Swagger is Shallow

You don't brag on yourself. You don't. I'm not saying that it's a moral wrong. But it is crude.

Everyone in Detroit remembers Kirk Gibson punching his fists in the air when his three run shot off Goose Gossage sealed the 1984 World Series for our hometown Detroit Tigers. Some would call it an iconic moment. But what did it actually accomplish? The Tigers were already leading the game 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth and the series 3 games to one. A smarter manager than Dick Williams would have walked Gibson. But who drove in the actual Series winning run? Who was the MVP of that World Series?

You had to look that up didn't you? But aren't those accomplishments really more important than a moment caught on camera when the series was at least arguably already over? Gibson may have been the icing. But he was not the cake.

We're too much for show in the U.S. and in many other parts of the world today. Yet show rarely accomplishes anything. It's the grunts what do that. It's the little things which add up to great things which ultimately matter the most.

Rusty Kuntz and Alan Trammell BTW. You had forgotten that until now I'm sure.

46

In 1984, on the World Champion Detroit Tigers baseball team, Dan Petry was the second starting pitcher after Jack Morris. Peaches, Dan's nickname, was solid behind the Hall of Famer Morris.

While watching the Stanley Cup Finals in July 2021 in Hessel in da U.P. in 2021, which was weird (thank you COVID) I noticed a Montreal Canadiens player named Jeff Petry. An odd surname, methinks. So I looks it up. And lo and behold, he's the son of that same Peaches. 

Then here we go this past Tuesday, August 15, and the hometown Detroit Red Wings hockey squad acquire by trade Jeff Petry, who asks to wear number 46, the jersey number of his Pops. And I think, serendipity. 

All right, not so much. But Jeff wearing his old man's number on a team from the D, maybe it is. Surely it's a wink at the past. A very much appreciated wink.

1

I was in my senior year of high school when he made his debut. When he hung up his spikes, I was a 35 year old family man. Yesterday, twenty seven years later, I watched his number 1 retired by the Detroit Tigers. Lou Whitaker deserves it.

He deserves more. He should be in the baseball Hall of Fame. Hopefully that will be taken care of in 2023, when his selection is next possible. 

Sweet Lou. I'm happy you're finally getting the accolades you truly merit.