Call me maudlin, overly sentimental — you wouldn’t be wrong — but I think this judge should hear them out.

As it stands, the city has no plans for the space.  No strip mall or shopping center will be erected on the hallowed grounds of this historic field.  If this weren’t the case, perhaps it would make the whole initiative to raze it a bit more palatable.  No one wants to see a piece of history replaced by a Nordstrom or a Chili’s.  However, in times such as these, it would be challenging to refute a solid economic argument or a plan to revive the bedraggled neighborhood.

But there are no such plans being formulated.  Go to Detroit and listen carefully.  You’ll hear very little discussion of new structures and community revitalization. At the moment, Detroit is a city crumbling to the ground.  What better way to punctuate this idea than to needlessly tear down this old stadium, which for so many years served as a beacon of hope to the people of Detroit in even its darkest hours.

During the 1930′s, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Tiger Stadium became the lone bright spot for a city more or less enshrouded in darkness for the better part of a decade.  In 1934, with the unemployment rate rising at staggering rates, the people of Detroit watched on, glued to their seats,  as their beloved Tigers clinched the pennant.  And it gave the city hope. The following year, the Tigers went on to win the World Series.  Again, the city could hope.  In 1937, second baseman Charlie Gehringer earned the batting championship and the AL MVP.   In 1938, my grandfather, Hank Greenberg, slugged his way towards Babe Ruth’s home run record — narrowly missing the target — keeping the city on its toes all the while.  Tiger Stadium — then Navin Field — was the site for these victories. And these are only a few.

Later, in 1967, with racial and economic tensions mounting to a fever pitch, the riots broke out.  With the city in flames, the Tigers battled their way through the season — pennant contenders all the time. It was a time of chaos and questioning, and the Tigers served as the city’s anchor yet again. The following year, they returned to win it all.

Since the new stadium has gone up, the old one has been more or less left to rot. Most of it has been torn down already and what remains is a sorry reminder of a storied past that no longer exists.  So why leave it there to languish?  Why not just put it out of its misery once and for all?

There is, in fact, a reason.

While the city may not have a vision for the stadium beyond its destruction, there are those who do.  The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy has been plugging away at raising funds for a plan that would use the old stadium as “a public park for recreational and cultural programs, primarily youth and amateur baseball.” Additionally, the building itself would be transformed into a banquet hall, museum and offices. The conservancy includes such notables as Senator Carl Levin and former Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell.  The plan costs upwards of 30 million dollars. As it stands, the groups has a 3.8 million dollar federal earmark.  On Tuesday, Detroit’s Economic Development Corporation voted 7-1 to proceed with plans to demolish what is left of the old ballpark, claiming that the conservancy had failed to meet the required fundraising deadlines.  Repeatedly.  Members of the conservancy came in with an eleventh hour injunction.  They assert that with their newly established historic designation, they may have access to $20 million in tax credits and that it’s only fair that they be allowed the time to try.

Detroit is a city that has been badly beaten down.  A city that appears to be generating little good news of late.  To tear down the stadium at this juncture in Detroit’s history in order to make space for yet another vacant lot sends a strong message to the city.  Not necessarily the right one.  According to the Economic Development Corporation, the only real reason to rush demolition is anxiety about a rise in the cost of demolition.  This seems  insufficient grounds to discontinue the efforts of a group that has worked relentlessly for years on a project that has great potential to revitalize a neighborhood.

Old Tiger Stadium has the opportunity to serve as Detroit’s symbol of hope yet again.   If the efforts of the conservancy are successful, the rising cost of demolition will have been a moot point.

So, here it is: I told you so.

Since I tend to “I told you so” with almost as often as I open my mouth, you might be wanting a little clarification.  At the moment, I’m “I told you so-ing” about my undying belief in the untapped potential of Phil Hughes.  And if you watched last night, you know what I’m talking about.

It’s not just that Phil gave us six solid shutout innings against Detroit, during which he allowed only two hits and two walks.  It’s that for the first time since 2007, he looked like the pitcher he once promised to be: dominant, confident, a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, my “I told you so” is only a partial victory.  My rallying cry on behalf of Hughes was part of a larger argument that, rather than sign Pettitte, we should use Hughes as our number five guy.  And, of course, once we had signed Pettitte, I was a huge proponent of the send Joba to the bullpen school of thought.  And, in an ideal world, I still think we should.  (If you’ve been paying any attention to our bullpen, then you’re aware that to say, “I told you so” about this would not only be unnecessary but actually just sort of obnoxious.)  The problem at the moment, of course, is Wang. And, obviously, until we’re sure that Wang is both healthy and able to deliver, that’s not a move we can consider.

Still, let’s project a positive outcome. (Because, hell, if you know me, you know that’s just the kind of girl I am.) Let’s say Wang comes off the DL totally healthy and once again in full possession of his sinker.  Let’s say last night was not fluke but a sign of things to come where Hughes is concerned.  Assuming both of these best case scenarios, I think it’s time to re-open the Joba file.  I know we’ve beaten that debate to the ground and people are sick of it, but given the strong possibility that Bruney may be gone for a while, we have got to figure out a way to get through the 7th and 8th innings.  If we’re really being optimistic, then we can hope that Melancon ends up being part of that equation.  But I remain convinced that Joba holds the key to our late inning success.

In any event, our late inning guys actually managed to hold it together yesterday. Not only did they maintain an eleven-run lead — not enough of a lead to guarantee anything for us these days — but Melancon, Veras and Ramirez each pitched a scoreless inning to get us through the game with an 11-0 victory.

Leaving aside the Hughes resurgence, the highlight of last night’s game was definitely that it was our team and not the other team that got the ten runs in the 7^th – a refreshing change of pace.  Still, Molina, who capped off the hit parade with a grand salami, points out that when it comes down to victory, size doesn’t matter.  He commented, “Whether it was 1-0 or 10-0, we just cared about winning the game.”

True.  But I think I speak for Yankee fans everywhere when I say that 10-0 makes us feel a little better.