The Time of What Ifs

It’s the best time of the year for the baseball fan. Every team has an equal chance during the Spring, and every fan is convinced their team will make it to the World Series this year!

In reality it is a time of “what ifs” and your teams chances will depend on how many of those “what ifs” get fulfilled. It is a much needed break from the “what ifs” that ended the season too soon for most baseball fans the previous year.

As a Tigers fan I have more “what ifs” than I can possibly describe to you. My one looming question from last season is “What if the Tigers won that all-important 163^rd tie-breaking game versus the Minnesota Twins?” I have to believe the Tigers would have faired better than the Twins. That very nearly happened. “What if the missed hit-by-pitch call to Brandon Inge was called forcing in the tying run?” Wow.

But the past is in the past. This year my “what ifs” go something like this: “What if Justin Verlander wins that elusive 20^th game and is in serious contention for the Cy Young?” “What if Magglio Ordonez has another monster year like he did in 2007?” “What if Jeremy Bonderman and Joel Zumaya come back completely healthy this year?” In the back of my mind there are lingering doubt “what ifs” such as “What if the Tigers did not trade everyone in Detroit’s favorite player, Curtis Granderson?” “What if Johnny Damon only produces a minimal amount of runs?”