Bill's Journal Entry #21

Comerica Park

Date: August 30, 2002

Location: Detroit, Michigan

Opponent: Chicago White Sox

Travel companion: none

Link to my photos

Game Result: The White Sox won, 4-3, but this game didn't seem nearly as close as the score. As reflected by the fact that the Sox out-hit the Tigers, 11-4. Joe Crede homered for the visitors, and Carlos Peña answered with a ninth inning blast for Detroit to close it to a one run game, but the Tigers would get no closer. Dan Wright got the win, allowing only three hits in seven innings.

Stadium Summary: When you hear about the great new stadiums that have gone up around the country in recent years, you usually hear about Baltimore, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Denver, and Seattle. One you usually don't hear about is Comerica Park in Detroit, although it definitely deserves to be right up there with those others. 

From the exterior, Comerica Park is of one of the most beautiful and entertaining stadiums around. Statues of tigers 'guard' the primary stadium entrances, making it feel more like you're entering the Gotham Zoo that a baseball park, and making it clear to all who enter that here, the Tigers are in charge. (One noteworthy exception to this: The stadium walls have streetlights consisting of tiger heads that are holding baseballs in their mouths-at night, the balls light up. But the overall look is more akin to a roasting pig with an apple in its mouth. And that image hardly conveys the invincibility of the pig.) Also visible from the outside (although you get a far better look once inside) are the superb statues of past Tiger greats-designed to show the players 'in action'.

On the inside, you'll find two of the nicest attractions aimed at kids inside of Major League parks. One is a merry-go-round, with all the horses replaced with tigers; the other is a ferris wheel, with all the cars in the shape of baseballs. Very cute. In centerfield is the General Motors fountain, which is elevated over the walkway, with the field-side wall covered with ivy. It's clearly an attempt to capture a bit of Kansas City's fountain mystique, as well as a bit of Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, it fails to do either, as the ivy is patchy, and the fountains are neither spectacular nor frequently enough used. The scoreboard is nice, with the tiger statues overlooking it, but, like Cleveland's scoreboard, too much of its space is dedicated to advertising. One very unique aspect of the stadium is the "Tiger den", an entire level of seats that consist of large, moveable wooden chairs, with small tables between each pair. It's like watching the game from your patio.

Worst thing to do while driving to a game: Listen to the radio to determine if there even will be a game that day. August 30 was the players union strike date, and no contract was signed until that day's noon deadline. So the entire way to the game, I listened to ESPN Radio give updates on what was happening with the players' buses outside Fenway Park. Not fun.

Best way to get cheap parking: Show up early. Real early. I showed up about three and a half hours before the game, and parked in the ramp behind the Hockeytown bar for $2. Fifteen minutes later, the price in the ramp went up ... to $20.

Worst 'signature' stadium concession: At most parks on my trip, I'd ask either an usher or someone at Guest Relations, "Camden Yards has crab cakes, and Miller Park has brats. What does (insert park name here) have as its not-to-be-missed concession?" Usually, I'd get directed to some pretty good fare. However, I asked this three different times in Detroit, and each time got the same response:  first, a "Gee, I dunno", then a lengthy pause, and then, "Umm, maybe Little Caesar's Pizza?" You've got to be kidding me. I did try it, thinking maybe there was something about the Little Caesar's here that was different or better than most Little Caesar's. Nope.

Most fun post-game, in-stadium activity: Post-game fireworks. The show was pretty good, but there was one problem. What little wind was present was blowing in from centerfield. This caused the smoke from the fireworks to completely engulf the field. The only time I've ever seen this much smoke on a field before was the frequently-shown videotape of Old Comiskey's "Disco Demolition" night.

Most comforting look for a member of the stadium medical personnel: Late in the game, a very high pop-up landed on the leg of a woman who wasn't paying attention to the game. When her leg started to swell quite badly, a somewhat pudgy, middle-aged gentleman with longer gray hair in a ponytail came to tend to her. All I could think is, "If David Crosby is your doctor, you know the medicine is gonna be good."

Worst construction, and worst need for it: Not once in my life have I heard a positive word said about the downtown Detroit area. Having now been there, I can see why. Half of this city is currently torn up for repairs, and the other half should be.

Stadium grade: B+  A very nice, and far underrated, ballpark...

Overall grade of my experience at the game: C-  ...in a city that still leaves much to be desired.

-- Bill Verkuilen  biggbill@hotmail.com