Ode to an Homage: Chet, a lemon & the Creation of a Classic.

Let’s start with the obvious - it’s a blessing to be able to reminisce. That means you’ve battled with time and come out ahead. Well, at least to this point in time. I can guarantee that my earliest sports memories are of the 1984 World Series. That season. Tiger Stadium, under the big lights at “The Corner”. The smells from the street food vendors, and…Well, my Dad. He was the spark that started my love of all things Detroit. I would love his stories about the adventures he and his buddies had when they would skip school and sneak into old Tiger Stadium for a matinee. I actually wrote a “How to speech” in a public speaking class I had in 7th grade. It was on “HOW TO”, literally, sneak into Tiger stadium, based on those incredible old tales. It was great! The whole class cheered. I stood tall.  Then came, the “D+” ... “WHAT?” I was outta breath. I recall falling face first off my bike onto concrete and it not hurting quite as much.  “It was just so good,” I thought.  The teach wrote…“This is illegal”, adding a big red frowny face scribbled directly over my name at the top of the page.  It might as well have read, “You’ll shoot your eye out”. “Psssshhhh!”  I was fuming. But still, l felt 10 feet tall by my classmates' reaction, and that's all that mattered to me. That feeling of real accomplishment couldn't be taken away from me at that moment. I told my story. It really was good. I’d deal with my parents' repercussions on the D+ at a later date. They had my back, by the way. We still talk about that speech today.

I can remember all the little nuances from that entire World Series. That entire summer in 1984. Tigers ruled everything for me and my friends. We often tell our favorite story from that series.. 8th inning. Game 5... “member Sparky saying ...“He don’t wanna walk you!?” We all kinda shake our heads and grin in unison. He had this smile of disbelief as he shrugged his shoulders and gave a quick “swing away” and a wink. “Y’all know what I’m talking about”. It was kinda like a line from that old Christmas tune I loved as a kid… “A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head, soon gave me to know, I had nothing to dread”.  Ya man, Sparky was Santa Claus dude! Like, this magic guy who always delivered. But just..better. I knew without a doubt this was a real person and he was drivin’ my favorite team to a title. And listen, I loved me some Santa Claus, he gave me my first parachute pants and walkie talkie set. I was a big believer! Sparky was just always one step ahead of everyone else. Kinda like the fat man himself.  I knew that smile meant something those San Diego Fathers didn't know. I was put at ease by that smile in an instance of great stress. I knew I just had to wait for it to happen now. Of course, the next moment was that absolute bomb, iconic Gibson Homer off the Goose… bumps. “Whoa.” That was the first time I had lost my voice. I thought I was dying. I was 8. 

What immediately smacks me when reminiscing about those Detroit Tigers is the UNREAL 35-5 start. Those, “seems-like-every-day” picture perfect double play combos turned by Tram and Lou. The "in your face" play, and flat out insane drive of Gibby. And let's face it , the absolute dominance of Jack Morris and “Willie” Hernandez… One of only NINE relievers to ever win a Cy Young Award?! “Come on!... Incredible!  Every. Single. Player., on that squad lives in some type of lore in the minds of longtime Tiger fans. But for me, the most exciting player from that beloved team was without a doubt, Chet Lemon. The soft-spoken and speedy Tiger who roamed cavernous Tiger Stadium outfield with so much grace and ease. He had all the flare and hustle you wanted from a champion center fielder. He could absolutely wallop that ball at the plate too. He was by far the "coolest" Tiger of 'em all to me and my childhood friends.  I can vividly remember coming home during long summer days and hearing Ernie’s voice calling games from a tiny radio sittin’ in the driveway, while my dad pulled weeds or trimmed trees in the yard.  Harwell’s voice was so soothing and calm to me. You could hear the wind blowing when he would just stop, and let you listen to the sounds of the ballpark.. It was a part of my childhood. It was warm and safe.. It's weird, but that team and that voice seemed as if they were watching out for us as young kids that summer. They were playing directly for me, for my friends and for the rest of us neighborhood dirt bike kids.  And Chet was my hero. He had that big smile that just seemed so welcoming, like he wouldn't mind a chat from a little kid asking for a signature, or the insider info on his tricks of the trade. I didn't have that uneasy fear of him as this "celebrity",  or a "bigger than life” type character that many of us felt around the athletes we so wanted to be like.. He was like, my buddy… especially in that magical championship summer. He was kinda always hangin’ out with us. Along with the rest of those boys. Someone was always talking about that team wherever we were. Talkin’ about those players. It was pure, ya know? And it was Detroit. 

We don't stay little kids running through the neighborhoods with reckless abandon very long. We get older, we grow up.. And so do our heroes.  No one stays that same physical specimen these athletes had to be to succeed in the professional ranks. When I think of my heroes they all still live in that summer of '84.  Chet is 69 years old now..  My "buddy" and I had lost touch over the years. But that team was always in my mind. I just had to think back and there we were again. Be it a beautiful sunny day along the third base line. The very distinct smells of the Stadium and the hot asphalt of Trumbull ave. The bright green grass and chalk lines Sparky would never touch… Or the 15 neighborhood kids in my parents basement waitin’ on the pizza delivery guy. We watched this team run wild through the league that season. It wasn't fair. They were perfect.  And that's how they'll always remain to me. 

Those feelings and the memory of being around when DWD first released our “Chet” design way back in 2006 or 2007 hit me hard when I read Jeff Seidel’s Detroit Free Press Article a few weeks back.. It's odd, but all I can remember from that piece was that my guy was sick. DWD is my literal family. My cousins, My friends. Those neighborhood dirt bike kids. We wanted to show off our deep love for the city. For the teams. For the PEOPLE. We wanted to represent. Our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents grew up here. This is our home. Chet Lemon and every other Detroit athlete felt a part of our home at that time in our lives. It was like being told about this incredible long lost friend. And he was sick, man. “SHIT”. Chet gave us the inspiration to start all this! He was like that picture of the godfather we hung at an angle when we took over Dean Pritchard’s house. We loved the dude. We would have jumped through a ring of fire wearing the paws costume if he asked us to.  He made us belly laugh with excitement when brainstorming about those days long ago. It was pure joy for all of us. We're starting something! Chet was the first dude we thought of. He was the perfect representative of what we wanted to show. What we wanted to be.

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News came out that the Tigers were honoring the legacy of this team and that many of the former players would be returning to the city.   And I heard about my hero.. my buddy... Chet. He was still this 29 year old vibrant World Champion. But I knew Chet was sick. I felt sad. I felt like I became an 8 year old again and strangely enough, had let down a friend. Chet was sick and I lost touch..  It was silly. Absolutely silly. But sometimes the impression someone makes in the mind of a child stays with them for the rest of their lives.  Chet Lemon was my HERO. and I got the chance to see him 40 years later as a man, a man in need ,and not just a baseball player.  Not someone that was everything to me by just being who he was. He kept me outta trouble, He set the tone as someone to look up to. And now he needs help.. All of our help.I wish I had a billion dollars and the power to fly backwards around the earth so fast that it actually rewinds time. “I don't know”.. It bothered me. I didnt wanna see him this way actually. I wanted him to be ok. He was my friend. My hero. But I knew he was only human. We swore then that what DWD started as an homage to our favorite, is now going to be used to help one of our childhood heroes.

In case you didn't know, Chet suffers from Aphasa and has been confined to a wheelchair after a series of strokes, unable to communicate with his family clearly.  He's been going through all of this seemingly in silence. Away from the fans and the park. We didn't know. Our hearts broke at the news he was suffering.  Yet there he was.  40 years later.. in the City.  Not quite Michigan and Trumbull, but still hallowed ground whenever any of these guys set foot on Tigers home field grass.  And Chet SHOWED UP. Man. His appearance was greeted with that obvious joy and love from his former teammates and fans. They showed him the welcome he deserved and that Detroit just always seems to deliver. It's not a surprise that these athletes always seem to migrate back to our city. The love Detroit shows its heroes is like no other.

Chet always continued his love for baseball. That's what made him so great I always recalled. After his playing days he sponsored "Chet Lemon's Juice", a development team in Florida, that has produced 341 college players, 133 drafted players and 14 MLB debuted players, including current Tiger Kerry Carpenter. Through all that pain Chet just kept giving back. He wanted to see his guys succeed. He did this all for his love of the game. So other young guys , with his help, could experience the joy of living out their own dreams. Amazing, man.

To honor Chet Lemon, a great player and a resilient, humble human being, DWD would like to donate 10% of net sales to Chet’s foundation from all “Chet” product sales. We are working to set up an arrangement and will update when more is in place. We also invite you to make your own contribution. When our heroes need our help, Detroit always steps up. Always. The love for this city is real.. The love this city and its fans had for Chet is real. in 1984 and 40 years later. We thank you Chet Lemon for the memories you gave thousands of young kids and taught us the meaning of a true champion. We love you.. You'll always be our Tiger… Thanks for the memories then and now.

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