The Temple of Steinbrenner

Being an out-of-town fan, I don't get to see too many Tiger games in person any more. They are making one trip to New York this year, and to take advantage I sprung for a few seats on Sunday's game. It was my first visit to the "new" Yankee Stadium, or as I like to call it, The Temple of Steinbrenner.

I'd always liked Yankee Stadium, thinking it a great place to see a game, and it is certainly sad to see it go, but like Tiger Stadium and many others throughout the league, they have been sacrificed to the needs of the modern day. The new stadium is certainly a palace, with numerous shops and restaurants, and also with a great sense of history. For the first time, I was there early enough to visit Monument Park, where the greats of the team have been honored in bronze.

I went with my friend Bob, who is a Mets fan but also a baseball fan. We had seats in the upper deck, but between third and home, so had a great view of the field. I don't mind being high up, as long as I'm in foul territory.

The Tigers threw Max Scherzer, and Yankees C.C. Sabathia. Scherzer was never sharp; he ended up walking seven and throwing 119 pitches without getting out of the fifth inning (the first time that had been done since 2004).

But the game remained close. It was 2-1 after Prince Fielder lined a home run in the top of the fourth, and 3-2 after Miguel Cabrera doubled in Brennan Boesch. The Yankees were leaving men on base at a record-setting clip; at one point they left the bases loaded in consecutive innings.

This got my friend Bob in action. Bob is an endless reservoir of curiosity and trivia. Armed with a smartphone, he checked on the major league record for men left on base. Turns out is 20, set by the Yankees themselves in 1956. After the sixth inning, they had 14. Bob and I then were likely the only people in the ball park who were aware of that, and secretly rooted for the Yankees to tie or break the record.

They didn't. They would only leave 15 on base, winning the game 6 to 2. Andruw Jones, amazingly still in the league, added a home run. Curtis Granderson also homered, with Austin Jackson getting his glove on the ball but losing it when the glove hit a railing.

The Tigers, mired in a funk, are now 11-11, certainly not what they anticipated, although they are only a game out of the division lead. It's early, though, and if they can get it together, early in the season is not a bad time to have a slump.

I didn't wear any Tiger gear, so wasn't the victim of any taunting. A few brave souls did, but they received nothing more than good-natured ribbing. In the men's room after the game was over, Frank Sinatra's recording of "New York, New York" reverberated throughout the stadium, as it does after every game. I stood in a long row of men at urinals, all singing, a truly bizarre sight. I couldn't resist joining in.