Pressure on both sides

In 1968, when we were down 3-1 and facing elimination, we never doubted it. We never doubted that we would win. That team, they were a bunch of guys that had fun and never doubted what they could do. They were really mad that we fell behind, but loosey-goosey and ready to go.

It's harder to win Game 5 on the road than if you had to win at home and then go on the road for Games 6 and 7. But the thing about this, and I'm putting myself in the Cardinals' uniform now, they don't want to go to Detroit. So if we can jump out and hold them and not make mistakes, old Mr. Mo -- momentum -- will move big time. This sounds funny -- I know there's pressure on the Tigers -- but I think there's pressure on the Cardinals, too. I really do. Even though they're up 3-1, they know what it's like in Detroit and how this team plays in its home park and how the fans are, with Kenny Rogers on the horizon. It's a different type of pressure. This pressure, you have no choice and over there, they have some leeway, but that line could get thinner and thinner and thinner.

Kenny has 23 scoreless innings, with a close game he pitched against the Cardinals, like he did against the White Sox where they couldn't lay off his pitches. He's been on a roll.

When I saw Curtis Granderson slip last night, I couldn't help but think of Curt Flood in the '68 Series, even though Tiger fans will say Curt Flood didn't slip and Cardinal fans will say he did slip. I had the English "D" on that night, so I don't think he slipped. But that was a real slip there last night. There was nothing you could do. That was a ball that would have been caught, and the whole game changes.

The wind is going to be very tough tonight. It will be interesting. Granderson has been outstanding, and our outfield defensively has been good, getting better all year. It will be interesting what the Cardinals do, because Edmonds is great, but with Justin Verlander going tonight, they put Chris Duncan out there in right.

That wild pitch last night, Pudge is going to the Hall of Fame so it's a tough thing to say, but you're taught as a catcher when you go to block a ball, you don't bring your glove up, that you keep your glove down. And we've seen that during the season. That ball stayed down and went between his legs. Earlier in the game, he went over and did the same thing, kept the glove up but made the block, but when the ball stays down, it goes through your legs. And that's what happened. If you call breaking ball, you always anticipate it in the dirt, even if the pitcher has been high. You always look the opposite way. If you're looking for a fastball on the outside corner, you set up there, but you anticipate maybe high and inside. If you call a breaking ball, you always anticipate it's going to be in the dirt. That's what you're taught to do. It's like a hitter; you don't guess, you anticipate. According to Ted Williams, anyway, and he wasn't too bad.

You really have to go back to Game 1. Them winning that first game changed the whole Series, Anthony Reyes doing that to the Tigers. The Tigers still can win, but that, they need to look at. A lot of people say the Cardinals came in and they stole one. When you go into the opposing park and win the first game, and you have a guy that certainly isn't Carpenter do what he did to the Tigers -- you say it was the week layoff, sure, but you still strap 'em on and play. If the Tigers don't win tonight, you have to look at that game and how the whole thing turned around.