Comparing Detroit Tigers playoff teams

The 2012 Detroit Tigers will play in the post season. In my lifetime as a Detroit Tigers fan this is the fifth time (not counting the one game playoff in 2009) that the Tigers have made the post season. Every team is different, but every team also fails in comparison to that special team that was the 1984 Tigers. I have no idea how many games they could have won, but they stepped off the gas halfway through. The 1987 team was probably my favorite as my boyhood hero, Alan Trammell, was the anchor in the lineup of that team.

Oct 1, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder (28) celebrates in the locker room against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Detroit won the game 6-3 to win the central division. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Of the three recent Detroit Teams to make the post season the 2012 version doesn’t feel as dominate as the 2011 team. Of course they don’t feel as lucky as the 2006 version either. What the post season will bring we still do not know. However, this team could be very dangerous in the past season. Given the fact that Luis Marte is getting the start in game 162 tonight we see Jim Leyland is getting his post season arms not only rested buy in the order he wants.

Given the up and down nature of 2012 I do not have a lot of confidence in how far this team can go. In 2006 we all felt lucky just to be there after so long. In 1987 I felt a lot more confident than I had any right to be (blind devotion to your team is great in our youth), and last year I felt that the Texas Rangers were going to be the toughest test. I guess I still think that. For this team to prove to everyone that they are legit contenders they have to go knock off the Texas Rangers in the post season.

The 1984 Tigers were in a class of their own, by 1987 the Minnesota Twins had taken over theALand the Tigers had to fight the Toronto Blue Jays to the final game of the regular season to even make the playoffs. Now the Rangers of Texas are the enemy. Sure the Tigers will once again (just like in 2006, and 2011) face the New York Yankees (most likely) in the first round. We cannot look past that, but ifLeylandwants another year beating the Rangers has to be the goal now. That of course means winning the opening round if indeed it ends up being the Yankees as the 2012 Tigers’ first post season opponent.

The good news right now is the 2012 season continues for the Tigers, depending on which Tigers’ team shows up we will adjust that assessment.