The MLB All-Star Whose Career Started in PRISON!

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  • čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
  • Creator: Mike
    Twitter: / srsmike
    CZcams: / srsmike
    Ron LeFlore had one of the most unique paths to stardom in sports history. His discovery in a prison baseball league, ascension to MLB, and eventual big league success are all unparalleled. But is his story one of inspiration or caution?
    ----------------------
    Soundtrack - • Ron LeFlore
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Komentáře • 106

  • @SadmanBaseball
    @SadmanBaseball Před 3 lety +62

    Hi Mike

  • @KardiFan2000
    @KardiFan2000 Před 3 lety +39

    The year that he spent in Montreal must've been interesting for the fans...cheering for Lafleur in NHL and LeFlore in MLB.

    • @Classicrocker6119
      @Classicrocker6119 Před 3 lety +4

      That is an incredibly astute observation!

    • @gmsvalley
      @gmsvalley Před rokem +1

      I used to go see the expos when I was young with my brother. I knew we had a good team, but now that I think about it, my good, we had so many big stars. I remember LeFlore and Tim Raines for stoling bases.

  • @justinrivera3515
    @justinrivera3515 Před 3 lety +63

    I expected to see the Wild Thing Rick Vaughn here. Hmph

  • @RCP2k
    @RCP2k Před 3 lety +33

    Can baseball come back like right now?....

  • @jaydisqus3353
    @jaydisqus3353 Před 3 lety +47

    Billy Martin was exactly the guy who would have given someone another chance.

  • @sergiom.a.1236
    @sergiom.a.1236 Před 3 lety +14

    Bruv, he is a flipping legend in my books.

  • @BaseballQuotes1
    @BaseballQuotes1 Před 3 lety +39

    imagine how good he could have been if he played before entering the prison system? Awesome story

  • @daBEAGLE1017
    @daBEAGLE1017 Před 3 lety +13

    I loved this story growing up in the 70s80s. Glad someone covered it.

  • @jerrodmecca7745
    @jerrodmecca7745 Před 6 měsíci +3

    My dad's first cousin. Lavar Burton played his character in a minie movie. The same one who played Konte Kinte. 💯 He was very quick as we all are/ were. My dad also made it to the NBA for one year.

  • @davidruffin9436
    @davidruffin9436 Před 2 lety

    Ron Leflore accomplished something that many wished and many are wishing they could do. This is an amazing story. Someone with zero baseball experience goes to prison, serves his time. Then off to the minors for 1 year. Then off to the major leagues.. Then makes it to the All Star Game, and leads off with a single. He played amazingly when he was traded to the Expos. I think he became a much better outfielder when he went form center to left. I'll never forget going to Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumbell to watch him play he was was my favorite player. Those were some good times gone but not forgotten.

  • @jtothed81
    @jtothed81 Před 3 lety +2

    I've always wanted to see the movie about his life. He was played by LaVar Burton. I also heard in recent years Ron still has legal issues too. I've always loved this story, good job on the video.

  • @BaseballHistorian
    @BaseballHistorian Před 3 lety +11

    Incredible life story, can’t believe I’d never heard of him before.

  • @user-cv8qe9ru8c
    @user-cv8qe9ru8c Před 3 lety +13

    I had heard of him being in prison and making it to the majors. Didnt realize he was productive

  • @bennybonezzz8176
    @bennybonezzz8176 Před 3 lety +5

    The gif of Omar with the tie is glorious. Thank you.

  • @rowdyboys951
    @rowdyboys951 Před 3 lety +3

    You guys should really talk about the amazing career of Hank Greenberg. Greenberg had a very similar story to Jackie Robinson, at the time Hank Greenberg joined the MLB he was the first Jewish athlete to wear a Major League Uniform. Similarly to Jackie Robinson, Greenberg faced anti-Semitic hostility (because he was Jewish) from fans and players. But he proved his haters wrong. And like Leflore and that other Tigers player you talked about, Greenberg player for the Tigers as well.

    • @SirLuciferVampiro
      @SirLuciferVampiro Před 3 lety

      He does have an amazing career, but I don't think he was the first Jewish Ball player in the major....There were some before him, not many but there were some, as far back as the 19th century....

    • @rowdyboys951
      @rowdyboys951 Před 3 lety

      @@SirLuciferVampiro Yeah I just checked it was Lip Pike, but even so Greenberg had a very similar story to Jackie Robinson.

  • @lightseek88
    @lightseek88 Před 3 lety +2

    Ron Leflore rookie cards just spiked 697% after this video came out!!

  • @CRob172
    @CRob172 Před 3 lety +2

    As a tigers fan the 70s were a curious time, even though I’m only 24 my dad grew up with this team and I’m a student of the history of the great sport. we had Leflour who was an ex con who was really good, and Mark Fidrych who I always swore was on something but if his arm didn’t give out he’d probably be a centerpieces the 84 team, and though we sucked we signed the best manager in tigers history imho Sparky Anderson we also had the greatest draft class in history, Gibby, Tram, Sweet Lou, and Jack Morris

  • @frankym69
    @frankym69 Před 3 lety +1

    I started baseball in a youth Juvy league in the Pittsburgh area. We played teams like Greensburg Central Cathloc, Hempfeild, Fox Chapel and West Mifflin. Winning to inconsistent degrees of success.

  • @croke835
    @croke835 Před 3 lety +2

    Who knew the convict would be good at stealing?
    But fr this man tried to do the best with the cards he was dealt and you have to respect how he tried to turn his life around

  • @probaseballradar2254
    @probaseballradar2254 Před 3 lety +4

    This just epitomizes the 70s as a decade. Great vid!

  • @mr.o8004
    @mr.o8004 Před 3 lety +3

    My grandpa and I watched this and he said it made him go down memories lane

  • @thereilneid2868
    @thereilneid2868 Před 3 lety +1

    I was 12 yrs old here in Detroit during his first yr in MLB & he was electric. I remember Billy Martin taking shit for bringing him in. But that ended quickly. He could play ball. Fast as hell, had a good swing & could a good CF.
    He was a real shot in the arm for a horrible time for the Tigers.

  • @KingTone510
    @KingTone510 Před 3 lety +5

    The real life Can't Get Right 🤣

  • @stephaniegormley9982
    @stephaniegormley9982 Před 3 lety +1

    1:38 The bar owner you refer to was named Jimmy Butsicaris

  • @jaredperkins8066
    @jaredperkins8066 Před 3 lety +2

    Look up Gates Brown. He too made his name in prison and played for the Detroit Tigers, and actually was part of the '68 Championship team.

    • @TBClarkJr20
      @TBClarkJr20 Před 3 lety +1

      Mr Brown was “discovered” while incarcerated at Ohio State Reformatory, where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed.

    • @jaredperkins8066
      @jaredperkins8066 Před 3 lety +2

      @@TBClarkJr20 indeed he was. I heard the guards there were impressed by distance he would hit homers during inmates/guard games. That is the word about him spread.

  • @samwisefresh
    @samwisefresh Před 3 lety +1

    Just found your channel the other day and have been enjoying it. Solid content and you've got a sub from me. Keep up the good work man!

  • @markokuhar670
    @markokuhar670 Před 3 lety +8

    Was Ricky “wild thing” Vaughn based off of him?

  • @TheTEN24
    @TheTEN24 Před 3 lety +6

    Awesome and impressive story to say the least

  • @Dreone-1
    @Dreone-1 Před 3 lety +1

    Great video love how you brought up inner city baseball

  • @vaughnmild4467
    @vaughnmild4467 Před 3 lety +1

    1st free agent Jerry Reinsdorph and Eddie Einehorn signed after purchasing the Chicago White Sox in the 1981 season.

  • @Paducahrus
    @Paducahrus Před 3 lety +1

    I remember a made for TV movie about him when I was a kid.

  • @rycoleman
    @rycoleman Před 3 lety +1

    flash flood warning gotta love Michigan

  • @tetetet87
    @tetetet87 Před 3 lety +1

    Awesome video brother, thank you for it

  • @fredaaron762
    @fredaaron762 Před 3 lety +2

    How many players can say they got LeVar Burton to play them in a movie?

  • @pizzagummy3040
    @pizzagummy3040 Před 3 lety +1

    Great story telling man

  • @matthewmead2374
    @matthewmead2374 Před 3 lety +1

    Good video. Very good video. I had never heard of Ron Laflore. Despite being a victim of the war on drugs and thus incarcerated at a young age he was able to use that time to devolop an elite skill. Kudos to those scouts and GMs and managers who recognized his talent and gave him a shot at redemption despite his criminal history. There are not enough people like that in this country and this greatly contributes to the high recidivism and revolving door criminal justice apparatus in this country. If our jails and prisons focused on developing useful skills and our probation system focused on job placement things could be different. Obviously very few prisoners have the untapped skills for professional sports but plenty do have hidden unrealized talents for many things and there are potential lawyers, salespeople, authors, computer programmers, plumbers, dentists, undertakers, rocket scientists, painters etc etc etc. If we worked on building self esteem while foster employable skills and job training I believe recidivism would plummet and the streets would become safer and the workforce stronger.

    • @matthewmead2374
      @matthewmead2374 Před 3 lety

      Btw- I dont know the details of Ron's criminal history but its implied in the video that it had to do with drugs. This of course would make sense since most incarcerations are drug related. Think of how many other Ron Leflores never got to realize their dream because our country locked them away for a personal non-violent choice. Some kid destined to break the single season homerun record is caught with a joint at 16 and that sets a course in motion that keeps him in an out of jail his entire adult life ruining any chance at pursuing his dreams and utilizing his god given talent

  • @TalesFromThePen
    @TalesFromThePen Před 3 lety +1

    He actually became manager of The newburgh nighthawks which was a minor league affilate of the cardinals at the time. He brought his Team in to play us in a ny prison in softball .Good guy . I have a few flickes with hin

  • @josephmenegus3657
    @josephmenegus3657 Před 3 lety +2

    What a story

  • @nathaniel3985
    @nathaniel3985 Před 3 lety +5

    Every time a vid is uploaded I click at lightning speed

  • @jimkennedy5202
    @jimkennedy5202 Před 2 lety

    The bar was the Lindell A.C. which is considered the first sports bar and has a documentary about it.

  • @llltravylll6195
    @llltravylll6195 Před 3 lety +1

    My great uncle played for the Florida tropics after getting waved in low a ball for the tigers

  • @bobbycox2687
    @bobbycox2687 Před 3 lety +2

    I love baseball

  • @morthedgebuckle227
    @morthedgebuckle227 Před rokem

    One of my boyhood favourites.

  • @jamestorres5582
    @jamestorres5582 Před 2 lety +1

    Sad but great story

  • @adam-wg5fy
    @adam-wg5fy Před 3 lety +2

    i met him and got his autograph!

  • @ripharambe4796
    @ripharambe4796 Před 3 lety +4

    ron legoat

  • @clayharker7174
    @clayharker7174 Před 3 lety +1

    Good stuff

  • @julyangel3438
    @julyangel3438 Před 3 lety

    I played for the RBI league when I was in my 20s. Best summer baseball wise. RBI helped alot.

  • @timscott3640
    @timscott3640 Před 3 lety +1

    You should do a video on Champ Summers

  • @noah_that_bills_fan1613
    @noah_that_bills_fan1613 Před 3 lety +3

    I want baseballllllllll

  • @shaggydog8129
    @shaggydog8129 Před 3 lety +2

    The guy who was in prison so happens to be known for his stolen bases.

  • @thomasmartin4281
    @thomasmartin4281 Před 3 lety +1

    Where have all the traveling marshmallow salesmen gone?

  • @soupspoon9554
    @soupspoon9554 Před 2 lety

    Addiction is death.

  • @carlosaguayo7882
    @carlosaguayo7882 Před 3 lety +1

    What a cool story! Look up Toe Nash, similar story in a way

    • @OneEightTwoZero
      @OneEightTwoZero Před 3 lety +1

      I think Baseball Doesn't Exist just did a video on him not too long ago. Good call.

  • @FittedInThe798
    @FittedInThe798 Před 3 lety +1

    Dam he stole alot of bases one of the best players I've never heard of.

  • @coleclayton3627
    @coleclayton3627 Před 3 lety +1

    cool video, really enjoyed.

  • @harrisontravels992
    @harrisontravels992 Před rokem

    A friend of mine played football at notre dame while on felony probation

  • @jainjackson4570
    @jainjackson4570 Před 3 lety

    You didn’t mention Jimmy Butsicaris’s role in getting him out of prison.

  • @whydoineedahandle406
    @whydoineedahandle406 Před 3 lety +1

    How can he first player to lead both NL and AL in SB?

  • @steveschmidt3961
    @steveschmidt3961 Před 3 lety +1

    billy martin once beat up a traveling marshmellow salesman? i think that story deserves a video all itself....

  • @stevencruz4738
    @stevencruz4738 Před 3 lety

    He was a great player

  • @daBEAGLE1017
    @daBEAGLE1017 Před 3 lety +2

    5:15 How can Sparkey only be 45 here?

    • @fredaaron762
      @fredaaron762 Před 3 lety

      Sparky Anderson was born looking like he was 60 years old

    • @daBEAGLE1017
      @daBEAGLE1017 Před 3 lety +1

      @@fredaaron762 i was shocked when i found out he wasnt over 120 when he died.

  • @ericl1332
    @ericl1332 Před 3 lety +1

    Cool, expos then MTL police !

  • @AtlasNovack
    @AtlasNovack Před 3 lety +1

    Major League references get a thumbs up for me :D

  • @rati0cination
    @rati0cination Před 3 lety

    +1 RBI Program!!

  • @jaydenpreston6102
    @jaydenpreston6102 Před 3 lety +1

    Is this a video about Rick vaughn?

  • @vinnythewebsurfer
    @vinnythewebsurfer Před 3 lety +1

    One of the few worthwhile stories to come out of that sports hellhole that is Detroit.

  • @user-iv9er3nr6z
    @user-iv9er3nr6z Před měsícem

    Gate brown ex detroit tiger 🐯 player& coach played started baseball in prison

  • @RustBucketx
    @RustBucketx Před 3 lety

    How have I never heard of him?

  • @Speedster___
    @Speedster___ Před 3 lety +1

    1:20 No Sh*+ Sherlock

  • @rrichards146
    @rrichards146 Před 3 lety

    Prison Baseball?

  • @spangelicious
    @spangelicious Před 3 lety

    This is awkward, but I just looked up who "4Lorn" was and saw that he literally just tweeted out that he's not dead

  • @joeyhudson5880
    @joeyhudson5880 Před 3 lety

    Ricky Vaughn began his career in prison

  • @Thefletchfactor
    @Thefletchfactor Před 8 měsíci

    So what league did you play in last year.. California Penal

  • @samuelhuntington7635
    @samuelhuntington7635 Před 3 lety

    The Wire is the greatest show of all time

  • @alex__825
    @alex__825 Před 3 lety

    sad his career ended on that note :(. but, that's american prison for ya.

  • @therealslasher2292
    @therealslasher2292 Před 3 lety +1

    6 like

  • @staciemohler4624
    @staciemohler4624 Před 3 lety +1

    7th comment

  • @danielcalderon7077
    @danielcalderon7077 Před 3 lety

    2,000 viewer

  • @lightseek88
    @lightseek88 Před 3 lety

    if he got guidance and never went to prison then he likely would never make it to the majors since that was the obstacle that sparked him into making it to the majors. had he got guidance he would probably end up a sales manager for a lumber yard.

  • @glennbo923
    @glennbo923 Před 3 lety

    Sparky would never try to help a person.

  • @hockeycrafter6086
    @hockeycrafter6086 Před 3 lety +1

    Ironic that he was a stolen base champ