Detroit Tigers ’63 is a tribute to my interest in baseball and my favorite player of the time — Al Kaline. It is also my first known attempt at self-publishing, taking the form of a compiled scrapbook when I was eight years old. Created from Tiger game programs and The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) newspaper clippings, the “booklet” also includes material from the 1964 season.
The Tigers finished the 1963 season with a 79-83 record for 5th place in the American League. In 1964, they had a winning record of 85-77 and moved up a notch to 4th place. The New York Yankees won the League Pennant both years, although they lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963 and to the St. Louis Cardinals the following year.
The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, 1963
Al “Mr. Tiger” Kaline (1934-2020), played 22 seasons (1953-1974) for the Detroit Tigers, where he made 18 All-Star appearances, received 10 Gold Glove Awards, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 (first ballot). His lifetime stats include a .297 batting average, 3007 hits, 399 home runs, and 1583 RBIs. The Tigers retired his number 6 in 1980. He retired in 1974 shortly after breaking through the 3,000 hits barrier. Kaline immediately moved to the broadcast booth as the Tigers’ Television color commentator, where he remained until 2002. Not finished with baseball, Al then worked in the Tigers’ front office until his death in 2020.
“He was a boy with extraordinary talent. To me, he was the kind of prospect a scout sees in his dreams – the kind you hope and pray will someday come along.”
Tigers Scout, Ed Katalinas
Detroit Tigers ’63, created by Ron Rowland, age 8, 1963-1964.
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Ron! Your scrapbook takes me right home to Tiger stadium in the 60s. What a labor of love then and a certainly a treasure now. I especially like seeing where the players were born. And just seeing Eddie Jones’s name in print makes me tear up. My father’s dear friend. He and my Dad created a newspaper together called the Rocket Round-up to get us through the Blade strike. I remember my mother getting ads, my brothers delivering papers. Not sure I had a role other than stacking but I knew then we were living a unique and special time. My father wrote day and night at the kitchen table when during normal times he wrote at the office or in the press box, before computers. Thank you for sharing this. I have Tim’s scrapbook. Might take another look if I can brave it. Thank you for inspiring me. And my sister Meghan.