Motor City madness in D.C.

WASHINGTON — This Major League Baseball playoff season could not be any better, with the Nats and the O’s in the hunt to become World Series champions.

And, of course, the Tigers.

I realize that’s not a widely held belief around here, especially with Detroit taking on Baltimore in the ALDS. But when you’re from Michigan, as I am, it’s hard not to be a lifelong Tiger fan.

Even if you’re rooting for the Orioles, I’d like to think that you won’t be a Tiger hater. The city of Detroit is a perennial underdog — once the fifth – largest city in the country, with a population of nearly 2 million, it’s now closer in size to Washington, D.C., with a population of less than 700,000.

The Motor City has been running on empty for a long time. It’s trying to come out of bankruptcy, and houses there can sell for as little as $5,000. Still, you can’t keep Detroit down, and it remains one of the country’s great sports cities. Fans are fiercely loyal, no matter how well — or poorly — the Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings are doing.

Tiger fans have a long list of stars going back to the late 1960s, when I first followed them as a kid. There was the last 30-game winner, Denny McLain, who went 31-6 in 1968. But the star of the Tigers-Cardinals World Series that year was a different pitcher — a chubby lefty named Mickey Lolich, who won three games, helping the Tigers win it all. He later joked that he was “the redemption of the fat man” who didn’t look much different than the guy watching him on TV from his couch.

They played, along with future stars, at sprawling Tiger Stadium, which opened in 1912, the same year as Fenway Park. I was lucky enough to go to a couple games the final year they played at the old ballpark, in 1999.

One of the team’s biggest stars was right fielder Al Kaline. He was the class of the ball club, and as iconic in Detroit as Cal Ripken Jr. was in Baltimore. Kaline once declined a $100,000 salary after an off year in 1970, saying he wasn’t worth it.

In 1984 the Tigers won their last World Series, over the Padres, after leading their division wire-to-wire. The team included Kirk Gibson (later a famous Dodger) and the great double-play combination of “Sweet Lou” Whitaker and Alan Trammell.

So while the Tigers have been to the World Series since then (lost in five games to the Cardinals 2006 and were swept by the Giants in 2012), they haven’t won a World Series in three decades. Here’s some of the reasons they have a good shot at doing so this time, if they get by the O’s:

Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera — even though this year wasn’t as impressive as his past two MVP seasons, he’s still one of the game’s greatest hitters. Cabrera has now hit 25 home runs and notched 100 RBI 11 seasons in a row. Amazing.
Tiger veteran Victor Martinez, who at age 35, hit .335 — the second- highest average in the American League. He also had 32 home runs.
The Tigers pitching staff, which features three former Cy Young Award winners: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and the recently acquired David Price. All of them can bring the heat. And keep in mind — this rotation could have also included Doug Fister, but he’s now winning big for the Nationals, after coming to Washington from Detroit.
Reliever Joba Chamberlain, who would be played by Zach Galifanakis in a Tiger movie.

The Tigers are a team of sluggers and hard-throwing pitchers. Their team average of .277 led the American League and they were also tops in slugging percentage, as well as on-base plus slugging (OPS). As for the hurlers, Scherzer is now the team’s strikeout king, whiffing 252 batters — nearly 100 more than Verlander, who can still bring it.

And that brings me back to Fister, who went 16-6 for the Nats this season. I was sorry to see him leave Detroit, but excited about his arrival in D.C., since I’m a big Nats fan.

That’s right — I’m a Nats fan and a Tiger fan. A sports violation in the view of many.

But in my defense, I started going to Nats games the moment they set foot on the diamond at RFK, long before the new ballpark and long before they were in a position to get into the playoffs.

So while many are rooting for a Battle of the Beltways, I’m cheering for a Nats-Tigers World Series. And of course, there’s the question of which team I would root for if that happens.

I think I’ll be happy to deal with that tough decision if it’s necessary in October. For now, I’ll just enjoy watching what should be an exciting postseason of baseball.

National League

Our Nationals pastime
WTOP Sports’ Jonathan Warner discusses how the Washington Nationals have all the ingredients to win: pitching, defense, hitting, power and speed.
Another title in the Cards
WTOP Traffic’s Rich Hunter says emerging young talents and experienced players and management will help bring it all together and give the St. Louis Cardinals another world title.
It’s time for Dodger Baseball
WTOP Reporter Andrew Mollenbeck shares how he accidentally fell in love with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Buctober
WTOP Sports’ J. Brooks says the Pittsburgh Pirates have promise and how a with a win in the Wild Card Game, they would give the Nationals a run for their money.
Together, we can be Giant again
WTOP Assistant Editor Joey Kahn looks at how the San Francisco Giants will win in 2014 after World Series victories in 2012 in 2010.

American League

There’s no place like hO’me
WTOP Assistant Editor Samantha Loss, a lifelong Baltimore Orioles fan shares her thoughts on why the team will come out on top.
Baseball Jesus + best bullpen = win
Adrian Spinelli, special to WTOP, states that Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Mike Trout, the offense and the bullpen can help the team.
We’ll always be Royal
WTOP Reporter Megan Cloherty shares why the Kansas City Royals deserve to make it to the World Series.
This is Oakland
WTOP Sports Editor Noah Frank discusses the history of the Oakland A’s and what makes them a team competitors shouldn’t discount.