The Detroit Tigers have never tested my patience further than this season. At no point in my 26+ years on this earth have I ever had to deal with a more trying time for our beloved baseball team.

Last night at 11:59pm Justin Verlander was dealt to the Houston Astros after what seemed like quite a bit of back and forth. Check these time stamps.

https://twitter.com/cmccosky/status/903458805425557504

https://twitter.com/cmccosky/status/903459201795715073

https://twitter.com/cmccosky/status/903465466714234881

Thud. That last sentence of that last tweet. It looks weird. It doesn’t seem right. You have to read it a few times to process what it is saying, what it means. News networks, reporters, and pundits alike have been talking about it for months, and I myself, have been screaming rebuild since June…but when it actually happens, it’s really a “wow” moment followed by a “holy shit” moment then a “FUCK” moment.

The “wow” is the knee jerk reaction of being surprised but not too surprised. You knew he was potentially on the way out, you are just mildly surprised it’s actually happening.

The “holy shit” moment comes a few minutes after when you realize the magnitude of what just happened. The Tigers shipped the only player from their 2006 World Series runner up campaign, a 6-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP winner who has had the most wins in a season twice and the most strikeouts in a season four times. A two-time no-hitter tossing veteran who also won the pitching Triple Crown who mesmerized us start after start in his over a decade spent rocking the Olde English D.

The “FUCK” moment is when you realize it’s really over. Justin Verlander for all that he has accomplished in a Tigers uniform was never able to reach the top of the mountain and obtain the ultimate goal of winning a World Series. And that really fucking sucks.

Us as Detroit sports fans, especially those growing up in the 90’s have been spoiled by our other Ilitch owned team in the city- the Detroit Red Wings. Almost all of our stars and long-time vets who donned the Winged Wheel were able to reach the pinnacle of winning the Stanley Cup. Players who stuck around in Detroit through the late 80’s and early 90’s eventually got to taste the sweet nectar of becoming a champion. But for the Tigers after just about a decade of being in the thick of contention, everything is turning sour.

Verlander’s rookie year we went to the World Series. Since that time the Tigers have always been been pre-season contenders. This year was a little bit of a mystery pre-season and it ended up turning into a dumpster fire. Next year there will be no talk of the Tigers and World Series contention even by the most die-hard slappies.

I will say this- this was the right thing to do. As much as it stings, as much as it hurts, the Tigers are in full rebuild mode and when you’re attempting to rebuild you have to strip everything down to the studs, and that starts with moving your stud players.

And boy, was Must See JV a fucking STUD.

JV- I often joked that you and I were best friends, which everyone knows was simply just not true. But man would that have been awesome. You’re headed down to Houston now to compete for a World Series, so just do everyone a favor and fucking rip it down there. Give that city in need the big giant MVP lift it needs right now.

You were an absolute stud from the time you got here to the time you left. You were a fireballer with laser-like focus that gave fans the potential to witness a no-hitter every single time you took the mound. You represented Detroit in the best of ways, always confident with a flair of cocky we were proud to call our own. You were able to scoop up one of the queens of our state with Kate, creating Michigan’s version of a power couple. We were proud to have you as ours for so many years, someone we grew out of our own system and was the beacon of consistency and a pillar of Detroit baseball. You will be missed dearly and we wish you the best as an Astro.

Best of luck Justin. #EatEmUp 🍾

– Frank