Inevitability

Tonight was a good night for the Tigers. The offense churned out 10 runs against a reeling Phillies pitching staff and Max Scherzer, Al Alburquerque and Evan Reed held their hitting to 2 hits and no runs at all. But that's not really what kept running through my mind tonight.

The city of Detroit lost two iconic citizens last night. "Eat 'Em Up Tigers" James and "Dreadlock Mike", two famous buskers, were killed in a hit and run incident on the east side of the city around 3 AM on the morning of July 27th. Both men were fixtures around events in downtown Detroit, and you couldn't help but feel bad for them. Mike got around in a wheelchair because he had no feet. He was always emaciated, frail, and you knew that he was actually in need of every cent he was given. James was a bright spirit, always chanting outside Comerica, his enthusiasm for the team evident in every syllable he spoke. He never had a bad word for anyone, and was always quick to bless you and your family as you walked past, whether or not you had a dollar to spare for him. Both men were gracious, even as their hard-luck forced them to panhandle, you'd never think that they were anything but thankful for the time they spent with us.

Now, thanks to someone who took the role of God into their own hands, they're gone before their time.

It's inevitable, I guess. Death. We live to die. But I think this is hitting hard for me right now, because of what I'm going through in my personal life. My grandmother is succumbing to Alzheimer's disease, and it's hard to fathom that such a beautiful soul will soon be gone. You always think you have more time...

But you don't. It's inevitable. And it's something we all have to deal with eventually. Time for me to step up to the plate, I guess.

*if you would like to help donate to James and Mike's funeral costs, purchase an "Eat 'Em Up Forever" t-shirt from www.downwithdetroit.com*