T-shirt #203 - Detroit Tigers Baseball Club - Orange

T-shirt #203 - Detroit Tigers Baseball Club - Orange

Expectations are the root of many problems with relationships. I know many of you already know about this problem. But I believe that thinking over this territory is always a useful exercise.

I spend a lot of time examining my expectations. Often, when I have a reaction to something, no matter where it falls on the positive-negative spectrum, I examine my expectations as I analyze my reaction. If I am having a negative feeling, then was this reaction produced because my expectations were not met? But even if I have a positive reaction, I wonder about expectations. Were my expectations fulfilled? How can I have these expectations fulfilled again in the same way so as to produce the same positive feeling?

Given the way the world is full of disappointments, I try to temper my expectations when it comes to things like sports. Setting my expectations too high can set the stage for misery, as I suffered with the Tigers last year or as I suffered with the Pistons in 2005. After many sleepless nights in 2005 as the Pistons lost Game Seven of the NBA Finals, I swore not to take sports so seriously, and so far, I sleep even if the Tigers lose.

Expectations for the Detroit Tigers this year were far too high. After last year's run to the World Series and the team's crushing defeat, the only reasonable expectation according to most people for this year would be to return to the World Series and win it all. But winning the World Series is not an easy task. Winning any sporting championship is a special and difficult accomplishment. Winning the World Series is surely no more difficult than NBA or NHL finals or even the Super Bowl, but it's no easier either.

Though the Detroit Tigers did not quite dominate their division and the entire American League as many expected they would give their talent level, they did lead the AL Central for most of the season, though hardly by a wide margin. They clinched the AL title much later than most other teams in other divisions. Though they flirted with reaching the best record in the AL, they were outplayed by the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, but not by a lot. The Red Sox won 97 games and the Athletics won 96 games compared to the 93 games won by the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox scored more runs than the Tigers in the 2013 regular season (853-796), hit more home runs (178-176), had a higher on base percentage (.349-.346). The Tigers led in hits (1625-1566). But even with Boston leading several offensive categories, the Tigers were very close in two of the categories I listed. The Athletics were hardly offensively dominant. Tigers hit the ball way more often (1625-1403), scored more runs (796-767), and were on base more often (.346-.327). However, surprisingly, the Athletics hit more home runs (186-176) and hit more doubles (301-292).

Though the Tigers dominated the majors in strikeouts (1428 with the Indians as the closest second with 1379), the Athletics were better in pitching with ERA (3.56-3.61), Walks allowed (428-462), Hits allowed (1339-1369), and WHIP (1.22-1.25). Still the statistical variance on some of those categories is very small. The Athletics may have led in ERA and WHIP but not by very much. And given that the Athletics got to play Houston more often than the Tigers did, it's no surprise that they won three more games.

Oakland has an edge in the season record 3-4 and now with the post-season added 5-6. Oakland was 52-29 at home this year compared to the Tigers road record of 42-39.

Once again, like last year, the Tigers are playing a Game Five in Oakland to win the ALDS or go home. Just like last year, Justin Verlander takes the mound. There has been plenty of chatter about how JV has not been as dominant this year as in past years, but he ranks sixteenth in the AL in ERA with only one single Athletic starter above him (Colon). He's fourth in Strikeouts. And he dominated the Athletics in Game Two, a game the Tigers should have won. Hardly a disappointing season. And yet, some people's expectations for JV are so far out of whack that there's been disappointment in his season so far.

Likewise, The expectations for the Tigers have been out of whack. World Series or bust? Even if the Tigers lose tonight, they had a very successful season and have the pieces in place to make another run next year. The Tigers are taking their best shot tonight. I do not love the anxiety produced by win or go home games. But I must admit that the games are incredibly thrilling, especially if the Tigers win as they did in spectacular fashion Tuesday, with a home run by another player for whom expectations were a bit out of whack, Victor Martinez, but who turned it up a notch in the second half the season and finished strong.

As for expectations, people need to examine the situation. Baseball is not like marriage in which another person can be relied upon to act a certain way, to treat his/her partner a certain way. Baseball is not even like a job in which interpersonal communications skills and teamwork strategies dictate how well work is accomplished. Baseball is a dynamic system full of chaos and chance, affected by luck and superstition. It's never been a sure thing that the Tigers will win, and being too sure of a win is a certain way to jinx it.

Let's all take a deep breath, temper our expectations, and then cheer like HELL.

I am making no predictions and delivering no trash talk about tonight's game. I want to see a Tigers win, obviously. But it will be what it will be.

GO TIGERS!!

- chris tower - 1310.10 - 8:41

T-shirt #202 - Pajamas: Tigers: Road to the Show

T-shirt #202 - Pajamas: Tigers: Road to the Show

Returned home late last night from the long trek that took us to Hawaii, Oahu, and Portland. The drive from Chicago was a bit trying. Remind me never to return on a plane at rush hour.

However, though I needed sleep, I did keep track of the Tigers game as we returned to Michigan.

Please note the Tigers shorts that function as pajama bottoms with the Tigers T-shirt that functions as a pajama top in the picture on the right.

Not much content today as we madly scramble to unpack, work, and acclimate to home and regular life after our trip.

I do have a few thoughts on yesterday's Tigers game.

Thankfully, they managed to get the win because it would have been an enormous let down for the Athletics to win the series in Detroit.

The ESPN highlights focused mainly on Scherzer who came on in relief of Doug Fister, and after loading the bases, pitched out of the jam, striking out two batters on ridiculous pitches. I loved Leyland's choice here. With the game and the series on the line, he brings in his best pitcher. Saving Scherzer for Game Five does no good if the Tigers had lost Game Four, they would have lost the series.

As for Doug Fister, ESPN focused so much on Scherzer that Fister's performance was overlooked. Fister only gave up seven hits and one walk in six strong innings. If one of those hits had not been a home run to Jed Lowrie in the 5th, the score may have been 1-0.

Martinez's home run was a home run. Of course, Josh Reddick wants the interference call and feels he would have caught the ball. But VMart's homer cleared the fence. It was a homer. It was clutch.

Austin Jackson's broken bat single is one of the biggest plays of the series.

The Tigers should have won game two. Verlander was masterful. To lose in the bottom of ninth, by one run, was very disappointing. Now Verlander takes the hill again for Game Five in Oakland. It's going to be a great game. I have another Tigers shirt lined up for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

- chris tower - 1310.09 - 11:33

T-shirt #201 - Thing One and Thing Two

T-shirt #201  - Thing One and Thing Two

Flying home today, so not much content.


MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This shirt was a gift from my sister, who knows how much I love Dr. Seuss given our shared childhood experiences.

- chris tower - for 1310.08 - pre-written and scheduled.

T-shirt #200 - Crieff

T-shirt #200 - Crieff

Happy birthday to my mother, who turns 77 years old today.

We have flown from Hawaii to the Portland area to stay with Liesel's step-father and his wife in their lovely home.

Short today because so much to do. We return home soon when I will resume normal bloggery operations.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - My mother's ancestors came from Crieff, Scotland, also known as the Gateway to the Highlands. I have been to Crieff (back in 1986). Scotland may be the next trip I take with Liesel. For now, this is a good way to honor my mother on her birthday. I love you, Mom.

Description text from one site: "Crieff is a lovely holiday town in the heart of Perthshire with a good range of restaurants, banks and shops including 2 supermarkets, 3 art galleries and a good deli. Due to its central location, Crieff is a great base to explore central Scotland with its many tourist attractions including Drummond Castle Gardens, Famous Grouse Experience, Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument, etc.
Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow are all within easy reach. 
Outdoor pursuits include great walking, golf (golf clubs in flat), fishing, riding, canoeing and cycling."

- chris tower - 1310.07 - 11:53 (8:53 pacific)

T-shirt #199 - People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo

T-shirt #199 - People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo
or
Adventures in Hawaiian Food

Aloha! I packed my white (cream) People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo shirt not just because I had not featured it yet on the blog but also because I wanted to represent. I knew that Hawaii was big on "local" food, though in Hawaii this means something a little different. Local food is a mix of traditional Hawaiian fare, such as poi, and food influenced by the U.S. military presence, such as Spam Musubi.

I was impressed with the numbers of signs I saw for buying local and buying organic in Hawaii, and the daily farmer's market in Hilo is a wonderful foody paradise. So I wore my PFC of Kalamazoo shirt in Hawaii on a number of occasions to "represent" my allegiance to these same beliefs of buying local, buying organic, eating healthy food, and so on.

The picture above failed somehow, so you cannot see the bowl of poi that I am about to try for the first time, which I did drown in sugar. Not my favorite taste, the taro, but not terrible. I do like the leaves wrapping what Hawaiians call Laulua pork, which is delicious pork wrapped in taro leaves.

Today I share a few adventures in food on Hawaii, the big island.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - My second People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo shirt. I featured the first one way back in T-shirt #9.

Our beers at the Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano
1309.29

Me with the PFC shirt
about to try "local" food
Mac salad - Lava Rock Cafe
1309.29

Back at the Lava Rock Cafe
the morning of 1310.01
Trying my first Loco Moco

Loco Moco is a local breakfast food. It's a mound of rice, either white, brown, or fried, mixed with diced sausage and bacon, topped with a large hamburger patty, further topped with fried eggs and drowned in brown gravy. Picture above is a close up of Loco Moco with fried rice. The picture below shows the Loco Moco with a side of Portugese Sausage, a special kind of local sausage due to the large numbers of Portugese people in Hawaii.

Dinner from 1310.01: Laulau in the foreground, poi up and left, Kalua Pig up and right,
poke farther up and right
Pipi Kaula far up and left

Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano
on the big island of Hawaii

The Kilauea General Store
the covered walkways so common
in Hawaii

Kilauea quilting and gift shop
Next to Lava Rock Cafe and Kilauea General Store

Kilauea Lodge breakfast 1310.04

Dinner for our anniversary at Kilauea Lodge 1310.03
meatloaf "revisited" with mashed potatoes,
red cabbage, and greens

Dinner for our anniversary at Kilauea Lodge 1310.03
place setting and menu

Sunset on Mauna Kea 1310.02

- chris tower - for 1310.06 - 19:33 (4:33 Pacific, we're in Oregon)

T-shirt #198 - Ultimate Regionals 1998

T-shirt #198 - Ultimate Regionals 1998

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This is a shirt from the 1998 Regionals competition that I attended with an open team from Kalamazoo. I have forgotten the name of our team. It may be on the back of the shirt, but I am in Hawaii and did not bring the shirt, so I only have the photo to go on, and I cannot zoom it enough to find our team name. I can't even remember how I managed to get to Regionals with a team. Usually teams I played with did not win tournaments. I do remember attending this tournament, which was held in Naperville. This was before the formation of our masters team Grey Area and then later Senior Discount. I remember we had a new guy on the team who went by the nickname "Ringo," but whose real name I do not remember.  I liked him. He was cool. This may have also been the first time I went to Regionals. I think we qualified through default. The top team in our section, Big Ass Truck, won the Sectionals Tournament. Our team won our bid to Regionals because no one else from our section wanted to go or could go.

And lastly, some pictures from Hawaii...

I am fascinated by the trees here in Hawaii.
I found this one at the Arnott's Lodge
where we gathered for our tour of
Mauna Kea on 1310.02

Also at Arnott's - this is not a gecko, apparently,
but it's a similar species.

Lava in the 1843 Lava flow, along high way 200
at Pu'u Huluhulu.
Lava is classified into two main types by Hawaiians:
' a'a and pahoehoe.
This is pahoehoe , the pudding lava.

One of the observatories on Mauna Kea
sunset 13010.02

Mauna Kea
sunset 13010.02

- chris tower - for 1310.05 - pre-written and scheduled.

T-shirt #197 - CWIS face

T-shirt #197 - CWIS face

Just a few pictures and captions today following the obligatory text. Last full day in Hawaii. More to come. Stay tuned.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This shirt is one I made during my days doing Creative Writers in the Schools (as mentioned in T-shirt #162 and T-shirt #105). I cannot remember the exact school where I made this shirt or what smart person with whom I was working showed me (and the kids) how to make it. I wore it a few times, and then it was relegated to the back of my closet.

Here's a few Hawaii pics. More trip report to come.

Where we are staying: the Ribbentrop front porch

Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Hawaii

Cool sign in wood working shop

Keck Observatory, summit of Mauna Kea
14000 feet, sunset, 1310.02

at the summit of Mauna Kea
14000 feet, sunset, 1310.02

- chris tower - for 1310.04 - pre-written and scheduled.