I’ve labeled them a lot of things in the off-season:

-          A lock for division champs

-          Best line-up in baseball

-          World Series favorites

In my bragging, I guess I overlooked their most current label: 0-7

What happened?   Early season rust, cold temperatures, voodoo curse.   Or did someone bury a Red Sox t-shirt under a dugout when Comerica Park was built?   I’m running out of phony excuses!   What ever it’s being blamed on, Jim Leyland seems to have lit a fire under his crew.   After being swept by the Kansas City Royals right out of the gate, their record now stands at 5-10.   The Detroit boys have a win streak of 3 games heading into a final game with Cleveland and a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays (8-7).  

Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Maybe the boys of the Motor City just can’t get their engine running until they have all their right pieces bolted and attached together.   In that case, it looks like their missing spark plug has arrived!   Curtis Granderson, who has been on the DL after suffering a broken hand 3 ½ weeks ago, will soon be returning.   Granderson ended last season with a batting average of .302, along with 23 homeruns, 74 RBI’s, 23 triples, and 26 stolen bases.   His addition could turn a warming Detroit Tiger baseball team into an absolute boil that could send them straight to the top of the AL Central.

Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut?

The Tigers have their work cut out for them.   They are tied for last in their division with the Cleveland Indians, and both teams are already 4.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox.   My genius response to that…It’s early.   I think this whole division is going to be bouncing around more than Pamela Anderson’s chest in the opening credits of Baywatch this season.   Although there have been flashes of greatness.  

Detroit has amassed 30 runs in their past 3 games.   For the mathematically challenged who are counting fingers right now, that’s 10 runs a game.   If this perk in production can stabilize Tigers will win ballgames this year regardless of how their pitching performs.  

No, it’s not the minimum wage in Michigan.   Unfortunately, it is the sad state of the Tiger’s current team ERA. Justin Verlander (6.52ERA), Kenny Rogers (6.75ERA), and company don’t seem to be fooling anyone so far this year.   But it’s a fool’s bet to believe that will continue much further into this season.

So, as Detroit starts to look less like the pussy cats and more like the Tigers, I begin to gain more confidence as I recognize the team I thought they had.   And I can again say with certainty:

The Detroit Tigers are a lock for AL Central Division Champs in 2008, maybe…