ALCS Game 3

Yesterday when I was sitting in class with my phone sitting on my lap so I can check the time every 3 minutes hoping that it's time to leave even though I know it's not even close yet, (I actually believe that time moves slower inside the Wayne State Law School, they should send a physicist there to investigate) my sister called. No big deal I thought, probably just wants to see if I want to watch the Cardinals/Mets game tonight or something. Then two minutes later I saw that she called again. I'll call her during break. Then my dad calls and leaves a voicemail. Now I'm kind of worried, maybe something serious happened, maybe there was an accident.I decide that if anyone else calls I'll leave class and see what's going on. Two minutes later my sister calls again and I get up, leave the room and answer, expecting potentially bad news.

Me: "Hello"

Becky: "I've got 4 tickets to tomorrows ALCS game"

Me: " Ohmigod, Ithnjbjkmeyhesjdissgebnopxlpljkde !!!!"

Becky: "What, slow down, think before you talk."

Me: "Oh my God, that amazing, I think my head is going to explode right here in the hallway!!!!!"

So this afternoon I was able to attend Game Three of the ALCS at Comerica Park with my dad, sister and her boyfriend Patrick, (we didn't neglect my mom, she would have just sat and worked crossword puzzles had she attended the game) to watch Kenny Rogers pitch against Rich Harden in what turned out to be three of the best hours of my existence. We arrived at Comerica shortly before the first pitch after being dropped off outside Comerica by our 87 year old cab driver, (Nothing noteworthy happened on the trip down, I just felt obligated to say that we had an 87 YEAR OLD CABBIE!) We walked into Comerica to our kickass seats, Upper level third row on the first base side, (upper box seats are some of my favorite seats at Comerica because you have no one in front of you and you are right on top of the action), and sat down just in time to see Rich Harden walk Granderson on 4 straight pitches. I was really hoping to see Harden struggle and not just because I wanted the Tigers to win, but also because I hate Rich Harden. He was on my fantasy team this year and jerked me around all season with his tricky elbow. He'll be back in a week, he's out for the season, he's throwing on the side, he's had a minor setback, so he languished on my DL for over three months and then decides to come back with 2 weeks left when I'm already buried in seventh place. Bastard. (Sorry I don't like writing about fantasy but I needed to get that off my chest, and if you don't think I complained to everyone in an earshot tonight about this, well then Shorty you don't know me. I don't like T.I. either but I heard that song about 30 times tonight.) Anyways Harden never looked comfortable letting up 2 runs in the first and 3 in 5 2/3 innings while walking five and having numerous hard hit balls off him. It seemed as though the Tigers wasted a lot of good opportunities today and could have blown the game open early, but it didn't matter because Kenny Rogers was electric again. O.K. show of hands. Who here thought that Kenny Rogers would pitch 15 straight scoreless innings in the playoffs and break the record for fewest hits allowed in an ALCS game when we signed him this offseason. Anyone? Wasn't the knock on Rogers was that he faded badly down the stretch and was horrendous in the post season? Well I don't know who that guy is because the Rogers we have this year has been amazing, ending in a second straight standing ovation, cap-tipping, shutout performance. Wow. I'm ready to build a statue of Rogers after this season, regardless of how he performs in the World Series. He completely shut down the A's lineup, I bet Oakland wishes they still had Frank Thomas. Wait, he's still playing? Ha. (I hate Frank Thomas and all becasue Big Hurt Baseball was the worst sports game ever released on the Genesis. Just a terrible terrible game.) Anyways Rogers pitched out of his mind, again, while losing his mind.........again. Rogers was doing his normal stalking around screaming into his glove, pumping his fist, and being a more crazy, aggressive, emotional version of Jack Morris and he was brilliant.

Enough about the game, you all watched it and know how it turned out, let's talk about being at Comerica. Since Comerica opened 6 years ago I've gone to countless games and everyone of them before this season was meaningless, especially those late September home games, where its 50 degrees out and the lineups resemble the Toledo MudHens and Omaha Royals more then Major League teams. That's why walking into Comerica tonight to watch a playoff game in October was so surreal. The red, white and blue banners hanging from the upper level facing, the ALCS logos painted along the baselines, the olde English D painted on the backside of the mound, the out of town scoreboard shut off because no other teams are still playing in the AL, THE DETROIT TIGERS IN A PLAYOFF GAME AT COMERICA, the whole atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced at a ball game before. That's why I urge everyone who is a Tigers fan to get on their computers on Monday morning and try to get tickets to the World Series. I know playoff tickets are expensive but its worth it. If you have kids make them skip eating lunch, if you're in college don't buy textbooks next semester, child support payments, skip them, just scrounge up whatever money you can find and get down to Comerica. It's been 22 years since the Tigers have been to the Series and it may me that long before they get back ( I think this team will contend for a long time, but I'm sure people were saying the same thing back in '84.) I'm 23 and I waited my entire life for this. If I have to wait another 22 years I'll be 45, bald, divorced, still deathly skinny, and so beat down from my crummy law job that I won't care as much about the Tigers, so I have to take advantage of this now, and I urge everyone else too. One more game until the Series. Go Tigers!