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\u201cHow long have you been down here?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks? Three weeks? Who can say?\u201d you answer. \u201cI couldn\u2019t watch it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Your eyes bulge. You begin to tremble. \u201cThe … collapse!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, you mean the Tigers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I mean the Tigers!\u00a0 A few weeks ago, they had a 9\u00bd-game lead in the AL Central. Then it came apart like a cheap suit. They lost. They lost again. They blew leads. They made errors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey dropped a series to the White Sox. A series to the Marlins. They got swept by the Braves. And worst of all \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really need to \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCLEVELAND! Good Lord! How many games did they lose to Cleveland!\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWell,\u201d I say, \u201cabout Cleveland \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t say that word! Oh, the humanity!\u201d<\/p>\n
You pull the blanket over your head.<\/p>\n
Tigers slip into MLB playoffs![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/03a3d0919ef774cab1134be445b95bce.jpeg\"\/)
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Detroit Tigers fans cheer on reliever Will Vest during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Vest allowed two RBI singles with two outs and the Braves won, 6-5.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen,\u201d I interject, \u201cthere\u2019s something you should know \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me. The season is over, right? I saw this coming. The first half of the year was too good to be true. Our kids played like veterans. Our veterans played like kids. We had Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in baseball. We were miles ahead of everyone!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but \u2212\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me. I know the \u2018yes, but.\u2019 Then we came back to earth. Actually, we fell back to earth. Actually, a meteor has a softer landing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you\u2019ll just listen \u2212”<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me to listen. I know. After a while, I couldn\u2019t even deal with the games. I just opened the windows every night and heard fans groaning down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait. So you haven\u2019t watched the Tigers in weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Well. To be honest, I heard Skubal was pitching a week ago. So I crawled upstairs, found the remote, and turned on the TV, just long enough to see him flip a ball through his legs over Spencer Torkelson\u2019s head. Ugh. It was like watching the old Lions in Tigers uniforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
You sigh. \u201cAfter that, as Bill Murray said in \u2018Stripes,\u2019 depression set in. I unplugged the TV and radio. I buried myself in snack food and warm beer. And I tried to remember happier days at the ballpark.\u201d<\/p>\n
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I watch you rip a page out of the Tigers 2025 yearbook and wipe away a tear.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how did it end?\u201d you whisper. \u201cThe final game of the season?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d I say, ‘the Tigers lost, 4-3, stranding two runners in the ninth inning. But \u2212\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cARRRGH! STOP THE MADNESS!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut \u2212\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cNO BUTS! THIS IS THE WORST!\u201d You begin cutting your Tigers cap into little pieces with a pair of scissors. \u201cI\u2019M DONE! MY HEART CAN\u2019T TAKE IT! I AM NEVER GOING TO ROOT FOR THE TEAM AGAIN \u2212”<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made the playoffs<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n You look up.<\/p>\n \u201cBeg your pardon?\u2019 you say.<\/p>\n ALBOM: <\/strong>Kalif Raymond was just what Lions needed to avoid trap game vs Browns<\/a><\/p>\n Will Tigers get second spring?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d I say. \u201cDetroit made the playoffs by winning a tiebreaker.”<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cSo they reversed their losing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey got the first-round bye?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won their division?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t have to play Cleveland anymore, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell … “<\/p>\n \u201cWell? WELL? What exactly did they DO?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey finished as the sixth seed. They just got in. They play a best-of-three series against the Guardians, starting Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, hey,\u201d I add, \u201cthey\u2019re in. That\u2019s all that matters, right? As A.J. Hinch said, everybody\u2019s record is 0-0 now<\/a>. And Skubal gets to start Game 1<\/a>. Anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n I watch you contemplate. I see your brain working. Anything can happen, right? You\u2019d never have expected the Tigers’ first half of the season before it took place. You\u2019d never have expected their second half before it took place.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n You certainly wouldn\u2019t have expected the Guardians, 15\u00bd games behind on July 8<\/a>, chasing the Tigers, catching them, then edging them out on the last day of the season<\/a>.<\/p>\n It only proves baseball is unpredictable as weather. Maybe today is a second spring. Maybe it\u2019s “Game of Thrones,” and winter is coming. You never know. You just have to let it play out.<\/p>\n \u201cGet up,\u201d I say. \u201cThrow away those wrappers. Take a shower. Put on your Tigers jersey. We\u2019re going to a ballgame!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d you say.<\/p>\n \u201cMy treat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow. OK!\u201d<\/p>\n You rise. You smile. You pull on your Tigers cap.<\/p>\n BELIEVE: <\/strong>Tigers will beat Cleveland in AL playoffs, and I’ve got 10 huge reasons why<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as it\u2019s not in Cleveland,\u201d you say.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yeah, about that \u2026\u201d I say.<\/p>\n Want more Tigers updates?<\/strong>\u00a0Download our free app<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.<\/p>\n Contact Mitch Albom:\u00a0malbom@freepress.com<\/a>. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at\u00a0MitchAlbom.com. Follow him\u00a0@mitchalbom\u00a0on x.com.<\/p>\n