RIP 1984 Cy Young/MVP winner Willie Hernandez

Denny McLain (Detroit's other Cy Young/MVP) did the same thing to Jim Hawkins and Watson Spoelstra.

McLain is still a Grade A Jerk and still alive because even Death doesn't want him.

 

McLain has been pointedly not featured in any of the occasional gatherings of the '68 teams, primarily because his most recent criminal activities involved swindling several hundred Michigan families out of their retirement funds when he steered the Farmer Peet meat packing company into the ground, and a lot of people are still flaming mad about it.
For a while he was persona non grata around the organization.
That said, he hasn't committed any new crimes in 25 odd years or so, and he's been allowed to attend several of the functions, but he's been kept discreetly in the background.

There aren't many of the Boys of 68 left anyway.
Hiller, McLain, Mickey Stanley, Willie Horton. Mickey Lolich is still around but from most reports physically struggling. Horton is still ambulatory if not active; he made a few ceremonial photo appearances this season.

 

Whitaker got screwed beyond belief (as did Trammell in having to wait for the Vets Committee). Honestly, Lance Parrish was probably more deserving than Morris.

 

I loved Hernandez. When they won in 1984 I was 14. I thought they would be a dynasty. I was a little sad at the time to see them deal Glenn Wilson, who seemed like a rising star, and the now sadly departed Johnny Bilton Wockenfuss, who had always been part of the landscape. But boy did that trade pay off. He was lights out in '84 and still great in '85 before hitting the skids. It was heartbreaking to watch him sobbing in the Metrodome dugout in the 1987 ALCS after getting yanked following a completely ineffective outing, with the NBC crew (I think it was Costas and Kubek) saying he had lost it.

 

Hernandez was one of a bunch of guys the 1980s Phillies got rid of who turned into all-stars almost as soon as they left town — him, Ryne Sandberg, Lonnie Smith, Julio Franco, Dave Stewart were a few.

 

I'm a cousin of Wockenfuss. Never met him, my brother tried in Lakeland when he was coaching (i think). Was an ass.

 

"Glennbo" was a fun player on those bad mid-80s Phillies teams. Had one of the best outfield arms in the majors for a few years and led MLB in outfield assists twice.
Once or twice a season somebody would hit a hard groundball that got through to him in right field, and he'd rush up to get it and throw the guy out at first. The first time he did it (I think it was Ryne Sandberg that he caught), nobody really knew what happened. Then after he did it again you always kept an eye out for it. Not sure I've ever seen anyone since who made a conscious effort to try and make that play on the regular like he did.

 

It was winner take all if Detroit won. The Jays would have still had to win Game 163.

 

The 1984 Tigers gave us Hernandez, and with him came the concept of the "save opportunity" (they talked all year about how he was perfect on his save opps). He wound up 32/33 and I think his one BS was his last opp. The '84 Tigers also gave us the wave. So, one team, two abominations, because closers are stupid. HI BYH-10.

 

This is an amazing line. Especially from perpetually upbeat Maumann!

He's still pissing people off, though...at least in Cooperstown. I can't remember all the details, but I asked one HOF induction weekend why McLain wasn't at his usual spot. Turns out he'd bilked or stolen some money from the storefront hosting him. That's a terrifically low level of bad dude. He was signing at some hole in the wall off Main Street last summer of the summer before...like, such a little thing that there was one leaflet on one light pole advertising it. What a strange dude.

 

To his minimal credit, McLain was going to sign stuff at some sort of event in Marquette when I was a kid but couldn't fly in because of weather. My dad put in a word with someone at NMU and there was a signed ball waiting for me later that year. Think I still have it around somewhere.

Speaking of ex-Tigers and the UP, my Dad was in the NMU marching band the year Mark Fidrych was the grand marshal of their homecoming parade. Apparently showed up high off his ass, as that incident comes up nearly every time my very staid parents discuss marijuana use.

 

The '84 Tigers gave us the wave?