“I was literally on the airplane, trying to breathe to get rid of butterflies,” [Ian] Kinsler said Tuesday morning before the first full-squad practice. “I couldn’t get rid of them.”

Some of it was nerves: Did he do enough to prepare? Did he work hard enough? “That’s always in the back of your mind, regardless of how hard you worked,” he said. And some of it was fear of being “the weak link” on this team. “The expectations in this locker room are huge, and I’m a big part of this team,” he said. “You always have doubt. You always have to prove yourself, no matter how long you have been playing.”

And some of it was excitement, even as he enters his 11th season. Kinsler texted his wife: “I have butterflies. I can’t get rid of them. I don’t know what’s going on.” She texted back: “You still love the game. That’s good.”

“I still have a bad taste in my mouth about last year,” Kinsler said. “That might have something to do with why I was so nervous. I haven’t played a season like that in my career, really.” That says all you need to know about the Tigers’ mind-set entering this spring training. “This is not another spring training,” Kinsler said. “This is an important spring training after last year. All of the players that we have acquired, we need to come together. We have a month and a half to do it, to get prepared for the season, and it starts today.”

 “This is an important spring training after last year,” Kinsler said. “People forget, really fast, about the success of this organization and the players who play on the field,” Kinsler said. “Yeah, I think you could say there is a little more pressure this year, a little more urgency.”

There are plenty of new faces. The bullpen is stronger than last year. And the offense has the potential to be special. “Jordan Zimmermann was huge for us,” Kinsler said. “The guys that we acquired, obviously, are going to help us. They are really good people. They are good guys in the clubhouse. And it’s going to help the feel of this team through the whole season. It’s not just the talent they bring. Statistics can’t measure a warm smile, you know?”

Source: Tigers’ Ian Kinsler bugged by butterflies as pressure to win mounts

I love it. Even though Brad Ausmus is in charge, we still are so stacked, how can any loyal Tigers fan not be at least a little excited themselves! Practice up boys use that Spring Training to your fullest advantage, and we’ll see you soon!