Pat George says this year’s American League champion Detroit Tigers remind him of another Tigers team.
However, instead of a past American League or World Series champion team, George, a computer teacher at Brandon High School, said this year’s team reminds him of a Tigers team that fell short of an American League pennant ? the 1961 Tigers.
George explained the previous year (1960), the Tigers finished in sixth place and were not contenders in the American League, in much the same fashion last year’s Tigers team was an also-ran with a 71-91 record.
In 1961, the Yankees featured the home run slugging duo of Roger Maris (who hit 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s mark of 60, set in 1927), and Mickey Mantle, who was not far behind at 54 home runs.
Meanwhile, the Tigers featured such players as Frank Lary (known as the ‘Yankee killer?), Jim Bunning, Al Kaline, Rocky Colavito, and Norm Cash. George said the Tigers stayed neck-and-neck with the Yankees until a fateful day on Labor Day weekend.
During that weekend, the Yankees? Moose Skowron hit a ground ball that went through the infield for a base hit and drove in the winning run, as the Yankees? Whitey Ford outdueled the Tigers? Don Mossi 1-0.
The Tigers would end the year with 101 wins ? but finished eight games behind the Yankees for the American League pennant.
Baseball was one of many sports George played while growing up with his three brothers in Wyandotte. He said he played pickup games several times before getting into organized sports in sixth grade. He eventually tried out for the Michigan State University baseball team his freshman year, and was one of the last cuts from 21 to the maximum roster size of 18.
‘It was a good experience,? he said.
After graduation, he worked in the health care finance field before becoming a teacher in his mid-30’s. He said two coaching experiences at Brandon High School helped make the transition to teaching easier ? one was coaching junior varsity softball alongside former Brandon varsity softball coach Don Peters, and the other was coaching junior varsity baseball for five years with current Brandon varsity baseball coach Ron Wagner.
‘I enjoyed those experiences very much,? he said.
George said he has always been a ‘huge baseball fan,? but once former Tigers player Kirk Gibson retired in 1995, he stopped following the Tigers until this year’s team came around.
‘They pulled me aboard this year,? he said.
Back in George’s college days at MSU, the Tigers made their drive to the World Series title in 1968. The previous year, the Tigers lost the American League pennant to the Boston Red Sox on the last day of the season.
In 1968, the Tigers ‘put it all together? to win the Series. Being a left-hander himself, George naturally identified two left-handers as his favorite players from that year’s team: Cash and pitcher Mickey Lolich.
Although George said it wasn’t the best example to set, he admitted to cutting classes at MSU to watch World Series games, which were televised during the day at that time. He said he did not miss an inning of any of the Series, which went the full seven games.
Before the Series, he said Tigers manager Mayo Smith faced a dilemma with four quality outfielders needing playing time ? Kaline, Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley and Jim Northrup. Wanting to get Kaline’s bat in the lineup for the World Series, Smith decided to switch Stanley, normally a center fielder, to shortstop, replacing the light-hitting Ray Oyler.
‘I wanted to get those four bats in the lineup, but I was stunned,? George said. ‘Stanley was a great athlete, though, and he did a good job at shortstop.?
The Tigers fell behind to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the Series, but the Tigers came back to win Games 5 and 6, forcing a decisive Game 7, in which Lolich outdueled Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson as the Tigers won the Series.
Fast forward to this year’s Tigers, who were scheduled to start the Series Saturday, Oct. 21 at Comerica Park in Detroit against either the New York Mets or St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets and Cardinals were tied at three victories apiece in the National League Championship Series as of press time, with the decisive Game 7 scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 19.
George said this year’s team, which clinched the American League title by defeating the Oakland Athletics four games to none in the American League Championship Series, has been fun to watch.
‘It’s been a terrific season ? I’ve been rooting for them all year,? he said. ‘I really like a lot of them ? Pudge (Rodriguez), Magglio (Ordonez). I like Todd Jones. He goes in there and throws strikes. He reminds me of Aurelio Lopez in 1984. He’d come in, and I think he could hit a dime from 60 feet away.
George also gives much of the credit for this year’s success to manager Jim Leyland.
‘He’s such a terrific manager ? I put him in right there with (former Tigers manager) Sparky (Anderson),? he said. ‘He’s no-nonsense and very knowledgable. The players respect and love him.?
George admitted he wasn’t sure the Tigers would make it this far, especially after they lost the American League Central Division title on the last day of the season and had to settle for the wild-card spot.
‘The Tigers deserved to win first place this year,? he said. ‘When they didn’t, it broke my heart. I thought Detroit was going to get smoked by New York (in the American League Divisional Series). At least they’re the American League champions. My honest feeling is they don’t owe me a thing, but of course I’ll be rooting for them.?