The Detroit Tigers of my youth (i.e., most of the 1970s) were a big disappointment. Not just on the field —where the individual heroics of Ron LeFlore, Sweet Lou Whitaker, Rusty Staub, Jason Thompson and (of course) Mark Fidrych did little to stem the overall bleeding — but in the hair department, as well. How was it that a team from the Motor City (home of Rob Tyner's voluminous MC5 Jewfro) couldn't muster a half-decent afro? Fidrych's Harpo-like locks were far and away the most impressive follicular display in those years; but unless you had a thing for Staub's "grande orange", there weren't many 'dos of distinction in the Tiger Stadium dugout.
A few years ago, Dmitri Young (see above) attempted to single-headedly make up for decades of missed natural opportunites. Young was one of the few bright spots on some seriously dire Tigers squads — he whacked 29 homers in 2003, the year Detroit lost 119 games — and I was saddened when "personal problems" led to him being booted from the team during their AL Championship run in 2006. Happily, he regained his stroke with the Nationals last season, hitting a career-high .320 and winning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award. His 'fro is no longer the insane mane of yore, but I'm glad he's at least back on track (and gotten his life back in order).
All of which brings me around to the '08 Tigers, who probably won't win any "Big 'Fro" contests, but who look set to make a serious run for the World Series, thanks to the incredible trade that Tigers president Dave Dombrowski pulled off this past week — getting Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in exchange for six scrubs, a bag of baseballs and a cracked jock cup. Cabrera's value is obviously well-known, but I've always been a big Dontrelle fan as well; I'm hoping that, even if he never returns to his 22-10, 2.63 form of 2005, he'll be a solid part of the Tigers' rotation for years to come.
I'm still worried about the bullpen, though. Todd Jones, though obviously a fan fave and a good "clubhouse chemistry" guy (at least, as long as there aren't any gay players on the team), is anything but a "lights out" closer, Joel Zumaya is gonna be out for most or all of next year, and the rest of the middle relief core was considerably less formidable in '07 than they were in '06. But damn, that starting eight is gonna be killer!
great trade. there are worse ways of making a living than ripping off the marlins. Cabrera and Willis are 25, for crissakes.
I'd of done it for Murton, Pie, Patterson, Gallagher and Mike Royko's everlasting soul.
Posted by: jim saft | December 10, 2007 at 08:05 AM