Fond memories of Tiger Stadium

Re: Guest column: Passing of baseball great triggers memories, by John Carrington, Oct. 24

John Carrington's reminisces about his visit to Tiger Stadium brought back a flood of my own memories.

My trips to the stadium on the tunnel bus were similar. His reference to both Rocky Colavito and Harvey Kuenn sent me online to confirm my memory that my favourite Cleveland player was indeed traded to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn.

My first trip to a Tiger game (still Briggs Stadium) was with a great uncle, my grandfather and my father. My grandfather wasn't much of a sports fan and didn't pay much attention to the game. He commented several times that “this place isn't nearly as large as I thought it would be.”

On the way out of the stadium, my great uncle winked at my father and turned the wrong direction which resulted in a walk all the way around the stadium. Several times my grandfather expressed surprise that we had parked so far away.

My long lasting memory of the game itself was when Cleveland's centre-fielder, Larry Doby throwing out a Tiger player at home plate with a one bounce throw from deep centre field.

When the Tigers won the 1968 American League pennant, a group of us attending the University of Windsor camped outside the stadium overnight when it was announced tickets for the home games of the World Series would be sold beginning at 9 a.m. the next morning.

I was the last of our group in the line and the final tickets for the Sunday game were purchased by the friend ahead of me, so I bought two tickets for the Monday game.

The friend who I offered my second ticket arrived early Monday to allow us to walk from our university residence on Huron Church, across the Ambassador Bridge and on to Tiger Stadium.

Our seats were so deep in right field that it was hard to follow the play, but it was a great thrill to be in attendance. We did, however, get to see Jose Feliciano's controversial rendition of the national anthem before the game. The Tigers won 5-3 and went on to win the World Series.

My final trip to Tiger Stadium was in the early 1980s as shortly afterward we moved away from this area for several years. My wife and I decided to take our two older children to a “family day” game.

Although I have always considered myself a Cleveland Indians fan as they had always been my father's team, given the many memories I cherish from Tiger Stadium, I guess I also have a soft spot in my heart for the Tigers as well.

Ron Haley, Leamington