When metro Detroit youth baseball league faced difficulties, another stepped up to help
It is the hope of many football fans in Detroit and beyond that this will be the year of the Detroit Lions.
Given that the state of Michigan is also the home to a University of Michigan football program that is coming off a college football playoff championship, not to mention all of the exciting regional high school play, it could definitely be said that across Michigan community football is king this fall.
But wait a minute!
It may have gone a bit under the radar, at first, in comparison to the fandom attached to the Lions, but this season's edition of the Detroit Tigers has reminded people with a connection to "The D" just how exciting a baseball playoff race can be when the hometown team is in contention.
And as it turns out, for about 180 metro Detroit youths, baseball has a special and even "legendary" meaning this fall.
"It's all about keeping the kids playing and developing as young baseball players and well-rounded human beings," says Detroit native Garrett Street, a 20-year coach of youth baseball in his hometown, whose Detroit Braves team members are learning baseball and life lessons this fall while participating in the Southfield A's Youth Baseball League's 10-year-old and under division.
Five years ago, when Street spoke to the Detroit Free Press for a July 13, 2019, , he was proud to report that his grassroots, spring-to-fall Legends League Baseball program had served more than 5,000 boys and girls locally since 2016 with support from family, friends and community allies.
However, on Sept. 19, the 57-year-old Street sounded much different as he talked about lacking funds to cover field maintenance, umpires, player sponsorship, equipment, uniforms and other items that he typically needs to extend his youth baseball program through the fall. But that was just the beginning of Street's story. By the time he got around to talking about the Southfield A's Youth Baseball League, his tone and mood had perked up considerably.
"The Southfield A's stepped up when they heard I was not being funded for the fall," said Street, who in lieu of not being able to garner financial support for a fall Legends League season, made sure more young people had an opportunity to play baseball during September and October in other ways, which included recruiting metro Detroit teams to play in the league provided by the Southfield A's; and chalking the baseball diamond at William Clay Ford Field in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood, which is one of two metro Detroit fields the Southfield A's are using for the fall league. "The important thing is to keep playing, because when you stop there is no guarantee that you will ever regain what you had before. And when that happens, our kids lose."
On Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22 — the first day of fall — games were played at a field behind Springhill Hill Baptist Church in Farmington Hills at Nine Mile and Middlebelt, along with the William Clay Ford Field in Detroit. And Southfield A's head coach Marlin Gilliam says every participant was enriched in ways that go beyond team standings and league championships.
"The fall season is for learning," the 60-year-old Gilliam, who has coached youth baseball for more than 30 years, said. "In Detroit and inner cities across the country, there are not many baseball programs offered after that July time frame. We had wanted to do a fall program, so we were happy to work with Garrett because there is a real need in our community. Our kids in the city don't ordinarily get a chance to receive the level of teaching and training that we're able to provide in the fall.
"For the kids participating in our four divisions (8-U, 10-U, 12-U and 14-U), this is more about fixing what you can't fix in the spring and summer, because in the fall we can stop the games or scrimmages and correct things on the spot. Our umpires will even get involved and point out things to the kids."
Gilliam says baseball is also uniquely equipped to teach lessons that the young members of the participating fall league teams — Detroit Braves, Detroit Dawg Pound, Detroit Monarchs, Detroit Predators, Motor City Mayhem, Southfield A's and the Barney McCosky Homestead Grays — can apply long after the second week of October, when the fall league season is scheduled to end, barring the need for makeup games.
"The lesson baseball teaches is that you always have to work on your craft and you can't be outworked," explained Gilliam, who grew up playing "all sports" in Flint, but found his coaching niche through baseball. "And, in a positive way, it's a failure sport because we tell the kids that if you get a hit one out of three times you're going to the Hall of Fame. So, if you strike out two times, you have to go up to the plate that third time and have confidence that you're going to get a hit.
"You can't ever lose your focus and that's a lesson for life."
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city's neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at or follow him on Twitter Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/ . Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber .
Legendary Detroit Fall Baseball Kings
Baseball has faced fierce competition from other sports and activities, but it is still fondly called "America's Pastime" by many. And going all the way back to when the Detroit Free Press reported on an intramural game played on Aug. 15, 1857, by members of the Franklin Baseball Club at the corner of Beaubien and Adams, Detroit has been intimately tied to baseball. In fact, baseball players from Detroit have done some of their best work in the fall, when the weather becomes crisp and the stakes are high. The following is a very small helping of past Detroit baseball diamond kings:
John Mayberry (first baseman): "Big John," part of a long line of stellar players from Northwestern High School, was the sixth overall pick in Major League Baseball's 1967 amateur draft. He established himself as a major league slugger on Sept. 29, 1972, when he blasted a three-run homer off Vida Blue to become the first Kansas City Royals player to reach the 100 RBI mark in a season.
Ted Sizemore (second baseman): The Pershing High School product was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1969 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And during October 1978, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Sizemore batted .385 and scored three runs during the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers.
Todd Cruz (shortstop): Cruz brought glory to the Western High School baseball program and later was a World Series champion with the Baltimore Orioles in October 1983.
Chris Sabo (third baseman): The Detroit native was a member of Detroit Catholic Central's first Michigan High School Athletic Association state championship baseball team. Sabo also sparkled during the October 1990 Fall Classic as he batted a sizzling .583, including two home runs, as the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series against the Oakland A's.
Bill Freehan (catcher): Freehan was a star on Detroit sandlots before starring at the University of Michigan. Those experiences set the stage for Freehan being an 11-time All-Star during his professional career with the Detroit Tigers, which included winning a World Series championship against the St. Louis Cardinals during October 1968.
Willie Horton (outfielder): The Northwestern High School product was and still is beloved by Detroiters and he also was a major contributor to the Detroit Tigers' October World Series magic in 1968 against the Cardinals. In fact, during the Tigers' come-from behind Game 5 victory, Horton and Freehan hooked up on a play at the plate to nab Lou Brock that still is remembered fondly today.
Alex Johnson (outfielder): He played with Willie Horton at Northwestern High School, and in 1970 he toyed with American League pitchers all season, including two hits on Oct. 1 to clinch the AL batting title with a .329 (.3289) average.
Barney McCosky (outfielder): The Detroit Tigers came up a little short during the 1940 World Series, but McCosky, out of Southwestern High School, delivered in October with a .304 batting average in seven games against the Cincinnati Reds. McCosky's legacy lives on through the nonprofit Barney McCosky Baseball-Basketball League, which serves Detroit youths.
Hal Newhouser (pitcher): "Prince Hal" Newhouser, the pride of the old Wilber Wright High School in Detroit, was the best American League pitcher in 1945, including on Oct. 10, when he pitched the Tigers to victory in Game 7 of the World Series versus the Chicago Cubs.
Frank Tanana (pitcher): Look up the definition of a "crafty left-hander," and you may come across a picture from Tanana's masterpiece 1-0 shutout gem on Oct. 4, 1987, against the Toronto Blue Jays. The performance by the former Detroit Catholic Central standout sent the Tigers to the 1987 American League Championship Series for a matchup against the Minnesota Twins, the eventual World Series champions.
