The "Untouchables"

Ha! There are no untouchables, naive little Tiger fans. That much should be clear to you now. Do Dave Dombrowski's words "This is not a fire sale" sound too much like "No new taxes" and "I did not have sex with that woman"? Words that are famously proven wrong at a later date, and never did ring true? Words spoken to pacify for a fleeting moment before the ugly reality is plastered all over, and the angry mob comes with fiery torches reflected in their eyes to....Ooops, sorry about that, I may have gotten a wee bit carried away there.

Actually, I'm trying to trust that DD means what he says here. My brain understands why the Tigers are doing what they're doing. We have a lot of bad contracts. I get it. The Michigan economy hasn't hit bottom yet. I GET IT. We didn't make the playoffs. IIIIIII GEEEEEEET IT!

A little lower down, my heart doesn't want to get it. I admit that I get attached to my Tigers. I want to keep them and hoard them. I don't want to see them playing for other clubs. I'd die a little inside every time I saw Curtis Granderson wearing pinstripes. Seriously.

Even further south, my gut has been sucker-punched, and is still reeling in a queasy, unsettled way. This is not how the Hot Stove was supposed to heat up. Couldn't we just ease into things by resigning one of our free agents or something? Sigh.

I heard some talk radio guys self-righteously saying that this should have been expected. It's the "Magglio tax," they say. We let his contract vest, and now we pay the price. Their bleak view conjures up images of decrepit, has-been veterans paired with unproven, wide-eyed prospects, in a most ineffectual mix. Fans were then asked whether they'd go to Tiger games next year if there is a "fire sale." For me, I'll be there in fair weather or foul. Bring your rain jacket. We could be in for the perfect storm.