They're grrrrrrreat!

How can I not make a post title at least once that references Tony the Tiger while talking about the Detroit Tigers? I might as well get away with it this weekend, while nobody's reading.

Speaking of tigers... enjoy this while reading a little bit of nonsense:

There's a month left in the first full major league season I've paid at least moderate attention to in over a decade. I don't talk much about the actual game because I never developed real strong loyalties to a team. When push comes to shove, there are two teams in each league that I root for: the Giants and Braves in the NL, and the A's and the Tigers in the AL. If you know enough of my back story, the Giants, A's, and Braves all should make sense. For those of you who don't know, I grew up and currently reside in the San Francisco bay area, and I lived in Atlanta for nearly 20 years. Where do the Tigers come in? Some of the first games I saw were at Tiger Stadium with my uncle. He's the only male father-like figure in my family who was around enough to have any kind of impression, and he was the one who taught me some of the finer points of going to a game, like batting practice, chatting with the guys in the bullpen, and of course rooting for the home team while enjoying a hot dog and a coke. I remember Tiger Stadium better than Candlestick Park and Oakland Coliseum as a child. Unfortunately, it's the only ballpark I've been in for which I don't have pictures. Wait, strike that - I have no pictures of Candlestick Park on the inside, either, though I have a nice aerial poster of the last baseball game played there, and I've taken some exterior pictures over the past year.

So, the Tigers have a place in my heart, and it's been nice seeing them earn their spot at the top of the AL Central. It's possible for me to have a World Series conundrum for the first time since 1989, if the Tigers face the Braves in the Fall Classic. How cool would that be?

Hey, a guy has to have something to look forward to when his favorite team holds first place for most of the season and then kicks the bucket to go six games under with less than a month left.