Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 115

rr, ll -2C TOGO A I GIVIhiL i cn '-q THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, the Flag-raising, the players and fans at attention; this familiar scene will be duplicated Tuesday at Briggg Stadium. Opening Day IS Different PORT TO YOUR MATTRESS Durable, wipe-clean 3s" bonded wood-fiber board firms your mattress, helps relieve muscle strains and aches. 24x60" (couch tiu) 4.95 3060" (twin tit) 5.95 36x60" (J-4 tin) 6.95 48x60" (full iz) 9.95 run ttijtft I. HUDSON'S DOWNTOWN Mm. Woodward HUDSON'S NORTHLAND MkMto lovot Hydion'l Downtown) Optn Mondoy 9 15-8 30; Do.lv 15-i30.

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Not as many as the 53,433 who set a record in 1949, but probably more than the 25,253 who braved 39-degree weather a year ago, when the Cleveland Indians wrested an 11-8 decision. The weather always is a problem for Opening Day and it's usually pretty good. The weatherman says the mid-April average should be in the 45-50 range. In the last 20 years, despite a few near -freezing days, the Tigers have been fortunate. Nine of their Opening Days have fallen in the weatherman's average while six have been above (all the way to 79 in 1942) and five below (including a 36 in 1936).

But cold or warm, wet or dry it will be Opening Day Tuesday. Bill Finzel, a lively youngster of 74, will lead the band to the centerfield flag pole for the 52nd straight time the first ball will be thrown out with the usual ceremony the umpire will shout: "Play Ball" and another Tiger season will be underway." That's Opening Day. MAGAZINE Sunday, April 11. 1954 There's something special about Opening Day. You may hear a cynic say: "Why all the whoop-to-do about the first baseball game of the season? There are 153 more just like it." Don't you believe him.

Opening Day IS different. The fans feel it. It's like bock beer in March or oysters in September for them. This is it the start of a new season with all the mistakes and disappointments of the last one forgotten and buried. The players sense it, too.

That's why managers pick their best pitchers for Opening Day. That's why hitters swing a little harder, runners trot a little faster. Some of the game's most memorable performances have come on Opening Day. How can Tiger fans forget that George Vico hit a home run his first time at bat as a pea-green newcomer on Opening Day of 1948? Or that Johnny Groth lashed out a pair of four-baggers on Opening Day a year later? Little matter that neither lived up to his promise. They were great on Opening Day.

That's why there will be another big crowd at Briggs Stadium Tuesday to see the Tigers launch their 54th DETROIT FREE PRESS ROTO IdkW IMkM MM lJ II I 1 MH-W SARAN PLASTICS NYLONS, SATINS FIBRES, LEOPARDS ZEBRAS, ETC. Detroit's Largest and Most Complete Selections Off i lt Prices Everyone Can Afford YJU CYXE Sf Vf MIU HOUSE 07 OT CO'JiTiS 15X41 w. trims COt. IStSl cot. 12124 W.

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