2010 will shortly be part of the history books, a 365 day jaunt that included pretty much everything that could have been thrown at a Detroit sports fan. We lost legends this year and we also celebrated tremendous feats. We yelled at the television and we embraced the individuals around us. With all that this city has and continues to grow through, we learned a bit more about ourselves this year. While we may have felt cheated at times, we ended up always taking the higher ground and erasing the bad images that came from the Palace brawl from six years ago.
If you’re a Lions fan, you may feel that being “screwed over” is part of the team’s history. In week one, Stafford went down with an injury at Soldier Field, followed by a game ending reversal of a touchdown call. The team then choked away a victory against the Jets, then felt screwed by a blown call against the Bears. Sometimes the best medicine for bitterness is winning, and the Lions have done nothing but winning over the past few weeks. The feelings after week one seem far in the past in comparison to the feelings entering week 17.
Tigers fans fall into two camps – the ones who feel that the perfect game case is something of the past, and those who believe the impact of the moment remains. I fall into that second camp and I remain shocked that instant replay will not be altered entering the 2011 season. This was “just” a perfect game, it could have been something more – a pennant, a World Series? Armando Galarraga’s unbelievable charity and attitude will forever be enshrined in memory and eventually lead to a starting position on the Tigers staff in 2011.