Detroit is in shambles, as most of you know. The unemployment rate is a staggering 22 percent! Essentially 1 in 4 people don't have a job, in a city of a million. Unsolved murders are at 70% yes 3 out of 10 murders are solved. The graduation rate? 24%. That's not a typo, 1 in 4 graduate from high school. The lowest rate in the country. The Mayor of the city served time in jail for lying to a grand jury. The size of the city is shrinking everyday. In the 1950's it was nearly 2 million, now its 912,000, 11th largest. It was the 4th largest city in the US at 1 time. The murder rate is 6th highest in the country (as of 2008)
At any rate, the people of this city needed someone to rally behind. They needed a hero. The Detroit Tigers were that hero. Grandy, Maggs, Cabby, Polly, Guillen, Inge, Laird, and Rayburn were holding the weight of a city, NO a STATE on their backs. When the Tigers were winning, the city wasn't thinking about graduation rates, or murder rates. Even unemployment and the stress that comes with it could be miraculously pushed aside for 3 hrs on a Tuesday night. The Tigers couldn't handle it.
There was the collapse of a 7 game lead September 7, that was now down to a tie. The city rallied! I saw SO many Tigers hats, and flags, every damn FB status had something too do w/ the Tigers it seemed. The city was ready and waiting. It didn't happen. Minnesota and Detroit played their asses off in an amazing game, one of the best I have ever seen. Back and forth lead changes, 12 innings, lots of drama and excitement. But in the end, Detroit fell short. Blame who you wish, Rayburn for the ill advised slide, Leyland for keeping Rodney in for 3 innings, or whoever, the truth is, it didn't matter. We just wanted a win. We don't care we would've probably gotten killed by the Yankees, we just wanted a shot. So as I sit here, and finish up this post, I just want to say Minnesota, great job, great game, great season, you earned it. You deserved it, but the City of Detroit NEEDED It.
5 comments:
It's sad, but I kind of expected it. I didn't want it to happen, but once everyone started saying "no team has ever lost with that lead, blah blah blah" I had a feeling things would go sour.
So, let's not blame the team. Let's blame Rod and Mario. It feels so right.
It does suck. We've got the Wings starting now too, hopefully they continue with their great seasons in the past. I was upset that Chicago didn't get the Olympics...just because of the money it would have brought to the US in general...and Chicago is in bad shape too.
This'll sound bad... But yeah. I'm never moving to Michigan.
It's cold and people kill eachother a lot.
Not my kind of city.
I didn't watch the game (not really into sports) but man o man, it sounds horrible. I thought Chuck on 89X was going to have a meltdown just talking about it.
The raising unemployement is scary.
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