The end of the season

Today marks the end of the home baseball schedule for the Detroit Tigers. My family and I will take in the closer as we almost always have in the last 25 years or so. I think the only one we missed would have been during the 2006 season, when the Tigers made the World Series and it was simply impossible to make the last home game then, for obvious reasons such as inflated cost and heightened demand for tickets. Plus, when the playoffs are involved, you really don't know when the last game will be.

So, we will bundle up as it's only supposed to make it to 61 degrees by game time and watch the game. I made what may end up being a mistake by purchasing tickets on the first base side so that we would be in the shade fairly early, which only now means we'll be colder than if we were in a sunny area. Unpredictable Michigan weather; it was in the mid to high 80s just a couple of days ago and now we see lows in the forties and highs barely breaking the fifties. Go figure.

There is always a bit of sadness when baseball ends. Baseball is America's Game, no matter what those pigskin spikers claim, as evidenced in part by its having virtually no competition during the summer months among the major sports. It is the only game tightly associated with the American Spirit: individual prowess with team play and cooperation each having their stage within the game.

Today we bid it adieu in our part of the country, and begin the all too familiar wait until next year cries. Because that too is part of the charm of the sport. Next year is never really all that far away.