Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Al Kaline-"Mr. Tiger"
Remarkably,
Al Kaline was a Detroit Tiger for 67 years. He joined the
organization out of high school, and filled a variety of roles after
his retirement. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he made his major league
debut on June 25, 1953. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980, along with Duke
Snider. In baseball circles, he is simply known as “Mr. Tiger”.
My friend
Bob Page grew up in the Detroit area. One of his idols was Gordie
Howe. A second was Joe Schmidt, who player for the Lions. Filling out
“Holy Triumvirate” of sports heroes was Kaline. Bob told me that
kids, at that time, imitated every Kaline move.
In Bob's
first year in the television business, he was sent to the Tigers'
annual media day with a cameraman. It was 1974, and he was working
for Channel 6, out of Lansing, Michigan. “Kaline was way out in
left field doing minor calisthenics. I introduced myself to him. He
looked at me like I had the Bubonic Plague, and said, 'Not now'.”
Later in the
day, Kaline approached Page, and did the interview.
Page opened
the interview: “Al, you're one of the greatest right fielders,
ever. Now with the DH (designated hitter) coming in on a full-time
basis, you will have to miss playing right field.” Kaline replied,
“No, I don't HAVE to miss it.” Page notes that “You never knew
what you were going to get with him”.
One of my
friends indicated today that Kaline was the anti Ty Cobb. Not always,
I would assume. That being said, he had many great moments on the
diamond. He broke his arm in 1968. He recovered sufficiently to play
in the World Series that year, batting .379, knocking in 8 runs in
the 7 game series, as the Tigers won their first world title since
1945.
He played
his last game in 1974, finishing with 399 home runs, 3007 base hits,
and a .297 career batting average. He won the Gold Glove award 10
times, and was selected as an All Star 18 times.
He was
plagued by injuries later in his career. Some of his troubles stemmed
from having osteomyelitis as a child. He broke his hand in 1967,
never a good thing for a baseball player. He had no qualms about
leaving the game, as a player. “I am glad it's over. I really am. I
don't think I'll miss it”.
He worked in
the broadcast booth with George Kell, another former Tiger. Page
notes: “It was amazing comedy, though they didn't ever intend it!”
Kaline died
last Monday, in Michigan. His number 6 is proudly displayed on the
wall at Comerica. RIP “Mr. Tiger”.
James Hurst
April 7,
2020.
# posted by James Hurst @ 2:07 PM 
