And it's not Teyshaun

No, this Prince is actually quite the opposite. He stands only 6ft tall, and weighs 260 pounds. He plays first and bats lefty. He also bears a heart warming resemblance to his father... Cecil Fielder. The name, Cecil, invokes (at least for me) a yearning for the Tigers "good ole" days... Which would really be better described as the "not so bad" days. The team wasn't all that impressive, but we did have some offensive heavy weights that were fun to watch... Especially Cecil, a man with the classic home run hitter's body. I can still vividly remember listening, with my father, to the radio broadcast of when Cecil hit 50. Of course that was when 50 meant something... A time before the strike. Before the roids.

Now things have come full circle, which sports often do. Prince Fielder, is getting his chance with the Brewers this year, and this blogger couldn't be happier. My first reaction was to question why the little yet big, Fielder, is not donning the old english D. So I researched Prince's draft on MLB.com, and discovered that he was selected by the Brewers with the 7th pick overall of the 2002 draft. The Tigers, unfortunately, had the 8th. Now I guess they could have traded down, but I don't really think that argument is necessary. As a sports fan there is a point where one has to realize not everything can work out like the movies. Draft picks, and trades, cannot be motivated soley on the emotion they may provoke. Although, with the Tigers draft history over the last 10 to 15 years, maybe the provoked emotions would have been a better criteria than whatever it is exactly they are using.

Ok, as this post seems to wind down, I'm sure you are asking yourself, "Just what in the hell is the point of all this?"... Well, as a Tigers fan who remembers those early 90s sluggers, and was especially partial, as many were, to Cecil... I want to see Prince Fielder succeed in this league. No, I need to see Prince succeed. Ideally, one day, it will be in a Tigers uniform... Maybe even leading the team towards the playoffs... But, if it isn't... I'll still be rooting for him, and I will still be disappointed if he fails...

Final Note:
Last I remember Cecil had found himself in a bit of a mess. Which I am troubled to hear... Although his decisions cannot be excused... I still remember him as probably the nicest professional athlete I will ever meet. When I was a wee lad, I had a nice little hook-up for Tigers games, and so was able to roam Tiger Stadium before the gates were open. On a couple of occasions, there was Cecil, sitting in the empty seats in right field, chatting it up with an usher. Even though I couldn't have been more than 9 years old, I realized that was cool. That Cecil was a decent guy. Which is why I really hope, that Prince can produce... and that maybe some of those "good guy" traits rubbed off on him.

~Bladdy
bladdy_blog@hotmail.com