We're In!

Bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, two men on base, game tied at three. Magglio Ordonez steps to the plate, having already homered earlier in the game to even the score, and sends more than 42,000 fans in Comerica Park and about a million more throughout Metro Detroit into pandemonium. A long fly ball to deep left-center field that was out of the park the moment it left the bat.

Game over! The Tigers are in the World Series!

Ironically, it was 22 years ago today that Detroit won the 1984 World Series in five games over San Diego. I was 20 years old, in the midst of my third semester at the U.S. Naval Academy.

I was a mere four years old when the Tigers won the 1968 World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. My father, a St. Louis native, tells me he and his best friend sat right behind home plate at one of the games. I didn't even know what baseball was then.

The Cards and New York Mets are playing Game Three of the NLCS as I write this. Since I don't remember the '68 series, it sure would be cool if history could repeat itself with a Detroit-St. Louis series.

Oh, Good Evening!