Heat From Detroit Too Much for Kimmel, Lakers to Bear

I remember the flames following the Tigers’ World Series clinching-win over the Padres in 1984, and I recall officials telling us to remain in Tiger Stadium beyond midnight to avoid the riot that was taking place outside the ballpark.

When we were allowed to leave the stadium with a police escort, I recall getting on the bus that Major League Baseball provided for the media, and listing back and forth as the crowd that surrounded the bus tried to tip it over.

Good thing we had a bunch of sportswriters who enjoy free food in the press box, because with that many heavyweights on board, there was no way that bus was going to tip.

That was 20 years ago, but it happened, and while I think Jimmy Kimmel deserves a big pat on the back for a history lesson in this day and age when history is often ignored, the folks in Detroit are in an uproar.

Kimmel told ABC interviewer Mike Tirico during halftime of Game 2, “Besides the fact I’m a Lakers’ fan, I realize they’re going to burn the city of Detroit down if the Pistons win. It’s not worth it.”

Of course, it’s not worth it, which seemed like good advice. But Kimmel’s comments inflamed, sorry, upset Detroit so much the local ABC affiliate, WXYZ, pulled Kimmel’s show Wednesday, and replaced it with “The Wayne Brady Show.” And you have to be pretty upset to replace anything with “The Wayne Brady Show.”

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DISNEY ALSO pulled the Kimmel show nationally and replaced it with a rerun because Kimmel made some more disparaging remarks about Detroit in a show taped earlier in the day. I guess Disney is afraid the people here looking to escape Detroit won’t visit their theme parks.

Meanwhile, TV announcers were calling for Kimmel’s firing, and when one of them asked Tirico if Kimmel should be fired, instead of saying, “Are you nuts?” he said, that’s up to other people, while indicating Kimmel “had hurt a whole city.”

I’m surprised these people aren’t in pain all the time. This place is a dump, looking at its best Thursday because the fog had moved in. You make the drive from the airport toward downtown, and it takes a great deal of will power not to make a U-turn home. I know that from experience.

They identify their roads here by how many miles they are from downtown Detroit, and when reaching 15 Mile Road, there’s still 13 miles to go to get where the Pistons play their games. Twenty-eight miles from downtown Detroit is about right -- in case Kimmel is correct.

Those familiar with Kimmel’s comedic work know he had a knack for upsetting Terry Bradshaw on Fox’s football pregame show. So did Jillian Barberie, and if she said the same thing Kimmel said, I’ll bet a good number of Piston fans wouldn’t be so eager to turn her off.

It’s all shtick, the kind of thing Leno & Letterman do every night, and not to be taken seriously unless you’re looking for a reason to get fired up. (I know, a poor choice of words).

Kimmel declined to be interviewed, and went belly up with an apology. (If he apologized for every joke gone bad, he’d be exhausted).

“What I said about Pistons fans during halftime last night was a joke, nothing more,” Kimmel said in his statement. “If it offended anyone, I am sorry. Clearly, over the past 10 years, we in L.A. have taken a commanding lead in post-game riots. If the Lakers win, I plan to overturn my own car.”

I’m guessing the ABC affiliate back home will not pull Kimmel for his disparaging comments about L.A.

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FOR A community so opposed to any mention of burning anything, the Pistons began pregame introductions with “Tonight Game 3” super-imposed over massive orange flames on the scoreboard.

When it came time to introduce the players, they had real fire shooting up in the air at each end of the court -- the heat so intense you had to wonder if the flames were going to set Bob Lanier’s jersey hanging from the ceiling on fire.

They sure do like their fire here.

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DETROIT LION football Coach Steve Mariucci sat in the same row as Renee Zellweger and Barry Sanders. I wonder who got his attention more?

In Detroit’s continuing quest to find someone, anyone who is famous and roots for the Pistons, they showed M & M sitting in the crowd.

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ONE OF the Detroit newspapers reported that Regis Philbin has announced that he’s now a Pistons’ fan. Just what the downtrodden folks in Detroit need -- a Notre Dame fan jumping on their bandwagon.

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WHAT A great country. The Olympic Torch will make its way through L.A. next week beginning with Sylvester Stallone, who became famous telling the story of a Philadelphia boxer. Stallone will hand the trophy to Frank McCourt, someone who would rather own the Red Sox than the Dodgers.

The torch will wind its way through L.A. before being brought into Dodger Stadium by Tom Cruise, who will hand it to Vitali Klitschko. The boxer will pass it to Janet Evans who will give it to Rafer Johnson. From what I can tell, they’re not going to let any of the Dodger players hold it -- apparently fearful they might drop it.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Wjylaw:

“I have no problem with people bashing the city of Detroit, including the ignorant ones who know nothing about it, like yourself. However, the comments about Kid Rock and the Palace fans wearing T-shirts is beyond stupid. I can’t wait for your next appearance on Around the Horn for your next gem on where you were the last time you saw Sharon Stone.”

You might have a long wait.

T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.