A Coming of Age Story of a Detroit Pistons Fan. Part I

The year was 1989 and the Bad Boys of the Detroit Pistons were well on their way to their first NBA Championship.  The day was April 19^th and for only $5, Piston’s fans could go to the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch Zeke and the gang clinch the Central Division and the NBA’s best record against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Palace Vision.  All the proceeds went to a local charity.  We had to go…

Todd Berner, Clarence Pearson, Chris Sharon, Joe Spegel and I loaded ourselves into my brother’s cream colored 1980 Plymouth Horizon.  For me this was the first time I went to Detroit without my mother or one of my older brothers.  For all of us, it was a chance to see history and express our independence.  I was the oldest, if only by a few days, just 50 days away from my 18^th birthday and graduating from Bay City Central High School.  I’m sure you remember when every day was a potential adventure.  We were all ready for ours.

The Palace was amazing and for all of us, it was our first time there.  The temple was in place to crown the Palace Guards and the Bad Boys of the NBA as World Champions.  The night belonged to the Pistons.  In their dominate style of 1989, they beat the Cavs handedly 118 – 102.  The Palace was one big party among close friends who had never met before that night.  Ken Calvert was our gracious host and he kept us all entertained, calling the game as if it were a home game.  His deep voice called out, “Isaaaaaaiaaaaaah Thomas, Joe Duuuuuuuuuuumars, Bill Laaaaaaaaaaaaaimbeer!!”

Being a fan himself, he also got caught up in the action.  At one point during the game after one of the NBA’s fabled bad calls by the refs Ken exclaimed, “TERRIBLE CALL!”  After a brief pause and realizing what he had just done he said, “I can finally say what I want to.”  WE LOVED IT!!  Later he led a chant of “Nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, WE GOT SCREWED!”  But in the end all was perfect when he announced that “Our Deeeeeeetroit Piiiiiistons were Central Division Champs!”

The night was ours!  There was no doubt that our team; our town was the absolute best there was.  Nothing could take that away, especially not from our heroes who wore the red, white and blue Pistons logo on their uniforms.  Todd, Clarence, Chris, Joe and I were not ready for the night to end.  Of course no trip would be complete without going into Detroit, through the Windsor Tunnel to Canada and coming back over the Ambassador Bridge.  All that we missed was a delicious Detroit Coney Dog.  If you haven’t tried one, you are really missing something.

We had our fun and it was time to get home.  After all it was Wednesday night and we all had school the next day.  Five joyous kids in a 1980 Horizon, going 60 mph north on I-75 to Bay City, then it happened.  The power in the car cut, 55 mph, 50, 40, “can I make it to the exit?” 30 mph…  That exit off of I-75 was 8 Mile Road.  Surely you heard of it.  Eminem made a movie about it.  There we were five teenagers, about 120 miles away from home, stranded in one of the worst neighborhoods in the country.

To Be Continued…