Terry Foster is right on!

Inside the Game
Let's not kid ourselves, we'd miss the Tigers

By Terry Foster / The Detroit News

DETROIT-- My family always taught me to love community. Southeast Michigan is my home, but I consider the entire state home considering I've lived in Mt. Pleasant, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Mt. Clemens, Detroit and several of its suburbs.

So it pains me if any part of my home is ill or struggling, whether it's the corner cleaners, Ford Motor Co. or Miss Ellie down the street.

After some media reports indicated the Tigers were ailing and might not make payroll, we got into a debate about what life here would be like without the Tigers. One of my colleagues said he would not care if the Tigers folded. It would not move him emotionally and it would not change life here.

I disagreed, but sadly, a bunch of folks agreed with him during the debate. It was not a majority, but a good percentage.

Are we that angry at the Tigers that we'd be able to discard them like a piece of chewing gum?

Maybe this is just the emotion of a few who are tired of bad baseball at Comerica Park. Maybe it is the backlash from a few who long for the days of Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers are working on their ninth consecutive losing season. They've given us little to cheer during the past decade. But if they were to fold or move, it would make our community a little less important. There are emotional ties to this team and so much history that we should not just let go.

It pains me to see an abandoned train station near Mexican Village, two once-thriving hotels boarded up, no Qwikee Donuts downtown and missing chunks of neighborhoods on both sides of Woodward.

The Tigers are part of the fabric of this community and should remain forever. They are Detroit just as much as Faygo, Vernors, Ford, Nemo's, Greektown, the Ambassador Bridge and Mexican Village. If any of these buildings or properties left us, it would leave us a little poorer. That includes the Tigers.

Mad as heck
Let me see. Shane Halter pops off about lack of playing time. Bobby Higginson pops off about the Jeff Weaver trade. Matt Anderson pops off about not being allowed to travel with the team to New York. You don't suppose the Tigers need anger-management courses, do you? Or are they just immature?

Crater country
Here is the power of Tiger Woods: The most popular bet going into the British Open is Tiger Woods or the field.
And here is the draw of those Scottish courses: I can't tell if they look like the backside of the moon or some teen-ager's face.

Iverson overkill
Was it really necessary for television crews to do 24-hour vigils outside of Allen Iverson's home? What were they expecting, another O.J. Simpson slow-speed chase? The coverage was ridiculous. People made fun of Iverson's mother screaming at reporters. There shouldn't have been anyone there for her to scream at.

Lewis' patience
My gut feeling says Dave Lewis will be an excellent Red Wings coach.
He is living by the motto, "Beware of the wrath of a patient man." Well, he has shown plenty of patience. Now let's see his wrath.

Coin toss?
I find it hard to believe that former Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams was flipping a coin during his final days deciding whether to be cremated or frozen. Somebody isn't telling the truth.

You can reach Terry Foster at (313) 222-1494 or fosternews@aol.com.