Athlete Hall Of Shame
Where we remind you of the events the athletes would love to forget!
Please Visit Our Sponsors
Denny McLain
Inducted April 2008
Photo From: blog.syracuse.com
Former pitcher in the ‘60s and ‘70s for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Oakland A’s, and Atlanta Braves. Went to 1968 World Series with Tigers (won). Named to 3 All-Star teams. Won ‘68 AL MVP as well as ‘68 and ‘69 Cy Young Awards. Last pitcher to win 30 games in a season with 31 in ‘68. Led AL in wins (twice), innings (twice), complete games (once), and shutouts (once).
Shameful Moments:
-Reportedly once flew a wanted felon out of the country for $100,000
-Believed to have given New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle a “meatball” pitch in order for Mantle to get his 535th HR and pass Jimmie Foxx for 3rd place on the all-time list on September 19, 1968 after a mound conference in which McLain told his catcher to tell Mantle he‘d be getting nothing but fastballs (McLain coasted to a 6-2 win anyway to get his 31st of the season)
-Suspended for the first 3 months of the ‘70 season by commissioner Bowie Kuhn on February 19, 1970 after news broke in Sports Illustrated and Penthouse Magazine that McLain was involved in a bookmaking operation
-Suspended again by commissioner Kuhn in August 1970 for dumping a bucket of ice water on two reporters
-Suspended for the remainder of the ‘70 season by commissioner Kuhn on September 9, 1970 for carrying a gun on a team flight and waving it in a Chicago, IL restaurant
-Indicted on charges of racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, and cocaine possession on March 19, 1984
-Convicted of racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, and cocaine possession on March 16, 1985
-Sentenced to 8 years in prison on May 7, 1997 and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution for stealing from the pension fund of his company, Peet Packing, that went bankrupt 18 months after he purchased it
-Had pension garnished by U. S. government on April 6, 1999 in order to pay back the pension fund he was convicted of laundering money from (his pension went to his ex-wife as part of their divorce, but a judge overruled and made McLain’s pension pay off his victims first)