Tuesday night's Tigers-Twins game was so good that people would be writing books about it years later if it involved the Yankees or Red Sox. Of course, I hope they weren't watching TBS' atrocious coverage, as Chip Caray ruined the family name with an historically brutal night behind the microphone that left him battered by the masses on Twitter and Craig Sager further embarrassed himself with his purple jacket. You're not the story, dude.
The '09 Tigers, who held a seven-game lead in September and a three-game lead with four to play, go down in history with other great chokers like the '07 and '08 Mets, the '04 Yankees, '78 Red Sox and '64 Phillies. Of course, Caray actually called it one of Jim Leyland's "best managing jobs." Say what?
Blue Jays fans are snickering today with the thought the baseball gods finally caught up to the Tigers for stealing that AL East pennant in 1987, when Toronto lost the final seven games -- including the last three in Detroit -- to blow a 3 1/2-game lead in the final week.
Go to this link for a terrific section of coverage from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Beat writer LaValle Neal had a 4:45 a.m. wakeup call to New York after a wet night in the clubhouse. Been there, done that. (Stayed dry in the Bisons' 1997 championship celebration in Iowa. Was at Jacobs Field a week later when the Indians clinched the Central and pitcher Brian Anderson reminded me how I was dry with the Herd. I thus got soaked by the Tribe).
Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosenberg said, "This was one of those rare, special days in sports where the moment seems so important, the game cannot possibly live up to it -- and then the game exceeds it."
ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski takes you inside the Twins' clubhouse.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
tagged
AL Division Series | Major leagues | Yankees
