Is It Finally Time to Get Excited About the Detroit Tigers?

 We’ve been waiting quite awhile now for the Detroit Tigers to put it all together, and compete for Division Titles and Championships.  It appears they have made strides in that direction of late.  They have had some unexpected production from some unlikely sources recently.  Newcomer Zach McKinstry has had some timely hits, and some good defensive play.  Furthermore, Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene are finally contributing on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in a manner experts thought they should.  If we continue to see these type of performances by this team, the height of their achievement is unlimited.

As a general rule, for a team to have success, several players must exceed expectations and the Tigers are no exception.  Players like Matthew Boyd, Alex Faedo, and Alex Lange have been pivotal to the Tigers being division contenders for most of the season. In Boyd’s case, he has accumulated 3 wins, and hitters have only accrued a .249 batting average against him.  Moreover, closer Alex Lange has maintained a 1.21 ERA, along with hitters only batting .135 against him.  With a few more contributions from others on the squad, the Tigers could far exceed expectations for this season 

One of the most prominent improvements of this year’s version of the Tigers is their offensive output.  During this campaign, Tigers hitters have featured more homers, hits, and walks.  In fact, in the month of May, the Tigers have led the league in walks.  Up to that point, the team was at the bottom of the pack in that category.   Because the team has been more selective in the pitches they choose to swing at, it has led to a dramatic improvement in overall offensive numbers.  If this type of production is maintained, it’s quite likely that the Tigers rise to success will continue.

A final facet of the game that must be superb in order to achieve as much success as possible is defense.  Without tight defense, the opponent is given extra outs, and thus the opportunity to score unnecessary runs.  Thankfully, this season, the Tigers are averaging less than 1 error per game.  In addition, this squad is usually good for a couple outstanding plays per game, which is necessary to be considered an elite defense.  This is a status that must be attained to play at a championship level.  If the team is able to maintain this level of play, the future looks bright for this ball club.

When emphasis is placed on completing the fundamental tasks of the game, successful outcomes are more likely.  For the first time in several years, team leadership is demanding that the fundamental facets of the game be completed more successfully.  With that being said, it’s no surprise, that the Tigers are experiencing moderate success at the moment.  As long as the current philosophy continues to be implemented, the amount of success for this team should be unlimited.

Politically Charged Issues Should Be Stripped From the Sports World

For years, sports and politics managed to coexist without crossing into each other’s lane.  In fact, sports was one of the subjects that people from either side of the aisle could engage in with little controversy.  That all changed unfortunately, about a decade ago, when various sports leagues decided to give the appearance of promoting certain political movements.  At that point, the separation between sports and politics began to disintegrate.  Along with this, the vehicle that athletic events provided to escape certain realities has vanished.

Needless to say, political issues are amongst the most divisive that permeate society today.  When sports organizations begin to pontificate on those ideas, it’s virtually impossible to leave the divisiveness at the door.  Therefore, fans of any sport begin to discontinue watching or attending the sports they love, thanks to the unnecessary injection of politically charged ideas, that have no place in the discourse of any athletic discussion.  As a further consequence, relationships built through the benign idea of sports are unnecessarily frayed because leagues have chosen to elevate certain political issues of the day.  Because organizations have chosen to dilute the purity of sports with controversial ideas, it’s uniting qualities have been severely damaged.

Many utilize sports to avoid the firestorm that politics can ignite.  People consider sports an avenue of enjoyment that is void of serious controversy and confrontation.  However, with many of the powers at be  choosing to delve into the social and political issues game, they are depriving many of the opportunity to escape the world of politics which surrounds them.  For this reason, the sports arena is failing to provide their patrons with a product that dwells completely on the chosen activity they are engaging in.

The primary issue that has arisen with the sports and politics intersection is that neutrality is difficult to project.  If you promote this issue but not that one, half your base is unhappy.  Therefore, the culture of togetherness that sports promotes becomes non existent.  There are so many other areas of life where political consumption is readily available on a voluntary basis, that it is unnecessary to taint sports with the poison of political rancor.  It’s difficult to determine why the sports world, as a whole, has chosen to damage its integrity in such an overt manner.

There is no doubt that if these sports leagues want to remain relevant for the foreseeable future, they must rid themselves of participating in any and all politically charged activity.  Engaging in such activity provides yet another avenue to divide this country unnecessarily.  Professional sports provides an opportunity for individuals of all political stripes to engage in mutually enjoyable activities.  To ensure that athletics can continue to act as a baum to heal what divides us, politics must be stripped from the sports conversation.

What is Fueling the Tigers’ Winning Ways?

 Has it finally happened?  Are the Tigers on a winning path for the long term?  It appears that this could be the case.  Despite not having a long list of All-Stars on this squad, they have played relatively consistently all season long.  They have avoided the long losing streaks for the most part, something they have been unable to dodge in previous campaigns.  Along with their 15-18 record, they have scored 5 or more runs in  6 of 7 games.  Furthermore, with continued good play in other facets of the game, this team is well on its way to a more successful season than expected.

A good team usually begins its success with solid pitching.  For the most part, the Tigers have gotten that from both the bullpen and the starting rotation.  In fact, the team ERA is 4.50, yes it’s not great, but respectable.  Also fueling the pitching success, is the fact that the pitching staff as a whole has stayed relatively healthy, only having a few injuries as a team.  If this good fortune continues, the team is sure to continue to have good things happen.

Clearly, one of the most improved parts of the team’s game is the offense.  They are getting productive at bats from the likes of Javier Baez and the newly called up Andy Ibanez.  This is in stark contrast from last season, when good at bats were hard to find.  Furthermore, batters seem to be more patient at the plate, which inevitably leads to more positive results. With production from unlikely sources, and being selective in what pitches are offered at, success for the Tigers is likely to continue to occur.

Having a superb defense is a pivotal piece of the game that must be mastered, in order to have sustained success throughout any MLB season  So far this season the Tigers have been able to hold fielding mistakes to a minimum.  Through 33 games, the Tigers have 18 errors, good for a .986 fielding percentage.  This is thanks to consistent play from Jonathan Schoop and Riley Greene, despite some struggles with the bat.  It’s vital that the excellent defensive play continue if they want to progress to a championship caliber team.

To become playoff contenders, clicking on all cylinders must occur on a consistent basis. This means the pitching, offense, and defense must converge to create a well oiled machine that is able to propel an organization to new heights.  Any aspect of the game that struggles to perform for any length of time threatens to derail any championship aspirations.  As of now, with a few tweaks here or there, I see championship play in the near future for the Detroit Tigers.

Great Players Need to Know When to Hang it Up to Cement Their Place in History

 The time comes in every athlete’s career, when they must consider retirement.  To maintain their place in history, it would seem it’s best to leave a chosen sport before skills decline significantly.  Hanging it up is especially difficult for some of the greatest players in sports.  Players like Brett Favre, Tom Brady, and Miguel Cabrera have to grapple with the desire to continue play, and the grave realization that they are unable to perform as they once did.  I believe it’s imperative that such players need to retire sooner rather than later, so history will surely reflect on their performances in a positive light.  However, Favre, Brady, and Cabrera may have waited a bit too late.

Though he struggled at the beginning of his career with interceptions and consistent play, Brett Favre became one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL.  Because of this success, however, he probably played a year or two longer than he should have.  Therefore, it’s quite possible he could have done some damage to his overall legacy.  In his final season with the Minnesota Vikings, he accrued a 5-8 record and threw for 2,509 passing yards, the fewest in his career.  Along with this, his final season in 2010 saw him throw only 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.  Why do players of this caliber allow themselves to play well past their prime?  For one, they know the talent they had, and they feel if they just work a little harder, they can regain the magic they once had.  Furthermore, pride and ego will not allow them to give up the ghost on their career.  As a result, the legacy may not be remembered as fondly as it would have, had they retired. 

Perhaps, one of the most well known players who quite possibly damaged his legacy by postponing retirement is quarterback Tom Brady.  Despite having a hall of fame career, in his final two seasons, he retired, changed his mind, and played one more year that was less than stellar.  In that final campaign, he battled consistency, and only averaged 276 passing yards per game.  In addition, Brady was dealing with personal issues off the field, which undoubtedly could have affected performance.  Had Brady called it quits a year earlier as planned, the perception of his legacy could have gone unaffected.

Without question, one player’s legacy that could be diminished due to not retiring at the proper time is Detroit Tigers’ player Miguel Cabrera.  Years ago at the height of his career, he signed a huge multi year contract, based on his previous success and anticipated future success.  Unfortunately, however, he could only adequately produce for half of that contract.  In fact, for the past 5 years, Cabrera has been woefully unproductive.  His power and run production numbers have been less than acceptable for years now.  Yes, some of this was due to injury, but much of the problem stemmed from his lack of physical conditioning, and age.  Undoubtedly, had he retired at the start of his decline, his legacy would not be marred by multiple unsuccessful years.  Furthermore, he would have never been viewed as a hindrance to his team’s success.

Deciding to retire is one of the most difficult decisions a professional athlete has to make.  Facing the fact that they are unable to perform as they once did, is a daunting task.  Therefore, many times, players continue to play despite declining skill.  In an effort to continue to do what they love despite lack of ability, they risk how they are viewed by history. If they want to eliminate such a predicament, it’s imperative they know when to quit.