I remember about maybe 7 or 8 years ago, it was a regular season game obviously, bottom of the ninith and the bases were loaded, two out and the Tigers were down by 2, and up to the plate came Juan Gonzalez. We had just gotten him and so I was kind of excited. He just came off of injury, but it was like this is what we got you for, right here, this moment, and whatd he do. He flew out to center.

So the same situtation happened again this year and this time it was Magglio Ordonez. Ordonez had been slumping during the playoffs, but same situation and he hit it out of the park.

This Tigers team has a completely new mentality, and some would say that if the Yankees played the Tigers again, the Yankees would win. That’s crap. If the Tigers played the Yankees again, they would sweep em again. Whoever the national league has bring it. I don’t want to seem too overconfident, but the Tigers are doing everything magnificent right now.

One final thing, I think I am leaning in the direction of taking Grilli off the roster for the Series and putting Jordan Tata on it. Grilli just crumbled after having two strikes called balls. Tata’s got great stuff too.

Obviously, this team will always be in the hearts of all Tiger fans, and will never be forgotten. My only point to Smith was, (with all due respect to the current team) decades from now ALL of baseball will still remember the dominant ‘84 team. It’s very unlikely this ‘06 team will have that reputation.

Now having said that, this team WILL be memorable if it starts something special like a repeat in ‘07 or threepeat in ‘07 and ‘08. Unfortunately, I’m fairly confident that will not happen.

But don’t get bogged down in my negative forecast for next year. Enjoy this season.

I can’t disagree. One thing that is noteably different, in my opinion, about the ‘84 Tigers and the ‘06 Tigers is the fact that (apparently) there was no competition for the ‘84 Bless you Boys. I remember being somewhat dissappointed (in ‘84) that no team could possibly challenge the Tigers. I also remember wishing (in ‘84) that there would be some team out there who would step to the plate as worthy opponents for the ‘84 Tigers, thus making that magical championship team more sweet in the end. It was almost “too easy” in ‘84. Kinda like the ‘98 Yankees. Again, have to consider further…and it’s certainly too soon, and unfair, like you say, to lay out comparisons with history; but is it possible there was just no competition for the Tigs in ‘84, thus contributing to the illusion of a “dominate” ‘84 team?

One thing is for sure, in ‘06 many teams could be where the Tigers are. Yankees, Whitesox, Twins, etc., etc. I will even go out on a limb and say the Indians are also right up there, despite what their ending record indicates. There is just so much more competition this year.

In any event, it’s all very interesting to ponder.

(First off, the fact that I’m neutral regarding the Tigers does help make this judgment a little easier.)

We are 22 years removed from the ‘84 team. That was an awesome team. From Day 1 of that season to the final out of the WS, no one was going to beat that team. Offense, Defense, Coaching, Starting Pitching, Relief Pitching, Closer. Best team in the league that season, no contest. Decades from now, I will still remember that team, as will many other “non-Tiger fans”. As a Yankees fan, it was very frustrating watching that team play in ‘84.

As to this year’s team…..

On the one hand, what the ‘06 Tigers is doing is very special. But on the other hand, it’s virtually the same thing that other teams have done in recent years when they caught lightning in a bottle during the postseason. Do I think the ‘06 Tigers could beat the ‘27 Yankees right now? Absolutely, I guarantee it.

But would you consider the ‘05 White Sox “a team for the ages”? Were the ‘04 Red Sox even the best Boston team of all time? The way the Marlins were pitching and clutch hitting in ‘03 they could have beaten anyone in the WS. Can you compare them to the all-time greats, though? The ‘00 Yankees bulldozed their way through the ALCS and WS, yet I think they only won 86 games during the regular season.

My point? I think it’s unfair to compare historical teams with current teams. You need a little bit of time to go by and let things settle in. Let’s not forget that the 1984 Tigers were not just simply one of the best Tigers teams, but they were one of the best teams in baseball HISTORY. I think it’s a euphoric leap to lump the ‘06 Tigers in that mix.

This team reminds me exactly of last year’s White Sox. In fact, it looks like the Tigers can tie the ‘99 Yankees and the ‘05 White Sox and have an 11-1 postseason.

As far as your comment that the ‘84 team was a “much” better that this ‘06 team, I’ll have to think carefully about that and get back to you. I will say that they are certainly different teams, but I’m not so sure I would say the ‘84 Tigers are a “much” better team. I followed both the ‘84 Tigers and the ‘06 Tigers with equal zeal, and I don’t think it is so off to make team comparisons. That said, I completely understand your thesis, if I can sum it up here, “the ‘06 Tigers are overachieving now and nobody can stop them…moreover, any team can get on a roll and win the WS”

Does that make the ‘06 team not worthy of comparison to a solid, legitimate championship team, the ‘84 Tigers, simply because we are alledgedly taking a snapshot of them during this post season? Are we really taking things out of persective by judging them on the tacit overachievment implied in your thread? Again, I’ll have to think about this a little more before committing to an answer. However, I will say that the “garbage-playing ” Tiger team that finished off the ‘06 season played solid .670 baseball for a 112 game stretch from April 1 to Aug 7. That’s a large stretch for a team to simply overachieve. There are also legimate factors behind the 19-31 slide. If you take Whitaker and/or Trammell out of the ‘84 team for a solid chunk of the season, that team would have no doubt preformed much differently, too.

Those of us who have followed this team from Spring training simply see the same team playing now that we saw sprint out to 40 games above .500 by August 7.

My point is, I don’t think you can simply discount the virtues of this team because they are playing with a certain poetry right now. This is a unique team. This is also a very good team, regardless of the momentum on their side that would, as you would no doubt point out, could roll over the ‘27 Yankees right now.