Today is the last day for public tours of the field, dugout and visitors locker room.
The line of pilgrims inched through the dim, cramped tunnel, emerging into the light. No one wanted to be the first to break the church-like silence. Slowly, a woman knelt and scooped a few spoonfuls of dirt into a baggie. As its last month of life begins, visits to Tiger Stadium have become less a sporting event than a cultural phenomenon. Visitors on the daily stadium tours have in recent weeks increased 20-fold, and arm rests are turning up missing after games.