A night with the Tigers and Killer B's

The Tigers lost Wednesday night to the Cleveland Indians 6-4 at Comerica Park. However, that didn't matter to the Killer B's.
It was a bit on the cool side and tiny rain drops pelted us for about four innings. But none of that mattered to the Killer B's. They were all smiles and took in every moment of the Tigers-Indians.
The killer B's are my son Brandon and his backyard buddies Barton and Bryce. School is out for summer and I took the Killer B's to a Tigers game. It is so wonderful to see the innocent love for the game of young boys. I enjoyed the banter in the car on the way to the game as they talked about pitcher Magglio Ordonez coming back and Justin Verlander's pitching.
It was great seeing them turn into adults as they stoically held their tickets out to be scanned at the gate. And I loved their smiles as we settled into our seats in section 330 to enjoy the game.
This was the only Father's Day gift I needed. It was the smile on Brandon's face along with his buddies. I don't need cologne, a tie or breakfast in bed. Being a dad is putting smiles on your kid's face and soothing them during their pain.
A few weeks ago Brandon had a terrible stomach ache and I sat up with him and gave him my famous hot towel treatment that magically makes the pain go away. He felt better but he wanted me in the room until he fell asleep. I grabbed two pillows and a blanket and lay by his bed. When I woke he was in peaceful sleep.
I never had that moment with my dad.
I never attended a Tigers game with him. Ronald Foster served in the Korean War and later in Germany as a soldier in the United States Army. A couple years after he came home for good my dad was shot and killed on Detroit's west side.
We used to go to Belle Isle and go to fairs and parades, but we never attended a game together. That wasn't unusual for my neighborhood. Black people did not feel comfortable at Tigers Stadium and I was the only kid in my entire neighborhood that regularly attended Tigers games. I was lucky that my mother worked at the Lindell A.C. and the Butsicaris brothers, Jimmy and Johnny, made sure I attended games with them.
My aunt Margo was a huge New York Yankees fan and she took me to several other games.
It was fun and I enjoyed every moment. But it is not the same as going with dad.
It is hard to explain but I know there is something special for Brandon when we order a hotdog together or share a box of popcorn at Comerica Park. He is enjoying something I never experienced. Brandon just doesn't know how special it is for me also.