SPORTS
Year of the Tiger.. and I don't mean golf
November 1st, 2006

What a year for baseball and the fans of Detroit.  The season of 2006 was magical for so many different reasons.  The memories, the stories, the excitement and above all the happiness that the Tigers brought us this year was amazing.  This year the Tigers became Detroit’s team again; they became our team.  I, along with so many other fans, can’t forget this season.

The stories that came from this season will be hard to forget.  Personally I can’t forget (but barely remember) Opening Day on crutches. .  I had a broken ankle at the time.  The crutches were an amazing leaning post for the day, but talk about sore pits.  Later in the year a group of 10 friends and I took a road trip to Wrigley field to watch the Tigers/Cubs game. Any Tigers fan that was there knows it felt like a home game.  In the 8th inning the stands exploded in the “Let’s go Tigers” chant.  After the win, Tigers fans were giving each other high five’s.  It was amazing!  Tiger’s fans took over Wrigley Field.  I also remember Phil Garner of the Astro’s throwing a chair onto the field after a close play at first base.  One of the best moments I had this year was watching a Tigers/Rangers game.  The score was tied at 2 a piece.  I was in center field by the visitor’s bullpen heckling the pitchers asking which one of the pitchers was going to give up the walk off home run.  Low and behold Carlos Guillen hit one out of the park.  Can anyone tell me how many late inning homeruns Craig Monroe had this season?  I don’t think any Tigers fan can forget where they were when Magglio hit the 3 run, walk-off homer to end the ALCS giving the Tigers their first trip to the World Series since 1984.  What a season.

The season was fantastic. The season was more than just watching some great baseball though.  Fans young and old were smiling in victory with one another.  The older fans would tell stories of the ’84 or ’68 Tigers while the younger fans were getting their first taste of championship baseball.  This season brought all Detroit sport fans together with America’s pastime.  It seems like every generation gets to see the Old English ‘D’ be number one for awhile.  We all seem to rejoice when Detroit baseball is among the best.  I saw more high-five’s, “Go Tigers” ass slaps, and the intro to Car Wash hand claps than one person should ever see. (My ass is still numb from the Go Tigers Game.)  These small things made every fan a friend with a smile on their face.  We saw the rise of superstitions again.  Fans wouldn’t wash their hats or jerseys for the season or eat a hot dog for every run the Tigers were down in efforts to rally the team just to say they had something to do with a mighty Bengal’s win.  These small stories go along with baseball making the game that much more special.

The excitement we have seen this year with the Tigers goes above and beyond what we have seen with the other sports in Detroit this year.  Other than the Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup in ’97, I haven’t seen this much excitement in sports.  Maybe it was because it has been so long since the Tigers have been good.  Maybe it’s because we expect the Wings and the Pistons to win every year.  Maybe it was just the surprise that it was the Tigers that were the team in Detroit this year. (Sorry there is no mention of the Lions.) No one was expecting the Tigers to make to the playoffs let alone the World Series.  What did happen is that we beat the Yankees at their own game with working class guys who show up everyday.  We never knew who was going to be the star that day or “Who’s your Tiger” for the night.  The excitement was there.  You could feel it before each game with a sold out crowd at Comerica. I hope I never loss this feeling.

The season did end on a sour note with our Tiger’s losing to the Cardinals.  Look at it this way, the Cardinals have been to the World Series 3 times in the last 6 years and finally won while this was our first trip in 22 years.  My hat is off to Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals. They out played us while we shot ourselves in the foot.  But my excitement lies in the fact that the 1934 Tigers lost the World Series to the Cardinals.  In 1935 the Tigers won the World Series.  Does history repeat itself?  I sure hope so. 

I hope this season was as special for everyone else as it was for me.  I want to thank the Chicago Cubs for letting us take over Wrigley for one day.  We have seen enough away team fans take over Comerica for long enough.  It’s going to be another long winter in Detroit.  The leaves have fallen off the trees, which now means snow is right around the corner.  But, come April, we will be able to put our ball caps back on, crack open an ice cold Stroh’s and head down to Comerica Park and hopefully see the 2007 Tigers make another summer magical.  I’ll see you at Opening Day.

-- Tony Magner


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