Tomorrow at 1:05 PM, the Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers¹ will open Spring Training play against the New York Metropolitans. Many are expecting this to be a World Series preview.

Now, because we’re from Michigan and that’s what we do, this is a day that we think about Ernie Harwell and remember the famous way he opened every Tigers’ season:

For the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the song of the birds has come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

— Song of Solomon

Play Ball!

1. Because the Red Sox won the series last year, they don’t really need an ALCS to celebrate, so I have decided not to recognize their AL Pennant victory. Therefore, the 2006 AL Champs are still your defending American League Champions.