Who is the man: You're looking at the beginning of the end for Denny McLain. On top of the world with the Tigers in 1968 and 1969, McLain endured the most tumultuous season of his major league career in 1970. He was suspended for half the season by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for suspected bookmaking. He was then suspended again for dousing two sportswriters with buckets of water, and then suspended for the rest of the season for carrying a gun on a team flight. He was traded by the Tigers after the season.
Can ya dig it: This is McLain's first appearance as a Washington Senator and his first appearance without his glasses on a Topps card since 1967.
Right on: McLain is no older than 26 in this photo but looks about 42.
You see that cat McLain is a bad mother: Still the last player to win more than 30 games in a season with 31 in 1968.
Shut your mouth: McLain loved to drink Pepsi, as many as 24 bottles a day. When the company heard that, they made him a sponsor and delivered 10 cases of Pepsi to his home every week.
No one understands him but his woman: McLain married Sharon Boudreau, the daughter of Cleveland Indians great Lou Boudreau. They had a stormy marriage with Sharon leaving Denny several times. When McLain went to prison -- the second time -- Sharon divorced him. But they later remarried.
(My observation on the back): That is a much earlier photo of McLain. Also, I don't think even someone as brash as McLain was believed he could repeat his 1968 performance.
1968 was the first year I followed baseball closely, and as a nine-year-old I thought McLain was The Man. His 1969 card is still a personal favorite. You flip it over and see 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA - are you kidding?! He followed that with 24-9, 2.80. Who could have guessed he would be sub-replacement level from then on and be out of the game before age 30?
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