Jim Northrup Has Died

In the fourth inning of tonight's game (they lost 7-3 in Arlington), Jim Price told the radio audience that former Tigers outfielder Jim Northrup had died earlier in the day, at age 71.

The '68 world champs were my Boys Of Summer. They had four starting outfielders. When the season began, Northrup shared center field with Mickey Stanley. The one who didn't start usually entered the game as a defensive replacement; Stanley for Northrup, and Jim for Willie Horton in left.

Al Kaline broke a finger in June, and Northrup became the regular right fielder.

Kaline was still out on June 24, when Northrup hit two grand slams in a 14-3 win over the Indians in Cleveland, before only 12,808 fans at cavernous Municipal Stadium.

The box score reveals much more to the knowing eye.

Jim Price started behind the plate, went 2 for 4, scored three runs, and homered. One can safely guess that it was his best game in the major leagues. Willie Smith started at first for the Indians, and pitched the last three innings. He broke in as a pitcher with the Tigers, and was the only Tribe hurler who didn't allow any runs.

In the Year of the Pitcher, five Tigers were hitting under .200. Northrup started the day at .225. "Northrup's Slump Over: Two Grand Slams Power 14-3 Win," read the headline over Doug Mintline's game story in the next day's Flint Journal.

Other names jump out of the box score agate: R&B singer Lee Maye. Duke Sims from the 1972 Tigers' division champs. "Ball Four" hero Tommy Harper. Ray Oyler and Wayne Comer, also inhabitants of Jim Bouton's diary, both gone to that big ball park in the sky.

I heard that game, on WJR, with Ernie and Ray Lane mikeside. Generations of fans raised on cable TV may find it hard to picture a time when teams didn't televise every game, when radio was the vital link to that six-month marathon that is a baseball season.

It's hard to imagine anyone who played that night being 71. I'll be 58 next week, and that's hard enough to deal with.

Flint Little League awards night that summer was at the long-gone IMA Auditorium. Trophies and patches were distributed, and three Tigers -- Northrup, Stanley, and Earl Wilson -- were there. When the festivities began, we didn't know we'd get to actually meet our heroes, shake their hands, and wish them luck over the rest of the season.

That was a kick, all right. Meet three guys whose diamond exploits we heard described on the radio every night? Cedar Point could wait.

To hear that one of the three, another of my Boys Of Summer, has passed, leaves a void that I knew would eventually come. That still doesn't diminish its effect.