I thought it would be good to open with a brief excerpt from panicky screaming with Roar of the Tigers - click through for the full version with 100% more panic. Samara says she doesn't deal well with tight pennant races ... something that could be good for some more interesting photoshopping today at Roar of the Tigers.

The 2009 Detroit Tigers have worked tirelessly over the last week to create a dramatic pennant finish. After putting the Minnesota Twins two games back, the Tigers have failed to close the race out with three straight losses and are tied with the Twins on the last day of the season. Minnesota  meets the Kansas City Royals while the Tigers face the Chicago White Sox at 1 PM at Comerica Park. The forecast is for clouds, some showers and 50s as Justin Verlander takes the mound. I suspect, however, that it will be more of a question of whether or not the Tigers bring their bats to the game today ... and especially, Mack Avenue Tigers is looking at YOU Miguel Cabrera. Here's the win/lose/tie scenarios from the Freep.

Although we've come down to the final day of the season, Detroit News columnist Jerry Green says 2009 is far from legendary as pennant races go. Some - such as 1967alpennant.com - consider the '67 race in which the Tigers, Twins and Red Sox battled to the final out.

Speaking of pennant races, Mike McClary at The Daily Fungo is trying to deal with his nervousness by looking at the exciting 1987 pennant race in which the Tigers came from behind to swipe the pennant from the Blue Jays. Here's October Surprise part 8 when the Tigers pulled ahead by beating the Jays in the 12th inning as Trammel singled home Jim Walewander (never thought I'd hear that name again). See them all in the Blast from the Past section.

If you're the optimistic sort - or you just want a chance to see some playoff baseball - you can still get tickets for the possible home games vs the Yankees on Sunday and Monday.

There's little left to say but "C'mon Tigers - let's get this job done!" ... although of course you can't say "Panic" and "Detroit" without bringing in David Bowie. Here he is in the Diamond Dogs era...

Photo: The Corner, Kaline's corner, Michigan & Trumbull...Tiger Stadium by MichiPictureGuy

Yesterday the last of Tiger Stadium was taken down. For more than 100 years, Michigan & Trumbull aka "The Corner" was the address of Tiger baseball, home to greats from Cobb, Greenberg & Kaline to Gibson, Trammel & Whitaker.

Last night Absolute Michigan pool photographer Ken Jacoby said "I want you to do a post tomorrow titled "Tiger Stadium is no more" and it was funny to see the coincidentally titled Tiger Stadium is no more in this morning's Freep. Check it out for a cool video by Marcin Szczpanski of the final demolition.

On Absolute Michigan & Michigan in Pictures we've done a lot of posts about the old ballpark. Some of my favorites:

• Tiger Stadium at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull
• Tiger Stadium, in Pictures
• What Will Happen to Tiger Stadium?
• A belated 97th birthday tribute to "The Corner" which features a song by Ben Hassenger
• and Photo Friday: At the old ball game... by kcjacoby which is the gateway to a ton of photos taken by members of Exposure.Detroit who were lucky enough to take a tour of the stadium two years ago.

You can get some more Tiger Stadium posts at Michigan in Pictures and also check out the Tiger Stadium slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.

YouTube has some nice videos including Talkin' Baseball: Tiger Stadium, Last Game at Tiger Stadium, and Ernie Harwell's memories of Tiger Stadium. Here's Jeff Daniels doing the Tiger Stadium segment from The Story of America's Classic Ballparks:

"It's lonnng gone" --Harwell by b.plus

Tigers a big source of pride in Motown from MLB.com says that:

...For all the upheaval going on around this bruised piece of the Midwest, the Tigers' little piece of it has almost become a separate reality. And they've received such a boost from their fan base that they can't help but wear the Detroit name with pride.

"I've never been in anything like this," said shortstop Adam Everett, whose wife is from the area. "I just know that this is a hard-working town and people are passionate. Going through what a lot of these families are going through, it's not easy."

More than 40 years after the 1968 world champion Tigers helped unite the city and the suburbs for one tremendous summer amidst a year of civil unrest and tension in Detroit and across the country, this year's Tigers are providing a different kind of reminder of the social impact a team can have.

Nothing now will compare to the stories of Willie Horton taking to the streets of Detroit during the riots of 1967, trying to calm down rioters, or of Mickey Lolich being summoned to his post by the Michigan Air National Guard that summer. It's a different situation the city and region face now. It isn't violence, but seeming hopelessness the area is battling.

Yet it's a time when a first-place team has again become a diversion, and a source of pride in a city that others want to put down. As a team defying expectations, somehow getting through so many of its own issues, the Tigers are proving to be a fitting sanctuary for a few hours.

Click through to this excellent article for more including a video report and GO TIGERS!!!

urban hope by buckshot.jones

Throughout each month we post items of Michicentric interest to our Michitwitter page. In case you missed them here is a look back at just a few of the items for the month June. If you find these interesting there are plenty more for you to check out. We encourage you to add any news items, events, links to vids, podcasts or whatever you find interesting about the Great Lakes State!

The photo featured in this post is from the Absolute Michigan Flickr pool and was shot by the very talented buckshot.jones. He states:

This little garden is on the near west side of Detroit. The significance for me is it may very well be on an empty lot where one of my mother's childhood homes once stood. I also find it significant because it makes a statement about the resourcefulness of the folks in Detroit- a turning lemons into lemonade kind of a thing. Around the corner, right off Cass Avenue, sits a vacant corner lot. The locals have salvaged old couches and discarded auto bench seats and have fashioned a small park with the make- do seating placed under of the shade of a few low hanging maple trees.

A Sampling from Michitwitter June 2009

The folks attempting to save Tiger Stadium lost their fight in preventing the demolition and the Freep let us know in their article Detroit commission votes to level Tiger Stadium.

A Detroit city commission has voted to demolish the section of Tiger Stadium left standing after much of the historic ballpark was knocked down last year.

The city’s Economic Development Corp. board voted 7-1 today to authorize the complete demolition of the stadium.

We often talk about how the buy local revolution and urban farming is gaining popularity and that farming is once again becoming a viable career choice. The State News ran the article More students opting to take on farming opportunities in summer, as career choices.

Growing up in metro Detroit, Adam Montri, outreach coordinator for the MSU Student Organic Farm, didn’t consider farming to be a career choice. “I definitely grew up in the suburbs and thought of agriculture as something you did on the weekend or after school or that kind of thing,” he said. Now, Montri, who graduated from MSU in 2001, owns his own organic farm in Bath, Mich.

In our state's quest to harness the power of wind a report was released that the Thumb area is ranked #1. From Crains Detroit Business West Michigan, Thumb best for wind energy, report says

Three regions in West Michigan and one region in the Thumb area have the state’s highest potential for wind energy projects, according to a report released Tuesday by a state board.

We were shown a ray of light shining through the darkness of our current economic quagmire. The Freep reported Economist: Michigan to start to recover in 2010

Comerica Bank's chief economist predicted today that Michigan's battered economy will finally start to recover next year, aided by a rebound in the national economy.

In another positive story on Michigan's economic turnaround Michigan.gov announced Granholm Announces Companies Investing Over $247 Million, Creating More Than 11,000 New Jobs in Michigan

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that Michigan's aggressive strategy to diversify the economy and attract investment to Michigan has resulted in 15 job-creating projects, which will generate more than 11,125 new jobs, retain another 846 and bring more than $247 million in new investment to communities across the state.

One of the more interesting and unusual biit of news came from mlive.com in their story University of Michigan researchers find clues at bottom of Lake Huron to ancient hunters

University of Michigan researchers have found the first archaeological evidence of ancient human hunting activity preserved under the Great Lakes.

Using detailed government data on lake floor topography, a research vessel and a remote mini-rover equipped with a camera, scientists found what they believe are hunting pits, camps and rock structures called caribou "drive lines" on the bottom of Lake Huron.

Much discussion has been made of late that the revitalization of our auto industry would be to go back to square one and the inventors, entrepeneurs and small company jump into the game for some fresh thoughts. Wired.com brought us Tesla Motors Founder: Let Me Run Detroit

Elon Musk has tackled electric cars, space ships and modular renewable energy stations. Now he wants a real challenge: running Detroit.

“When the mess gets sorted out, I’d like to have a conversation with whoever’s in charge at the time — the car czar or whoever — and say ‘I’d like to run your plants, if you don’t mind,’” Musk said, starting that conversation Monday at Wired’s first-ever business conference, Disruptive by Design in Manhattan.

Last but not lease Detroit's art community received some huge support and encouragement. The Detroit News reported Kresge Foundation steps up gifts to Detroit causes

Call it an artist's jackpot, or a clever gambit to help Michigan hold on to some of its best creative talent.

Today, 18 Detroit-area artists officially will win $25,000 each, the first awards of an unprecedented no-strings-attached annual fellowship program designed to keep the area's top visual artists from leaving the state in search of greener pastures.

Last "Everything" at Tiger Stadium by RichKD

Tiger Stadium from Wikipedia

Tiger Stadium (formerly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) is a stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team from 1912 to 1999, as well as the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1974. It was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. The stadium is nicknamed "The Corner" for its location on Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Boulevard. Many in the metropolitan Detroit area feel that the stadium serves as a living metaphor for the city.

On April 20, 1912, Navin Field was opened, the same day as the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park. The intimate configurations of both stadiums, both conducive to high-scoring games featuring home runs, prompted baseball writers to refer to them as "bandboxes" or "cigar boxes".

The folks behind Save Tiger Stadium tell us:

The reports of Tiger Stadium’s demise are greatly exaggerated. For over a year The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy has been quietly working on a plan to preserve the entire playing field and a significant portion of the beloved old ballpark. This is a plan the Detroit City Council approved last summer because we don’t want to build a monument to honor Detroit’s baseball history, we want to keep it.

What would a birthday be without song? So we present The Corner by Ben Hassenger

Yesterday Mark "The Bird" Fidrych died in an accident on his Massachusetts farm at the age of 54. I read a lot of words about Fidrych, who had one magical season in 1976 at the very height of my own love of baseball. I think the best were written by Michael Rosenberg who also wrote this excellent feature on Fidrych in 2006 and said:

Mark Fidrych reminded you of your childhood, no matter how old you were when he pitched. This was his charm, his curse, his legacy. He personified athletic innocence.

His childlike love of the game is what's remembered by many, but for the 1976 season he was also a devastating pitcher who went 19-9, finished as runner up for the Cy Young, led the majors in ERA and won the AL Rookie of the Year award. From Sports Illustrated:

...he did not pitch like any 21-year-old anyone had ever seen. He had impeccable, almost freakish, control. He hardly ever walked anyone. He walked one batter in an 11-inning victory at Texas on the fifth of June, and followed it up by walking nobody his next time out against the California Angels. He won nine of his 10 first decisions. He allowed just one run against the New York Yankees on Monday Night Baseball. He threw an 11-inning shutout against Oakland on July 16.

1954-2009 by Boston Wolverine

The second best words I read were penned by Samara Pearlstein at Roar of the Tigers who also took the photo to the left and suggests:

I suggest a memorial to one of the best things about him-- his ability to bring fun to a sometimes deeply (some would say 'overly') serious sport. Baseball is, after all, a game, and it's SUPPOSED to be fun; Fidrych understood that.

So, tomorrow, go out and do a little something 'willfully eccentric' (thanks for the phrase, commenter Matt). Talk to your car. Groom the seat of your office chair with your hands. Change pens because the old one doesn't have enough great ideas in it. Smile at yourself a little, and think of the Bird.

Much more about this weird and wonderful character can be found in the Detroit Tigers statement on Fidrych, Wikipedia's Mark Fidrych entry and at BaseballReference.com's page for Mark Steven Fidrych. Please share your comments, memories and links in the comments below.

Definitely watch this interview with Mark "The Bird" Fydrich.

Justin Verlander gets the start at 7:15 PM in Toronto. The Tigers home opener is Friday at 1:05 vs the Texas Rangers.

“He's a seven-day-a-week ballplayer.”
— Red Rolfe

Detroit Tiger and baseball legend George Kell passed away today.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame biography of George Clyde Kell says:

George Kell worked diligently at all facets of the game, relying on constant practice to become a solid hitter and a sure-handed fielder. He batted over .300 nine times and topped American League third basemen in fielding percentage seven times. Utilizing a strong and accurate throwing arm, Kell led the league in double plays six times, assists four times and in putouts twice. In 1949, Kell dramatically captured the American League batting title when he edged out Ted Williams by less than two ten-thousandths of a point, .34291 to .34276.

You can view a nice slideshow of Kell's career [Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946), Detroit Tigers (1947-52), Boston Red Sox (1952-54), Chicago White Sox (1954-56) and Baltimore Orioles (1956-57)] and watch a nice video biography of Kell at the Hall of Fame. For all of Kell's prowess as a player, many Tiger fans remember him as an announcer. From Wikipedia's George Kell entry:

Kell was also known for particular colloquialisms in his style, such as always referring to a high pitch near the batter's eyes as being "up in his wheelhouse", or a hard-hit home run being "tommyhawked" into the stands. A particularly good catch was exemplified by "Speared by (Aurelio) Rodriguez! Whale of a play!" His home run call was simple but delivered with rising pitch: "Long drive...way back...could be...it is! Home run! The game-ending out, whether it meant a Tiger win or loss, usually merited a decrescendo: "Fly ball to center field...this should be the ballgame... it is."

Kell also relayed stories of his Hall of Fame career in the same folksy style. A favorite story of his was about the incident when his jaw was broken by a line drive off the bat of Joe DiMaggio. "I got up, made the play at third, then passed out."

The Detroit Tigers have a tribute to George Kell that has some memories from broadcasting partner Al Kaline and other and Major League Baseball has a George Kell video with some nice footage.You will probably also enjoy this Free Press article from 2006.

We'll leave you with a video from YouTube has some photos from Kell's career and also a lot of what appear to be family photos, and good wishes to Kell's family and friends.

Apparently, the long layoff from baseball has affected our bat speed, and we missed the opening of Spring Training 2009.  In 2008, the Detroit Tigers dropped like a fly ball at a peewee game. They began the long climb back to the top last week with spring training at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.

Brandon Inge by Peggy

Spring Training Schedule & Tickets

You can get the Tiger's spring training schedule and tickets from Spring Training Online. We used to link to MLB.com for this but they decided to go after bloggers a couple years ago and we're scared of them! The home opener is Wednesday and Justin Verlander has the start. As Roar of the Tigers reports in comic strip form, Justin also has a birthday ... and a special surprise!

Meet your 2009 Detroit Tigers

Mack Avenue Tigers has decided to take on the fool's errand of projecting the Tiger's achilles heel bullpen. He also offers his thoughts on the Tigers rotation and likely batting order. Brian at Tigerblog.net weighs in on who he thinks will assume the mantle of fifth starter for the Bengals. Ian over at Bless You Boys went on his morning prowl and found some tasty morsels including Tiger prospects, Jack "I think I belong in the Hall of Fame" Morris and a little something about Adam Everett's glove. At the Daily Fungo, Mike is profiling Tigers, wishing Tiger legends and  happy birthday and also doing an interesting podcast.

Something went haywire with the 40-man roster page at Tigers Central but you can weigh in at their forums on all kinds of topics including your expections for the 2009 Tigers.  Bob Wojnowski from the Detroit News thinks that while the quieter Tigers of 2009 have some promise, he's not going to get all giddy ... yet. The Freep takes a video look new Tiger left fielder Carlos Guillen.

Tigers on TV, Tigers on the Field

I think the MLB operatives have probably wandered off to check for steroids in the water cooler, so I'll let you know that the Tigers will be featured in MLB TV's 30 Clubs in 30 Days tonight at 8 PM. All 162 Tiger games in 2009 will be televised, mainly on FOX Sports Detroit, which will also show four spring training games on March 16, 19, 22 & 29. The Detroit Tigers 2009 Schedule has them opening away (at Atlanta on Friday, April 3) with the home opener on Tuesday, April 6 at 7:15 vs the Blue Jays. You can see more Tigers video from their web site and also

Here's a cool local blog from Lakeland, FL called "Lakeland Local". In addition to spring training coverage coverage from a Lakeland resident's perspective, the blog features photos and links to photographers, local news & blogs and a nice Lakeland area event calendar (perfect for the spring training visitor who might not be all that interested in spring training). For the duration of spring training, you'll be able to find Lakeland Local in the Absolute Michigan blogroll to the right!

photo: Lakeland Flying Tigers by Lakeland Local

Lakeland, Joker Marchant Stadium, Tiger Town and Tiger Spring Training history

The Detroit Tigers began coming to Lakeland, Florida for Spring Training in 1934 and have been coming back every year, making for the longest lasting relationship between a Major League baseball team and a Spring Training host city. According to Lakeland's page on Joker Marchant Stadium, "Joker" Marchant was the longtime and popular director of Lakeland's Park and Recreational Department. When not hosting the Detroit Tigers, the stadium and Tiger Town complex are the home of the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Also see the google map of Tiger Town and check out Ballpark Digest's visit to the Joker Marchant!

Get your Tiger on with these Bengal bookmarks...

• Mack Avenue Tigers, Detroit Tigers Weblog, TigerBlog.net, Roar of the Tigers, Bless You Boys and The Daily Fungo are all excellent Detroit Tigers blogs
• If you're looking to talk it up with other Tiger fans, check out TigersCentral.com (great history there too!) and MotownSports.com's Tiger Board
• The Tigers official web site through MLB always has great photos and video
• Photos: Keep an eye on Detroit Tiger photos at Michigan in Pictures, the Detroit Tigers photo group and recent photos tagged with "detroit tigers".
• Even MORE photos: the photostream of MLB photographer Emily Smith!
• Absolute Michigan keyword "tigers" has a bunch more Detroit Tigers stories & links.
• Got another link? Add it below! Also, if you go to spring training or come across any stories we miss, please post a comment below!

Spikes High by Dave Hogg

The above video is from a 1930 interview of Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb with Grantland Rice. You can see some photos along with the extended interview right here.

Michigan History Magazine notes that on February 2, 1936, Ty Cobb became one of the first players selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown:

According to many observers, Ty Cobb may have been baseball's greatest player. His batting accomplishments are legendary—a lifetime average of .367, 297 triples, 4,191 hits, 12 batting titles (including nine in a row), 23 straight seasons in which he hit over .300, three .400 seasons (topped by a .420 mark in 1911), and 2,245 runs. Nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," Cobb stole 892 bases during a 24-year career, primarily with the Detroit Tigers.

Much more about one of the greatest players ever to play the game (and probably one of the meanest) at Remembering Detroit Tiger Legend Ty Cobb from Absolute Michigan.

...except for last weekend of course, when politics was a welcome relief for UM and MSU fans. After getting pasted by a combined 91-24, the state of Michigan is assured of a Big Ten victory on Saturday as the Michigan State University Spartans travel to Ann Arbor and the Big House to face the University of Michigan Wolverines for bragging rights and the Paul Bunyan Trophy. You can read all about the trophy and the game at Michigan vs Michigan State Football Rivalry from Absolute Michigan.

Over there to the right is just a bit of The Best Thing I Saw on These Internets This Week: The Season of Much Woe by Samara Pearlstein of Roar of the Tigers. Relive all the shock, all the outrage, all the Spazzosaurus and be sure to tell her how cool it is so she'll do the next installment!!

Darren McCarty by radiospike photography

The Detroit Bad Boys are getting ready for the NBA season to start and report that power forward Jason Maxiell will test the waters of free agency next year. Bummer, but hopefully that means he plays harder than ever. In their 2008-09 Pistons Preview, they say (only half-jokingly) that the biggest offseason move was the Flip Saunders for Amir Johnson trade. Over at Ball Don't Lie, crazy Canadian blogger turned crazy Canadian blogger with a Yahoo contract J.E. Skeets has a Pistons season preview that says the Pistons may miss Flip in crunch time and Need4Sheed feels it's Larry O-Brien or Bust for the Pistons core of Billups, Prince and Rasheed.

Finally, in some depressing news, the Detroit Red Wings waived 36-year-old Darren McCarty. If he clears waivers, he'll be assigned to Grand Rapids.

For those of you who are thinking that I forget to mention the Detroit Lions, I didn't.

The photos are Double rainbow over an icon by LindaB and Comerica Park by numstead, found just a few photos away from each other in the Absolute Michigan pool.

Nathan wrote My buddy Derek took me to see the Tigers play the A's on Saturday night. This double rainbow was the crowd's reward for sitting through a 1-hour rain delay to start the game.

Linda said They say rainbows are lucky so a double one must be doubly so, all hope is not lost yet.

How Sweet It Is -Gladwin, Michigan by jfactor1

Our Michigan April Event Calendar says that this week is pretty much the best week to plan an event if you want to be the only game in town because we've got nothing to suggest.

If you have an event to suggest, a comment on the news, a link to a cool photo or an observation about the weather, post a comment below!

The question for the week is: have you already given up on the Tigers like Drew Sharp?

Last week: March 31 - April 6, 2008 | Next week:  April 14-20, 2008

Play Ball !!! by suesue2

The Detroit Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 14-13 on their first-ever opening day on April 25, 1901 and over the 107 years of Tiger baseball since, they have compiled a 57-49-1 record in their home openers (Detroit Tigers Opening Day at Baseball Almanac).

In just 11 days (5 hours, 47 minutes, 32 seconds) on Monday, March 31 at 2 PM, the Tigers start the 2008 season vs. the Kansas City Royals at home in Comerica Park. The game will be televised on Fox Sports & WJBK. (Detroit Tigers 2008 Schedule and official MLB site). This is only the 2nd ever March home opener - the other was a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on March 31, 2003

Obviously, with some great offseason moves, the hopes and expectations for the Tigers are sky high this year. While the 2008 Tigers' roster isn't set yet, but you can warm up for the season with links and stories at Absolute Michigan keyword Tigers including bloggers Mack Avenue Tigers, Detroit Tigers Weblog and Roar of the Tigers.

PS: Sam at Roar of the Tigers wanted me to be sure to mention that Miss America, Kristen Haglund of Michigan will sing the national anthem, throw out the first pitch and probably pinch run on Opening Day and here's last year's opening day feature.

Anyone... please sign it, photo by K'mish

Tigers Spring Training tickets go on sale this Saturday (Jan 11) at 10 AM. You can order tickets online or by calling 866-66-TIGER and get all the details on spring training from MLB.com. Check Absolute Michigan keyword Tigers for all kinds of Detroit Tiger goodness including our feature on Spring Training with the Detroit Tigers.

K'mish took this photo at Spring Training 2007 and says this is the essence of baseball - with which I heartily agree. View more photos in his Baseball set.

On Monday morning I started looking through photos from folks I know in Detroit and started seeing all kinds of pictures from Tiger Stadium. Over this whole week, photos have been popping up from a lucky group of photographers who had the equivalent - if you're a lifelong Tigers fan like me - of a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket dropped on them.

The first photo I saw on Monday was this one, about which Ken writes:

Tiger Stadium. Now closed, but once lively with the roar of the Tigers faithful. For the past 8 years the stadium has stood, awaiting its date with a wrecking ball.

A once in a lifetime opportunity happened for me this day... I was called and informed that a small group of Flickr members were being allowed into Tiger Stadium. 8 years after the ballpark had closed, these pictures are the result of what the park looks like in its current condition. This has by far been the greatest photo opportunity of my life.

You can see many more of Ken's photos from Tiger Stadium and also connect with other photos from the September 28, 2007 outing to Tiger Stadium on Flickr (slideshow).

Ken has lots more photos of subjects including Tiger games, the Woodward Dream Cruise and the 2007 North American International Auto Show.

comerica park by jhoneyman49

I'm not sure if this photo of Comerica Park was taken last night at the last Detroit Tiger home game of 2007, but it's a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous ball park.

With the season all over except for the last 3 game series with the White Sox (and rooting for whoever plays the Yankees) Sam at Roar of the Tigers is disappointed - not Pittsburgh Pirates disappointed of course -  but saying that if you're all puffed up with your happy lack of disappointment now, but you must have had a heart of iron with regards to the ‘06 team.

In any case, while the Tigers might not have lived up to our high hopes at the start of the season, I think all their fans have to feel that the franchise has truly returned as one of the powers of the major leagues.

"It's baseball. You never know what's gonna happen in baseball…. We do everything together and we're gonna win the game." -Maggs, after batting in the walk-off run.

Bow down before the majestic flowing locks of Magglio Ordonez, for he is mighty, and he is a hero.

The blog features looks at Tigers who are doing things right like Curtis "Mr 20" Granderson and Magglio Ordonez of the Samsonesque locks, but pulls no punches on those (:cough: bullpen :cough:) who are coming up short.

Samara peppers it all with some really great "photo illustrations" like the one to the right and most definitely including those of the dreaded Spazzosaurus, a fearsome beastie that seems to particularly enjoy feasting on pitchers.

Sorry, we had to turn off comments on this as the blog spammers fell in love with it. If you want to post a comment, just email absolutemichigan@gmail.com and we'll post your comment or turn comments back on!

While Absolute Michigan has been paying attention to efforts to save a portion of Tiger Stadium, I'd like to be absolutely clear in saying that Comerica Park is a gorgeous ballpark and I wouldn't have the Detroit Tigers playing anywhere else! If you have any doubts, the above photo Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park by chinkon from our Absolute Michigan pool should erase them - what a view, especially at the larger size!

That said, Ernie Harwell's plans for Tiger Stadium are very interesting and I really hope that they are fully explored. Here's an update from today's Freep that much of the initial money for an estimated $90-million renovation would come from local family foundations who have signaled their willingness to donate, with other funds from office leases and other revenue from the ballpark. The article also mentions the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, who have more modest plans to save about 1,000 seats, both dugouts, the visiting team's locker room behind first base and a small portion of the stadium behind home plate and the first-base line.

I assume that readers of Absolute Michigan also follow Michigan in Pictures. In case you don't, I thought I should tip you off to some photos from the book Tiger Stadium by Irwin J. Cohen (Arcadia Publishing) posted over there of the stadium and the 1968 World Series. There's more photos of the Tigers & Tiger Stadium on Michigan in Pictures (including Tiger Stadium, in pictures).

While the Tigers have been struggling of late, a mini youth movement seems to be energizing the club. The team brought up phenom Cameron Maybin last week and also Jair Jurrjens, who (with a little help from a bullpen made even more formidable by the returning Joel Zumaya) notched a 2-1 victory over division rival Cleveland Indians in his Comerica debut.

Tiger Stadium 1987 vs. Toronto Blue Jays by 1ManWithACamera

I have apparently been hanging with Rip van Winkle, and so missed the news that Ernie Harwell has come forward with an 11th hour plan to save Tiger Stadium from demolition. Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry spoke with Ernie Harwell about his plans and just hearing Ernie talk about the stadium is a treat. In his accompanying essay titled Play Ball, Lessenberry notes that all the other people talking about turning the ballpark into luxury condos or boutiques had everything they needed except financing - and that the City of Detroit acted quite expectedly by not trying to compete with Mike Ilitch when the Tigers were a terrible team. Jack notes:

Now, however, things have changed. The Tigers are American League champions, and virtually every game at Comerica is sold out.

If there is anything Detroit doesn’t need, it is another vacant lot. Baseball is about history, and the place where Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle once played doesn’t deserve to disappear.

After listening to Ernie and reading about his plan for reducing the size of the ballpark to 10,000 seats or so and surrounding it with lofts, offices, and Detroit sports and music museums, I have to agree that Harwell's plan is credible and do-able ... and if they're selling bricks, I'm buying one. I bet there's a lot of folks who would do the same.

There's a ton of pictures of Tiger Stadium over on Michigan in Pictures and you can get a ton more about the ballpark at Absolute Michigan keyword Tiger Stadium.

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say "Wow."

It's probably obvious from this photo that Paul loves his city. If not, a visit to the Detroit Tigers or Detroit Pistons groups he helps to manage might help, and the fact that he stepped in to oversee the complexity of exposure.Detroit should seal the deal.

You could dive in to Paul's photos anywhere, but this is probably a good place to start.

NPR had an interesting interview with Peter DeLorenzo of Autoextremist.com. Autoextremist is a site that purports to offer "the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high-octane truth" about the challenges facing Detroit's auto industry. DeLorenzo is an auto industry consultant, and if you want octane-rich bare-knucklery with a minimum of varnish, look no further than his July 11 edition where he offers this review of the Pontiac brand:

Detroit. The legendary Pontiac names alone could power a rollcall from Detroit's golden era - Bonneville, Catalina, Tempest, Le Mans, GTO, "The Judge," Grand Prix, Firebird and Trans-Am. The rich additions to the automotive lexicon were legendary too - "389," "421," "455SD," "Tri-Power," "eight-lug" aluminum wheels, Royal Bobcats, "Endura" front bumpers, hood-mounted tachs, and on and on. And the marketing and advertising hooks were equally memorable - with the famous "Wide Track" campaign still resonating to this day. But Pontiac has suffered from neglect and abuse for years, and now GM's maverick division is on the edge of oblivion.

Detroit definitely has got the message. They are bringing out good products. Can they bring them out fast enough? That's another issue. Can they get people to buy them or consider them? That's the billion-dollar question.

Field of Schemes at Tiger Stadium

The Field of Schemes blog has been looking at what's going on with the proposed demolition of Tiger Stadium. They also link to another post listing some plans for minor league sports uses of the park that don't seem to have been given much attention. The Freep doesn't seem to have doubts, saying There's just something about old buildings in Detroit. People won't let go of them. They never want to see them demolished, no matter how bad they look. And while there is value in preservation and cherishing history, the ongoing squabble over the future of Tiger Stadium is at the point of the absurd. While it's not really on the subject, the Detroit News has a nice interview with Tiger legend (and coach) Willie Horton about the changes he's seen in baseball.

Tiger Stadium 6-26-07

Spencer Olinek took this photo of Tiger Stadium with his cell phone. He has a few more here and here and here.

Dirty business in the Great Lakes

In Banning Coal Power Plants in Ontario; Promoting Them in Michigan, Modeshift's Keith Schneider notes that as coal is phased out as a fuel source in Ontario, the province’s economy is surging (including the lowest unemployment in 30 years) because of a new green, clean, land-conserving, transit-focused economic strategy. At the same time Michigan and other Great Lakes states have the highest concentration of coal-fired power plants in the nation, producing 20% of US CO2 emissions and leading the way in unemployment, outward migration and state budget deficits.

Pontiac, Michigan

The City of Pontiac is the County Seat of Oakland County and at the heart of Automation Alley. The city was founded in 1820. Two years later there were enough people there to form a village named after the famous Indian Chief who had made his headquarters in the area only a few years before. Wikipedia's entry for Pontiac lists a number of famous residents including Jack Kevorkian, Alfred Taubman and Moses Wisner, 12th Governor of Michigan (1869-1861). We've also added this info to our Absolute Michigan map of Michigan.

Absolute Michigan keyword Pontiac likes Woodward Avenue and recommends you check out the great work being done by Lighthouse of Oakland County. The Weather Underground's Pontiac weather forecast says that temps today may come close to the 2001 record high on 91˚. Think warm thoughts.

"Baseball is a red-blooded sport for
red-blooded men. It's no pink tea,
and mollycoddles had better stay out.
It's a struggle for supremacy, a
survival of the fittest."
-Ty Cobb

In one of the most awkwardly headlined stories I've read (THIS WEEK IN MICHIGAN HISTORY: Detroit Tigers legend Ty Cobb died) the Freep notes that Detroit Tiger legend Ty Cobb died on July 17, 1961 in Atlanta. Besides, tomorrow (July 18) is the 80th anniversary of Cobb's 4000th hit.

Because that's just about all the excuse I need for a baseball story, especially one about perhaps the greatest player ever to over-sharpen his spikes, here goes.

This article on Ty Cobb we did last summer does a decent job of presenting Cobb's body of baseball work: lifetime .367 average, over 4,000 hits, the all-time record for runs scored and being the first player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame are just a few of Cobb's accomplishments. While Wikipedia's Ty Cobb entry provides the Reader's Digest look at the career of one of baseball's greatest (and most controversial) players, James Kossuth's Ty Cobb Page is the unquestioned resource for all things Cobb.

He was able to hit the way he did by working himself into a hateful frenzy before each at bat. If he could hate the pitcher, then he would go up to bat ready to humiliate the pitcher in front of all the fans in the stands. To further annoy and irritate pitchers, he would sometimes act as if he didn't care about or even notice the pitcher. He would bend over to pick up a handful of dirt when the pitcher was beginning his delivery, frazzling the pitcher. One time, with Eddie Cicotte pitching, he kept his back turned and talked to Sam Crawford, waiting in the on-deck circle. Cicotte did not know how to react to this and was unable to throw a strike, walking Cobb on four pitches. Not only that, Cobb claims, but his little stunt so infuriated Cicotte that he had to be taken out of the game.

This Ty Cobb biography has some nice pictures I hadn't seen, here's a link to the Ty Cobb museum and you may also want to see Ty Cobb's page at the Baseball Hall of Fame and the official Ty Cobb page.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Maggs Sportin' the Shades by MichSt

Today's Detroit News reports that the Tigers have five players on the American League All-Star team: starters Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez and Placido Polanco and reserves Justin Verlander and Carlos Guillen. Jeremy Bonderman could make it six in online voting for the final spot, a feat not matched since the team landed 6 spots in 1984 & 1985.

Tiger catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez (who will be making his 14th appearance and major-league record 12th start as a catcher) said:

We've got a lot of talent, and what you see this year you might see for years to come. It's different now, compared to last year. Everybody's watching you, so you have to keep working. But it's nice.

Click over to read All star Tigers are tops and be sure to give a listen to the interviews on the right.

Apparently, the campaign helped as Major League Baseball reports that Placido Polanco has overtaken the Yankees' Robinson Cano as the top vote-getter among American League second baseman with 572,238.

Mission accomplished?

Not quite. Voting now moves to MLB.com and while Polanco and Tiger Catcher Ivan Rodriguez are leading at their position, current Major League batting leader Magglio Ordonez is trailing in the outfielder voting.

Head over to cast your All Star ballot at MLB.com.

The only thing better than throwing a no-hitter is doing it at home, and Justin Verlander's no-hitter in a 4-0 vistory over the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007 was the first ever for Comerica Park and the first by a Tiger pitcher since Jack Morris tossed one in 1984. Verlander, the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year, pitched 9 scoreless innings and tossed a dozen strikeouts. ESPN has the box score and also some footage of a couple of stellar plays by Magglio Ordonez & Neifi Perez.

this kid just threw a no-hitter
by Boston Fan in Michigan

Justin Verlander: 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 - Roar of the Tigers writes that when Verlander threw a fastball at 102 mph (gun inflation? maybe. I think it might be more or less accurate, though, and was juiced more with adrenaline) IN THE NINTH INNING, after he had already passed the 100-pitch mark… Verlander wasn’t just still pitching; he was STILL DOMINATING.

No runs, no hits, no errors from Mack Avenue Tigers says that 000 000 000 0 0 0 is a thing of beauty.

In So, Guess What I Did Tuesday Night... a happy Josh Wallen at The Daily Fungo tells us that Comerica was every bit as loud as it was last year in the World Series.

Slideshow of photos from Verlander's no-no on Flickr - view from the stands.

Wikipedia's no-hitter entry explains what a no-hitter is (for those who might be wondering) and also that Verlander's was the 234th in Major League Baseball history.

"When heading out to Lansing I again realised how little Detroit sometimes feels like a city and how much more like a big town that Motors on and on and on. And rather than going on and on I'll end and just note the anti-shopping list of places that are no longer around, maybe because it was too easy to head out someplace ... use it or lose it."
- May13th, Entropy happens...

"I'll have to admit to a few things that'll bring a tear to my eye about Detroit, the regeneration of Downtown, the friends I've found here, but at the moment the No.1 is the Tiger's season. We hosted a few parties this last year, the all-star game and SuperBowl XL, but this one's ours, this one is for Detroit."
- October 18th, Go Tigers!!

Photo: Wirt Rowland v. Kahn Associates by DetroitBikeBlog

The latest issue of ESPN: The Magazine has their "Ultimate Standings" for US sports franchises. It will come as little surprise to learn that Detroit scored three teams in the top 20 for the 2007 rankings. The rankings are a combination of record, ownership/management, coaching, players, affordability, fan relations, stadium experience and "bang for the buck" and anyone who has been to a game in the Motor City knows there are few better sports experiences anywhere.

The Detroit Pistons lead the way at #5 despite the fact that coach Flip Saunders was rated #73. Fans appear to love the players (#13), the arena (#11) and owner Bill Davidson (#6 - you have to think Joe Dumars is a big part of that as well).

Not far behind at #12 are the Detroit Tigers who are led by skipper Jim Leyland (#2), a great team (#21) and a little thing called the World Series!

At #18 are the Detroit Red Wings whose perennial contention combined with an ownership rated #2 (in large part for their stellar community engagement) ... and hey, they don't call it Hockeytown for nothing!

It seems to be true that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, because the Detroit Lions have fought their way to the absolute bottom of the list #122 out of 122. Fire Millen anyone?

Photo credits:

• 365 67 "DEEEEEEEEEEEE troit...." by Artsy_T
  
• 10,000 by Radiospike
• Hasek by McPhloyd
• Lions by Shogun13

Opening Day by DA2Brian

Last year, I don't think there were too many people on opening day who expected the Tigers to be where they were in October. The Tigers' AL pennant defense begins today, and though it's a long season and tough road, you have to feel good about our prospects.

See Absolute Michigan keyword "Detroit Tigers" for all kinds of Tiger blogs and other links.

Play ball!

Dave Dombrowski, Joe Dumars & Jim Leyland,
shown evaluating their new acquisitions.

DATELINE: APRIL 1, 2007, LANSING, MICHIGAN

Residents of Michigan were stunned today by the announcement of a massive trade that sent Michigan's full House, Senate, Governor and a number of key government officials to be named later to the Territory of Guam in exchange for left handed pitching prospect Carlos Camacho, Jr., the rights to University of Guam phenom Roberto "Big Bobby" Bordallo and 148 fruit bats.

Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski and Pistons President Joe Dumars, two of the most successful CEOs in sports, held a joint press conference Sunday morning to announce the landmark deal. "I think we did really well here," Dombrowski remarked at the press conference. "Camacho has a heck of a heater and Joe here thinks that Bordallo could be the next Kelly Tripucka."

Fruit Bat by Spike

Dumars expressed regret that the kicker of Matt Millen for nine fruit bats was turned down by Guam but expressed hope of a future deal. He also told the assembled reporters "This deal was really all about clubhouse chemistry. You can't expect to turn a team around when everyone's bickering in the locker room."

Tiger manager Jim Leyland, who will also act as temporary Governor, agreed saying "I think everyone's real hopeful that this new lineup will allow us to turn this state around." He said that the winged mammals were taking well to their new home in the state's capitol building and that every Tuesday would be Bat Day.

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Five Things You Need to Know for Friday, April 1st, 2005 (Google, Izzo, Michael Moore & more)