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The Detroit Tigers quest toward another pennant begins the same way it did a year ago, with a best-of-five American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics. The As gave Detroit all it could handle last year, as the Tigers needed to win a decisive fifth game at O.co Coliseum to advance to the ALCS, where they swept the New York Yankees. Of course, Detroits run ended in the World Series, as it was swept in four games by the San Francisco Giants. Oakland may have been content with just making the playoffs last season, but its a different story this year for the As, who enter the postseason with perhaps the most complete team on the American League side. "We were just riding that emotion and certainly happy to be where we were," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "But the mindset was different this spring; the expectations were different." Last year, of course, the Athletics needed to win their final six games - including a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers to close the regular season - to claim their first American League West title since 2006. Well, Oakland proved that last year was no fluke, as it has spent most of the season at or near the top of the division. And thanks to another September swoon from Texas, it ran away with its second straight division title and finished the year 96-66. This As lineup resembles more of the late 80s power teams in Oakland at the plate without the star power of a Jose Canseco or Mark McGwire, of course, as these As are led by a cast of virtual unknowns, including MVP candidate Josh Donaldson. Oaklands 186 homers were the third best in baseball, but the team managed to hit at just a .254 clip, while striking out 1,178 times. The As pitching staff was fronted by former AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, who will be on the hill Friday. Colon turned back the clock to win 18 games this season and posted a 2.65 ERA, second only in the AL to the Tigers Anibal Sanchez (2.57). Colon, of course, did not pitch in last years ALDS, as he was serving a 50- game ban for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Detroit, meanwhile, had no hangover from its trip to the Fall Classic, as it went 93-69 to win a third straight AL Central crown thanks to another amazing campaign from Miguel Cabrera, and despite a wildly inconsistent season from ace Justin Verlander. While Verlander struggled, the rest of the staff thrived, specifically Game 1 starter Max Scherzer, who enjoyed the best year of his career, as he won an MLB-best 21 games, while pitching to a 2.90 ERA and striking out 240 batters over a career-high 214 innings. In Verlander, Scherzer and Sanchez the Tigers produced three 200-strikeout pitchers on the same team for just the third time in history, the first since the 1969 Astros. Amazingly, the Tigers starting staff led the AL in almost every major category in spite of Verlander, who was only 13-12 and finished the year with his highest ERA (3.46), lowest strikeout rate (23.5 percent) and lowest innings total (218 1/3) since 2008 while battling reduced velocity. As good as their starting staff may have been, though, any conversation about the Tigers begins and ends with the great Cabrera, who came within an eyelash of a second straight Triple Crown. Cabrera may have fell short of his remarkable 2012 season, but still hit a career-high .348 to become the first player in more than two decades to win three straight AL batting titles. His 44 home runs were second to the 53 by Baltimores Chris Davis, and he finished second in RBI, one behind Davis 138. He batted .330 last year with 44 homers and 139 RBI. "I still had a good season," he said. "I have the same numbers I had last year, and we won the division." Cabrera is the first right-handed batter in either league to win three straight batting titles since Rogers Hornsbys six straight for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1920-25. Cabrera became just the fifth player to win three consecutive AL crowns, joining Nap Lajoie (1901-03), Ty Cobb (1907-09, 1911-15 and 1917-19), Rod Carew (1972-75) and Wade Boggs (1985-88). Detroit, which lost four of seven games against the As during the season, has beaten Oakland the last two times these teams have met in the postseason. The As only win against the Tigers in the playoffs came in the 1972 ALCS, which started a run of three consecutive world titles for Oakland. Cheap Panthers Jerseys China .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. Black Panthers Jerseys Online . After rookie right-hander Alex Colome excelled in a 5-2 victory in the opener, the Rays fell to Chris Tillman and the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night. http://www.cheappanthersjerseyselite.com/ . Bryce Harper? He also came into Wednesday without a long ball and hadnt driven in a run. He was hitting .160, had nearly three times as many strikeouts as hits and was dropped to seventh in the batting order. Panthers Jerseys Outlet . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Wild team that has a nice mix of proven veterans along with young, inexpensive talent on the rise. When the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, making a big splash in the summer of 2012, it set the franchise on a path to being more competitive, but a big reason that they have been so competitive is the contributions of young players who still have more to give. Panthers Jerseys Sale . New York (16-9-8) took over first place in the Eastern Conference and has the best record in the league with one game remaining. Houstons five-game unbeaten streak was snapped, and the Dynamo (13-11-9) are sixth in the East with one game remaining.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Looking for their third consecutive win, the New York Giants are concerned about trying to stop Devin Hester when the Atlanta Falcons visit this weekend.Hester, a three-time Pro Bowler, has returned more punts and kicks for touchdowns than any other player in league history. He broke Deion Sanders record for return TDs with a 62-yard punt return against Tampa Bay on Sept. 18 for the 20th such score of his career.Hester has been nursing an ankle injury and was upgraded Friday to probable for Sundays game at MetLife Stadium.If Hester takes the field, the Giants have to be prepared for his ability to break the big one, much like the way Ted Ginn, Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals turned around their game with the Giants three weeks ago with a long punt return for a score.Hes been a tremendous weapon in this league for years and years, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said of Hester after Fridays practice session. He certainly attracts a lot of attention. A lot of our preparation goes towards him.Giants cornerback Zach Bowman played with Hester for six seasons in Chicago, so hes well aware of his abilities. Now, as the Giants gunner on punt returns, it will be Bowmans job to stop his good friend.Its always a challenge with Dev, Bowman said. Hes one of the most dangerous players and hes the best ever in the league now. With Dev, one of the things you dont want to do is give him an opportunity to get going. Ive seen him make so many unbelievable plays in my life. Heck, hes still doing them.Bowman had some advice for his teammates.One of the things I tell them is to not be hesitant, Bowman said. You have to play fast and think fast. You do what you have to do and then you can be able to stop him. But most definitely, hes a game changer and a showw stopper.ddddddddddddBowman said he was looking forward to going up against Hester after being teammates and friends for so long.I called him on the phone the other day and told him I was coming after him, Bowman said. I look forward to competing against him.Zach DeOssie is the Giants long snapper and usually the first one down to the receiver on punt returns. He has faced Hester before on five different occasions.Devin demands all the respect in the world and he deserves it, because hes the greatest of all time, DeOssie said. Ive played against him a few times and its definitely a challenge. I think Steve (Weatherford, the Giants punter) will do a good job with his directional punts and were going to give him a battle. I think every team now has a dangerous punt returner, but hes the one who started it all. Its always a nice challenge facing him.Giants special teams co-ordinator Tom Quinn was asked about defending Hester and whether its best to just not kick the ball to him.You try, but all 11 guys have to do their job, Quinn said. We have to punt it where we want to with the hang time and location and the distance. And we have to cover the distance and everyone has to be in the right spot. Hes still dynamic as a kick returner and a punt returner, so its a challenge.NOTES: The Giants are still listing LB Jon Beason (foot, toe) and WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (hamstring) as questionable for Sundays game. Coughlin said Beasons status will be a Sunday morning decision, and Beckhams status was unknown, although the rookie said that he expected to play. Hes practiced on a limited basis for three days now, Coughlin said of Beckham. If the medical people are on board and the young man wants to play, well put it all together and see what happens. 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