“I told them I’d do it, but I really don’t want to,” Harwell said. “It’s nice and I understand it and you really can’t turn them down. I just hope they keep it to a minimum. I always thought the game belongs to the fans and not to the announcer. I’m just here to report the game.”
Mr. Harwell, I appreciate your humbleness but I have to respectfully disagree with you when you say, “I’m just here to report the game.” What you fail to realize is that for many fans, you are part of the game. You’ve transcended being an announcer simply reporting the facts. For many fans in Detroit, and the surrounding states (at least while WJR carried the games) you helped to define what baseball is. You embody everything that is good about baseball. You’ve given us first hand accounts of the best that baseball has to offer. So Mr. Harwell, if the game belongs to the fans, then let the fans celebrate everything you’ve done for the game and let them say Thank You.
Jose Lima: “I think we have a chance because to me, the Central Division is wide open. It’s not like it used to be before. I’m glad when people pick us last, though. That’s OK. I like surprises. I think we’re going to scare some people.”
Lima’s absolutely correct in saying the Central is wide open. I think that Minnesota should win the division, but beyond that it is anyone’s guess. The mediocrity of the Central should give all Tiger fans some hope – especially with the unbalanced schedule.
Lineup notes: Mike Rivera gets the start and catcher tonight, and Jacob Cruz will be starting in place of Robert Fick in right field. If Robert can play, he’ll DH tonight, otherwise Mitch Meluskey will play.
Barring a stiff summer-long breeze to left field, the Tigers won’t have a 40-homer slugger at Comerica Park, though a 100 RBI man would be welcome. Instead of star power, Detroit’s strength comes in numbers from a lineup stacked with hitters who can drive the ball into the gaps and punish pitchers in clutch situations.
Well, lets hope they can.
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