It probably doesn’t mean much to most of you, but he practically won the 1968 World Series for the Tigers when Denny McLain, who was 31-6 in the regular season, floundered in the WS.
He was also an all around good guy. After he retired, he opened a donut shop north of Detroit. I drove out there once and bought some donuts from him. He was happy to talk baseball with me and anyone else who came in.
Overshadowed by Mickey Lolich’s death, another local Detroit baseball icon and one of the two remaining Negro League vets who were still alive also died yesterday. Ron ‘Schoolboy’ Teasley died at 99.