August in Detroit

The Detroit Tigers, after treating their fans to several days in first place and a bit of pennant fever, have tanked. That's Detroit in August.

The Detroit Lions, the continually woeful NFL team and only franchise in the League for more than 40 years to have not have even appeared in a Super Bowl, lose their exhibition opener pitifully. That's Detroit in August.

The University of Michigan football team faces stiff penalties for possible violations of NCAA rules. That's August in Ann Arbor, which is close enough to count as Detroit.

The comic strip Cathy, a drawn out one joke story drawn and written by someone local to Detroit, Cathy Guisewite, has after 34 years announced that it will end its run in October. That's August in Detroit.

We were blessed with the announcement that attorney Geoffrey Fieger will run for mayor of or fair city in 2013. That's August in Detroit.

At least now we understand why so many youngsters look forward to the start of school at this time of year. It's a distraction from reality. A reality a little bit to real.

That's August in Detroit. Too real. It's a good thing native Detroiters are strong enough to handle it.

Hopefully, anyway. Mommy!

The Lions

A 17-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams, a team which had been threatening to eclipse the Lions' woeful 19 game losing streak, leaves me wondering if Detroit Football fans will ever get to cheer for a winner.

Do what I do: root for someone else. As a proud Pittsburgh Steelers fan I have seen a few winners in my lifetime. It's not bandwagon hopping, either: I choose the Steelers after Franco Harris' so-called Immaculate Reception in a 1972 playoff game two years before they won their first Super Bowl. It was team which cried out excitement.

The Detroit Lions on the other hand simply cry out. They have for almost 50 years now. Sure, they've crept near to opportunity, yet they've never quite grasped it. They can't even make themselves into lovable losers like the Cubs or Mets. They're just losers.

Until a major change takes place, give up on them. They aren't worth the effort.

The Final Indignity.

As I opened my morning newspaper today, I shot to the sports section as usual. It reported to me that what I had known for weeks was now a mathematical certainty: the Detroit Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention. The bulllpen, again, could not hold a lead.

It was supposed to be our year; many pundits saw an easy ride to a World Series triumph for the club. But as with many sure things, this wasn't such a great call in the end. Injuries hurt us, but lack of execution and poor management hurt too.

I'm no fan of Jim Leyland; he overmanages. Sure, most managers do nowadays, but his actions are particularly galling: taking out a fresh pitcher in the tenth inning of a game against Cleveland, a pitcher who had only faced one batter and got him out, Grady Sizemore no less, only to see the replacement allow a winning homer. To a .235 hitter. Nice move, Skip.

Sure, the book mave had called for that. Ever think that maybe you're reading the wrong book?

Ah well. At least they aren't the Lions. Tiger losses are frustrating, but Lions losses are embarrassing.