A little over three years ago, my wife (who was then my fiance) surprised me with an Independence Day weekend trip to Boston which included catching the Tigers play at Fenway Park. Ted Williams passed away the night we were travelling to Boston, so that was the major story while we were there. I was also set to see a matchup of the two Tiger aces go head to head as Pedro Martinez and Jeff Weaver were supposed to throw. Weaver ended up being traded that night so I ended up seeing instead a rookie Mike Maroth go up against the Red Sox.

Regardless, the trip holds a special place in my heart. Since then we’ve gone to New York, Toronto and Cincinnati, but that first trip was special because it was the first. So anytime the Tigers travel to Fenway, I have fond memories of that weekend.

The Tigers struggled for the first time in a while this week against the A’s as they dropped their series. At this point, I think .500 is an admirable goal, but whether they finish above or below that figure doesn’t mean much to me. It’s time to check and see what we might have in waiting this last month of the season. I would’tn mind seeing a few fall starts by Justin Verlander or Joel Zumaya (although Zumaya is most likely going to be in the AAA playoffs). In addition, there’s plenty of tight playoff races so this last month should be a good one for baseball fans.

I picked up Matthew Reilly’s latest book “Scarecrow.” If you like action, I highly recommend Reilly. He makes most of the action books seem pale by comparison and if you want to start, you should probably read “Ice Limit” or “Temple” first. Great stuff. He has action scenes that go on for upwards of 50 pages and it’s pretty intense reading.

Have a great weekend.

Permalink | Posted in 2005 Tigers