As we honor fathers across the nation tomorrow, I am reminded of a particularly fond experience involving my own father, now 80 and retired in Florida.

Six years ago I contacted Dave Dombrowski, President/CEO/General Manager of the Detroit Tigers.  My father, Leo, would soon be celebrating his 75th birthday and I wanted to do something special.

I explained to Dave how growing up in New York, you would think that my father would be a Yankee or Dodger fan, but that was not the case.  I told him how my father attended his first baseball game in the summer of 1940, a doubleheader between the Yankees and Tigers.  After Detroit won both games that day, they had earned a new fan for life.  His loyalty to the Tigers had lasted 65 years, including a trip to Detroit to attend the 1968 World Series.  He never missed an opportunity to take me and my three brothers to games whenever the Tigers came to New York, and I told Dave how my brothers and I were returning the favor by bringing him to the All-Star game at Comerica Park later that year.

The father of two, Dave appreciated my story and we communicated back-and-forth over the following months.  I told him how, in his spare time, my father could be found on a baseball field.  First as a coach, then as an umpire, devoting over 20 years to our Little League experience.  When the last of us was too old to play, that didn't stop my father from donning chest protector and mask.  Retired and living in Florida, "low strike Leo" could still be found umpiring three to five games every week.

I asked Dave to help me fulfill a lifelong dream for my father.  While he had accepted that his dream of being a Major League umpire would never be realized, just having an opportunity to step out on the field and perhaps throw out the first pitch at a Tiger game, would mean a lot to my father and definitely deliver a birthday he would never forget.

To his credit, Dave delivered.  He introduced me to Ron Myers, Director of Lakeland Operations, who helped arrange for my brothers and me to bring my Dad and 15 of his closest friends and family to a game, where Leo got to walk the field and toss out the ceremonial first pitch.  Wearing a Tiger jersey with the number 65, representing the 65 years he had been a fan, as well as honoring his two favorite Tigers, Hank Greenberg and Al Kaline, Dad threw a perfect strike and the crowd applauded his effort.

To this day, like a little child, my father gets an ear-to-ear smile when showing someone the Al Kaline autographed photo he received that afternoon, which is prominently displayed in his home.  And, you can hear the excitement in his voice when he talks about throwing out the first pitch, or when reminiscing while looking at the photographs we took that day.  I knew he would enjoy the experience, but I did not realize just how much it would mean to him.  Or to me, as it was the last time my Dad and all of my brothers and I would be together with Mom, who passed away soon after.

The entire Detroit Tiger organization made my father feel special, going above-and-beyond to make his day one that he, and the family and friends who attended, will never forget.  While I am still a die-hard Yankee fan (as are all three of my brothers), the Tigers will always hold a special place in my heart.

I wish Leo, Dave, and all the other Dads out there a happy Father's Day!