Category: Fungoes

Ah, the ’70s.

If people didn’t like the idea of Comerica Park replacing Tiger Stadium, can you imagine how a domed stadium of 1970s vintage would’ve been received in Detroit? 

Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer announces that the Tigers have signed a lease to build a $126 million domed stadium along the river in downtown Detroit. The complex will seat 52,000 for baseball, and 60,000 for football. Lawsuits, a failed bond issue, and the construction of the Silverdome in nearby Pontiac will eventually kill the idea.

— Baseball-Reference.com

This photo spread appeared in the 1972 Tigers Yearbook.

1972 Domed New Tiger Stadium Renderings Combined.

We know how that worked out. Five years later the Tigers pivoted toward a renovation that didn’t quite materialize the way this model, published in the 1978 Tigers Yearbook, had it drawn up.

November 20, 2024

Number 20

Fifty-two Detroit Tigers have worn number 20, and it’s currently worn by Spencer Torkelson. But the first player I remember wearing number 20 was Mark Fidrych from 1976 to 1980.

After that, it belonged to:

*Rich Hebner, in 1982, was the final player to wear number 2 before it was retired.

Birthdays

Tarik Skubal, Jacob Robson, Lino Urdaneta and the late Ron Cash, Lou Berberet, Augie Prudhomme and Ray Powell

See you tomorrow-ish.

November 13, 2024

#13

In 124 seasons, only 15 players have worn number 13* for the Tigers. For me, it will always be Lance Parrish‘s number, which he wore for 10 seasons, 1977 through 1986.

Here’s something: Before The Big Wheel put on number 13 in 1977, the number sat unworn for 13 years after Bill Faul hung it up after two seasons, 1963 and ’64.

With the exception of Alex Avila, who first wore it in 2010, no player of consequence has worn it since Lance … with apologies to Rico Brogna (1992) and Mark Leiter (1993).

*Gio Urshela was the most recent player to wear it, in 2024.

Birthdays

Gerald Laird, Vic Darensbourg, Dan Petry, and the late Steve Bilko and Jim Delsing

See you tomorrow.

November 12, 2024

According to Baseball Reference, 54 players have worn the number 12 in Tigers franchise history. Casey Mize currently wears it. Let’s look at a few Tigers that wore number 12 during the Fungo’s focus, 1977 through 1994:

Birthdays

Ryan Kreidler, Alex Faedo, Gary Thurman and the late Herm Merritt, Red McDermott and Ed Killian

See you tomorrow.

The Weekend Fungo: Nov. 2-3

The World Series Parade: Oct. 16, 1984

I asked my Dad if I could skip the afternoon portion of that junior-year school day. It was a hard no.

I was on the yearbook staff and we decided it the 1984-85 edition of Spectus would not be complete without some on-the-ground photos and coverage of the Tigers World Series Parade.

So, yeah, I went.

My Dad seemed to be — at best — okay with my going downtown during a school day in the service of my, ahem, studies.

It was a blast for me and about a half dozen of my friends, some of whom were on the school newspaper staff and, yes, they needed fresh copy too.

The only person I think that did not enjoy themselves was the poor soul who parked their brown Chevy Nova-like car on Michigan Avenue. So many people — maybe us too? — stood or sat on it that the roof was caved in.

Birthdays

Nov. 2: Parker Meadows, Melvin Mercedes, Wilson Betemit and the late Elon Hogsett

Nov: 3: Alex Wilson, Mike Christopher, Larry Herndon and the late Red Phillips and Jim Walkup

See you tomorrow.

Eddie Williams #20 – Infielder

The 1996 season is two years beyond the usual scope of The Daily Fungo, but what they hay; let’s take a look at Eddie Williams‘ career in Detroit.

The Tigers signed Williams to a one-year contract on Jan. 2, 1996, one of the first of many Padres-related transactions made by new Tigers GM Randy Smith, formerly of the Padres.

Williams made his Tigers debut on Opening Day, April 1, 1996, as the designated hitter in Buddy Bell’s debut lineup. He went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer.

Over the next 161 games, the right-handed hitting Williams would appear in 76 of them, batting a cool .200 with 5 home runs, 26 RBI and a .574 OPS.

He was granted free agency at the end of the season and signed with Dodgers.

Birthdays

Mason Englert, Jason Foley, Eddie Williams and the late Pat Mullin and Heinie Schuble

See you tomorrow.

Ruppert Jones, Part 2

I think we take for granted, if we think about it at all, how MLB.com and ESPN can use Photoshop to instantly change a traded player’s uniform from old team to new.

This certainly was not the case in the 1980s.

If you need proof, here is Ruppert Jones’s entry in the 1984 Tigers Yearbook.

I don’t remember ever seeing a player wearing a different team’s uniform in a yearbook — and much less not even his most-recent team!

Here is Jones in a Mariners uniform, though his previous team had been the Padres.