August 29, 1967

     This is an action-packed week. There was the Yankees-Tigers brawl on Thursday (Miguel Cabrera didn't need to push Austin Romine, no matter what he said and where were the umpires in this whole mess? Besides, Gary Sanchez--what were YOU thinking throwing those ineffective and unnecessary punches--isn't 4 games going to hurt the team at this time of year?). Giancarlo Stanton hit home runs number 48, 49 and 50 (will he break 61 in a legitimate, non-steroid way?). The annual Jets-Giants exhibition game was Saturday (despite scoring 31 points, does NYJ actually have any offense and will both teams escape the injury bug which is occurring around the NFL--see Julian Edelman's ACL injury?). And of course there was Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor, an undefeated boxer trying to remain undefeated with his 50th win (which he did via 10th round TKO), topping Rocky Marciano's all-time record of 49-0 battling the brash Irish MMA fighter who stood to pocket $30 million or more versus Mayweather's $100 million (why were people so crazed about this fight as to establish the greatest boxing betting Las Vegas has ever seen?). Then there are the Players' Weekend jerseys--really? Softball invades MLB?

     Any of these topics would be enough by themselves, but I want to tell a personal story. It goes back 50 years, to the date of August 29, 1967. I was on the cusp of beginning my senior year at Highland Park High School, where I was the football statistician, head basketball manager/scorekeeper and media stringer.

     I liked those sports a lot. But my first love was baseball. I thought I was pretty good, but incidents in high school relating to my small size (5'4", 120 pounds) and some real anti-Semitism by the baseball coaches kept me on the sidelines; there was no need to try out for the JV team after getting cut my sophomore year when I hit and fielded better than any other outfielder. I politely declined the varsity coach/vice principal asking me if I wanted to be on the team  for my senior year as a reward for my dedication to HPHS sports--since he was clear that I would only play when the team was ahead by 10 runs.

     It was this underdog prejudice which fueled my determination to join the Franklin and Marshall team, where I became an instant starter. I knew that all of the hours I had put in playing stick ball and shagging fly balls thanks to my friend Ron, had built up my strong throwing arm and had given me countless at bats from both sides of the plate. I would start in college but be denied the chance to legitimately make the JV's in high school. Unlike Michael Jordan, my reason for not playing was political and not for a lack of ability at that point in my life. I love baseball so much that, after the first of my shoulder surgeries, on the day before my 42nd birthday, I was able to return to the field against F&M players more than half my age and be competitive in the last baseball game I have ever played in.

     This dedication to baseball began early in my life. I lived on a dead end street in Highland Park, so rural that there was a farm in neighboring Edison and I could go up to the fence where a horse came by and say hello on a daily basis from 1956 to 1960. The dead end circle was where I learned how to catch, throw and even bat, thanks to the willingness of my father and our neighbor, Milton Reitman, who went with my father and me to my first Yankees game in 1958 and took me to my first Saturday afternoon game at Yankee Stadium in 1959. Milton, like his father, Norman Reitman, became a cardiologist. And I am indebted to my sister Laura for pitching to me at a short distance inside our garage so I could learn to hit low line drives up the middle; as great a softball player as she was, Laura starred in tennis at Monmouth College and is a nationally-renowned, glass-shattering female coin dealer on a big time level.

     What engaged me even more was the fact that the New York Yankees were the only team in town. The Dodgers and Giants had fled New York for the West Coast. WPIX, Channel 11 in New York, saturated the market with Yankees baseball. Stars Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and  Whitey Ford;  lesser lights like Norm Siebern and Jerry Lumpe; and memorable Yankees such as Bobby Richardson were on TV, in black and white, all summer long. The Yankees were a dynasty into the mid-1960's with their cadre of pitchers and fielders seemingly winning every season. Naively, I thought this winning was going to last forever.

     That Yankees dynasty came apart after the 1964 World Series. In 1965, the Yankees finished  a distant sixth to the American League Champions, the Minnesota Twins; New York ended the season with a 77-85 record, 25 games behind the leaders.

     1966 was worse. The Yankees finished in the cellar, the last of the 10 teams in the American League, and a full 26.5 games behind the young Baltimore Orioles, who would go on to sweep the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in four contest. The bottom had dropped out for the Yankees. Laden with old and lesser players, having made bad trades and receiving sub par years from injured Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, the Yankees were lucky to attain 70 wins.

     Nonetheless, I had not changed allegiance to the expansion New York Mets, whose struggles since their inception were tragically comical. I watched them on WOR-TV, Channel 9 and read about them in the Daily News, especially in the columns of Dick Young. I went to a few games at the Polo Grounds then at Shea Stadium  near the site of the 1964 World's Fair. They were a New York team. I rooted for the New York teams--Yankees, Giants, Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers.

     Horace Clarke, the bespectacled second baseman, enthralled me, largely because legendary Yankees shortstop turned broadcaster Phil Rizzuto extolled Clarke's virtues. 1962 Rookie of the Year, switch hitter Tom Tresh, a Michigan kid and a shortstop, was hyped as the next Mickey Mantle. I loved the pitching of Mel Stottlemyre, Lefty power hitter Steve Whitaker, first baseman Mike Hegan, son a of a major league catcher and third baseman Charlie Smith--they were my guys. I truly believed that the losing seasons after 1964 were merely a blip on the radar and this group of Yankees was going to revisit glory.

     So when my father was offered 4 seats for the Boston-New York game on August 29, 1967, there was no hesitation in my going. As it turned out, this was a twi-night doubleheader, the result of an earlier rain out. The Red Sox were headed to an A.L pennant for the first time since 1946 and there was this jinx called the Curse of the Bambino--Boston traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 so that the Red Sox owner could salvage his Broadway losses--which was why Boston had not won a World Series since 1914. So it was a chance for my beloved Bronx Bombers to take down the best team in the American League.

     Our gang schlepped up to the Bronx, taking the bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and then the subway up to 161st Street and River Avenue, where we emerged at street level to face the center field side of mammoth Yankee Stadium. The noise and sounds from the fans, the hawkers, the bars and delis was always electric. Red Sox fans were aplenty on that night. They sensed blood against the mediocre Yankees.

     We sat on the third base side of the stadium, in the mezzanine. It was a comfortable night, great for a ballgame or two. This was exciting to me. Who knew what was ahead of us?

     Game 1 featured a classic pitching match up. Top Red Sox starter, righty Jim Lonborg, who would go on to win the 1967 Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the American League, faced Stottlemyre, the de facto Yankees ace. A couple of things I recalled vividly from this game. That both pitchers pitched complete games and that they allowed very few hits. This game went by very quickly--it was over in 2 hours and 10 minutes. I remember saying to my friends that Tresh, now a left fielder, would hit a home run--which he did--accounting for the lone Yankees run in a 2-1 defeat. I also remembered that Lonborg had a base hit which drove in the winning run for Boston. Also, for Boston, the starting catcher was Elston Howard, the first Yankees player of color, who was now with the Red Sox; he was greeted warmly by the Yankees fans in appreciation for his role on many championship teams in the 1950's and '60's.

     The Red Sox had a very formidable lineup. Led by future Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski and stalwarts like the switch hitting center fielder Reggie Smith, the slugging first baseman George Scott, steady second baseman Mike Andrews and the venerable shortstop Rico Petrocelli, Boston was a really good team. New York was not and the 3 hits they managed against Lonborg along with the 11 strikeouts was clear proof of how putrid the Yankees offense was.

     Game 2 was another story. Perhaps the real story of the night. I recall during the evening--whether it was between games or sometime in the second game making this outrageous statement--that the second game would last 20 innings. How absurdly ridiculous. My friends Bob and Don scoffed at me, like I was a deranged lunatic.

     Well, the game lasted 20 innings!! My memory of details of Game 2 was much sketchier than what I could fathom from the first contest. I knew that the Red Sox sent right hander Lee Stange to the mound and the Yankees countered with former Red Sox righty Bill Momboquette, and that both pitched okay--just not to the levels of Lonborg and Stottlemyre. The Red Sox did score first--on a two run homer hit by outfielder Ken "Hawk" Harrelson; Harrelson has carved out a lengthy second career as the voice of the Chicago White Sox since 1982 with some stints as the worst White Sox General Manager, and as a broadcaster outside of Chicago in the time leading up to 1992 and the start of his uninterrupted tenure as the White Sox play-by-pay man. The Yankees managed to tie the game twice, first in the 7th inning and then in the bottom of the 11th inning after Boston had scored in their half of the inning. Reliever Sparky Lyle, who would become a better known player as a Yankee on the "Bronx Zoo" teams in the 1970's, was the victim of that 11th inning homer by Whitaker.

    As the game reached the 12th inning, we were faced with a dilemma. The buses stopped running out of the Port Authority terminal at 1:00 a.m. The clock had already passed midnight and the game was still tied. We had to catch a subway train to 59th Street, changing from the "D" train to the "A" train to get to 42nd Street and the bus. After the 13th inning, we said we would leave in the 14th inning, no matter what the score. Which we did.

     The trip was uneventful. I scurried home from New Brunswick, sprinting across the Raritan River bridge and up the hills of Harrison Avenue. It was cooler and pleasant as I entered the house. I went upstairs to our family room and turned on the TV. Whereupon I saw the Yankees win the game in the bottom of the 20th inning when Horace Clarke, who went 4 for 9 in the game, singled  in John F. Kennedy (the infielder, not related to the late President); Kennedy had singled to right and was sent to second base when "Bulldog" Jim Bouton, who had pitched 5 superb innings in relief and would become a notorious figure in Yankees lore with his tell-all book, Ball Four, was permitted to hit and was struck by a pitch by pitcher Jose Santiago, normally a Red Sox starter. At roughly 2:20 a.m on August 30th the game mercifully ended.

     A crowd of 40,314 was in attendance on this night which stretched way into the morning. The second game lasted 6 hours and 9 minutes. The equivalent of 3+ games were played that evening. Yastrzemski went 0-10, lowering his batting average to .319. Charlie Smith, who played third in both games for New York, went 0-9. Tresh, who went on to hit an underwhelming 183 career home runs, had a 3 for 12 night, raising his average to .214. Clarke also raised his average by having 4 hits in 12 at bats. Steve Whitaker, who did not play in the first contest, went 4 for 7, including his 11th homer of the season. Even one of my youthful favorites, Norm Siebern played--for Boston--and he went 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter in Game 2. Perhaps the happiest person in the whole Stadium when the Yankees were victorious might have been home plate umpire Bill Haller, who had to endure this marathon to its conclusion...unless it was Ed Runge, who luckily had the assignment to call balls and strikes in Game 1.

     I was razzed by my friends the next day for picking a game that went so long. I don't know if they remember that or even the trip. Because of Game 2's duration, I have been very reluctant to attend a twi-night doubleheader; thankfully, the MLB owners' greed in scheduling separate admission day-night doubleheaders has made this quandary nearly moot.

     In the 50 years since the night of August 29, 1967, I have seen many other games in many other locales. I have not seen the Red Sox in New York because of the raucous 1967 crowd--fights were breaking out everywhere. Mets-Yankees games are tamer. For me, no other regular season match ups have matched what occurred on that night and into the next day. It was the first time that I made an outlandish comment about something happening and it did; those instances when I have predicted an event do not occur often, and they carry good and bad outcomes when uttered.

     August 29th may have been a sad day to be a Yankees fan. Briefly, the memorable early hours of August 30 made me a happy Yankees fan in another lost season. Let's hope that this August 29th, when I am fortuitously at the new version of Yankee Stadium, the edifice just northwest of where I was many, many years ago, will bring another Yankees victory for a team with a resume which looks like they may be playoff-bound.

Will It Be Time For Dodgers Baseball?

     We are fast approaching Labor Day and the final stretch run in baseball. In only one division, the N.L. Central, is there truly a race for the automatic playoff bid. The defending World Champion Chicago Cubs--how strange that sounds----are being chased by the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Although the race isn't really over, the Cleveland Indians, the Cubs' last season's World Series opponent, have stretched out a 6 game lead over the Kansas City Royals.

     There is a solid race in the A.L Wild Card among the New York Yankees who currently lead the group; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City and Seattle Mariners are all above .500 while a host of below .500 teams--the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are within 3 games of the final Wild Card spot.

     In the N.L Wild Card race, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies both have a 4 game lead over St. Louis and a 4.5 game lead over the Brewers. Arizona and Colorado had established themselves early in the season as the two teams most likely to be in the one game play in.

     Arizona and Colorado have had excellent seasons. Only two teams in the National League have better records than them--the N.L East leaders, the Washington Nationals, and the N.L. West leaders, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In any other season, Arizona and Colorado would be fighting for the N.L West crown along with the Wild Card spot. However, this is no ordinary season due to the Dodgers.

     L.A. has a 19 game lead on both teams, with the Dodgers having 42 more games to play while Arizona and Colorado have only 40 games each to complete. This is because the Dodgers have an incredible 86-34 record at this juncture. They have won nearly 72% of their games thus far--that is an astounding record.

     What has happened to create this monster season for the Dodgers? Let's first look at some team accomplishments. Sixty games ago, the Dodgers were 35-25. Suddenly, the Dodgers put everything together, compiling an unbelievable 51-9 mark.Even more compelling is the fact that the Dodgers have now won 37 straight games where they have scored more than 4 runs. By far, they have the best home record at 51-14; their road record is in the top 3, along with the Houston Astros and Washington--both have thus far played more game on the road than L.A. It has been 75 days since the Dodgers have lost a series and 96 days since they have lost a series on the road. It has been eons since a team has been more than 50 games over .500 this late in a season. The Dodgers are on a pace to exceed the 2001 Seattle Mariners' all-time record of 116 regular season wins in a 162 game schedule.  The National League record is held by the 1906 Cubs, who won 116 games in a 154 game schedule, finishing ahead of the New York Giants by a full 20 games. Seattle lost in the ALCS while the Cubs didn't have 2 playoff series to navigate to get to the World Series and they still lost the Series to the cross-town White Sox.

     When looking at the Dodgers' roster of position players, 3 names immediately stand out:  Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager.  This core of the Dodgers represents why they are outhitting their opponents.

     Turner leads the N.L. in batting, sporting a .345 average. While his 17 homers and 55 runs batted in are not extraordinary, it is his OPS (On Base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage) which is--it is at 1.000. Only 4 MLB players have a better OPS than Turner. What this says is that when Turner gets on base--which he does frequently--he hits for power as well as a high batting average. Additionally, Turner has struck out just 38 times in nearly 400 plate appearances. He also has committed only 4 errors in 86 games at third base this season, providing sound fielding too.

     Corey Seager was the 2016 N.L. Rookie of the Year. The Dodgers' shortstop is following up that great start to his career with another solid year. Seager is batting .310 with 19 homers and 62 R.B.I. With Turner, the Dodgers have the best left side of an infield in the majors, one comparable to the Houston Astros' middle infield tandem of second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa.

     Then there is the phenom. Cody Bellinger is the overwhelming favorite to win the N.L Rookie of the Year award. All Bellinger has done is slug 34 home runs while amassing 79 R.B.I. His 34 homers are second in the N.L. to Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins who has smashed 44, and he is second to Aaron Judge of the Yankees among rookies. He has rotated between first base and the outfield due to a series of injuries to Dodgers' starters.

     The Dodgers are so loaded with talent that the mercurial Yasiel Puig, the Cuban-born outfielder with the great physique, outstanding power and a great arm, many times bats eighth in the lineup, just ahead of the pitcher. What makes the Dodgers so tough is that this lineup isn't full of all of the starters--first baseman Adrian Gonzalez returned to the playing field on Friday night in Detroit after an extended stay on the D.L. and veteran outfielder Andre Ethier is not projected to return to the team until September. The one chink in the lineup appears to be Joc Pederson, who burst on the scene hitting droves of home runs in 2015, but whose average has tailed off to .215 in 2017 with a pedestrian 11 homers and 33 R.B.I. This is why the Dodgers have acquired 36 year old outfielder Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets. Granderson has hit 20 homers in 2017 and 312 for his career, which makes him appear to be more reliable than Pederson.
   
     As good as L.A. is in hitting, it is their pitching which is the finest attribute. Right now, a number of Dodgers pitchers are injured or on the D.L. Leading the injured Dodgers' pitchers is ace Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw, who will be paid $34 million this season, is arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all time, evoking comparisons with Dodgers' Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher Sandy Koufax. His resume reads like a top Hall of Fame pitcher--3 Cy Yong Awards; 4 N.L. E.R.A. titles; 1 N.L. M.V.P. honor; 7 time All-Star; and nearly 2100 strikeouts over a 10 year career. Impressive stats.

     This season, Kershaw jumped out to a 15-2 start, with a 2.04 E.R.A. and 168 strikeouts. But back problems have sidelined him, most notably now he is on the D.L. until nearly the end of August. While Kershaw's career statistics in the post-season have not nearly matched his excellence in the regular season, the Dodgers need him at the top of their rotation to have a chance to win it all.

     Supplementing Kershaw is lefty Alex Wood. In any other year, Wood's 14-1 record and 2.30 E.R.A. would put him in the forefront for the N.L. Cy Young Award, he is the SECOND best pitcher on the staff by record and could easily be third in any post-season rotation after the Dodgers acquired Texas Rangers' ace Yu Davish in July. Quietly, righty Kenta Maeda has pitched to an 11-4 record with a 3.76 E.R.A. Fourth starter for now, Rich Hill is 9-4. Righty Brandon Mc Carthy has a 6-4 record but now is on the D.L. with a blister on his pitching hand and no time table for his return. Plus, Hyun-Jin Ryu has rejoined the rotation after being injured; the lefty is only 4-6 at this time. The Dodgers have a pleasant dilemma--when all are healthy, which 3 or 4 pitchers comprise the post-season rotation? And even if one is injured, they seemingly have enough depth that a very capable pitcher can step into a starter's role for the playoffs.

     The Dodgers' closer is Kenley Jansen. The big righthander with blazing fastball has recorded 32 saves thus far. In 55.1 innings pitched, Jansen has surrendered 33 hits including 4 homers, walked 5 batters while striking out 83 with a minuscule 1.35 E.R.A. His control is so dominant that he has only permitted 39 batters to reach base and he has thrown only 1 wild pitch.

     Also out of the bullpen are right handers Josh Fields and Brandon Morrow. They have pitched to a 10-0 record and each has an E.R.A. under 3.00. It seems that the Dodgers possess a solid, if not spectacular relief corps.

     Those relievers pitch to two very respectable catchers. Ysmani Grandal and Austin Barnes have combined to hit 21 homers and drive in 82 runs. Grandal is batting .263 while Barnes has hit at a .293 clip. The duo has only allowed 29 wild pitches and 14 passed balls; Dodgers pitchers overall rank either number one or number two in most every pitching category. The catchers also throw out a good number of those attempting to steal given the Dodgers' pitchers are good at holding base runners.

     It appears that Manager Dave Roberts has a very good squad which is seemingly well-equipped for the post-season. There is all around strength at every key position. While he is not hitting like he did when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies, 6 time All-Star Chase Utley brings  the intangible to the clubhouse--proven, veteran leadership with the knowledge how to win as evidenced by his 2008 World Series ring and his jarring 2015 playoff slide injuring Mets' shortstop Ruben Tejada.

     The bigger questions ahead of the Dodgers involve something similar to the Golden State Warriors two season ago---should they attempt to break the record for most wins in a season, or focus on getting everyone healthy and ready for October baseball? Will they succumb to the same fate as the Mariners, Cubs and Warriors, or will the Dodgers win the World Series when they should be prohibitive favorites?

     Only at the end of this year's World Series will the question be answered--was 2017 the time for Dodgers baseball?

Detroit musings

     On my epic journey to attend a baseball game in each franchise's home park before I turn 70, this past weekend Toby and I stopped in Detroit, the home of the American League's Tigers. As a drive trip, it was one of the longest one I will have undertaken to reach my goal; a circuitous trip to Atlanta and Cincinnati bested the Detroit mileage. . All of the West Coast trips were of course airplane flights; Arizona, Texas, Colorado, too. Future trips to Missouri and  Florida, Chicago and Milwaukee will involve a flight and a car trip. Boston and Washington are strictly motor vehicle excursions.

     I have seen games in three different stadiums within one city (Philadelphia); a number of teams in two different parks within the city (Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New York Mets and New York Yankees); four domed stadiums--one with the roof open (Arizona), two which no longer exist (Seattle and Minnesota)  and one in Canada (Toronto); plus one where the team no longer plays in that town (Washington Senators/RFK Stadium) but this franchise was also seen in its new city and stadium (Texas Rangers/Ballpark at Arlington).

     Sometimes I have stayed to sight-see in the city. Other times, it was merely a stop passing thru en route to another destination.

     Detroit was one of the latter stops on the MLB tour.. The visit to Detroit was in conjunction with traveling the next day to Pittsburgh, where my daughter resides.

     This was not my first visit to Detroit. About 25 to 30 years ago we visited Detroit as a family. We went down by the Detroit River and we drove around a deserted downtown on a Friday evening. It was an eerie, uncomfortable feeling when we were in the park and when we were driving. Detroit was a hard city then, with lots of crime and it had been the site of tremendous urban flight, leaving the vacated downtown to those who dared to look for trouble. We stayed way outside of the city, feeling much safer due to our location.

     On this short visit, Toby and I stayed north of Detroit and Wayne County, opting to be in Troy, which is located in neighboring Oakland County. Traveling up I-75, it was interesting that we exited 14 miles from downtown, at, of all places, 14 Mile Road. It was not just a reflexive decision. Detroit still has its bad reputation, deserted in parts, demoralized in other spots. Why feel uncomfortable somewhere, when there is a higher degree of  being able to sleep comfortably? We like to stay at Homewood Suites, which is part of the Hilton hotel chain; the only one in the area was located in Troy, which made my decision to stay outside of Detroit a very easy choice. It proved to be fortuitous as major I-75 repairs just south of Detroit closed the highway for miles, leaving a detour of I-696 and I-275 as the only real Southbound super highway out of Detroit and by staying overnight in Troy, the hotel was only 4 miles away from an exit to I-696.

     Detroit has been undergoing a bit of a rebirth. Sportswise, the Tigers and the NHL Red Wings have remained in Detroit for their existence. The NFL Lions played in Detroit for many years, only to abandon the city for the norther suburb of Pontiac and court a more affluent and whiter crowd; Ford Field, their present home, is very visible over the left field stands of Comerica Park. The NBA Pistons, when they left Detroit, went first to Pontiac and then Auburn Hills; they will join the Red Wings in a new arena just across I-75 and nearby the Tigers' and Lions' buildings.

     There is a casino in the city of Detroit. Fans flock to Comerica Park to see the Tigers play; nearly 30, 000 came into Detroit to watch a below .500 Tigers squad.  The Lions and Red Wings routinely sell out. There were restaurants and bars doing a brisk business on this warm August evening. The austere Detroit Athletic club was full of well-to-do patrons eating outdoors with a clear view into Comerica Park. Money was being spent into an economy that needed a boost--remember, the city of Detroit was bankrupt in 2013 and reemerged from bankruptcy in 2016. The 1967 riots and the 1973 election of Mayor Coleman Young were the starting points for the city's downturn.

     There were a myriad of reasons behind the filing for bankruptcy which included imprudent fiscal mismanagement first and foremost. A tax abatement for the equally mismanaged Chrysler Corporation did not help. Horrible decisions in the 1980's and then again under former Mayor Kwame Kirpatrick from 2001-06 virtually broke the financial backbone of Detroit.

     However, two individuals are clearly responsible for the upturn in Detroit's fortunes. Investment by Quicken Loans founder and Detroit native Dan Gilbert, who also owns the highly successful Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, along with the efforts and capital of the late Mike Illitch, founder of the Little Caesar's pizza chain and owner of the Tigers and Red Wings, has led to many new areas inside of the city becoming hot spots for residential and commercial development. The remainder of the city needs to be reborn, with a societal re-connection to the new Detroit a vital and necessary component of an economy still seeking to reestablish itself.

     There was a palpable excitement around Comerica Park, which opened in 2000 but seems to be much newer. Comerica Park, one of the 19 other new stadiums designed by H.O.K. Architects, the preeminent name in MLB stadium design, replaced the venerable and dilapidated former stadium of the Tigers--Tiger (nee Briggs) Stadium, which looked old even in my childhood. While full of idiosyncrasies that make the ballpark unique to Detroit and the heritage of Tiger Stadium, much of the Comereica Park grandstand reminds me of PNC Park in Pittsburgh, AT&T Park in San Francisco, Coors Field in Denver or the original H.O.K. masterpiece, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles since 1997.

     The dimensions in left and center field are pitcher friendly while the shorter Pepsi Porch in right field favors left-handed hitters. Comerica's corridors are wide and comfortable. There are interactive games for kids and a small merry-go-round within the food court. The ballpark is decidedly fan-friendly, even with the almost New York-like prices for good seats. Prominent over the left field bleachers is a huge scoreboard with a video monitor, topped by two tigers acting as sentinels for the dazzling, lit script Tigers moniker. Walls in left and right field carry the names and in some cases, the numbers of great Detroit Tigers' players. Flags representing the Tigers' four World Championships fly over those walls. A carefully manicured field contains a dirt path from home plate to the pitcher's mound, a throwback aspect of the game in its early days. Beautiful light stanchions rise above the grandstand and in the outfield. Comerica Park reeks of modern Major League Baseball majesty, coupled with deep roots in Detroit and baseball history. Besides, if you didn't realize this was Detroit, Chevrolet has a big sign in the ballpark, with a real truck and car leaning over the letters. Chevy also sponsors free WiFi for the fans.

     I found Comerica Park well worth the long trip. Even if they did not have soft ice cream to satiate my wife, as they do in many other ballparks. Despite the fact that the hideous-looking deep fried Oreos were highly recommended by the woman who sat next to me. That the hot dog denizens of Michigan liked their Coneys with relish, mustard and ketchup spread separately and equally along the meat was another subject for deep debate.

     The score was 9-4 in favor of the visiting Minnesota Twins.  This was the second time I had seen the Tigers play inside of a week.  On August 5, they lost at Baltimore, primarily due to poor pitching. Detroit is not a very good team with some older veterans and young players. On this day, the Tigers surrendered 2 homers and 16 hits. Aging superstar Miguel Cabrera, a two time M.V.P. and four time A.L. batting champ as well as a Triple Crown winner, ended two scoring chances by hitting into a double play and popping out. Cabrera, who has been experiencing lower back issues, looked past his prime and nearing the end of his career. Thus, his 2017 season totals are way below his normally high standards and, consequently, the Tigers offense looks anemic at times.

     Still, a base running blunder at third base by the Tigers squelched a seventh inning rally and sealed the victory for the hungry, streaking Twins, who won their 8th game in a row and now are a relevant team in the A.L. Wild Card hunt. I was so aghast about the stupidity of the runner making the third out for no good reason that I startled the woman sitting directly below me who was wearing her bedazzled Tigers t shirt. And by the way, it was Michigan State University night at the ballpark. The cheerleaders, dance team and mascot came in from East Lansing for the game along with a number of green clad alumni and supporters. Sparty does look a lot like the Rutgers Scarlet Knight, except for the MSU mascot is in green and white instead of Scarlet.

     I found our second foray into Detroit to be most pleasurable. It did help greatly that the $15.00 parking lot we located on Brush Street fed right into Madison Street and then quickly onto the interstates headed to the suburbs. That way we didn't get caught too late for the latest exodus to the suburbs.

"Tis the Season

     It is that time of year. August. The Dog Days of Summer--although my spoiled Sheltie spent most of her time inside on air conditioned tiles which cooled her little body.  It is supposed to be hot but the temperatures for the next few days are going to be average or below average.

     This is when the confluence of college and professional football converge and intrude on baseball as it reaches its crescendo. (Side note--the word "confluence" is indelibly etched in my mind from the gravelly New York voice of the indomitable Howard Cosell as he described the merging of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers in Pittsburgh where they form the majestic Ohio River) This is the time where hopes spring eternal yet are destined to be extinguished rapidly, at least for the majority of teams I root for.

     Yes, the Yankees are still very much in the hunt for the A.L East title or one of two Wild Card spots. They had been on a bad streak for awhile, then seemingly righted themselves to reappear at the top of the division standings in front of arch rival Boston. Significant trades were made to bolster weaknesses in the bullpen, starting rotation and at third base. Chase Headley vacated that spot for New Jerseyan Todd Frazier and took residence at first base where he magically began to finally hit. Dellin Betances seems to have moved on from his mysterious mechanical failures which caused him to pitch himself into repeated jams. But Aaron Judge seems mired in a post-All Star Game slump, while catcher Gary Sanchez, another participant in the Home Run Derby at the ASG, appears to have located his potent swing. Lately, the Yankees have made opposing pitchers look like Hall of Fame hurlers when they throw against New York, and the paltry offensive output does not win games.

     There is something about this team which makes me skeptical, even dubious about their chances to play in October. The Yankees are in the midst of a rough schedule in August--currently they are visiting A.L Central leader Cleveland. The road trip continues in an always tough Rogers Center versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Then Boston comes to Yankee Stadium for 3 games, directly followed by the annual home and home 4 games against the Mets. Which provides no breather, as the Bombers journey to Boston for 3 more games against the Red Sox. Ten games with 2 teams. Rivalry Week as proclaimed on the YES Network. A visit to Comerica Park in Detroit comes next; the Tigers just took 2 of 3 from the Yankees in New York. Seattle, another wild card hopeful, makes its annual trek to New York. Cleveland comes to town the last week of the month. A 4 game series leading up to Labor Day hosting Boston is on tap. Thirteen of the remaining 25 games are at home; almost all are against division opponents except for Texas, Minnesota and a make up game at home with the streaking Kansas City Royals.

     It is a daunting task for a team which needs desperately to learn how to win. The new pieces to the puzzle must fit in quickly. Starting pitching must improve. The established players have to perform better. If not, my abundant fear will be realized--the New York Yankees will be missing out on the big October party baseball throws for its elite teams.

     Training camp has begun in Florham Park. That is because the New York Jets must play 4 pre-season games in addition to the 16 regular season schedule. The NFL mandates this. Coming off of a miserable season in 2016, the hopes and desires of Jets' fans like me for a winner is not going to happen. There are too many holes on the roster where the talent gap between the Jets and the rest of the league is just too great. At quarterback, Josh McCown, a journeyman at best, battles Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty for the starting spot. Whoever wins the open competition will be given the opportunity to lead the Jets, behind a porous, unproven offensive line which will not provide much help to the running game the coaching staff envisions. Moreover, the receiving corps features a bunch of unknowns, making the success of the QB even more problematic.

     The defense is better than the offense and will keep New York in some games. Even so, the defensive secondary is not a strength like the defensive line is, and the linebackers are questionable.

     Two things happened to the Jets on Friday. Miami Dolphins starting QB Ryan Tanehill injured his knee, ostensibly sidelining him for the year. While Matt Moore is a capable replacement, the Dolphins now are more like the Jets. Which gives New York 2 actual chances to win an AFC East game or two. Certainly not against New England and G.O.A.T. Tom Brady.

     And the second noteworthy event was that owner Woody Johnson was confirmed by the Unites States Senate to be our ambassador to Great Britain. Mercifully, we fans will not have to see him this potentially horrid season, happily smiling in the stands, promoting Jets football. His joyful presence added to the dismay associated with this moribund team.

     Knowing the Jets as I have during my now 41 years as a season ticket holder, my level of enthusiasm is minimal at best. If they are indeed tanking the season to try to get a stud college QB in the 208 NFL Draft, the Jets will probably win too many games to get the top pick who many assume will be USC QB Sam Darnold, or he will opt to stay in school for one more season rather than be associated with this franchise. Such is the lot of the Jets fans as the rigors of the 2017 season have begun--for them.

     New Jersey major college football is all about the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Entering his second season as head coach, Chris Ash is looking for improvement on the 3-9 record of a year ago. That would include perhaps winning a Big 10 clash or 2. More of the pieces are on the Banks of the Raritan this year--a bevy of fairly talented signal callers are competing for the starting job. Offensive coordinator Jerry Kill, a former head coach at Minnesota, must find ways to make the Knights' offense jell. They have some good running backs, which include a transfer from the University of Miami. Plus the recovery from a leg injury by Janarion Grant, who was a standout wide receiver and kick returner seems to be complete. Rutgers must have a healthy Grant to make big plays in order to win games. The defense, which is not too bad, can be a positive for RU, as long as they are not on the field too long and tire out chasing down the superior talent of Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. Washington comes to Piscataway to open the season. One can only hope for a credible performance by Rutgers on national TV and no more blowouts like the 78-0 whooping Michigan put on RU last season.

     Improvement is what Rutgers fans should be looking for--like the men's basketball team showed in 2016-17. That is the level of optimism they should have. Challenging for championships is just not in the immediate future.

     My alma mater, Franklin and Marshall, plays in the Centennial Conference, which has a group of nice academic small colleges in Pennsylvania and Maryland.  Johns Hopkins is the giant in the CC--in sports and in enrollment; Muhlenberg is always just a notch or two below Hopkins on the football field. Rivalry games against Dickinson and Gettysburg make the 10 game schedule quite tough for dear old F&M.

     A new stadium opens mid-season at F&M for Homecoming. Dickinson is the foe. Maybe the entry into Shadek Stadium era will be the foundation for a even better F&M team than last season's 7-4 squad, which counted losses to Hopkins , Muhlenberg and Susquehanna as well as heartbreaking post-season loss to Albright College. At least here I have greater confidence--after all, Hopkins is ranked only 13th in the DIII Football poll. F&M has knocked them off before, so why not again? F&M could be 5-1 or even 6-0 heading into the October clash in Baltimore. Unless I am looking at the F&M eleven and the schedule with rose-colored glasses...

     So if the Yankees can hold on to at least a Wild Card spot; the Jets can either win more games than ever expected or tank the season for a top draft pick; Rutgers improves an wins a Big 10 contest or 2; and F&M contends for an NCAA berth, then the fall will be better than I could anticipate.

     Otherwise, I am left with my dreams for a better winter season, starting with the rudderless Knicks, New Jersey Devils, RU and F&M hoops and thankfully, the Golden State Warriors. That does not start until October for the NBA and NHL teams and November for college basketball.

     Yes, it is August.  4 more weeks to enjoy swimming, Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn. Savoring the good things of summertime. The warm weather makes my mood better when I think of fall baseball and football. 'Tis the season for crossing my fingers (and toes) as far as my teams go. I pray that the wintry chill that comes in November isn't gloomier because my teams did not perform. Such is the mindset of this fan when it is August. I can defer my annual dose of despair for now.