MINNEAPOLIS - Wouldn't you know it? The three-city trip would
have to begin here. It couldn't get started in Texas, where the
Tigers won their games last year. That's right, all their games.
They were 6-0 at Arlington Stadium last season.
It also couldn't start in Kansas City, where the Tigers and Royals split six games. Alan Trammell doesn't have pleasant memories of Royals Stadium; that's where he broke his ankle while running to first on May 15, but there were no other ultra-sour memories.
No, it would have to begin at the Metrodome, where the Tigers were 2-4 last year, where they allowed 17 runs in the first game of their first visit last year, and where their favorite moments usually come when they walk out the loading-dock door, onto the bus--and head straight to the airport out of town.
Chew on this for awhile. The Twins are 17-7 against the Tigers since 1991, including 9-3 in the Metrodome. "It's a good test for us," said Mike Henneman. "We're not afraid to go in there. We feel good about ourselves as a team." Manager Sparky Anderson doesn't deny that, but don't be surprised if he stops somewhat short of predicting a three-game sweep. "I imagine the Twins haven't changed," he said. "There aren't many teams that pound the ball like they do. We don't always leave town feeling too good."
After winning seven of eight at home, however, maybe it's the right time for the Tigers to take on the Twins. "I think it's clear we're playing with more confidence," said Rob Deer. In any case, the Tigers are stuck with their schedule. They don't get a warm-up for the dreaded Metrodome. The trip is Minnesota, Kansas City, and Texas--not the other way around. In a season that's already been different, though, maybe this visit will be, too.