Detroit Tigers: Who to Watch When the Tigs Aren’t Playing

After a long vacation away from baseball, I finally got to watch a game last night. Red Sox vs. Blue Jays. It wasn’t the Detroit Tigers, but I could enjoy the fact that Miguel Cabrera, Jordan Zimmermann, and the boys defeated the Yankees in the home opener (Go Tigers!!). 

As a fan of the game, I enjoy watching most teams, especially if the team has a few characters and the Toronto Blue Jays are full of them. This was quite a game, especially the fourth inning where the Blue Jays broke it open thanks to bad pitching by the Red Sox. A pair of grand slams kept the game interesting.

Anyways…back to the point of this piece. Who do you cheer for when the Tigers aren’t playing in the game you are watching? Or better yet, who do you root against?

There are a handful of teams that I cannot cheer for in any game. They include the New York Yankees, Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals. I also have a hard time cheering for the White Sox, unless they are playing one of the three I just mentioned. After the drumming the Blue Jays gave to the Tigers last year (remember Edwin Encarnacion’s hat trick), I should never cheer for the Jays – but I just annoyed the people in the cabin next to me when Donaldson hit that granny. And, they are playing the Red Sox, so…

Unless the Tigers are playing, there are a few teams that I will go out of my way to watch. I thoroughly enjoy watching the New York Mets pitching, especially Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard and since the team has a few ex-Tigers like Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes, I like to claim that team as “my NL team” of choice. The other team I enjoy watching is the Houston Astros, mostly because I love that I’m taller than Jose Altuve – who does make some amazing plays at second. Carlos Correa has been a joy to follow, too.  

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And, since I’m a female, I thoroughly enjoy watching Mike Trout. The Angels play in Detroit on my son’s birthday, so he and I will be in attendance August 26 for his (and my) present.

I can also watch the Oakland A’s, especially if Sonny Gray is pitching. Even though I have difficulty keeping track of who is on the team at any given moment, I will watch them.

The Chicago Cubs is a team that I respect, but I only watch them to see what Joe Madd0n does. I have difficulty rooting for any team from Chicago simply because the teams are so close to Detroit and so many people who live in West Michigan claim loyalty to the Cubs over the Tigers.

Next: The Bullpen is Just Fine

Now that I’ve revealed my deep, dark secrets about my part-time teams, who do you cheer for when you aren’t watching the Detroit Tigers? Please share in the comments below. I’d love to see reasons, too.