Travelogue: Detroit Tigers Baseball with the Portage Senior Center

Four of my neighbors (Anita Lawson with Dick, Dean and Sarah Hauck) and I joined the members of the Portage Senior Center fora Tiger baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. to watch pitcher Rick "the Kid" Porcello, 21, achieve his fourth win in a row. The right-hander (9-11) gave up three runs, four hits and no walks in eight innings Thursday at Commerica Park in Downtown Detroit. He threw 105 pitches, 67 for strikes. In his four-game winning streak, he has a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings and has allowed 15 hits.

The game was fun, especially since the Tigers won. But what was really stunning was the Center's excellent organization of the trip by Trudy and Roger, our guide/escorts. We stopped at McDonald's in Jackson for a breakfast break halfway to Detroit and then at Culver's on the way home we had dinner, a first time for me. They gave us a seek-and-find puzzle on major league home run hitters--with a prize, of course--and then had us give the hitters' first names. Trudy also told baseball jokes, which were pretty corny but turned out to be funny because of the way she told them. Trudy and Roger really know how to make the time pass on a bus trip!

I was equally impressed with the people on the trip. It's a rare experience these days to be a part of a group where members are respectful of each other by boarding the bus on time, friendly, and while on the bus, knew how to talk in person-to-person tones sans electronic noise.

We arrived at the ballpark about an hour before the game was to start so we got our complimentary hot dog and soft drink and had our lunch. We also had time to ride the Tiger carousel. It's been a long time since I've done that--and we it was fun!

Although I never want to be labeled a senior citizen--no matter what my age--I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to join a trip with the Portage Senior Citizens!