The Kid Comes Home: Verlander’s Return and a New Easter Tradition

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What are you looking forward to right now?

Right now, I’m looking a little more toward the near future than I am interested in living in the moment.

This Wednesday, the Major League Baseball season begins with a special primetime game airing on Netflix. I always look forward to the start of baseball season. It’s a perennial reminder that the weather is going to improve, the days are getting longer, and summer break is finally within sight. Since I was a child, baseball has been my game, and that remains true today.

As of right now, I don’t have plans to attend the Tigers’ home opener. I’ve been to more Opening Days than the average fan, but these days, the expense and the atmosphere just don’t appeal to me. To be honest, I can’t stand the Opening Day crowd. Most of the people there aren’t interested in the game; they’re there to skip work, get drunk, and act more foolish in downtown Detroit than they ever would in the suburbs.

The Kid Comes Home

Having said that, I do have tickets for the third game of the season on Easter Sunday. It’s a primetime matchup, and it looks like it will be Justin Verlander’s first start as a Tiger at Comerica Park since 2013. The kid comes home, indeed.

A New Tradition at Comerica Park

To be honest, I’ve wanted to attend an Easter Sunday game for a while now. Growing up in Detroit, the Lions on Thanksgiving is the ‘gold standard’ tradition, but since I’m not much of a football fan, it never quite stuck. After spending eight years in South Carolina streaming the Thanksgiving parade from a distance, I realized I’d rather start a tradition that actually fits me. Easter means even less to me than Thanksgiving, but it always falls during baseball season—making it the perfect day to claim for myself at the ballpark.

Spring Breaks and Last-Minute Decisions

A week from tomorrow, my school district begins its annual spring break. I believe Kid 1 is also flying back to South Carolina that week. I was toying with the idea of heading down to Charleston during his break, but with my trip to Madison being so recent, the funds just aren’t there for a last-minute trek. At any rate, I’m just glad to have a week to recharge.

Celebrating with the Prince of the 80s

My birthday, April 17, falls on a Friday this year. I haven’t grabbed tickets yet, but I’m hoping to see the Mega 80s. Every April, they do their annual “Prince Tribute” show. The last time I went, they didn’t just stick to the hits; they played the obscure tracks that true Prince aficionados appreciate. I mentioned to Veronica that the tribute concert is what I want to do for my birthday. We’ll see if we can make that happen.

Here’s some food for thought for you, my fellow bloggers:

Growing up in Detroit, the Lions on Thanksgiving is the ‘gold standard’ tradition, but it never quite stuck for me. What does it feel like to intentionally replace a ‘traditional’ holiday expectation with something that actually aligns with your own passions, like baseball?
I’ve spent many holidays away from Michigan, streaming parades and games from afar. Now that I’m back and heading to Comerica Park on Easter, it feels like a ‘full circle’ moment. Have you ever reclaimed a piece of your home turf after being away for a long time

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The article “The Kid Comes Home: Verlander’s Return and a New Easter Tradition” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.