Blog Hooky at the ballpark

Today's Opening Day in Detroit, which means it's a local holiday and plenty of people will be playing hooky and getting hammered around Comerica Park (and the old Tiger Stadium) for most of the afternoon.


Spring is now officially in the air. For one day, everyone's a baseball fan around here. And this year, the people seem especially eager to embrace our tied-for-first-place Detroit Tigers (after approximately 4% of the schedule has been played) as they arrive triumphantly at Comerica Park to play the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox. So reality could come crashing in fast this week, but for the past seven days, it's been damn fun to root for a winning baseball team.

We love playing hooky here at Sweaty Men Endeavors, and plan to stroll around the ballpark, smile and fraternize with fellow baseball fans, and skip work we're supposed to be doing. That is, until the first pitch at 1 p.m., after which I'll be heading back home since I don't have a ticket to the game (and am low on the press credential totem pole at Motor City Sports Magazine).

Speaking of MCSM, they'll be having a tailgate party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the corner of Madison and Randolph, in the parking lot just south of the Gem Theatre. There will be a RV with banners hanging, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Stop by and say hi, if you're in the area. And if you've ever wanted to meet a sportswriter, this is a good chance for you. I'd be happy to escort you over to Comerica Park, where you might be able to meet some of the working press.

So as much as I'd love to write about Chris Shelton's batting average plummeting two hundred points or discuss whether Ben Wallace's "I'm not going back in and you can't make me" pout deserves to place him in the same sentence as Scottie Pippen and Carmelo Anthony, I'll have to defer.

▪▪ Detroit Bad Boys was shocked at Wallace's behavior, but thinks Coach Flip Saunders handled the situation correctly.

▪▪ The Detroit Free Press' Krista Latham writes that Ben was sending a message to his teammates, more than acting out against his coach.

▪▪ Terry Foster (whom I met yesterday at a book signing) says recognizing Wallace's intent and role on the team was an important moment for Saunders as Pistons coach.

▪▪ The Detroit News' Rob Parker says Wallace and his teammates are ready to move on. I'd love to argue with that, but Big Ben's effort against Indiana yesterday seems to support that. Maybe this was a much-needed splash of cold water.