"I'll stick with Mick"
From his mouth... became music to our ears, from Mr. Mayo...Smith, the manager of the '68 Tigers...
"Bless You Boys!" became the collective refrain...especially if we saw...
Mick, on the Mound a familiar sight, throughout his twelve-year MLB career here, sometimes more than others. Such as during the month of October, 1968 -- whereas in more modern times, it's an oddity to see a starting pitcher last the whole nine (aka "going the distance") -- witness the rise of specialists, ranging from "mid-innings relievers, on to "finishers" -- "Mick the brick" went the cycle three times in the span of one ("World") series no less! Almost unnoticed by those elsewhere, who were paying homage to another Mick, who was, in baseball lingo, rounding third, headed to home, in pinstripes (NY Yanks), and also eclipsed closer to home by his own teammate who made it all the way to 31...wins, which helped him gain the Cy Young award -- namely, Dennis ("Denny" to us) McLain. The sight that still comes readily to mind, is the last out of the '68 series, caught by his own...catcher (Bill Freehan) who in turn got an armful, of Mick, who couldn't help himself, needing a lift after such a Herculean feat. A tribute to the well lived life of Michael Stephen Lolich (9/12/46-2/4/26) ⚾
We mostly listened to those games on the radio and-sometimes- on the screened in back porch on Faust In Detroit. Stroh’s ice cream with peanuts and Hershey’s syrup. Heat and humidity.
ReplyDeleteI personally heard the end of the World Series game from the Orthodontist’s chair as my braces were removed. We all jumped and cheered in the hallway.