The World Series has a habit of making people famous, and Chicago native Curtis Granderson knows his slip in center field during Game 4 probably will be replayed forever.
“It’s part of history,” Granderson said Friday. “Anything to be a part of it. . . . It’s not as negative as it could be, and I found out that the other guy that fell, his name was Curt too.”
Curt Flood was the”the other guy” who fell, coincidentally also in St. Louis during Game 7 of a Tigers-Cardinals World Series in 1968. Fox had video of Flood’s misplay ready to go and showed it moments after Granderson’s slip.
“I actually found out more today about it,” Granderson said. “I guess his was more of a misjudged (fly) than a slip. Similar, but a little bit different at the same time. But we’ve both got the same names, so maybe that’s part of it.”
Tigers manager Jim Leyland absolved Granderson of blame for his fall and suggested the link to Flood was simply media overkill.
“It came at a real dramatic time, during the World Series,” Leyland said. “If that happened during the regular season, you might see it on the highlights for a second, then you wouldn’t see it anymore. But now you’ll probably be watching it for a long time. They’re still talking about Curt Flood. Christ, that was 1968.”
Granderson handled himself after Game 4, repeatedly explaining his slip to reporters crowding his locker. He didn’t hide before Friday night’s game either. “It’s pretty much over,” he said. “It just happened, and it was a slip, not a physical or mental mistake. It just happened.”
