Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

8-31-89 . . . This is a season that Detroit Tiger fans like me would just as soon forget. The Tigers lost their eleventh consecutive game this evening, dropping their season record to 47-88. Nothing seems to be going right for them. They’ve had injuries to key players (Jack Morris, Jeff Robinson, Alan Trammell, and Gary Pettis); their pitching has faltered at crucial times; and the hitting has been atrocious. The team is last or next to last in both team hitting and team earned-run average. I wish I could say that I’ve taken the team’s stumble in stride, but I haven’t. There are days when I laugh as the scores are announced on television. I expect the Tigers to lose; the only question is to whom and by how much. How will they lose tomorrow’s game? The only consolation is that things cannot get worse. In fact, I look upon this season as a cleansing experience. Just five years ago, in 1984, the Tigers were on top of the world. They began the season with thirty-five victories in their first forty games and never looked back. The post-season was a breeze. Five years later, the team is the pits. Perhaps it’s a five-year cycle, in which case things will get better. One thing is clear: Things can’t get any worse.