Tigers Lose Longest Standing Fan

On April 25th, 1901, after rain forced postponement of the scheduled opening day, the Detroit Tigers began their official existence in the newly created American League. The day was highlighted by a 10 run rally in the bottom of the ninth to best Milwaukee 14-13.

Shortly after the close of the 1903 season, Earl Edward Grigg was born in the thumb area of Michigan. This was nearly two full seasons before Ty Cobb would arrive in Detroit during August of the 1905 season and 13 years before Ernie Harwell was born.

Buoyed by the early successes of the Tigers: a pennant in 1907; Cobb hitting .420 in 1911; a new ballpark at the corner of Michigan and Trumbell in 1912; and a 100 win campaign in 1915 – Earl now 12, was forever branded a Tiger fan.

Throughout his teens, Earl would follow his now beloved Tigers through the papers and do his best to emulate them on the thumb area sandlots where you would find him when not working on the family farm.

Blessed with a modicum of baseball talent, Earl would star on the local ball fields into his twenties where he would get to meet and play against his boyhood idols like Cobb and Ruth in the barnstorming days of baseball.

On the first day of the 1927 World Series, Earl would marry is eighth grade sweetheart Delia Mielens. In the following years, the playing of games and his love of the Tigers would be passed to sons Lyle, Eldon, and Neal and even daughter Betty would come to understand Earl’s deep passion for the Tigers.

In 1935, between teaching first born Lyle (now six) a proper batting stance; how to throw a baseball; and taking in the fall’s crops, Earl would celebrate with all Tiger fans as Detroit would win their first World Series. Ten years later, the six year old would be last son Neal, but the lessons and exuberance were the same with the Tigers’ second World Series win.

For the next 22 years, Earl’s passion for the Tigers and baseball would continue to grow as he would follow his sons across area ball fields and now could track his beloved Tigers via the radio and eventually television. Finally the magic of the 1968 season with McClain winning 31 and a come from behind World Series win after trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 allowed all the Grigg clan to share in the Tiger’s success.

By the time the Tigers would win their latest World Series title in 1984, after winning 30 of 35 games to start the season, Earl was well on the way to following grand children and soon great grand children’s exploits across the diamonds, but as always, the Tigers were special to him. Nowhere was Earl happier than when he was watching the Tigers or family play baseball.

Since that last World Series title, Earl would faithfully listen or watch the Tigers from his farm home in Cass City where he lived with Delia until her passing in 2002 and continued to reside there through 2010.

Just before Earl’s life came to an end this week at 107, a grandson asked him what he could do to make him happy if just for awhile. After some time, Earl’s request was to have a baseball and a Tiger’s cap. The grandson quickly obliged and Earl would wear his new hat and hold his ball with an expression of contentment for the rest of the day. Earl would pass some 36 hours later.

“What a gentleman, what a great person” Tiger great Alan Trammell said . . . “He treated everyone with a quality that very few have – everybody was the same, whether you’re the President or somebody on the street. That’s a quality that not too many people have.”

No, famed Tiger Trammell did not say this about Earl Grigg, but rather it was upon the passing of beloved legendary Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell. That was only because Trammell never had the pleasure of meeting Earl, for if he had, he would have said the same thing this week with Earl’s passing.