The Eye of the Tiger(s)!

(Photo Courtesy: Detroit Zoo)

#Detroit #Tigers

2012 American League Champs!

Bless You, Boys!

Redeux News: Hey Bud! The Tigers wuz Robbed!

Major League Baseball Commissioner "Bud" Selig decided on Thursday (June 3 2010) NOT to reverse the WRONG call by referee Jim Joyce that STOLE the first-ever perfect game from the Detroit Tigers.

 

Bud Selig, Commissioner of MLB.

Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), who watched the 9th inning of the Wednesday game in disbelief, immediately issued a proclamation from the State of Michigan honoring the Detroit Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga true perfect game.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga (who just came up from the minors two weeks ago) was awarded a brand new Chevy Corvette by the president of General Motors North American operations, Mark Reuss. Mr. Galarraga is being honored not only for his real perfect game, but also for his sportsman-like conduct after the egregious error.

What do YOU think? Should Bud Selig reverse the decision? Leave your opinion in the comments section.

Posted via web from The DSpot Redeux Blog

Wordless Wednesday: Tigers vs. Twins: Division tiebreaker

Photo Courtesy of Robin Buckson / The Detroit News

Detroit Tigers' Marcus Thames sits in the dugout in the 10th inning of their American League central division tiebreaker game against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, Minn. on Tuesday Oct. 6, 2009. The Twins sent the Tigers home 6-5 in 12 innings.

Monday Milestones: The End of Tiger Stadium?

 

 

Last July, I posted a history of Tiger Stadium. You can see that post here.

As of today, June 15 2009, the remainder of Tiger Stadium is being demolished, leaving another large undeveloped area in Detroit, in the historic Corktown neighborhood.

Another historic Detroit landmark will soon be gone. What do YOU think about the loss of Tiger Stadium?

Go to the sidebar to register your vote, and be sure to leave a comment so that others can weigh in on your ideas!

Redeux News: Happy 50th Little Caesar's!

Today is the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Little Caesar's Pizza now headquartered in Detroit Michigan!

Mike and Marian Illitch began with one store in Garden City Michigan in 1959; later moving their headquarters to Farmington Hills. In the late 1980s, Mike Illitch announced that he was moving Little Caesar's to downtown Detroit in the area of the then-forlorn Fox Theatre area. Everyone said: "Why in the world would you move from the 'burbs to Detroit"?!?!?

But the Illitch's had a vision for a rebuilding of Detroit. First, they renovated Fox Theatre which led to the whole revitalized theatre district of Foxtown; then they bought the Detroit Red Wings which led to Hockeytown; next was the purchase of the Detroit Tigers and the building of Comerica Park; the development of Olympia Entertainment (do YOU remember the Olympia Stadium--if so, you ARE an Old School Detroiter!); and Marian Illitch is a major owner of the Motor City Casino!

 
(Now, people are asking: "When are the Illitches going to buy the Detroit Lions? PLEASE!")

All because Mike and Marian Illitch believed in Detroit! While some of their acquisitions and decisions may have been controversial, it cannot be argued that the Illitch Family and the entire Little Caesar's Empire have been good for Detroit!

All Photo Credits (except Mike Illitch [Forbes], Olympia Stadium, and Little Caesar's): ME with my Blackberry Bold!

Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium in Detroit MI was one of the most popular and well-known ball parks in America for almost 100 years. But in the 2nd week of July 2008, the old stadium on the "corner of Michigan and Trumbull", affectionately known as just "The Corner", started coming down.

Way back in 1895, then Tiger Owner Arthur Van Der Beck bought the team, formerly known as the "Detroit Wolverines" and started building the stadium. Originally named "Bennett Park" after Tigers catcher Charlie Bennett, the Detroit Tigers played their first game there on April 28, 1896. Even after several additions, the original ballpark was made almost completely of wood--a great fire hazard. The old stadium was demolished and rebuilt with steel and concrete; and renamed Navin Field.

By 1935, the Detroit Tigers had a new owner, Walter O. Briggs, who again enlarged and improved the stadium and renamed it "Briggs Stadium". The first night game was played in Briggs Stadium in 1948. In 1961, Briggs Stadium was renamed "Tiger Stadium" by another owner, John Fetzer, who proposed building a new multipurpose stadium. However, fans were outraged and no bonds or other financing ever came through.

Although many improvements continued to be made to Tiger Stadium, including new seats, new whiz-bang electronics, a food court called "Tiger Plaza", and luxury seats, by the early 1990s, a new ballpark for the Tigers was coming into fruition. For diehard fans, Comerica Park on Woodward, beautiful though it may be, just isn't the same. The "Voice of the Tigers" for 42 years, sports broadcaster Ernie Harwell, has formed a non-profit corporation to try to save at least some of the old ballpark; but as of this writing, time is running out. The Detroit Tigers played their last game on "The Corner" on September 27, 1999, against the Kansas City Royals.

Shameless Plug for my husband's blog: Read The "D" Spot here...

Detroit Neighborhood: Boston-Edison Historic District

The Boston-Edison Historic District is one of the City's oldest and most beautiful historic neighborhoods.

(Full disclosure: we bought our Boston-Edison home in 2002...that's why this neighborhood is my first post of this "Detroit Neighborhood" series!)

Located in a 36-block area of approximately 900 homes, Boston-Edison was originally platted with a land grant by the Territory of Michigan to John R. Williams in 1822, and three land grants to Thomas Palmer in 1828 and 1834. (John R. Williams was an early mayor of Detroit; "John R" street is named after him. Palmer Park was named after Thomas Palmer.) The first homes in Boston-Edison were built starting in 1915.



Boston-Edison is bordered by Woodward Avenue on the east, Linwood Street on the west, Boston Boulevard on the north, and Edison Street on the south. The north-south John C Lodge (also known as state highway M-10) freeway goes through the neighborhood, providing easy access to Downtown Detroit, the suburbs, and all other major freeways.

The developers of the current Boston-Edison area were some of Detroit's most prominent, wealthy, and well-known citizens of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Edward Voight, Truman and John Newberry (of Packard Motors), Henry B. Joy (also of Packard Motors and for whom "Joy Road" was named), Henry Ford, James Couzens, the Fisher Brothers (manufacturers with early General Motors and built the Fisher Building), John W. Drake (Hupp Motor Company), W. O. Briggs (former Detroit Tigers owner after whom Briggs Stadium was named, and the owner of Briggs Manufacturing Company), Sebastian Kresge (Kresge Stores, now K-mart), J. L. Webber (nephew of J. L. Hudson of Husdon's Department Store), Benjamin Siegel (B. Siegel's Department Store), and Rabbi Leo M. Franklin (Temple Beth El, Michigan's oldest Jewish Congregation).

After the Henry Ford Hospital (1915) and the Fisher Building (1927) were opened on nearby West Grand Boulevard, the Boston-Edison neighborhood attracted many of Detroit's business and religious leaders, doctors, dentists, pharmacists (including Sidney Barthwell, one of Detroit's most influential African-American pharmacists).

In 1974, Boston-Edison received historic designation from the City of Detroit, the State of Michigan, and the Federal Government, ensuring B-E's neighborhood viability and architectural distinctiveness. Historic District Ordinances are strictly enforced.

Today, the homes of Boston-Edison are owned and occupied by people of diverse ages, races, professions, and occupations. Several times each year, there are parades, holiday parties, home tours, picnics in Voight Park, other cultural and social events.

Boston-Edison is one of the 25 Detroit Neighborhoods designated as Neighborhood Enterprise Zones (NEZ), in which many homes qualify for reduced tax assessments of up to 15 mils.

For more information about the Boston-Edison Historic District, including many homes currently for sale, check out the Historic Boston-Edison Association website, from which much of the information in this post was obtained. The HBEA, the oldest continuous neighborhood association in the City, was founded in 1921.