Cursed Comerica

By David Marasco

The last weekend of the 2000 season found the car aimed at Detroit. Since we were going to Pittsburgh for the last game in Three Rivers Stadium anyway, my friend Tom and I decided to check out the new park in the Motor City. The night before I was in a bookstore in the travel section, looking for tourist guides for Detroit and Pittsburgh. Baseball will make you do absurd things.

Upon arrival my first reaction to Comerica Park was that it reminded me of Turner Field, plus a little bit of Camden Yards. Tom felt that there was at least a little bit of Coors Field mixed in as well. Old Tiger Stadium had a close-in feel, whereas this new park is wide open. Lots of work is done with empty space. In theory the sightlines are good, and the upper deck is not too high. Center field opens to a view of the Detroit skyline. Left field and center are very deep, I can see why Juan wants them to move in the fences. The scoreboard is off to one side, but has one of the best TV's I've ever seen.

You don't discover the stadium's fatal flaw until you start watching the game. The woman in front of me was leaning forwards, blocking my view. I leaned forwards to see over her head, and realized that everyone was doing this. When they built this puppy they put the stands at too gentle an incline, and people have a hard time seeing over the fans in front of them. After a few innings in the upper deck, Tom and I migrated downstairs to the expensive seats. Even in row 31, we seemed close to the field. But the slope problem was just as bad in the lower deck. If the pitcher was not on a mound, I would not have been able to see him. What a disaster, this ain't something they can solve in any easy fashion. My advice would be to come with a telephone book to sit on and hope that the person in front of you doesn't have the same idea. They moved out of Tiger Stadium for this?

The game wasn't what you would call a good game, but it was an exciting game. After seven innings it was 5-2 Minnesota. It would have been more had not John Barnes been cut down at the plate by a Bobby Higgenson strike from left field. I guess Tigers can hit the broad side of a Barnes. Things looked bleak for the Tigers in the home half of the eighth. There first two men couldn't reach base and Deivi Cruz popped a short fly into center. The Twins converged on the ball, but the second baseman called off the center fielder and attempted an over the shoulder catch. He missed. He then picked up the ball and fired to first, nailing Cruz who had gone around the bag. The ump blew the play and called Cruz safe. Fick singled to center and then Damon Easley hit one to short. The short stop over threw first and Cruz scored. The game was tied up by Brad Ausmus' double to center.

The two teams didn't get much going in the ninth or the tenth, but things got nutty in the eleventh. Guzman lead off with a walk, stole second and took third when Ausmus' throw went into centerfield. A short fly ball wasn't enough to score the runner from third, but then Matt Lawton hit a slow roller to the second baseman. Guzman tried to score and was cut down at the plate in a bang-bang play. In the bottom of the eleventh Ausmus singled and then went to third when the Twins' pitcher threw the ball away on a sacrifice attempt. With runners on second and third a fly ball was hit to right. Ausmus came charging in from third and drew blood from his counterpart Prezynski. But Prezynski held on to the ball and Ausmus was out at the plate. As the runner took third on the play, the Twins elected to walk Higgenson in favor of Dean Palmer. Dean singled down the left field line for the game-winner. A crazy game in a crazy stadium.