Tigers - Cards,  2006.  38 years ago we first watched them in a 7 act baseball drama as the Motown Nine came back from a 3-1 deficit and surprised the Redbirds as well as most of the sporting world.  Images: Tiger centerfielder Mickey Stanley playing shortstop...31 game winner Denny McClain looking more like the lifetime loser he became...and Mickey Lolich!...Big Bad Bob Gibson dominating...golden glove Curt Flood misplaying the long drive to center...who hit that, was it the Gray Fox Jim Northrup?...Tiger Stadium...and Mickey Lolich!...and Mickey Lolich again!  

And now we have Leyland vs. La Russo.  Tonight the Tigers were waiting to win...beating up on the Yankees and then the A's and finishing the execution with the Ordonez walk off home run can be intoxicating, so much that it can put you right to sleep.  Verlander put his faith in his press clippings instead of putting his fastball in the ear of Scott Rowland and  Albert Pujols.  When the fumbling Inge uncorked his wild throw toward Pudge at the plate, he looked more like the playwright and less like Aurelio Rodriquez or George Kell.  As soon as he let it go he said to himself, "COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA" and when he impersonated a roadblock for Rowland running toward home, he thought, "this ain't no PICNIC."  If he doesn't get his act together, he'll be standing at the BUS STOP with a one way ticket to THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.  If you don't know who I'm speaking of , well, then I guess I'm older than I care to admit.  

But being a Yankee fan and also a Met fan hater (although I did feel bad for Willie Randolph), now I can only hear the soulful voice of B.B. King wailing away in the background of my subconscious that,  for this baseball season, "The Thrill Is Gone." 

But not all is lost.  There is some amusement.  The Cards doubleplay combo looks a little like a circus act - at 5'7'', Little Eckstein is this age's Freddy Patek or Phil Rizzuto.  How can you not root for him - he is Everyman.  And The Bulging Belly-iard traded in his signature dread locks/braids for his new Annette Funicello look and has also easily surpassed Maglio Ordonez, Eric Byrnes, and Manny Ramirez for most ridiculous 'do of the season. With a little more volume he might take first prize in the Oscar Gamble look a like contest.  But the man can play.  How beautiful was that push bunt past the pitcher for the game tying, safety squeeze against the Mets in Game 7? 

And what happened to our National Anthem? Bob Seeger at his one man band keyboard straining through "America the Beautiful?  No wonder the Tigers never got started; they were still waiting to hear the Star Spangled Banner.  Where's Aretha when you need her? 

And please, Fox Sports, spare us the closeups.   Instead of a full view of the field where a fan might actually see a play develop (fielders backing up, hitting the cutoff man, etc.), we are mistreated to dental exams, nose hairs, pimples, blemishes, and other assorted skin growths,chewing tobacco rolling around the palate, resting on the lips, falling out of the mouth, and dribbling down the chin, the saliva soaked shells of sunflower seeds expectorated in mass profusion, and spitting and spitting and more spitting.  MLB players are, no doubt, the world's greatest spitters, bar none.  There's an idea for a blog, "Greatest Spitting Techniques/Moments of Major league Baseball."  

Well it's time to retire...from this and also to bed.  When I say my prayers tonight, I can assure you that I will not be thanking The Almighty for an opposite field home run.  I will save that for Albert Pujols as he looks and points up to the heavens as he crosses home plate.  Here's a news flash for you Albert:  God's got a few more important things on His agenda than the World Series and your professional athletic performance.  

And, Good night.