1984 Detroit Tigers finally getting the respect they deserve from Hall

TAMPA, Fla. – The phone call came out of the blue, an absolutely wonderful surprise.

“Alan Trammell and Jack Morris just got into the Hall of Fame,” an editor told me, as I walked through the press box in Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night after covering the Lions game.

I started smiling: “Are you serious?”

Both of them? How freakin’ cool.

Finally, they got the respect that they have long deserved.

Finally, they are going where they have belonged all along.

It felt like a vindication for the team I grew up watching, like a wrong has been righted. And then it struck me: What about Lou Whitaker?

Sweet Lou and Tram should walk into Cooperstown together. That only seems right. But let’s leave that argument for another day.

Right now, it’s time to celebrate. Morris and Trammell were voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday by the Modern Era Baseball Committee. Morris was selected on 14 of 16 ballots while Trammell was on 13 of 16. They will be enshrined in July at Cooperstown, N.Y.

“I can’t think of any two players more deserving of this honor than Tram and Jack,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a statement. “We’re extremely proud to have both of these great baseball men still representing the Olde English ‘D’.”

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'My guys' are in the Hall

As a sports writer, I am supposed to be unbiased. But I have to be honest with you. This announcement is personal for me. I am 50 years old and I grew up in Bay City. Every night, my father would work in the yard, carrying around a portable radio, fastened to his belt. It was always tuned to the Tigers.

His team became my team.

Once a year, without fail, we loaded up the old Suburban and went to Tiger Stadium. It was probably the best memories of my childhood. For years I saved a Tigers program from 1979, the one with Tram and Lou sitting back to back on second base.

This was my era: The ’84 Tigers.

And now it feels like two of my guys are going into the Hall of Fame, which is so cool. Excitement doesn’t begin to explain it. I suspect that’s a pretty universal feeling right now for anyone who ever used a urinal trough in Tiger Stadium.

“This announcement is truly a proud moment for all of us, and for the legions of Tigers fans who watched these all-time greats excel during their years wearing the Olde English ‘D’,” Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch said in a release. “Their achievements on the field, and character off, exemplify what’s best about the sport of baseball.”

Trammell becomes the first career Tiger to get into the Hall of Fame since Al Kaline in 1980.

“I am honored that they will join those who wear the Olde English ‘D’ in Cooperstown,” Kaline said in a release.

Let's get 'Sweet Lou' in

I always felt the case for Trammell was strong: A six-time All-Star. The four AL Gold Glove Awards. The three AL Silver Slugger Awards. And the World Series MVP award in 1984. The marvelous 1983 season, when he hit .319 with 31 doubles, 14 homers and 30 stolen bases while winning the Gold Glove. The roar of 1984, when he hit .314 with 34 doubles, 14 homers and won another Gold Glove. The magic in 1987 when he hit .343 and smashed 28 homers and drove in 105 runs.

The case for Morris has long been debated. Others had more wins. Others had better advanced statistics. True, Morris gave up runs — he has a 3.90 ERA, which will be the highest of any starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame. But he was a workhorse. He was the guy you wanted on the mound in the biggest moment — he started Game 1 of the World Series three times.

No one won more games in the 1980s — and just writing that sentence feels like something out of my childhood.

“Having been a part of the Tigers and this city for many years, I have been able to witness the impact that Tram and Jack have had not only on the game of baseball, but in the city of Detroit,” said Tigers great Willie Horton.

I couldn't agree more.

And now, they re going to the Hall of Fame.

How freakin’ cool.

But still, I have one thing I can’t get out of my mind: If Tram is in, Sweet Lou should be next.

Like the start of a double play, from Tram to Lou.

That only seems right.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/