Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 5

BASEBALL DETROIT FREE PRESS I WWW.FREEP.COM 4D TUESDAY, JUNE 22. '84 TIGERS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? TIGERS '84 team back j. to rekindle memories I -fM -i A look at the '84 Tigers players and coaches and where they are now: PITCHERS glenn Abbotts 53, Little Rock, Ark. Pitching coach with Texas Rangers' Oklahoma City farm club. Previously coached in the Mets' and Athletics' organizations.

douc bair: 54, Cincinnati. Mortgage loan officer for Guardian Savings Bank and pitching coach at Milford High School in Cincinnati. Ivan berengveR: 49, Minneapolis. Car salesman at Lakeville Ford in Minneapolis area. Was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Twins.

GUILLERMO (WILLIE) HERN AN- dez: 49, Puerto Rico. Recently sold his construction business and now owns and operates a farm. aurelio lopez: Was mayor of his hometown of Tecamachalco, Mexico, when he was killed in an automobile accident in Mexico one day after his 44th birthday in 1992. roger mason: 45, Bellaire. Recently sold his restaurant, Ma-, son's Big League Pizza.

sid monge: 53, Tucson, Ariz. MARK CORNIOIEAssoclated Press RICK FOWUflAssoclated Prut Tigers manager Alan Trammell sits with his mentor, former manager Sparky Anderson, during an exhibition game. Anderson came to Florida to assist his former shortstop in spring training 2003. From Page ID up," Lajoie said. "And in the locker room, Darrell was the calm when things were a little edgy and offered a quiet leadership to the young players." Hernandez soon began his remarkable string of 32 saves in 33 opportunities, which led to his league Cy Young and most valuable player awards.

"I had great control of my pitches and had great confidence," Hernandez said from his home in Puerto Rico. "It's simple. If you paint the corners and get ahead of the hitters, then you have no problem at all. If you don't have that control and get behind, you can kiss it good-bye." Evans hit 16 home runs with 63 RBIs that season, though he batted only .232. In five seasons with the Tigers, he slugged 141 homers and became the oldest player to win a home run title with 40 homers at age 38 in 1985.

"Looking back, I wish I had spent my whole career in Detroit," Evans said from his home in Valencia, Calif. Evans was the Tigers' first major free agent when he signed in December 1983, at the age of 36. He was a seasoned slugger who in 15 seasons with the Braves and Giants hit 262 home runs and walked more than he struck out. "People thought I was crazy signing with Detroit because I could have gone to the Dodgers or Yankees, but I knew the Tigers had a good young club and they gave me a nice three-year deal," said Evans, 57. "In the '84 training camp the guys were so focused and (bleeped) because they lost out to Baltimore in '83.

The players really welcomed me, because it showed the front office was on the same page in wanting to win it all." With Evans in the fold, Lajoie and Anderson turned their attention to Hernandez, a left-handed setup reliever with a wicked screw Former second baseman Lou Whitaker helps the Tigers in spring training, throwing batting practice to them in his hometown of Lakeland, Fla. U' i if ball and cut fastball. They had seen him pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies in the '83 playoffs and World Series. "When we saw him, it was some i m. nvtwmim H) HJUMiliH.mi; mm mm num.

wn iwm.m i uni i ij i kind of heat coming to the plate," recalled Lajoie, voted executive of the year in '84. "Willie had that swagger like he was onstage doing Macbeth or something. From then on, Sparky kept telling me, 'If you get me Hernandez we can win Tigers slugger Kirk Gibson waves to adoring parade fans in downtown Detroit in 1984. whole life, and I wanted to get right in the middle of it. Looking back, I regret not going back on the field and enjoying it with the fans.

But my biggest regret is that my dad, who had died in the middle of the season, wasn't there to share it with me." The memories of '84 still resonate in the homes of Evans and Hernandez. Both display uniforms, gloves, team photos and World Series trophies. "I just need to look at the ring on my finger, and it makes me think of everything," Evans said. "Sports is the greatest, especially when you win. You throw 25 guys together from all over, you fight for each other, and when you go through all of that and get the ultimate prize, you're family forever." Though the Tigers haven't reached the World Series since then, they had the best overall record in the majors in 1987 98-64 and made the playoffs.

Evans hit 34 homers and drove in 99 runs that year, but Hernandez notched only eight saves, blowing five. In the fourth game of the playoffs against the Minnesota Twins, Evans was picked off third base, ending a late-inning rally. The Tigers fell behind, three games to one, and were eliminated the next day. But what happened the next day became "the best thing that hap- pened to me in baseball," Evans said. As he came to the plate, expecting to be booed at Tiger Stadium, Evans received a standing ovation.

"I couldn't believe what those fans did," he said. "They were hurting and knew I was hurting." Evans, whom statistician guru Bill James has called "probably the most underrated player in baseball history," played with the Tigers through 1988 and ended his career with the Braves in 1989. He hit 414 home runs in 21 seasons. Evans later coached one year for the Yankees and also served as a minor league coach with the Tigers, Yankees and Rockies before briefly managing in the Northern and Atlantic leagues. He now is out of baseball but hopes one day to return as a coach or manager in the majors.

Although Hernandez totaled 31 saves in 1985 and was an All Star in 1984-86, he never recaptured the adulation of 1984. "I feel that I threw the ball better in '85, but I think people thought I was going to be perfect every time," Hernandez said. It wasn't long before he heard boos at Tiger Stadium, and injuries and a lack of confidence reduced his effectiveness. "For me to perform well I need-1 ed to get the ball every day," he said, "but they took it away from me." An elbow injury ended his major league career in 1989. "Nobody could ever do what Hernandez did.

for us in '84, because that's as good as I have ever seen," said Anderson, who thinks if After showcasing outfielder Glenn Wilson to the Phillies in spring training hit homers JUUAN H. GONZALEZDetrort Free Press Former catcher Lance Parrish is the Tigers' bullpen coach. He joins Kirk Gibson and Trammell as 1984 Tigers on the staff. an batting practice like Dave King- an, Lajoie said), Lajoie acquired ernandez and fir st baseman Dave DUANE BURLESONAssociated Press OUTFIELDERS ROD ALLEN: 44, West Bloomfield and Arizona. In second season as color analyst on Fox Sports Net's Tigers telecasts.

Previously a TV radio analyst for the Diamondbacks after serving as a hitting instructor in the Florida Marlins' organization. KIRK GIBSON: 47, Grosse Pointe Woods. In second season as the Tigers' bench coach. Owns a real estate investment firm. Winner of the National League MVP award in 1988 with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

JOHNNY grubb: 55, Richmond, Va. Retired but coaches baseball at his alma mater, Meadowbrook High in Richmond. Previously coached in the Braves' organization and was an assistant to a sports agent. LARRY HERNDON: 50, Arlington, Tenn. Was a Tigers hitting coach in the 1990s.

Unavailable for comment' ruppert JONES: 49, San Diego. Sells employee benefits to government contractors for the Boon Group. rusty kuntz: 49, Pittsburgh. First-base coach for the Pirates. Previously coached for the Seattle Mariners and Florida Marlins.

CHET LEMON: 49, Lake County, Fla. President of the Florida AAU. His team, Chet Lemon's Juice, recently won its fifth straight Florida AAU state championship. Nearly died of a rare blood disorder in the early '90s, ending his playing career. ergman tor wuson ana John ockenfuss.

Hernandez couldn't have been happier. "I never got the chance to be the jloser with the Cubs and Phillies, so was excited that Sparky was giv- hg me the opportunity," said Her- andez, 49. Some of the other re-fivers were making names for Former Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox with his Labrador retriever, Sparky, who performs in i trick competitions nationwide. Sparky was named after Sparky Anderson. lemselves and getting great sala-es.

I welcomed the chance to iow what I could do." After Lopez and Hernandez Has been a minor league pitching coach for 15 years, including a stint with the Tigers' former farm team in London, Ontario. Now a coach for the Cardinals' New York Penn League team at Augusta, N.J. jack morris: 49, Minneapolis area. Does color commentary on some Minnesota Twins telecasts after doing the same with the Ti- gers. Left the Tigers after the 1990 season, then won World Series titles with the Twins (1991) and the Blue Jays (1992).

randy O'NEAL: 43, Orlando. Co-founder of the Kissimmee Sticks bat company, which was bought out by Easton Sports in 1999. Now a sales and promotion manager for Easton in Florida. dan petry: 45, Farmington Hills. Color analyst for Tigers telecasts on Channel 50 and a sales representative for XPEDXSea-man Patrick in Livonia, a division of International Paper.

DAVE ROZEMA: 47, Grosse Pointe. Marketing developer and program manager for Jacobs Industries, an auto production parts company in Fraser. bill scherrer: 46, Grand Island, N.Y. Baseball scout for the Chicago White Sox. Previously scouted for the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

milt WILCOX: 54, Detroit area. Formerly an automotive sales representative for Utica Enter-; prises in Shelby Township, he is an instructor for the Detroit Bat- ting Academy in Sterling Heights and participates in dog-trick com-' petitions throughout the country -with his champion Labrador re-' triever, Sparky. carl WILLIS: 43, North Carolina. Longtime pitching coach in the Indians' organization. For the past two seasons, he has been Cleveland's pitching coach.

CATCHERS marty Castillo (catcherthird base): 47, whereabouts are unknown and teammates are trying to find him. A few years ago he owned the Homeplate Restaurant in Cape Coral, Fla. wight LOWRY: Died of a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 39 while manager of the Tigers' farm team in Jamestown, N.Y. LANCE parrish: 48, Yorba Lb-da, Calif. For the past two seasons has been the Tigers' bullpen coach.

For one season he was a color analyst for Channel 50's Tigers telecasts following a coaching stint with the Tigers in 1999-01. INFIELDERS DOUG baker: 43, Fallbrook, Calif. Formerly a scout with the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians, he is the West Coast director for Perfect Game, a company that identifies and showcases baseball talent for colleges and the pros. -f- DAVE BERGMAN: 51, Detroit area. Partner and senior portfolio manager at Sigma Investment Counselors in Southfield.

Also a partner and instructor at the The Hitting Zone, an indoor baseball training facility in Mt. Clemens. pok turns as the closer for the first weeks, Hernandez finally got ie nod. Lopez became the setup 40. Where- NELSON SIMMONS: abouts unknown.

COACHES i iliever, and together he and Her-i mdez combined for 46 saves and 19-4 record. For the rest of the season, fans cheered as Hernandez mfidently left the dugout in the venth inning with a cheek pop-p out with tobacco and headed to i bullpen. After he entered mes and Anderson gave him the 11, Hernandez would dig a hole in fr nt of the rubber. Then, with his cm, fastball and deadly strikeout scewball, Hernandez retired bat-te one by one. "When I came in, I was concen-tr ting so much I didn't hear any-bdy," Hernandez said.

"I'd listen to Sparky and then I was going at 'ei i. When I'm on the mound, I al-wi ys say, I am the one who runs the shw." Hernandez got the save in Game 5 hen the Tigers won the World Se with an 8-4 victory over San Dhgo. He and Evans fondly rein mber the final out, when leftfiel-de Larry Herndon raced toward th i foul line to snag Tony Gywnn's flyball. lr. JOHN L.

RUSSELLSpecial to the Free Press Sound, Fla. Hitting coach for the Mets' farm club in Binghamton, N.Y. Previously coached in the Devil Rays' organization, scouted for the Mets and managed a Mets farm team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. Won a World Series with the Mets in 1986. had a bad knee, and MANAGER SPARKY ANDERSON: 70, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Retired; Was a color analyst with the California Angels for three seasons. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. GATES BROWN: 65, Detroit. Retired. Previously owned an automotive-related company.

billy consolo: 69, Westlake Village, Calif. Retired and lives 15 minutes from his Anderson, his lifelong friend. ROGER CRAIG: 74, Bo'rrego Springs, Calif. Retired, but for the past two years has consulted with Trammell and Tigers pitching coach Bob Cluck. Managed the Giants for eight years and won the National League pennant in 1989.

ALEX GRAMMAS: 78, Birmingham, Ala. Retired after leaving the Tigers in 1991. dick tracewskI: 69, Peckville, Pa. Retired with Anderson in 1995 after 30 years as a player and coach with the Tigers. TOM BROOKENS: 50, Fayette-ville, Pa.

After his playing career, he stayed in his hometown. Coaches a high school girls softball team and is president of the Fayetteville Athletic Association. scott earl: 43, Cincinnati. Sales representative for Macsteel, a steel service center. darrell EVANS: 57, Valencia, Calif.

Was a coach with the New York Yankees for one season and coached in the Yankees', Rockies' and Tigers' minor league systems before managing in Northern and Atlantic leagues. BARBARO CARBEY: 47, Livonia. Conducts private baseball lessons at Total Sports in Wixom. Previously managed a Detroit women's baseball team and coached two seasons in the Tigers' farm system. HOWARD JOHNSON: 43, Hobe fans made Hernandez a scapegoat after the Tigers didn't repeat their championship.

"It's like anything. Once you're that high, and the high goes, there's one place to go. I never expected him to be able to. do that again." 1 Today, after recently selling his construction business in PuertoRi-co, Hernandez owns and operates a farm, a boyhood dream. But given the opportunity, he would consider coaching in the major leagues.

"Right now, I'm just looking for- ward to seeing my teammates again," he said. Evans is also excited about returning to Detroit. "I can't believe it's been I 20 years," he said. "But every time I run into a Tiger fan they tell me where they were when we won the championship. How many things affect people like that? Unfortunately, it's usually a tragedy.

I'm just one of the lucky ones who helped make those great fans feel good." MIKE LAGA: 44, Northampton, Mass. Finished degree at University of Massachusetts and is now a mortgage loan officer at Applied Mortgage Services. ALAN TRAMMELL: 46, Del Mar, Calif. Tigers manager. Was San Diego's first-base coach for two seasons after a year as Detroit's hitting coach.

Following his retirement after the 1996 season, he served two years as a special assistant in the Tigers' front office. LOU whitaker: 47, Lakeland, Fla. Retired and staying home, "taking care of my kids and getting them through school," he said. when the ball was hit, I think he wint back a bit," Hernandez said. "He was a little late, and I thought, 'Oji, my but he caught it.

It wis fantastic. Larry gave me the ball in the dugout and said, You deserve I have it in my trophy Evans, who had been replaced by( Bergman at first base for defensive purposes, tore out of the dugout for the mound after Herndon made the catch. knew it was an out as soon as it wds hit," Evans said. "I had seen those victory celebrations my.