RIP 1984 Cy Young/MVP winner Willie Hernandez

[Junkie]

The 1984 Tigers gave us Hernandez, and with him came the concept of the "save opportunity" (they talked all year about how he was perfect on his save opps). He wound up 32/33 and I think his one BS was his last opp. The '84 Tigers also gave us the wave. So, one team, two abominations, because closers are stupid. HI BYH-10.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Denny McLain (Detroit's other Cy Young/MVP) did the same thing to Jim Hawkins and Watson Spoelstra.

McLain is still a Grade A Jerk and still alive because even Death doesn't want him.

This is an amazing line. Especially from perpetually upbeat Maumann!

McLain has been pointedly not featured in any of the occasional gatherings of the '68 teams, primarily because his most recent criminal activities involved swindling several hundred Michigan families out of their retirement funds when he steered the Farmer Peet meat packing company into the ground, and a lot of people are still flaming mad about it.
For a while he was persona non grata around the organization.
That said, he hasn't committed any new crimes in 25 odd years or so, and he's been allowed to attend several of the functions, but he's been kept discreetly in the background.

He's still pissing people off, though...at least in Cooperstown. I can't remember all the details, but I asked one HOF induction weekend why McLain wasn't at his usual spot. Turns out he'd bilked or stolen some money from the storefront hosting him. That's a terrifically low level of bad dude. He was signing at some hole in the wall off Main Street last summer of the summer before...like, such a little thing that there was one leaflet on one light pole advertising it. What a strange dude.

 

[UPChip]

Denny McLain (Detroit's other Cy Young/MVP) did the same thing to Jim Hawkins and Watson Spoelstra.

McLain is still a Grade A Jerk and still alive because even Death doesn't want him.

To his minimal credit, McLain was going to sign stuff at some sort of event in Marquette when I was a kid but couldn't fly in because of weather. My dad put in a word with someone at NMU and there was a signed ball waiting for me later that year. Think I still have it around somewhere.

Speaking of ex-Tigers and the UP, my Dad was in the NMU marching band the year Mark Fidrych was the grand marshal of their homecoming parade. Apparently showed up high off his ass, as that incident comes up nearly every time my very staid parents discuss marijuana use.

 

[justgladtobehere]

The 1984 Tigers gave us Hernandez, and with him came the concept of the "save opportunity" (they talked all year about how he was perfect on his save opps). He wound up 32/33 and I think his one BS was his last opp. The '84 Tigers also gave us the wave. So, one team, two abominations, because closers are stupid. HI BYH-10.

The '84 Tigers gave us the wave?

 

[garrow]

My first editor's high school nickname was Willie because of his slight resemblance to Hernandez. My editor graduated high school in 1984 and became a lifelong Tigers fan even though he was from Reading, PA.

RIP.

(Also, I probably had one Glenn Wilson card for every team he played for in the 80s).

 

[maumann]

The '84 Tigers gave us the wave?

Thankfully, no. Krazy George Henderson had A's fans doing The Wave as early as 1981. But it was being done in NHL arenas a couple of years before that.

Washington may have been the first university to do it in football. Michigan were doing it at football games by 1983.

However, the 1984 World Series was apparently the first instance of it being televised live nationally.

 

[ChrisLong]

Krazy George was at the SJSt.-SDSt. game last Saturday.

 

[Starman]

I'm pretty sure The Wave started in college football stadiums in the mid-late Seventies.

 

[maumann]

Krazy George was at the SJSt.-SDSt. game last Saturday.

Guy looked 70 years old in 1978.

 

[YMCA B-Baller]

I liked Glenn Wilson. He had a rifle arm.

The late 70s/1980 Cubs had Bruce Sutter, Willie Hernandez, Bill Caudill and Donnie Moore in their bullpen.

If today’s pitching principles would have been applied, they could have been a force of nature if they had hung on to them. But they all peaked at different times, so it doesn’t work like that of course.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

"Glennbo" was a fun player on those bad mid-80s Phillies teams. Had one of the best outfield arms in the majors for a few years and led MLB in outfield assists twice.
Once or twice a season somebody would hit a hard groundball that got through to him in right field, and he'd rush up to get it and throw the guy out at first. The first time he did it (I think it was Ryne Sandberg that he caught), nobody really knew what happened. Then after he did it again you always kept an eye out for it. Not sure I've ever seen anyone since who made a conscious effort to try and make that play on the regular like he did.

Also a sneaky great Immaculate Grid pick. Had 100 RBIs & made the All-Star team with the Phillies. A fun zag when everyone else is zigging to Mike Schmidt or Ryan Howard. And he also spent time w/the Tigers, Mariners, Astros & Pirates. (I knew this all off the top of my head, how, I have no idea) Crosses off a lot of boxes at 2% or lower.

 

[Junkie]

The '84 Tigers gave us the wave?

Well, if not, they certainly popularized it. First time I ever saw it and they did that **** like every half-inning.