Nate Robertson exemplifies the Detroit Tigers’ new success.

Meet Nate Robertson: part-time cheerleader, part-time supporter of U.S. troops; full time starting pitcher for the resurgent Detroit Tigers.

“What a difference a year makes,” said Robertson, the only Tigers player to spend the off-season in the Detroit area. “Last year at this time we had so many question marks about our team.

“Now we start the season as the defending American League champions.” The Tigers head into the 2007 season with more exclamation points than question marks.

They have the Manager of the Year in Jim Leyland, who took over a Tigers team that hadn’t had a winning season in 13 years and guided them to the World Series.

They have the American League Rookie of the Year in pitcher Justin Verlander, who, along with Robertson, gave the Tigers the best pitching staff in baseball in 2006.

They have added future Hall of Fame candidate Gary Sheffield this year, further solidifying a productive hitting lineup.

And, Tigers fans have jumped on the bandwagon. The team sold 15,000 season tickets, doubling the amount sold last year.

“We have all the pieces to get back to the World Series again,” said Robertson, who won a career-high 13 games a year ago and saw his salary jump from $402,500 last year to $3.26 million in 2007. “But getting there is so difficult. We know that. We know we can’t afford to take anything for granted.”

Robertson gained cult status among Tigers fans last year for his off-field antics. If the Tigers were tied or trailing in the late innings, Robertson stuffed his mouth full of bubble gum as TV cameras zeroed in on his antics. Soon, teammates emulated him and the bubble gum routine became one of the Tigers’ rallying cries.

“It was just something I did one game because I was nervous,” said Robertson. “It started with a game against the Yankees when we were down 5-0. And when we came back and won, I did it again. Most ballplayers are pretty superstitious, so once it worked the first time and then worked again, we kept it up. It turned out to be a good way to break the tension for everyone in dugout.”

Well, not everyone.

“I really didn’t even notice it,” said Leyland. “I was too busy. Someone told me later about it. I think it helped keep some of the guys loose, but it didn’t bother anyone’s focus. If it had, then I would have noticed. But Nate is a good teammate…a good person.”

Robertson and his family grew up on electric co-op lines in Kansas, where he excelled as a high school athlete. He was recruited to pitch for Wichita State in college.

Drafted by the Florida Marlins in the fifth round in 1999, he came to Detroit in a multi-player deal three years later.

“I figured I would get a chance to show what I could do because wins were at a premium,” he said diplomatically of the Tigers team that lost 119 games in 2003.

Robertson made a favorable impression and has gotten better every season. And, his improvement has coincided with the team’s. That’s why baseball excitement is back in Detroit.

But Robertson admits his off-season was filled with excitement that was only matched by the World Series appearance.

He was asked to be part of a group that flew to a U.S. aircraft carrier—the USS Theodore Roosevelt—and greet troops who had served in Iraq.

“I come from a military family,” said Robertson. “My father served in the Army and my grandfather served in the Navy on a destroyer during World War II. So I have great respect for what they do.” Still, he was overwhelmed by what he saw.

“It’s amazing how these sailors operate,” he said. “They are on 12-hour shifts. These kids, basically, they’re out there operating a nuclear vessel at all hours of the night. And when it’s all said and done, they’re very respectful people.”

The respect was mutual.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, which returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom last spring, was loaded with many Michiganders—and Tiger fans—among its crew.

With a crew of 3,000 on board, Robertson penned over 500 autographs and was presented with a flight jacket.

“It was the least I could do,” he said. “I just wanted to thank these people for what they do for our country. I think the biggest enjoyment I got was to be able to look them in the eye, shake their hand and tell them, ‘thank you.’”

Robertson is now back on solid ground—literally. He has a new contract, he’s coming off his best season, and his team is poised for another run at the World Series.

“The key for us this season is staying healthy,” he said. “If we can do that, we have the talent to get back to the World Series. We play in what I think is the toughest division in baseball. Just getting out of our division will be tough. After that, anything can happen. We can make it happen.”

Tigers fans are counting on it.