took the team to two world series,but failed to win one. Leylend stepped down from his coaching job in 2013, since then there has been a lot of trades, and new management changes. As a Tigers fan I'm reallly looking forward to seeing what the team is going to bring to the plate.

Big Moves in Detroit

It is hard not to be excited if your a Detroit Tigers fan lately with all of the moves that they are making with the roster. Starting off with going out, and getting a new manager to fill the spot that Jim Leyland left when he stepped down. Having Brad Ausmus as the manager for the Tigers now well bring a young new face to the team, and also a modern day look at the game with game decisions. Also then just seventeen days later they traded Prince Fielder to the Texan Rangers for Ian Kinsler, the all star second basemen, which the trade seemed crazy at first, but the Tigers needed a second basemen. Also on top of getting a great second basemen, the Tigers free up a lot of money to re sign Max Scherzer the Cy Young winner of the 2013 season. Keeping with the pitching core they also came to a agreement with the closer Phil Coke on a one year deal. As a Tigers fan i feel that every year in the post season with have great pitching, batting, fielding, but we also come up short with our pitching closers. So on December third they signed the left handed closer Joe Nathan from the Texans. With forty three saves in his last season for the Rangers it's going to be good to see him in a Tigers uniform because not only is he on our team, but we do not have to face him now. Along with his save he also just didn't win, but sat down many batters with seventy three strikeouts. 

The Detroit Tigers are still not done though with trades, there are many rumors that they are still looking for more big names. There is a lot of talk of getting Shin-Soo Choo who is a out fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Some say he is the best outfielder on the open market, but with being the best comes a big contract as well. Luis Ayala is also on the Tigers radar to help the bullpen out with another great reliever from the Atlanta Braves. With a low era it would be another great player to add to the list, and would for sure help the bull pen out. With all that is going on I'm really excited to see what Detroit is going to do next season with all of there big roster moves 

The Big Trade

          My first ever Detroit Tigers jersey, was a Prince Fielder's jersey. One of the main reason's I purchased it was because i knew he had a long time on his contract. However with all major league sports, players can be traded away, and that is what happened to Prince Fielder. After only a few years played with the Detroit tigers on a nine year contract worth 214 million dollars, Prince Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers for second basemen Ian Kinsler. With this trade the Tigers are going to free up a lot of money to spend on Max Scherzer, the 2013 Cy Young winner, and also maybe go out a get a reliable closer. With sending Prince Fielder to the Texan Rangers the Detroit Tigers also sent thirty million dollars with him.
          With Prince moving to a new team, new state, new city, he has decided to change his number from twenty eight which he wore at Detroit to eighty four the year he was born.The five time all star, and youngest player to hit fifty home runs in his career is excited ti play for the rangers, and i know Tigers fans will kinda miss him. I was a big fan of Prince Fielder, and feel that not only did he play his heart out every game, but also brought a good vibe to the team. It seemed that he was always smiling on and off the field. However towards the end of the season, and in to the post season, Prince made some dumb decisions on the base paths, and also what he does best is hit the ball, and didn't do that at all.
         After a disappointing end to the Tigers season there as been a lot of changes going on with players and coaches. As a Tigers fan I'm really excited to see what they can do next year. With Ian Kinsler at second, and being a true lead off batter, the team will probably move Austin Jackson down on the batting list to let him attack more pitches. Plus with Fielder being a first basemen that moved Miguel Cabrera to third, and now Cabrera can move back to first base. It is sad to see a great man go from the team i like so much, but however it was for the better.

The Voters have Spoken

The Detroit Tigers 2013 season was cut short in the American League championship game against the Boston Red Sox’s, when they lost to them in a best out of seven series. Every major league sporting team’s goal for their season is to make it to the championship, and once there to win it. Although the Detroit Tigers didn’t reach their goal, their season was not a failure at all. With so many high explosive player’s that have so much talent the Tigers are bound to show up to every game, and make it fun to watch. Some of these player’s that make up a great roster are Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Prince Fielder, and Torii Hunter. All baseball fans, and not just Detroit fans know these all-star players. By being known to the baseball community, these players are always in the race with others for certain awards that are handed out by the league. Most valuable player award is always at the top of the major league baseball player’s list to try to obtain. Also for the pitchers the CY Young award is at the pitchers top list to try and get.

             Miguel Cabrera coming off his best season ever in 2012, winning the AL MVP, and also the Triple Crown hitting title, he was expected to continue his greatness. Starting off the 2013 season Miguel Cabrera had better numbers then he did the previous season, and was also making some big time plays at third base for the Tigers. So last week when the votes came in for the American League MVP, with 23 votes out of 30 it was a no brainer that Miguel Cabrera was the winner. Miguel was the first player since Frank Thomas to win back-to-back MVP titles in 1993 and 1994. Let’s hope he’s bat stays hot for another season.

            With Max Scherzer hiding behind Justin Verlander in the pitching line up it is hard to forget how dominant a pitcher Scherzer really is. In the 2013 season he really showed off his best stuff. Starting the season off with 13 wins before suffering his first lost proved that he was one of the best. Finishing his season off 21 and 3, and also the only pitcher to win over 20 games, he was at the top off the list to win the CY Young. With 28 out of the 30 votes it was a landslide win. Tiger’s fans are hoping that he can work out a new contract deal because he’s current one is up for the Tigers.

A Tigers Den

All the Major League Baseball team’s are known for great games, player’s that were apart of the team, winning World Series, but many do not think of the great stadiums that they play in. When I was younger I remember thinking to myself if people from the earlier days (like late 1800’s and early 1900’s) could see some of the professional athlete stadiums, they probably would think that aliens built them. If you have never been to a professional sports stadium, I would say it should be on your bucket list. You walk through the crowds, smell of fried food full the air, drunken talk, and crap talking of the opposing team surround you. As you make your way to the right seating section you walk out, and your face gets hit with a blast of fresh air. You get the first glance of the field, and everything that is around it.

            My first experience I had with experiencing a Major League stadium was at the Detroit Tigers old stadium, Tigers Stadium. The stadium was located outside of the city in a neighborhood called Corktown. Tiger Stadium sat on the corner of a nine-acre lot, and held a max capacity 52,416 people. The great stadium was opened in 1911, and teams started playing ball there in 1912. Tiger’s played their ball games there from 1912 thru 1999, and also the Detroit Loins, which is the city’s football team, played there from 1938 thru 1974.  On September 27, 1999 Todd Jones threw the last pitch at Tiger stadium, in an eight to two victory over the Kansas City Royals.

            After the Tigers had a good run at their old stadium they moved more towards downtown Detroit, which is across the street from Ford field where the Loins play, and up the road from Joe Louis arena where the Red Wings play. The Tigers new stadium is call Comerica Park, which holds 41,782 fans.  Comerica has hosted many playoff games, and also some World Series games. I have been in the stadium many times, with the home crowd roar, and as your watching the game you get a great view of the downtown skyline. Also with the stadium being right down town you can leave the game grab some good food, go to a casino, or maybe catch another great sporting event at Ford field or at Joe Louis. I would say it was sad to see Tiger Stadium go, but however Comerica Park is a great home for the great Detroit Tigers 

New Guy in Town

With the Detroit Tigers season coming to a halt in a post season push after the got beat by the Boston Red Sox’s, and then Jim Leyland’s announcement of his plan to retire, the Tigers had a black cloud over them for the past month. Well the clouds are starting to break apart today with a press conference, the press conference was held today to honor a new tiger to the team, and the new manager for the up coming season. It took the Detroit Tigers two weeks without a manager to find a new one. The man they found and decided on was Brad Ausmus. Brad Ausmus is not a new guy when it comes to being back in Detroit, the forty-four year played in the big leagues for eighteen seasons, and was on two different tiger teams. Coming back for a third time Brad Ausmus says, “I have a pretty good feel for the modern players, what the makeup is, what the mind set is”. I’m looking forward to see what this young manager has in store for the team come next season.
            Brad Ausmus was born in New Haven Connecticut on April 14, 1969. He went to Dartmouth College, which is a private Ivy League school in New Hampshire.  The New York Yankees originally drafted him in 1987, but adopted not to go, finish his school, and went in to the minor leagues. He was later drafted and played eighteen seasons with many different teams. These teams consisted of San Diego, Houston, Los Angeles, and the Detroit Tigers. Throughout his career he won three gold gloves as a catcher, and was an All Star player in 1999. When he finished his career he was ranked third of all time for catcher in put outs, and also ranked seventh in games caught with 1,938.

            After looking at Brad Ausmus background I think that he is going to fit in well with the team next year. Bringing a new young face to the team might just give the spark to finally get over the hump and win the World Series. I’m also glad that the Tigers didn’t waste much time to choose their new skipper, so he can jump right in where they left off. Detroit fans can only hope that the players and new manager can all get on the same page by next season.

The Manager Steps Down

Jim Leyland was born in Toledo Ohio on December fifteen in 1944. Growing up with a love for baseball he started his baseball career as a catcher for a minor league baseball team from 1964 to 1969. The team he played for was a chain through the Tigers. In 1970 he started his coaching career in the minor leagues for the Montgomery Rebels and the Rocky Mount Leafs. He broke in to the major leagues from 1982 to 1985 as a coach for the Chicago White Sox. After his breakthrough in to the majors with the White Sox, he got a chance to manage the Pittsburg Pirates. He managed the Pirates for eleven seasons and had some success with three division titles there.  He went on to the Florida Marlins in 1997 and won the World Series. The following year was not so hot, they ended up selling away all there talent, and become the first time to lose over a hundred games after winning the World Series the following year. Cutting ties with the Marlines he moved once again to the Colorado Rockies there after just one season he felt like he couldn’t coach at the major league level and stepped down. Becoming a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, he spent the next six seasons helping young ball players grow in to the majors.

On October 4, 2005 the Detroit Tigers hired Jim Leyland as the thirty sixth manager. Just one year in the managing the team he led them to a division title and also a World Series appearance that was not suspected at all. Leyland kept the team rolling with wins. He went on to win more division titles and more World Series appearances. Falling short always he never did win a World Series title with the Detroit Tigers. After the tough loss to the Boston Red Sox this year, after the game in the clubhouse Leyland made the announcement that he would not be returning as the manager for the tigers next season. The following week he made a press conference to address the media. The best part of the conference was him saying that he told himself that he wasn’t going to get emotional, and not even half way through he started to get tears in his eyes.

Leyland will probably go down in the hall of fame for the part he played in each team he coached. I feel he made an impact on each team with his coaching skills, but also his attitude and relationships with the players. Jim Leyland is going to be hard to replace, and Tigers fans can only hope for half of a manager that Leyland was