Spring things and other MLB baseball musings
By The Heckler
Baseball Big Mouth baseball news
Although the voice of the turtle has yet to heard in the land, for all intent and purposes, baseball is back - and The Heckler is just one of millions of fans who couldn’t be happier. As a diehard Detroit Tigers fan (as anyone familiar with this blog already knows) it was quite the year in Casa Heckler last year, with the Motor City Kitties treated their fanbase to a magical ride that took them all the way to the World Series. Sure, it ended on a definite sour note (those errant throws to third base by Verlander and Zumaya still give me night sweats) but finishing number two in the sport is never means to hang one’s head, especially since that very number was most-often used (prior to last year) as a description of the team’s play . . . you dig?
Congratulations to all the St. Louis fans out there. Your team won, and we lost. It was a simple as that. Tiger fans can blame a week off that zapped momentum from their team that was most-definitely on a hot-buttered roll; blame the unseasonably cold temps that had most folks thinking hockey than baseball (although, to be fair, the Cards played in the same clime, too); blame a Tigers’ team that perhaps read a few too-many press-clippings during their sojourn between series – whatever. It really doesn’t matter. Just like it doesn’t matter that Kenny Rogers smudged-hand inevitably led to manager Jim Leyland not pitching his red-hot ace again in the World Series (fearing the negative media attention the move would invariably surface). Oh wait . . . maybe that does matter, no?
Let’s put this puppy to bed right now, seeing how The Heckler took most of the winter off – I hate cheaters. And worse than that? I hate them on my team. I hate that Kenny Rogers did that. I hate that he got caught doing it. And I hate that some fans were so quick to brush it off as gamesmanship – or whatever other term they could come up with to try and sweeten the foul odor that Rogers’ move left wafting from the confines of the Copa. Just when Rogers has fast-moved to the top of my list of all-time Tiger heroes (and how could he not? Those playoff performances were incredible) along comes an uppitty Fox camera crew and the jig was up. Shame on Rogers, and shame on all Tiger fans who would have roasted any opposing player for doing the same. Call a spade a spade, gang. So sayeth The Heckler.
But that . . . was last year – for 2007, we look ahead to a pine tar-less Rogers; more from super-rookies Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya (with hopefully a little-less Guitar Hero under his belt, or more aptly, on his wrist); the booming bat of Gary Sheffield wearing the ol’English D; Jose Mesa trying to keep the ball in the yard; and manager Jim Leyland trying to smoke his way through to another World Series championship. The Tigers are another year older – and keeping vets like Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Pudge Rodriguez healthy again for another year is key – but the pitching will once again guide this ship. And on that front? They’re loaded once again, with even more arms on the way. For the first time in a long time, they are truly a team to beat.
With hope and optimism The Heckler casts his eyes to the looming season – and really, as a life-long baseball fan – that’s all you can hope for. Injuries can derail even the best of teams, as the marathon known as the regular season can be lost with one 15-day DL stint by a key performer. Also, in case any Tiger fans forgot: the AL Central is the best in the bigs. Chicago, Minnesota and Cleveland all have good clubs. Getting to the post-season will be a tough task as winning 92 games probably won’t even get you a sniff of first-place. But with the strides made by Detroit last year still echoing through MLB, the power arms once again loosening and a cranky manager promising not to let his foot off the gas, this season looks to be another winner for Tiger fans everywhere. Whether that means a World Series pennant? Who knows. Regardless . . . get them arms loose boys, work out them winter kinks. We have three more games to win this November. Dust off that plate and tie those cleats tight: the time to play ball is almost here.