Baseball is a long season, full of drama, resilience, and receipts. And this year, the Detroit Tigers are keeping receipts.

While we’re sitting comfortably with the best record in Major League Baseball—racking up wins with grit, fire, and depth—the Los Angeles Dodgers are unraveling. Not just in the standings, but in the press, in the community, and in the soul of the game.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Dodgers are slipping. They’ve lost five straight. They’re getting dominated by rookies like Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski. Their injury report reads like an Urgent Care location receipt: Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández—all out. The bullpen’s gassed. Their offense is inconsistent. And while Dodgers fans are clinging to All-Star picks and Shohei Ohtani highlights like lifeboats, we Tigers fans are watching our team dominate quietly but decisively. Oh, and we have four all-stars including the AL starting pitcher.

But I’m not just here to talk baseball. I’m here to talk about values. Because it’s one thing to lose games. It’s another thing to lose your soul.

The Dodgers love to talk about being “for the people”—especially the vibrant Latino community that built their fanbase. But let’s not forget: when a young woman sang the national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium, it wasn’t met with cheers—it was met with backlash from the team. Not from a few trolls. Heaven forbid a bilingual anthem in a bilingual city. Heaven forbid a tribute that actually reflects the fans in the stands.

In Detroit, we don’t clutch pearls when someone sings in Spanish. We clap. We cheer. We honor it—because we know what it means to be overlooked, and we don’t play that game here in the Motor City.

Now, the truth about Dodgers ownership is making its way to the surface. Guggenheim Baseball Management, led by Mark Walter, has an alleged stake in GEO Group—yes, that GEO Group, the private prison company tied to ICE detention centers. We’re talking about a for-profit entity that has allegedly caged migrant families, abused detainees, and turned the suffering of vulnerable people into a business model. And yet, Dodgers ownership has done nothing meaningful to divest.

When the backlash began, they stayed silent. Then, months later, they tossed out a $1 million donation to an immigrant rights group like it was a Band-Aid on a foul ball shiner. Newsflash: that’s about 0.08% of what your owners are worth. It’s not a statement of solidarity. It’s a PR maneuver. Too little. Too late.

And now they want to buy the Lakers? Great. More legendary franchises handed over to billionaires with morally bankrupt portfolios.

Let’s be real: the Dodgers’ entire history is rooted in erasure. In the 1950s, they bulldozed Chávez Ravine, evicting generations of Mexican American families to build their stadium. They paved over homes, culture, and memory. And now, decades later, their silence on that legacy continues—while their investments support ICE detention centers. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

But in Detroit? Our legacy is different. And I’ll tell you exactly how.

Did you know that Mike Ilitch—the longtime owner of the Tigers—quietly paid Rosa Parks’ rent for over a decade? That’s right. No press conference. No camera crew. No press release. Just real compassion, real solidarity, and a real understanding of what it means to support justice.

Rosa Parks, the mother of the modern civil rights movement, lived her final years in Detroit. And when she faced financial hardship, it wasn’t a nonprofit or politician who stepped up. It was our owner. That’s what Detroit is about.

So let’s compare:

Dodgers ownership: Invested in GEO Group, profiting off the trauma of immigrant families in ICE detention. Tigers ownership: Quietly supported a civil rights icon, no headlines necessary.

That’s the difference. That’s Detroit.

Let’s also not forget the Tigers are winning the right way—with homegrown talent, a strong bullpen, and a deep lineup. We’re not building around celebrity signings or inflated payrolls. We’re building around heart. Around hustle. Around chemistry. And when we lose? We learn. We get better. And we come back stronger.

Yes, I remember the opening series loss to the Dodgers this season. You beat us. Fair and square (unlike the cheating Astros in the World Series). But make no mistake: payback is coming.

Not in July. In October.

You think we forgot? We’re Detroit. We don’t forget. We remember every blowout, every close call, every inning you celebrated on the field. And we’re coming for you. In the World Series. Because this season isn’t about just making the playoffs. It’s about making history.

And we want all the smoke.

So Dodgers fans, keep clapping for billionaires who hide behind foundations while cashing detention dividends. Keep acting shocked when someone sings the anthem in Spanish. Keep pretending your stadium wasn’t built on bulldozed dreams. Keep ignoring the legacy of Chávez Ravine. Keep cheering for a franchise that forgot who made it great.

Meanwhile, in Detroit?

We’re leading the league. We’re honoring our past. We’re protecting our people. And we’re not just coming for a ring—we’re coming for a reckoning.

You can chant “Bleed Blue” all you want. But when you look at your franchise’s foundation—ICE investments, PR damage control, cultural tone-deafness—you’ll see the cracks.

And when October comes, and the Tigers step onto that national stage, just know this:

We’ll remember Rosa.

We’ll remember Chávez Ravine.

And we’re not just here to play—we’re here to finish the job.

#DetroitVsEverybody

#TigersTakeOctober

#NoCagesNoChampionships

#OwnershipMatters

#RosaParksRentWasPaid

#SingItInSpanish

#ChávezRavineStillSpeaks

#WeWantAllTheSmoke