Opening Day Will Be Different This Year
By: Eric Thomas
I have been to an unfortunately few number of opening days in Detroit. I could probably count them on one hand. The one that sticks out to me the most was the final season at Tigers Stadium. Of course, it was an event.
There were busses migrating like beasts, street vendors shouting about their certainly legal merchandise and a havoc of marketing opportunities. We all walked slowly into the well thatched nest of concrete and blue handrails, staring at white metal wall paneling that neglect turned dirty and peeled. The bathrooms were long white troughs where people who had drunk too much beer would often lean too far in your direction. Bumping shoulders with fans while standing at the trough was just one of the hazards of opening day back then, before you returned to your uncomfortable seats and marveled at just how close the upper deck was to the seat you were sitting in.
On that day and about the decade that sat on either side of it, opening day was about enjoying the day at the park. You ate a hot dog, drank a beer (or six) and poured out into the streets enjoying sun if you were lucky. When Comerica Park opened it was about the existence of the statues and even a ferris wheel.
This opening day will of course be different. In every entrance, the name 'Fielder' printed in navy blue letters on the back of a white jersey will catch the eye of every fan. You can demagogue about buying runs and overspending but this year is going to be a lot of fun to be a Tigers fan.
You can see previews of it. Just watching and listening to spring training has been like you are listening to a preview of the All Star game. Boesch, Cabrera, Fielder and Young. Oh, and the MVP of the league will be taking the mound.
It's a lot to take in. Having the best hitter and pitcher in the AL was almost taken for granted in this town at certain points last year. Then the Tigers picked up a guy who was considered by many as the top free agent. It's a long way from where we were on that last opening day at Michigan and Trumbull.
We actually have a team that features a large collection of potential All Stars and Hall of Famers. The abilities of the defensive infield are of course debatable. What you cannot debate is this team is stacked with talent. Not the kind of talent that we only appreciate locally. There is a Tigers uniform on every video game and national wrap up show.
People who are simply front runners around the country will wear an old English D on their chests this baseball season. There are plenty of special memories going into opening day but it has been a long time since a team has been this good on paper.
Enjoy this Tigers fans and don't take the team for granted. We will have debates about slumps and collapses and lineup changes later. For now let's just marvel at the fact that this is the most stocked team many of us can remember. Let's go Tigers.
