It’s all too easy to forget about February 2006 and what then constituted Detroit’s baseball psyche.
The Tigers had not won in 12 seasons. A long stretch of futility, and even disgust, had jaded too many fans as a new manager, Jim Leyland, arrived for spring camp in Lakeland, Fla.
Eight months later, the Tigers not only had pivoted in the win-loss column, thanks to a 95-67 record, they had ambushed the Yankees in a first-round playoff series, swept the A’s in the league championship showdown, and roared into a World Series the Cardinals ultimately took.
Ten years.