- Dead Legends
- Posts
- THE LONG ROAD
THE LONG ROAD
Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The newsletter that loves bat flips as much as we love squeeze plays.
As long as we’re watching baseball, we’re happy.
Lets dive in.
Today’s story is about a ballplayer who went from the big house to the big leagues.
His name is Ron LeFlore.
He was born on June 16, 1948 in Detroit, and honestly he was down bad from the jump.
Ron’s dad was around, but he was an unemployed alcoholic who didn’t do anything for the family.
LeFlore quickly turned to the streets and became involved in drugs and other criminal activity.
The first time he got arrested, he was 15, and things only escalated from there.
In 1970, Ron and two others were involved in an armed robbery in which Ron was carrying a rifle.
Due to the severity of the charges he was sentenced to 5-15 years in the State Prison of Southern Michigan.
Turns out, it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Behind bars, LeFlore played organized baseball for the first time and realized he was pretty damn good at it.
In a stroke of complete luck that can only be classified as a miracle, one of LeFlore’s fellow inmates, Jimmy Karalla got him a tryout with the Tigers.
Karalla, who was serving time for extortion, had a friend named Jimmy Butsicaris, who co-owned a Detroit bar where a lot of athletes hung out.
Butsicaris knew Billy Martin and was able to convince him to take a look at LeFlore.
On May 23, 1973, Martin went to Jackson State Prison and watched Ron LeFlore do his thing.
Whatever he saw that day was enough to want LeFlore on the squad.
By July, Martin was able to get LeFlore out on parole.
The Tigers paid him a $5,000 signing bonus and $500 per month, and Ron never looked back.
He started in the Class A, where was managed by the GOAT, Jim Leyland.
LeFlore hit .277 that season, and the following year he hit .331 with 45 stolen bases in 102 games.
By August of ’74, LeFlore was in the big leagues.
Ron’s epic rise to the show was made into a movie called One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story.
He played for eight seasons, made an all-star game, and swiped 455 bags, which puts him 52nd all time - tied with Ed Delahanty.
In 1980, he even went toe-to-toe with the great Ricky Henderson.
That year, Rickey stole 100 bases; LeFlore ended with 97.
Ron’s story is a testament to the power of the human spirit and second chances.
Never give up.
Swig For The Fences
Dugout Mugs made these awesome steel tumblers and they’re really taking me back to the BESR bat era.
Ahhhh simpler times.
Mugs with all 30 team logos are available.
Strange Names
If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.
Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.
If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.
Today's winner is:
Don't sleep on my man, Bubbles.
In over 2500 AB's he had a .310 lifetime average and won a batting title in 1926.
He wasn't a home run hitter, but there's one reason to absolutely love Bubbles Hargrave.
Bingo.
THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE
If you like this story, check out some of our past favorites: