Michael Jackson was still "Bad" in a good way, "The Simpsons" made their first appearance and I was 5. The Tigers clinched their last division title, then the AL East, Oct. 4, 1987. The circumstances surrounding the Tigers' comeback to take the division, as well as the stadium they called home, were much different. So was pop culture and the cost of living.

Then — Now
Local TV: WDIV-4 (over the air) — FSD (basic cable)
Local radio: WJR-AM (760) — WXYT-FM (97.1)
Manager: Sparky Anderson — Jim Leyland (similar in appearance, though)
Owner: Tom Monaghan — Mike Ilitch
Home field: Tiger Stadium — Comerica Park
Winningest pitcher: Jack Morris (18) — Justin Verlander (23)*
Record: 98-64 — 88-64*
Biggest trade: John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander — Charlie Furbush, Casper Wells and others for Doug Fister

In life, things were pretty different, too.
Population: 242,288,918 — 307,006,550
Life expectancy: 74.9 — 78.7
Unemployment% 7 — 9.1
Inflation%: 3.78 — 2.87*
Gas/gallon: $0.95 — $3.62
Milk/gallon: $2.28 — $3.50 (organic > $)
First-class stamp: $0.22 — Why not email?
Med. cost home: $104,500 — $221,800
top grossing movie: "Three Men and a Baby" —
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"*
Best-selling record: "Slippery When Wet," Bon Jovi — "21," Adele*
Information base: Library — Internet
Popular gadget: Walkman/pager — Tablet computer/smartphone

*Year/season to be continued