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United States News Title: LOWLIGHTS CAN BE HIGHLIGHTS The moment was beyond baseball. But baseball played a role. It was a perfectly beautiful evening at Comerica Park on Monday night. A warm summer night. Good friends, great seats and another valuable night out with my wife doing what I love, watching the Tigers. I don’t know if the moment was covered on the television broadcast or on the radio, but it deserved attention on all fronts. It was a moment that stood out more than the Tiger victory. It was a moment that dominated the landscape and rendered the game, well, meaningless. About halfway through the game, between innings, it was announced that a contingent of Dallas Police officers was in attendance, consisting of the Police Chief and several officers. They were in town to attend the funeral of one of their fallen heroes from Michigan, Michael Krol, one of 5 police officers shot and killed in Dallas on July 7th. When the crowd was made aware of the officers sitting in the first row behind the Tiger dugout, the place erupted in support, standing as one, applauding as the images on the scoreboard screen showed the officers choking back tears and thumping their hearts, thanking Tiger fans for so much united support. It was a humbling moment that ended appropriately with the home plate umpire walking over and throwing them every last baseball he had on him. Once again, sports was playing a large role in healing. Why? Well, here these officers were, up from Texas, attending a relatively meaningless Tigers-Twins game, given the magnitude of what the country has been going through of late. They chose to attend a baseball game; proof that baseball and all sports have a way of helping people find comfort; a diversion from the distractions of daily life; a small respite from what may be paining them. And it doesn’t get much more painful than what the cities of Dallas and Baton Rouge have experienced over the last week. Unless your heart was made of stone, you couldn’t help but stand and applaud these hurting, but equally as brave, Dallas police officers. And they were extremely touched by how the fans reacted to their presence, a reaction I feel they would have gotten in any baseball city. As we stood and applauded, my wife leaned over and told me she “had the chills.” It was truly a humbling experience in an arena meant to focus on the players on the field, not a group of police officers in the crowd. But there is a point to be made here. When you’re affected emotionally, you hope it’s for a heart-warming and positive reason. Unfortunately, this was far from the highlight of the evening. It was the lowlight, but it’s the one thing I will remember the most about the Tigers 1-0 win over the Twins. I won’t remember Justin Upton’s home run, the only run the Tigers would need to win. I won’t remember the game ending strike-em-out, throw-em out, clinching another save for Francisco Rodriguez. But I will remember these officers. I will remember this week. The country is in turmoil and we need these games, we need diversions to help us cope. And baseball has always done a pretty good job of providing that for us who love the game. Even though our forum focuses on Tiger baseball, sometimes things happen during games that are a complete departure from what’s happening on the field. It is after all, just a game. And no game can trump the hurt this country is feeling. It was front and center at Comerica Park on Monday night. And I can’t say enough about how much I appreciated the opportunity to share the pain, to feel the hurt and to show my support. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread |
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