A Batter from the Pen

Ron LeFlore was not much interested in sports when he attended Detroit's Eastern High School. "I was into something altogether different," he says. Several things, in fact--like hard drugs, a breaking-and-entering conviction and finally, at 17, the Southern Michigan State Prison for armed robbery. Over the next 3 1/2 years, LeFlore compiled a more impressive record belting fastballs for the prison baseball team. Says he:

"That's all there was in prison -- base ball, baseball, baseball. I really got involved in the game."

Detroit Manager Billy Martin heard about LeFlore's robust .569 batting average and two months ago, while visit ing the prison for a speaking engage ment, Martin told him to "come and see me at Tiger Stadium -- if you can get a pass to get out." Up for parole, LeFlore got the pass and on June 16 -- his 21st birthday -- went to Tiger Stadium for a tryout. "I saw him hit balls into the up per deck," says Martin. "If he was 18, you'd pay $100,000 to sign him. He's that good a prospect." Three weeks later, just a few hours after he gained his parole, LeFlore was signed by the Ti gers. Shipped off to the club's Class A farm team in Clinton, Iowa, the muscular outfielder exclaimed: "This is be yond my wildest dreams! I'm going to stick with this baseball."

Detroit Outfielder Gates Brown, for one, hopes that he does because "this may be his last go-round in life." Brown should know. Recruited out of an Ohio reform school ten years ago, he has be come one of the Tigers' most reliable pinch hitters. "1 was able to take advantage of my opportunity," he says, "and I hope LeFlore can too." He had also best take advantage of opposing pitchers: after two weeks with the Clinton Pilots, LeFlore was batting a dismal .125. The ex-con rookie is confident that his hit ting will improve once he overcomes a slight case of nerves and gets accustomed to playing night games. In prison, he explains, the floodlights were not used for baseball.

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