Charlie Gehringer - ProfilesArchive

About Me

This site is run by the family of Charlie and is intended to be a tribute to his career and his memory......Charles Leonard Gehringer was nicknamed "The Mechanical Man" for his remarkable consistency and effortless grace, Charlie batted over .300 13 times and collected 200 hits seven times. He was the cornerstone of three Tigers pennant winners and won the MVP in 1937 when he led the American League with a .371 average. An agile second baseman with quick hands, he led the league in both assists and fielding percentage seven times each. After his retirement, he served as a general manager and a member of the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee.Born: May 11, 1903, in Fowlerville, Michigan Died: January 21, 1993, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Married: Josephine Stillen on June 18, 1949 in San Jose, CAML Debut: 9/22/1924 Primary Position: Second Baseman Bats: L Throws: R Uniform #2 (retired by Tigers)Played For: Detroit Tigers (1924-1942) Only Team: Detroit TigersCharlie Gehringer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on June 18, 1949 (with 159 votes on 187 ballots -- 85.03% )-- a ceremony he missed because he was being married in California.He was also known as "The Silent Man" as he was a man of few words. Mickey Cochrane once said of Charlie- "He says hello on opening day and good-bye on closing day, and in between he hits .350.".Lefty Gomez once said - "He hits .350 on opening day and stays there all season."Immortalized at Comerica Park:Myspace Backgrounds

My Interests

Charlie enjoyed reading. He had an extensive library in his home. He also loved golf and he played several times a week for as long as he could. At 81 years of age, he shot an 81. Charlie and Al Kaline once sponsored a golf tournament each year at Meadowbrook with proceeds going to charity.

I'd like to meet:

In his own words: " Looking back, I'd have to say that starting in pro ball was plain luck. I grew up on a farm outside Fowlerville. It was a big farm, fifteen cattle and about 230 acres, and it took two or three people to keep it going. My parents had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it on the farm. My older brother was doing most of the heavy work, driving the tractor, and running the heavy equipment. My dad was still alive and we had a hired man, too, so it gave me a chance to go away to college for a year. I had an idea that I'd like to be in sports, maybe coaching. I took phys ed classes at the University of Michigan. I went with more or less a baseball background, but I went out for football. I remember Ray Fisher, who was coaching baseball then, caught me on the sidelines one day at practice."Don't get too excited about this game," he said. "Don't worry," I said. "I won't."Funny thing is, I won a letter in basketball but I didn't get one in baseball. I'd pitched all through high school. Just lost one game. That was 2-1 to Detroit Northern, who always played us in a doubleheader whenever they came out to play Howell, the next little town. I pitched a little bit in pro ball, but after they started knocking me around pretty good I said, "Well, there must be a difference." So I decided to try second base. I always could hit pretty good.We used to have a super fan back home who hunted with Bobby Veach, the old Tiger outfielder. He asked Veach if it was all right for me to go down to Detroit for a workout. Today, of course, you couldn't hide a prospect if you wanted to. But this was 1923, and it was possible to get a tryout with a major-league club fairly easy, providing you had some potential. They didn't want you cluttering up the field. So I went down for about a week in the fall of the year.Ty Cobb was the manager then, and apparently he was so impressed he went up in his uniform to Mr. Navin, the club owner, and got him out of his office to take a look at me. I signed a contract with the Tigers, and I can't remember if I got a bonus. Maybe five hundred dollars. But I would've signed for nothing.When I was a kid, you see, I used to keep a kind of scrapbook. I used to paste newspaper pictures of Cobb and Veach and Harry Heilmann, and here I was going to play with them.". ---Charlie Gehringer

Music:

People lined up to see Charlie and the Tigers play outside Navin Field..

Movies:

Jo accepting the plaque for his 100th birthday celebration

My Blog

Song Contest Winner!!!!!

Congrats to Brian Sprung!! He wrote an incredible song in honor of Charlie. He did an excellent job and I know that Charlie would be as thrilled with the song as the rest of my family is.Check out the...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:40:00 PST

5th Inning: Hosting a Song Contest

My family is hosting a song contest. $50 to the best song (lyrics and music) dedicated to Charlie. (Think Terry Cashman type of tribute songs). Send me a note if you are interested. Take care!! Family...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:01:00 PST

Fourth Inning: Congrats Polly!!!

I know Charlie would have been very proud of Placido making the All Star team. Polly is a lot like Charlie in that he is not a flashy player like many of today's players...he is what I like to call a ...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:55:00 PST

Third Inning: Thank You Fans and Friends

Thank you to all of Charlie's friends and fans who have been coming to his page and leaving such kind notes and rememberances. I know Charlie would have appreciated your kind words. I personally feel...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:27:00 PST

Second Inning: Fitting Song By Frankie

Ol' Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra to those who don't know) sang a song that is fitting for Charlie's site. If I could find the mp3 on myspace, I'd add it, but I can't find it. So, I'll post the lyrics inst...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Wed, 09 May 2007 06:06:00 PST

First Inning: Charlie and his Cousin Bill Provencher

Charlie and his cousin Bill Provencher were very close. Their mothers were sisters. Unknown to many people, Charlie's father was married once before. Charlie's mother was his father's second marriage....
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Wed, 09 May 2007 05:50:00 PST

Exhibition Game: A Few Stats

MVP (1937) 6-time All-Star (1933-38) 8-time Top 10 MVP (1928, 1932-38) Led league in batting average (1937) 4-time led league in games played (1929-30, 1933-34) Twice led league in runs (1929, 19...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:39:00 PST

Spring Training: A Few Facts About Charlie

*Charlie spent his youth growing up on a 170 acre farm. *He attended a one room school house called "Griswold School". * Charlie originally pitched in high school. He switched to second base aft...
Posted by Charlie Gehringer on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:10:00 PST