All Eyes on Detroit
Today is the Major League Baseball’s 76th annual All Star game. While I usually don’t pay any attention to the All Star game (and only slightly more attention to regular season baseball), I think I might actually watch this one. Why? Because as some readers may know, I grew up in Michigan and remain a big fan of the state and of Detroit sports. Detroit, by the way is the site of this year’s All Star game (and this year’s Superbowl and half of this year’s NBA Finals games). So for a glorious moment, the nation gets to focus its attention on the city and sports legacy I call my own. Sadly not all that attention is positive. Instead of dwelling on the past glory and success of Detroit baseball, and the more recent success of other Detroit teams, the New York Times instead decided to go with a piece about urban blight and the “decrepit” Tiger Stadium:
Last Saturday, at the entrance to the Tigers’ old offices, potato chip bags, candy wrappers and weeds clustered at the step. The numerals for the street address - 2121 - were barely visible over the glass door. Above it were Tigers logos, a newer one painted over an older version, chipping away so badly that they blended.
Inside, a ceiling tile rested in a hanging light fixture. A guard waved off a reporter and disappeared through a side door.
Mitch Albom, of the Detroit Free Press responds:
Why do reporters need to write about an empty stadium? Is painting images of weeds and discarded candy wrappers (as the New York Times did) really the story of the 76th All-Star Game? Or does it fit a preconceived notion of Detroit as a symbol of urban decay? Too bad New York didn’t get the 2012 Summer Olympics. Then, during the Opening Ceremonies, a Detroit reporter could have gone to the South Bronx and written about a crack house.
Even Kansas City comes to our rescue, calling Detroit one of the greatest sports cities ever (and he’s right), here’s Jason Whitlock:
Detroit has a spirit, an energy that’s infectious. It’s an awesome place to take in the sports world. You have the whole package — great teams, bad teams, terrific talent, wonderful characters, championships, two newspapers, two all-sports radio stations, good facilities, passionate fans.
There’s nothing funny about Detroit when it comes to sports.
So yea, I’ll be watching the game tonight. I’ll be rooting for Pudge and the rest of the American league, and I’ll be thinking of the proud legacy of Detroit sports, and yes, even of Detroit baseball. Only 7 teams have been to the World Series more, and only 8 teams have won more. Detroit rocks.