(8 of 10)
That was last year. "I've grown up a lot this season," says Denny. For one thing, he has learned to put a muzzle on his mouth or at least to temper his cracks. He still insists that "Tiger Stadium is the worst in the league," but now, instead of simply railing that "Detroit fans are the worst I've ever seen," he is careful to limit his complaint to "some" Detroit fans. Even so, he has been belligerent enough to inspire one of those fans to wire a smoke bomb to the engine of Sharyn's car. The bomb was a dud, but it blew the lid off Denny's volcanic temper once again. Says Denny with solemn intensity: "If I ever catch the man who did that, I'll kill him."
Denny means what he says. But before he could carry out such a threat, he would have a whole platoon of buffers to contend with. Now that the going is good, he is surrounded by a public relations man, a business agent, a lawyer and an accountant—all devoted to protecting him from himself. They are necessary. Fame has brought Denny fortune—and constant problems. At home, the phone is forever ringing with calls from people pleading with him to visit their store, appear at their nightclub, endorse their product. On the road, Denny's current roommate, Shortstop Ray Oyler, has taken to answering the phone: "Mr. McLain's office." Denny is already scheduled for post-season appearances, playing the organ on the Ed Sullivan Show and at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Capitol is preparing a record album by the Denny McLain Quintet, with Denny playing such standards as Lonely Is the Name and a new song, Extra Innings, that he says has "a dirty beat." There is an eight-week nightclub tour in the offing. There are personal promotions for Hammond's new $6,000 X-77 organ, which Denny says "is a helluva lot better than the old B-3." He ought to know; he owns one of each. "Music has always been the No. 1 thing in my life," he typically exaggerates. "Baseball is a means to an end. I want to ultimately be a professional musician."
All the extras that Denny brings in ought to add another $100,000 to the $35,000 salary the Tigers are paying McLain this year. And next year Denny plans to hit Tiger General Manager Campbell for a $65,000 raise—to an even $100,000. Yet despite the steady influx of cash, he continues to demonstrate his need for help by spending money as if it were going out of style. Just last month Denny was sued by Diners' Club Inc. and S. S. Kresge Co. for a total of $1,120 in long-overdue bills that he had simply forgotten. His business manager quickly settled the suits by sending off checks.