By George Eichorn
Sweetness prevailed at Comerica Park in Detroit August 6 as the Tigers ended the long wait to retire the No. 1 jersey of “Sweet” Lou Whitaker last Sunday in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000.
Whitaker waited four years after the Tigers franchise retired No. 3 of his double-play partner, shortstop Alan Trammell, and No. 47 by pitcher Jack Morris, as both entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. Trammell expressed his uneasiness over the delay in feting his friend and all-star teammate.
In addition to Trammell and Morris, these former Tigers were on hand: Jim Leyland, Whitaker’s first manager with the Lakeland Tigers; Willie Horton, Tom Brookens, Lance Parrish, Dan Petry, Dave Rozema, Larry Herndon, plus trainer Pio De Salvo and clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel. Club play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson was the emcee.
Recorded greetings from Cecil Fielder, Horton, Brookens, Parrish, Petry and others were shown on the huge jumbotron before last Saturday’s 9-1 Tigers win over the Tampa Bay Rays. There were also salutes to all the Tiger greats with numbers retired and a tribute to Whitaker dating back to his birth in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1957.
I was surprised that owner Chris Ilitch, GM Al Avila never spoke during the ceremonies. Knowing full well the frustration level of Tigers fans may have been the factor why Ilitch and Avila were sildenced despite their seating on the large dias.
The Tigers old policy of having to been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame before getting your jersey retired was removed in 2000 when Horton’s No. 23 was retired in ceremonies at Comerica Park. Horton will likely never experience Baseball Hall of Fame admittance in Cooperstown, N.Y. The club has also feted Ty Cobb, the all-time great hitter, who never wore a number in his HOF career.
By retiring Lou’s jersey the club has righted an injustice. He deserved the honor by the club despite the rude treatment Whitaker received in HOF voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He couldn’t even muster the 5 percent minimum needed to be considered past his first year of balloting by the writers group.
Whitaker’s fate is now in the hands of the Hall’s Veterans Committee (or whatever they’re calling it these days). Trammell and Morris were selected in December 2017, one would hope Sweet Lou’s name will be called in the next few years as he rightfully deserves enshrinement.
Finally, it’s not fair to the 30,000 fans who walked away from the stadium on Lou Whitaker Day without a giveaway – the replica No. 1 jersey. The policy of only giving this premium out to the first 10,000 fans is unfair and downright rude. The Tigers need to expand their promotional budget on special occasions like this because all they are doing is upsetting the folks who walk out empty-handed.
Reach George Eichorn at @Sandgsports99 or geichorn@yahoo.com
