| In many ways, we can read the history of | | | | already laying the foundation for the team's 2006 |
| America on its ball fields, written in the dust of | | | | re-emergence into the upper tier of major league |
| the infield or the chalk of the baselines. Well-suited | | | | baseball. And the book is filled with past legends |
| to lazy summer days by virtue of its leisurely | | | | and hints of future glory that offer fans the |
| pace, and providing a wealth of statistics to keep | | | | promise of baseball glory in the years to come. |
| its fans amused during the off-season, baseball is | | | | Though often ignored by sportswriters from |
| a uniquely American blend of action, reflection, and | | | | bigger cities, Tiger legends are among the most |
| squabbles (called "rhubarbs" in the vernacular). And | | | | gifted and venerated names in the history of the |
| in this, the game oddly reflects the culture that | | | | sport. Ty Cobb, for instance, was probably the |
| gave it birth. | | | | best player ever to walk onto a baseball field--and |
| For those whose appreciation of sports extends | | | | arguably the nastiest and most contemptible |
| no further than the city limits of New York or | | | | human being ever to don a baseball uniform. But |
| Boston, a book about a team of mere provincials | | | | other Tigers were almost as skilled, yet often |
| may prove as alluring to east coast sophisticates | | | | labored in the shadows of their better-publicized |
| as a trip to WalMart to mingle with the riffraff. | | | | counterparts from the coast. Hank Greenburg, |
| But for those with a love of the traditions and | | | | Charlie Gehringer, Al Kaline, and other |
| lore of the Great American Pastime, Tales from | | | | Hall-of-Famers brought off-field class as well as |
| the Detroit Tigers Dugout offers a welcome and | | | | on-field brilliance to the game. As the author |
| tantalizing glimpse into one of the oldest and most | | | | notes, their contribution to franchise history is not |
| successful baseball teams in history. Fast-paced | | | | lost on students or true fans of the game. |
| and tightly written, the book will delight Tiger fans, | | | | Though like other stars of Cooperstown, their |
| and enlighten fans everywhere. | | | | timeless talents are often obscured by the large |
| As the author recounts, in recent years the team | | | | salaries and larger egos of today's lesser stars, |
| from Motown had fallen on hard times. Tiger fans | | | | fans of all ages and eras will enjoy the stories of |
| had begun to measure the time between winning | | | | how and why baseball in Detroit has grown along |
| teams in decades, rather than seasons, capped | | | | with the game that is among the treasures of |
| by a team-record 119 losses in 2003. Yet in those | | | | American culture. |
| dark years, careful behind-the-scenes planning was | | | | |