June 21, 2012
Tiger Conflicted
I’m suffering from a malady that’s threatening my peaceful summer existence. I am Detroit Tiger Conflicted.
For those of you unfamiliar with “Who’s Your Tiger?” it’s a marketing ploy that’s recycled whenever the current marketing strategy bombs or gets old. It’s successful with fans that take the team very seriously, the game slightly seriously (or not), and young children. I’m under the impression that those Tiger fans who are die-hard baseball enthusiasts feel that such a slogan is only worthy of the proletariat.
There are as many ways to choose a Tiger as there are Tigers. I’ll venture to say that some fans take the easy way out and choose the superstar that’s currently winning the media popularity contest. Others use stats, and still others have a Tiger chosen for them because they get a jersey with a name on it for their birthday. They’re stuck.
Happy Birthday
I’d like to say I choose my Tiger by logic or statistics. But I will maintain my integrity and admit I choose my Tiger based on emotions and/or hormones. I’m not proud of that, but it’s a fact of my life I’ve learned to accept. I’ve had two Tigers in my life (although Mark “The Bird” Fidrych will always hold a special place in my heart). Nate Robertson was the first (cut me some slack.) He became my Tiger in 2006 but I was loyal to him until the bitter end, (those of you whose Tiger was Brandon Inge can understand).
I tried to use a form of hormonal logic when I chose a Tiger after Nate left. I’ve chronicled my journey here if you’re interested in the sordid details. If not, suffice it to say Brennan Boesch became my new Tiger in his rookie year. And he still is my Tiger. I think.
This season I started noticing Alex Avila because he reminded me of someone. I finally realized he reminded me a cute Shih Tzu. This isn’t a slam against his manliness. Any man that can start the game clean shaven and have picture-perfect scruff by the ninth inning has no need to defend his masculinity.
Am I the only one who sees a resemblance?
I didn’t realize how dangerous the situation had become until Alex was put on the Disabled List (DL in baseball speak. I know a few things) and I missed him a lot. I started feeling guilty when Brennan came to bat and I wasn’t very interested. And I began to whine, “When is Alex Avila coming back?” (nothing against Gerald Laird). As I listened to the familiar buzz of my whining, I realized that I was indeed Tiger Conflicted.
I am a very loyal fan (as the Nate Robertson incident proves), and I will never throw Brennan Boesch under the bus.
But I am ecstatic that Alex Avila will be back in the game tonight.
Look what I found! Maybe for my birthday…
Disclaimer: There may be an ad/video visible below or above. I’m not sure because they are invisible from my account, but I know they appear to my readers with annoying frequency. I do not receive monetary compensation for the ad nor do I endorse it.
Abby said,
June 21, 2012 at 2:58 PM
As you know, I’m a HUGE fan. (I actually have a post going up about my grandma’s 90th birthday party–Tiger themed.) Granderson was always my Tiger, and then I moved to Cabrera. I have to admit that Avila is also a good choice, and lately Berry is completely endearing himself to me.
So as you can tell, there’s no “one” Tiger for me at this point. I waver
Dawne Webber said,
June 21, 2012 at 6:09 PM
You can just have them all. Then there’s no heartbreak when they get traded.
Happy Birthday to Grandma.
Dave said,
June 21, 2012 at 6:04 PM
If I can’t find the shoes in your size can I substitute this? http://www.fansedge.com/Detroit-Tigers-2011-Womens-Navy-String-Bikini-_1140681679_PD.html
Dawne Webber said,
June 21, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Sorry, they no longer carry that item. Looks like I’ll be getting the shoes.
Then I’ll be as tall as you.
larry528 said,
June 25, 2012 at 1:11 PM
Being a life long yankee fan, I mean, I was born nearly in the Bronx, OK, Queens, and since that is actually closer to where the Mets play, but hey, I was born some 20 plus years before the Mets even began baseball. But anyway, I have always been a Yankee fan, and I sense your feelings, SomeYankees have always been yankees, some are made into yankees. Granderson was made into a yankee, as was A-rod, Clemons, Switzer, and a host of others but Jeter was always a yankee just like Pettitte, even though he left for a spell, he came back. So I have a few favs, for me it started with Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. I would remember older players on other teams that gave the yankees fit, Al kaline was one. When you collected baseball cards before they became a hobby for collectors, but as a kid, after you chewed the bubble gum, you would trade cards of other teams players with other kids, but growing up in NY, it was hard to make a good trade since everyone was a yankee fan except for a few odd kids that came from other areas and still liked their old team, so a trade might be 10 Al Kaline plus 5 Rocky Colaveto for one Elston Howard. Yeah, that was bad.
Nice shoes, do they have them in pumps?
Dawne Webber said,
June 25, 2012 at 1:32 PM
We’ve learned that not many Tigers are always Tigers. That was actually one of their slogans (Always A Tiger), but they went back to “Who’s You’re Tiger”.
Granderson is a tough one for us. He had lots of fans here.
As for the shoes, those are pumps. Extremely high pumps. I put them on my facebook page and they caused quite a commotion.
countingducks said,
July 20, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Of course this is all slightly beyond me not bein from the USA but I could go at some lenght about my “Star from Afar” programme which has been going on like forever. It follows a similar pattern.
Dawne Webber said,
July 20, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Sounds very interesting. Is it for stars in the sky or people stars?
Who are yours?
countingducks said,
July 21, 2012 at 3:33 AM
Its film stars. I’ve had a star from afar since I first saw a screen, and many have been dropped without compunctionso I can worship the next star. Its been amusing though I don’t really bother with it now.