They love to travel - Here's a quiz - how many teams have won more games on the road than they have at home? Two - Atlanta and the Tigers. Atlanta hardly counts because they haven't won much anywhere. The Tigers have won more games on the road than all but three teams in the entire league have won at home. That will help with their 12 remaining home games. More importantly, however, it tells me that this is a tough team that doesn't fold under pressure, and they're clearly a team that plays well together. That's a blueprint for a strong stretch drive.

They have no stars - The Tigers are the best team in the majors, but they don't have anyone in the forefront of the MVP race. They don't even have anyone that you could make a case for. Magglio Ordonez is the best offensive force on the team, Carlos Guillen is putting up decent numbers and sophomore Curtis Granderson is leading off like a veteran. None of them are putting up superstar numbers, however. That is their biggest attribute. When a team's offense is focused on a player or two then the team is in trouble if those players slump. If anyone slumps for the Tigers then his contribution can be made up for, and the team can carry on. It also makes it harder for a team to focus their efforts on shutting down a single player.

Jim Leyland - Leyland is as sound a mind and as good a manager as there is in baseball. The fact that he has got this team to exceed all expectations is proof that he is the perfect guy to get them to the finish line.