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October 23, 2006
Tigers and Michigan
There's nothing negative you can say about the Tigers going to the World Series. But those in Southeast Michigan (or, indeed, the entire state) should temper the hope and joy it brings. Sports is a distraction. It is not a distraction that is good or bad. There is no value judgement to it. But a Tiger turnaround does not mean a GM turnaround, a Ford turnaround, or, indeed, a Detroit turnaround. We don't get a city out of a winning season.
At best, this is a cold beer, or a tranquilizer... it numbs the city and state, distracts it from the problems. But it can't fix things. The past 40 years in this State have been one of erosion. (To be fair, this phenom is in all the upper Midwest/Northeast Industrial Corner... Ohio, Pennsylvania...) Maybe if this state stopped worshiping the internal combustion engine, stopped expecting The Big Three to rebound to past glory and started building new industries and businesses, we'd see some progress. But as long as the Gloved State's entire identity is wrapped up in the car, we will never get out from under its wheels.
Posted by emily at October 23, 2006 7:54 PM