I don't care if it won't be in the record books as a perfect game, it will always be looked at as one in your books. Sure, Jim Joyce blew it, but he said he was sorry and had to live in isolation for a while. That was punishment enough, right? Not at all. Galarraga deserves that perfect game, Jim.
From 1989-2003, the Tigers had nine seasons with less than 70 wins -- including a 43-win season in 2003. No fans from anywhere in the nation would stick with their team through seasons like that but gosh darn it to heck, Detroiters have thick skin. Oh yeah, and going to Tigers games has to be one of the best summer activities to partake in around the Detroit area -- even in Michigan as a whole. If you haven't been asked "how many Tigers games have you been to this year?" then you probably don't have very fun friends.
In terms of NHL fans, Detroit is at the top of the list. Being nicknamed "Hockeytown" might be the coolest nickname for a city in sports and if you're from the area or root for the Red Wings, you bet that you're going to flaunt that name like it's your job.
Sigh. Could there be a more annoying feeling than when someone asks you what football team you root for and you say the Lions, then they reply with a grin, chuckle and a snobby "I'm sorry" retort. You know what, bud, we have Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders. Sit down and shut up.
Nothing was better than going to the grocery store and buying the commemorative Wheaties box with the world champion Detroit Pistons from 2004 featured on it. Those days have come and gone, but you would consider donating thousands of dollars to Joe Dumars to help him get a team like that back. Well, he listens, but he got Chauncey and Ben Wallace back a little too late. Is Richard Hamilton next?
If you really want to make a Detroit sports fan angry, bring up Darko. The guy makes Detroit fans' blood boil and some even throw up in their mouths at the thought of the big European. You know what, don't even mention his name. We know, the Pistons passed up on Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade in that draft to get one of the biggest busts in history. Bring it up one more time and see what happens.
Shh, don't tell anyone, but you secretly miss these guys. Not many coaches had the success that Larry Brown and Flip Saunders had as head coaches of the Detroit Pistons. Brown was with Detroit for two seasons, won 108 games and an NBA title and the Pistons still let him go. Flip Saunders was even better -- minus the NBA title part -- as he was with Detroit for three seasons, winning 176 games, won three division titles and made it to three consecutive conference titles.
Getting in fights during games is pretty cool. Yeah, The Bad Boys were the rebels of the NBA back in the day and they were what toughness in basketball looked like. Now flopping is a thing and basketball is as soft as ever. You're probably willing to bet that the old Detroit Pistons could still beat up on today's teams.
You probably shed a few tears over Curtis Granderson's trade to the New York Yankees. It was bad enough that everyone's favorite player -- and I mean everyone -- was now playing for the most hated team in baseball. While Austin Jackson is the man, could you imagine an outfield with Jackson, Torii Hunter and Granderson? Dreams can come true, right? Probably not. At least he's with the less hateable New York Mets team now.
No matter how bad players can perform on the court or field of play, it's darn near always the coach's fault. Us Detroit fans have extremely high standards when it comes to coaching and it will never change. Sorry, Detroit coaches.
If you've ever met a Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers fan, you probably left with a headache. No, not because of their accents, but because they will let you know how bad the Lions suck and have always sucked and how they will never contend with their team. You know what, at least our quarterbacks don't retire five times or take themselves out of crucial playoff games. Yeah, that's about all I've got.
When people try to make a case for Mike Trout as the best player in baseball, you can't help but shake your head. Since when did two good years in the league make you better than a Triple Crown winner, batting champ, two-time MVP and a guy who has hit 261 home runs in the past seven seasons, then baseball sucks these days. Miguel Cabrera is the best there is and if you don't think so, find a different sport to watch.
Yeah, they're pretty cool to see behind the outfield bleachers and it's almost a sin not to take a picture by them at least once in your life if you're a fan of the Tigers. This and the Tiger statue at the entrance of Comerica Park are must-have picture destinations. Walking by these statues is almost guaranteed to get you taking a picture for someone.
Oh no, your NFL team finished 4-12 this year? Dang, your MLB finished 62-100? We have no sympathy for you. Us Detroit fans have suffered through an 0-16 season and a 43-119 season. Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it.
Usually you can get along with your neighbor when it comes to Detroit sports, but college sports make it a whole new ball game. When Michigan and Michigan State are playing on Saturdays, you better hope you don't cross paths with me or mention it if my team loses. If you hang a Michigan flag the day after a win, it will be torn down, and vice versa.
You would literally have given your left kidney to have seen the Pistons hold onto Chauncey Billups in 2008 instead of trading him. You knew that trading Billups for a washed up Allen Iverson darn near killed the Pistons and it's still affecting them today. Trading Billups was the worst thing to ever happen to the Pistons and us Detroiters are sticking by that statement.
I don't care if he changed his name, Metta World Peace will always be Ron Artest to us Pistons fans. The Malice at the Palace will always be remembered as the day we started hating him and many true-blooded fans will never give him a chance again. Ron Artest is one of the biggest villains to ever abruptly enter Pistons' history.
Watching Steve Yzerman on television as a kid was a cool thing, even for those who didn't pay much attention to hockey. He will always be referred to as "The Captain" and no captain will ever replace him adequately and it's been tough without Yzerman leading the Wings to multiple titles.
How much is it to see a regular game? About $30.
How about a game when Verlander is pitching? Roughly $60?
Yeah, I'll take the Verlander game. The reason for this? The guy could throw a no-hitter at any moment and he's one of the most exciting pitchers in the history of the Detroit Tigers. I almost want to start looking for tickets now.
You must not get it. As a Detroit Lions fan, the NFL draft has become somewhat of a holiday. No, not because it's great for every other NFL fan, so why not us, but because we always have a top-10 pick it seems. It's sad, but at the same time, you can get rewarded for underachieving.
I remember the exact feeling I had when Ben Wallace signed with the Bulls over the Pistons. It had to be one of the most disheartening feelings in the world and watching the best defender in the league and a hero to the youth of Detroit betray us and play for a rival was like a stab in the back -- but then he came back. We still love you, Ben. We will just act like you never did that.
Watching year after year of losing kind of hurts. It almost puts a damper on Thanksgiving dinner, but hey, it's tradition. No matter how bad the Lions are, they seem to find their way onto our televisions on Thanksgiving Day. Why? Like I said, it's tradition.
Just check out the guy above. If that has ever been you, then you know you probably root for Michigan, Michigan State or other various college football teams in Michigan. People say that football in the south is big, but they have never seen how we act up in Michigan. Football is sacred.
As one of the best running backs of all time, Barry Sanders never won a championship with the Lions. However, Detroit fans treat him like a five-time Super Bowl winner and basically a god. The guy is amazing and Detroit fans surely let him know that -- I mean, watching him in the 1990s was like the coolest thing ever.
I know exactly where I was and what I was doing in 2006 when Magglio Ordonez hit the home run that sent the Tigers to their first World Series since 1984. This was one of the most defining moments in Detroit sports history and if Magglio isn't one of your top-five favorite Tigers in the past 20 years, we can't be friends.
We've been through it all, folks. If you are a Detroit fan, you know what it's like to see your teams suck -- and even do well sometimes, too. However, no matter how bad of a season the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings or Pistons have, you will make sure people know that it was a fluke. Oh, and if anyone bashes the actual city of Detroit, there will be a problem. It is one of the best sports cities in the world and don't you forget it.
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