An Inning To Remember
Well, my first World Series experience was fantastic. At first. I'll deal with the negatives off the top and shove those aside. Saturday was a bad game for our guys, and we all know it. I have my own doubts and feelings about what happened, but I've decided not to share those. This time of year is no time for negative mindset or doubts. The good guys just have to calm down a bit, and make Jeff Weaver work tonight - something they didn't do against Reyes - and I think they'll be fine. Reyes pitched a hell of a game, but his job was made much easier by some Detroit impatience at the plate. Kenny should give them a good chance to win, and if they do that, this series is back on track.
My experience on Saturday was incredible. I drove four hours to Windsor from Toronto, listening to as much Tiger talk as I could find. As soon as I got downtown, I could tell that Tiger Fever had spread across the border. "Welcome to Detroit" Tiger banners were on every streetlight, and storefronts were fairly obvious with their support. Tunnel buses were lined up, waiting to bring people to Comerica Park, and I was on one of them.
Had my second experience with a snarky border guard in two months. This guy saw fit to tell me I "got took" on the price of my ticket, for some reason. First of all, I don't think anyone has ever been "took," although some people may certainly have been "taken." Second, you're just pissy because you have to work through the game and you guys don't even have a TV. Jerk.
The Park is gorgeous. I know some people aren't crazy about it, but I think it looks great. The sunken design was a great idea. The walls don't tower above you, but rather invite you to come closer to have a look at where baseball lives. The former SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto is a hideous warehouse by comparison. Being around thousands of excited Tiger fans was an experience I will not forget. I've never seen them play when it has really meant something, so it was quite a thrill to know that all of us were there for a reason.
The view from my seat was perfect - I'd rather be second row in the upper deck than 30 rows back at field level - and I was introduced to the people next to me within minutes of sitting down. When the pregame production began, the crowd was electric. There was even an ovation when the grounds crew revealed the World Series logos on the field. The last time I'd been part of a loud Tiger crowd was the last game at Tiger Stadium, so I was eager to scream my face off and swing my rally towel around. After the first inning, it looked like everything was going to work out well, and then we know what happened. What really surprised me was how quiet the crowd became after the Pujols homerun. We were only down by three, but people were dead in their seats. They seemed to recover a little in the 7th, but were shut down again when Pudge flew out to the warning track. We all kind of knew they were done at that point.
I was incredibly happy for a little while before the game, and a short ways into it, but it's hard to shake off the disappointment when you see something like that live. I feel good about the series after coming home, and reading Gum Time. As long as I know the guys are relaxed, I feel good about their chances. Hopefully they - and all of us - can remember who they are and how they got there. I think we may be too quick to get down on the Tigers - likely because we're used to having our hopes crushed - and we need to recall the ALDS and get our heads up again. Our guys don't suck anymore. And they're not just going to start again.
I'll update this post with a few pics after game 2. Go get 'em, Gambler!
Mike
My experience on Saturday was incredible. I drove four hours to Windsor from Toronto, listening to as much Tiger talk as I could find. As soon as I got downtown, I could tell that Tiger Fever had spread across the border. "Welcome to Detroit" Tiger banners were on every streetlight, and storefronts were fairly obvious with their support. Tunnel buses were lined up, waiting to bring people to Comerica Park, and I was on one of them.
Had my second experience with a snarky border guard in two months. This guy saw fit to tell me I "got took" on the price of my ticket, for some reason. First of all, I don't think anyone has ever been "took," although some people may certainly have been "taken." Second, you're just pissy because you have to work through the game and you guys don't even have a TV. Jerk.
The Park is gorgeous. I know some people aren't crazy about it, but I think it looks great. The sunken design was a great idea. The walls don't tower above you, but rather invite you to come closer to have a look at where baseball lives. The former SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto is a hideous warehouse by comparison. Being around thousands of excited Tiger fans was an experience I will not forget. I've never seen them play when it has really meant something, so it was quite a thrill to know that all of us were there for a reason.
The view from my seat was perfect - I'd rather be second row in the upper deck than 30 rows back at field level - and I was introduced to the people next to me within minutes of sitting down. When the pregame production began, the crowd was electric. There was even an ovation when the grounds crew revealed the World Series logos on the field. The last time I'd been part of a loud Tiger crowd was the last game at Tiger Stadium, so I was eager to scream my face off and swing my rally towel around. After the first inning, it looked like everything was going to work out well, and then we know what happened. What really surprised me was how quiet the crowd became after the Pujols homerun. We were only down by three, but people were dead in their seats. They seemed to recover a little in the 7th, but were shut down again when Pudge flew out to the warning track. We all kind of knew they were done at that point.
I was incredibly happy for a little while before the game, and a short ways into it, but it's hard to shake off the disappointment when you see something like that live. I feel good about the series after coming home, and reading Gum Time. As long as I know the guys are relaxed, I feel good about their chances. Hopefully they - and all of us - can remember who they are and how they got there. I think we may be too quick to get down on the Tigers - likely because we're used to having our hopes crushed - and we need to recall the ALDS and get our heads up again. Our guys don't suck anymore. And they're not just going to start again.
I'll update this post with a few pics after game 2. Go get 'em, Gambler!
Mike
posted by The Somethingorothers at 10/22/2006 06:14:00 PM
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