Grand Finale

Some dear friends of mine surprised me with tickets to Friday night's game for my birthday--Thank you Patty and Joe! A group of nine of us went down to the CoPa to take in the game, and several of our party had never been to the new ballpark. We had a few kids along, too, and while the game wasn't necessarily suited to kids' or the casual fan's taste, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a Washburn and Greinke duel. I even started to get nervous as Washburn took a no-no into the fifth, but that was broken up before my stomach turned into a knotted mess.

I became very spoiled as the night wore on. My friends insisted on paying for everyone's snacks all evening. Then they made sure I watched as a birthday message from them flashed on the jumbotron. Mercifully, they left off my age, which, let's just say is no longer a spring chicken's.

We enjoyed warm summer weather, good conversation, bad-for-you ballpark food, and a terrific pitching matchup. As the ninth inning came around, my little 6 year old friend started getting antsy for the fireworks. I told her not to worry, we'd score here and end the game so the fireworks could begin.

Voila! My wish is Brandon Inge's command, as he parks one over the left-field fence into the bullpen. A walk-off home run winner! Could I have scripted it any better? Surely this too was another of my friends' efforts to make the world revolve around me for one night.

We stayed for the fireworks, but as I watched them, I couldn't get my mind off Brandon's grand finale to the game.

Friends, Tigers, Jerrod, Brandon, I thank you!

(And I guess I'm going to have to issue that apology to Brandon Inge after all.)