Tigers scout Mike Russell’s quiet gesture a ringing example
From Jason Beck at MLB.com on August 16, 2013, with mention of SABR member Dave Dombrowski:
Mike Russell has been a Major League scout for more than two decades. He’s used to the scout’s task of working in the background, never getting the glory, rarely seeing his name mentioned. His advice and opinion have provided the groundwork behind many Tigers trades over president/general manager Dave Dombrowski’s tenure.
Scouts are folks who often get quoted, but anonymously. So he wasn’t quite prepared when his name popped up in a story about the funeral services for James Van Horn, known around Comerica Park as the “Eat ‘Em Up Tigers guy.”
It was one line from a funeral director, buried in an MLive.com story, noting that Russell picked up the cost. It was an off-the-field gesture he was hoping would stay anonymous, like his on-field work. Now that the word is out, he’s hoping it can be an example of paying it forward.
“I just didn’t want Mr. Van Horn’s family and him to go out with no dignity,” Russell told MLB.com in a phone conversation Wednesday night.
Read the full article here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130815&content_id=57122502&vkey=news_det&c_id=det
Originally published: August 16, 2013. Last Updated: August 16, 2013.