Inge Season

It's probably unholy this week to ask Brandon Inge what he'd be doing if he weren't a baseball player.

"I'm not sure," he haltingly answers. "Probably something in extreme sports."

Not that the Detroit Tigers third baseman doesn't use the quickness, balance and strength he'd need as, say, a ski racer, mountain biker or, dare we imagine, skateboarder in his current infield play.

Inge, 33, is considered one of the most classically athletic and versatile on the Tigers roster. He's mostly a fan favorite for his reliable fielding but sometimes the source of angst for his less-than-stellar batting.

As the player with the longest tenure on the Detroit roster this year, Inge is the guy with the most Detroit Opening Days, which is more what the first week of April is about than career stats.

A native of Virginia, Inge is still struck by the energy, enthusiasm and loyalty the Detroit fans bring each season, never more so than on Opening Day. When Inge and his teammates take to the green grass and smooth infield of Comerica Park on Friday for the home opener against Kansas City, the stands will be full. Fans will peer through the fence in the outfield. Nearby bars will be packed by those who just want to be close to the game action. Offices will lose productivity as those stuck at work will follow on the Internet.

Contrast that to the first game of the 2011 season the Tigers played at Yankee Stadium March 31. It takes a lot to shock a veteran major league player, but Inge noticed something amiss in New York.

"I could not believe it. I was looking around and was saying to the third base coach, 'Can you believe the empty seats?'" he says.

Inge had 4 hits in 11 at bats in the three-game series against the Yankees. The Tigers came out of that series 1-2 with a big win Sunday, then headed to Baltimore Monday, where they lost to the Orioles. Inge scored the lone run, hitting a double and reaching home plate after back-to-back singles.

Fans follow Inge also because of what he quietly does off the field. He's one of the only Tiger players who makes Michigan his year-round home. He and his wife are Children's Hospital of Michigan advocates, and have founded a charity that raises money for families whose children have lengthy hospital stays.

Inge, at the ballpark, is without ritual or superstition, except for changing his jersey from No. 12 to No. 15 after a bad start with the team his first year when he batted .180. "I said, 'Screw it,' and 15 was the only number available," he says. The number doesn't have any other significance to him.

Inge recognizes what the Tigers, and especially their home opener, mean to the thousands of loyal Detroit fans. He spoke with Metro Times about it by telephone from New York before Sunday morning's batting practice.

Metro Times: What is the mind-set of starting the season on the road and having a couple opening days in different cities?

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