Wire to Wire Inside the 1984 Detroit Tigers Championship Season

by Cantor, George; Lemon, Chet

• ISBN13: 9781572435049
• ISBN10: 1572435046
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Triumph Books

Summary

For one magical season, the 1984 Detroit Tigers distinguished themselves as one of the greatest teams in baseball history. And for the first quarter of that season, they were simply better than anyone else has ever been, before or since. Every player on the roster -- as well as manager Sparky Anderson and his coaching staff, Detroit's legions of fans, the ownership, and even a fair amount of the baseball media -- knew that the Tigers had the potential to do something special in 1984. The '83 team had made a late run at the pennant, finishing in second place but convinced that they were the best team in baseball during the second half of the season. Now the team's core veterans were entering their prime playing years, and a couple of off-season moves appeared to give the Tigers the look of a serious contender. So it wasn't surprising that more than a few onlookers predicted great things for this bunch when spring training finally arrived. But nobody -- not even the Tigers themselves -- could have imagined just how great things would be. The team won their first 9 games to start the season, then followed their only loss with another 10-game winning streak. At 19-1, they were virtually unbeatable after their first 20 games. The players had faith in their invincibility and encountered little resistance when convincing other teams that they stood no chance.

Author Biography

George Cantor was a sportswriter and news columnist in Detroit for more than 40 years. He was the beat writer for the Tigers in 1968 and covered the team again as a columnist in its 1984 season. The author of more than a dozen books on sports, travel, and history, he lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
A Moment in Time	p. 1
A Genuine Anger	p. 6
Changes in Attitude	p. 10
Darrell's Dilemma	p. 18
Yesterday's Heroes	p. 22
Sparky's Way	p. 28
"We're Gonna Kill Ya"	p. 34
The Explosive Mr. Morris	p. 38
Smoke and Mirrors	p. 44
Petry's Lesson	p. 50
Tidal Wave	p. 54
Can This Be Real?	p. 58
The MVP	p. 62
Bless You, Boys	p. 66
Last Exit to Wonderland	p. 70
Bergman's Battle	p. 76
Rusty and Ruppert	p. 82
Gutting It Out	p. 86
Between Two Champions	p. 92
The Unappreciated	p. 98
Festival at the Corner	p. 104
Tower of Strength	p. 108
Royal Brush-Off	p. 112
Tearful Celebration	p. 118
Gibby	p. 124
Impious Padres	p. 130
Tram	p. 136
Mission Accomplished	p. 142
Decline and Fall	p. 146
Rock Bottom	p. 152
'68 or '84?	p. 158
Box Scores for First 40 Games	p. 163
Postseason Box Scores	p. 215
Index	p. 227
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