Jim Northrup an outfielder for some good 1960 era Detroit Tiger teams passed way a couple of days ago. I was a big fan of his as a kid, you know the old fashioned kind of kid fan, collected his cards, copied his batting stance, wanted to play center field like him, got his autograph, that outdated stuff.
In the detroit news on-line papers article about his passing there was a link to a series of you-tube interviews with him from a couple of yers ago. He was an old irascible SOB, grumpy, and he ignored most of the questions that the interviewer asked him.
But the guy asking questions kept going on and on about what was it like to play in Detroit in 1967-68 with all of the "race" stuff going on. Typical MSM crap, they have to cover the "holy" moments of the collapse of America. I know what the guy was shopping for as an answer. Either a complete surrender to PC with some remarks about the poor oppressed blacks or even better an ill-timed honest remark about what pieces of sh*t those black rioters were. To his credit Northrup ignored answering the questions each time, either from well learned caution or lucky Alzheimer confusion.
Anyway I'm thnkful for Jim Northrup, his triple in game 7 of the 1968 World Series was the key hit in the defeat of Bob Gibson. If Gibson had won that game it would have been 3 game seven World Series wins and about 9 straight victories in post season play. The hype for that ill tempered gas bag (Gibson) would be even more then it is now, they probably would have re-named the Cy Young Award after him. RIP Jimmy!