Bobby Cox has spent most of his career in the National League, but the Braves skipper remembers Tiger Stadium. The 68-year-old Cox appeared in nine games there as a player, in 1968 and 1969, with the Yankees. He later faced the Tigers numerous times as the manager of the Blue Jays, from 1982-1985. Cox talked about the newly-razed Tiger Stadium prior to tonight’s game in Boston.
On his memories of Tiger Stadium: “I remember the great team they had, with Kaline and Cash, and all those guys — the World Championship team. That was 1968, right? They clinched against us and they set the cars on fire downtown, and all that good stuff. I remember that. I remember the size of it. You could hit a cheap home run, and if you hit it center field you had no chance. I remember Denny McLain serving up Mickey Mantle’s…I think number 536, or something like that, to go past Mel Ott. Mostly I just remember the good team they had, the players on the field. The stadium itself …it was old then, but it was fun.”
On his memories of Tiger Stadium as a player: “I hit a home run off Denny McLain. That was my own claim to fame. I also remember rounding first, as hard as I could, on a ball hit to Kaline [in right field], and he threw behind me. And got me, which was a cardinal sin. He got me.”
On his memories of Tiger Stadium as a manager: “I got thrown out of a lot of games at Tiger Stadium and had to manage from the stairs that led to the dugout. The grounds crew hung their drags in there and it was dusty and smelly and dirty. And the urinal was right there.”
On the tearing down of Tiger Stadium: “I always hate to see the old stadiums go down, but change happens and they have to go. Detroit obviously has a beautiful ballpark now. Really beautiful. It was time.”
Only really old people remember that Cox was a third baseman in the Tigers glory days. You do not want to think about the catchers for the 1968 Yankees. It will make your head hurt.
Cox was not "a third baseman in the Tigers glory days" -- you might be thinking of Don Wert...Cox never played for Detroit...Not that the tigers had any 'glory days' back then (1966-72?) --- they basically challenged when the Orioles were having an off-year (1967-68, 1972)...
As for Cox's 1968 season --- 135 games, 7hr-41rbi-.229avg-.300obp-.316slg, this was approaching Rick-Auerbach-1972 proportions...
What's funny is that with so few rookie 3Bs in 1969 --- he ended up with the prestigious "1968 Topps All-Star Rookie" designation as the best rookie 3B...His 1969 card had this important-looking trophy on it to honor his wonderful work...
To show you how pathetic things were, his counterpart from the previous year was Bobby Etheridge (3B of SF) and I think Coco Laboy got it in 1969 (I seem to remember a trophy on Laboy's 1970 card...I also remember Bobby Bonds got one of the Topps slots for OF in 1968, and Bench got the one for catcher (certainly worthy), so it wasn't all bad...
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Only really old people remember that Cox was a third baseman in the Tigers glory days. You do not want to think about the catchers for the 1968 Yankees. It will make your head hurt.
I beg your pardon. That's that first time someone has referred to me as "really old".
- someone who remembers Bobby Cox as a Yankee thirdbaseman.
There's a first time for everything, old timer.