On YouTube the other day I was served up a replay of the Mets vs. Braves NBC Game of the Week from July 11, 1986. That was the Mets' 82nd game of the year. I checked to see what their record was: 57-25. After 82 games, the 1984 Tigers record was 56-26. As dominant as the ‘84 team was, I’ve finally allowed myself to acknowledge how good that ‘86 Mets team was.
Ah, the ’70s.
If people didn't like the idea of Comerica Park replacing Tiger Stadium, can you imagine how a domed stadium of 1970s vintage would've been received in Detroit?
Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer announces that the Tigers have signed a lease to build a $126 million domed stadium along the river in downtown Detroit. The complex will seat 52,000 for baseball, and 60,000 for football. Lawsuits, a failed bond issue, and the construction of the Silverdome in nearby Pontiac will eventually kill the idea.
This photo spread appeared in the 1972 Tigers Yearbook.
We know how that worked out. Five years later the Tigers pivoted toward a renovation that didn't quite materialize the way this model, published in the 1978 Tigers Yearbook, had it drawn up.
R.I.P. Peter Falk
There’s a lot to talk about this weekend with the Tigers taking on Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell’s smoke-and-mirror Diamondbacks. We’ll get to that.
Today I'd like to honor Peter Falk who died this afternoon at 83.
Here's one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies, The In-Laws -- the original 1979 film, not the recent Michael Douglas/Albert Brooks abomination.
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN1WxSITwWw&w=344&h=258])
My Grandpa: 1 - The Bird: 0
When it comes to topics like the death of Mark Fidrych, I tend to be reflective – and that usually means several hours (or even a day) can pass before I post something about it.
I’ll certainly have more on The Bird this week, but I will share my single memory of Fidrych and his magical 1976 season.
My parents had tickets for one of the most dazzling games of that year: August 17, Detroit native Frank Tanana and the Angels against Fidrych and the Tigers at Tiger Stadium.
Back then, Tanana was a flamethrower and entered the game with a 14-8 record on his way to a 19-win season. The Bird was 13-4 and, as everyone knows, soaring toward the A.L. Rookie of the Year honors.
Anyway, I had two choices: I could attend the game with my family or I could spend the evening hanging out with my grandpa. The choice was easy: I hung out with grandpa.
And what a night! I ate ice cream, played Go Fish and listened to the game on WJR. The fact is, I wasn’t a diehard fan at that point (I was but a pup of 8 years) and, let’s face it, grandpa never disappointed. (One note about the ice cream. Grandpa asked me if I wanted syrup on my Sander’s vanilla. “Of course,” I said, expecting Hershey’s. Instead I got Log Cabin.)
So, what happened in that game? Not much. Only everything you’d expect in a game for the ages: A crowd of 51,822 watching Tanana go eight innings, give up just four hits, and strike out eight. For his part, Fidrych went the distance, too, scattering five hits, allowing only a pair of runs.
Despite the tremendous pitching by both starters, the real hero was The Bird’s personal catcher, Bruce Kimm, whose solo homer in the eighth broke a 2-2 tie. Did I mention it was the only homer he’d hit in his career? ‘Twas.
Sure, the baseball fan in me wishes I’d seen that game, but it’s a much richer memory – and a better story – having the worlds of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych and James McClary collide.
Less than a year after the Fidrych/Tanana tilt, I lost my grandpa – way too soon. Now we’ve lost The Bird before it was time.
Even before learning of Fidrych’s death this afternoon, I couldn’t think of him without thinking of my grandpa and that wonderful night in 1976.
And that’s not going to change.