I Really Don't Care If Justin Verlander Goes Into The Hall Of Fame As A Houston Astro

Man, this shit is getting so tiring. I am the master of overreacting to literally nothing, so I acknowledge that it’s hypocritical of me to look down on people who freak out about this stuff. Justin Verlander pitched for the Tigers for 13 years. He is the greatest pitcher they’ve ever had. He’s going to have his jersey retired at Comerica Park. He should probably have a statue there one day. Those memories cannot be undone. Yes, much like Miguel Cabrera and every other player who played here from 2006 to 2014, we’re going to lament the fact that they never won a World Series. I understand that. 

Verlander got traded to Houston because the Tigers were terrible and were beginning a rebuild. At that point, he was no longer ours. He went to Houston, won two Cy Youngs and two world championships, had a cup of coffee with the Mets, and now he’s back in Houston. He pitched five scoreless yesterday, winning his 100th ballgame at Comerica Park. With each start that Verlander makes in Houston, the debate continues about whether he will go into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Detroit Tigers or the Houston Astros. My stance on this has been pretty consistent. I don’t care. 

A lot of Tigers fans have this kind of weird obsessiveness about this situation. It’s almost like a bitter ex trying to get revenge on the person who cheated on them. But Verlander never cheated on Detroit. They traded him. He almost didn’t leave. He decided to waive his no-trade clause at the last second.

For what it’s worth, I still think Verlander will go in as a Tiger, though I have no idea. I don’t think Verlander has any idea right now. He’s been outspoken about how much he loved both organizations. It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes in with a regular MLB cap on. I just find it bizarre that Tiger fans would view Verlander going into the Hall of Fame as an Astro as some betrayal. The memories can’t be undone. I saw him take this team to the World Series twice. He was must-see JV for a long time. He won an MVP here as a pitcher. Do you know how hard that is to do? 

If you trade a player, you lose the right to own that player forever. Alan Trammell went into Cooperstown as a Detroit Tiger. There’s a reason for that. He never played for another team. Jack Morris, who played for multiple teams, ended up going in as a Tiger because that’s where he spent most of his career. While it won’t happen, it wouldn’t bother me if Miguel Cabrera went in as a Miami Marlin. He’s not going to, nor should he, but I just don’t care. Other people care, and that’s fine. It’s not stupid to care. I just don’t. 

This whole debate just annoys me because it reflects how frustrating things have gotten in Detroit. The biggest storylines often have nothing to do with the modern age. Verlander hasn’t pitched here in six years, yet he’s probably the most talked about Detroit Tiger outside of Miguel Cabrera. But for the sake of argument, let’s follow this through to conclusion. What happens if Verlander goes in as a Houston Astro? Does the world explode? Is the universe going to forget that he never played here? They already traded him for nothing anyway. I just don’t spend that much time thinking about what cap Justin Verlander will wear to the Hall of Fame. Maybe this makes me a shitty fan. I don’t know. It’s whatever.