OT: What Michigan Pro Sports Era do you have the fondest memories of?
January 29th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
Yzerman and Lidstrom led Wings. 4 cups and trips to the playoffs every year.
January 29th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
1968.
For anyone who was alive then and conscious of sports in the city of Detroit, I think 1968 -- and particularly the World Championship of the Tigers -- is the most interesting year in Detroit pro sports history.
TIGERS: Denny McClain 31 wins. Mickey Lolich. Utility man Mickey Stanley moving to the infield from the outfield to make space for Al Kaline in the batting lineup. A World Series against the most feared pticher since Walter Johnson; Bob Gibson of the Cardinals. Mickey Lolich's three world series wins.
And; 1968 was the middle one of three years in which the American League pennant race came down to the last couple of games of the year between some amzing teams. The Orioles with Frank and Brooks Robionson; the Red Sox with Carl Yazstremski; and the most-loaded Tigers lineup in modern history. Arguably still the best era for the Tigers since WWII.
LIONS: In 1967, the Lions had just drafted the Offensive AND Defensive Rookies of the Year: Mel Farr and Lem Barney. 1968 was the year that they both cemented themselves in Lions history, and even more interestingly was the year that Barney and Farr struck up their lifelong friendship with Marvin Gaye at Palmer Park Golf Course, leading to the hilarious story of Farr and Barney singing backup on "What's Goin' On," and Marvin wanting a tryout at WR for the Lions two years later:
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/13464184/marvin-gaye-tryout-nfl-detr…
RED WINGS: The Wings were still playing at the best place Detroit has ever known for hockey; Olympia. The NHL's original six teams still played in one division (the East) with all of the then-new expansion teams (St. Louis, Philadelphia, Minnesota, LA, Pittsburgh and Oakland) in a "West" Conference. It was the best; all the Original Six teams still slugging it out together, with new tv money from expansion.
The Wings had 3 goalies that year, all in the tail ends of amazing careers. Terry Sawchuk, Roger Crozier and Roy Edwards. We had a line of Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Frank Mahovolich. Peter Mahovolich was on the team too, and so too Pete Stemkowski, Gary Bergman, Bruce MacGregor, Norm Ullman and Nick Libbett. I haven't counted the number of Hall of Famers on the team. At least a half-dozen.
PISTONS: Dave Bing led the Pistons, just a couple of years out of Syracuse. It was a kind of an amazing all-Detroit team. Not terribly successful in the era of the Lakers, Bucks and Celitcs with Chamberlain, Abduil-Jabbar and Russell; but still really interesting. The Pistons had some great shooters in Dave Debusschre, Walt Bellamy, Happy Hairston and Jalen Rose's father, Jimmy Walker.
COLLEGE: Our Wolverines had an interesting year. We lost the home opener to Cal. Went to Duke and won handily, beat Navy and rolled through the Big Ten season undefeated up to the last week of the season. We were ranked No. 4 in the country (with a win over No. 12 MSU) until we ran into Rex Kern and the '68 Buckeyes in Columbus. And on December 27, 1968, with Bump Elliott later standing by in solidarity as a new assistant athletic director, Bo Schembechler was hired by Don Canham with a handshake as Michigan's head football coach.
Fifty years ago, this year.
January 29th, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 2:15 PM ^