Sports: Shrine of The Eternals

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In my Facebook group called Detroit Baseball Geeks, my friend Holder of the Truth posted this :‎ 35 years ago today Mark Fidrych pitched his magical game against the Yankees. In honor of this I am asking you to name your favorite baseball cult hero. Add a comment or two. 'Cult Hero' - One who has achieved his heroic status for perhaps unconventional reasons.  

Inspired by the Baseball Reliquary http://www.baseballreliquary.org/

I don't know that I'd call any of them heroes.  I liked certain things (plays, quirks, characteristics) about players that made them stick out and I admired them for it or was at least intrigued.  They made baseball special.  Some are in the Baseball Reliquary already, some will never be. 

The Bird naturally for that magical season.  Rumor has it that some dude hurt his arm over a girl in a bar fight and that is what ended his career.

I liked Al Habrosky "The Mad Hungarian" for being a spaz..

I liked Mitch Williams for being the Wild Thing...

Luis Tiant for looking up at the sky on every pitch...

Fernando Valenzuela for lighting up the league...

Randy Johnson for killing that seagull, ok not really, but that was cool; ok unique...

I liked Oscar Gamble's hair...

Billy Ripken's baseball card...Amen.

Champ Summers for tipping his hat to the crowd after making catches...

Sammy Sosa for telling the bleacher creatures how many outs when asked. He did it for me. But looking back, he told me two outs with those steroid laden fingers. Dang it.

Gary Sheffield for hitting the most foul ball home runs ever.  Who hit the ball harder?

Bill Lee - The Spaceman for acting so crazy...

Bob Uecker for being fun...

Harry Caray for having no clue...

John Wockenfuss for that hand wave during his batting stance...

Ozzie Smith's back flips...

Jim Abbott for what he could do.

Rod Carew's wide open stance amazed me.

Kevin Saucier for smashing his glove up and down when he struck out a player or got the save.  Then he lost it completely.

Bucky Dent...for being a non name (despite being a dreaded Yankee) crushing the Red Sox.

Pete Rose for keeping it real, even in an All Star Game...

Tom Seaver throwing out a grapefruit during a spring training game...

Again Tom Seaver for always talking in the third person. Who does he think he is, Michael Jordan?

Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders....baseball and football, pretty sweet.

John Olerud for that batting helmet he wore on the field.

Rick Dempsey for sliding on the tarp during rain delays.

Kent Tekulve and Ed Glynn...anyone who throws side arm is cool.

Steve Carlton for never talking to the media.

Rick Ankiel from pitcher to decent outfielder...natural athlete.

The Niekros, Perry, Hough, Wakefield, Candelaria...any knuckleball pitcher

Antonio Alfonseca who had 6 fingers. I wonder if anyone ever told him to get a grip?  No relation to Sixto Lezcano.

The guy who bangs the drum in Cleveland.  God gave him the choice of being married or banging the drum for the Tribe at every single game.  Both have the same effect on hearing.

Peter Gammons for being the man, despite his east coast bias. Tim Kurkijan too.

Rusty Staub for being picked off at 1st because he was changing his batting glove to his stealing gloves.

Steve Howe - what a mess.

Shane Halter - one of only 4 players to play every position in a game. It may have been staged, but it was still pretty cool.


I love baseball.