Yesterday I had an opportunity to take in a Tiger doubleheader. For some reason, it felt like 4 games were played that afternoon. I attended the game with my dad, a Tiger fan all of his life, my son Steve, and daughter Lisa. It was a beautiful afternoon. What happened on the field was anything but baseball, as far as the Tigers were concerned. They gave up 26 runs on 26 hits, and their pitchers had a difficult time finding the plate and when they did, the Royals were dropping hits in all over the field. Homeplate looked like a revolving door the Cheesecake Factory during the lunch hour. One Tiger pitcher came on for his first appearance in the majors, and gave up 6 runs without registering one out. Needless to say he'll not last long in the bigs. The highlight was that we were part of history. The 26 runs scored was a record for both teams!

Our seats were right behind the Royals dugout on first base side, 7 rows up. These were the best seats I've had at a Tiger game. George Brett sat 6 rows in front of us and despite our effort to get his attention, he never bothered to turn around and say "hello."

The Tigers came back in the nightcap, scoring 8 runs and with Bonderman and Yan combining for a shutout. Note to Mike Illitch: Pitching wins games! How about getting a couple of aces?

This doubleheader had some similarities to life. Sometimes I have days where everything is falling apart around me. Nothing is going right, and no matter what I do, it just seems to get worse. Then there are days where everything falls in place. It feels like I'm riding the top of a 14 foot wave and not even getting wet! When things are going really well, it's alot easier for me to say: "God is good." But can I say that with the same enthusiasm, or even say it at all, when I hit the skids and things are falling apart? If I can't, something's wrong, because God never changes. He's good all the time no matter what my circumstances are.

Even though the Tigers stunk in the first game, they came out in the second game and played good ball. They looked like a totally different team. What it comes down to is that they didn't let the first game affect their performance in the second game.

It's important for me to do the same in my life. When things don't go as well as I wish or like and when things seem to be falling apart around me, I need to remain faithful to God. I need to remain obedient to His commands, doing what He's called me to do, and being what He's called me to be. It's always darkest before dawn.

Thanks for the lesson Tram!
Deurty Old Man