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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: twmoore who wrote (83018)	10/15/2006 2:45:34 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 361439

Tigers can party like it's 1984 ___________________________________________________________ By Brian Vanochten Columnist The Grand Rapids Press Sunday, October 15, 2006 DETROIT -- In-cred-i-ble! It took just one unforgettable swing of the bat from right fielder Magglio Ordonez with two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night to propel the Detroit Tigers into the World Series. Go ahead. Scream and shout. It's time for baseball fans throughout the state to party like it's 1984. The Tigers are returning to the Fall Classic for the first time since triumphing with the "Bless You, Boys!" gang of Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Jack Morris, Milt Wilcox, Tom Brookens, Larry Herndon and Willie Hernandez. The names and faces are different. The immense feeling of pride is the same for the long-suffering franchise and its passionate fans who celebrated together at Comerica Park after defeating the Oakland Athletics, 6-3, to complete a four-game sweep in the American League Championship Series. The sellout crowd of 42,967 at Comerica Park stood and roared long after Ordonez's walk-off, three-run homer shattered the nervous tension that had been mounting while the score remained tied during the late innings of the contest. A new generation of Tiger heroes has emerged. The team sent a shiver up our spines in the ninth inning like nothing we've ever felt, seen or heard before. The first indication that it might come to a glorious end in the final at-bat was produced by center fielder Curtis Granderson, who, despite making an out, smashed a line drive that looked like a sure triple but somehow found its way into the glove of A's right fielder Milton Bradley. Two outs. But that's when the magic happened. Left fielder Craig Monroe rifled a single to center off A's closer Huston Street, giving the fans renewed hope. It intensified when second baseman Placido Polanco, who earned ALCS MVP honors, followed with a sharp single to right field. In an instant, the atmosphere inside the park turned electric. Up stepped Ordonez. The team's cleanup batter and leading run producer with 104 RBIs during the regular season took the first pitch from Street for a ball. He got a fastball from Street on the next pitch, lunged at it and then stood there at the plate for a long while, posing as it disappeared deep into the seats in the left-field bleachers. It was the slugger's second home run of the contest. He'd also hit a solo shot leading off the sixth inning to tie the score, setting the stage for the Tigers to complete a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in Game 4. His second blast made the modern ballpark shake. It felt like a major earthquake had begun rippling through Detroit at 7:54 p.m. Eastern time. It was just the spontaneous eruption of the delirious fans as they watched Monroe, Polanco and finally Ordonez touch the plate. Long gone. "We know the kind of hitter Magglio is," Polanco said. "It was just a matter of time before he hit one hard, and he hit two today. The last one was just to win the game. He couldn't have hit it at a better moment." "I felt very, very happy for Magglio." It completed a spectacular four-game sweep of the A's. It stretched the Tigers' postseason winning streak to seven games, making them just the 10th team to sweep the ALCS and first to do it since the A's swept past the Boston Red Sox in 1990 to clinch a spot in the Fall Classic. The Tigers will make their 10th World Series appearance. It's a special moment for the 32-year-old Ordonez, who left the Chicago White Sox following the 2004 season and missed out on sharing a championship with them last season. His ninth-inning homer against the A's gives him a chance to create everlasting championship memories of his own with the Tigers. Go ahead. Keep screaming and shouting. The roar of this proud franchise has been restored. The Tigers are returning to the World Series for the first time in a generation, so it's time to party again like it's 1984.