Thursday, October 2, 2014

1984 Topps Stadium Statues: Orioles vs. Tigers

A.L.D.S. Edition



Camden Yards is home to a who's who of Oriole greats: Ripken, Murray, Palmer, Weaver, Brooks and Frank Robinson. It is also home to a statue of a young Babe Ruth who was born and raised in Baltimore and played for the 1914 Minor League Baltimore Orioles. I like the statue of Jim Palmer for not only the signature leg kick but also that great '70s hair.

Comerica Park in Detroit has statues of Tigers greats above their retired numbers along the left-center field wall; Gehringer #2, Greenberg #5, Kaline #6, Newhouser #16, and Horton #23.  There is also a statue of Ty Cobb who played before the Tigers had numbers on their uniforms. Missing is a statue of Sparky Anderson whose #11 was retire in 2011. 

I am a fan of Greenberg for more than just his Hall of Fame career. First he was part owner and Vice President of the 1959 pennant winning White Sox. Another reason to admire the man was his contribution in World War II.  In 1940 Greenberg was the AL MVP.  When he was initially drafted by the Army  he was listed as "4F" he requested to be re-examined and was deemed fit. He missed mist of the 1941 season then was discharged 2 days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He immediately voluntarily re-enlisted. He served nearly 4 years at the peak of his playing career. He returned to baseball in 1945 and hit .304 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs in the World Series helping the Tigers defeat the Cubs in what is still the Cubs' most recent Series appearance. 

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