Final game cannot ruin Detroit Tigers' amazing season

It didn't end the way that any Tigers' fan wanted.
Actually, it ended in about the worst way any Tigers' fan could imagine.
The 2011 season came to a screeching halt with a heartbreaking 15-5 drubbing by the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the ALCS. For the first time this post-season the Detroit starting pitching completely fell apart. Max Scherzer teamed with three other Detroit pitchers to give up nine runs in the third inning, and it was over from there.
As disappointing as the final game was, and as much as it still stings, we have to put that one moment behind us and look at the bigger picture.
This was a fantastic year to root for the Olde English D.

AP Photo
Justin Verlander's no-hitter in Toronto should be one of the lasting images of the 2011 Detroit Tigers
They won their first division title since 1987. They ran away with the Central with a late season 12-game winning streak, and they won 95 games. Then they followed it up by knocking the 200-million dollar Yankees out of the playoffs. Also remember the three or four times that it felt like Justin Verlander had a real shot at a no-hitter, and the one time he actually pulled it off.
The team also made some great moves down the stretch, the biggest being acquiring Doug Fister to be the high-powered compliment to Verlander.
They also are losing the big contracts of Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen. That's almost 13-million dollars coming off the books that Dave Dombrowski can use to plug holes.
The AL Central will once again be up for grabs in 2012, and the Tigers are primed to repeat.
2011 was a fantastic year to be here in Detroit rooting for the Tigers, and it is setting the table for more great years to come.
So do your best to forget how the season ended, and remember how great it was to be along for the ride all year long.


source : http://blog.mlive.com/ottoman-empire/2011/10/final_game_cannot_ruin_detroit_tigers_amazing_season.html

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Game 4 starts up after lengthy rain delay Forecast for Game 5 in Detroit on Thursday remains gloomy

DETROIT -- It might sound like a repeat, but weather has once again put the American League Championship Series on hold, pushing back the start time of Wednesday's Game 4 from its originally scheduled time of 4:19 p.m. ET to 6:32 p.m.

A rain system parked itself over southeast Michigan and southwestern Ontario, just west enough to keep Comerica Park under showers for much of the afternoon. Though FOX tentatively said on Twitter that it hoped to start the game around 5:15 p.m., then 5:45, the grounds crew didn't begin removing the tarp until 5:50. Rain stopped falling shortly after 5 p.m.

"We have to be sure we're looking into the future," Peter Woodfork, MLB's senior vice president of baseball operations, said toward the end of the delay.
A security guard keeps watch while rain pelts Comerica Park prior to Game 4 of the ALCS. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

When asked by FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal whether MLB expects to play Game 4 without any interruption from inclement weather, Woodfork was optimistic.

"That's our goal," Woodfork said. "That's why we waited this long. We wanted to make sure we could get four hours of relatively dry weather."

The possibility of starting the game and having to stop for an extended period of time, jeopardizing each starting pitcher's chances of finishing a start, is undesirable to all parties.

"Obviously, that's something that neither team wants," said Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "Factoring everything in, the forecast looks good. There's always a chance -- it's relatively small -- but we didn't want to get into a situation where all of these fans sat here ... and we'd have to send them home."

Rain has already been a problem in this series. Game 2 of the series was pushed back from Sunday to Monday due to forecasts of a rainy evening in Arlington. The postponement forced the two teams to play Game 2 on what was originally slated to be a workout day, but the extra rest gave some injured Tigers extra time to recuperate.

Tigers relievers were spotted long-tossing in the outfield on Wednesday afternoon, but there was no sign of Game 4 starter Rick Porcello loosening up.

One point of concern for Major League Baseball is the forecast. The National Weather Service calls for a 60 percent of rain on Wednesday night in Detroit, a 30 percent chance of rain on Thursday afternoon and a 70 percent chance on Thursday night. Friday is scheduled to be an off-day between Games 5 and 6, allowing the teams to travel from Detroit back to Texas.


Source : mlb.com

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