How did our high hopes for the MLB season turn out?
Well, the Oakland Athletics finished at the bottom, 50-112, .309 winning percentage. That’s bad, but it isn’t quite historically bad: Wikipedia’s list cuts off at .300.
Kansas City finished slightly better: 56-106, .346.
Colorado: 59-103, .364.
And the White Sox: 61-101, .377 winning percentage.
It is noteworthy that for the Detroit Tigers, the biggest news was not that their season ended Sunday, but that the career of their star hitter and all around good guy Miguel Cabrerra played in his last game. He has now retired.
The Tigers have hired him as a special assistant to the president, which means that they will pay him something, and he will be able to hang around the team, and help teach the young players “the ropes” of being both a major league player, and also a better hitter, something that he is certainly qualified to do.
While like all fans of Detroit sports, I want the teams to do well and win it all, I have to say that I did enjoy watching quite a few of the Tiger’s games this year. They have a young team president, who knows what he is doing, and who set a tone for the team early. The players and the staff seemed to respond to that tone, and the management is being patient with their players in the minor leagues, not rushing them up before they are ready, which has been the case for the past decade or longer.
And most surprising of all is that the Tigers finished in 2nd place in the American Central. Not the hardest division by any stretch, likely the worst teams in that division. But as we always say, wait until next year.
I may have to drink two toasts next time I feel like drinking: one to the Tigers, and one to you, pigpen.
However, don’t forget my Theory of Compensatory Suckage: if the Tigers are good, the Lions have to be bad, and vice versa.