by Tiger Stadium (2020-07-02 11:13:58)
In reply to: off the front page (link) posted by olson
But Bill Freehan should be in the HOF. He was the American League equal to Johnny Bench at the time with a better on field pct and slightly lower BA. An 11 time All Star and 5 time Gold Glove winner deserves a second look by the Veterans Committee. It's a long shot, but he was a rock behind the plate.
A recent news article indicated that he's in poor health battling Alzheimer's.
p.s. Lou Brock should have slid in game 5 of the 1968 World Series. Freehan stood his ground and tagged Brock out. The entire WS changed on that play.
The 1968 World Series was my first recollection of a watching one as a little kid. I thought it was a classic.
The thing that stands out to me was that every game was played during the day. Put on the TV as soon as home from school and watched. When at school, I followed the game on the radio other kids brought to class.
The other thing that stood out was the pitching. It was amazing watching guys like Gibson, Lolich, and Mclain pitch. 3 of the 7 games were completed in less than 2:30. Only one went over 3 hours.
I do agree with you that Freehan deserves in the HOF. I thought he was a great player, playing in an era where batting averages overall were a lot lower than the era that followed.
Here is a brief video of the Lou Brock play you referenced at home. He definitely would have been safe had he slid. Note the perfect throw from Willie Horton:
