Last 30-game winner working at 7-Eleven
Former Tigers pitching great Denny McLain is back -- not on the mound, but behind the counter at 7-Eleven.
McLain, who fell from grace and ended up in prison twice after leading the Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, serves hot dogs and Slurpees instead of serving up fastballs.
It's all part of a work-release program. McLain, baseball's last 30-game winner, must live in a halfway house and hold a job as he nears the end of an eight-year federal prison sentence for embezzling.
McLain, who according to his attorney Gary Spicer is not permitted to talk to the media, is still a fan favorite despite his troubled past.
"It's an honor to meet him," said Michael Smith, 30, of Shelby Township as McLain mingled with customers Wednesday. "I'm still shaking. It's not every day you meet a two-time Cy Young winner. He's one of the greatest pitchers ever. I can't wait to tell my dad."
The 59-year-old McLain is working at the 7-Eleven/Citgo gas station at Metropolitan Parkway (16 Mile) and Mound owned by family friend Glenn Miller. McLain could be released from prison in mid-October if he satisfies all the federal requirements.
"He needed a job, and he will be here until his term is up," said Miller, who added that he and his wife didn't think twice about hiring McLain. "He needed some help, and I'm helping him. When he asked, we did it."
McLain, known for his charm and gift of gab, captivated Detroit and the country in 1968 as he pitched his way to 30 victories -- the first time that was done since Dizzy Dean did it in 1934.
But in 1970, then-Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended McLain for his involvement in gambling. McLain was later suspended twice more by the Tigers -- once for dumping water on two sports writers.
McLain, who played the organ at clubs when not throwing a fastball, later took to the airwaves as a local morning talk show host.
McLain was indicted in March 1984 on charges of racketeering, extortion and cocaine trafficking and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Two and a half years later, an appeals court threw out the verdict on procedural grounds, setting McLain free.
The government decided not to retry the case.
In 1993, McLain and an associate bought Peet Packing, a 100-year-old meat packing firm in Chesaning. Within a month after the sale, $3 million was taken from the company's pension fund, and by 1995 the company was bankrupt.
McLain and his partner were convicted on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy, and in June 1997 he began his sentence at McKean County Federal Correctional Institution in Bradford, Pa., an unfenced prison camp housing up to 292 nonviolent offenders.
McLain, who denied any wrongdoing, twice requested a new trial, the last time in May 2001. The federal appeals court rejected the request both times.
On Wednesday, McLain's uniform of choice went from Tiger home whites to a short-sleeved shirt, khakis and white sneakers.
Still, customers who stopped into the store for hot dogs and sodas felt that it was right that McLain was working his way back to freedom.
"Today, nobody's accountable anymore for anything that they do," said Carmello DiMaggio of Roseville. "He should be allowed to work as a payback."
Former Tigers pitching great Denny McLain is back -- not on the mound, but behind the counter at 7-Eleven.
McLain, who fell from grace and ended up in prison twice after leading the Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, serves hot dogs and Slurpees instead of serving up fastballs.
It's all part of a work-release program. McLain, baseball's last 30-game winner, must live in a halfway house and hold a job as he nears the end of an eight-year federal prison sentence for embezzling.
McLain, who according to his attorney Gary Spicer is not permitted to talk to the media, is still a fan favorite despite his troubled past.
"It's an honor to meet him," said Michael Smith, 30, of Shelby Township as McLain mingled with customers Wednesday. "I'm still shaking. It's not every day you meet a two-time Cy Young winner. He's one of the greatest pitchers ever. I can't wait to tell my dad."
The 59-year-old McLain is working at the 7-Eleven/Citgo gas station at Metropolitan Parkway (16 Mile) and Mound owned by family friend Glenn Miller. McLain could be released from prison in mid-October if he satisfies all the federal requirements.
"He needed a job, and he will be here until his term is up," said Miller, who added that he and his wife didn't think twice about hiring McLain. "He needed some help, and I'm helping him. When he asked, we did it."
McLain, known for his charm and gift of gab, captivated Detroit and the country in 1968 as he pitched his way to 30 victories -- the first time that was done since Dizzy Dean did it in 1934.
But in 1970, then-Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended McLain for his involvement in gambling. McLain was later suspended twice more by the Tigers -- once for dumping water on two sports writers.
McLain, who played the organ at clubs when not throwing a fastball, later took to the airwaves as a local morning talk show host.
McLain was indicted in March 1984 on charges of racketeering, extortion and cocaine trafficking and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Two and a half years later, an appeals court threw out the verdict on procedural grounds, setting McLain free.
The government decided not to retry the case.
In 1993, McLain and an associate bought Peet Packing, a 100-year-old meat packing firm in Chesaning. Within a month after the sale, $3 million was taken from the company's pension fund, and by 1995 the company was bankrupt.
McLain and his partner were convicted on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy, and in June 1997 he began his sentence at McKean County Federal Correctional Institution in Bradford, Pa., an unfenced prison camp housing up to 292 nonviolent offenders.
McLain, who denied any wrongdoing, twice requested a new trial, the last time in May 2001. The federal appeals court rejected the request both times.
On Wednesday, McLain's uniform of choice went from Tiger home whites to a short-sleeved shirt, khakis and white sneakers.
Still, customers who stopped into the store for hot dogs and sodas felt that it was right that McLain was working his way back to freedom.
"Today, nobody's accountable anymore for anything that they do," said Carmello DiMaggio of Roseville. "He should be allowed to work as a payback."
