In the immortal words of Gomer Pyle: Surprise; Surprise; Surprise! The Detroit Tigers are champions of the American League and are headed to their first World Series since 1984. Not even Sergeant Carter, Gomer’s cousin Goober, or ESPN baseball guru Peter Gammons could have predicted such a turn of events. Consider these facts: Detroit lost 92 games last year and two years before that, lost a near-record 119 games. Things became so dismal in the Motor City that manager Alan Trammell, a Tiger icon, was fired in an attempt to bring the Tigers to life. An aging Jim Leyland, who had been out of baseball for 10 years, was brought in as manager this past winter with the hopes that somehow a miracle might be wrought with this woeful team.

Most pundits believed Leyland would be about as effective in turning the Tigers around as Barney Fife in an iron pumping competition.

Surprise; Surprise; Surprise!

Detroit came out of the gate hot and stayed hot through the first 110 games of the 2006 campaign. The Tigers forged a seemingly insurmountable lead in the American League Central Division and, at least until August, seemed to be a lock for the post-season. Leyland, a master motivator and a players’ manager, instilled in these young players both confidence and a belief they could play with the big boys. Detroit won consistently, using a balance of power offense, timely hitting, and great pitching. Yes, up until August, the Tigers were hitting on all cylinders.

Then the wheels came off.

Detroit went 19-31 during the last 50 games of the season. Concomitant with the Tiger skid, the Twins went on an unprecedented run and, believe it or not, tied the Tigers for first place on the next to last day of the season. Still, all Detroit had to do to win the division was to defeat the wildly inept Kansas City Royals in their final game.

It was not to be.

The Royals came back from a 6-0, eighth inning deficit, and went on to win the game in extra innings. Meanwhile, the Twins won their game and thus captured the division crown. At least as consolation, the Tigers won the Wild Card slot and were still alive, albeit with a very weak pulse.

After losing Game One of the ALDS to the mighty Yankees, most people had already put a fork in the Tigers. Pundits everywhere gave Detroit about as much chance to beat New York as Andy would have given Otis Campbell to stay sober on a Saturday night.

Surprise; Surprise; Surprise!

Detroit won Game Two, sending the series back to the Motor City. Kenny Rogers pitched the game of his life in Game Three and the Tigers took Game Four as well, dispatching the well-heeled Yankee lineup to the telephone bank, where players were busy setting up post-season tee times, rather than making reservations for Oakland and the ALCS.

All of a sudden, folks were paying attention to the Tigers again. And well they should.

After stumbling through the last third of the season, Detroit had reawakened. The Tigers began playing baseball like they had through most of the year. After downing the Yankees, Detroit went on to mop up the Athletics in four straight games, uncork the champagne, and celebrate a well-deserved championship.

Detroit will be facing either the Mets or the Cardinals in the Fall Classic this season. Whichever team wins the National League pennant will have its hands full with the Tigers. Increasingly, Detroit seems to have the mark of being this season’s “Team of Destiny.”

During the post-season Leyland seemed to push all the right managerial buttons and just flat out seemed incapable of making a mistake. Hiding in the dugout runway chain smoking Marlboro’s, Leyland substituted the right players at the right time, changed pitchers at the right moment, and did everything with the savvy of Sheriff Andy. It reminds me of exactly what he did in 1997 when he came on board in Miami to manage the hapless Florida Marlins.

Florida had never finished higher than fourth place in the National League East. When the dust finally settled on the ’97 season, the Marlins were World Champions and Leyland was being carried off the field on the shoulders of his players.

Florida’s win was such an unexpected event, it must have sent Aunt Bea into a sinking spell.

Will the Tigers, indeed, be this years Destiny’s Child? Will Leyland again be seen holding the Series trophy, soaked with bubbling wine and a Marlboro dangling from his lips.

Stay tuned.