Indians @ Tigers: Sizemore Reaches 30-30 Club

Over the weekend I was able to purchase some absolutely wonderful seats at Comerica Park. The Indians were visiting the Tigers for the first of a three game series between the two teams picked last spring to be battling it out for the top stop in the division. With a little over a month and a half to go, the Tigers were in third place a game and a half a head of the Indians in fourth place. Not exactly what Indian and Tiger fans would expect. Despite both teams' records and disappointing season given spring expectations, the game was tremendous. Grady Sizemore led off the game with his 29th home run, hit off Tiger starter Armando Galarraga. Then in later in the game Sizemore hit a 405 foot homer over the right field fence, that propelled him into the 30-30 club (for my non-baseball friends - 30 homer and 30 stolen bases). The Tigers weren't to be outdone. Marcus Thames homered in the second inning off of Indian's starter Zach Jackson. Edgar Renteria hit one in the 5th. With the game tied 3 to 3 in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Tigers managed to get runners into scoring position with one out, only to come away empty handed. The game progressed into the 10th inning. In the top of the tenth, Indians infield Gutierrez hit a homer to propel the Indians into the lead 4 to 3. The Tigers mounted no thret in the bottom of the inning to lose the first game of the three game set.  While I really enjoy a close game with several homers and a few great defensive plays, I also enjoy the atmosphere of the game. The atmosphere was awesome. A Monday night game. During the week the stadium seems filled with many "true" baseball fans. Having purchased the tickets on Stub Hub, it was clear we were sitting around a number of season ticket holders. Clearly they had many opinions about the variety of Tiger players. Over hearing the conversations about this under achieving team and the critiques of the Rodriquez for Farnsworth trade was cool. The weather was amazing for August. At game time the low 80s were pleasant. As the sun set and the 80s game was to the upper seventies, I could sit back and enjoy the sites and smells of a perfect summer evening. The game just always seems better when you can smell the ball park franks passing you buy every other inning as vendors call out to fans enticing their appetite. Once the game was over and we began our walk to the car, the lights of the stadium illuminated the surrounding city. This outside of this stadium comes alive with "Tigers" as lights illuminate the statues that seem nondescript upon entering. This was an absolutely awesome night, which could have been a perfect night had the Tigers won the game.