Detroit Tigers: Powerball Dreams & Baseball

When lottery jackpots reach ungodly amounts of money, there is nothing quite like dreaming about what to do with the windfall. (Winning would be better than dreaming…) Of course, I have a collection of Powerball tickets hiding out in a secret location for tonight’s drawing. And, I’ve spent the majority of the day talking with friends and students about what I would do with $1.5 billion. Much of what I would do involves attending Detroit Tigers events.

In all of my classes today, my students asked if I would buy the Tigers – like the whole, darn team. I boldly said, “No.” My reasoning is simple: it’s too much work. My second reason is simple, too: the team costs too much. Owning a business is a lot of work and I would imagine being in the exclusive club of MLB team owners is more work than most people could ever imagine. I applaud Mike Ilitch for purchasing the team and taking such good care of it over the years. It is not a job I would want. Would you?

So what would I do with $1.5 billion? What would anyone who loves baseball do? Go to games. Lots and lots of games. I would follow the Tigers with my son in my private jet to games all over the country. I would make sure that we saw one game in every ballpark over the summer.

My students asked me if I would buy a suite at Comerica Park. To that question, I also said, “No.” I don’t know about you, but I prefer to sit as close to the action as possible. (And, I’m not a fan of the extending the nets – but that’s an entirely different post). I would purchase a pair of seats near the Tigers’ dugout in the front row, so I could chat with my favorite players like J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, and Ian Kinsler while they are warming up and after the games when they are celebrating the wins.

I would also be sure to attend as many special events as possible. I’m already going to TigerFest, but since that comes after the Powerball drawing, I could definitely attend that in style in a limo or a private jet rather than driving my Mazda across the state. If I did have to drive to TigerFest, I would park in a great spot where no one could steal the Old English “D” sticker off of my car! (Yes, that has happened to me.) I would also be sure to get a pair of tickets for the “Miggy Ball” at the end of the month; I wouldn’t buy just any tickets, but tickets at Miggy’s table.

Every year, the Tigers offer some amazing fan experiences like the Fantasy Camp at Joker Marchant. While I’m not into actually playing ball, I would be sure my husband could participate along with a friend or two. I would also be sure to attend the summer camp at Comerica Park, the All-Star Game, and the playoffs – even if the Tigers were not in it.

All of these dreams make me sound like a greedy person. These Tigers experiences would barely scrape the surface of the windfall, even after taxes. I would be sure to give away good tickets to every home game and I would like to donate money to the Navin Field Grounds Crew, as well as the numerous foundations the Tigers players organize. Since I am also a fan of the Little League program, I would be sure to sponsor several teams in needy areas so young kids could get their first taste of the greatest game.

I might even help Mike Ilitch get Yoenis Cespedes on the team.

Next: Questionable Detroit Tigers Transactions #10-#1

Yes, I’m fully aware of my chances to win the Powerball. They are significantly less than the chances of the Tigers winning the World Series. They are also significantly less than Andrew Romine hitting back-to-back grand slams against Max Scherzer. They are also much less than the chances of Mike Trout becoming a Tiger and Nick Castellanos winning an MVP award. Also less than Victor Martinez hitting a Little League home run.

But, there is nothing wrong with a little dreaming.

What would you do if you won tonight?