I was planning to do this yesterday amid all the fanfare of Opening Day but in all the excitement, I totally forgot!  Excitement that built itself up until 1:05PM:  The Tigers and the Bombers were standing on their respective baselines.  The young lady sang the National Anthem.  And then suddenly and without warning there was this “TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN!” It must have been a freak occurrence as I heard nothing about it from anywhere else but it got very dark, I couldn’t see a thing and moments later when it got light again, the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees were BLACKED OUT! What a way to spoil a perfect opening day.  I was informed that the game was on the Detroit feed of FOX Sports, unfortunately, we do not have the service.  I do have the ESPN app on my ipod which allows me to get updates which was no where near as fun as watching or listening, but it sufficed.  And the “EVIL EMPIRE” (cue the “Imperial March”) pulled off a 6-3 victory!

Warmer weather may be yet to come but the MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON has begun (for some).  No matter who you root for good luck to all teams in a fun, exciting, safe, and SCANDAL FREE 6 month run!  Number 28 and what is this UNDERDOG stuff!

OK… so the video is a few seasons old but it was the best I could come up with featuring the theme.

and so I did. Back before the beginning of Baseball season I made a promise to myself to go to at least 1 Major League game. That promise has been kept. The Tigers played the Mariners and won 7-1. There were fireworks after the game. Not a bad way to start the 4th of July weekend.

Comerica Park is a gem, a great place to watch a ballgame. The food was expensive, but very good, of course nothing else tastes like a hotdog at the ballpark. Wide selection of vendors, and most had TVs so you wouldn’t miss much game action.

Then there was the game. I’ve said before that I don’t usually care for blowouts, even when my team it winning. That is still the case, but the game seemed close until the later innings. It was 4-1 until the 5th, and then 7-1 after 7 innings. Even with that, the best play of the game came in the 9th inning with a double play off a fly ball deep to left center. Little Bits and I had a fun time at the ‘old ball game’.

A couple of pictures from the Ballpark will be added soon.

I just read that Ernie Harwell passed away. This was expected, since he had an inoperable form of cancer.

I grew up listening to Mr. Harwell on the radio. As a Tiger fan, he was the voice of the Tigers. I would have the game on TV, but the sound would be off and I would listen to the guy on the radio. His strong voice would carry Tiger games over the airwaves of WJR from Detroit.

Of course things change with the Tigers as I grew older, but for the most part the voice was constant. Until one year he was no longer there. He had been let go!! Outrage by Tiger fans eventually brought him back to the booth until he retired. Oh the many good memories he provides me. That old transistor radio hidden under my pillow, just what was needed for those West Coast Series. That same radio hidden at School to listen to day games in the fall or spring. Driving in the evening tormenting my wife and oldest daughter because I had to listen to the game. I grew out of that (mostly) when Ernie left. He was the voice for me.

He retired many years ago, but would visit the booth from time to time. Often in spring training to recite the following:

I never knew what that had to do with baseball, but it was a springtime tradition for Tiger fans.

Sad day in Tiger Town, and in the world of Baseball.

As March comes to a close, I need to reflect or dream about the first part of April and the coming Major League Baseball season. While I have followed the spring exploits of my favorite team, I can’t really get excited about spring training. Until this last week of spring training, we hardly ever see a complete starting lineup. There are a variety of minor league prospects, players past their prime and those with little or nothing to offer all trying to get the the 25 player roster. Those that have it made are just getting loose for the coming season. Some good ball is played, but as it is often said, it doesn’t count.

Next week the real games start. I will be following every score. Grumbling at losses or poor play. Feeling aggravated when a star player is hurt or not doing well. Cheering for every win.

So if you follow baseball, this is the time of year you’ve been waiting for. If you don’t, your time will come. 😉

My promise to myself. I’m going to go to at least 1 major league game this season. I don’t know when or even where, but I will do it.

And to my fellow old-time tangenteers, Good luck to your teams, until they play my favorite team. 😉

Go Tigers.

Well, the Bears killed the pitiful Detroit Lions 48 to 24…  But I might be more excited even that my dear friend John may get to see his Detroit Tigers get into the playoffs.  The Tigers, also playing Chicago (the White Sux), won their game propelling them into a 1-game playoff vs. the Minesota Twins this Tuesday.  Lisa and I will have to watch that and root for John’s Tigers!

But, even more exciting than the Bears and Tigers winning and even more amazing than Detroit playing both baseball and football against Chicago at the same time — BEEBER STARTED WALKING!

Now he has been holding-on-to-stuff and walking for months.  More recently he had been pushing things around the house — like mini-walkers.  But on Sunday, he started WALKING.  This means unassassisted and when he falls down, he gets back on his feet.  WOW!  Another child reaches another milestone.  Life is truely a miracle!

More good news…  Superfriend extraordinaire (and Best Man at my wedding) Derek has just let me know that he WILL be attending out haunted house outing in IL on October 23.  YEAH!  This means our other friends must join us — it can be a true TANGENTS event.

Jamy, John, Mary, etc — that means you! (Hey, WHERE has CAROL been?  Carol, if you’re reading this – WE MISS YOU!)

** LISA I LOVE YOU **

Yesterday, the Bronx Bombers closed out the regular season in historic and dramatic fashion.  In the sixth inning, A-Rod blasted 7 RBIs by hitting a three-run homer and in his second at bat in the frame, belted a grand slam leading the Yanks to a 10-2 finish against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Two records were set… the most RBIs in one inning for an American League player (only Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals has had more in one inning with 8, back in 1999).  The first homer of the inning was the Yanks’ 243rd rounding of the bases topping a team record set in 2004.  Rodriguez’s 30 long balls and 100 RBIs for the season seems exceptional considering he was sidelined (ok.. mixing sports terms here) for the first 28 games due to his right hip surgery.

AH… October madness.  Now we wait for a week before the Division Series begins.  Still a toss up between the Tigers and Twins as their records are tied prompting a final game to decide the AL Central title.  Let the party begin!

Not all but some…. and look out… her comes the return of the Red Stockings (on Friday)… BOOOO!!!!!! no doubt on the war path following the sweeping of the last series.  The Yanks have clinched a berth for the post season.  They slipped a bit but thanks to a win or two and a loss from Boston, New York has gone back to a six game first place lead and defeated the Angels of Anaheim tonight.  Just sayin’.  Last season, I did not get to say that.

And it looks like the Tigers  (another team on tangent’s radar) will be a post season hopeful, correct, justj?  What about the Cubbies, taylhis?

Yahoo!  The Bombers finally have done something they have failed to do all season: completed a sweep of the rather lackluster (of late) Red Sox.  The first time the Yanks have taken a four-game home stand from their rival since 1985?! The one thing I grew sick of is the continuous mentioning of David Ortiz and his possible enhancement taking of 2003.  I mean, it seems as if (the last two games, anyway) that the games were more of a did he or didn’t he.  I think the whole scandal has gotten way out of hand and is ruining the great American pasttime.

The series began Thursday night with a 13-6 blow.

The excitement continued Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday until Alex Rodriguez smashed a two run walk-off shot in the bottom of the 15th inning.  Marking the first time a Yankee-Red Sox game  has gone scoreless  through  14 innings and only the fifth time in recorded history  that  a walk-off homer has been hit in  a scoreless 15 or more inning game.  A heartbreaker but the pinstripes came out on top.

Saturday, the Yankees also blanked the Sox 5-0

Finally, the first place AL East boys rallied to go up 6-1/2 games with a 5-2 victory.  One thing is for sure, Boston will be looking for blood when next the teams meet up.  But for now.. good luck to justj‘s beloved Tigers when they travel to Fenway Monday night.

Since the beginning of this baseball season a number of people in and around the game passed away. Since I am a Tiger fan, the one that hit closer to home was the death of Mark Fidrych. Unfortunately, I never got to see him pitch at the stadium, but he was frequently on TV and his antics were played on the sports highlights of the News. Monday night baseball was a big thing on TV in 1976. There weren’t the number of cable stations. Believe it or not televised games were usually only shown on Saturday. Anyone else remember the ‘Game of the Week’?

Mark Fidrych brought a bit of the kid in all of us to the ball park. From filling in holes on the mound with his hands, to talking to the baseball or himself, and then shaking the hands of almost everyone when he won the game or left the game. He was a kid having fun on the ball field. He won 19 games in his rookie year, was voted rookie of the year, won 9 games before being name an all-star. And as quick as it started, the magic ended. An injury the next year made his season start late, and after winning 6 games his arm just gave out. Without the injuries who knows what his career would have been.

I remember watching those Monday and Saturday games. I remember some of the news stories and articles in the paper. It was the summer just before my Senior year. Even though the Tigers were a sub-500 team that year, they captured the nation for every game that Mark Fidrych pitched. I don’t recall anything else in baseball that came close to that year, and a performance by a 20 year old pitcher know as “The Bird”.

MLB network talks about the Bird
Last batter in Monday Night game
Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych interview

Tonight, I was treated to a surprise on the television after I got home from work: only the second televised Yankee game of the new season and it was the first game broadcast on the New York station we get via DishTV.  Quite a difference from yesterday’s 15-5 debacle.  New starter A.J. Burnett had a no-no going through six, but in the bottom of the 7th, the Rays scored a pair to make the score even.  By the ninth, the Bombers had made the score 7-2 capped off by Captain Jeter’s three-run dinger.  I now see that the Yanks and Tigers are even in their respective divisions at 4-4; however, the Detroit-Chicago White Stocking game was postponed due to rain.  And the Cubbies continue their winning ways at 5-2… GO CUBBIES!

For the past week or so, I have been rather surprised that neither ESPN station nor the New York affiliate were going to carry the opener at the new cathedral.  I searched and searched the guide at Thursday afternoon at 1PM.  I guess I should have checked the Ohio Sports channel.  If I had realized that the Yanks were facing the Tribe from Cleveland, I would have checked it before tonight.  So, following my shift Thursday afternoon… I just hope no one wants to watch soap operas.