Baseball is America’s national pastime and considered by some to be an especially romantic sport. So what better reason could there possibly be to be at Comerica Park on Opening Day than for love?

But, in recent years, some couples may have taken their amorous intentions a little too far by — how do we put this using a proper sports metaphor? — shamelessly trying to slide into home plate.

The Tigers had little to say about the topic. But it is banned and, if caught, you will be out.

Last week in Cincinnati, a couple in their early 30s was arrested after police said they were seen having Opening-Day sex near the Reds' Great American Ballpark on the SkyStar Wheel, a 150-foot tall Ferris wheel-style ride.

More on this in a moment.

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Still, Thursday’s game, if you think about it, is ideal for the new lovers on a first date, and old married ones with kids who haven’t been on a date for a long time. Call in for a sick day if you have to.

If it's cold, you can cuddle up.

Even baseball's unofficial anthem, "Take Me Out to The Ball Game," is about love.

Most people only sing the chorus. The part about Katie Casey, who is "baseball mad," just wanting to root for the home team with her beau is usually left out during the seventh-inning stretch.

But, here's where love of the game turns into lust:

Last year, Maxim magazine, published an online feature about what it said was "an epidemic of public sex sweeping through baseball stadiums across the country."

The publication aimed at young men even had some photographic, or you might even say pornographic, evidence of Mets fans "getting it on during Opening Day."

Two years ago, the day before Opening Day, WDIV-TV (Channel 4) broadcast a censored video of a couple the station said was caught having sex on the sidewalk two blocks away from Comerica Park.

But, in Ohio, the lovers on the big observation wheel were spotted by the SkyStar staff, a managing partner told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"The couple made eye contact and continued doing what they were doing," the managing partner said, apparently trying to explain what happened without being specific. "They weren't thinking correctly. It's a festive day, festive environment."

The couple was charged with disorderly conduct.

Of course, if you search the web, there are other instances of this sort of thing.

Some, even come with a warning: NSFW (not suitable for work.)

Still, if you are going to Comerica with someone special on Thursday, unless you want to risk getting thrown out and arrested, it's probably best to leave the home runs to the Tigers on the field.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.