As a Detroit Tigers fan, when should I start panicking? Should it have been when we lost our first seven games, including the first three to the recently no-hit Kansas City Royals? Probably. The Tigers, by the way, are only one game ahead of the Royals who are last in the AL Central. Or maybe, I should have panicked even earlier, when fire ball throwing reliever Joel Zumaya hurt his arm escaping a southern California forest fire. (A bit of good news there. Zumaya, in rehab outings, has been hitting 100mph.) Or, perhaps I should start panicking now that we’re eleven games under .500. Or knowing that from today, we’d have to go 18-8 to be even by the All-Star Break. Or how about our ace and 2006 rookie of the year Justin Verlander and his 2-8 record. Or maybe it’s the two people in the batting order hitting above .300. Was Curtis Granderson’s broken hand a bad omen? Or maybe I should’ve worried about the payroll – second in the MLB to the New York Yankees. What do those millions do to players?

Who knows. You could have started panicked whenever you wanted, and perhaps you’re not panicking yet. You’re waiting until after the All-Star Break. The coveted All-Star Break. The fans are hoping the Tigers can hang on until then. In 2007, the Tigers were sub-.500 after the All-Star Break. The diehards are sure the Tigers are doing the reverse this season.

In the relatively and surprisingly weak AL Central division, a strong turnaround could put them in the playoffs. The White Sox are playing well now, but they will not sustain it. Cleveland is not playing well in a similar fashion as the Tigers, except they’re staying afloat. If the Indians get hot, they are World Series contenders. Minnesota will not be able to hang around. Detroit cannot count on the Wild Card either. If Tampa Bay hangs around in the AL East, they might have a better record than some of the division leaders. Anything less than the playoffs from a team the caliber of the Detroit Tigers is a failure. That is the same standard the Yankees and Red Sox are held to, and the Tigers are shelling out the money to be among those two teams.

At this point, you have to wonder about the management. A very sage man, my father, observed at the beginning of the 2006 (Mind you, they were good at this time.), “You know, really, Alan Trammell put this team together.” Now, I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, but think about it for awhile. Didn’t he? Jim Leyland has won his share of World Series, but he’s also bounced around and been in and out of the league. I like Leyland. I think he’s a good manager, but it would be a mistake for anyone, including the Tigers organization, to think he’s infallible.

The Tigers are lacking the heart and sense of urgency, especially in the pitching staff, to make a major winning push. You know who had a lot of heart? Brandon Inge. Just saying. But it was heart and an underdog mentality that made 2006 magical. The winning left with the humility it seems. Clearly, their troubles are all in their heads. We’re also having trouble hitting the opponent’s aces. On several occasions, Verlander has allowed two or three runs or less and lost. Again, there is no pitcher in the MLB that should beat our line-up.

I’ve been to two games so far this season. The Detroit Tigers won both. In the first game on April 15 against the Twins, the Tigers notched their fourth win of the season in comeback fashion 6-5. On May 24, they beat the Twins again, 19-3. In each win, we looked like the team we should be all of the time – scrappy, with clutch and even lockdown pitching. The Tigers hit for power in each game.

Only the Tigers themselves know what it would take to maintain this kind of play, but perhaps we lack the leadership to make sure it happens. The Red Sox have Jason Varitek. The Cubs have Carlos Zambrano. You could even see an all star team like the Yankees and wonder if they have a quarterback so to speak, and if you have to wonder that about the Yankees, you have to wonder it about the Tigers too. I give Curtis Granderson, however, a lot of credit for bringing some heart and energy back into the team with his return. He may never be the type of player to take on a captain-type roll, but he will lead with his play. The Tigers need to follow suit!