I do some of my best thinking in the shower. I've often thought that a waterproof voice recorder would be a good idea. The steaming, hot shower wakes me up and loosens the physical knots in my shoulders and back and the mental knots in my noggin. This morning was no different. I woke up groggy (thanks to my NyQuil/Xanax cocktail) and running late. I stood under the just-shy of scalding water and as I washed my hair, thinking about attending my first home opener at the "new" (10 years old now) stadium and thought about all the times that my best friend from middle and high school skipped school and were bleacher creatures at the old stadium. And I thought about my dad, who I inherited my love of baseball from and who took me to some of my most memorable games at the old stadium sitting in my mom's friends' boxed seats directly behind home plate. And how my dad taught me the art of baseball chatter. He did not graduate from high school but earned his G.E.D. after he served his country honourably and with distinction in Vietnam and even attended some community college where various professors told him that he had a knack for writing. He did have a way with words--colourful, at times ribald, at times politically incorrect but always expressive and able to capture his sentiment perfectly.
Today began rainy and grizzly, worthy of a Mellivillian day in Boston's harbour. But the sky is bright and the late start time a blessing. Opening day here is more than a celebration, it's a rite of passage. It defines what it means to be a Detroiter. People braving the elements, proudly wearing their teams colours, united beyond the boundaries of race and gender and socioeconomic class. Today, we are all Tigers and we all love our city. Go Tigers!
Today's inspirations: My dad, Sparky Anderson, Jim Leland, all the greats who have made this game great, Annie Savoy, Crash Davis, Nuke Lalouche
Today's songs: Take me out to the ball park; Bless you boys; Centerfield; the Boys of Summer
Go Tigers!!!
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