Coming off an exciting and very productive 2011 baseball season, the Detroit Tigers’ annual 2012 Winter Caravan, which is always received with enthusiasm, was heightened even more this year.
Elaine Lewis, Tigers vice president of Community & Public Affairs, said that this year’s caravan made over 40 stops in two days. She noted that over a two-day period Detroiters and Michiganders were able to meet, break bread with and correspond with Tigers personnel, coaches, players, broadcasters and mascot PAWS.
“Ron (Colangelo, Tigers vice president, Communications) and I see the Winter Caravan as a community media event,” Lewis said. “We use this event as an opportunity to present to our coaches and players Detroit and Michigan area gems. More importantly, the Winter Caravan is a vehicle that helps us stay connected to the fans and the community, and it helps our players and coaches see a side of Detroit they would never see.”
Lewis and Colangelo made sure the 2012 Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan in its journey across the region made a pit stop at the Joe Louis Video Memorial Room in Cobo Hall.
Present at the event were center fielder Austin Jackson, manager Jim Leyland, coaches Lloyd McClendon and Gene Lamont. Detroit’s legendary Kronk boxing gym was represented by trainer Emanuel Steward, former world champions Hilmer Kenty and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, plus current title holder Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage. Other special guests included members of the Michigan Chapter of Negro Leagues Baseball Players and Tuskegee Airmen.
During the hour-long event a video history of Joe Louis was shown, special historical Louis memorabilia was pointed out and its history recounted, a presentation was made in honor of the Joe Louis Video Memorial Room and a Tigers interactive question and answer session with those in attendance was implemented.
Of course, one of the first questions for Leyland was what will be the impact of losing All-Star Victor Martinez to injury.
“We’ll see if we can fill Martinez spot internally first,” Leyland said. “I do know that our switchboard has been lit up since his injury. It appears there are a number of people that are interested in the Tigers. In relation to Martinez’s injury, if you want to stay in the fight, you have to take a punch. We took a punch with Martinez, but we will recover.”
Leyland also talked about how elated he was to be in the presence of Joe Louis and his memorabilia.
“Detroit has always been a great baseball town,” he said. Although we focus on baseball, we still watch and understand other sports. That is why when I found out we were going to honor the memory of Joe Louis, and meet Hearns and Emanuel I was elated. I tell you, when I shook Hearns’ hands, the first thing I noticed was that his hands were so big.”
Said Lamont: “Being here brings a special memory to my mind. As a player for the Tigers in the ’70s, I was headed to the locker room when I saw this imposing man. Everyone was shaking his hand and talking to him. It was Joe Louis. I made sure I got in line and got a chance to talk to him and shake his hand, too.”
Coach McClendon said he was very comfortable being in the presence of such great fighters, because he recalled how growing up in Gary, Indiana, he had to fight every day.
Indeed, Louis is an American icon and one of Detroit’s favorite sons. He shot down Hitler’s Aryan supremacy theory with his devastating first-round knockout of German Max Schmeling in 1938. That moment is etched in American folklore, will never be forgotten and remains one of this country’s shining moments.
To ensure Louis’ legacy in Detroit a statue in Cobo Hall stands, his fist is a work of art on Jefferson, and the Video Room, pushed forward with the blessings of the late then-Mayor Coleman Young, ensures that the contributions of Louis, who got his start at the Detroit’s legendary Brewster Center, would remain in the forefront of Detroit’s history.
On this day Leyland, McClendon, Lamont and Jackson felt the pride and the legacy that was and is Joe Louis.
About Post Author
