Opening Day

Yesterday was, in addition to being picture-perfect gorgeous, opening day. And although I didn't make it to the game myself, word from those who did is that Tiger Town was buzzing. Although the game turned out to be a loss in extra innings, it doesn't really matter. Last season's magic seemed to be still lingering in the air – people showed up at 7AM, if not earlier, just to hang around, tailgate, and enjoy the day beforehand. There are plenty of games left on the calender and, this time around, the crowds are sure to be there all season long. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to make a trip to my old hometown with a pack of friends and see if I can't score some tickets for the afternoon – those Tiger Stadium bleachers and the creatures that invaded them might be long gone but just chilling at the ballpark for an afternoon sounds pretty good right about now.

I suspect, though, it might not be as easy as that. I used to work downtown, in Detroit, back when the Tigers were moribund and in the middle of yet another horrible season. It was so bad that you could walk up to the box office minutes before the game and get a ticket to any section you wanted. The stadium was that deserted. And I don't think that's going to be the case this year. It certainly wasn't by the end of last season.

And that's a wonderful thing. Not just for the baseball team. But for the people who work there, who earn their money through commissions. For the staff at the bars and restaurants nearby. For the parking attendants. The cops who pull a shift directing traffic or working security. I was downtown when Ford Field was put up and I made the point at the time that the actual stadium would always be a success. What mattered was getting people out of that stadium and into the local stores nearby. To get those people who rushed downtown on the freeways to stay a while longer and not just hop back in their cars and drive off to someplace else. If they stayed, if they enjoyed themselves, they'd see that downtown wasn't quite the wasteland it's made out to be. And they'd tell their friends and so on, and it's things like that which would help the city restore its image and salvage its reputation. It's been years now and I'm still convinced it's the way to go – the big ticket improvements like a stadium or a casino don't mean anything if they don't help the smaller businesses, also. And the area where (the now unfortunately named) Comerica Park is located is a lovely. Close to theaters, scores of good restaurants, and places like Greektown. Hopefully, the Tigers do well this year but, I hope even more, that some of those people drawn to their games will find something else to do downtown besides watch the games.