Here's a list of players we'll be inviting to camp

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So here we are, February 6, 2018.  I’m in Columbus, OH, as usual, where we are expecting 1-3” of snow mixed with some sleet tonight.  One week from today, however, in Lakeland, FL, the forecast shows 84 degrees and the Detroit Tigers’ pitchers and catchers will be reporting for Spring Training.  Spring is the time of renewed hope when you’re a Tigers fan, a time when I can wipe away the sorrows that linger from the torturous experience I left behind in 2017, and every other year of my life as a baseball fan for that matter.  Is this the year the Tigers finally bring home the hardware?  I have no tenable prognosis for this club that suggests it will be.  It doesn’t really matter though, because the journey of Father & Son navigating the undulation of emotions in a single baseball season supersedes the significance of wins and losses.  This is a year in the life of two eternally linked Tigers fanatics.

  
I’m not quite sure how Dad met former Major League pitcher Ed Whitson in the first place.  My father sells windows and has been in a lot of homes over the past decade or so.  Although the in-home sales role was something he picked up very late in his career, it’s perfect for his personality.  Dad is one of those guys who is comfortable talking to just about anyone.  He’s astute at reading people, and as such, he often walks into random watering holes, observes for a short period, and strikes up a conversation with someone.  Maybe he’ll overhear a tidbit from a conversation, or just notice something about someone’s hat or shirt that intrigues him.  If all else fails, he’ll just start asking questions until he figures out the direction he wants to take the dialogue.  So whether it’s a work appointment or just a random encounter at a sports bar, I’m never surprised when Dad says he’s met someone interesting. 

I can’t even count the number of times Dad has started off a conversation with me like this: “I was in a house the other day…”.  A few years back, Dad decided that learning how to play the drums was something he had always wanted to do.  So he bought a drum set and started trying to play along with some of his favorite music.  It wasn’t long before I heard, “I was in a house the other day and the guy is a professional drummer.”  Sure enough, the prospective customer had taken my father into his music room and showed him his collection of percussion instruments.  They bullshitted, the guy gave my Dad a few vague tips on learning the drums, and offered to let him have a seat at one of his ensembles to play a little bit.  I guess this is how he sells so many windows.  Personalize the experience, build rapport, be likable.  “Will you be paying with cash or check today?”

Based on that text exchange from yesterday, I guess it’s on me to figure out what the Tigers’ outlook is for the 2018 season.  If we look at Vegas betting odds alone, I’d say the outlook is somewhere between poor and dismal.  Sportsbook has the Tigers at +50000 to win the World Series, tied with the Royals and Marlins for worst odds in baseball.  That means a successful $100 wager on the Tigers to win it all pays out $50,000.  It also means that anyone who places a $100 wager on the Tigers to win it all needs his head examined.  Apparently losing Justin Verlander, JD Martinez, Ian Kinsler, and Justin Upton is going to be a problem.  Okay.  Noted.  Need I go on?

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