Year in Review: Losses of Tiger Greats

This year, we lost two of the most popular figures in Tiger/Michigan History. We lost Ernie Harwell, whose statue is pictured here in today's Year in Review entry, on May 4, and we lost "Sparky" Anderson, who passed last month, on November 4. Many people have fond memories of the both of them, especially of the roles they played in their lives of many people across the country, especially the Metro Detroit area. Ernie Harwell broadcast for the Tigers for 42 years, from 1960-2002, with the exception of 1991, when he was fired, which was an unpopular move by the Tigers front office. People got angry and started boycotting the Tigers and Domino's Pizza (this is back when the original owner of Domino's owned the Tigers), until the Tigers re-hired him before the 1992 season. Sparky Anderson was the manager of the Tigers from 1979-1995, and led the Tigers to the 1984 World Series and the 1987 playoffs, as well as managing the Cincinnati Reds from 1970-1978, including back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. He founded the charity CATCH for kids at Childrens' and Henry Ford Hospitals here in Detroit back in the '80s. I read somewhere on the internet or in a book that he got the nickname "Sparky" (his real name was George) after arguing with the umpires during games when he was a player back in the days. Both Ernie Harwell and Sparky Anderson will be missed amongst all Tiger fans, wherever they may be.

Year in Review: Tigers Home Opener

The time of year all baseball fans anxiously await arrived on April 9 of this year. The Tigers Home Opener is always a big event around Detroit and the metro area. Many folks call in from work to go to to the game and various other festivities celebrating the return of Tiger Baseball to Detroit. The bars, clubs, and pubs downtown open about 7-9 AM to accomodate the crowds that show up for the day. I've been going to the party at the Fillmore the past few years (no cover at this party). The Grand Circus Park Block Party made a return this year after being absent from the scene since 2007.They have different concerts and entertainment at this party, as well as food, drinks, and a game viewing party, as well.

Year in Review: Motown Winter Blast

The Detroit Winter Blast was held this past February, where free Ice Skating always occurs, and the winter is celebrated. The Winter Blast started as an event surrounding the 2006 Super Bowl, which was held in Detroit. It proved popular even after the Super Bowl left town. I enjoy seeing all the concerts there, and also the ice skating exhibitions and demonstrations at the Campus Martius ice rink. This year was a pretty good year. Many people showed up for the entire weekend (Friday-Sunday), which is usually the case. I hope the 2011 Winter Blast will be great.

Year in Review: TigerFest 2010

Here's a picture that I took at TigerFest back in January of this year. TigerFest is the annual Fan festival for the Tigers. It was a cold day for the event, but everyone enjoyed (and behaved) themselves. People could get autographs and pictures from their favorite Tigers, listen to the "Tiger Town" Radio show, and participate in a "Fan Conference" Q and A Session with the Tigers. They also had an area for the young Tigers and Tigresses, where they had kid-friendly stuff and a "Kids only" autograph line. I hope that the Tigers consider making TigerFest into a weekend instead of just one day. I say this because people can come one day or all three days, and won't feel rushed or intimidated by the long lines in a certain area. Another area I think that they can improve on is getting the lines to move better, and have people that have already received autographed to move along to another area if they seem to stay there the whole time, because when I went through a few of the lines this year, I had to ask "Are you in line?" in some areas (and some people had to mention to others "I'm not in line, I'm just waiting"), because people waited in the corners for the next Tiger player or coach to show up and sign autographs or take pictures with the fans. This ice sculpture was really nice. I like the two Tigers on the side there, because they remind me of the Tigers on the Witherell entrance of Comerica Park, as well as the Tigers on the scoreboard.

YouTube Friday: Jewish Traditions : How to Light the Menorah

In Honor of Hanukkah, which is in its third night tonight, I decided to post a video about lighting the Menorah. This video is from the eHow YouTube channel. Hanukkah, or Chanukah as it's called at times, is a holiday that remembers the dedication of a temple after a war in the 160's BC (more info on the holiday on the Judaism About.com page). I remember when my school district used to get out for Jewish Holidays in the late 1980s-early 1990s, when there was still a pretty good number of Jewish students. Around 2nd grade or so, we got out for Christian holidays, and Jewish students and staff members could take a personal day off for religious observances.

Year In Review: Autos for All

I'll start my year in review today, since the end of the year is here already. The picture I post for today's entry is from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show back in January. The Auto Industry has taken a hit in the past year, but the "Big Three" automakers are showing signs of coming back and making a profit while they're at it. General Motors and Chrysler are really coming back after being in bankruptcy to start the year. As of today, the Big THree is making over a billion dollars in profits. Their cars, especially the electric ones, are beginning to sell again in the states. In the past month, General Motors came back on the New York Stock Exchange. Overall, things are looking up in the auto industry

World AIDS Day 2010

Today is World AIDS Day, which is a day to help people to find out more about Auto Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, commonly known as AIDS. Many places around the country and the world are sponsoring AIDS testing clinics, and people are getting educated about the disease and what they can do to prevent it. I think that Abstinence should be practiced so that people won't get it or any other STD. Also, people should watch out for themselves when they go about their daily lives, so that they may take precautions in all they do. What are some of your thoughts about the spread of AIDS recently?