You kids out there, in case you didn't know...

...this is what a baseball season is supposed to be like. Scintillating, ain't it?

Clutch base hits. Nail biting at bats. Every pitch meaning something. Role players coming through. Second guessing strategy. Watching the out of town scores. Obsessively reading over the standings. Constantly checking the latest rumors to see who may be available at the trading deadline. It's something we haven't seen in close to 2 decades.


For those of you too young to remember a true contending baseball team the D (It's been since 1988), I have one thing to tell you. This is nothing. It's only June. We're only scratching the surface. If the Tigers stay the course, and it's looking more and more as if they will, it's going to get even more thrilling. More than you would ever realize.

You think this last weekend, with the sweep of the Cards and the last inning heroics, was exciting? It damn sure was. But just wait till the Tigers are playing games like those in August and September, neck and neck with the Sox for the division lead, let alone factoring in the wild card race. It'll be life and death. Stomach ulcers will form. Mood swings will become commonplace. Detroit will come to a stop on game nights.

The regular seasons of basketball and hockey mean next to nothing. Teams take games off regularly, especially after those 4 games in 6 nights road trips. Football is a whole different animal, as there are so few games, but since every team will go 8-8, what's the difference? Anyway, those 3 sports are all about the playoffs. That's when things ratchet up a notch.

But none of the big time sports have regular seasons that can compare to baseball. Teams can't slack off, as they do in basketball and hockey. When your team is in the hunt, the pennant race will ratchet up a notch in August, then again in September. There is nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, more all consuming than a baseball pennant race.

Spetember baseball + Playoff spot at stake - Lions angst = Fan nirvana.

As someone who has lived thru a pennant race or three, I'm warning you young'uns now. Get your affairs in order. Let the significant know that you will be immcomunicado. You won't be coming up for air till the 1st week of October.