So this is it. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins have been grappling for first place in the AL Central for quite a few weeks now, and the division title will likely be decided over the next four games to be played at Comerica Park.
Bring out your best cliches. This is what it's all about. It all comes down to this. This is why they play the game.
The Tigers hold a narrow two-game lead over the Twins after losing two of three this past weekend to the White Sox. They lost a game off that lead thanks to Minnesota winning two of three from the Royals in Kansas City.
But now, thanks to the MLB schedule maker, there's no more scoreboard watching. No more checking to see how the Twins did against another team. The Tigers can take matters into their own hands. Hopefully, those hands aren't slippery.
Now, this might be too much to handle for some in Tiger Town. But no matter what happens this week, doesn't it beat what was going on last September? Others thrive on this sort of scenario. There's a mixed feeling of excitement and dread in the air. Or as john.kmiecik put it yesterday:
we’re going to do what we’ve done all season — use the tools we got to scare the [expletive] out of their fans for three hours every [expletive] night.
Ozzie Guillen couldn't have said it any better. (Okay, we may have edited that a bit for the blog front page.)
So let's try to put a number on what you're feeling, with this week's poll question:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how worried are you about this week's series vs. the Twins?
You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block. Or you can vote here. And if you have suggestions for future poll questions , shoot me an e-mail. (And thanks to Kurt for this week's suggestion, though between you and me, he worded the question a bit more scatologically.) Please add your thoughts in the comments.
How did our last poll go?
This one was a landslide, though I don't think anyone expected any differently. But hey, it was in the discussion, so we threw it out there.
Should the Tigers look into trading Curtis Granderson?
23% Yes - Why not see what he could bring in a trade?
62% No - He's a core player who's had one bad year
Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll.