Win or lose, Sally Grappia has always been a staunch supporter of the Detroit Tigers. But if you ask Grappia whether the Tigers' miraculous turnaround this season played a role in her decision to attend Friday's home game against the Cleveland Indians, she is quick to respond with a "yes."
This was the Midland resident's second Tigers outing, and it was obvious she's not only sold on the Tigs, but she's also a fan of the whole
Comerica Park experience. "I love it here," she says. "The energy and the people … it all makes for a great experience."
Leaning back against a banister on the north-side of the stadium, her eyes shift between the hoards of people that whoosh by – moms and dads with small children in tow, a hand-locked couple sporting identical Inge jerseys, groups of church and college alumnae 20 to 40 people deep – and the surreal-looking Detroit skyline that lies above the pristine grass of the playing field. Behind her in the distance lies Brush Park. A historic neighborhood nearly abandoned 10 years ago it's now a hotbed of new lofts, condos and restored mansions.
Grappia is hardly the only person enticed to Detroit this baseball season, hungry to see the league-leading Detroit Tigers in action. And what greets them is a different city than they might remember.
So far, the team is 75-36, 7.5 games ahead of their closest competitor, the New York Yankees. Stats through August 6 include 16 sellouts of the 40,950-seat stadium. These hard numbers are music to the ears of city-supporters and business owners, not to mention the Tigers organization.
"This really is a baseball town, and I'm so excited that metro Detroiters are bringing their families downtown to enjoy Comerica Park and all of the entertainment, dining and night-life options before and after the game," says Chris Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., which not only owns the Tigers, but many Foxtown businesses that surround the stadium, including the popular pre-game perch at Hockeytown Café's rooftop.
Exactly how big of an impact are the Detroit Tigers having on the city this year?
A huge one. Attendance at regular season home games is currently up more than 245,000 over this time last year. That means a lot more people will experience not only the inside of Comerica park along with some of downtown's now brighter attractions, like
Campus Martius Park and the
Detroit Riverfront, not to mention the surrounding businesses.
Ilitch adds that the Tigers' successful season is also helping coax people from all over the state to get out from behind their living room TV sets and into the ballpark: "We've had several large groups from western and northern Michigan visit Comerica Park this season, which is a clear demonstration that the Tigers are hot and that the city is worth the drive."
Comerica Park's visitors also include people like Justin Duimstra, a 23-year-old graphic designer who drove two hours from his hometown of Grand Rapids to attend a Friday night game.
While out-of town Tigers fans may be hard-pressed to pinpoint the city's clean-up and construction efforts in detail, they taking notice. "I'm not sure what they're building, but my three friends and I were just talking about all the cranes we've seen around town today. There are tons of them!" Duimstra says.
Duimstra – a first-timer to Detroit and a quintessential example of the impact the Tigers have had on the city this year – said he was surprised by the lot of architecturally-significant buildings downtown "that I never knew existed."
For Kristine Glotzhober of Livonia, the city's activity level is much greater than she's seen in the past. "It's nice to see. Everything seems more fun and the crowd is really into it … there's a ton of energy and electricity in the air."
Glotzhober, 33, attended her first game this season on July 15 with her husband Ben, a native of Chicago. Pleasantly surprised to see people waiting in long lines to get inside restaurants near the park, she says the biggest shock of the evening came when the couple walked from the Town Pump Tavern, where they stopped for a drink, to Comerica Park.
"Ben is from Chicago, so we used to go to games at Wrigley (Field) all the time and it was always sold out, no matter how good the Cubs were … and now I see that same thing here. I see the revival of Detroit and I actually commented to Ben about it. It's really looked like a real city — it was great."
Judging from the slew of pre-game fans packed into
Cheli's Chili Bar Friday night, David Starczyk Sr. must think it's pretty great, too.
Starczyk, executive chef and operations manager at Cheli's, says Glotzhober's observations about the increased energy surrounding the Tigers are right on the mark. Granted, Cheli's – which opened just in time for Super Bowl XL – hasn't been open long enough to draw year-over-year comparisons, but Starczyk says there's no doubt the Tigers are responsible for most of the people inside the place tonight.
Ian Washington, manager of
Cliff Bell's, agrees, saying the Tigers also deserve credit for helping the fledgling bar gain some exposure.
The unique, swanky establishment on Park Avenue is brand new to the Detroit scene. It opened for three days during Super Bowl XL, but the bar closed when the big game left town so some finishing touches could be added. It re-opened in April, just in time for baseball season.
"Every time the Tigers win, we get people stopping in … whether it's for one drink or just to check the place out, it's definitely helping our business," Washington says.
Jaime Pfeffer also writes her blog,
Girl in the D.
All Comerica Park Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger