@BenVerlander It was definitely a special day! I was fortunate enough to be there to watch him take the mound one last time at Comerica. He didn’t disappoint and watching your niece come out to take him off the field, wow….had us all crying.
@GregMonahan We were fortunate enough to be at the game yesterday and it was the perfect ending to a HOF career! I know it wasn’t the season he or any of us had hoped for, but what a legacy.
My 13yo daughter has a question: After a big win, other than Gatorade, what would be the next best thing to dump over someone’s head? #Raindelayquestions@daniellabruce_
In 2008, I walked into a Detroit Tigers clubhouse loaded with talent.
Miguel Cabrera.
Pudge Rodriguez.
Gary Sheffield.
Justin Verlander.
We were one of the preseason favorites to win the World Series.
We didn’t even make the playoffs.
That offseason, I was traded to Tampa Bay.
The Rays had just gone from worst to first in the AL East and reached the World Series.
Far less hype. Far fewer household names.
But they had something different.
Young players who were hungry.
Established guys like Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña who set the standard.
Guys who knew their roles.
Guys who played for each other.
And a clubhouse that expected to win.
That experience taught me something I’ve never forgotten:
Talent gives you a chance to win. It doesn’t make you a winning team.
At the highest level, everybody has talent.
The separator is what happens around it:
Standards.
Accountability.
Effort.
Trust.
Grit.
And people willing to put the team ahead of themselves.
Names win headlines. Teams win championships.
After a historic regular season, the @wmwhitecaps win the Midwest League crown! 👑
@tigers prospects win their second championship of the night across the Minors ‼️