Customer Reviews

Charlie Gehringer: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Tigers Second Baseman

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Author John Skipper's book on Detroit Tiger second baseman Charlie Gehringer is a welcome addition not only to biographies of Detroit Tiger players, but to baseball biographies as well. Gehringer began his career with the Tigers in 1924 when Ty Cobb was at the helm. Charlie's quiet personality didn't relate very well to Cobb's demeanor. Gehringer's nickname, The Mechanical Man, came from the easy way he handled himself around second base by knowing where to play the opposition's batters. Charlie would not fit into a sportswriter's dream interview since he was very economical with his words. Former manager Mickey Cochrane once said, "He says 'hello' opening day, 'goodbye' closing day and, in between, hits .350." Gehringer spent a good portion of his life caring for his mother, and didn't marry until after his mother passed away. He retired following the 1942 season and later spent time during the early 1950s as the General Manager of the Tigers. He didn't seek the job, and the trades he made didn't produce positive results. In addition team owner Walter "Spike" Briggs held a segregationist attitude regarding the signing of black players which kept the Tigers floundering during the 1950s. After suffering a stroke in December of 1992 Gehringer died on January 21, 1993. I did find some errors in the book. Ty Cobb's lifetime batting average is .367 not .366 as mentioned on page 19. Johnny Lipon was an infielder with the Tigers and not an outfielder as stated on page 162. Al Kaline signed with the Tigers right out of high school in 1953 and not in 1951 as stated on page 165. These were errors I caught but I do appreciate having a book on this Hall of Fame player of the Detroit Tigers.