Damn, I wish I was at Comerica Park Saturday night.

The Detroit Tigers are the only one of my hometown teams I've ever liked, and I miss their first celebration since I was three years old.

I went to a number of games this summer. They won all but one. I was happy to lose a bet to a friend who thought they would (not could) win 90 games.

It was great to see Curtis Granderson, Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames giving dap to everyone they could reach. I had a huge smile on my face when Sean Casey sprayed everyone in the right field bleachers with champagne. And I almost cried when all 25 guys on the roster carried Jim Leyland off the field like they were a bunch of college kids.

Three years ago, the Tigers were the worst team in all of baseball. 43-119. Starting pitcher Mike Maroth, left off the playoff roster sadly, finished the year with 21 losses. Jeremy Bonderman, then 20 years old, finished 6-19. He grew up fast, sending the first 19 Yankees he faced back to the pine during his masterful performance Saturday afternoon.

I went to a lot of games in 2003, too. I don't think the Tigers won any of the games I saw live that year. They were awful. Bad News Bears-esque. The highlight of all of my trips to downtown Detroit that summer was seeing all the gorgeous females at the park.

That was my motivation for going at the start of this season, too, I'll admit. After all, Detroit started 7-7. Leyland lit into his guys after a 4-3 loss in Oakland on April 18, which is where the Tigers will start the American League Championship Series tomorrow night.

After Leyland's tirade, Detroit went 88-60 on the way to its first playoff birth since 1987. Leyalnd was the main cog in a season that helped make a good summer great for a number of people. His fire and old school approach led to a generation of "kids," my 25 year old self included, being able to taste playoff baseball for the first time.

I am by no means a fairweather fan when it comes to the Motor City Kitties, but seeing them win gave me added motivation for going to games. Now, the team who finished one win shy of the worst record in baseball history three summers ago is four wins away from the World Series. Everywhere you looked, watched or read had the Yankees sweeping the Tigers or winning the series, 3-1. New York had "The greatest lineup every assembled..." on paper.

But you don't play on paper. You play on the field. The field that the Tigers will trot out onto for at least four more games.

Hopefully more.

There is one bad part in all of the winning. I won't be able to walk up and get tickets whenever I want now.