Opening Day for the Tigers

Another baseball season is upon us. It has been quite a few years since I have been this excited about opening day in baseball. My Detroit Tigers will begin their season on April 2 at Comerica Park against the Toronto Blue Jays. It will be the most exciting season to come to the Tigers in years. Before last season, I read the sports section to see how those lowly Tigers were doing but last season all that changed again. It actually reminded me of that magical 1984 season when they did win it all.

The last time the Tigers had made the postseason was in late 1980s. During the next decade and beyond, the Tigers were regulated to bad jokes and the lowliest of records. The Tigers actually holds the record for the most losses in one season, that was in 2003 when they lost 119 games. When Mike

The Ilitch did something. He actually made an investment in a player that was actually good. Not only good, but hall of fame good. He went out and got catcher Ivan Rodriguez in the off-season of 2004 and the excitement was just beginning to show. There was an idea that the Tigers might actually be decent enough to watch. Then in 2005, Ilitch went out and signed Kenny Rogers and Magglio Ordonez. Then he signed manager Jim Leyland after the 2005 season. At that point, it seemed that all the pieces were in order for the Tigers to develop into strong opponents for other teams. What happened in the 2006 season was beyond anyone's imagination.

In 2006, Leyland took a bunch of rookies and out of place veterans and turned them into a winning team. As the summer of 2006 roared on, the excitement of the 1984 season could be felt. There was not this much excitement since then 1984 season. Could these Tigers be that good? Yes, they were. They rode the excitement and fan support all the way into the playoffs. It was there, facing the New York Yankees and their millionaire roster in the opening round, that the Tigers showed not only their fans but the nation that they were for real. After they beat the Yankees, everyone in Michigan knew the World Series would be next and it was. Even losing in the World Series did not diminish anything the Tigers had done. They went from a losing joke to a championship team.

That is why this upcoming season is exciting. Can the Tigers repeat what they have done and maybe win it all this year? Jeremy Bonderman will kick off another exciting season for the Tigers on April 2 and we here in Michigan are on the edge of our seats!Ilitch bought the Tigers, the question arose of how could he make the Detroit Red Wings winners while making the Tigers losers? Then there were the rumors. How could he spend more money on his beloved Red Wings and not give a dime to the Tigers? There was even whispers that Ilitch was making a mockery out of a storied franchise. During those years, it was almost painful to watch the Tigers go from respected champions to being the joke of the baseball.