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As I write this, the MLB Draft just happened. I’m a Detroit Tigers fan, and I was fairly happy with their draft class. That’s not why I’m here, though. I am here to assess the best Detroit Tigers moment in pop culture.
It’s not the movie For Love of the Game, with all due respect to Michigan’s own Sam Raimi. On Home Improvement, Tim “The Toolman” Taylor sported a lot of Michigan sports gear, but it was usually collegiate in nature. To me, it comes down to two things. One is the fact Tom Selleck’s Thomas Magnum on Magnum P.I. wore a Tigers hat. It was part of his signature look, right up there with the mustache and Hawaiian shirt. The other is a photo of Sparky Anderson with the Dead Milkmen.
One of these is ubiquitous, the other obscure. Magnum P.I. was a hit show, and the Tigers hat was so crucial to his aesthetic that it was included in the reboot years later sans Selleck. Though Magnum lived in Hawaii, the Olde English “D” was always there atop his head. It’s the most-famous piece of Tigers apparel in pop culture.
The Dead Milkmen are a comedic punk band, and they were an influence to me and my junior high/high school band. Well, I was influenced by them. My bandmates wanted to be New Found Glory. Sparky Anderson was still managing the Tigers when I first became aware of baseball. He’s a Hall of Fame manager, but an old-school guy. Not exactly the sort you think would pose for a photo in the Tigers’ dugout with the Dead Milkmen. And yet, it happened. Apparently owed to an obscure Tigers player named Jim Walewander, the punk quarter got a photo with Sparky. I’ve always found it a delightful photo, and wish I could buy it somewhere. Nobody is selling it anywhere, though.
I like the Dead Milkmen. I never really got into Magnum P.I. So, personally, I’d have to go with the Milkmen and Sparky. That being said, Magnum definitely did more for the Tigers and the “D” in Detroit. Let’s call it a tie, which is of course a classic baseball thing.
