Dear Crabby,
I know you must have an opinion about the Pontiac Silverdome snafu on Sunday. So, go ahead and lay it on me!
Thanks,
Stan Safety
Dear Mr. Safety,
You betcha I have an opinion! The implosion actually reminded me a lot of what it’s like to be a Detroit Lions’ fan: Great expectations with a disappointing payoff. First of all, let me remind those who might not be regular readers that I’m going to miss the Silverdome. That old girl and I have shared a lot of memories together. That being said, after the Lions and Detroit Pistons moved out, she was neglected, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise she ended up in shambles. And that really is a shame. If I close my eyes, I can still picture coming down Opdyke and watching her majestic dome come into view. In fact, when the Silverdome opened in 1975 its fiberglass fabric roof (held up by air pressure) was the first use of the technique in a major athletic facility. Did you know she was the largest stadium (82,000+ seats) in the National Football League until 1997? And my kids thought The Main Event restaurant and its huge glass window wall with seating facing the field was magic. Their eyes got as big as saucers when we’d eat there, which was only on special 
occasions. But back to the ‘implosion.’
First, they’ve been promising to demolish it for so long that I think most people forgot it was happening on Sunday. After they pressed ‘the button,’ Facebook lit up with posts that either stated the noise scared the tarnation out ‘em or that they were miles away (like St. Clair Shores) and felt it. I get that mistakes happen, but since the people associated with the Silverdome couldn’t keep it afloat and profitable, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised they couldn’t get the demolition right either. And the fact that the Lions also lost the same day in spectacular fashion only reaffirms that we’re the fans with the worst luck in the NFL—on and off the field. After that embarrassment, they gave it another go on Monday and that seemed to do the trick. People took to Facebook once again because they forgot it was happening and once again they were scared out of their wits. I truly hope the rest of the demo goes smoothly. I’m tired of seeing dilapidated buildings and no clear plans to replace them with something else. Just look at The Summit Mall. That’s become a joke (and eyesore) too. And now with the Pistons playing in Detroit, I’m worried the powers that be who are supposedly calling the shots will let The Palace waste away as well. As far as future demos go, I suggest those rigging the big boom double check their work.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Dear Crabby
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