OT - Former Detroit Tiger Dave Bergman passes away at age 61

Submitted by FormAFarkingWall on

Sad news, as Dave Bergman, one of the '84 Bless You Boys has passed away too soon at age 61.  Acquired right before the start of the magical '84 season, Bergman was the everyday first baseman except when spelled from time to time by Darrel Evans. 

http://www.wxyz.com/sports/former-tiger-dave-bergman-dead-at-age-61 

He may not have had the star power of some of the other guys on that team, but he had some great moments. 

I'm a bad embedder, so here are links to a couple great memories:

Bergman dupes Alan Wiggins with hidden ball trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8sJ8AAKag4

13-pitch at bat ends with walkoff 3-run shot to beat Blue Jays at the Corner:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn44Rsn9WlY

Bless you, Mr. Bergman.  You were part of an amazing summer that many of us will never forget. 

LSAClassOf2000

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^

Not only was the home run awesome, but I still vaguely remember the look of Roy Lee Jackson (Toronto's #25) starting around the 8th pitch or so, that look of "COME ON, MAN!" with the shoulder shrug. Great for the Tigers and Bergman, absolutely maddening for himJackson, I am sure. 

RIP Dave Bergman. Your contributions to the Tigers on the field (particularly in that one fantastic summer) and your work making the world better off the field will be remembered. 

Zarniwoop

February 2nd, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^

Back then I used to almost look forward to going to bed, because then I could secretly plug in my little radio and listen to Ernie Harwell.

"Thank you Paul"...

"That ball was caught by a woman from Hamtramick"...

I'll hear that in my head forever.

Bergie was a clutch hitter in my memories. Hell, the entire team was clutch that year. But, I'd wonder why he was playing over Evans, and have another great at bat. 54 home runs over a 17 year career. But, he was a Tiger and, in my mind, a good one.

RIP Mr. Bergman.

jmdblue

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:39 PM ^

listening to John Hiller pitch the 9th inning of a Fidrych game.  We were behind and wound up losing the game, but I was just desperately hoping Hiller could keep it close so we might take the lead in our half of the ninth.  I think that was '76 so I would have been 8 or 9.

I was born in '67 and when I started school at Michigan the only M football coach I ever knew was Bo and the only Tiger announcers were Ernie and Paul.  What a nice experience to grow up with.  So many kids a little younger than me had the same experience with Yzerman as captain of the Wings and obviously Red as our hockey coach. 

JamieH

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^

Evans only hit .222 against righties, though he did have the power.  Bergman had a .360 OBP against righties in '84, and Sparky was one of the earlier managers to recognize the value of OBP over the main stats.  Plus he played very good defense at 1st.  And Sparky often used Evans as a DH.



That being said, Bergman only started 67 games at 1st in '84, so he wasn't really the "everyday" first baseman.   Barbaro Garbey played there a bunch and Evans occasionally too.  But he was the primary guy against righties.

RIP Dave.  You were an underappreciated asset on that '84 team. 

 

 

4th and short

February 2nd, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^

I remember I was probably 10 or so and  late in his career being burned one day he was playing in place of Cecil Fielder( I think) at first base. He hit two homers that day! Always liked the guy thou.                                                                                           

Pluto1600

February 2nd, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^

that was cool to see. i thought for sure the tigers were going to start slipping and that the jays would start making up ground. bergman ended that fear in dramatic fashion. it was quite a moment. he'll be missed.

klctlc

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^

His younger brother is my neighbor and hitting coach for my sons here in Chicago area.  

I have nver met Dave, but obviously have heard a lot about him and remembered watching him growing up in Detroit area.

He has battled this cancer so hard for so long.  Such a sad sad story.

I did not grow up Tigers fan (bitter cubs fan, especially in 1984), but that 84 team was so much fun to follow.  They dominated baseball right out of the gate.

Prayers for the entire Bergman family.

 

rob f

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^

That epic 13-pitch AB which ended with the Dave Bergman homer was one of the most dramatic sports moments ever for this Tiger fan.  That moment was the first thing I thought of when I saw the sad title of this thread.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Bergman.  Thank you for the thrills you provided while wearing the Old English 'D'.

While it's a shock to see this headline, it drives home the point that the heroes of my youth are getting old.  It's been 30 seasons now since the Tigers could call themselves the "Defending World Champions; those young Tigers of '84 are now all in their 50's and 60's

 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:14 PM ^

Oh crap.  That's awful to hear.  I had a chance to meet the guy once or twice when I was growing up and he was really one of the good guys without a shred of doubt.  As nice as could be.  The kind of guy who made it so easy to root for the Tigers.

Vote_Crisler_1937

February 2nd, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^

Dave Bergman was one of the most helpful people in my recruiting process. He was not shy about telling any college coach how to get in touch with my coaches and whether he thought I was a good fit in their program. He made very important connections in helping me land a scholarship to NU even though his own kid was a Spartan. Further, he invited me to play on his summer team and acted like I was doing him a favor for it. Bergman was one of the people in my life who could do favors for me that I could never repay and yet he never allowed me to think I owed him anything. He really was a great leader.




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Don

February 2nd, 2015 at 5:35 PM ^

"On September 7, 1984, Tiger first baseman Dave Bergman delivered his second dramatic game winning homer against the arch rival Toronto Blue Jays.



Sparky Anderson has called the game the key victory in the chase for the ’84 pennant.



Despite an unbelievable 35-5 start, the pesky Blue Jays were just 8 ½ games behind Detroit on September 7th when the Tigers began a crucial three games series in Toronto. If the Blue Jays swept at home, Toronto would be nipping at the Tigers heels for the final month at 5 ½ games out.



In the bottom of the eighth, “Big Mo” was on Toronto’s side as they held a 4-0 lead.



However like the’68 Tiger World champs, you could never give up on the ’84 Bengals.



Kirk Gibson, who always had the flair for clawing back in dramatic fashion, belted a three run homer before the Tigers scratched out another run to tie the game.



And then in the top of the tenth, Tiger first baseman Dave Bergman, who had been acquired from Philadelphia with Willie Hernandez during spring training delivered a game winning, dramatic three run homer that devastated Toronto. The Tigers went on to sweep the series and take a commanding 11 ½ game lead over the Jays.



In his book, Bless You Boys: Diary of the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 Season, Tiger manager Sparky Anderson wrote about the pivotal September 7th game:



“I wouldn’t say it to the writers after the game. But this one won it for us. This one put the nail in the coffin. It was the biggest game of the year for us. We did what we had to do—we stopped them in their home park.”

http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2009/09/07/dave-bergman-was-key-ingredi…