There are six cards in the Tigers team set. Guess how many relics there are? Yeah*
*Ok, so maybe there are only 5. You see, there are two Austin Jackson cards--one with a jersey and one with a bat--but they are actually the same card. Same card number, same picture, same everything except for the little swatch. To me this is only one card, with your choice of how you want your one square inch of memorabilia, but I could see how some people would want both.
I think that this may be the first time that I've ever gone to back to back baseball games to start the season. Based on last night's attendance at Camden Yards I'm not the only one for whom this is a rare occurrence. Still, me and my 5-person party of Tigers fans thoroughly enjoyed watching the Tigers do what we all wanted them to do this year. Play well.
It wasn't all perfect, but it made for a great game. At no point did things feel out of hand, but it was never at the point where I was sick-to-my-stomach nervous about things falling apart. Some points of note:
Brennan Boesch reached on an error--a bad error, since it really wasn't very windy last night and that pop up should have been caught--which was folowed up by a walk to Peralta. With Alex Avila at the plate, having looked relatively helpless so far this season, a wild pickoff throw advances Boesch to 3rd. At this point my wife says something like "Avila is going to do something here. Weird errors like that have a way of snapping you into reality and breaking you out of a slump." And lo.
Alex Avila was great. He won the game for the Tigers.
Verander. See Above. Was filthy and got better later in the game, while clocking in not too far from 100 pitches. A phenomenal start.
Back to Back home runs from Cabrera and VMart. Immediately prior to those at bats I thought that both of them had looked lost at the plate, especially Cabrera. Shows what I know.
Maggs crushed the ball all night, but got only two singles to show for it. He's about to break out in a big way.
Jhonny "Rhange" Peralta. He took a horrible angle to miss a routine ground ball earlier in the game, but made up for it with a couple very nice plays on balls up the middle(ish).
Camden Yards. Still one of the nicest places to see a ballgame, especially on a 50 degree evening. The win made my walk home that much easier.
It was a great night all around. Back to back games for me and back to back home runs for the Tigers. Let's see if the Tigers can make it back to back wins tonight.
The two cards shown above are part of the "Black Diamond" redemption set from 2011 Topps. I actually got both of them in the mail before the game yesterday, which made the Cabrera/VMart homer parade feel all the more appropriate. This is a great little set from Topps. I certainly hope it continues into Series 2 and the Update Set, as these are the only two (non-autographed) Tigers that exist.
The only sad part is that Galarraga isn't a Tiger anymore. Also, that it's not crystal clear from that picture that Donald was out. Still, I couldn't be happier that this card will exist and A&G is the perfect product for it.
Let me just say this: Alcoholism is a disease, and it needs to be treated consistently and vigilantly. On the plus side, this just happened at the very start of spring training, with plenty of time for a program to be put in place. On the minus site, this is now a chronic problem, and is likely much worse than any of us thought when it reared its ugly head at the end of 2009 (and was seemingly eviscerated in 2010).
My advice is to call the Texas Rangers and find out what they do with Josh Hamilton. Get Miguel Cabrera a handler. He has clearly shown that he has a problem that is too large to deal with on his own.
I took advantage of the Thanksgiving deal over at COMC to knock a few cards off my wantlist. Actually, because shipping was so cheap (instead of the pretty expensive and quick to add up that it usually is) I filled out some other wants & needs as well, but that's for another time.
For now, 36.36% of my wantlist has been trimmed down including:
#3 on my list, part of the Home Run Derby contest inserts that Topps used to run
And with that, I have some serious thinking to do about how to replace these on my list. Fortunately, I've been inundated with cards lately (since when was being inundated with something good?), which means that more holes have been filled and I'm sitting on a bunch of sets where I'm just a couple cards from completion. My guess is those will be making the list--I'm looking at you 2010 Topps Gold Ryan Perry.
As always, I tend to put cards on here that are low-end, easy to find types. Just in case somebody out there happens to be flipping through their piles of cards, trips upon something on the list and feels like sending a little care package my way...
Update: And the new members of the wantlist (in the sidebar) are...
7. 2010 Topps #44 of 45 Hank Greenberg Red Back Mini (Target)
8. 2010 Topps Chrome #182 Brennan Boesch Refractor
9. 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome #CHR171 Rick Porcello
10. 2008 Topps #634 Kenny Rogers Gold Foil
11. 2010 Topps #575 Ryan Perry Gold
The danger of using checklists to craft a team set has reared its ugly head.
That, my friends, is a Marlins card. Did you think that if you saw Miguel Cabrera on a 2010 Topps checklist, it would be a Marlins card? Of course you didn't. And what happens? You end up with a Marlins card that you don't need, don't you?
I just stumbled upon this little card while searching for something unrelated. I had no idea this even existed.
There were 25 copies of this made and somehow slipped under my radar when I put the gallery together earlier. Sure beats that Brent Dlugach autograph, doesn't it?
On the flip side, it is just another chance for us to experience the horrendous drawing of Cabrera, something that even an on-card autograph can barely salvage. It's too bad that the rumblings and grumblings are telling me that Chicle won't be back next year. It is one of those sets that could have really been great with a few improvements (see: better artwork choices), which you can only assume would have been worked out in Year 2.
That's your future MVP Miguel Cabrera in a card that holds the tentative lead for "Worst Sentence Made Out of Jersey Pieces Ever" award. When I was zoomed out on this I thought that it was written in Chinese.
Oh, and this is just the first day for Triple Threads on eBay. I shudder to think of what the future might hold.
Wow, has this whole "back to school" thing ever caught me off guard. It's only 9:30 and it is designated mental break time even though I've got a long way to go tonight, I'm afraid. Mental break, ho!
I won big in A Cardboard Problem's case break of 2010 Topps 206. In addition to a team set, a handful of Bronze and mini parallels and two, count 'em two autographs, I also came away with these:
That's four hits from that case for the Tigers. And here I am, about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Karma (cardma?) is going to come back and get me, I just know. Why? Because I kind of want to sell them.
It's odd, actually, because even with my draconian new collecting policies in which I only collect pre-designated items for specific collecting needs, things like "Silk" and "Mini" tend to pass muster. And, in fact, I find both of these cards to be pretty nice examples of both silks and minis. The problem, I think, lies with the alt ighty ollar. These card are semi-big hits that I wasn't going to chase down on my own. I could sell them and buy cards that I would have gone after, say, other Tigers autographs from T206. Or from A&G. Or any number of other mid-dollar value cards that I would prefer to have in my collection.
At the same time, would I regret selling them? I could chase down the rest of the Tigers from T206, only to find that I'd be only two cards away (A Cabrera Silk and a Cobb Gold) from a master set had I not sold. Would I regret not keeping them in that scenario? Can I summarily dismiss the silks and gold minis as unnecessary parallel subsets that I can ignore? Would I feel differently if these cards were not parallels, in the "they use the same picture as the regular card" sense of the word?
Probably, Maybe and Yes. I'm a bit OCD with card-set completeness, so completing the rest of the set and having only a silk or a gold to chase down is appealing and this gives me quite the head start. Which leads me to #2--If I sell them I can mentally separate the need to chase down silks and golds. To me they won't count. Like the stamp card that I'm not going after (unless I can find it really cheap...) Now, had Topps made these inserts and not parallels, maybe we'd be talking.
I don't know. What do you think? Are these cards worth keeping? If it was your collection, what would you do? What is your opportunity cost of keeping versus selling? Why do I keep going back and forth over this? Why do I have so much homework that needs to get done??
It took over a month, but what I consider the front-runner for Tigers' Card of the Year has made its way into the "wild."
Pixelated as that eBay screen grab may be, this Miguel Cabrera auto/relic boxtopper is awesome. It also has what I believe to be a very reasonable BIN price of $250, which, as these things go, is not totally crazy.
I mean, it's Miguel Cabrera, with a nice big, on-card autograph, on a great looking card, (with a relic piece that I could take or leave) numbered by hand to 5 copies. Show me a better Tigers card from these year. Go ahead. Anyway, $250 is out of my price range at the moment so I'll just have to file this away under "someday..."
But don't cry for me, folks. It just so happened that I picked up what very well may be last year's card of the year just before the National came to town, and for a bargain:
While not numbered, I'm pretty sure that WOTS was that this card was limited to 50 copies. It enjoys the rare combination of an excellent looking card plus a big, crisp, clean, on-card autograph from the greatest living Tiger. I'd say that the only other real contender for the best card of 2009 is this guy, so either way I think I've got it covered.
We'll have to see whether this Cabrera can hold on to the tentative top spot with just under half of the year to go. Could be tough to unseat.
Baseball is all about the little things. A Saturday afternoon game on Network TV so that I can watch my team halfway across the country. A 5'9 rookie turning a slow roller into a gorgeous double play with skill unlike anyone in Detroit has seen since the days of Tram & Lou. A short left field with a huge wall that turns a routine fly ball into a leaping catch at the wall. The cumulative effect of bad pitches and bad decisions and bad luck leaving Tigers fans dejected and angry, and Red Sox fan euphoric, even though they know in their heart of hearts that David Ortiz's bat speed has slowed to the point where he needs to be sitting on a pitch to drive it. Baseball's greatness is contained within the little things.
So too with collecting, although I mean it much more literally. I've received a lot of good mail recently, but nothing quite makes me smile like the little things. I'll start things off with a bang:
It took being shipped from Taiwan, but they're here. Two of the three Tigers "extended minis" from 2008 Allen & Ginter. As I find myself more and more drawn towards mini cards, the extended set was something that I just couldn't ignore. It makes me kind of wish that all cards were mini cards...
Like, what if all those cards you had from the 80s, looked like this:
Seriously, how much better would that have been. Or the early 90s, when Upper Deck blew us all out of the water with holograms and such? Why weren't we captivated by these:
I had totally forgotten that there used to be cards in Cracker Jacks. They are so small. You can fit 4 to one regular sized card. In fact, I'm a little disappointed that nobody has come up with a 36-sleeve card holding page. I would totally get one. Unfortunately, because the scale is still basically the same as a regular card, it's hard to tell just how small it is. Here's some help:
That's the cracker jack on the far right with an 80s era Topps mini next to it. A full size card is the Gibson in the middle, next to what I can only describe as the Biggest Donruss Card I've ever seen. Of Sparky Anderson. Probably explaining how important the little things are in baseball.
The A&G minis come courtesy of my diligent eBay bargain hunting. The Pettis comes from Rhubarb Runner and the rest come from Cards on Cards, who provided me with a package rich with 80s and 90s goodness including minis galore and a bunch of other cards that I didn't have. Thanks so much to both of you!
If I had known this earlier today, I would have structured a very different post to showcase my new Cobb cards: (Via The Daily Fungo's twitter.)
On this date in 1951, Ty Cobb testifies in front of Congress denying the reserve clause makes 'peons' out of baseball players.
Oh well...
When I was on vacation with my family a few weeks ago, I asked my dad during the Home Run Derby: "Do you think that Miguel Cabrera is the greatest hitter of your lifetime?" I expected a little bit of hesitation from a man who grew up idolizing Al Kaline--Mr. Tiger himself--and saw the majority of his Hall of Fame Career first-hand.
"I'd say without question. Cabrera is absolutely unbelievable."
However, I deliberately avoided asking whether Cabrera was the greatest Tigers hitter of All-Time. There's one guy who pre-dates us all, and by most statistical measures is not only the greatest Tigers hitter of all time, but arguably the greatest hitter of all time, period.
In Topps Series 1, Target released a set of "red back mini" inserts that included Ty Cobb. I was insulted. Cobb's "result" on the card was a Fly Out. Lame. Ty Cobb does not make outs. This one is much better:
Ty Cobb has a career batting average of .366. He has nearly 2,000 RBIs despite hitting "only" 119 Home Runs (although he led the league in 1909 with nine, which is what you get for playing in parks that are 500 ft to center field etc.) Ty Cobb was great. Really great. He was elected into the Hall of Fame's first class with 222 out of a possible 226 votes. That's more votes than Babe Ruth (same class). I like to tell myself that, among people who actually saw the two play, Ty Cobb was considered to be a better player than Babe Ruth. I don't know if that's true. Still, for someone to get that high of a percentage--despite being a notoriously sour person, and a racist, and a generally deplorable human being--is incredible. Barry Bonds, a valedictorian of interpersonal relations by comparison, can only dream of the same level of support.
But, Cabrera. The average, and the power. The eye. His ability to do what he does with two strikes, so often. Ty Cobb he is not--there will never be another one--but could we, one day, talk about Miguel Cabrera (still a ripe 27 years old) as the greatest hitter of his era? Of our lifetime? More?
Both of those Cobb cards are recent additions to my 2010 Topps collection. In recent years Topps has gone overboard with Cobb, but as long as they can continue making different, nice cards--the gold refractor is beautiful and the Blue Back is a mini--I guess I'm OK with it.
Two wins makes it official. A winning streak. This time (like most times) there hero was Miguel Cabrera. Odd then, that just like the Scherzer autograph that I got the other day, that I got this Miguel Cabrera card today.
First, I'd just like to say that I'm pretty sure that this is the best card that I own. In fact, I'm pretty sure that its not even close. This is from the 2009 Ginter set and was originally released as a redemption, of which only 49 copies were made. A fortunate mis-listing of sorts that used "Autograph" but not "Auto" led it to sell for approximately 40% less than the majority of other sales of this card that I've seen. I call that a bargain.
So this seems to be the pattern: I get an autographed card in the mail and the Tigers win with said card's subject playing the hero. Well, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I just got a ton of cards in the mail--maybe even enough for a 4 or 5 game win streak. The bad news is that after that, there will be bupkis. I like to think that perhaps the autographed cards will just start showing up, or that maybe, somehow, old timers can fit into this pattern. I mean, Al Kaline can still factor into a game these days, right?
Justin Morneau is sitting out of this week's All Star festivities after suffering a concussion and Joe Giardi snubbed Kevin Youkilis and chose Paul Konerko as his replacement.
Of course, the important take away from all of this is that which just became official: Miguel Cabrera will be starting the All Star game. Tigers have been major factors in recent All Star games. Last year Curtis Granderson hit a late-game Triple that led to the winning run. The year before Carlos Guillen hit an extra-inning double that just missed being a home run, although he was ultimately stranded and didn't score. My guess is that Miguel Cabrera is going to have an impact as well. He has been a force all season and deserves the starting nod which, by the way, is the first start that he's had in an All Star game, and his first appearance as a Tiger.
With 76 RBIs before the break, he has the most RBI's by a Tiger at this point in the season since Cecil Fielder had 77 in 1993. Oh, and he still had today to break that. He leads the major leagues in Batting Average (.346) and RBIs (76) and is 2nd in Home Runs (22). An AL Lineup that has some sort of Cabrera, Hamilton, Vlad combination in the order seems pretty near unstoppable, Ubaldo be damned. And add Cano into that mix? Forget about it.
As always, I'm excited for the All Star game, but with this little bit of good news today, I feel it all the more so. Cabrera deserves the recognition that has escaped him as the Tigers' best player for the last three years. Now, with the starting nod, he'll have the chance to do the team proud, and there's little doubt in my mind that he will.
In other news
Brennan Boesch missed the cut by 1 Plate Appearance yesterday. If he plays today (no reason to think he won't) then he'll be among the league leaders by day's end. He's currently hitting .343.
Cabrera is still in the Home Run Derby, which is always a good time.
With Mariano Rivera sitting out, don't be surprised if the dominant Jose Valverde is the game's closer. I love the prospect of two Tigers having major roles in the All Star game. I grew up with being forced to suffer Robert Fick and Damian Easley and the like as token ASG representatives. It's so nice to have players that actually belong.
Is anyone else a little bummed that the break is coming just as the Tigers are on an absolute tear?
Here's hoping for a sweep of the Twins today and then enjoy the festivities this week!
Seeing as how the first one of these on eBay sold for $75+ I'm pretty happy to add this one to my collection for a fraction of that. Add in the Greenberg/Braun and this has been a fantastic subset for Tigers fans this year.
Hold On To Your Loonies First, let me proclaim this: ATTENTION ALL TEAM COLLECTORS, the veritable Tunguska is hosting a 2010 Allen & Ginter CASE BREAK on his blog and as of right now, most teams are still available. I jumped on board as soon as I found out last night, and if you've got the cash to spare, I highly recommend that you do so as well. It's a case, for goodness sake. Think of the minis!
Also, Tunguska is a Canadian, and is charging just $45 Canadian per slot, which means that you can take advantage of our northern brother's favorable exchang...wait, WHAT?!?!
The Canadian dollar is currently worth more than it's American counterpart. $.97 to the Looney. It was as low as $.92 in May. In fact, monthly averages haven't shown a favorable exchange rate since February 2008 (when $1.00146 would buy us a Canadian buck). I knew things were bad in the US, but geez. This really puts things in perspective.
Even so, I recommend that you sign up for the group break if you're still looking for a way to get your A&G fix.
I think in Philly, you're considered a bad parent if you don't let your kids drink beer
Sweet mother of God, Philadelphia. You embarrass us all.
Big Potato Day Yesterday was the anniversary of Dan Quayle infamously telling a spelling bee contender that his Potato was "missing a little something on the end" (it was the E). To celebrate this, I was going to show a fancy new baseball card of the Tigers' own Big Potato, Jose Valverde. So, I went to my Series 2 pile to pull him out only to find...no Potato. Here's a pitcher who currently has an ERA under 0.70 for the Tigers and is as dominant a closer as exists in the AL and I don't have a Series 2 card of him? Considering that he was in Series 1 (as an Astro), I guess I can't complain too much, but if you're going to give me Phil Coke, why not go the extra mile with the Tigers' big free agent signing?
Still not an All-Star The latest All Star ballot results came out Monday and Miguel Cabrera is still in 3rd place among AL first basemen. This is the player that is leading the league in Home Runs. And RBIs. and has a .330 batting average. And a 1.062 OPS!
The silver light is that Justin Morneau (who, I begrudgingly admit, is also extremely deserving of All Star status) has overtaken Mark Teixeira. The worry was that the undeserving Teixeira would win the fans' vote, with Morneau selected by the players and Cabrera out in the cold...again. This is essentially what happened last year, but would be far more criminal in this season, aka "the best individual season by a Tigers player in history."
But don't take my word for it:
"You have to be careful when you talk about personal things, but like I said, if Miguel Cabrera's not on the All-Star team, then you might as well not have an All-Star team."
That's Jim Leyland, who is actually notoriously stingy with praise for his own players. But he also doesn't pull punches and he's saying what we're all thinking. If Miguel Cabrera isn't an All Star, they might as well not even play the game.
"He's in a class by himself. I haven't got to see (Albert) Pujols play too often, but what he's doing, especially in this ballpark ... this ballpark could be the only thing that keeps him from winning the Triple Crown. He's that good. The thing is, he still has a chance to be that Triple Crown candidate."
This is his direct response to a question about how Cabrera compares to ARod and David Ortiz. Yeah, I'd say that's pretty good praise.
Also, Cabrera is 26. You may now pick your jaws up off the floor.
[Cabrera] is going to win an MVP before he's done. Magglio is on his contract year."
Cabrera's eyes widened as he looked over attentively. Damon smiled back.
"That's right, MVP, baby," Damon said. "And then you take me to dinner."
And he's right. Cabrera is having an MVP-caliber season, and Magglio Ordonez has performed like Magglio Ordonez always has save for the first half of last year. There's something to say for track records, I suppose. Although he's not actually in a contract year as much as he's in an "I better play well enough for the Tigers not to bench me so that I am automatically re-upped to another elephant-caravan load of money" year. Still, no complaints from this end.
Cooling down Austin Jackson was benched last night with some back troubles, which comes in the midst of a dramatic cool-down, in which he is batting a weak .220/.235/.280 in June and is 4-41 since his 4-hit came on June 3. This is probably just a regular slump, albeit one that drags him down to the general levels he should have been in all along (.300 hitter, good XBH power), and isn't too much to be worried about. He's no Bashó after all...
I will say this about Jackson, which I may have said at other points so far this season. I am really impressed with what he has done, especially defensively. I think that he is going to be an excellent player for the Tigers for years to come and may become the career Tiger fan-favorite fans lost when Granderson was traded.
The Tigers first baseman is having a season to end all seasons. He finally will make the All-Star Game as a Tiger. He will be invited to take part in the Home Run Derby. And he’ll take his rightful place in the conversation that starts with, “Who is the best player in the game not named Albert Pujols?”
What's that you say? That quote was all about Miguel Cabrera? Hmm...maybe because that's the basis of Samuelson's argument for The Banana Tree to win the ROY. Protection. He even calls himself out on it:
Sometimes, a little too much credit is given to “protection” in the lineup. Ultimately, it’s still Cabrera doing the damage. He’s the stud. Boesch is the supporting player. But the bottom of the Tigers' lineup is so offensively challenged that the rookie has been the key to keep it going.
Indeed, sometimes too much credit is given to protection, sometimes not enough. The fact is, Boesch has excelled in his role and has both provided protection for Cabrera and inflicted a bunch of damage on his own. At the same time, just as Jackson has hit a cool streak, it is only a matter of time before Boesch--a .250 hitter in the minors--comes down somewhat as well. Bashó has surprised and impressed all of us, and if, come the end of the season, he has outperformed Jackson, and the rest of the AL rookie class, then he deserves the award for sure. I'm just not sure that a month and a half of production is enough to make the distinction yet, although it's certainly enough to put him at the forefront of the conversation.
Rookie Redemptions Which brings me back to something that I brought up yesterday: Are we going to get a Jackson or Boesch rookie redemption card of some sort? I certainly hope so and here's why:
This is the Tigers' lone rookie redemption card from the last few years--a Rick Porcello refractor (#/199) from 2009 Finest. It is a fabulous card which is an excellent addition to the team set. I would absolutely love to see Jackson or Boesch have a similar offering in 2010 Finest. It is worth noting, by the way, that though Porcello was the top of the class in 2009, he was the 9th (of 10) redemption, announced towards the end of the year. I guess there's no arguing with the hype machine, especially in this day and age.
As I write this, the Indians' Carlos Santana was announced as Topps Red Hot Rookie #1, meaning that everyone with redemptions 2 and above just saw the value of their cards increase incrementally.
Misc. I don't have much to say about other things at the moment, so I'll relegate them to here. Ooh! Except this: The custom-designed Infinite Baseball Card set, which I regrettably missed out on before it was pulled for legal reasons, has an update set available with new players! This should avoid the legal messiness that he faced before. These cards are really nice looking and I think I'm going to pick them up, although the OCD in me now wants to seek out the other 10 cards that he discontinued. Topps Attax has a follow-up set called "Battle of the Ages" in which Verlander and Cobb both have cards. They will be added to the Topps Attax gallery. Speaking of Galleries: I'm waiting on a few more cards to trickle in, but a Topps S2 gallery is in the offing. Following up on my Michigan draft posts, the Michigan Daily has a good rundown of the five 2010 draftees. Also, an excellent story on the best home-field advantage in sports. More Michigan stuff? How about the fact that realignment is what made Michigan a Big-10 power in the first place. Fingers crossed that the new realignment does the same thing. Tigers go for the sweep tonight with Verlander on the mound in a series in which they didn't have to face Stephen Strasburg, which is probably a bad thing given the ticket sales it could have brought.
Yes, I know that these are all "commemorative 4th of July edition" cards, but this is a National Holiday you know and these just came out. Also, I can't believe how many of them there are. As far as I can tell, this is all of the Tigers in the set, but you never know what else might pop up.
It's been quite the month for Miguel Cabrera. As MLB.com reports, despite going hitless on Wednesday and Thursday:
[Cabrera] still leads the league in RBIs (25) and is second in doubles (10). Cabrera also ranks among the leaders in a host of categories, including batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.419), hits (30) and total bases (55).
But wait, there's more:
Cabrera's April ranks with the best in franchise history, as he ranks second on the Tigers' charts in doubles (10), third in RBIs, fourth in extra-base hits (15) and seventh in total bases.
The best April in the history of the franchise which, last I checked, is not full of slouches. That's amazing. And I heartily agree that Cabrera has been incredible so far this season. But I think that many people don't realize just how good he is and, just how criminal it is that he hasn't sniffed an All-Star roster in his two seasons in Detroit. Back me up, stats:
What's more, Cabrera leads the league in home runs (76) and RBIs (255) since the start of 2008, when he became a Tiger.
Aka, Miguel Cabrera has been the most prolific power hitter in the American League since he joined the league two years ago. Detroit fans, please nod in knowing agreement. Everyone else, you may continue furrowing your brow in a futile attempt to understand.
Obviously, All-Star appearances are not the end all and be all of baseball, and it is mostly a popularity contest anyway, but you'd think that a player like this just might be able to squeeze onto a roster at some point.
Seems to me that this has been a little more than just a "Hot Streak."
Finally, for anyone who still harbors some bad memories following Cabrera's late season issues last year comes this bit from Lynn Henning, buried in an article about Big Ten Expansion:
Miguel Cabrera's recovery has been so complete and so convincing that I never hear the subject discussed, even privately. It was hashed out thoroughly during TigerFest in January. It was re-visited during spring training. But with Cabrera continuing to personally look like a new man, and with his hitting again on a different scale from the mere mortals who play baseball, the topic of his past alcohol abuse appears, happily, to be old news.
I think we can all agree that that is a good thing for everybody involved. Viva Miguel!
Double. Tie ball game. Ramon Santiago follows it up with a 2 RBI single to put the Tigers in the lead. But Ramon wasn't finished there. He decides to become Mr. Sparkplug in the 5th.
A huge bunt for a base hit, that required that he slide into first base set the stage. A hit and run with Polanco worked flawlessly as nobody covered the steal and Polanco singled right up the middle. A Clete Thomas walk set the stage for Miguel Cabrera. With the light of a thousand suns, our savior...
popped up on the first pitch. 2 outs, and what was shaping up to look like a patented Detroit Tigers squandered opportunity. Oh, but hey, remember this guy?
Scoreless relief pitching for the last four preserved the lead. The Tigers lead the Central by 3 with 4 to play. They could clinch tomorrow against the Twins. Or by winning any two of their last four. Or if Zach Greinke beats the Twins on Saturday and the Tigers pull one out anywhere. What a difference a day makes, as there appear to be glimmers of light and the end of the tunnel.
I'll have more on this at some point in the next week or so, as I really want to talk about how shockingly underappreciated Miguel Cabrera is, among the media, collectors and even Tigers fans, but for the moment I'll leave you with this, courtesy of the Spot Starters:
Miguel Cabrera: .397/.463/.664 9 HR, 32 RBI, 12 2B
Those are Miguel Cabrera's stats since the All Star Break. Yowza.
