They Gave Us a Great Game

I don't think I have it in me to write much about tonight's game but what a game it was. It was one of the most emotional games I've experienced in 41 years as a fan. You can second guess Jim Leyland's bullpen management. You can point to mistakes made by both teams. You can talk about the many opportunities missed. You can blame the Metrodome. You can complain about how the Tigers blew a big lead and should have clinched before this game happened. However, you can't deny that this was an absolutely thrilling baseball game. It was an all-time classic regardless of the outcome.

Many will remember this season as a big choke but it really wasn't. OK, they might have choked a bit the final weekend but they played the final month of the season pretty much the same way they played all year. I wanted badly for the Tigers to beat the Twins and I'm very disappointed right now but I really think the better team won. The Twins aren't better because they play the game the right way or because they are gritty. They are a simply better hitting team with a deeper bullpen.

Some might call the Twins lucky but I would say the Tigers were the fortunate ones. They allowed two more runs than they gave up this year and really should not have been in first place all season. They were basically a .500 team that was fortunate to get seven walk-off wins. Although I think Rodney was under appreciated by Tigers fans this year, I also think he was lucky. He was good but not 37 saves in 38 opportunities good.

It will be a few days before I start analyzing their season or discussing possible off-season moves. I'm emotionally drained right now. It'll be a long off-season.