Game 5: Cardinals 4, Tigers 2

Casey at the Bat
Ernest Lawrence Thayer
1888

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And it's likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered, "fraud";
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.

There's always next year - c'mon April.

Cardinals 5, Tigers 4 in Game 4 of World Series

What a heartbreaker - I was at work, trying to follow it on the radio, and work kept intruding. I heard the last 2 innings driving home in a cold drizzle ...












photo: Steve Perez / The Detroit News
Cardinals' David Eckstein doubles to score the winning run in th eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series in St. Louis Oct. 26, 2006. The Cardinals won 5-4, putting the Tigers on the brink of elimination. -- Detroit News












photo: David Guralnick / The Detroit News
Tigers' Craig Monroe can't haul in David Eckstein's game-winning hit in the eighth inning. The hit, Eckstein's fourth of the evening, boosted the Cards to their 5-4 win. -- Detroit News

They're down 3-1, but I still have faith.

Go, Tigers!

More Tigers/World Series

I had forgotten until some time last week that the 1968 Series (the first one I actually remember) was Tigers/Cards. Wonder if St. Louis will beat the Mets ... and history will repeat itself? (That's Cards' pitcher Bob Gibson mentioned in the headline). Lolich hit the first and only home run of his Major League career in Game 2, and was World Series MVP.

"I guess you could say I'm the redemption of the fat man. A guy will be watching me on TV and see that I don't look in any better shape than he is. 'Hey Maude,' he'll holler, 'Get a load of this guy and he's a twenty-game winner.' " - Mickey Lolich

'68 Series at Baseball Almanac


And, while we're at it, "The Roar of '84" (which became "The Dive of '85," something we will not speak of again) - Tigers vs. the San Diego Padres.

Kirk Gibson
1984 ALCS MVP

World Series Clinching Home Run



'84 Series at Baseball Almanac



Of course, those winning seasons took place at Michigan & Trumbull.



Tiger Stadium
1912-1999

SWEEP! Tigers beat A's 6-3, head for World Series!

Mandi Wright / Detroit Free Press

Mark Miller, 43, of Tucson, Ariz., sticks a broom in the mouth of the main Tiger outside of Comerica Park Saturday. -- Detroit Free Press

Clarence Tabb, Jr. / Detroit News

Magglio Ordonez launches the series-winning home run in the bottom of ninth inning, ripping a 1-0 pitch from Huston Street into the left-field seats. -- Detroit News

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I didn't even get to write about the delayed Game 3, and now they've gone and won them all! I'm so happy. Detroit has great fans, who stick by their teams through thick and thin, and this is the best. Detroit and Michigan haven't had the greatest past few years - unemployment from massive auto layoffs, which leads to doldrums in every other sector.

Detroit has some great stuff downtown - huge overhaul of the beautiful DIA (still in progress), the two new stadiums, Greektown, the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Fox Theatre ("Historic Fox" and "Fox Theatre's Rebirth" from the Detroit News) and much more - but are mightily hampered by budgetary insufficiencies. This can only help.

Go, Tigers!

Tigers 8, A's 5!

Sean Connelley / The Oakland Tribune

The Tigers bench comes out to congratulate Alexis Gomez after his two-run homer in the sixth inning on Wednesday night in Oakland. Gomez's first hit, a two-run single, helped the Tigers take the lead in the fourth -- a lead they held onto for an 8-5 win.
-- Detroit News

They play in Detroit tonight - Wish I could go to the game (particularly since my actual location at that time will be at work).

Go, Tigers!

I Can't Believe I Forgot To Mention This

The Detroit Tigers best the Oakland A's 5-1 in Game 1 of the ALCS on Tuesday!

YAY!!!


Go, Tigers!