RIP Bill Freehan (1941-2021)

The Tigers lost one of their all-time greats yesterday as catcher Bill Freehan passed away at the age of 79 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Freehan was John's favorite baseball player so he put up a quick post yesterday, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him when he's ready.

As for me, I thought I'd do a quick rundown of Bill's life and what I have of him in my collection.

Freehan was born in late November of 1941 in Detroit, and though his family moved from Royal Oak to Florida when he was in high school, he quickly returned to the state when it was time to go to college, opting for the University of Michigan and a place on both the baseball and football teams.

He played a season on the gridiron and hit a ridiculous .585 during the '61 baseball season, then signed with his hometown team (since the draft was almost a decade away).

Freehan got a four-game up of coffee in 1961, and then from 1963-1975 he'd appear in at least 100 games each season, ending that streak in his sunset campaign of '76.

1968 would prove to be his career-best season with 25 HR, 84 RBI, 6.9 bWAR, and a second-place AL MVP finish. He lost out to 31-game winner Denny McLain, naturally.

One of his biggest career moments occurred in that season's World Series game 5. With the Tigers on the ropes down 3-1 in the series and 3-2 in the  top of the fifth, Cardinals speedster Lou Brock doubled with one out, and it looked like St. Louis' lead would double when Julian Javier followed him with a single to left. But another Tigers legend, Willie Horton, was having none of it, and he made the deadshot throw you see in the video above to Freehan, who was perfectly positioned to block the plate and apply the tag to a furious Brock, who probably thought he was safe to his dying day.

From MGoBlue.com

Bill's bat was much cooler in the Fall Classic but it didn't matter as players like Cash, Horton, Kaline, and Northrup led the way, with McLain (1 win) and Lolich (3) doing the rest on the mound, leading to this famous shot of the Series-winning battery.

He retired after the 1976 season with his name in the record books for catchers, earning five straight Gold Gloves to go with 11 All-Star nods and two top-3 MVP finishes. Spending his entire playing career wearing the Olde English "D", Bill compiled exactly 200 HR and 44.8 bWAR. He's considered a top 20 catcher by several methods, at a very tough position at which to stay healthy and productive, and a good chunk of his career coincided with an era that stacked the deck in favor of pitchers. Sportflics rightly included him in their '86 Decade Greats boxed set as one of their three choices for the best of the '60s at his position.

The Hall of Fame didn't come calling, but #11's legacy with the franchise is a big one that deserves to be recognized with a retired number (since done for Sparky Anderson) and a statue (with Lolich, of course!) among the monuments beyond the outfield.

His contributions to his team and the game didn't end there, though, as he offered coaching to a fairly similar player in Lance Parrish along with other backstops. He also returned to Ann Arbor to helm the baseball team from 1989-95.

Bill became one of the guys I put more effort into collecting the more I started focusing on chasing PCs, especially both Tigers and Wolverines. Here's a quick look at some of my best items:

Relics: 10

Autographs: 13

Printing plates and 1/1s: 2

I also have a few other interesting pieces, including:

An IP/TTM autograph of his 1988 Domino's '68 Tigers card

A signed 8x10

Another signed photo, personalized "to Dennis" (given to me by another Dennis!)

And a bobblehead from a 2018 stadium giveaway (where I could have met John as we ended up going separately)

For me, Bill's passing leaves as big of a whole as a player like Kaline, and I'll miss him, though I'm glad he no longer has to suffer from the effects of Alzheimer's. I hope that the Tigers and MLB do a lot to honor the memory of a guy so crucial in the team's history but often ignored outside of Detroit. If you saw him play, tell your kids and grandkids about how great he was so future generations can pass down the name Bill Freehan. RIP.

RIP Al Kaline (1934-2020)

It's a sad day here in Michigan after reports started trickling in this afternoon that Al Kaline had passed away at the age of 85.  A boyhood hero of many in the state, and surely the country, he was so synonymous with the team that he could have had no other nickname than "Mr. Tiger."  Kaline was a fixture in Motown for so long that I'm sure everyone felt like he'd always be around.  Now that he's not, let's celebrate the face of the franchise, and possibly the city's sports history in general.

The numbers are impressive for sure--more than 3,000 hits, almost 400 HR, 10 Gold Gloves, 18 All-Star appearances, a ring with the '68 team, and a batting crown at the young age of 22, all of which added up to 92.8 bWAR.  But to limit discussion of Kaline to just his 22 seasons as a player would be criminal when looking at his legacy.

Al's career had come and gone and he'd even joined the Hall of Fame a few years before I was born, but I was fortunate enough to enjoy the rest of his time with the team, as a broadcast (with George Kell!), outfield coach, special adviser, and anything else the Tigers needed.  He came to Detroit as an 18-year-old bonus baby and never left, a legacy that spans more than 65 seasons.  It's no wonder he had such a profound impact not only on his teammates, contemporaries, and the fans of his era, but also people to this very day.  I was struck by the mix of reactions from his fellow Hall inductees as well as recent members of the team, such as Dean Green:

News of Al Kaline passing hits me hard. He was the man who stuck his neck out for me in the Tigers draft room in 2011 and pushed them to draft me. He was one of the first people to call me after I was drafted and one of the first to greet me as I arrived at TigerTown. He’s a HOF

— Dean Green (@GreenGiant2219) April 6, 2020

It'll be a long time--if ever--before we see another man like Kaline in Detroit or elsewhere, giving more than 60 years of his life to his team and inspiring so many.  No matter where the Tigers play, his number 6 will forever adorn a wall in the outfield along with a statue immortalizing a Detroit icon, and better yet, a man for all to admire.  Thank you, and rest in peace, Mr. Kaline.

In honor of Mr. Tiger, I present to you some of the best items in my collection featuring Al Kaline:

Vintage stuff.  I could certainly use more and I'll now concentrate more on filling my collection with cards from his playing days.

Hits, highlighted by six autographs, many of which were sent to me by Matt of Bob Walk the Plank.  What a great signature he had!

And finally, the signature I was happy to get in-person at an autograph signing at some point in the 90s.  His autograph looks beautiful on a Tigers ball that includes sigs from '68 teammates Willie Horton, Don Wert, and Mickey Lolich.