The Detroit Tigers came out of the womb scratching and snarling. Early owner James D. Burns orchestrated the only known arrest of a journalist while covering a game. It's the only Major League franchise to sign a star player out of prison, which happened twice. Ex-Tigers have done time for crimes ranging from armed robbery to racketeering-and worse. One tried to burn and dismember a group of men after they kidnapped his mother. Another threatened to blow up a cruise ship unless he was paid a sizeable ransom. And Detroit legend Ty Cobb ran afoul of the law several times during his brilliant, tumultuous and often mischaracterized career. Join Detroit News writer George Hunter on a foray into the darkest, unruliest and sometimes funniest moments in Tigers history.
George Hunter has covered crime for the Detroit News for more than twenty years. He's familiar with the subject; he grew up in the Cass Corridor, one of Detroit's most impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods, and three of his siblings were Detroit cops. Hunter has appeared in several true crime documentaries and in news outlets including CNN, Fox News Channel, HLN, the BBC, Japan's Fugi Network and Germany's Der Spiegel. Hunter is also a lifelong Detroit Tiger fan, having attended his first game at Tiger Stadium in 1970.