By George B. Eichorn of The Monitor

Forty years have passed since that wonderful and remarkable “Year of the Tigers” in 1968. No team in Detroit sports history did for this city what the World Champion Detroit Tigers did that magical season.

Al Kaline, Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan, Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley, Dick McAuliffe and many other players and coaches recently reunited for a special commemoration of that 1968 team, down at Comerica Park. Fans enjoyed seeing their heroes get introduced prior to the game, sign autographs in the stands and watch Lolich throw out the ceremonial First Pitch.

Meanwhile, authors Mark Pattison and David Raglin are busy spreading the word about their new book, “Sock It To ‘Em Tigers - The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers.” It’s a delightful journey of the players and personnel on that team. For $24.95 (from Maple Press) you will not be disappointed. We discussed the book with Pattison for this Monitor interview.

Q. Where did you and Dave come up with the idea for a book on the 1968 Tigers?

A. There’s a guy in Portland, Oregon, Mark Armour, who heads the BioProject for the Society for American Baseball Research; its mission is to write a biography of every player who’s ever appeared in a big-league game. When the number of new biographies started dwindling, someone suggested “team books” honoring a certain team in a certain season. A year ago in March, Armour suggested we do a book on the 1968 Tigers. Dave and I pondered it, sounded out some friends in the Mayo Smith Society — we’re both quite active in the Mayo Smith Society and SABR — agreed to it and by the end of April 2007 had every biography assigned. The ‘68 Tigers turned out to be hugely popular.

Q. How many of the players and personnel are still with us today?

A. Gates Brown spoke to the Mayo Smith Society over the Memorial Day weekend. A 1968 book contributor who makes his living writing about baseball called it one of the best talks he’d ever heard any retired ballplayer give. Going alphabetically, there’s Les Cain, Dave Campbell, Wayne Comer, Roy Face, Bill Freehan, Lenny Green, John Hiller, Willie Horton, Al Kaline, Fred Lasher, Mickey Lolich, Tom Matchick, Dick McAuliffe, Denny McLain, Jim Northrup, Daryl Patterson, Jim Price, Dennis Ribant, Jim Rooker, Mickey Stanley, Dick Tracewski, Jon Warden and Don Wert — two-thirds of the team — and coach Hal Naragon.

All four radio and TV broadcasters are still around: Ernie Harwell, Ray Lane, George Kell and Larry Osterman. Dave Raglin, who wrote Mayo Smith’s biography, used an intermediary to get questions from Smith’s widow two weeks before she died — details that otherwise might have been lost to history.

Q. You must be pleased they honored the 1968 team on June 24 at Comerica Park against the Cardinals?

A. If you’re going to honor the ‘68 team, there’s no better time than to do it against St. Louis. Maybe they should’ve done it during the 2006 World Series! The June 24 party would have been even better if they had let us have an book-autograph party inside the ballpark.

Q. How difficult was it to get all the players and personnel covered with an assortment of writers on each player, announcer, etc.?

A. The hardest thing was finding people who knew owner John Fetzer and were willing to talk about him. As a result, Fetzer’s bio isn’t included. There was also a dearth of detail on September call-up Bob Christian, who died in 1974 at age 29, but we used every scrap we could.

Q. What is your personal favorite memory(s) about the ‘68 team?

A. Just one memory? We got to watch the World Series on TV at St. David Grade School in Detroit. I was a safety patrol boy in ‘68, and I completed my duties and raced home in time to see Northrup’s triple over Curt Flood’s head in the seventh inning. My brother and sister and I convinced our parents to drive into downtown that night to join the victory celebration, but we turned back when Gratiot Avenue became gridlocked a good mile from downtown.

Q. Do you believe like many do that this team came at the exact right place and time, to help heal a very divided Detroit city?

A. Being only 12 years old at the time, I was happy enough that the Tigers won. I can appreciate now the ‘68 Tigers in the context of the time, and it’s too bad their triumph was only a temporary fix for the city’s woes.

Q. Will we ever see a 30-game winner like McLain on that ‘68 team? Or even two great pitchers like McLain and Lolich?

A. You won’t see another 30-game winner in the majors unless starters are willing to work on three — or two — days’ rest. I admired Detroit’s one-two punch of Jack Morris and Dan Petry in the 1980s, but that’s for a book celebrating the 1984 Tigers. Which, by the way, we’re doing in time for that club’s 25th anniversary next year!

Q. Lastly, are you surprised very few (Kaline and Matthews) of the ‘68 team made it to Cooperstown and Baseball Hall of Fame?

A. Freehan deserves to be in. He was the American League’s dominant catcher for a decade, but was eclipsed by Johnny Bench in the NL. Lolich comes very close to Hall-worthiness. Horton and Cash are a step or two behind Lolich.

(ITALICS-) Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com.

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