Overachievers

It was a good weekend to be away from the Tigers. Upon returning home, I heard that the Tigers were a staggering 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position. Their complete lack of clutch hitting continues. Against the Yankees, they Tigers gave up an average of 3 runs/game, but still lost all three games. They have lost 13 of 17 games against the AL East, including 8 of 9 versus the BoSox and Yanks. Perhaps I'm stating the obvious when I say that the Tigers are not elite.

Despite their first-place status, there's nobody drinking the Kool-aid in the D. I've yet to find a Tiger fan who believes they'll make the playoffs... we all know it's only a matter of time. So, I'm thinking I should re-evaluate my expectations for the Tigers. Instead of a playoff contender stocked with high-price All-stars (Maggs, Sheff, Cabrera), the Tigers are a team on the rebound. Last year, they were the worst team in the Central, so they've made a drastic improvement. They've added a fine arm in Edwin Jackson and decent gloves with Adam Everett and Gerald Laird. Sure, their hitting is the least clutch in the majors, but beggars can't be choosers. Now, doesn't that feel better?

I truly believe this re-evaluation is therapuetic. For some reason, the '06 season gave Tiger nation a false sense of legitimacy. That team was a one-year sham. The starting rotation completely imploded the next year (Robertson, Bonderman, the Gambler) - only Verlander remains. In fact, Rodney and Miner are the only '06ers left in the bullpen. It's a complete overhaul. Instead of solely chastising Dombrowski for $70million in dead money, we should credit the staff for getting the most out of Clete Thomas, Ramon Santiago, and Ryan Raburn. Somehow, the team is above .500 - a drastic improvement from last year. Perhaps in a few years, after shedding the dead payroll, the team will grow into an actual contender.

For the time being, I'll just try to enjoy this ragtag bunch for the overachievers they are.