A remarkable clip. I wonder how many baseball scouts would/could look at these clips of Greg Maddux in Peoria and project that he would become an outstanding major leaguer. No one could have projected from this clip that he would win 355 games and become a HOF-er.
I was 18 in my dorm room in Texas on the phone with my mom in Pennsylvania--9/11 is her birthday--watching this tower fall. I know people with agendas like to use the phrase, but I will never forget it. I cried, my mom cried, the girls up and down the halls in my dorm cried. It was unreal.
I like the way MLB did the CUBS dirty by taking the homefield advantage away because they CUBS didn't have lights, and they still ended up playing a day game on Sunday. But the Padres were not even good enough to win it all. That got their butts kicked by the Tigers in 5 games.
Bob was so right on. I'm now 81 and if you do the math I was 9 years old in 1952. Mickey was my life. To this day when I'm walking through the supermarket parking lot and crossing lanes for cars I go into my 'slow trot' and yes, my elbows are up and in and they have been ever since 1952. I could write a book about his influence on my life and it had to do with his humbleness and courage. If a Yankees game was postponed because of rain I was crushed. EVERY at bat was special. And let me end by stating the following: NO ONE could have ever raced into left center field and reached down with his glove backhanded and caught the line drive off the bat of Gil Hodges to help save Don Larsen's perfect game! Yes, Willie was a better centerfielder BUT Mickey's lateral speed was incomparable to anyone.
One of the things that really gets me about this; if you followed the Tigers back then, you know Sparky was known as Captain Hook. The fact that he let Tanana finish this game is something. I once saw him take out Dan Petry with two outs, nobody on and three run lead in the ninth.
I'll never forget this, because this is the call I heard live. I was working for a hotel, and part if my job was to drive around patrolling the parking lot. I knew the game was on in the hotel bar, but I was afraid I'd miss something, so I circled the parking lot throughout the whole at bat. Right when he said "This is gonna be a home run", I swear, I thought he was going to yell "Holy shit", next. Awesome call of one of MLB's all-time greatest moments.
Monaghan was a disaster for the Tigers. Firing Harwell and pushing Gibson and Parrish off the Tigers cost the Tigers at least 1 World Series championship.POS rot in hades!
"BLESS YOU BOYS" That was the 1984 Detroit Tigers Fan Motto!!! And boy did they!! What a start what a team. We truly should have been a dynasty but no matter, they won it all and I was 17 so I understood just how special it was. We sat lower bleachers center field for both games 4 and 5!!! We were some of the crazies that ran onto the field and threw pieces of turf up to the upper deck!! Yes we were that wild!!! I think for the city of Detroit which had endured such hard times leading into the economic recovery of the 80's there was just so much steam to blow off and poor Tigers stadium had to endure all that craziness. However we were there 6 months later on opening day and the old girl was as beautiful as ever!!! Thank you 84 Tigers and apologies to the old girl may she rest in piece!!
the Gibson home run that helped the Dodgers a few years later might be the more well known one, but this is far and away one of my favorite world series home runs because of Sparky Anderson
