So the Tigers come off of their White Sox-Yankee homestand 1-5. We'd said here on BYB that we'd be more than satisfied with .500 and leaving the push for a wild card for another time.
That said, the season is not now lost when once it had potential. 37-41 does not feel materially worse than 36-36. Neither is good enough, but both are hanging around the fringes. The silver lining, especially from the Yankee series, is pitching that pitches great (with the exception of Troy Percival) and hitting that looks great. There is still room for significant hope in 2005, even if much of the hope we invest in the 2005 team won't be realized until 2006.
The Tigers also only got one player on the All-Star team, Ivan Rodriguez. While it might have been nice to see more hometown players for the game's pilgrimage to Detroit, there really aren't any Tiger All-Star snubs you can quibble with. Brandon Inge? He's having a very nice season, but Alex Rodriguez and Melvin Mora are both having better ones and have better track records. Hank Blalock didn't make the team either, and he might have a better case than Inge. Jeremy Bonderman? A breakout year, but I wouldn't take him over any of the AL starter (save perhaps the maniacal Kenny Rogers), and Freddy Garcia, another snub, might have an All-Star case. Carlos Guillen simply hasn't played enough to merit inclusion. Chris Shelton? Next year.