Jeff Riger: Bless You Boys, The Right Way!
I remember it like it was yesterday; I was 9 years old, it was a Sunday night and I along with my family was watching game 5 of the 1984 World Series. I was so young that I really didn't understand that winning the Series truly could be a once in a lifetime moment. I probably did not appreciate it as much as I would if the Tigers were to win a championship now. I grew up with baseball, and as much as I love the other 3 sports and college football and basketball as well, there is nothing like the game of baseball. It was always there for me! No matter what happened in my life I knew that I could go home and watch a Tiger game or head to Tiger stadium or at the very least turn on WGN and watch the Cubs to get my fix. But it all started in 1984! "Bless You Boys", damn, what Detroiter did not love that team?
From Larry Herndon catching the final out to Sparky yelling at Gibby "he don't want to walk you" and then Gibby taking Goose Gossage deep. There was nothing like 84! I remember going to school the next day, Kennedy Elementary in Southfield and my 3rd grade teacher taping the front page of the news on the chalk board and talking about Detroit Tiger baseball all day long. That was the best day that I ever spent in a class room.
So, as I'm sure you can imagine I'm very excited to go down to Comerica Park today and talk to the greats of that 84 team as Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson are back in town. Gibson is the manager of the Arizona Diamond Backs while Trammell is the bench coach. To make the weekend even more special, on Sunday the Tigers will be retiring the number 11 of Anderson, something that should have been done a long, long time ago. Sparky was a beauty and while I only got to interview him twice, even in his later years he was still entertaining. How can you not love a guy that once said "I only had a high school education and believe me, I had to cheat to get that." Or "Me carrying a briefcase is like a hotdog wearing earrings." Or even "There isn't a college in the world that would have me and yet in this business you can walk into a room with millionaires, doctors, professional people and get more attention than they get. I don't know any other business where you can do that." But what I remember Sparky for saying is "The players make the manager, it's never the other way." I think it's safe to say that every fan agrees with that last quote!
So while Sparky will have his day on Sunday, and it is truly a shame that he is not around to witness it, it cannot stop there! I know there has already been celebrations for the 1984 team, but I need more as a fan. As the memories start to fade and it becomes longer and longer since last holding a baseball parade down Woodward there needs to be a more lasting tribute to the team of my childhood. So that is why I propose (and I think you know where I'm going with this) a 1984 statue put up in the outfield of Comerica Park with the other breath taking ones that already exist. How is it possible that there is a statue that represents pretty much every era of Tiger baseball but 1984 is missing? The Tigers need to erect a something that symbolizes the "Bless You Boys" fever that every metro Detroiter had back in the mid 80's.
So what should be put up? I have said for the longest time that it should be Tram and Lou turning a double play. Nothing says 84 Tigers then the best double play combination in the history of the game turning one of thousands of double plays that they achieved over the course of their careers. But I am bias, Tram and Lou were my idols growing up, I even named my 2 cats after them. It was either Tram and Lou or Malcom and Angus from the band ACDC but I wasn't sure that people would get the reference. So I know that other fans would want a different type of statue! They can make Gibson holding up both his hands after hitting the game 5 homer. They can make one of Jack Morris hugging Lance Parrish after his no hitter in Chicago, they can even make one of Herndon making that shoe string catch to end it all in leftfield. They probably should stay away from making one of Bubba and the burning police car of course. Sorry, yeah I know that still is a sore subject.
I don't care how they choose to make it as long as they make it. There is space for another statue in left center field, what's the hold up? What would you choose? Enjoy the weekend!!!
