Detroit, Mich. Population 912,000

When the song was popular, I never knew that I lived so close to the city. I must have thought that Michigan was the United States and the world; otherwise, why would anyone write a song about Detroit. Just a first grader when they peaked originally, I remember KISS putting albums and singles on record store shelves quickly and regularly.


Jerome Bettis picked up some Coney Dogs to go at Lafayette Coney Island. The Coney Dogs, by the way, are the best in Detroit!

Yesterday, we rolled in to Detroit, checked in at the hotel, and walked to the park, Comerica Park. It was 6:45, we were ticket–less, and the game started in 20 minutes. Luckily, we were able to get some seats in the 22nd row right behind home plate. Timing, of course, is everything ... The Detroiters played well, beating up on the Royals and winning 10–3. Four Tigers pounded home runs, including rookie Alex Avila and future–MVP Miguel Cabrera.

After the game, Detroit put on a great fireworks show and then we journeyed to some after–game hangouts. Detroit might not rival Chicago's Wrigley Field area for great post–game spots, but it's not bad. We hung out, talked with a buddy of mine who works for the Detroit Police Department, and ended the evening at Lafayette Coney Island, where we surprisingly ran into former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis, The Bus. He was cordial, joked a little bit, signed a take out bag, and posed with Lori for a picture. At about 2 a.m. You never know who you're going to run into in the City; timing, they say, is everything.

A few weeks back, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the whole entourage turned Detroit truly into Detroit Rock City. It's a bit beat down but doesn't deserve all the negativity that surrounds it. Detroit might not be the once–great symbol for working America, but it's still a working class town. In 1950, the population was 1.8 million. Today, it's barely half that. Times, Bob Dylan once said, have changed.