The giant script 'D' and the Tigers at the main gate quickly tell you where you are.
DETROIT -- It's an easy 5-hour drive from Buffalo through Canada via Highways 403 and 401 to the Motor City. If you're looking for a baseball roadie next summer, Comerica Park is certainly worth the trip.
(An aside here: I loved -- absolutely loved -- old Tiger Stadium. I wrote a column that will run in Sunday's paper on my memories of the place and a trip to the restored diamond at the site I took last week. Comerica has moved the Tigers 1 1/2 miles uptown and it's a disappointment in comparison, but it's a typically fan-friendly place like most people expect in this era so I'm fine with that too).
Comerica has tremendous gargoyle Tiger sculptures at the gates with giant baseball bats protruding to the sky, a ferris wheel with cars made of baseballs, and one of the biggest highlights is a carousel with tigers instead of horses (left, click for bigger view) in the middle of a food court.
It has great history displays in the concourse for each decade (right) and a simple and understated statue of legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, who was one of my favorites.
The decade displays have lots of neat memorabilia or replica items. And you have to love the only-in-Detroit theme of putting them on wheels as a tribute to the auto industry.
What Sabres fans would find interesting is the left field sculpture plaza. The big names like Cobb, Greenberg, Kaline and Horton are among the figures out there and it's a great collection.
After the outstanding unveiling of the French Connection earlier this month, I'm sure the Sabres will add another statue or two (Hasek? LaFontaine?) in the FNC Alumni Plaza and it will have a similar impact on fans. I put a look at the giant Ty Cobb statue at the bottom of this post. Gotta love the sliding dirt coming out from under his cleats.
As promised, I created a Flickr slideshow of dozens of shots of Comerica (I cheated and took one of the wondrous FOX Theatre marquee across the street too).
In case you missed it, click here for Thursday's post on AT&T Park in San Francisco and click here for the Flickr stream on the Giants' home.
---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
Hank Greenberg and Ty Cobb on the left field plaza at Comerica Park.
