Miguel Cabrera is on the cusp of history. Four games away from greatness. If the season ended today, he would be a triple crown winner. Something that hasn't happened since 1967. This feat, to me, is the second hardest thing that can be achieved by a Major League baseball player. The most difficult being a .400 season (last accomplished by Ted Williams in 1941). It all hinges on whether or not Josh Hamilton, with whom Cabrera is tied for home runs, hits another home run and moves ahead in the statistical category. And whether or not Joe Mauer stays behind him in the average category. I'm not going to write anymore about whether or not he will do it, I'm going to look at this situation from a different angle. Triple Crown or World Series. You only get one, so what's it going to be?
This question of which would you rather see, your team win the World Series or a player win the Triple Crown, came to my mind last week when I read a tweet (shameless plug, follow me @Litzner) that a fan would rather see their team make the playoffs instead of a player on the team winning an individual award. It was geared more towards an MVP/batting title/Cy Young type award. I think that if you polled any fan, they would want this. Everyone wants to see their team be the best. I would rather have seen the Tigers win the World Series last year instead of Justin Verlander winning the Cy Young and MVP. That's just how I am. I'm a selfish fan. That's not how it works, reality had a different plan last year. Verlander solidified his spot as the top pitcher in the game right now. He ended up with the hardware and the Tigers didn't get the ring. Any normal year, a fan would rather see World Series rings on the players' fingers and the end of the year award in another team's trophy case.
This year is different. Each year, there is a World Series winner, there is an MVP, there is a Cy Young winner, there are Gold Glovers and Silver Sluggers. In the entire history of the game, there has been a Triple Crown winner just fifteen times. This can be a once in a lifetime occurrence for fans of the game. Granted, the last one was 1967, so not that long ago, but still fifteen years before I was born. I've seen the Tigers make it to the World Series in my lifetime (win it once). This isn't the normal Triple Crown talk you hear just after the All Star game. Someone who had a great first half and only to fade afterwards. No. This is a legitimate chance. Less than a week to go. I would give anything to see this feat. I would be broken hearted if the Tigers didn't make the playoffs and a serious run at the World Series. But if they had a Triple Crown winner on the roster at the end of the year, I would be okay with that. Besides, there is always next year and they are just going to be better with the return Victor Martinez.
Would you want to see your team win it all or have a player become just the sixteenth person in the history of the game to win a Triple Crown? One's the blue pill, the other is the red pill. Which one are you swallowing?
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