At the Tigers game today against the White Sox

Random thoughts.

1. On game days, the area within a 4-5 block radius of Comerica Park is swarming with panhandlers. You get used to it. Most of them appear harmless but unfortunately some are aggressive. My technique = no eye contact and keep walking. Today, we park in a surface lot about 4 blocks from the park. A panhandler is on the city sidewalk bordering the lot working the crowd. No big deal really. The lot owner sees the beggar and yells very loudly "Off my lot!" to the panhandler even though the panhandler was on a city sidewalk. He moved along. Oh well. I am guessing the lot owner thinks a beggar is not conducive to his customers tailgating in his lot.

2. One beggar asked me for $1.10 because he said he needed a colonostomy. (Dead serious) I passed (literally and figuratively).

3. All Tigers games on the weekends sell out and this game was not in our season ticket package and as we had a free day, me and my 15 year old son Alex purchased two game-day standing-room tickets. The standing-room "rules" are that you may stand anywhere that there is no sign prohibiting it. 50% of the people stand along the wall of the lower-level concourse which circles the field about 30 rows off the field and 50% stand at the outfield fence/wall. A few stand on the upper-level concourse. Today we stood on the lower-level concourse wall even with first base and claimed our position approximately 30 minutes before game time. By game time, all standing areas along the lower level concourse and outfield fence are occupied. Predictably, once the game starts, people continually try to squeeze into the literal one inch space between you and the person standing next to you forcing you to tell them "Sorry no" (well that is what I do) and hold your glare until they leave. Others simply try and just stand in front of you which is against the rules (no doubling up at the wall) and also common courtesy and the ushers are pretty good about moving those people. Me and Alex counted the number of people either we or the usher moved from our own (limited) personal space........12. Nice view of the game but unfortunately too much work protecting our spot from others who wanted to claim it. Last year, we had standing-room tickets to a World Series game which was never played. That would have been a zoo I am sure.

4. Kevin Youkilis did not have a good offensive game. Still complains constantly about the strike zone. Change of uniform did not change that. Umpires must just love to see him coming.

5. Is it mandatory for Hispanic players to have salsa music as their walk-up music? (I'm cool with it. Just askin')

6. After the game, if you just take the side streets instead of the main street, you will get to the freeway entrance in like 1/10th of the time. I hope people don't ever figure this out.

7. Me and my younger boy are going tomorrow (we have seats to this one) and I will see what I can do for a repeat. (maybe)