The first sport I really, truly paid attention to as a fan was hockey. I mean, yeah, I followed baseball and football and basketball. I knew who Cecil Fielder was. I went to Tigers games. I knew who Barry Sanders and Wayne Fontes were. I knew who the Bad Boys were and who that tall white guy on the Pistons was (Bill Laimbeer). I enjoyed all those things.
But for some reason, it was hockey that captivated me first. I remember listening to hockey games on the radio more than I watched them and being drawn to the odd collection of names. Lidstrom? What's a Lidstrom to a 10-year old? Kozlov? Konstantinov? I didn't even know how to say that. It became a game for me, to learn these names and apply them to the correct jersey numbers and then be able to recognize them when I caught a game on TV - knowing, for instance, that number 5 was Lidstrom. 19 was Yzerman. I had no idea how to spell Yzerman, either. 30 was Osgood, who I always thought bore a bit of a resemblance to a neighbor boy three or four years younger than me. 33 was Draper. 18 was Maltby. 25 was McCarty. 14 was Shanahan. 13 was Kozlov. 91 was Federov. 24 was Probert.
Yzerman was the face of the Red Wings. A young Canadian brought in to rejuvenate the team. The youngest Captain in the game's history. He grew with the team, a team that captured the heart of a city. Two other people probably made the Red Wings what they are to me. First was Darren McCarty and not for the reasons you'd expect. McCarty was a grinder; a physical guy who gave our opponents bruises. McCarty scored a goal that was my first truly memorable hockey moment, the moment that I realized what it was to have a championship hometown team. He faked out a Flyers defenseman and then deked Ron Hextall out of his skates to score the second goal of Game 4 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. It ended up being the game-winning goal that brought the Cup to Detroit for the first time in decades. I get chills when I go back to watch that video, which I do periodically. I remember watching that game and jumping up in disbelief, roaring my approval, knowing, even as a 13 year-old, that I'd seen something magical. Knowing that everyone knew that, because the Joe Louis Arena went nuts when that goal was scored and didn't calm. The place roared the rest of the game and everyone know that the game had been iced on that play. It was magic. The first time I experienced that kind of sports magic. It addicted me.
The second moment I'll always remember, another defining moment, was when Vladimir Konstantinov's limo crashed, leaving him paralyzed. He was the right wing of the line we nicknamed "The Russian Five" - a line of all Russian men, and he was the grinder of that line. His career ended in one night, a week (to the day) after Darren McCarty and his magical goal won the Stanley Cup. Disbelief of a different kind rocked the city and the emotional outpouring from the fanbase for a guy who didn't even speak English was remarkable. Vigils were held. And although it was never spoken, everyone knew the Red Wings would repeat. Everyone knew that the next season was for Vladimir Konstantinov. They roared to another Cup and after Steve Yzerman lifted it high again, Konstantinov was brought out in his wheelchair, to the ice, in his jersey, to share in the festivities. There was never any doubt that season. I have a framed picture of the team piled on the ice with the Cup, framed on a plague that hangs in my study.
Baseball, football and basketball combined have never given me moments that measured up to those. There was always a certain magic to the Red Wings that made them a little extra special to me. Maybe the Lions are coming into that, as their young team grows and matures and perhaps begins to contend. I could see them capturing magic for a year or two and making a run and having one of those special seasons that everyone remembers. I could see that. And I've told my wife-to-be that if it ever happens, it'll be special thing, and I'll weep if the Lions ever lift the Lombardi Trophy. Because that kind of magic is a special and emotional thing. It brings cities together.
As I've grown from that kid, I haven't really felt my age until lately. We all have different markers for how we measure our age, all outside of ourselves. One of them, for me, is my younger sister. When I realize how old she is now, I realize I'm no spring chicken anymore. But the other is sports. When I see guys I grew up watching retire, I realize, hey, I'm getting older. This isn't quite the team I grew up with anymore. When I see legends of my childhood, icons that are embedded in my childhood memories, die, I realize. Ernie Harwell is the voice of baseball to me. He's gone. That one hit me hard. Same for Sparky, who is the face of baseball.
The Red Wings are going through a changing of the guard. Kris Draper retired today. Chris Osgood retired last week. Kirk Maltby has been gone for a year. Shanahan, Federov, Yzerman, longer. Soon, it'll be Nick Lidstrom's turn. All of those guys from my childhood teams will be gone. And oh, sure, the Red Wings carry on - they have Datsyuk and Zetterberg, Jimmy Howard, Nick Kronwall, and even younger upstarts like Darren Helm. And while they're still my team, they're not quite that team of mine anymore, which is a fact that gets reinforced every time another member retires.
Around the MLB -
San Diego 5, Philadelphia 4 - Cliff Lee barely made it four innings as the Padres shelled him early to back Aaron Harang's ninth victory.
Cleveland 3, LA Angels 2 - After blowing a 1-0 lead in the eighth, the Indians rallied from 2-1 in the ninth when rookie Jason Kipnis' first Major League hit ended up being the walk-off winner.
NY Yankees 10, Seattle 3 - The Yankees got on the board early, backing Freddy Garcia and serving the Mariners their 16th straight loss.
Kansas City 3, Boston 1 - A rain delay turned this into a late affair and going 14 innings didn't help - but the Royals ended it then with Mike Aviles' squeeze bunt scoring the go-ahead run.
NY Mets 4, Cincinnati 2 - A four-run seventh inning was all the Mets scored, but also all they needed to top the Reds after an otherwise stellar start by Mike Leake.
Pittsburgh 3, Atlanta 1 - It was a pitchers' duel between Tim Hudson and James McDonald, but the Pirates' bullpen held tight after their starter left in the sixth.
Texas 20, Minnesota 6 - The Twins got decimated in a game that saw seven errors between both teams and the most runs scored in a game by one team yet this year.
Chi. White Sox 6, Detroit 3 - A bases-loaded jam in the fifth proved to be the turning point, as the Tigers buckled and the White Sox relievers held on for the win.
St. Louis 10, Houston 5 - Molina, Rasmus and Punto crossed the plate a combined 7 times for the Cards, providing the firepower in this one from the back end of the lineup.
Oakland 7, Tampa Bay 5 - Down 5-2 in the sixth, the A's bats got crackin', taking advantage of the Tampa bullpen and coming back for the win.
LA Dodgers 8, Colorado 5 - A rookies' duel of Rubby De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio saw De La Rosa emerge, allowing only one run in six innings.
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