I had the privilege of having former Tiger Sean Casey on my podcast, Chris and Company, this week, and it’s allowed us to cut 1 million newsworthy episodes of him talking about his time in Detroit, including the 2006 run to the World Series. I opened the interview by asking a little bit about Justin Verlander‘s return to Detroit. Casey had the honor of not only manning first base during Verlander‘s Rookie of the Year campaign in 2006, but also playing first base in 2007, the year that Verlander threw his first no-hitter.
It definitely feels like a full-circle moment, not just for Verlander, but really for the entire Tigers organization, which has gone from extremely competitive to not competitive at all back to really competitive again over the last decade. Verlander‘s return sort of symbolizes their return to prominence and spending. Hopefully, it will also symbolize their return to the World Series, which is a place they haven't been since Verlander's first time around.
I like talking to athletes because very often the same words are used to describe the great ones. You always hear about their preparation and their work ethic. Verlander was only a rookie when he first introduced himself to Sean Casey, and even a veteran of his stature was aware of the fact that this guy was something special. I also think there’s something of a poetic symmetry to Verlander’s return in the sense that he will help and mentor the young pitchers this season the same way that Kenny Rogers did in 2006 with Detroit.
If you listen to more of the interview, I go into detail with Sean Casey about the role that Rogers had on that team in 2006. If Verlander can just capture even a fraction of the lightning in a bottle that Kenny Rogers was able to catch in Detroit during that 2006 season, we could be in for something special. To watch the rest of our interview, you can click on the link below.