We Are All Tigers

By Brian Bleau

Contributing Reporter

The City of Detroit has bent but not broken, it has receded but not conceded; and in the form of a baseball team that holds true to the city’s blue-collar tradition of hard work and resilience, a breath of life has been forced into its ceasing lungs.

Detroit has more than its share of problems. A community that once thrived on its success within the automotive industry has been crippled by more lost jobs and higher crime rates than any city should bear. Racial and ethnic tensions remain not only between communities, but within communities as well.

Even if it was only for a few cold weeks last October, it seemed that a calm was settling over the streets of the Motor City in the midst of a Tiger-mania that many have never seen before.

While we’ve seen championship celebrations for the Red Wings and Pistons in recent years, something much bigger and more meaningful could be on the horizon. The Red Wings viewing demographic is made up of a majority of white suburbanites, and while the Pistons have a much more diverse group of fans, they play more than 30 miles away from the city- somewhat detaching themselves from the aura associated with being a Detroit team.

Our boys of summer play America’s sport in the heart of America. They play a sport that knows no cultural boundaries, a sport that celebrates the meaning of unity, a sport that has not seen a season of such high expectations in Detroit for far too long.

Baseball is a game, but to many people it’s much more than that. It’s a common ground between all people that knows no race or creed, it’s a passion; something that cannot be bought or sold- only loved. Fans see themselves in their teams. They identify with players and their attitudes toward the game just as they identify with their friends and their attitudes toward life.

Last fall, in a historic display of grit and heart, the Tigers humanized the soul of Detroit and sent one of the greatest lineups ever assembled back to the Bronx for an off-season that turned out to be much longer than expected; a result that hardly anybody outside of Michigan believed would come to pass.

Under the direction of Jim Leyland, last year’s Tigers team exceeded the expectations of fans, media, and even its own front office. In a David vs. Goliath match-up, they stood with their backs against the wall on the largest stage in baseball and rebounded in a way that many never dreamed they would, giving us hope that no matter how bad things are, there is nothing that hard work, perseverance, and teamwork cannot improve.

Although the outcome of the World Series was less than desirable, it somehow didn’t take anything away from what the Tigers did last season.
Michigan’s problems are much more complicated than throwing, hitting, or catching a ball, but the solution is not. We could learn a lot from Jim Leyland and his Tigers, as it seems that they’ve learned a lot from us.

It’s do or die time for a city and state on the brink. The Tigers have found their skipper, but we’re still waiting on ours.

Batter up.