Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)

Subject: Obit: Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Apr 20 - 12:36 AM

I was born in the baseball-crazy city of Detroit. From part of first to part of fifth grade (1955-58), I lived in the Redford area of the city, near 6 Mile and Grand River. And during that time, I was really baseball crazy. My Grandma knew all the players and all their statistics and which ones were Catholic and how often they went to communion. And since I worshipped Grandma, I knew all these things, too.
But most of all, I was crazy about Al Kaline. He was only 14 years older me, so he must have been in his early 20s when I was at the height of my baseball-craziness, and I worshipped Al Kaline almost as much as I worshipped Grandma. Now, word had it that Al Kaline had a "very good friend" who lived half a block down the street from us. When we were playing baseball in the street (almost daily), we neighborhood kids would often see Al's classic 1956 pink Cadillac convertible parked down the street, and we were suitably impressed. We certainly didn't want to intrude (we were Midwesterners, after all), so we never went closer to the house to see what was going on - and we never actually saw Al Kaline in person. I always thought that the people in that house were older people who were kind of like grandparents to Al, and it was nice that he went to visit them so often. I think I was about 60 when the thought came to me that the never-seen neighbor Al went to visit, might not be "older people," and might be a young, female person of the opposite gender. I have to admit that, even at the age of 60, my opinion of Al was a little less after that. But still, I have admired Al Kaline all my life, and I'm sad that he's dead at the age of 85.

May he rest in peace.

-Joe-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Kaline

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Apr 20 - 08:16 PM

And so? I knew priests (Franciscans) who visited or were visited by such folks. People just shook their heads and smiled knowingly. For a baseball star to do the same -- well, about the time you're talking of I was in fifth or sixth grade and hence more worldly and sophisticated than some kid from Detroit.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 02:19 AM

Did he have a lifelong rival called A. Siddique?

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 03:01 AM

Now, boys, be nice when you talk of my childhood hero...

Subject: RE: BASEBALL HEROS
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 07:11 AM

Clemente, Yaz and more recently Poppi.
If you don't have a hero, get one.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: gillymor
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 09:04 AM

I saw him play my lowly Senators at Griffith and then RFK stadium way back when and he was a marvel. A line drive hitter (an endangered species nowadays) with a rifle arm and a high baseball I.Q. I remember him once, with runners on first and second, pulling up on a blooper to right like it was going to drop, the runners went, he then caught the ball, nailed the lead runner at 2nd base with a strike for a double play and they damn near got the runner at first.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: gillymor
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 09:38 AM

You know what, I got that back-asswards, Kaline approached that blooper like he was going to catch it, though he had no chance, and his bluff held the runners, he then threw a clothesline and got the lead runner at third and they almost got the guy at second. All of a sudden I have a vivid memory of it. That's how my memory works these days.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 03:50 PM

I wish I had gillymor's baseball IQ

Subject: RE: Obit: Tigers Baseball Great Al Kaline (1934-2020)
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 07:30 PM

I can't say Al was a hero of mine, but I do remember having his baseball card as a kid. There are lots of players whose cards I had that I don't remember at all.