I wish Detroit had gone farther,
not so quickly emptied their larder
.     but I feel I’m in luck
.     to not hear Joe Buck
and double that for Colonel McCarver.

The third was both end and beginning,
It determined the losing and winning
.     For the Tigers, the plane
.     To the Rangers, champagne
All it took was one Texas-sized inning.

Tonight, if the weather stays dry,
the Tigers will give it a try
.     In duct tape they’re bandaged,
.     yet somehow they’ve managed
to fight to game 6, do or die.

Beltre thought it a routine DP,
As simple as, well, 6 – 4 – 3,
.     But third base interrupted
.     And the Tigers erupted
And are still fighting for the ALC

Driven Hard, Still Eats Up The Road

Son, take a look at this year’s Verlander,
This model’s sure worth a gander.
.     With the mileage he’s racked up
.     He still hasn’t cracked up
And his aim down the road never wanders.

No raining; no pouring.
In Motown they’re roaring.
.    The Tigers saw red
.    and knocked ‘em dead,
They’re returning to Texas this morning.

The defense of Texas was tight
From the catcher, and later from right
.     From third to the plate
.     was a distance too great
and Cabrera was out like a light

Man of the Eleventh Hour

Jim Leland put Beltre on first
Of the options that proved to be worst
.     The dreamed double-play
.     was singled away
And by Nelson, Detroit was submersed

For Rangers, the game ended happily
with thanks to their catcher Mike Napoli
.     There won’t be no crown
.     to wear in MoTown
if Tigers don’t stop playing crappily

Martinez had banged up his frame
And Beltre was dinged, almost lame
.    Two pros that were sore
.    both chose to ignore
the pain for the sake of the game

 The Mo-Men of the Moment

In Detroit there is reason to shout
Their boys this post season are stout
.    They might not be pretty
.    but these Tigers are gritty
They’re poised and they’re toughin’ it out

Like a monkey on a hurdy-gurdy
Jumps Papa Grande Valverde

As jumbled as a keyboard QWERTY
He gets batters to watch the birdie,
Then with control most absurd, he
Blows it by them, nice and purty.

His yellow glasses somewhat nerdy
Don’t match a gut profound and sturdy.
In interviews he’s somewhat wordy
(Though certainly no Krishnamurti)

Will his total saves reach twice 30?
Will the Motown squad get down and dirty?
With fickle hist’ry flirts he,
Our fireman Jose Valverde.

The hard-stuff was raining in Texas
Said the Tigers, “Their fastballs just wrecked us.”
.    Both bullpens were great
.    but Feliz got three straight:
His pitching was all about Xs

Cruz Control

The trouble with loading the bases
is for runners you’ve run out of places
.    And go extra innings
.    your woe’s just beginning,
’cause brother, you’ve run out of aces

A walk or a homer — you choose
A ball or a strike — they both lose
.    The bases are loaded,
.    your bullpen’s eroded,
and tall at the plate: Nelson Cruz