Tigers - Baseball's First Post Steroid Champion ?

Interesting watching Tigers success built on strong pitching in a big ball park. It seems like baseball from another era where most hitters only had warning track power.

Anyone else share my theory on Tigers success?

 

Well, Tigers were third in the AL in HRs and fifth in runs scored. A league-leading ERA doesn't hurt, though, no matter what ballpark it's in! And Tigers actually had a better road record than home record.

 

I would argue that most champions are built on strong pitching, so the Tigers would be no different than past World Series champions/league champions in that aspect.

 

I'm sure someone will trash me for speculating without any proof, but it's been pointed out that Kenny Rogers seems to have added a little more pop to his fastball, which is unusual for a guy his age. I wouldn't dub anybody a post-steroid champion because I don't think we're post-steroids.

 

What he said. It's like when people said Ryan Howard could be the post-steroids home run record holder when he made that push toward 61. How do we know? How do we not know?

 

Speaking of Tigers and steroids, how small has Pudge gotten lately?









It's tough to find pictures that illustrate it well, but he is MUCH smaller right now than he was in say, 2003.

 

He's gone from muscular to John Leguziamo

 

Funny the first two things I thought of when I saw this thread was, well, Pudge might be off the roids but what the fuck is Kenny Rogers on the past couple of weeks?

 

No way - first thing you thought was Boom's an idiot. Then you thought about Rogers and Pudge.

 

i-roid smaller? what? i don't believe it!

 

I thought by now that first thought went without saying... ;D

 

Pudge is half the man he used to be. I was stunned how much smaller he was last year.