Despite the outcome, I have to admit that yesterday’s AL Tiebreaker was the best 12 innings of baseball I’ve ever seen.

The atmosphere was electric.  The storylines were compelling.  Both teams were motivated and fought each other to the bitter end.

It featured more lead changes than a NASCAR pole qualifier.  There was emotion, redemption, drama, frustration and elation; all so conspicuously displayed in the confines of a single game.

But in the end, the Tigers’ failure to execute was crushed under the weight of Minnesota’s fundamentally-sound game.  The Twins persistence finally stabbed at the Tigers’ achille’s heal and capped off a historic come-from-behind run to the division championship.

Every other inning, it seemed, Detroit had a man on third with less than two outs.  And like so many times this season, they failed to bring him home to their ultimate demise.

I could talk about Ryan Raburn’s ridiculous shoestring diving catch attempt and how that essentially lost us the game.

I could talk about Brandon Inge and Gerald Laird’s impotence at the plate and how they managed to squander a bases loaded with one out situation that would prove to be the Tigers undoing.

I could talk about the fact that Brandon Inge was obviously hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, yet the home plate umpire didn’t notice.

But instead, I issue my heartfelt congratulations to the Minnesota Twins.  You are a team worth cheering for.  You’ve done a lot with few resources and your solid play personifies your determination to win under any circumstance.  More importantly, you’re not the Chicago White Sox.

In the wake of this emotionally-devestating defeat, I issue a plea to Detroit Tigers fans…

Resist the temptation to call this a collapse. It will be difficult, I know.  In the end, all we needed was one lousy win to prevent this calamity from even happening.

But let’s give credit where credit is due.  The Minnesota Twins went 16-4 in their last 20 games despite two of their best hitters being sidelined.  That is the very definition of comeback.

A glorious victory of that magnitude needs a looming opponent, and it looks like it was the Tigers year to play the bad guy.

We have a tendency in this city to dwell on the negative, and even I find it difficult to resist the temptation, considering the circumstances.

But let’s be realistic.  The Tigers were picked by baseball’s brain trust to finish last in the division.

We ran the table for most of the season with an inconsistent and sometimes ailing lineup.

Our fourth and fifth starting pitchers were constantly changing and often ineffective.

Our midseason pickups might have done more harm than good.

But ultimately despite those circumstances, we bounced back magnificently from a dreadful 2008 season and gave the city something to cheer for.

The Tigers will be back next year.  I’ll discuss how different the team might look at a later time.

But in the interim, keep your chin up Detroit.  There’s a lot to be hopeful about come 2010.