A Good Run

Circa 2006 through 2013

It was a good run. The Tigers probably should have been in the World Series in 2013, not to mention that they should have won it all in 2012. It all went awry in the World Series in 2012, but at least they were there. It was a good run.

The sudden improvement of the team in 2006 under the tutelage of Jim Leyland changed the face of the franchise. Suddenly, the Tigers were a team to be reckoned with once again. The 2006 renaissance brought the team back to relevance, and despite rough seasons in 2008 and 2010, the Tigers during that several–year run could be counted on to be competitive. Two World Series appearances and regular rotations in the playoffs became the expectation.

We were proud to take the above photo and say, "that's the sun setting on the other team's season." Comerica Park was a fun place to be — and hosted more post season contests that Tiger Stadium did in its long, illustrious history. Tiger Stadium still holds a special spot in so many of our memories. The CoPa became an advantage for the Tigers.

It was a good run.

The run basically ended after the 2013 season. Granted, the team made the playoffs in Brad Ausmus' first season at the helm, but the team was different. Ausmus' first team came out running like crazy and changing the game. Suddenly, on May 1, 2014, the team reverted to its old ways. It was a strange, sudden change. Ausmus never made sense in retrospect.

The Tigers' great run officially ended sometime around April 15, 2017. That's the night I realized that this current crop wasn't going to go anywhere. The team seemed lackluster, uninterested, and ... unbalanced. Now, the information is coming out that Victor Martinez has been a clubhouse problem for at least a year. I'm sure there are other problems in the clubhouse, as well. It didn't look right. Didn't feel right.

It was a good run. It ended too soon.