Detroit Tigers: What a Season!

I don't think any of us saw that coming. The manner in which the Tigers dismissed the A's and the Yankees certainly led us to believe our beloved Tigers were going to win the World Series. I guess there's no sense in trying to figure it out, or to assess blame.

The only thing to do at this point is savor the excitement the Detroit Tigers provided us this Summer and Fall. We might have expected improvement over last season and signs of hope were evident the moment Jim Leyland was announced as Manager.

To see the bars and restaurants in Waterford full - and all eyes glued to the television sets - was a good thing. To have a moment to forget the economy, the War, another pending Michigan Winter of snow, sleet, ice, and rain - well, that was good, too. To have a single event bring all of the people of the Detroit area together in celebration - that's definitely good. Goodness knows it's not the Lions!

So, for all the excitement and the opportunity to forget our worries for a while - Thanks Tigers!

Detroit Tigers take commanding lead in ALCS

The Detroit Tigers have won games 1 & 2 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Oakland A's. Who would have picked the Tigers when the season started?! Way to go boys.

The teams are headed to Detroit for Game-3 on Friday, October 13, 2006. The game time has been moved to 4:30pm.

The entire Metro-Detroit area is excited. Obviously, the game(s) is sold out. However, I'd recommend rounding up your friends and staking claim to a great seat your favorite Waterford Michigan Restaurant.

If you're looking for a place to eat and catch the game in Waterford, visit any one of these great establishments for good food, good times, and good company:

• OverTyme Grill & Tap Room
  
• Peppi's Food & Spirits
  
• Kennedy's Irish Pub

You might also look up the Shark Club on M-59 near the Oakland-Pontiac Airport for a billiards, beer, and baseball.

The Tigers are treating us to a very magical year - way beyond our expectations. Let's hope the magic continues right through the World Series. Go Tigers!

Detroit Tigers!

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers organization for winning their playoff series against the New York Yankees! I thought I'd devote some space to the Tigers for a couple of reasons: they are a relevant news item in Metro Detroit from a sports perspective and as a human-interest, feel-good story.

With the Detroit Tigers' last post-season appearance way back in 1987, I realize some of you reading this might have been too young, or not born yet, to remember the winning seasons of the mid-1980's. Names like Alan Trammell, "Sweet Lou" Whitaker, Dan Petry, Milt Wilcox, Jack Morris, Lance, Parrish, Willy Hernandez, Chet Lemon, etc. might not mean much to you. Kirk Gibson, if you know the name, might be best remembered by the younger generation for a gritty, gutsy post-season homerun as a Los Angeles Dodger. Sparky Anderson was the skipper and "Bless You Boys!" echoed the gratitude and appreciation the residents and the fans had for that very special ball club that led wire-to-wire and simply steam-rolled all competitors.

If you're old enough to recall this team, or even the 1968 Tigers, you'll recognize some similarities:

• The City of Detroit and the State of Michigan faced enormous challenges in those years, as we're again facing today;
  
• Each of these Tigers' teams had a blue-collar work-ethic that we can all identify with; we recognize and appreciate a nose-to-the-grindstone, no-excuses, gutsy/gritty perseverance, that asks not for high praise nor for pity or forgiveness;
  
• An immeasurable, strong bond with the fans.

The 1984 Tigers were clearly more superior than any other team. This year's club wasn't expected to do this well. The United States wasn't embroiled in a war and the very industry that founded the entire region wasn't on the brink of collapse.

The Tigers organization had become so accustomed to losing that the start of Spring Training meant "assume the position" at the bottom of the Central Division. For the fans, a sense of disappointment that was measured not in losses but in stretches of summers-long seasons of ingoring the sports page of the News and Free Press.

This year's Tigers team has not only the perfect mix of seasoned management, veteran players and unbridled energy and strength of the younger players; this team recognizes the nature of the relationship with the team's fans and the rich baseball heritage that lives in Detroit.

As the Tigers completed the toppling of the Evil Empire (Yankees) this past weekend, it was especially moving to see the team share the joy of the moment with the fans, the raw emotion of emerging from years of embarrassing defeat, together. Returning from the dugout, spraying champaign on the Detroit-faithful and openly, unabashedly showing their exhuberation and appreciation.

The picture that will stick with me is that of Kenny Rogers emptying a bottle of bubbly over the cap of a police officer who was doing his best to keep the peace and to hide his own emotion with an "awe, shucks" type of smirk to Kenny and to the fans that cheered this moment on and on.

To the Tigers: thank you for sharing this moment directly with us the fans; however, I for one would much rather revel in the streets with a World Series Championship... so, let's go Tigers!

Ahh, Summer!

What great weather we've had this summer in Waterford.

Ideal for boating, swimming, fishing, skiing, and just about anything have to do with all of the lakes in Waterford, Michigan! On the water or off, there's plenty to do in our little corner of the world. Here are few links you might want to check out:

• Get on the water! See boats, watercraft, marinas in Waterford, Michigan
• Live on the water! Visit realtors and real estate agents in Waterford
• When you've been boating all day, it's time to eat out. See restaurants in Waterford
• Just visiting? See motels and hotels in Waterford, MI

If you have pictures of the boating life in Waterford, let us know and we'll get them posted here.

Until next time...

Mike S.

The Waterford Michigan Blogspot

Greetings and welcome to the blog site for Waterford Michigan. My name is Mike and I am the editor of Waterfordnet.com. The goal of this Waterford blog is to communicate the happenings in and around Waterford Michigan and on, or about, this web site: Waterfordnet.com.

About the site:

• Waterfordnet.com offers consumers a way to receive (free) personalized and relevant money-saving discounts (coupons) from stores in Waterford, MI.
• This site provides businesses an opportunity to reach consumers in the Waterford Township area. For a nominal fee, Waterfordnet.com enables businesses to deliver their message directly to consumers by area of interest.

I'll write more detail on each bullet point above at a later time. Until then, please browse around the site and visit the businesses that have already signed on.

From time-to-time, I will post items of interest to residents of Waterford and some posts might be broader in scope, but I'll strive to be as relevant as possible to this audience.

If you live in the Township of Waterford area, we encourage you to register on Waterfordnet.com - for free ofcourse. Signing-up will enable you to receive coupons from stores in Waterford that are specific to your area(s) of interest.

The Waterford blog is open to your feedback and to your postings as well. So, welcome!