September 29 – November 9, 1958
Tommy Edwards
It’s All in the Game

George Kell found his footing in Detroit after a mid-season swap with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1946, a move that immediately solidified the Tigers' infield. For seven seasons, he personified the pure contact hitter, utilizing a short, level swing to spray line drives across the grass of Briggs Stadium. While the era was often defined by the long ball, Kell carved out a Hall of Fame trajectory by mastering the strike zone.

during the 1949 season. In a race that came down to the final afternoon, he edged out Ted Williams to capture the American League batting title with a .343 average. This achievement marked his transition into the upper tier of the game’s elite, as he paired his offensive efficiency with a glove that earned him a reputation as one of the premier defenders of his generation. He showed the organization that a third baseman could be a primary engine for winning, leading the league in hits and doubles for the first of several times during his tenure.

The middle of his run in Detroit was characterized by a relentless ability to put the ball in play. Between 1947 and 1951, he was a perennial fixture in the All-Star starting lineup, earning five consecutive nods while wearing the iconic Old English "D." He surpassed 200 hits in back-to-back seasons and routinely finished among the leaders in on-base percentage, providing a steady-state offensive threat that made him a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs. Despite a lack of over-the-fence power, he eventually recorded 1,075 hits and a .325 batting average in just over 800 games with the club.

During the 1952 season, the Tigers traded their star infielder to the Boston Red Sox in a multi-player blockbuster. While he continued to produce elsewhere, his impact on the Detroit community never wavered. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

The victim of countless stop/start pushes in the WWE, bare knuckle pugilist, Wade Barrett could have been so much more in the WWE.  Barrett would win the Intercontinental Title a few times as well as the King of the Ring, but the backing he should have had from management never materialized.  Another run in the WWE is possible and hopefully he will get the opportunity he deserved the first time he was there.

From the Real World to WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin had one of the most unlikely paths to the top in professional wrestling history.  Mizanin has won singles and tag team titles and blossomed into one of the better all around workers in the WWE, again not something that would have ever been predicted when he hosted Smackdown and was banned by JBL from dressing in the locker room.