Last week I mentioned that I would rather choose the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox as a potential wild card opponent for the Yankees in the playoffs.

I lied. I would choose the Detroit Tigers. The reason why I did not even consider Detroit was because I never even expected them to have the collapse they are currently enduring.

Detroit went from a “success” story to a “big mess” story. After reaching the 40-games-over-.500 plateau at 76-36, the Tigers face the potential of missing the playoffs altogether if their slide continues. The Twins and White Sox have continued to gain ground in the division and wild card races, and the Twins are now just one game out of first.

Manager Jim Leyland had a Tom Cruise-like year, being praised early on but now finding himself in the midst of a huge debacle. After being almost a shoe-in for manager of the year when his Tigers led the AL Central by 10.5 games, the post-season awards are now the last thing on Leyland’s mind, with his team’s lead down to a season-low one game over the Twins.

In years past, the wild card winners have used strong finishes to clinch a spot in the playoffs, needing to play playoff-caliber baseball just to advance to October. Several of these teams were able to carry that momentum into the Fall Classic; the Boston Red Sox in 2004, the Florida Marlins in 2003 and the Anaheim Angels in 2002 were all wild card teams who became World Series champions. With that in mind, it is shocking to see a team fall the way the Tigers have.

But the more Detroit finds their way into that wild card spot, the more excited the Yankees should be. Unlike the typical wild card teams that have played in the post-season, if the Tigers do get into the playoffs via the wild card, the Yankees won’t be facing a hot team. Detroit’s lack of playoff experience should also play to the Yankees’ advantage. Only catcher Ivan Rodriguez and pitcher Kenny Rogers have World Series rings: I-Rod with the Marlins in 2003 and Rogers with the Yankees, way back in 1996.

That is, of course, all a moot point for the Yankees if the Tigers bounce back from this rut, or if they fade so fast that they don’t even make it to the post-season. But after playing a tough stretch against the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins and White Sox, the boys from Motown should be able to right their ship in the final weeks of the season against the abysmal Orioles, Royals and Blue Jays.

The Twins could potentially overtake the Tigers, but they are now without Francisco Liriano for the rest of the year. After making a return from an elbow injury, Liriano left his last start after feeling soreness in the elbow of his throwing arm, and the Twins decided to shut down their young southpaw, taking the cautious approach. An MRI showed no new damage, but the Twins do not want to take any chances with their young ace, despite the fact that the decision will probably cost them a playoff berth.

And a Detroit Tigers collapse, like Tom Cruise’s career, would make for one of the greatest success and collapse stories in the history of the game.