Off-field Antics and Problems With Management
Boots was only 21 years old when he debuted with the Tigers, and his career spun out of control within two years. Baseball writer Joe Falls wrote that "Poffenberger aroused great expectations with a 10–5 season as a rookie in 1937, but his performance never approached the heights of his antics...He loved to live it up. In fact, some days he did not show up for work. He became known as the ‘Duke of Duckout'."
Stories about Poffenberger's late night drinking and poor training practices caused him to fall out of favor with the team. After a night of heavy drinking while on a road trip with the Tigers in 1937, Poffenberger called room service and said, "I'll have the breakfast of champions." When asked if he wanted cereal, Poffenberger replied, "Hell, no. Two fried eggs and a bottle of beer."
Later, Boots was interviewed on a radio program sponsored by a cereal company. When it came time for the commercial plug, the interviewer asked, "Now, tell us, Boots, what is your favorite breakfast, taken with cream, sugar and some sort of fruit?" The non-conformist, Boots refused to play along and responded, "Ham, eggs, and two bottles of beer."
After returning to the Tigers from a one-day "disappearance," manager Mickey Cochrane stood over him in the clubhouse and demanded to know his whereabouts. Boots replied: "I refuse to reveal my identity."
The Tigers eventually hired a detective to follow him. Owner Walter Briggs, Sr. tried to get Boots to change his ways by reciting everywhere Boots had gone and everything that Boots had done in the late hours. Boots asked Briggs how he knew about all of his activities, and Briggs explained he had hired a private detective. Boots said, "That's a waste of your money, Mr. Briggs. You ought to assign him to some other player. You know darn well what I'm going to do." Boots told Briggs he should give Boots the money he was giving to the detective and Boots would tell them where to go. "All they’d have to do was go to the beer joint closest to the ballpark."
Read more about this topic: Boots Poffenberger
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