How much can happen in 10 years?
Since 2003, the country as a whole has experienced some of the greatest changes in its history. We have seen an African American man elected president, serve a term and get 
elected again. Steve Jobs introduced something called the "iPhone," saw it become the most popular phone in the world and then passed away. Michael Phelps graduated from Towson High School, became the greatest Olympic athlete ever and then retired.
All of this has happened in the last decade; but does time pass in the same way between the white lines of a baseball diamond?
In a sport with a history as deep as baseball's, a decade can easily get swallowed up and forgotten. Heck, 10 years doesn't even add up to one half of Omar Vizquel's career, or one tenth of the Cubs' World Series drought.
On the other hand, since 2003 nine new MLB stadiums have been built, Montreal has moved to Washington, the Florida Marlins are now the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay is just the "Rays." So much can change over the course of 10 seasons, even if it doesn't make a dent in the illustrious history of America's pastime.
Regardless of how significant the past 10 years have been to the game as a whole, one franchise has nearly experienced both the lowest low and highest high that baseball has to offer.
The 2003 Detroit Tigers season was one of the worst in the history of professional sports. In a profession that requires its players to travel around the country nearly every week for over seven months, playing every day with only a four-day All-star break in the middle, it's important to mix some success in with the adversity. With all the obstacles and difficulties that come up during a 162-game campaign, only winning can really keep a team going. For Alan Trammell's Tigers, wins were few and far between.
With six games remaining on their schedule, the Tigers stood four wins short of 42, the record for the worst season in baseball history held by the 1962 New York Mets. Somehow, the team managed to win five of those last six games, including a comeback from an 8-0 deficit in game 161 that set the stage for win number 43 on the final day of the season. Fans at Comerica Park gave their team a standing ovation as they walked off the field for the final time.
That's right, the Detroit faithful were applauding the second-worst season ever; applauding a team that finished 25 games behind a fourth-place Indians club that lost over 90 times. The Tigers were the laughingstock of the sports world with their record of 43-119 and there were no signs of turning things around.
Then, remarkably, Pudge Rodriguez came to town.
During an age in which stars like 
Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander have committed to Detroit long-term, players like Rodriguez are often forgotten. Fielder signed a 200-million dollar contract. Verlander won the MVP as a pitcher. Cabrera won a Triple Crown.
But what Pudge did for the Tigers was so much more important: he came to Detroit when it wasn't a good place to go. He joined a team whose best returning player was Dmitri Young, whose top starting pitcher went 6-17 with an E.R.A. of 4.67, and whose winning percentage was less than half of the AL Central's second-place Chicago White Sox.
But after he signed that contract, none of these things mattered anymore; what mattered was that Pudge came.
Just three years later, the roster included big league stars Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Kenny Rodgers. Young players Curtis Granderson and Justin Verlander had breakout years and the Tigers won the American League wildcard spot and found themselves playing in October. Ordonez's walk-off homerun in game four of the ALCS against Oakland's Huston Street sent the club to the 2006 World Series.
Just three years and 17 days after receiving an ovation for losing 119 games, the Tigers 
celebrated an AL Pennant.
Currently, (after failing to return to the playoffs in the four years following the 2006 World Series), the Detroit Tigers have become one of the most dominant teams in baseball. By clinching their third straight AL Central Division crown Wednesday night, the Tigers have completed a remarkable transformation that is underappreciated by those that fail to remember the state in which this franchise so recently found itself.
The differences in 2013 are endless.
While the 2003 team had the second-worst winning percentage in history at .265, the Tigers' .571 winning percentage since 2011 is the best in the American League. In 2003, Mike Maroth led the league in losses, earned runs and home runs allowed; while in 2011 Justin Verlander led the league in wins, E.R.A and strikeouts. Ten years ago, no Detroit player hit for a .300 average, clubbed 30 home runs or drove in 100 R.B.I. Last season, Miguel Cabrera did all three and won the first Triple Crown in 45 years.
As fans take a step back and think about the transformation of this organization, they need to truly appreciate what they are seeing from Jim Leyland's Tigers. Miguel Cabrera is poised to bring Detroit its third-straight AL MVP award en route to becoming one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez are battling for the team's second Cy Young award in three years and Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter may bolster Detroit's defensive reputation with Gold Gloves.
The way Detroit has taken over the game of baseball is incredible.
14 players have represented the Motor City in the All-star game since 2011, including the American League starting pitchers in 2012 and 2013. Jose Valverde had one of the best seasons out of the bullpen in MLB history when he converted all 49 save opportunities in 2011; and Miguel Cabrera is in line to win his third-straight AL batting championship in 2013.
Talent and accolades have piled up in Detroit and turned into sustained success on the baseball diamond. The Tigers have dominated every aspect of the game, and as a result have become one of the most respected franchises in the nation.
Wednesday's win is only overlooked because of what Detroit's excellence has led people to expect. However, nothing comes easy in the wonderful game of baseball, so a third straight division title should never be taken for granted.
As far as the Tigers have come in the past decade, fans must remember to keep everything in perspective. Every 100 mph fastball uncorked by Justin Verlander, no-doubt home run from Prince Fielder and award-winning smile flashed by Miguel Cabrera should be appreciated, because 10 years ago the Detroit faithful had very little to cheer about.
Congratulations to the 2013 Detroit Tigers: AL Central Division Champions once again.
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