This was May, and I'd been sitting on bleachers since high school baseball had started that spring; never mind the sudden snow flurries, late dinners, spring rain storms and other senior activities that were mounting. I had sort of pictured a relaxing day after church and going out to a nearby restaurant with the family. Maybe a gift certificate for a facial or manicure; perhaps a day at the SPA; but it wasn't to be.

"Hey Mom, would you like to go to see the Tigers play the Yankees?" Our senior high son asked with a playful look. I just smiled. My husband laughed. And yet I knew what I would do that year, because I was a Mom and he was a senior, and I was already having problems dealing with my youngest of three leaving for school in the fall.

There had been a lot of talk about a new stadium in place of the one that stood proudly on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit, and on Mother's Day as I sat in the seating section that had been part of our family life during the many visits to watch the Tigers play, I wondered how the old place could actually become a thing of the past. It was so alive; the stadium was full of spectators and the excitement with two good ball teams, the smell of popcorn, peanuts and the sound of the organ playing. Over the years, how many people had this ballpark become a part of their lives and for how long?

The announcer recognized all Mother's and each one received a gift which I still have today. The blue and orange Tiger tot bag has made many road trips and holds the various maps when we travel; a gentle reminder of that special day and my last visit to the old Tiger Stadium.

Don Mattingly was a favorite ball player of our sons and he was one of the many players that made up the team that beat the Tiger's that May Day. While we ate our traditional ball park franks and drank our favorite soft drink, we watched the guy with the number 23 jersey hit a home run during the game. The fans went wild. The Yankees won 11 to 2.

Part of the excitement that comes from a visit to the old ballpark is the traditional 7th Inning Stretch. While the organ music played everyone stood and sang "Take Me Out To the Ballgame." It was part of the fun about a trip to the ballpark; and it didn't matter who you were cheering for, it was engraved in each spectator's heart as voices sang out.

The last game played at Tiger Stadium was in 1999 against the Kansas City Royals. We had moved to SC in 1997, but our son was working near Detroit and for the company which the new stadium was named; Comerica Park. As I recall he didn't go to the last Tiger game, but he did go with the other employees in his office to many of the other games that first season. It was the beginning of a new era for Tiger baseball; it was part of the many changes that happen over time.

The old stadium where the Tigers played for so many years is still standing; I guess they just didn't have the heart to tear down a piece of history that so many great players had been a part of. How could I have traded that day for anything else? What I didn't realize at the time was that it would be the last game we would attend with our now grown son together, at the old ballpark in Detroit, and that making a memory is a far better gift for any Mom.