Before I left my hotel in Cincinnati, one of the parking attendants started a conversation about baseball and pointed out that there were no fans walking down the street in front of the hotel on the way to the stadium. He explained that if the game had taken place three years ago -- before the strike -- that thousands of fans would be streaming past the hotel on the way to the field. Obviously pained by the situation, he explained that the strike had hurt businesses in the area and personally cost him a projected $3,000 in tips. For the first time on the trip, I had spoken with someone who had been direly affected by the strike. It was very interesting.
After five hours on the road, I arrived in Detroit -- just barely in advance of a series of tornadoes that ripped through the county and dumped a considerable amount of rain (along with lots of thunder and lightning) on the surrounding areas. All in all, nine people died, several trailer parks and homes were destroyed, and highways were closed and power outages reported due to downed trees and other debris. I had never been this close to a tornado, and I have to admit, being alone in my hotel room was a little scary while it was all going on. The next day (the day of the game), I got my haircut and bought myself a cookie monster toy as a traveling companion (maybe I will qualify for the carpool lane).
When I arrived at the ballpark, I parked my car right next to the stadium (opting to pay a little more in hopes of avoiding any damage or theft of my vehicle and its contents) and spoke for a few minutes with the parking attendant (who was obviously a veteran of the park). I walked around the outside of Tiger Stadium, looking around at the neighborhood and admiring the old architecture of the complex. The neighborhood surrounding Tiger Stadium is barely standing, mostly old buildings, empty storefronts, and run down houses. There are some intriguing restaurants and sports memorabilia stores, but it is not the type of place you would want to "hang out" after a game.
I continued to walk around and came across a rod iron fence that stretches along the side of the park. From outside the fence, I could see into a courtyard where food is offered and concerts routinely take place before games during the summer. Around the corner is the front of the stadium -- the doors to the offices of Tigers, Inc. You immediately notice two plaques, the first in memory of Ty Cobb, "The Greatest Tiger Ever", the other stating simply, "Tiger Stadium has existed since before 1900 and has been the home of the Detroit Tigers organization since its beginning." That tells you a little about the history of the ballpark.
Once inside the stadium, the first thing you notice is how small it is. The concourses are narrow and cluttered with food and souvenir stands. On the floor there are orange paw prints guiding you to your destination. All around the stadium, there are two levels of seats (with the upper level extending out over the lower level in the outfield) and large support beams every fifty feet. The seats are blue and orange, the Tigers colors, and stretch all around the stadium so as not to allow a view of the city from the stadium or vice versa. All around the top of the stadium, large banks of lights overhang from the roof and flags representing each American League team blow in the wind (with simply the nickname of the team i.e. Mariners or Red Sox). And, deep in center field is a flag pole, obstructing the view of some fans, and flying a flag with the letters CLT, the initials of a local hero named Charles Thomas who fought in World War Two and was awarded for his courage.
The field feels very small as well, with only 325 feet to the wall in right field. The dugouts are tiny, submerged into the ground so the only view from the benches is of the grass growing in front of you. And, the bullpens, situated down the first and third base lines resemble cages, submerged like the dugouts but covered with fencing to protect the players. While I was visiting the field, one of the groundskeepers pointed the bullpen out to me and explained that on a hot day, the temperature in the dugout can reach as high as 120 degrees, making it almost dangerous for the players to spend their time in their watching the game.
Overall, the feeling you get from Tiger Stadium is that it is old. When you walk into the dugout, you can smell the years of water damage and rotting that plague the stadium. Above the upper deck seats in right field are the retired numbers of the Tigers, the championship banners from 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984, and the names of the ten Tigers inducted into the Hall of Fame. This stadium reeks of the past (literally and figuratively).
I had a little trouble finding batting practice, I accidentally walked into the Orioles Clubhouse (for which I was not credentialed) and was quickly whisked out without being given directions to the field. Eventually, I just walked down one of the aisles behind home plate and jumped over the wall. A light drizzle began to fall and I wished that I had worn my sweat-shirt onto the field instead of leaving it with my stuff in the press box.
Right at the start, one of the Tigers coaches tossed me a ball that had landed in a puddle in the dugout and offered it to me as a souvenir. A few others smiled at me (while most of the staff looked at me wondering why I was on the field). I spoke briefly with the head trainer about he weather -- he seemed to think the overcast skies would produce rain, but I tried to assure him that we would get the game in so I could keep on schedule. Then, I went to sit in the dugout, not realizing that there was an overwhelming stench, and eventually (trying to look cool as I did it) walked calmly to the area behind the batting cage.
As the Orioles took the field, I spoke with several reporters about the trip and the various aspects of Tiger Stadium. One reporter from St. Louis was traveling around the country doing feature stories on ballparks and sounded just as excited as I was to be on the field watching the Orioles warm-up. I watched him interview Brady Anderson and Cal Ripken, taking pictures for him both times, and then moved on trying to get a good picture of Cal Ripken for myself.
Then came the highlight of my trip -- to date. I was standing by the batting cage watching as Cal Ripken walked around me on his way to take some swings. He seemed to be looking for something, and he wasn't finding it, so I looked around like I might be of some assistance. After a few moments, I noticed the pine tar stick near my feet, picked it up and handed it to Ripken. He thanked me and walked away. A few minutes later, perhaps recognizing me from earlier, Ripken let me listen in on a conversation between him and a local reporter. They were talking about stadiums, and I tried to interject anything I could about my trip and my favorite ballparks but I was too nervous to put in my opinion or ask a question. However, I did hear Ripken compare stadiums and say that the problem with Tiger Stadium was the location, because it isn't in downtown Detroit, and how some of the new stadiums such as Cleveland and Atlanta, and of course Baltimore, were more active and more family oriented because they were so accessible from the urban center.
The management of the Detroit Tigers was a pleasure to deal with. When I originally announced my trip and asked for a meeting with someone in the front office, Director of Public Relations Tyler Barnes responded immediately by phone and said he would be as helpful as possible. When I requested a press credential from the team, Mr. Barnes replied immediately again, granting me access to the field and the press box without any problems.
When I arrived at Tiger Stadium, Erica, one of the assistants in the Public Relations office greeted me, produced my credential, and then walked me to the Press elevator (giving me a quick tour on the way). We had a nice conversation about the Tornado before I boarded the elevator and let her go back to work. Throughout the game, they kept the press box well organized, fed, and answered all the silly questions I could think of. Well done.
The press box at Tiger Stadium is the first I have encountered that is not open onto the field. Instead, it has windows all around and even provides blinds for days when the sun is shining (although not on this day). The box itself is pretty standard, reachable only by a very slow elevator and a very narrow hallway, and boasts the ugliest carpeting in the league (a brown, white, and yellow mesh that is replaced half way across the box by a plain off white carpet, only to resume a few feet later).
The areas for the local papers and the visiting press are designated with numbers, each separated by a little white line, and each offering a padded yellow chair . Every ten or so feet is a metal beam that carries the power and obstructs your view if you choose to stand or walk around during the game.
The members of the media who occupied the box almost all sat on the top level. I sat with the visiting press from Baltimore, a cynical group of gentlemen who seemed tired of traveling with the team. From the first pitch, the Baltimore writers were offering wagers for when certain players would strike out, hurt themselves, and the like. I tried to get in on the action, but couldn't keep the high stakes they were risking. The game didn't provide much excitement so we spent most of the time talking about the Red Wings (local hockey team) and, of course, the weather.
THE FOODTiger Stadium offers fans dozens of different food opportunities. In addition to the regular fare, there are several restaurants and a full bar located in the food court area behind the stadium (in the courtyard area). One stand offers daquiries (a real New Orleans favorite), another offers REAL ice cream (in cones), and a third specializes in nachos. The pizza, instead of a generic brand is offered by Little Caesars (both individuals slices and family size pies) and there are Crazy Bread (a product of theirs) stands throughout the concourses. Nobody in the stands around me ate the hot dogs so I wasn't able to find out if they were any good (like I had to ask). The pizza was definitely the food of choice among the fans and all seemed to enjoy it.
As for the pretzel, I waited until the seventh inning to find a stand that offered them and I wasn't able to find one. The folks at one stand told me that pretzels generally aren't sold after the seventh inning because nobody buys them. As soon as the pretzels are sold out, nobody bothers to make another batch, and if you don't get one, you miss out. I asked one fan who I had seen with a pretzel earlier in the game. She replied, "it tasted like a pretzel, why?"
The crowd at Tiger Stadium was the smallest I have seen to date. Only 13,209 bothered to come out and watch the game. For those who were at the ballpark, they were treated to a 10-1 shellacking by the Orioles. Starting pitcher Jimmy Key pitched a shutout into the eighth inning before giving up a solo homerun and being relieved in the ninth. The Tigers trailed right from the start and never recovered.
Despite all that, the small crowd was very involved in the game, cheering the few highlights and booing the poor calls and visiting players. Most of the crowd was made up of families with children, not a whole lot of senior citizens or high school age kids (fewer than in other parks). There was not a lot of movement in the stands, although the fans did take a lot of time to walk around the concourses, some visiting the FanZone activity center behind the left field wall, others just out to grab another slice of pizza (it was that popular).
I was joined in the stands by my academic advisor from Michigan, Doug Shapiro, his wife, and three friends. We sat together for nearly five innings, talking about the trip, the stadium, the city, college, basketball, and a whole slew of other topics. Only one of them, Brad, was a baseball fan -- knowledgable of the history and strategy of the game, -- but all were there in part at least to be supportive of the trip, but all were interested in the game and the whole baseball environment. None of them ate any of the ballpark food (outside of peanuts and popcorn) and they even brought a pasta salad from outside to enjoy during the game. Now, that is roughing it!
Altogether, I would say it was one of the best games I attended -- not because the game was particularly interesting, but because the fans were friendly and supportive, the food was above average, and the stadium was very special. They will tear down Tiger Stadium in a few years, and when they do, Detroit will lost a whole host of memories and a cultural icon. I hope to make it Tiger Stadium a few more times before they demolish it, it is worth the time and effort.
Doug Shapiro (middle) and his friends.
The view from my seats.
Here I am on the field at Tiger Stadium.
