I admit it, I've been to the last three games at the CoPa (including Game 2 of the World Series, a.k.a. "
Smudge-gate"). When Detroit's new baseball stadium opened in 2000, I swore I'd never go to it. I made a special trip from Florida to see a game at Tiger Stadium in it's final year, 1999. When I moved back to Michigan, my boycott was abandoned because of curiosity and a brother with the money for season tickets.
Having watched games at roughly a dozen major league parks, I can't help but be appalled by what a LOW-RENT CIRCUS watching a game at the CoPa continues to be this season:
1. When the Tiger's raised their AL Pennant flag on Opening Day, fireworks and smoke filled the afternoon sky. Fireworks are always lame during the daytime.
2. Very few of the songs played on the stadium's bumpin' sound system are less than 9 years old, with the exception of some of the music players pick out for their personal introductions. 1998's "Gettin' Jiggy With It" and the annoying Jet song appear to be the youngest songs played to energize the crowd.
3. One of the Tiger's new promotional partners, a sexist, crappy hair salon for men, finds a male crowd member once a game that they deem to be in need of a hair cut. The lucky fan wins a free hair cut.
4. ComCrapst sponsors the new pitch-speed and pitch-count scoreboard in left-field. The pitch speed was broken on opening day (like most of ComCrapst's services in Detroit) and the scoreboard no longer indicates the type of pitch thrown.
5. One of the loudest moments of Opening Day was when the mostly white crown jeered the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
6. The crowd will silently sit on their asses, eat junk food and drink beer until the scoreboard graphic, "Make Some Noise!" appears on the scoreboard. Game situations that call for cheering are met with apathy unless the graphic is displayed.
Labels: Detroit, Tigers
