Local Author Covers the Tigers From Their Founding to the Playoffs

Growing up in Grosse Pointe Woods, Joanne Gerstner would listen Tiger broadcasts on the radio with her great uncles.

Now Gerstner, who lives in St. Clair Shores, is the one who shares descriptions of the current Tiger games through her reporting for the New York Times.

While she is writing the first draft of current Tiger history, she is also the author of "Detroit Tigers," a book that takes a look at the history of the team from its early days, when they were known as the Woverines, through the 2010 season.

"(My great uncles) are not around, but they would be stoked their great, great niece wrote about baseball," she said.

The book, which is available on Amazon and may be available in stores for the holidays, is written for children in third through sixth grades.

While it is geared toward younger children, all Tigers fans could learn something about the long history of the Tigers, their ballparks and championships.

"I was excited to see all the hard work in print," said Gerstner, of her Tigers book.

"(Kids) will learn, read and have fun," she added.

In addition to writing about the Tigers, Gertsner has covered the Olympics, World Series, Final Fours, Superbowls and World Cup—including the one held this year in Germany.

While the book is meant to be a fun way to educate children about the Tigers, Gerstner hopes to inspire also.

"Maybe a girl will grow up and write sports," she said.

And if Tigers advance to the next round of the playoffs and ultimately make history? Gerstner hinted there may another edition.

"We would like to keep it as up to date as possible," she said.