I've been thinking about how to best express how Saturday felt and I think chronological diary will serve it's best justice.
Monday afternoon, October 9: Purchased ticket to Detroit arriving at 11 am on Saturday and leaving on Monday afternoon.
Tuesday night, October 10: Robertson pitches a gem and Brandon Inge shines, Tigers win 5-1, and are up in the series 1-0
Wednesday afternoon, October 11: Ticket bought for Saturday's game by my aunt. I will be sitting between 1B and the outfield
Wednesday night: Tigers come from behind every inning that they lose the lead and the Tigers win thanks to Alexis Gomez's bat, Tigers win 8-5, up in the series 2-0 and going home for three games. A sweep is still an option, which means I could see a game clincher on Saturday.
All of Friday: Getting excited about heading to Detroit with a permagrin on my face.
Friday afternoon/early evening: Kenny Rogers some how outdoes himself versus his last outing and pitches a gem and the relievers combine to pitch a shutout. 3-0, game score and series score. Sweep is looking more and more probable.
2:00am, Friday night: I am having trouble trying to fall asleep because I am so excited to head to Detroit and go to this game. This is destiny. The team has a destiny.
6:00am, Saturday morning: I wake up with the permagrin still on my face and cannot wait to head to Detroit.
7:00am: Car Service arrives and I head to JFK. It's a beautiful morning in New York, hopefully the weather is just as good in Detroit
9:02am: Flight leaves on time and I am off to Detroit. The excitement is brewing...
11:00am: I happen to look out of window and I can see Comerica Park out my window. Is it fate? Then we fly past Tiger Stadium. Definitely fate...
11:20am: Flight arrives in the D, now the fun begins!
11:30am: My brother picks me up at the airport. He is donned in the Detroit gear and has my ticket
11:35am: Happiness turns into unhappiness when I look at the ticket. It says home game 3, Sunday, October 15. I call my aunt and she is not answering her phones. Concern level: medium. I still have other options, call my brother-in-law for his ticket hookup, wait on the other option.
11:50am: My aunt calls me back and is baffled that I have a Sunday ticket. Her hookup is certain that is should have been Saturday ticket. But that doesn't matter now. She feels really bad and I told her not to worry about because I will find a ticket. I am trying to remain positive.
12:15pm: Arrive at Sham's. Tickets option #2 looking 50-50, but will not find out for 1-2 hours. Concern level: Elevated. Side note: Sham's apartment complex is home to several Tigers. No site of them...must be at the stadium.
1:00: Receive a ride to downtown from Feras's, which is about 5 minutes. Head to the Detroiter Bar & Grill.
1:05: Recieve a call from the person who bought my ticket. She feels bad and she says she has found another ticket if I need it. I told her I'll call her if my other hookup doesn't happen. Concern level: Medium
1:10: My brother-in-law calls and the tickets fell through. Concern level: high.
1:15: Called back the girl who had the other ticket and told her to go ahead. Hopefully the amount won't too much. Concern level: Medium low, ticket is still not in my hand and I have to deal with tomorrow's ticket.
1:50: Leave the Detroiter bar full after a delicious Tuna Melt and a few Bloody Maries.
2:00: Arrive at the Old Sheleilegh and meet up with Augie. One drink and had to head closer to the stadium to pick up the ticket.
2:30: Arrived at 5th Avenue, which is attached to Comerica Park. Met up with a few people. The crowd in the bar was electric. As we headed down to the park, the intensity level was high level and the fans were getting into it. Picked up cajun peanuts.
2:45: Ticket is in my hand! Concern level: low, still have to deal with tomorrow's ticket.
4:00: After a few drinks, we head into the game. I have never seen a sporting event that was so loud. I have been to a few Piston playoff games and none of them had the feeling like today. And I have to say, pretty much everybody had a Detroit piece of clothing and tons of jerseys.
4:10: Picked up my scorebook. The only thing I needed to be ready for this game.
4:15: Looked at the lines at the men's bathroom. To no surprise, they are super long. I make the decision not to drink during the game. Hopefully I can last the whole game and not go.
4:19: National Anthem sung. The game is only 5 minutes away.
4:22: First pitch thrown by Bonderman. One out.
4:30: The only threat to date on the A's Milton Bradley hits a double to score the runner on base Kotsay.
4:35: Bradley trying steal 3rd. Looks like he pulled a muscle. Some potential good news. Looks like he is staying in. Frank Thomas pops out. He has been the antithesis of Bradley, where he has no hits in this series
4:38: Eric Chavez hits a double down the right field line. Bondo is getting rocked so far. Bradley scores. 2-0 A's.
4:40: Payton grounds out to Inge. Inning over.
4:45: Tigers up to bat. Granderson walks, but 2 of the next three batter strike out. Haren is looking good. This could be trouble. 2-0 end of first
4:55-5:35: 2nd/3rd inning inning not much happens. Bondo seems to have better control, so all is not lost. 2-0 A's.
5:40-6:05: Bondo throws a bad pitch to Jay Payton and he hits it out. 3-0. Tigers come up and get the lead off runner. Polanoco and Guillen get on, but they are left on base. I am not starting to worry about the Tigers losing today and having to deal with selling the ticket tomorrow. A's come up and nothing happens, 3-0 A's.
6:15: Inge grounds to Eric Chavez and Chavez's throw is errant. Inge moves to second on the throwing error. Santiago grounds to 2nd and advances Inge to third.
6:16: Granderson has a very good at bat and bloops a hit that knocks Inge in. The crowd is getting loud! 3-1 A's
6:30: Craig Monroe hooks a ball to Jay Payton who misplays the ball and it gets past him. Double by C-Mo and Granderson scores. 3-2 A's.
6:40: After another good inning for Bondo, Magglio Ordonez leads off the 6th with a home run! 3-3 Tigers. After Magg's HR, the momentum is starting to change. Haren is taken out. Kennedy gets them out of a jam. 3-3.
6:50: Bonderman is still looking good, but he is getting tired. I suspect that he will pitch to three batters this inning. He gets the first two out, but has a ground ball hit off of his foot. Leyland brings in Jaime Walker. After going down 3-1, he strikes out Kotsay to end the inning. The A's keep Kennedy in and he gets out one and then there are two straight hits. Then Macha brings in Calero to face Maggs. I had a feeling that he's going to hit a three run homer. I was wrong. He walks and loads the bases. Then, to me, a poor decision, Macha brings in Houston Street, their closer, to end the inning. It works, but I think this will hurt later...
7:15: Jason Grilli comes in to pitch for the Tigers. Base hit Bradley, but Frank Thomas help us out and grounds into a double play. Then, the next 12 pitches are balls. I fully expected him to change pitchers after the second walk. Could prove to be costly...Leyland brings in Ledezma to pitch to Marco Scutaro. After 13 balls, finally a strike. Then a pop up on the next pitch. Luckily, it didn't cost Detroit anything. 3-3
7:20: An uneventful bottom of the eighth/top of the ninth until Milton Bradley comes up to bat. He hits it to deep right center, but not far enough. Tigers get out of the inning unscathed. 3-3. I realize at this point that I did not set a meeting point after the game with my brother and Shams. I text them, but the messages are not going through because there are so many people texting at this point in the game. Maybe I'll get lucky and find them...not really my biggest concern at this point.
7:25: Tigers come up to bat. After a long at bat to Granderson for a lineout that could have been a hit. I think they are starting to break Street.
7:28: Base hit C-Mo. It's still a live. Nobody is sitting down except for the people behind me. Tough...
7:30: Base hit Polanco. The flags are waving
7:32: Maggs up. Maybe that 3-run homerun can happen. The crowd looks intense. Ball 1. Next pitch fastball. OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! Go baby! It's gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Home run. Game over! Series Over! The Tigers are going to the world series.
I could not beleive it! I have just witnessed something that has only happened in the MLB playoffs two other times: a walkoff homerun to end a series. It was so loud in Comerica Park and wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Of course, the whole Tiger team was waiting for Maggs at home plate.
8:15: The trophy presentation finishes and I head out in hopes of finding Shams and my brother. I stand by the Big Tiger. I find my aunt, but not the people I was looking forward. People are tame but still celebrating. I will enjoy this area of the celebration for a little bit and if I don't find them, I'll keep trying to call them.
8:30: Calls are finally going through. I get a hold of Kevin meet them at bar #1, Harry's. The celebration begins.
10:30: Off to bar number 2, Coaches Corner, which used to be Mahagony cafe back in 1997 when boy PP used to live there. I had a flashback.
11:30: Off to bar number 3, Buzz Bar. It's a very cool place with good music and Stroh's. We close this place.
2:00 Hungry we head to Tex Mex for some Mexican. that hit the spot.
3:00 Take a taxi and head back to Feras. I could stay up all night, I'm still excited!
This is the best sports moment of my life to date. This trip was worth every penny that was spent.
Anybody who knows me, knows I am a huge Detroit fan. But my intensity of the Detroit Tigers and Pistons is bigger than the Wings and the Lions. The Pistons won the NBA championship in 2004, so that relieved that relationship. However, they weren't that bad. Sure, they had a few losing seasons, but the last championship was in the late 80s.
The Tigers, however had, until this year, 13 straight losing seasons, including the most losses ever in the American League in 2003. They have not been to the playoffs since 1987 and have not been to the World Series since 1984. This drought was much harder. I continued to follow them through everything knowing how much sweeter it would be once the became a winning team and made it to the playoffs. Now they just have to finish off by winning the World Series. And to be at the clincher to make it to the World Series was even sweeter!
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