The MLB All-Star Whose Career Started in PRISON! 

Hi Mike

I expected to see the Wild Thing Rick Vaughn here. Hmph

The year that he spent in Montreal must've been interesting for the fans...cheering for Lafleur in NHL and LeFlore in MLB.

I loved this story growing up in the 70s80s. Glad someone covered it.

Can baseball come back like right now?....

Bruv, he is a flipping legend in my books.

Billy Martin was exactly the guy who would have given someone another chance.

imagine how good he could have been if he played before entering the prison system? Awesome story

I've always wanted to see the movie about his life. He was played by LaVar Burton. I also heard in recent years Ron still has legal issues too. I've always loved this story, good job on the video.

Incredible life story, can’t believe I’d never heard of him before.

I had heard of him being in prison and making it to the majors. Didnt realize he was productive

The gif of Omar with the tie is glorious. Thank you.

My dad's first cousin. Lavar Burton played his character in a minie movie. The same one who played Konte Kinte. 💯 He was very quick as we all are/ were. My dad also made it to the NBA for one year.

Ron Leflore accomplished something that many wished and many are wishing they could do. This is an amazing story. Someone with zero baseball experience goes to prison, serves his time. Then off to the minors for 1 year. Then off to the major leagues.. Then makes it to the All Star Game, and leads off with a single. He played amazingly when he was traded to the Expos. I think he became a much better outfielder when he went form center to left. I'll never forget going to Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumbell to watch him play he was was my favorite player. Those were some good times gone but not forgotten.

As a tigers fan the 70s were a curious time, even though I’m only 24 my dad grew up with this team and I’m a student of the history of the great sport. we had Leflour who was an ex con who was really good, and Mark Fidrych who I always swore was on something but if his arm didn’t give out he’d probably be a centerpieces the 84 team, and though we sucked we signed the best manager in tigers history imho Sparky Anderson we also had the greatest draft class in history, Gibby, Tram, Sweet Lou, and Jack Morris

You guys should really talk about the amazing career of Hank Greenberg. Greenberg had a very similar story to Jackie Robinson, at the time Hank Greenberg joined the MLB he was the first Jewish athlete to wear a Major League Uniform. Similarly to Jackie Robinson, Greenberg faced anti-Semitic hostility (because he was Jewish) from fans and players. But he proved his haters wrong. And like Leflore and that other Tigers player you talked about, Greenberg player for the Tigers as well.

I started baseball in a youth Juvy league in the Pittsburgh area. We played teams like Greensburg Central Cathloc, Hempfeild, Fox Chapel and West Mifflin. Winning to inconsistent degrees of success.

This just epitomizes the 70s as a decade. Great vid!

My grandpa and I watched this and he said it made him go down memories lane

Look up Gates Brown. He too made his name in prison and played for the Detroit Tigers, and actually was part of the '68 Championship team.

Was Ricky “wild thing” Vaughn based off of him?

The real life Can't Get Right 🤣

Awesome and impressive story to say the least

Ron Leflore rookie cards just spiked 697% after this video came out!!

1:38 The bar owner you refer to was named Jimmy Butsicaris

I was 12 yrs old here in Detroit during his first yr in MLB & he was electric. I remember Billy Martin taking shit for bringing him in. But that ended quickly. He could play ball. Fast as hell, had a good swing & could a good CF. He was a real shot in the arm for a horrible time for the Tigers.

Just found your channel the other day and have been enjoying it. Solid content and you've got a sub from me. Keep up the good work man!

Who knew the convict would be good at stealing? But fr this man tried to do the best with the cards he was dealt and you have to respect how he tried to turn his life around

1st free agent Jerry Reinsdorph and Eddie Einehorn signed after purchasing the Chicago White Sox in the 1981 season.

Great video love how you brought up inner city baseball

How many players can say they got LeVar Burton to play them in a movie?

I remember a made for TV movie about him when I was a kid.

Awesome video brother, thank you for it

My great uncle played for the Florida tropics after getting waved in low a ball for the tigers

He actually became manager of The newburgh nighthawks which was a minor league affilate of the cardinals at the time. He brought his Team in to play us in a ny prison in softball .Good guy . I have a few flickes with hin

Great story telling man

Every time a vid is uploaded I click at lightning speed

flash flood warning gotta love Michigan

Good video. Very good video. I had never heard of Ron Laflore. Despite being a victim of the war on drugs and thus incarcerated at a young age he was able to use that time to devolop an elite skill. Kudos to those scouts and GMs and managers who recognized his talent and gave him a shot at redemption despite his criminal history. There are not enough people like that in this country and this greatly contributes to the high recidivism and revolving door criminal justice apparatus in this country. If our jails and prisons focused on developing useful skills and our probation system focused on job placement things could be different. Obviously very few prisoners have the untapped skills for professional sports but plenty do have hidden unrealized talents for many things and there are potential lawyers, salespeople, authors, computer programmers, plumbers, dentists, undertakers, rocket scientists, painters etc etc etc. If we worked on building self esteem while foster employable skills and job training I believe recidivism would plummet and the streets would become safer and the workforce stronger.

The bar was the Lindell A.C. which is considered the first sports bar and has a documentary about it.

You should do a video on Champ Summers

For context.......Ron Leflore ended his baseball career with a .288 batting average.........Better than any active Detroit Tiger currently on the team. Our highest Batting Average on the team currently is Riley Greene at .260. And Riley was a 5th overall draft pick, and considered to be our best hitter on the team.......Ron Leflores story is amazing and really does make you think of, "What if".

What a story

I played for the RBI league when I was in my 20s. Best summer baseball wise. RBI helped alot.

What a cool story! Look up Toe Nash, similar story in a way

i met him and got his autograph!

ron legoat

I want baseballllllllll

Sad but great story

One of my boyhood favourites.

The guy who was in prison so happens to be known for his stolen bases.

I love baseball

Good stuff

How can he first player to lead both NL and AL in SB?

Where have all the traveling marshmallow salesmen gone?

cool video, really enjoyed.

A friend of mine played football at notre dame while on felony probation

You didn’t mention Jimmy Butsicaris’s role in getting him out of prison.

Is this a video about Rick vaughn?

5:15 How can Sparkey only be 45 here?

Addiction is death.

Dam he stole alot of bases one of the best players I've never heard of.

billy martin once beat up a traveling marshmellow salesman? i think that story deserves a video all itself....

How have I never heard of him?

Major League references get a thumbs up for me :D

He was a great player

One of the few worthwhile stories to come out of that sports hellhole that is Detroit.

Cool, expos then MTL police !

+1 RBI Program!!

This is awkward, but I just looked up who "4Lorn" was and saw that he literally just tweeted out that he's not dead

Gate brown ex detroit tiger 🐯 player& coach played started baseball in prison

Prison Baseball?

1:20 No Sh*+ Sherlock

So what league did you play in last year.. California Penal

Ricky Vaughn began his career in prison

sad his career ended on that note :(. but, that's american prison for ya.

The Wire is the greatest show of all time

7th comment

6 like

2,000 viewer

if he got guidance and never went to prison then he likely would never make it to the majors since that was the obstacle that sparked him into making it to the majors. had he got guidance he would probably end up a sales manager for a lumber yard.

Ironic that he was a stolen base champ

Sparky would never try to help a person.