The Michigan Daily-Friday, September 9, 1977-Page 15

Working'for the Detroit Tigers,
or the standard (?) vacation essay

GRIDDE PI CKS
It's fall, and time once again for GRIDDE PICKS, that popular perennial presentation of pigskin
prognostication. You, the reader, can prove your predictive prowess.
Just check your Daily for the list of the week's college football games, predict the winners and
drop your list off at the Daily at 420 Maynard (or have it postmarked before midnight Friday if you'd
rather mail it in).
The tiebreaker is a prediction of Michigan's score.
PIZZA BOB'S will give each week's winner a small pizza with two items, so get those
entries in!

By BOB MILLER
I'm back.
.So are 32,000 other people around here, and since today
isthe first day of school, this is the standard "What did
ou do over summer vacation?" essay.
I worked.
SO DID 32,000 other people around here.
F.Actually. I went through the motions of working
because my "job" was to watch 81 baseball games at
Tiger Stadium.
I was hired by the Detroit Tigers Public Relations
department to do a variety of things, and no, I did not
still hot dogs.
WHAT I DID was videotape selected games and when
iequested I sent them to Major League Baseball Films
Division in New York where the tapes were spliced and
Rut back together to form a weekly highlights show.'
I also prepared the press notes (by collecting, mimeo-
graphing and combining statistics on each team) and
game notes. The process is called "stuffing notes" and
70 copies and 350 pieces of paper later that is what I
felt like doing.
'Finally, I was given the chore of keeping game
siastistics with a cryptic looking form. I was to keep
track of each batter's at bats, hits, RBI's, etc. . .
which is easier said than done.
"I HAD TO make a distinction between right or left
handed pitchers in each category for every hitter, and
keep track of put outs and assists. Therefore, it was
possible to screw up in any of a multitude of ways, after
all, how do you distinguish between a right handed error
anld a left handed error?
There were a lot of fringe benefits to the job which was
like adding sugar to honey.
Some of the niceties included grilled cheese sandwiches
every day, a nightly outdoor concert by the resident
organist, and all the baseballs I could get my hands on
(as long as they were hit into the press box).
TRUTHFULLY though, the job was a gem.
I was given a parking permit back in April which
allowed me to parkin the stadium lot.
Not that might not sound like much, but after most
games I was treated like royalty by the adoring Tiger fans
that surrounded my car and wouldn't be persuaded to
leave until I signed a scorecard, a baseball or a scrap of

paper.
What is amazing is that these people didn't know who I
was, nor much less care. It was a big thing to them
to get an autograph, ANY autograph. And who am 1I,
modest though I am, to deny those people such a simple
request.
I SHALL never forget a series between the Tigers and
New York.
It was during the height of Yankee Manager Billy
Maxrtin's troubles when rumors had it that Martin was
going to be fired.
Coincidentally, Mark Fidrych was slated to pitch on
national television against New York so ABC and Howard
Cosell were in town.
I WAS GOING up to the press box, and in the elevator
with me was Yankee General Manager Gabe Paul.
Paul, unbeknownst to me, was going to make an an-
councement to the press on the status of Martin as
manager.
I was in a hurry so I ran out of the elevator right into a
roomful of people waiting anxiously for Paul.
Out of the mob I heard Cosell in his singsong speech
accenting every other word saying "Who the hell is he?"
Up until now I have not mentioned anything about the
70 odd games I've seen this season. And there were some
odd ones.
I'VE NOTICED that the Tigers absolutely can't win the
12-11 games, but fare well in the 12-10, 12-9 and 12-5
scores, and some of those figures don't represent error
totals.
One highlight that was no small feat was a home run
that Jason Thompson blasted completely out of Tiger
Stadium. It remains a mystery to me how a man can
summon up the power to hit a ball so far and so high,
but nonetheless, home runs are a delight to watch.
I've seen the Tigers sweep a series from Boston, then
turn around and be swept by Seattle. I've seen "Neato
Tito" Fuentes make a double play without ever touching
the ball, and with the help of binoculars I've seen some
things that can't be printed even in this paper.
THROUGH THE twi-night double-headers, the Septem-
ber games that draw 2,000, to the really big moments
(such as a strip tease performed by a bleacherite during
a rain, delay), I had a lot of fun this summer.
And teacher, that's the way it was.

':

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

MICHIGAN at Illinois (pick score)
Purdue at Michigan State
Western Mich. at Minnesota

Northwestern at Iowa
Wisconsin at Indiana
Miami (Fla.) at Ohio State
Notre Dame at Pitt
Texas Tech at Baylor
California at Tennessee
Rutgers at Colgate
Maryland at Clemson
Stanford at Colorado

13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Mississippi St. at Washington
UCLA at Houston
Kansas St. at Brigham Young
Washington St. at Nebraska
Tulane at Memphis St.
Georgia Tech at S. Carolina
SMU at Texas Christian
DAILY LIBELS at Poughkeepsie

BILLBOARD
The Dept. of Recreational Sports an-
nounces that lockers are for sale in the
CCRB, NCRB and IM Buildings start-
ing Saturday at 9 a.m. Space is limited
and sales will continue until all lockers
are sold.
Michigan students are invited to ob-
tain memberships to the U-M Tennis
Club. Applications are now available
for the 1977-78 Fall-Winter indoor tennis
season. Student membership fee is $10.
As members, students may rent courts
for $4-$6 per hour. Applications can be
picked up at the Track and Tennis
Building.
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KIWANIS SUMMER
SALE
Furniture-Bedding-House wres
Books-Appllqnces-Antlques-Records
SaturdaySept C 1th 9 a.n-1 p.mst .
Kiwanis Activity Center--West Washington & 1 st St.

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ALL THOSE interested in trying out
for the Michigan men's tennis team
should attend a meeting on Monday,
September 12 at 3:30, in the large class-
room in the basement of the Athletic
Administration Building at the corner
if State and Hoover. Bring class sched-
ules.
ANYONE INTERESTED in trying
out for Michigan's women's golf team
hould attend the meeting being held to-
ay at 4:00 at the-Uni sity course on,
$tadium Blvd. Quali Jg rounds will
be held next Monday and the first
$iatch is scheduled for next Thursday
against Illinois State. More information
may be obtained by calling Tom Simon
at 663-5005.

Anyone interested in joining the
Michigan Daily sports staff is en-
couraged to attend a staff meeting Sun-
day night at 7:00 at the Daily's offices,
420 Maynard. Just come in the back
door and go upstairs. We always need
new people. While previous experience
is helpful, it is by no means necessary.
If you cannot attend the meeting, just
drop by anytime and talk to a sports
staffer.
Watch for the Daily's football sup-
plement the day of the Duke game, Sep-
tember 17.
-DAILY SPORTS

Join
Daily
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