Card of the Week

The Cash Man. That's what I thought this guy was, rich because his name was Cash. I never was much of a Tiger's fan as a young guy. But Cash, along with Kaline and Lolich were some names that I admired. Norm Cash did some rather amazing things. He led the American League in batting in '61 with a .361 average. In 1960 he played the entire season and did not ground into any double plays. That is pretty remarkable considering he batted in the "meaty" part of the batting order. In 1968 the Tigers beat the Cardinals in the World Series. Cash hit .385 in the Series with one home run. He played with the Tigers until 1974 when he was released by the Tigers after hitting .228.

A few years later he played in the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League if you can believe it. His team the Detroit Caesars won the league title both years. Sounds like a pizza team doesn't it. Norm Cash drowned after he slipped on a boat in northern Lake Michigan, hit his head and fell into the water. When Norm Cash came to the plate anything could happen. He hit four home runs out of Tiger Stadium, becoming the first man to ever do so on June 11,1961.