Willie Aikens--1982
Watching the Phillies ride the hot
bat of Chase Utley in edging closer
to the Yankees; we learned of
World Series records being tied.
With his fifth long ball of the Fall
Classic, Utley tied Hall of Famer
Reggie Jackson for the most home
runs in a series. We also learned
that with a twelfth strikeout, Ryan
Howard tied Kansas City's Willie
Wilson's series record of punch
outs established in 1980.
My intent was post a Willie Wilson
card here and note that the
one-time batting champ just had a
bad series. Maybe talk about how
Wilson earned two Silver Slugger
Awards (1980 & 1982) and was not
a strikeout guy, as he fanned over
100 times just once in his 19-year
career. Possibly look at the pitchers
who threw it by Wilson for some
reason in the 1980 Classic, as the
left fielder hit just .154 in the
lead-off spot failing to set the table
for George Brett and Company.
But in looking through the box
scores and stats, it caught my eye
that Willie Mays Aikens was a star
for the losing Royals in the '80
Series.
The rangy first baseman hit a
robust .400, with four home runs
and eight RBI. This I did not know,
not now or when I innocently said
hello to Aikens in the Summer of
2008.
I was in Kansas City to see the
Royals take on the White Sox and
as I settled into my seat, just a
couple of chairs
away sat Aikens behind home plate
amongst the scouts. I nodded a
hello in his direction; not really
knowing his identity, but I could tell
Aikens was a former player.
Thin and looking in shape, only
touches of gray around the edges
gave a hint that he was past his
playing days. Yes, I was right next
to a former Royals World Series
hero--- and also a former inmate,
who lost 14 years of life in prison
and his career to drug abuse.
For the next few days the Kansas
City papers would write about the
plight of Aikens. How he had it all
and how he lost it all. In the coming
months, the city rallied around the
former slugger who once wore the
powder blue.
Later in 2008, the Kansas City Star
gave him a voice as the following is
a post of a letter from Aikens
thanking his fans:
Aiken's post on KC Star
So I as I watch the World Series
continue to unfold, I remind myself
that while the players are our
Cardboard Gods, they are also
human beings prone to the highs
and lows which life presents.
I feel bad that I wasn't more
engaging back in 2008, but it was
only for a minute as another scout
came down to our section and the
usher motioned to Aikens that he
was in the wrong seat. It would have
been interesting to talk with Aikens,
a man who back in 1980 was being
mentioned in the same breath as
Reggie Jackson, similar to how
Chase Utley is today.
bat of Chase Utley in edging closer
to the Yankees; we learned of
World Series records being tied.
With his fifth long ball of the Fall
Classic, Utley tied Hall of Famer
Reggie Jackson for the most home
runs in a series. We also learned
that with a twelfth strikeout, Ryan
Howard tied Kansas City's Willie
Wilson's series record of punch
outs established in 1980.
My intent was post a Willie Wilson
card here and note that the
one-time batting champ just had a
bad series. Maybe talk about how
Wilson earned two Silver Slugger
Awards (1980 & 1982) and was not
a strikeout guy, as he fanned over
100 times just once in his 19-year
career. Possibly look at the pitchers
who threw it by Wilson for some
reason in the 1980 Classic, as the
left fielder hit just .154 in the
lead-off spot failing to set the table
for George Brett and Company.
But in looking through the box
scores and stats, it caught my eye
that Willie Mays Aikens was a star
for the losing Royals in the '80
Series.
The rangy first baseman hit a
robust .400, with four home runs
and eight RBI. This I did not know,
not now or when I innocently said
hello to Aikens in the Summer of
2008.
I was in Kansas City to see the
Royals take on the White Sox and
as I settled into my seat, just a
couple of chairs
away sat Aikens behind home plate
amongst the scouts. I nodded a
hello in his direction; not really
knowing his identity, but I could tell
Aikens was a former player.
Thin and looking in shape, only
touches of gray around the edges
gave a hint that he was past his
playing days. Yes, I was right next
to a former Royals World Series
hero--- and also a former inmate,
who lost 14 years of life in prison
and his career to drug abuse.
For the next few days the Kansas
City papers would write about the
plight of Aikens. How he had it all
and how he lost it all. In the coming
months, the city rallied around the
former slugger who once wore the
powder blue.
Later in 2008, the Kansas City Star
gave him a voice as the following is
a post of a letter from Aikens
thanking his fans:
Aiken's post on KC Star
So I as I watch the World Series
continue to unfold, I remind myself
that while the players are our
Cardboard Gods, they are also
human beings prone to the highs
and lows which life presents.
I feel bad that I wasn't more
engaging back in 2008, but it was
only for a minute as another scout
came down to our section and the
usher motioned to Aikens that he
was in the wrong seat. It would have
been interesting to talk with Aikens,
a man who back in 1980 was being
mentioned in the same breath as
Reggie Jackson, similar to how
Chase Utley is today.
