Detroit Tigers: Mission Accomplished

Okay, so maybe the headline is a tad extreme.

There's still plenty of baseball left to play this year, but I can't shake the feeling that the Tigers did accomplish something great this weekend—even with one game still to play.

This series was billed as a big one—the biggest of the season to date. The White Sox were fresh off of Mark Buehrle's perfect game and seemed to be streaking just as hard as the Tigers were slumping.

The South Siders planned on strolling into Comerica Park, shutting down the Tigers seemingly weak lineup, and sneaking back out with the division lead. They must have forgotten the age-old parable:

"In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessionsunless he  first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house." (Mark 3:27, NIV)

Comerica Park is still a place of strength for the Olde English D and, though the White Sox tried, they couldn't quite tie up the Tiger's lineup.

I honestly didn't think the Tigers had it in them going into the weekend; they surprised me by sporting a brand of ball that I hadn't seen out of them in some time.

Friday afternoon saw the Tigers play small ball. There was a sacrifice fly, stolen bases, and even a squeeze play. I didn't recognize that team.

Friday night and Saturday saw that Tigers claw back into the game after surrendering the lead.

They finally hit (and walked) in the clutch.

Speaking of clutch hitting, Carlos Guillen has made his presence known so far this weekend. He's hit .417 with a home run and three runs batted in three games since returning from injury.

We're all hoping Carlos can be that consistent bat that our beloved Tigers have been missing all season.

I know there's still a long way to go but the Tiger's needed this series win—I needed this series win.

It may seem premature to you, but I'll say it again: mission accomplished.

Now I think I know how President Bush must have felt.

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON Tigers 2-Knight