The Punk Rock Tiger

The Detroit Tigers had a magical season in 1987. They won the Division Title of the AL East on the last day of the regular season, in a dramatic 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the last time that the main-stay Tiger players of my childhood would all have success on the field together- Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, and Jack Morris. But one Tiger player always stuck with me from that season, and his name was Jim Walewander.

In 1987, I was 12 years old. I grew up in a baseball family- playing baseball, talking baseball, collecting baseball cards, and always watching the Tigers games on TV. I also was becoming an avid fan of all types of music at the time. Alot of new music was bieng introduced to me by my brother and my friends. Bands and Groups like Run DMC, Metallica, Prince, and Van Halen to name a few. I also was just getting into another type of music that I had just recently discovered- Punk Rock. My friends and I were lucky to live real close to a great record store where you could find used records and tapes for just a few dollars. We discovered and got into bands like Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, The Circle Jerks, and Suicidal Tendencies.

MLB Baseball, in my mind at that age, was a wholesome game that was played by only the best ball players in the world- great athletes who lived their lifestyles very much "with" the grain. In 1987, the Tigers called up a very normal looking player with a weird last name- Jim Walewander. As with any new player on the Tigers, I took note but usually didn't scratch the beneath the surface. The only thing at first that stuck out to me was Walewander's fielding position - second base. I knowingly thought to myself that this new guy was not here to challenge my favorite Tiger,  second-baseman Lou Whitaker for his job. Not long after the 26 year old Walewander was called up, I began to hear from game broadcasts and read articles in the newspaper certain things about him that normally wasn't associated with regular ballplayers. I learned that when he was playing for the Mud Hens in Toledo, Walewander lived contently in a gritty apartment that had no furniture, he used aluminum foil for window curtains, and lived off of only basic needs. Writers and baseball game analysts used words like "eccentric", "flaky", "free-spirited", "zany"- to descibe Walewander- words that reminded older Tiger fans of another Detroit player who often times fit those same descriptions- Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. I then read that Walewander was also into punk rock music, and I realized that this player was bringing my two worlds together- Tigers Baseball and Punk Rock music! Walewander also dressed like a punk rocker, favoring leather jackets and combat boots when not wearing a Tigers uniform. 

Walewander soon became synonmous with a Punk Rock group called "The Dead Milkmen", after members of the band heard that he was a fan. When the group played a gig in Detroit, the band arranged passes for Walewander so he could attend the concert. The day after the show, Walewander returned the favor to the band by showing them around Tiger Stadium, and also introducing them to his manager at the time, Sparky Anderson. Sparky had taken a liking to his new misfit ballplayer- "Wales", as Anderson called him, because of Walewander's solid work ethic towards the game. The Dead Milkmen posed for pictures in the Tigers dugout with both Walewander and Sparky, then soon left to move on to the next gig in the next city. Walewander would end up hitting his only Major League homerun that day. Having not yet heard of the Dead Milkmen, I soon rushed up to my local record store and picked up the band's debut album "Big Lizard In My Backyard" on cassette tape. Although the Milkmen did not sound as aggressive as some of the other bands that I was into, I enjoyed the album with it's satirical lyrics, and folksy type of punk rock music that they played. I still have that album, and consider it a essential part of my music collection.

On the field, Walewander was not much more than a pinch-runner or a role player for the Tigers that year. He spot-started at shortstop or second base whenever the veterans needed a day off. Some Tigers fans did cherish his minimal playing time, however, forming the "Jim Walewander Fan Club" and hanging banners and signs supporting him in the cheap-seat, outfield bleacher section. Some of Detroit's resident punk rockers also came out to Tiger Stadium to show support for Walewander. His most memorable contribution to the Tigers in 1987 was when he was a pinch-runner in the bottom of the 12th inning, in a season-ending series against the first-place Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers were one game behind in the standings, and needed the win to move into a tie for first-place, with one game remaining the following day against the Jays. Shortstop Alan Trammell came through with a clutch base hit and Walewander scored the winning run. The next day, the Tigers shutout the Jays 1-0 to capture the Division Title. Walewander was left off of the Tigers playoff roster, and his folk hero-like 1987 season was over.

Walewander played one more year for the Tigers, then played a year of professional baseball in Japan. He returned to MLB in 1990 for the New York Yankees, was in minor league ball for the 1991-92 seasons, and had one final big league stint with the California Angels in 1993. His career statistics tell no tale of Walewander's off-beat ways: 162 games, 242 at-bats,1 home run, 14 RBI, to go with a .215 lifetime batting average.

I still hold the Detroit Tigers and even Punk Rock music near to my heart as they both give me fond memories from my childhood. For one year, 1987, there was a special player who brought these odd worlds together for me, and his name was Jim Walewander...Thanks Wales!!!

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Life After Leyland

As of this writing, the Detroit Tigers are on a tear. They have won 12 straight games to open up their lead in the AL Central Division to 7 games. The team is healthy for the most part, the players are playing up to their capable levels and beyond, and the best part it is - the team is having fun. Of course, at the helm of this team is manager, Jim Leyland.

Jim Leyland, the chain-smoking, sarcastic, seemingly hard-headed, stoic manager of the Tigers since 2005. A guy that Tiger fans love to hate on when things aren't going so well, and don't appreciate enough when things are going great. He manages games almost exactly to the unwritten "book" of baseball. 100-pitch counts for his starting pitchers, left-handed hitters don't face left-handed pitchers, hitters bunting whenever they're "supposed" to, the execution of hit-and-runs, and running his bullpen strictly to pre-conceived match-ups. This managerial method works for Leyland, and the Tigers record under him as manager proves it. Leyland also won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. If there is a problem with his ways, is that "the book" can drive even the most casual Tiger fans crazy. Jim Leyland could care less. The passionate Tweeters, Bloggers, Columnists, and Reporters of the Tigers all are quick to judge his methods when he stays with his game plan at all costs.

As the 2013 season unfolds, with the Tigers playing the best baseball that I have seen in recent years, I've been thinking...if the Detroit Tigers were to win the World Series this year, it would almost seem fit to me that Jim Leyland would retire as a champion from the game he has been a part of for 50 years. He would have won a World Series in both leagues and in 2 different centuries, and a Manager of the Year award in both leagues as well. The 68-year old would have nothing left to prove. That is the fairy-tale ending of a storied career, one that could match his close friend and confidant, Tony LaRussa. On the other hand, if the Tigers don't win the World Series this year, the Leyland-era in Detroit could still come to an end, and sooner than most fans may realize. Since 2011, Leyland has only signed mutual 1-year contract extensions, hinting that any coming year may be his last.

So, who to replace Jim Leyland? Ozzie Guillen. Yep, that foul-mouthed, overly passionate, controversial ex-manager of 2 Major League Baseball clubs. Ozzie would be a perfect fit in Detroit. Most people who don't actually know Guillen, write him off as a crazy, sharp-tongued, Venezuelan lunatic who somehow managed to win a World Series. Guillen loves the game of baseball and it's players with a fierce heart. When Leyland leaves in the near-future, he will be leaving behind a Tigers team with several star players still in their prime of their careers . This would be perfect for Ozzie Guillen. Ozzie is not a manager that is cut-out for rebuilding projects, and is more likely to be a short term manager (less than 10 years) wherever he might go. Ozzie's tirades simply wear thin over time, but his passion and emotion while managing could be exactly what the Tigers could immediately need, and would be the opposite of Leyland's approach in the dugout. Guillen has an unparalleled respect for veterans of the game, and will stick by his players through the hot streaks and the slumps. His track record proves it. Nearly a quarter of the Tigers current active 40-man roster is made up of Latino players, with whom Ozzie can identify with being a former player himself. Guillen could nurture the younger Latino players, teach them how to play the game the right way, and also make sure that the veteran players stay content. For the other players, Ozzie only asks that they play the game the way it should be played- with hustle. Respect the game, and he respects the player. As far as his managerial style, I don't think Ozzie has ever read "the book"- in English or Spanish. Guillen simply plays the hot-hand, another refresher from Leyland's style that can give ball players needed experience-either good or bad. 

Off the playing field, I think Ozzie Guillen has learned some valuable lessons. His successful tenure as manager for the Chicago White Sox came to an end in ugly fashion. A feud over a contract extension during a poor year with the White Sox pitted Guillen against his General Manager and the White Sox Owner (often times in the media) over the ball club's long term faith in Ozzie. In Miami, the Marlins lured Ozzie from the White Sox into a multi-million dollar deal, which was doomed from the start. He was over-matched with high expectations from a franchise trying to re-invent itself, a $500 million publicly funded new stadium, and several high-priced players who refused to play baseball the Guillen way. Not even a month into season, Guillen was quoted in a national magazine professing his admiration for a dictator for whom many of the Marlins fans and communities defected from. The statement landed him in the non-politically correct hot seat, one which he never got out of.

In Detroit, Ozzie Guillen would walk into a franchise planted firmly in a righteous place. The Tigers owner, Mike Illitch, fully entrusts his organization in the hands of General Manager/Team President Dave Dombrowski who, in turn, addresses his manager's personnel needs as they arise. Dombrowski is a seasoned front-office Major League manager who could give Ozzie the stability he wanted in Chicago but never got. The media attention given to Ozzie in Detroit would certainly be heavy, but I think Guillen would choose his words a little more wiser than in years past. Ozzie Guillen has missed being involved in a Major League Baseball season for the first time in 30 years, most likely because of statements he has made off-the-field. I'm sure Ozzie realizes this, and I think he will be a little more cautious with some of his statements.

With Ozzie Guillen as their manager, I think the Tigers could win multiple World Series Championships in a relative short time with the player-personnel that they already have in place, once Jim Leyland calls it quits.

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Dressed To Impress

I always thought one of the coolest things about baseball were the uniforms the players wear. The hats and jerseys for each team and player are easily accessible for fans to buy, and their not a bad fashion statement for everyday wear either. With that being said, I've decided to compile a list of some of my favorite uniforms from my era of MLB baseball.

1. Montreal Expos (Road 1980-91)

Easily my favorite uniform. I always thought of the Expos of exactly what they were to me - a foreign team. I grew up in an American League city, the Expos played in the National League - and were based in Canada. I hardly ever seen the Expos play on tv, and the only real exposure to the team were from baseball cards. Anyways - about the uniform: Their cap was different from any other team in baseball. It featured the colors of the team in a "pinwheel" fashion - royal blue in back, red side panels, with a white front embroidered with the mysterious "M" with the lower case "e" team logo. The road uniform was made up of powder blue pants and jerseys, with a red and royal blue stripe down the jersey shoulder and  pant legs. The team logo was on the left chest panel, and the player number in red was on the right chest panel. Some of the names synonymous with these uniforms for me were Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, and Tim Wallach.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates - 1979

The Pirates uniforms in 1979 - people either loved them or hated them. I loved them. The self-proclaimed "We Are Family" team, lead by slugger Willie Stargell, wore these uniforms all the way to win the World Series that year. What made these uniforms so different immediately upon seeing them were their caps. A "pill-box" cap, which the Pirates officially introduced as an ode to the National League's Centennial in 1976. The cap was first designed with a mustard yellow base, with black stripes. They wore this hat for a couple of years, and then changed it to a black base, with mustard yellow stripes - a reversal of colors. The Pirates wore five different uniform combinations in '79 - changing between a yellow pinstriped uniform, black pants, yellow pants, black jerseys, and yellow jerseys. My favorite was the pullover yellow jersey, trimmed with black, white, and yellow stripes worn with black pants accented with two yellow stripes going down the leg. Some of the standout players from that team were Stargell, Dave Parker, and Kent Tekulve.

3. Miami Marlins - 2012

As part of a franchise overhaul in 2012, the Florida Marlins became the "Miami" Marlins. They got a new stadium, new players, a new manager, new uniforms and a new logo. The Marlins went on a shopping spree for a manager and free-agent players - all which ended up having disastrous results. The one positive to come of all the change was their new uniforms. The new cap logo was an oversized, white "M" that was outlined in teal-blue, orange and yellow, all traced in a flashy, metallic silver. On the upper-crest of the first peak on the "M" was a profile of a marlin. The main jersey colors of the uniforms were black and gray, but I really liked their alternate orange jersey. Some of the players that came and went in that same year were Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, Carlos Zambrano - along with manager Ozzie Guillen.

4. Houston Astros 1975-86

The famous Astros jerseys know as the "Tequila Sunrise" or "Rainbow Guts" were another uniform people either loved or hated. Like the Pirates "pill-box" caps, these Astro jerseys were a design that has never been duplicated in the majors to this day. The "rainbow" was made up of an orange / red / yellow spectrum that ran all the way to the chest of the pullover jersey, where the navy blue "Astros" logo was displayed over a white background. Inside the spectrum, a navy blue star was displayed. The uniform pants had a smaller version of the spectrum running down each pant leg. The team first started wearing the jersey at home and on the road, but it became their home-only jersey in 1980. Another aspect of the uniform that I thought was very original was that the players numbers were displayed on the upper-right leg of the uniform pants. J.R. Richard, Jose Cruz, Joe Neikro, and Nolan Ryan were some of the stand-out players from this era.

5. Milwaukee Brewers - 1982 (Road)

As posted in an earlier blog, this Milwaukee Brewers team stands along with my favorite MLB teams of all-time. The bright, powder blue jersey immediately takes me back to when I fell in love with the game of baseball. "Milwaukee" was scripted in cursive across the chest of the pullover jersey. The sleeves of the  jersey were trimmed in royal blue-yellow-royal blue stripes. The team caps were royal blue with a yellow front panel, embroidered with the famous "Mb" baseball glove logo. Some of the best players from the Milwaukee Brewers greatest team were Robin Yount, Gorman Thomas, Paul Molitor, and Rollie Fingers.

6. Tampa Bay Rays - Turn Back The Clock

In 2012, the Rays introduced a throwback uniform for a "Turn Back The Clock" game vs. the Detroit Tigers (who wore the 1979 version of their road uniforms). The Rays uniforms were immediately dubbed as being "Faux-Back" because the franchise was not around in '79 - they started in 1998, as the Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays. The uniform was almost a exact duplicate style of the 1978 San Diego Padres road uniforms, and just used the Rays colors of navy blue and sky blue instead of the Padres brown and yellow. In the circular part of the "a" in the Rays logo across the chest was a cut-out of a lemon - an ode to the Citrus State. Players' numbers and last names were displayed in bright yellow. The Rays cap was a tri-panel design, with a lower-case "tb" logo embroided on the front. Like the jersey, a cut-out of a lemon was placed in the circular part of the "b" on the cap. This uniform was an instant classic for me, and I thought it was very original for a team to "Turn Back The Clock" to year in which it never existed. This uniform is now listed as an official "alternate" uniform for the Rays.

7. Baltimore Orioles - 1966-1989

The caps that the Orioles wore with this era's team uniforms made the O's a childhood favorite team of mine. The uniforms varied in styles through these years, but the colors remained the same - orange, black, and white. The cap was tri-colored, with a black back, orange brim, and a white front - embroidered with the famous "cartoon" bird. The bird was a caricature of an oriole bird, bearing a wide smile and a Orioles cap. I always found it comical whenever long-time Orioles manager Earl Weaver, who was famous for being short-tempered, would argue and scream at umpires while wearing a cap with a smiling bird on it. The Orioles brought back a more stylized version of the cartoon bird in 2012. Some of the Orioles who I identify with this era are Weaver, Eddie Murray, and Cal  Ripken Jr.

8. Seattle Mariners 1977-85

Although I can name less than a handful of Mariners players from this era, this uniform and cap has always remained one of my favorites. The cap logo started as an aggressive looking 3-pronged spear (later which I learned was called a "trident") fashioned in the way of the letter "M". In 1980, Seattle was the host of the All-Star game, and the team celebrated the occasion by adding a star behind a newer version of the "M" trident. The Mariners wore this star logo on their caps until 1986. My favorite Seattle uniform from this era was their road uniform. Powder blue pullover jerseys, with powder blue pants. The jerseys and pants had thick royal blue and bright yellow stripes running down the shoulders and pant legs. Across the chest was "Seattle" in navy blue, outlined in yellow.

9. New York Mets (1982-86 Alternate)

To me, there isn't anything eye-catching about these uniforms. I do think that this is one of the rare times a team "made" the uniforms, though. The royal blue, pullover jerseys trimmed with an orange-white-orange stripe combination were a nice break from the tradtional Mets uniforms. "Mets" was scripted across the jersey in white, trimmed in orange. These batting practice / road alternate jerseys were usually worn with white pants, pinstriped in royal blue. The cap logo was still the traditional Mets "NY". Some of the "Amazing" Mets from this era were Lenny Dykstra, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Keith Hernandez.

10. Philadelphia Phillies (1983)

No list of favorite uniforms would be complete without pinstripes. My favorite pinstriped uniforms are not the famous New York Yankees though. The 1983 Phillies wore white uniforms covered in maroon pinstripes, with maroon stripes down the shoulders and pantlegs. The jersey had the Phillies logo on the left chest, and the player number on the right chest. The jersey was not a pullover, or a button-up - it had a zippered front. The Phillies caps were solid maroon with a white "P" logo. The '83 uniform was not the first time the Phillies wore pinstripes or zippered jerseys, but the reason I chose this particular year was that the jersey had a patch commemorating the Phillies 100 years in professional baseball on the sleeve. Players from that year included Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Tug McGraw.

After making this list of my favorite uniforms and caps, I see a couple of different patterns that I seem to like. The most obvious one to me is my love of powder blue uniforms. Several teams switched from the traditional road uniform in gray, to a powder blue road set in the 1970's and '80's. At the height of the powder blue trend, 11 different teams used the color for their road uniforms. This was the era of baseball in which I grew up in, and I recall my youth everytime I see the old powder blue uniforms. The powder blue trend is slowly (hopefully) trying to make a comeback- both the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays have an alternate uniform using the color after a long absence. The other pattern that I like are the ballcaps with the different color panels, brims, and that are white-fronted. The pinwheel and tri-paneled caps add creativeness to each team that wears them. 

Each season, I look forward to any changes teams may make to their uniforms. New logos and uniform colors can give baseball teams new identities, and when the older uniforms and cap designs are retired it creates a another great piece of baseball nostalgia.

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A Tale Of Two Cities (Part 2)

Growing up right outside Detroit, the Tigers were just there for me. What I mean is, the team was a part of every Detroiter's lives for almost a century. The Old English "D" on the team's uniforms and hats never really changed. The team's home field, Tiger Stadium, opened in 1912. The people of Detroit always went into a fresh baseball season with high hopes for the Tigers.

The 1979-83 Tigers' teams struck me as average, with no players battling for batting titles, no home run leaders, or no Cy Young candidates. Under new manager Sparky Anderson - who came to Detroit in 1979 after a very successful tenure for the Cincinnati Reds -  the Tigers finished in fourth-place 3 times, once in fifth-place, and once in second-place. Little did I know at the time what was building in Motown...

The Detroit Tigers came into the 1984 season with the same core group of players as the previous seasons - Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, and Lou Whitaker (who was my favorite Tiger). The Tigers added veterans Darrell Evans and Willie "Guillermo" Hernandez to the team prior to the season's start. The Tigers started the season on a tear, posting a 35-5 record to open the year. All the talk around me at school, at home, and on the news was about how great the Tigers were playing, and how 1984 could be their year to win the World Series. The rallying cry for the season became known as "Bless You Boys". I had never witnessed a town caught up in such baseball fever, and it was exciting. Tigers role players like Chet Lemon, Larry Herndon, Ruppert Jones, and Howard Johnson became household names in Detroit. The Tigers would send 6 players to the All-Star Game. The Tigers breezed through the rest of regular season, never having lost the lead in the AL East division from season's start to end. They entered the playoffs on a roll, and were set to face the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series. The Tigers made short work of the series, sweeping the Royals 3-0, to give the Tigers their first World Series berth since 1968. The Tigers opponents in the World Series would be the San Diego Padres. The series would open in San Diego for two games, with next 3 games to be played at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers won Game 1, 3-2, behind a solid complete-game pitching performance from their ace, Jack Morris. The Padres would win Game 2, sending the series back to Detroit tied 1-1. The Tigers won a close Game 3 by the score of 5-2 to take a 2-1 series lead, swinging the momentum in their favor. In Game 4, Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell provided all the offense the Tigers would need by hitting two, 2-run home runs. The Tigers won the game 4-2, giving Jack Morris his second win of the World Series. In Game 5, with the Tigers having a commanding 3-1 series lead, outfielder Kirk Gibson would become a World Series hero. With the Tigers leading by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Gibson came up to bat with two runners on base. Prior to the at bat, San Diego manager Dick Williams paid a visit to the pitchers mound to talk with Padres reliever Goose Gossage, possibly wanting to give Gibson (who had already homered earlier in the game) an intentional walk. Gossage persuaded his manager to let him pitch to Gibson. Gibson responded by hitting a three-run home run deep into the upper deck seats of Tiger Stadium, putting the Tigers ahead 8-4 and sending the crowd into a frenzy. I'll never forget watching that home run with my family on our console television. Willie Hernandez closed out the ninth inning, and the Tigers were World Series Champions. The people of Detroit erupted in celebration in the way only Detroiters would do - by rioting, burning police cars and taxis - several photos from these ugly events printed in national newspapers. I was in disbelief. In the ensuing weeks, Tigers World Series Champion memoriblia surfaced everywhere I looked - Coca-Cola cans with each individual player from the team, McDonalds placemats with players' images, newspaper inserts, posters in baseball card shops, etc. The "Roar of '84" definitely created a baseball culture in Detroit, and I couldn't have been happier to be in the middle of it.

The 1985 and 1986 MLB baseball seasons would see the Tigers (and their fans) come back down to earth by finishing in third-place both seasons. By 1987, with the aged core group of the '84 World Series team still intact, they faced even lower expecations. They started the season 11-19. The Tigers soon would turn things around though, and ended up finding themselves in a pennant race with the Toronto Blue Jays come late September. The Tigers entered the last regular season series against the Blue Jays, behind in the standings by one game - with three games to play at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers wound up sweeping the series from the Jays, capped by a 1-0 division clinching win. I remember watching this game, and up until that point, have never watched a more exciting baseball game. Frank Tanana piched a complete-game shutout for the Tigers, and I still have the image of that last out in my head. I think it was more special to me because all season long the Tigers were playing from behind, and were not the favorites like in '84. The Tigers ended up having the best record in baseball, and once again were playoff bound. The Tigers entered the American League Championship Series as clear favorites over the Minnesota Twins. But, the Twins caught lightening in a bottle once the playoffs started, and ended up winning the series 4-1, on their way to winning the World Series. This would be the Tigers last playoff appearance until 2006. 

The next couple of seasons for the Tigers passed without much excitement. Kirk Gibson left the Tigers for the Los Angeles Dodgers only to become a World Series hero again, by hitting another dramatic home-run. Trammell, Whitaker, and Morris were still with the Tigers, as well as the now-beloved manager Sparky Anderson.

Excitement would return to the Tigers in 1990 however, courtesy of Cecil Fielder. Fielder caught the Tigers attention by hitting 38 homeruns the prior season in a Japanese league, and they signed him as a free agent prior to the 1990 season. Fielder responded by belting 51 homeruns and driving in 132 runs for the Tigers. He hit his 50th, and 51st home run on the last day of the season. Fielder's 51 home runs were the highest single season total in the American League since Roger Maris' record (at the time) of 61 in 1961. Cecil hit mammoth home runs, and became the first Tiger player ever to hit a homerun over the left field roof. Fielder would continue to be the showcase of attention in Detroit for the next several seasons, as the Tigers best finish during Fielder's tenure with the team was a second-place finish in 1991. Before Fielder, no Tiger had ever hit 25 home runs in 6 consecutive seasons, and he finished his Tiger career with 219 home runs. The Tigers traded Fielder to the New York Yankees at the July trade deadline of the 1996 season.

With Fielder gone, few bright spots remained for the Tigers. Sparky Anderson and Lou Whitaker would retire from the game after the 1995 season. Alan Trammell would retire a year later, and was the last of the "Bless You Boys" players to play in a Tiger uniform.

During the Fielder years though, the Tigers did do something I hadn't seen yet by them - they tweaked their cap logo. The home cap remained intact, the traditional navy blue hat embroidered with the Old English "D". In 1994 though, they unveiled a new cap logo to wear with the gray road uniforms. The new road cap still featured an Old English "D", but added a tiger crawling through the much larger logo. The navy blue hat also had an orange bill. I've always liked when teams change their logos and uniforms, and thought it was cool that the Tigers finally made a change to their traditional uniforms. They wore the new road caps until 2005, when the Tigers switched back to the traditonal all-navy cap with the orange "D". 

I moved to Texas in 1998, at a time when the Tigers future was very much in question. It was almost like Sparky Anderson seen the writing on the wall when he retired. The next several years would see the Tigers trying to fill Anderson's managerial shoes with a handful of ex-major league players - Buddy Bell, Larry Parrish, Phil Garner, and hometown favorite Alan Trammell. The Tigers also moved into a new stadium to begin the 2000 season, Comerica Park, ending the historic run for Tiger Stadium. Perhaps to bring excitement to go along with the opening of the new stadium, the Tigers made a bold move when they made a blockbuster trade with Texas Rangers for superstar slugger, Juan Gonzalez. Upon the completion of the trade (which cost the Tigers 6 prospects) the Tigers offered Gonzalez an 8 year, $140 million contract extension - which the 2-time MVP spurned. Gonzalez struggled mightly with the Tigers, often dealing with injuries and complaining that the home run fences at Comerica Park were too far. Gonzalez only lasted one season in Detroit, playing in a total of 115 games, and the trade was considered a bust for the Tigers.

After settling in Texas, I found it was hard to follow the Tigers and what they were accomplishing on the field. This is when I started following the Houston Astros, and I adopted them as my new hometown team. I heard most of my news about the Tigers from my Dad, talking to him on telephone several times a week. During the 1998-2004 MLB seasons, the Tigers would finish in no better than third-place. The Tigers lost over 90 games 3 times, and over 100 games twice - topped by a 119 loss season in 2003 under manager Alan Trammell. I felt bad for Trammell, and felt his legacy in Detroit would be tarnished from this disastrous season. Trammell would go on to manage 2 more seasons with Detroit, both 90-loss seasons.

In 2004, the Tigers signed All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a multi-million dollar deal, a move (at the time) I questioned. I wondered if the Rodriguez signing was going to turn out like the disastrous Gonzalez deal. In 2005, the Tigers went out and signed another high-profile free-agent in Magglio Ordonez. I took notice to the moves the Tigers were making, and saw that the team was trying to restore itself to a respectable ball club.

The Tigers entered the 2006 season with MLB veteran Jim Leyland as their manager. The Ordonez and Rodriguez deals were working out nicely and the Tigers were starting to rebuild. They signed veteran starting pitcher Kenny Rogers before the season. As the 2006 season was unfolding, my hometown Astros seemed to me like they were still reeling from being swept in the World Series. My rooting interests for the Astors started to waiver. During the 2006 season, I started to hear about up and coming young pitchers in Detroit - Justin Verlander, Fernando Rodney, and Joel Zumaya - all who could top 100-mph on the radar gun. I was lucky enough, by chance, to sit down to watch a nationally televised, thursday daytime game broadcast on ESPN in July - right after the all-star break. The game was at a sold-out Comerica Park, against defending World Series champions and divisional rivals - the Chicago White Sox. It was the first time that I got to watch these new-look Tigers. The ballgame was tight contest, tied 1-1 after 6 innings. Tigers relief pitcher Joel Zumaya came into to pitch the seventh inning, the first time I got to see one of the young, fire-baller pitchers the Tigers had. He ripped through the White Sox hitters, only surrendering one hit in the 14 pitch inning. The Tigers manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Zumaya came back out to pitch the eighth inning, against the heart of the White Sox batting order. He got slugger Jim Thome to groundout, and then walked Paul Konerko, to put the tying run on base. Zumaya then struckout Jermaine Dye on three pitches, with the fastball on full display. With a runner on first base and two outs in the inning, Joe Crede stepped into face Zumaya. I stood up watching the at-bat in my living room, totally enthralled in the moment. Zumaya struck out Crede with four pitches, and after the swinging third strike, Zumaya erupted with emotion and the crowd at Comerica Park went crazy. Tigers reliever Todd Jones closed out the ninth inning, and the Tigers won the game. I will never forget this game. The emotion that I felt, the way Zumaya fiercely celebrated when he struck out Crede, and the way the fans went crazy at the ballpark, reminded me of the '87 and '84 Tigers seasons. This is when I knew that I was a Detroit Tigers fan for life.

 The Tigers surprised the baseball world in 2006, by making it to the playoffs only three years removed from the 119 loss season. It was their first season with a winning record since 1993 - baseball was back in Detroit. They ended up appearing in the team's first World Series since 1984, after beating the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Round and Oakland Athletics in the American Leaugue Championship Series of the playoffs. The Tigers faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The young Tiger pitching staff struggled in the World Series, and the Tigers lost the series 4-1. I watched the entire playoffs, and was not even stung by the loss in the World Series. I was just happy that the Tigers were back as a contending team, and finally had a new identity away from the '80's teams.

Since the 2006 season, the Tigers have continued to have success. Justin Verlander has turned into an elite starting pitcher, and won the Cy Young and MVP award in 2011. The Tigers acquired slugger Miguel Cabrera in 2008, and he continues to amaze the baseball world with his abilities. Cabrera won the Triple Crown and MVP award in 2012 - the first player to do so since 1967, and shows no signs of slowing down. The Tigers also signed the powerful home run hitter Prince Fielder (son of former Tigers slugger Cecil) to a multi-year deal in 2012. The Tigers played in the World Series again in 2012, but were swept in four games by the San Francisco Giants. This series loss hurt me a little bit more, because I always remember how short of a window there is for success in Major League Baseball.

The Tigers have always been a part of my life, but it took me awhile to appreciate the team as much as I do now. Thanks to satellite tv, I am able to watch every Tiger game that is played, and even get to listen to the hometown announcers and see commercials that are aired in Detroit. Watching the Tigers games now, take me home sometimes - for 3 hour stretches at a time. I love living in Texas, but my baseball team will always be the Detroit Tigers.

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A Tale Of Two Cities (Part 1)

I have lived in two cities in my life. Fortunately for me, both cities are in Major League Baseball (MLB) markets. My hometown and birthplace, Detroit, Michigan - home of the Tigers, and Beaumont, Texas- about an hour's drive away from Houston, home of the Astros.

I moved to Texas in 1998 to start a family, and to start my "adult" life. I refer to my 1990's as a lull period in my baseball fandom. In my growing years of the 1980's, baseball was my lifestyle - but as I grew into my adolescent years, the game took a backseat to the other things I was driving towards in life. I did, however,  always pay attention to baseball news, major trades, and how the Detroit Tigers were doing.

When I moved to Texas, it was a new beginning for me- of sorts. The change of lifestyle took some getting used to, and when it came to baseball, it was completely different. MLB baseball in Texas plays a definite second fiddle to NFL football. Any news about baseball was about the Astros, and there was definitely no news about the Detroit Tigers.

So, I decided to give the Astros a look. Memories of the Astros from when I was a kid were vague. I remembered the awesome, orange rainbow-spectrum uniforms. I knew they had very little success in their franchise history. Some of the players that I remembered were J.R. Richard, Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott and Jose Cruz. I knew that they played their home games in the Astrodome.

 The 1998 Houston Astros had some players that I knew of, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Derek Bell (known as the Killer B's), Moises Alou, along with pitchers Mike Hampton, Billy Wagner, and the eccentric Jose Lima. They were managed by Larry Dierker, a former pitcher for the Astros. They were a good baseball team, having finished in first-place the previous year. I jumped right on the bandwagon, thinking it was awesome to inherit a first-place team as my new "home"town team. I followed along from mid-season on. The 1998 MLB baseball season was a great year to get back into the game. Baseball fans everywhere were a buzz watching the record setting homerun chase between the St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa. Baseball was creeping back into prime-time television, show casing these sluggers at-bats nightly. And while McGwire and Sosa kept one-upping each other every night, the Astros just kept winning. The Astros acquired pitcher Randy "The Big Unit" Johnson on the last day of the MLB trade deadline, and his 10-1 record after the trade kept the team atop their division and led them into the playoffs.

I was working at a rail-car yard (my first job in Texas), and was able to listen to Game 1 at work on the radio, the Astros vs. San Diego Padres - with the dominant Randy Johnson as starting pitcher. The daytime game was a tight-fought contest, with the Padres winning 2-1, and Johnson taking the loss. The outcome of Game 1 set the tone for the rest of the brief, best-of-five series- tight games in which the Astros offense struggled. The Astros lost the series in four games, and their season was over.

 The 1999 season marked the last year the team was to play their home games at the Astrodome. I took it upon myself to take in a game at the famed Astrodome, and did so that season. It was a new experience for me to watch a game at my new hometown team's field, and was lucky enough to share the game with my newborn son (who was just 6 months old) and my wife. The Astrodome itself was a tough place to watch a game - it seemed dark inside, eerily quiet, and seemed like all the seats were set way back off of the field - a very distant setting for a baseball game. I was glad they were getting a new stadium. The 1999 Astros' season was pretty much like the previous one - 1st place finish, then promptly losing in the divisional series round of the playoffs. They did not resign Randy Johnson, and the '98 trade for him struck me as a "hired gun" acquisition only for that years playoffs - kind of odd, if you ask me, he was just approaching the prime years of his future Hall-Of-Fame career. The season did mark the debut of future Astros' All-Star, Lance Berkman.

The next couple Astros' seasons (2000-2003) were mildly successful. The Astros moved into their new ballpark, Enron Field - later to be re-named Minute Maid Park, after Enron's disgraceful business failures. The familiar players (Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, Wagner) remained with the Astros, who finished the next 3 seasons without ever advancing past the first round of the playoffs. Manager Larry Dierker was replaced by Jimy Williams after the 2001 season.

The 2004 Astros' season was very intriguing from the start. The MLB All-Star Game was to be held in Houston, providing the chance for the Astros to showcase their new ballpark for fans of the Mid-Summer Classic. Prior to the season's start, the Astros aggressively acquired future Hall-Of-Fame (at the time, at least) pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, both coming off very successful stints with the New York Yankees. One move that I questioned though, was the trading of star closing pitcher Billy Wagner (one of my favorite Astros) to the Phillies, a move that would haunt the Astros in years to come. The Astros did however acquire star-player Carlos Beltran via trade in June. Manager Jimy Williams, after the team's mediocre record of 44-44, was replaced by former Astro player, Phil Garner (who, ironic to me, had been relieved of his managerial duties with the Detroit Tigers, after two very unsuccessful seasons). Garner led the team to a 92-70, 2nd place finish that was good enough to win the coveted "Wild-Card" spot in the National League postseason.

The 2004 Astros playoffs were some of the most exciting baseball games I have ever watched. The Astros finally made it past the Divisional round, after beating the Atlanta Braves in a best of five series, 3-2. Carlos Beltran was simply amazing in this series, and I could not recall another position-player that dominated baseball games the way he did. Beltran's speed, power, batting average, fielding and strong throwing arm were on full display - the first time I seen a true five-tool player. Next up for the Astros was the League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. This series played out to be another riveting one, with neither team being able to win a game on the road. Unfortunately for the Astros, the Cards had home-field advantage. This scenario played out until the end of the seven game series, with the Cardinals winning Game 7 at home against the Astros ace starting pitcher, Roger Clemens. Beltran had another unbelievable series, convincing me that the Astros had found their star player that could lead the Astros for years to come.

Despite Carlos Beltran's stellar performance for the Astros in 2004, the team was not able to sign the free-agent and lost a bidding war for him to the New York Mets. The offers from the two ball clubs were very close financially, the only difference between the offers were that the Mets offered Beltran a "no-trade" clause - something the Astros were unwilling to do- despite Beltran professing his love for the city of Houston. This completely baffled me, and could not blame Beltran for wanting the stability of a team through the good and the bad.

Entering the 2005 Astros season, I was skeptical that Astros could make that final step into the World Series. Clemens and Pettitte stayed with the team, pitcher Roy Oswalt had emerged as a star, and the cornerstones of the franchise, Biggio and Bagwell were still there. After a sluggish 15-30 start, the Astros were able to turn things around and ended the season in 2nd place, again earning the wild-card spot in the National League postseason. They finished the season strong and went into the playoffs like a team on a mission. The Astros breezed through the Divisional round, defeating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in a best of five series (including an 18 inning game). In the League Championship Series, the Astros once again found themselves facing the St. Louis Cardinals in a best of seven games. The Astros played good, winning one of the first two games on the road. The road win put them in a situation to closeout the series at home. Late in Game 5, with the chance to clinch the series, the Astros turned to their new closing pitcher, Brad Lidge. Lidge was one strike away from putting the Astros in the World Series, when the Cardinals were able to put runners on a 1st and 2nd for the intimidating Albert Pujols. Pujols hit a dramatic, towering 3-run home run (one of the hardest hit home runs I've ever seen) and the Cardinals ended up winning the game 5-4, sending the series back to St. Louis. The Astros were able to win again on the road in Game 6, and won the series 4-2, giving the franchise it's first-ever World Series berth.

The Astros would open the World Series against opponent Chicago White Sox on the road. They lost the first two games, with the White Sox beating Astros pitchers, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte - both who had enjoyed prior World Series success. Game 2 was lost on a walk-off home run given up by Brad Lidge - whose confidence seemed clearly shaken after the Pujols monster home run in the previous series. Game 3 was a 14-inning affair with White Sox emerging from the marathon game as the winner, and the White Sox clearly emerged with almost all the momentum of the Series in their favor. Game 4 was a pitchers duel, with the White Sox being the only team to put a run on the scoreboard- manufacturing a run off of the now-embattled closer Lidge. And that was that, the Astros first World Series was a disaster - swept in four games.

After the 2005 season, I started to think that the Astros franchise was snake bit - full of bad luck and bad decisions. In my brief tenure as a regular fan, I watched as the team lost twice in the first round of the playoffs, got swept in the World Series, and let two star players (Randy Johnson and Carlos Beltran) leave the team in the prime years of their careers. I felt bad that Bagwell and Biggio never would again have a chance to play in the World Series. In the following years, the Astros owner and upper management would turn the franchise slowly back into the obscure team that they used to be.

Over the years, I've went to several games at Minute Maid Park and still continue to do so. The experience at the Astros ball park is always first-class, and have been to several games with my Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, and Wife. Interleague play allowed me to see my "other" hometown team, the Tigers, whenever they would come to Houston. My family has based entire weekends in Houston to go to ball games, whenever a star player or an intriguing team comes to town. In 2013, the Astros switched to the American League - thus now guaranteeing me that the Tigers will come to Houston at least once a season. Watching the Tigers whenever they came to town sparked an emotion that showed me the difference between an "adopted" hometown team and my "real" hometown team, however...

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Paper Heroes

As a kid growing up in the '80's, collecting and trading baseball cards was one of my main hobbies. Looking back, baseball cards just seemed so much more meaningful back then. There was no internet, no cellphones, and baseball on television was limited. For me, baseball cards were an extension of the players names and statistics that I read in the box scores of the newspaper- and usually with a great photo of the player to go along with it. 

Baseball cards were easily accessible and were sold at most gas stations and convenience stores in my neighborhood. There were also specialized "card" shops, many of which were tied in with book stores and comic book shops- and even coin-dealers. A few times a year, there were baseball card "shows" that were held at area shopping malls and flea markets. At card shows, private collectors and retail sellers of sporting cards set up shop and displayed their collections - most for sale, some for trade. At card shows, I was in baseball heaven. 

Many of my friends also collected and traded baseball cards. Every year we anticipated the release of the freshly designed cards. There were a couple of different brands of baseball cards, including Fleer and Donruss, but the Topps brand was the king. Every year (starting in 1984), my Dad bought the complete set of Topps cards...792 cards in each set. These sets of cards, were not bought from a huge retail chain store, but were purchased from card shops whose owners or employees opened hundreds of packs of the newly released cards and organized the sets by hand. My brother and I were excited every time my Dad brought the new season's card set home. I would go through the whole set, checking card numbers, memorizing players statistics and personal information, and looking at the great pictures. I was usually in awe of the baseball players depicted on the cards - grizzled veterans like George Brett, Cal Ripken Jr., and Rickey Henderson and young phenoms like Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Darryl Strawberry. Also each year, new players showed up on their  own, coveted "Rookie" cards. The out-of-market players made baseball more interesting to me, and added to the norm of my hometown Detroit Tigers in games and on local news.

Besides the sets, I also had my own collection of cards. Players I idolized and respected were the only ones allowed into my own, personal collection. Players like Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Lenny Dykstra and Kirby Puckett (who became my favorite player of that era and will blog about later). I paid extra attention to the ball players I collected, seeking out their rookie cards, All-Star cards, highlight cards, insert cards, and off-brand cards- all which were kept in the plastic sleeved pages of my 3-ring binder. That binder became an extension of me, accompanying me to all the shops and shows I would visit. The player cards I acquired  from buying packs of baseball cards that did not make it into my collection were kept in an old shoebox- named the "Hack Box"- available for trading, or just to hang on to if a player caught my eye down the road.

I collected baseball cards and went to card shows very seriously for about 6 or 7 years. Sometime around 1990-91, I stopped collecting and started selling my collection. My Dad also stopped bringing the Topps sets home, by then my brother and I were moving on. All the time it took to acquire the cards seemed like nothing to me. I sold-out my childhood heroes for money that could supplement my part-time job's paycheck. I needed the money to fund my high school lifestyle and to put gas in my tank. The "value" of a card (deemed so by a monthly price guide) and what a card shop dealer would actually pay me for a card was disheartening, but I didn't care. I sold any cards that dealers would buy, only hanging to the complete sets and my Kirby Puckett collection - which by that time was kept in it's own binder and was made up of over 400 different cards.

I actually do not regret selling most of my baseball cards, and have no idea what happened to my Kirby Puckett binder- lost, maybe, in a move from Michigan to Texas. I have always paid attention to MLB baseball, and after the Yankees' David Wells threw his perfect game against the Twins in 1998, I thought to myself  "He would be a great player to collect baseball cards of"...so, I did. Living in Texas now, I thought about how to go about getting some baseball cards. Gone were the card shops and shows. The only baseball cards I could find were at the local Target. So I turned to eBay- I was blown away when I seen how much the hobby had changed! There were several different card companies now, and each produced numerous series of cards. I was able to find a "lot" of 100 different David Wells cards and bought them relatively cheap. When the cards arrived, I was intrigued by the card quality, and the photography- they were much nicer than the cardboard baseball cards of my youth that smelled like the cheap stick of bubble-gum included in the packs. However, something struck me wrong- the cards were just to easy to get! It used to be fun, going to baseball card shops and shows and searching for cards of my favorite baseball players. 

Purchasing baseball cards online didn't get me back into card collecting right away. When buying cards online through eBay and several other baseball card web sites, all I would have to do was find the card I wanted (usually very easy), click "here" to buy and they would show up in my mailbox from all across the country. It all seemed very saturated and null of any excitement. Also, I never could key in on a player like I did with Kirby Puckett. 

Then I had an idea- start another card collection just of my favorite team, the Detroit Tigers. Collect every Topps Tigers Team Set from my birth year (1974), until present. I turned mostly to eBay and a couple of other card websites. I started my collection with the most memorable Tigers team from my youth- 1984, the last time they won the World Series. From there, I just filled in the rest of the years past, up unto the present. Now each year, I have something to look forward to again- the release of the new Topps Tigers cards.

I find it enjoyable that I continue to do something that I loved so much as a kid. I still have the Hack Box up in my attic (couldn't find a baseball card dealer who was interested in buying those) and once again have a 3-ring binder full of some of my favorite "Paper Heroes".

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The newer 3-ring binder:

When I knew...the '82 Brew Crew!

This may catch you off guard, being  a life-long Detroit Tigers fan...but the first team I fell in love with was the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. What you say? Yep, 1982...I was 7 years old.

The "Brew Crew", aka "Harvey's Wallbangers". The roster comes natural to me: Future Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, Stormin' Gorman Thomas, Cecil Cooper, Ted Simmons, Ben Oglivie, Jim Gantner and others. A pitching staff made up of guys like Pete Vukovich, Moose Haas (what a great baseball name), Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton- all names I'll forever remember. This group was led by a gritty manager named Harvey Kuenn, whose tobacco wad in his cheek looked like he was chewing ON a baseball. The voice of the team was none other than the hilarious Bob Uecker. I think what struck me most about this team was everything BUT the games they played. The characters and their appearance- Those powder blue uniforms trimmed in bright yellow, the "MB" mitt logo on their hats, the beards, mustaches, long hair, eye-black, high stirrups, and odd batting stances. It was the first time I paid any attention to any of that stuff.

1982 was just like any other baseball season I remember, but towards the latter-half of the season, I started to hear more and more about the Brewers. The baseball season is a grueling 162 games, with many highs and lows, but my favorite part is in August and September when you find out what team is the "IT" team- and that year, for me, it was the Brewers.

Then came October 1982, the MLB postseason. Luckily, baseball was always on tv in my house. These were the days before there were 25 different ESPN channels, and an entire network dedicated to MLB. The MLB playoffs were prime-time television. Playoff baseball put popular network shows on hold, and made local news broadcasts even start behind schedule. Damn, I thought, these are important games! 

Milwaukee Brewers vs. California Angels, 1982 American League Championship Series, 5 games to decide who represents the A.L. in the coveted World Series. The series was a great one, marked by a dramatic comeback by the Brewers, who lost the first two games of the series and were trailing late in the final game. I knew in my heart the Brewers would win the series. By that time, I also knew this team was special to me. This series also made me more familiar with some well known names from the Angels team: Fred Lynn, Tommy John, Bob Boone, Rod Carew, Don Baylor, and former Yankee great Reggie Jackson. The Brewers won the 5 game series 3-2 and were off to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1982 World Series. The Fall Classic. This World Series was aptly named the "Suds Series", because of each home teams association with the beer industry-Milwaukee/Miller Brewing and St. Louis/Anheuser-Busch. Two teams with very contrasting styles of play also. The Brew Crew, who hit for power, contact, and scored alot of runs. The Redbirds, managed by MLB legend Whitey Herzog and featuring the likes of Ozzie Smith, Lonnie Smith, Willie McGee, Kieth Hernandez, and closer Bruce Sutter were a speedy, scratchy team that played great defense. The games themselves were awesome. The series went back-and-forth like a heavyweight fight. With each game, I drew closer to the Brewers- wanting them to win! The players who were supposed to hit home runs, steal bases, make great defensive plays and get hits- did. Baseball the way it should be played, managed, umpired, and broadcasted. In the end, the Brewers came up short- losing on the road in an excellent Game 7.

The Brewers losing did not disappoint me at all. For the first time, I felt what it was like to identify and pull for a team. I had learned how great the game of baseball is, and how entertaining a World Series can be.

As I got older, I idolized different MLB players, rooted for different teams, and aligned myself with my hometown team through thick-and-thin. To me though, whenever I think of when I became a fan of MLB and my favorite World Series, the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers immediately come to mind.

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Play Ball!

Hello, first of all, if your reading this-thanks! I wanted to start this blog to hopefully entertain myself and others with some of my great memories from the game of baseball of years past, but also to give views / thoughts on the game of baseball as a whole. 

To me it's the greatest game in the world. It's raw and pure- it can be played on any grass field, a big parking lot (don't slide!), indoors or outdoors. The needs of the game are also simple- bat, ball, bases, and a glove.

Ever since I was a kid, I was always around baseball. Bat-Boy, Playing baseball, watching baseball, collecting baseball cards, reading scores and stats in newspapers, and listening to my Dad tell stories of old Detroit Tiger players. I've stayed a fan of the game throughout the years (although sometimes straying to pursue adolescent conquests), and still think that MLB baseball is truly America's pastime.

I also think it is truly awesome that my family embraces the game almost as much as I do. We attend baseball games together, watch games on tv together, and talk about baseball all the time. I feel very proud of my son who is an also avid fan of baseball, at a time when media attention is clearly steered to other sports.

Anyways, that is all for now. Thank you for checking me out, and I look forward into diving into my own mind of baseball!

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