THE DETROIT TIGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!

I’ve been saying that all day long, and I still can’t believe it!

No question, I’ve been just giddy.

It’s such an interesting thing. This is the first time for me, as an adult, to have this experience. I spent my youth as a person who knew baseball existed, and followed it a bit, going to some games at Tiger Stadium. I listened to the 1984 Season with Ernie Harwell on the radio, because the team went 35-5 in their record season. Then, as I got older, I sort of lost touch with it. I knew it was there, but I had college and theatre and girls and all of the things that took over my life. I essentially lost interest for about 10 years or so. It wasn’t until about 1994, with the baseball strike, that I got interested again. Well, in 1995, really – I think, honestly, that it was hearing all of the fans who were pissed off about the strike.

“They ruined baseball forever!”
“How could they cancel a World Series?!”
“The Owners Suck!”
“The Players Suck!”

All of that caught my attention. Not sure if it was me going “Hey, baseball’s a thing I liked – stop knocking it!” or if it was me going “It’s cool to knock baseball right now, I think I’ll be obstinate and go the other way!”

Probably a mix of both, in truth. That, coupled with the fact that I was becoming aware that my job was starting to be my only hobby, as well, and that didn’t feel healthy.

But either way, all of that started me thinking about baseball. And so I started paying attention again.

Listening to some games. Watching a few. Then in 1996, we started going to a bunch. Unfortunately in ’96, the team sucked. Hoo boy. They went 53-109, finishing last in the division.

And I was hooked. And I mean hooked! I devoured everything baseball, everything Tigers. I wanted to catch up on the years I’d missed. I wanted them to do better. I wanted them to succeed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t happening in the 90’s. Or even in the early years of this decade. But I went. I dragged my wife to game after game to watch them lose over and over. There were great moments, of course. Seeing the closing of a historic ballpark, being there for the first pitch in what we all hoped would become a historic new ballpark. Going to the All-Star Game! Still, the team was not good. In 2003, they had the almost-worst-season-in-history, only winning 43 out of 162 games. (One loss away from matching the record for most horrific seasons ever!)

But then, things started to get a little better. Not a lot, but a little. And my love of the game grew. You want stats? I’ll tell ya. You want to hear why it’s clearly the best of the 4 major sports? You got it. You want to complain that the games are too slow? Pull up a chair, because I’ll explain to you the absolute joy of a game that isn’t decided by some clock, but instead is decided by the men playing it: it’s over when they end it, and that’s a beautiful thing.

And then we get to this year…well…no one predicted this year. No one. But it’s been amazing to watch, and follow.

And now, here I am.
I’m one of those guys who overpaid to get a ticket to a playoff game, and spent a Friday night in ridiculously low Michigan temperatures screaming for his team with over 40,000 other fans.
I’m one of those guys who got choked up when Magglio Ordonez hit his majestic homerun to end the game on Saturday night and put the Tigers into the World Series.
I’m one of those guys who, Monday morning, will be trying to get World Series tickets when they go on sale.

I’m one of those guys.

And I’m okay with that.