Detroit Tigers: Why We Hate Them

How in the world are the Detroit Tigers making their appearance in this series so late?! The Tigers eliminated the A’s in game five of the ALDS in both 2012 and 2013, along with a sweep in the 2006 ALCS for good measure. There is plenty that comes to mind when it comes to why we hate the Detroit Tigers.

“They made that trade for us.” Oh, Justin Verlander. After the A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs in July of last year, Verlander muttered those silly words. Of course the sentiment was accurate, but the cocky aura that comes with a statement like that is what irks many A’s fans. Yes, we get it. The Tigers won two ALDS series against Oakland. Bravo. Glad to see you handle those wins gracefully. Of course, two months later we all got to see the leaked pictures of Kate Upton and Mr. Tight Pants, so thank you for half of that photo.

Al Alburquerque kissed a baseball he fielded in the middle of a playoff game before throwing said ball to first, which is about as low as one can go. That was a sign of ultimate disrespect, in my opinion.

Actually, aside from Verlander and Alburquerque I really don’t have a problem with anyone on the Tigers if we’re being honest. It’s also the offseason, so let’s revisit those feelings in April. 

Ian Kinsler, while formerly a Texas Ranger, is a gritty player, and I love me some grit. After being traded, he wished that Texas would go 0-162 in 2014, which makes him ok in my book. Texas sure did their best to oblige their former teammate.

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• Luis Barrera heading to familiar foe in Los Angeles Angels
• Looking back at Ruben Sierra with the Oakland A’s
• San Francisco Giants showing Oakland A’s offseason could be worse
• Lucas Luetge what Oakland A’s need in bullpen

Looking ahead, after a four-year reign atop the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers will be facing some improved competition. The White Sox are the team that stands out, with their acquisitions of Samardzija and David Robertson, to go along with studs Chris Sale and Jose Abreu.

The Cleveland Indians added Brandon Moss, so they’re in contention. The Twins have a slew of young talent that should be getting the call to the majors soon, and the Kansas City Royals, while a new-look KC team, just made it to the World Series.

It appears as if their dominance over the Central could be at an end, so why should we hate a declawed Tiger team? Well, it’s fun is one reason.

I will say this about the Tiger’s GM Dave Dombrowski: he has put together some seriously good teams in recent years, and he seems to have a good sense of humor. After the A’s had acquired Jon Lester, and the Tigers had acquired David Price at the last moments of the trade deadline, it was reported that Dombrowski texted Billy Beane, “You have one minute to trade for Chris Sale.” Well played, Mr. Dombrowski.

In a fun twist of events, neither team won a playoff game in 2014, so we have that in common! 2015 should be an interesting year for both clubs. The A’s have traded most of their All-Stars, and the Tigers are now without Torii Hunter, and possibly Max Scherzer. To replace them, they added Alfredo Simon and Yoenis Cespedes. Yes, Cespedes has new stripes. I’m pretty sure they made that move for us.

It’ll be fun to see how 2015 goes for each of these teams, with each of their divisions improving. You could almost make the case that these two teams are similar, and that we should be friends. Alas, Verlander is also responsible for the half of the photo we did not enjoy, and that’s just something we can’t unsee.