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Opening Day — that’s today, by the way, with the Detroit Tigers on the road against the L.A. Dodgers — is about hope, and joy, and about things being better than they were the year before.
I’m living proof of that.
I won’t get too far into the medicals of my 2024 — cue another clip of A.J. Hinch introducing an update with “’I’m not a doctor, but …” — but …
I entered last Opening Day, with the Tigers in Chicago against the White Sox (about as hopeful a situation as you can get, and that was before the ChiSox set the MLB record for losses in a season) feeling pretty good.
And then I got sleepy. And then I couldn’t type. And then I couldn’t walk and my face drooped and my arms wouldn’t level and I couldn’t talk to explain that to my wife, a nurse sleeping off one long shift ahead of another one.
And she knew it was a stroke.
I got lucky there, even with the stroke turning into an extended stay at Detroit Medical Center — the docs broke up the blood clot (I was slamming my left arm against a clipboard to sign the permissions for a “clotbuster” shot right around the time left-hander Tarik Skubal was getting the 1-0 win over the ChiSox) in less than 12 hours … then found a hole in my heart (and eventually fixed it) ... then found testicular cancer (and snipped it out).
That was basically before the Tigers finished their home opener, eight days later. (I was discharged about when the first pitch came at the CoPa and left DMC right around when the Tigers took a 5-4 lead over the Athletics, making it home, in borrowed scrub pants, before the crowds let out at Comerica Park).
And then I spent my summer wearing a lot of hats and hanging out with late Tigers outfielder Vic Wertz, whose estate in 1994 — he died in 1983 — funded a decent portion of the Karmanos Cancer Institute at DMC. Poison in my veins — they wouldn’t let me take shots of it, the way I did in my 20s and 30s — to kill the cancer trying to sneak out of the “lower body injury.”
The good thing: The only thing easier to beat than the White Sox last season (a low bar, indeed) is Stage 3 testicular cancer. (All cancers are assessed on a four-stage scale; there is no Stage 4 for testicular cancer. It’s the Toledo Mud Hens — apologies to the folks at Fifth Third Field this summer — eternally waiting for the callup.)
And so the chemo finished up right around the time the Tigers got good — like, REALLY GOOD, 120-WIN GOOD — and so all the hope that hit me on March 28 came back in a flood for the final eight weeks (or so) of the 2024 season.
The Tigers went from 10 games out in mid-August to make the postseason for the first time in a decade. They won a playoff series for the first time in 11 years. They took the Guardians to five games in the ALDS, and I made it back to the press box for Game 4 (before giving up my seat to a late-arriving colleague).
That’s hope fulfilled, right there.
And then the Tigers spent the offseason hunting/dithering/flirting/gathering free agents both successfully (Gleyber!Cobb?Flaherty!Kahnle?) and not so much (Breggy!).
The Tigers have a good team. There are holes in the Opening Day roster, partially because of the vagaries of free agency — as much as Alex Bregman can act surprised when one team wins a bidding war, money (and contract length and opt-outs) talk — and partially because of injuries. Parker Meadows is out until May, Wenceel Pérez is out until late April and Matt Vierling is out until, well, before those two return, I think.
And so, we hope.
The thing wedon’t need to do — you or me or the Tigers — is fall back into a tired trope of the renaissance city, the Detroit vs. Everybody meme, the attitude.
It’s all there. We’ve done the work — the city, the Tigers, Tarik Skubal, and, just a little bit, me.
Now it’s time to show it.
And so, now that we’re caught up … I’ve got a request. Going forward — like, next week — we’re going to have a slight change.
Hello, and welcome to The Purr-fect Game newsletter!
After six seasons, we finally have an official name for this here word jumble. And starting next week, the Freep will be offering two Tigers newsletters. The first one, Tigers Headlines, will arrive daily with the latest and greatest Tigers headlines from Freep writers such as Evan Petzold, Jeff Seidel and many, many more (once they're done with college basketball).
The other one — “The Purr-fect Game” — will feature the usual weekly analysis coming from me, all bundled up every Monday morning in your email. Sign up here for your familiar weekly dose of news, analysis and cat/Tiger puns (well, maybe slightly more cat puns).
And now that we’ve gotten the meds and the business out of the way … it’s time for some Real Baseball, as the Tigers open the 2025 season against the defending World Series champion Dodgers (who are already 2-0, thanks to some globe-trotting) at 7:10 tonight on ESPN, with Tarik Skubal on the mound and Shohei Ohtani at the plate.
So let’s get up to speed on the Motor City Kitties right … meow. (Told you there would be cat puns.)
As we noted earlier, the Tigers have not been the healthiest of teams, with three center fielders headed to the injured list before they even got to California. And they’ve got a new (old) (young) first baseman. And a new, old second bas … y’know what, let’s just let Our Man Petzold explain it, and why HE thinks these Tigers are good.
Again, there’ve been quite a few changes from the squad that went 31-11 to make the playoffs last fall. Some were intentional (hello, Gleyber Torres!) — and some were, well, not entirely (hello, again, Ryan Kreidler!) Luckily, we’ve still got Our Man Petzold to break down the entire 26-man roster for the Tigers, including a key question for every player.
There’s a lot of versatility on the roster, despite (or perhaps because of) the injuries. But versatility is nothing without a skipper at the top to pull the strings, push the buttons and whatever other mechanical metaphor you’d like to insert here. In the Tigers’ case, that’s manager A.J. Hinch, who arguably turned in his finest work (despite finishing third in AL Manager of the Year voting), according to several of his peers. Our Man Petzold has the inside story on how Hinch has gotten his players to buy in and why he is beloved by his fellow managers.
Which brings us around to the big question: Will the Tigers return to the postseason? And how many games will they win, anyway? And who’s their breakout young star? And Skubal … can he win the Cy Young Award again? And who’s the most important Tiger? OK, OK, that’s actually … FIVE big questions that, luckily, we had five Freep sports writers answer before the opener.
The Tigers, of course, are on the national stage tonight against the Dodgers, in a showcase of two of the final eight teams from last year’s postseason. So who’ll be the last team standing this season? (Yes, that seems like a big question that could have been answered in the previous segment. Sorry.) Our Man Petzold and, uh, Our Man … Ford … tackled the divisional rankings going into this season, as well as making our postseason picks (we even arrived independently at the same World Series matchup, just so you’d know who to bet against) and award winners.
Of course, in addition to looking ahead, the Freep is also looking back over every season (this is No. 125 — the quasquicentennial, no joke) in Tigers franchise history, in a special commemorative book set to be released this fall, “Roar Of 125.” You can get the details — and how to order — here from former Freep Sports boss Gene Myers (who also penned a fun tribute this week to the time a quartet of Tigers stars hung out with a wee Tiger cub, captured in the photo a ways above).
Well, I probably should wrap this up before the national anthem starts at Dodger Stadium, and so, let’s depart with one more reminder of someone who provided more hope to the Detroit sports community than just about anyone over the past decade: Andy Isaac, who died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this month. The Freep’s Shawn Windsor penned a nice tribute to Isaac, aka “World of Isaac” on social media. #Faturday forever.
Contact Ryan Ford at [email protected]. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford and on BlueSky at @theford.bsky.social. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter(s).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Everything you need to know for opener in LA
Continue reading...
I’m living proof of that.
I won’t get too far into the medicals of my 2024 — cue another clip of A.J. Hinch introducing an update with “’I’m not a doctor, but …” — but …
I entered last Opening Day, with the Tigers in Chicago against the White Sox (about as hopeful a situation as you can get, and that was before the ChiSox set the MLB record for losses in a season) feeling pretty good.
And then I got sleepy. And then I couldn’t type. And then I couldn’t walk and my face drooped and my arms wouldn’t level and I couldn’t talk to explain that to my wife, a nurse sleeping off one long shift ahead of another one.
And she knew it was a stroke.
I got lucky there, even with the stroke turning into an extended stay at Detroit Medical Center — the docs broke up the blood clot (I was slamming my left arm against a clipboard to sign the permissions for a “clotbuster” shot right around the time left-hander Tarik Skubal was getting the 1-0 win over the ChiSox) in less than 12 hours … then found a hole in my heart (and eventually fixed it) ... then found testicular cancer (and snipped it out).
That was basically before the Tigers finished their home opener, eight days later. (I was discharged about when the first pitch came at the CoPa and left DMC right around when the Tigers took a 5-4 lead over the Athletics, making it home, in borrowed scrub pants, before the crowds let out at Comerica Park).
You must be registered for see images attach
And then I spent my summer wearing a lot of hats and hanging out with late Tigers outfielder Vic Wertz, whose estate in 1994 — he died in 1983 — funded a decent portion of the Karmanos Cancer Institute at DMC. Poison in my veins — they wouldn’t let me take shots of it, the way I did in my 20s and 30s — to kill the cancer trying to sneak out of the “lower body injury.”
The good thing: The only thing easier to beat than the White Sox last season (a low bar, indeed) is Stage 3 testicular cancer. (All cancers are assessed on a four-stage scale; there is no Stage 4 for testicular cancer. It’s the Toledo Mud Hens — apologies to the folks at Fifth Third Field this summer — eternally waiting for the callup.)
And so the chemo finished up right around the time the Tigers got good — like, REALLY GOOD, 120-WIN GOOD — and so all the hope that hit me on March 28 came back in a flood for the final eight weeks (or so) of the 2024 season.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Tigers went from 10 games out in mid-August to make the postseason for the first time in a decade. They won a playoff series for the first time in 11 years. They took the Guardians to five games in the ALDS, and I made it back to the press box for Game 4 (before giving up my seat to a late-arriving colleague).
That’s hope fulfilled, right there.
And then the Tigers spent the offseason hunting/dithering/flirting/gathering free agents both successfully (Gleyber!Cobb?Flaherty!Kahnle?) and not so much (Breggy!).
The Tigers have a good team. There are holes in the Opening Day roster, partially because of the vagaries of free agency — as much as Alex Bregman can act surprised when one team wins a bidding war, money (and contract length and opt-outs) talk — and partially because of injuries. Parker Meadows is out until May, Wenceel Pérez is out until late April and Matt Vierling is out until, well, before those two return, I think.
And so, we hope.
The thing wedon’t need to do — you or me or the Tigers — is fall back into a tired trope of the renaissance city, the Detroit vs. Everybody meme, the attitude.
It’s all there. We’ve done the work — the city, the Tigers, Tarik Skubal, and, just a little bit, me.
Now it’s time to show it.
A Purr-fect segue?
You must be registered for see images attach
And so, now that we’re caught up … I’ve got a request. Going forward — like, next week — we’re going to have a slight change.
Hello, and welcome to The Purr-fect Game newsletter!
After six seasons, we finally have an official name for this here word jumble. And starting next week, the Freep will be offering two Tigers newsletters. The first one, Tigers Headlines, will arrive daily with the latest and greatest Tigers headlines from Freep writers such as Evan Petzold, Jeff Seidel and many, many more (once they're done with college basketball).
The other one — “The Purr-fect Game” — will feature the usual weekly analysis coming from me, all bundled up every Monday morning in your email. Sign up here for your familiar weekly dose of news, analysis and cat/Tiger puns (well, maybe slightly more cat puns).
Play ball!
You must be registered for see images
And now that we’ve gotten the meds and the business out of the way … it’s time for some Real Baseball, as the Tigers open the 2025 season against the defending World Series champion Dodgers (who are already 2-0, thanks to some globe-trotting) at 7:10 tonight on ESPN, with Tarik Skubal on the mound and Shohei Ohtani at the plate.
So let’s get up to speed on the Motor City Kitties right … meow. (Told you there would be cat puns.)
Who’s on first? And second? And …
You must be registered for see images attach
As we noted earlier, the Tigers have not been the healthiest of teams, with three center fielders headed to the injured list before they even got to California. And they’ve got a new (old) (young) first baseman. And a new, old second bas … y’know what, let’s just let Our Man Petzold explain it, and why HE thinks these Tigers are good.
Meet the Tigers!
You must be registered for see images attach
Again, there’ve been quite a few changes from the squad that went 31-11 to make the playoffs last fall. Some were intentional (hello, Gleyber Torres!) — and some were, well, not entirely (hello, again, Ryan Kreidler!) Luckily, we’ve still got Our Man Petzold to break down the entire 26-man roster for the Tigers, including a key question for every player.
Skip ahead (but read this first)!
You must be registered for see images
There’s a lot of versatility on the roster, despite (or perhaps because of) the injuries. But versatility is nothing without a skipper at the top to pull the strings, push the buttons and whatever other mechanical metaphor you’d like to insert here. In the Tigers’ case, that’s manager A.J. Hinch, who arguably turned in his finest work (despite finishing third in AL Manager of the Year voting), according to several of his peers. Our Man Petzold has the inside story on how Hinch has gotten his players to buy in and why he is beloved by his fellow managers.
Questions (and answers)
You must be registered for see images attach
Which brings us around to the big question: Will the Tigers return to the postseason? And how many games will they win, anyway? And who’s their breakout young star? And Skubal … can he win the Cy Young Award again? And who’s the most important Tiger? OK, OK, that’s actually … FIVE big questions that, luckily, we had five Freep sports writers answer before the opener.
The Tigers, of course, are on the national stage tonight against the Dodgers, in a showcase of two of the final eight teams from last year’s postseason. So who’ll be the last team standing this season? (Yes, that seems like a big question that could have been answered in the previous segment. Sorry.) Our Man Petzold and, uh, Our Man … Ford … tackled the divisional rankings going into this season, as well as making our postseason picks (we even arrived independently at the same World Series matchup, just so you’d know who to bet against) and award winners.
Roaring into the past
You must be registered for see images attach
Of course, in addition to looking ahead, the Freep is also looking back over every season (this is No. 125 — the quasquicentennial, no joke) in Tigers franchise history, in a special commemorative book set to be released this fall, “Roar Of 125.” You can get the details — and how to order — here from former Freep Sports boss Gene Myers (who also penned a fun tribute this week to the time a quartet of Tigers stars hung out with a wee Tiger cub, captured in the photo a ways above).
TL;DR
Well, I probably should wrap this up before the national anthem starts at Dodger Stadium, and so, let’s depart with one more reminder of someone who provided more hope to the Detroit sports community than just about anyone over the past decade: Andy Isaac, who died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this month. The Freep’s Shawn Windsor penned a nice tribute to Isaac, aka “World of Isaac” on social media. #Faturday forever.
Contact Ryan Ford at [email protected]. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford and on BlueSky at @theford.bsky.social. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter(s).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Everything you need to know for opener in LA
Continue reading...
