5 posts tagged “baseball”

We've had the coldest September in years here in the Detroit Area. This morning I cut back my one rosebush and removed the impatiens and the strawberry plants from the front porch flowerbed. I had to do this early this morning so I could get the paper yard bag to the curb before the garbage men came. I took out the tomato plant a few weeks ago. It was huge.  It had grown up over the porch edge and was in the process of growing across the porch to our lawn chairs. We got about 75-80 tomatoes off the plant, which is pretty good. The tomatoes were OK, not great. We thought we bought a beefsteak tomato--that's what the tag said in the pot, but the tomatoes were more of the stewed tomato variety--they had the same taste as canned stewed tomatoes you buy at the grocery store. Not the best thing on hamburgers or BLT's.

Now that it's getting colder I'm in the mood to sew. I'd like to sew a robe for myself out of Minkee (ultra soft fleece) and maybe sew a couple of hoodies. (I'm a hoodie freak). But, I can't do much sewing because, of my two sewing machines, one doesn't work at all and the other one works sometimes. I can turn that machine on and it will sew fine for about a half hour and then the stitches skip. I know I have to get both machines into the shop for repair, but I've been putting it off. Mike and I had talked about getting the machine that skips repaired in October and then selling it, along with all the accessories (as I really don't like the machine that much) and then putting whatever money I get for that machine on a Viking sewing machine.

But--now we're into fixing up the kitchen (new Pergo floor (self-installed) and later, a drywalled ceiling). We are definitely getting a new refrigerator delivered next week and might buy a wall cabinet this weekend, so the sewing machine repair will have to wait until next year. We will have to see where we are in terms of our tax refund and our bills. Those two things will determine if I have to keep the sewing machine for a while longer. The machine that's broken and doesn't run at all--I think it's beyond repair. 

Mike and I had promised each other that most of next year's tax refund would go into gutting our second bedroom (Brian's room) and remodeling it, but now that Brian's got a job (maybe two part-time jobs) and might move out next year, he may not care about the room. There's a lot of things that are very much in limbo around here, which is very irritating. But I have to be patient.

Anyway, I want to sew. But I also have tons of cross-stitching to get to. I've been meaning to do that, but the Tiger baseball games have been on tv just about every night and they're keeping my attention in the evening. I will even be Tivo'ing 'Grey's Anatomy' tonight so I can watch the game. (I almost forgot that 'Grey's is now on Thursdays.) Then, next week, baseball's Central Division Championship games begin. Don't know yet who we will be playing. Technically, the Tigers can still get the Division title, they have won more series games against the Minnesota Twins, so that is the tiebreaker between them. The Tigers have three more games to win to get the Central title, the Twins have four more. So, cross-stitching has taken a back seat to baseball.  I have the urge to cross-stitch, but I just don't sit down to do it.

I've rambled enough and have to get back to finishing the laundry!

For the first time in 19 years, the Detroit Tigers are in the playoffs. They won over the Kansas City Royals today, 11-4. I've become a baseball freak, spending time on MLB.com and the Tigers website. It's great to see the team advance to the playoffs. They're in 1st place with baselball's best record, one game better than the Yankees. The Tigers were picked to place 4th this year in the Central Division. In 2003, they had the worst season ever, losing 119 games, a team record. No Tiger fan or even the sports people in Detroit--the ones who report on the Tigers year in and year out--could imagine that the Tigers would go as far as they have this year.

The Tigers come home tonight for the last six games of the season starting Tuesday. It's going to be crazy at Comerica Park this week! If the Tigers win the Central Division Title at the end of the week, which is what they really want, it will be really sweet. The Central Division, then the League Championship, then the World Series!  Maybe we'll make it!

Well, we went to Comerica Park yesterday and had a great time. We arrived downtown around 11:15 a.m., two hours before game time. We were shocked to see the long line of cars on the freeway exit ramp leading to the stadium. We were also shocked to see the throngs of people making their way to the stadium.  Even though the Tigers are in first place with baseball's best record, we thought there would be only a small crowd of people going early to see batting practice. The attendance for the game was 32,949 and it looked as though everyone arrived early. We had a tough time finding parking, because we forgot that Detroit has a Labor Day parade every year. The parade marches down the main street, Woodward, which also runs in front of Comerica Park. The police had the roads around the stadium blocked off for the marchers.
After driving around

and around, we found an underground parking garage for less than we expected to pay. Once we got inside the ballpark, it was an electric atmosphere. There are concession stands seemingly everywhere, selling food, drinks and merchandise. The younger kids were being given free t-shirts so employees were handing them out everywhere. Once we got to our seats we were really happy we spent a little more money for tickets than we usually would. We had a magnificent view of the field and stands. Our seats were on the third base side, six rows from the Tiger dugout. Our tickets included the use of the Tiger Den Club. The Club has food, drinks and restrooms for the exclusive use of ticket holders in the lower bowl of the park. (We didn't go into the Den Club until we were leaving.) We also had seat-side food service. Yes, there are regular vendors, selling ice cream and hot dogs and the like. But the lower bowl of the stadium has servers who serve fans food from a small menu. Because of the prices of the food and drinks ($$$) we decided to buy a hot dog and chips and one drink and share them. Even then, our bill came to $16.00. With parking, we spent $26.00. Not too bad and it was nice to eat without getting up from our seat. (I guess I'm spoiled).

Before the game Mike and I had fun watching the little kids, teens and twenty-somethings crowd around the dugout hoping to get autographs. Joel Zumaya (pitcher) (nicknamed Zoom because his fastball is around 99-102 mph) stopped to autograph some items and stood for pictures with a few young ladies. Brandon Inge (3rd base) and Mike Maroth (pitcher on disabled list) also stopped to autograph some items. The crowd tried to get Pudge (Ivan) Rodriguez to stop too, but he didn't. He did get a ball from the dugout, autograph it and throw it into the crowd, which was cool.  Before he went back into the dugout, he waved and smiled at ME...(there was no one sitting near me or behind me.) We had decided not to take our camera so unfortunately, I couldn't take Pudge's picture. (middle photo

is from AP news). 

QoD: What are your plans for the holiday weekend?