I am a fan of McLain in the present because he co-hosts a wonderful sports podcast called "No Filter Sports." He's the guy who accomplished the herculean feat of winning 31 games in 1968. The number is on par with what Roger Maris did in 1961 with 61 home runs. Denny has had some trouble with lawbreaking in his life. At present he seems to be keeping his nose clean.
The No. 2 starting pitcher for Detroit in '68 was Lolich, the superb lefty. Lolich's extraneous claim to fame was for being judged overweight, at least by the standards of the time. Those standards were unforgiving compared to today. Today we barely bother passing judgment on anyone for appearing overweight. In the '60s, things were much different: a time when tight-fitting jeans were most popular among young people. Today it's all about comfort when it comes to clothing. (I might add that the '70s were worse for accenting the tightness.)
Earl Wilson was the No. 3 starting pitcher for those 1968 Tigers. I acquired a 1963 baseball card for Wilson when he was with the Boston Red Sox. I acquired only a few cards that year when I was eight years old. I seem to remember getting these at a neighborhood grocery store on the west side of the tracks in Morris MN. I was entranced.
I remember the '63 Topps cards having bright colors. It turns out that Wilson had historical significance as a Red Sox player at a time when that organization was very grudging with getting African-Americans on board.
Earl was a talented black man from Ponchatoula, Louisiana. His talent got the attention of the Red Sox organization early-on, and one has to wince reading the early scouting report: "He is a well-mannered colored boy, not too black, pleasant to talk to, well-educated, has a very good appearance and conducts himself as a gentleman." Well. . .
Remember that in the 1950s, "Ike" Eisenhower talked about "big overgrown Negroes" when he was weighing school integration. Are we so much more civilized now? As I write this I follow the media coverage of Donald Trump's Nuremberg-style political "rallies." We should be profoundly scared. Did the German people really know the path they were heading down in the 1930s? German people aren't stupid, are they? Are the American people of 2019 stupid?
Red Sox didn't make it easy
Red Sox general manager Bucky Harris seemed inclined to want to have an African-American on board with the big club. The top candidate then was Pumpsie Green. He played for Minneapolis until getting his belated nod to join the bigs. The Red Sox had a Neanderthal field manager who tried putting the brakes on Harris' sentiment. Manager Pinky Higgins went straight to owner Tom Yawkey and said: "There will be no (n-word) on this team as long as I have anything to do with it."
The guy would fit perfectly with a Trump rally in the present, wouldn't he? As with all pathetically regressive folks, time would solve the problem if enlightenment failed.
Green debuted with Boston in July of 1959. Wilson then came up a week later. Wilson had been held back some by service commitments with the Marines. He pitched for his first win on August 20, 1959. He also showed a trait that would become defining for him: an excellent hitting pitcher.
He became the first African-American to pitch a no-hitter in the American League when he beat the Angels and Bo Belinsky at Fenway Park in 1962. He even hit a home run in that game. Yawkey gave him a $1,000 bonus. That money went a lot further than!
Wilson became one of the first pro athletes to have an agent represent him in contract negotiations.
Not escaping race
Race figured into an incident that appeared to lead to Wilson getting traded. An incident? I can't leave that hanging because you might wonder what the heck happened. In 1966, Wilson and a couple teammates went to a bar for a drink in Florida. The bartender said the establishment did not serve (n-word). The party left. A writer heard the story about this and made it public.
In those days, the public didn't seem to appreciate their heroes going to a bar to unwind a little. This figured in their thoughts more than the racist offense. Wilson got traded to Detroit. He immediately performed well in the Motor City. And this continued into 1967 which proved to be Wilson's best season. He led the pitching staff with 22 wins. But the team got edged for the pennant by just one game.
The '68 campaign would bring to fruition all the Tigers fans' dreams. Wilson was most certainly on board but he was now out-shone by McLain and Lolich. Wilson had a quite acceptable record of 13-12 and a 2.85 ERA. He hit seven home runs in the season - incredible for a pitcher!
Wilson was the No. 3 starting pitcher for the '68 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers dropped this game 7-3 and Wilson did not do particularly well, but the team won the Series.
In '69 Wilson fashioned a 12-10 record with a 3.31 ERA. The team was in second but trailed Baltimore by 19 games, a real bummer. Baltimore was fueled by Frank Robinson who lifted that team for years after his acquisition (in a steal) from the Cincinnati Reds. I'm personally bitter about that because my Twins had to settle for second in 1966, Robinson's first year as an Oriole - he won the triple crown and his team took it all.
Wilson's final season was 1970. All in all he had a terrific career and should be remembered better as a pioneering African-American player. He won 121 games. He hit 35 home runs to complement his pitching.
My Minnesota Twins had two good-hitting pitchers in that era: Jim Perry and Jim Kaat. We also had one of the worst in Dean Chance! Chance was unusual in that he hit poorly and fielded his position poorly, this despite the fact he had an excellent background as an all-around athlete. His pitching had to be extra sharp to compensate for his shortcomings! Man, we came within a whisker of winning the pennant in 1967. If we had just given up on Zoilo Versalles and accepted a serviceable shortstop. Versalles went into decline because of an inability to manage painkillers.
Two of Wilson's home runs came when he was pinch-hitting. The great catcher Bill Freehan commented that Wilson was a better hitter than some regulars on the roster. Well, remember that the '68 Tigers had Ray Oyler! Poor Ray picked up a reputation as a hopeless hitter. Detroit manager Mayo Smith eventually went with Mickey Stanley, an outfielder by specialty, at shortstop for the 1968 World Series.
Wilson led an exemplary overall life and this included his time after baseball. He left us for that pitching mound in the sky on April 23, 2005. God can feel pleased having this nice-hitting pitcher on the roster!
I was 13 years old when Detroit won their championship in 1968. The memories a boy forms at that age are irreplaceable.
I was mesmerized following Denny McLain and paid no mind to his later shortcomings of character. I'm pleased to be listening to his sports podcast today. A wonderful show with a panel of three - they have chemistry. Very candid and straightforward, and funny.
Finally, I'd like to share with you song lyrics I've written about the 1968 Detroit Tigers. It looks like a "strophic" melody but could probably be noted as AABB - some slight variations in melody although the pattern stays constant through the various stanzas. Earl Wilson is included. I invite you to read and enjoy this paean to the Motor City and its 1968 heroes.
"Ode to 1968 Tigers"
by Brian Williams
I was just a teenage boy
Back in '68
Baseball was a source of joy
Tigers made it great
There they were on baseball cards
Winning hearts of all
They were primed and playing hard
Answering the call
Yes it was a stressful time
In the USA
War and riots on our mind
So we had to pray
We had baseball to escape
'Cause we needed fun
Tigers were a team first-rate
Runner-up to none
Kaline was a superstar
Up on the marquee
In our city that made cars
He was royalty
Tigers were a Cadillac
In the A.L. race
They displayed their potent bats
And the gloves were great
Mayo Smith was manager
He could hardly miss
Never did a doubting word
Come across his lips
Yes it helped he had a squad
Talented and deep
They would play right into fall
Past the summer heat
Pitching on a pedestal
Garnering such fame
One guy won a bushel-full
Denny was his name
Freehan wore the catcher's mask
Back behind the plate
He was up to ev'ry task
Lifting up his mates
Norman had the first base glove
Tiger to the core
Symbol of a winning club
Breaking down the door
Stanley was in center field
Covered lots of ground
Then he got a whole new deal
Shortstop made him proud
Lolich was a southpaw gem
On the pitching mound
His resolve would never bend
As they sought the crown
Though his weight was tilting high
No one had to care
It would not affect his pride
None the worse for wear
Mister Wert just rode the tide
Playing third with ease
Strasburg P.A. felt its pride
When he took the field
Dick McAuliffe did the dance
In the infield scene
He had quite the batting stance
We could all agree
Horton could bring oohs and aahs
With his boxscore line
Cause his bat was really boss
As the Tigers climbed
Then there was the "Silver Fox"
Northrup was his name
Holding down an outfield spot
In the grand old game
There was Sparma on the hill
For the clinching game
He came through and filled the bill
Tigers never waned
Earl Wilson there to pitch
Did his job just fine
And this guy could really hit
For the Tiger nine
I was just a teenage boy
Back in '68
Baseball was a source of joy
Tigers made it great
When I dream they come alive
From my memory
Like they're still between the lines
For the fans to see
Tigers were my team
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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