Fan-free baseball games no relief for Motor City's misery

DETROIT (AP) — Brass Rail Pizza Bar is close enough to Comerica Park to hear the roar of the crowd when the Detroit Tigers play.

The proximity to the home of the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings and Pistons makes the establishment a convenient choice for people to get a slice and a sip on game days.

“That’s something huge for us,” said Mohamed Elmardi, the manager. “If it’s not going on, our business is down.”

The Tigers will be on the field for real games soon enough and the first home game comes Monday night against Kansas City. But there will be no fans as baseball and every other sport try to push ahead through the coronavirus pandemic.

“Tigers fans that may have season tickets and might come down for a 1:15 game on a Wednesday, they’re not coming because they don’t have a reason to,” said Kenny Valentino, assistant manager at Delmar Detroit, a rooftop bar and restaurant a short walk from the stadiums.

A dozen years ago, a recession and the collapse of the U.S. auto industry hit Detroit hard. The past decade has seen the city claw back, with downtown and some urban neighborhoods attracting thousands of young professionals.

When Detroit’s baseball team moved from decaying Tiger Stadium to newly built Comerica Park in 2000 and the Lions left the Pontiac Silverdome to play downtown two years later, it played a part in the city’s comeback. The Red Wings built Little Caesars Arena nearby nearly three years ago. They convinced the Pistons to leave the suburbs to join them and development followed.

Downtown Detroit is now a sports fanatic's dream: The Lions roam next door to the Tigers at Ford Field while the Red Wings and Pistons are across Woodward Avenue at Little Caesars Arena.

With professional teams from four major leagues playing within a...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Fan-free-baseball-games-no-relief-for-Motor-15430893.php