Living in the D

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Category: Sports

Thanks, Tigers, for a great summer

Oh, Tigers, you have no idea how much we wanted to see more of you.

Your fans love you. Metro Detroit loves you. From the suburban sports bars to the beggars sitting in Grand Circus Park, reveling in the roar of the crowd on the next block, we love you.

You brought a live energy to downtown, a certain indescribable good feeling that radiated from the ballpark whenever you played.

I often joke that I don't care about the stats and pitcher rotations and all that sports mumbo-jumbo; I go to the games for the hooplah. I love the green molded seats, the scowling tiger statues, the overpriced beer, the fuzzy feline ears women fans wear, the hopeful kids with gloves. Even without a ticket, I could grab my friend and her dog from the Kales building and trot around the area, letting tipsy fans scratch the pooch's ears and take in the game and fireworks from behind the fence. It was free, it was fun, it was fantastic.

It's the kind of experience you can't possibly get from the Pistons, way out there in sprawlville in a sea of asphalt. The Wings and the Lions bring their own excitement to downtown, too, but it's just not the same with snow on the ground.

So now the the season ends, the ballpark falls silent and we'll have to amuse ourselves watching film crews build and blow up buildings instead. Bless you boys. It was a great summer.