Royalty Tours USA

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Royalty goes to Motown to see the Tigers play!

View from lower level at Comerica Park
After having a "Frickin" good time, we continued on our way to Detroit to see the Tigers play at Comerica Park.

Over the years, I've always had to drive quite a distance to see a Tiger home game. This time was no different. Back in the day, it was always worth going to the corner of Trumbull Street and Michigan Ave. where there once stood a baseball cathedral. It was known as Navin Field when it first opened in 1912 then it was referred to as Briggs Stadium in 1938 then in 1960 it was called Tiger Stadium. In the mortal words of the late great Tiger radio announcer Ernie Harwell, it's "long gone."

Nowadays going to a Tiger game is nothing like it used to be. Comerica Park in my eyes is the worst of the new modern ballparks that have been built.

They did a very nice job honoring the storied history of the Tiger franchise though. I always give credit where it's due.

But as far as watching the game goes, the intimacy here is totally lost in this cavernous ballpark. The seating area is so pushed back especially on the lower level and it's seems very far away which is typical of any of these modern buildings these days.

Don't get me wrong, Tiger Stadium had a lot of bad seats and obstructed views too but when you sat upstairs behind home plate, you felt like you could reach out and touch the batter you were that close to them especially in the last season of 1999 when they removed the screen from behind the plate which was right above the press box.

Those of us who were fortunate enough to go there know exactly what I'm talking about. For those who are too young or for whatever reason didn't get there, I feel for you. You missed out on an amazing experience.
As for the game we saw, the Tigers beat up the Angels, 12-2. No history on this night from the Halos just an old fashioned butt whipping.

Stay tuned as this journey heads towards its end but there are still some good stories still to be told.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

1 comment:

Kurt Smith said...

Come on Gary, where's the love for Comerica, man? ha ha