Detroit Tigers

Buster Olney of ESPN made this comment on Mike and Mike in the Morning, an ESPN morning radio program: "If the Detroit Tigers are out of the playoff race early this season, look for them to trade Miguel Cabrera to the Red Sox, since the Red Sox are one of the few teams that could take on a large salary."

Cabrera is in the second year of an eight-year, $153 million deal. His annual salary ranges from $15 million to $22 million a year.

Early Monday evening, my father informed me of the passing of possibly my biggest, and possibly only, hero in sports, Mark Fidrych.

Since hearing of the news, many of my thoughts have gone back to my years growing up and the way sports became a big part of my life. It all started with "The Bird."

I have hailed from Connecticut my whole life, born to a Yankees fan (my father) and a Red Sox fan (my mother). My maternal grandparents were, and in my grandmother's case still are, die hard Sox fans.

Mark Fidrych put the Joy in Baseball

Baseball fans all over the country, including myself, immediately fell in love with "The Bird" in 1976. He was playful and goofy, without any hint of pretension. Fidrych put the fun in baseball; he was a big kid in a kid's game. One of the game's genuine characters, he simply captured our imaginations.

On the heels of Fred Lynn, Fidrych almost pulled off his own awards double-play; he was named Rookie of the Year and finished second to Jim Palmer in the Cy Young balloting.

We’ll see if the talk of parity is based on reality, or if it’s just an excuse for the National Media to gloss over the division quickly so they can move on to something sexier. We’ve had a week to review, so let’s rank ‘em up by their more important parts.

You’re only as good as your best player

Nothing’s more important than an impact player out there every day getting it done.

It's been a tough week for baseball. A week that should make us stop and realize how precious life is.

"Live every day is if it were your last, and then one day you shall be right."

Only four days ago, the Major League family lost Anaheim rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed in a deadly hit-and-run accident hours after making a stunning Major League debut.

Tonight, the family lost one of their most colorful characters when former All-Star pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych passed away in an apparent accident on his farm in Massachusetts. Fidrych was 54.

Fresh off a sweep of the Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers will turn their attention to the Chicago White Sox for a three-game set at Comerica Park.

The White Sox are coming off a home series with the Minnesota Twins in which they took two of three, including an impressive win against Francisco Liriano.

The Tigers will look to extend their best home start in 16 years against the defending AL Central champions.

Game One: Monday, April 13 @ 1:05 PM ET

Last year, the Tigers coined the slogan "Who’s Your Tiger?"

For most people, it was a simple question, and their answers came quickly: Cabrera, Inge, Zumaya, and Verlander. Nobody was mentioning Fernando Rodney, for he wasn't anyone's favorite. The guy made just 13 saves and compiled an 0-6 record in 48 appearances in '08.

For the past two years, the anxiety over the position of closing pitcher for the Detroit Tigers has been enormous.  A big reason for that is Fernando Rodney, who has been with the team since his rookie year in 2002. He has been noted for his remarkable inconsistency ever since helping the team to a World Series appearance in 2006.  

For the throngs of Tiger fans and critics alike, today's game was for you. 

For the talking heads and assorted prognosticators who have predicted another disappointing season in Detroit, today's game was for you.

For those who called for Jim Leyland to run for governor three years ago and are now calling for his head, today's game was for you.

And for those that think the city of Detroit is a walking corpse, today's game was for you.

At no time over the past couple seasons have the Tigers needed a victory more.