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Come Fly with Me. "I'm just a smalltown boy," says Denny disingenuously. "I'm awed by all this. Money impresses me. Big business impresses me. Important people impress me. I'm a mercenary. I admit it. I want to be a billionaire." Not surprisingly, Denny dreams other big, important money-filled dreams. One day, for example, he intends to travel in his very own private Lear Jet. His blue eyes sparkle as he stares at the magazine ads. "Look at this," he says. "Lear Jet for $718,000. . .The turboprop takes off at 2,000 feet per minute. The Lear Jet takes off at 6,300 feet per minute! Wow!. . .The Lear cruises at 41,000 feet. Wow!" He brushes back his dirty-blond hair. "All rich people have them, you know. Lear Jets. I don't know if I want to learn to fly one myself. No, I just want to ride in one, and hire a couple of pilots of my own."
Will he ever get the jet? The answer depends on the next two weeks. McLain claims to be unaffected by the mounting pressure as the Tigers close in on the pennant and he approaches his 30th victory. "Oh, sure, I've been thinking about 30 ever since I got to 15," he admits. "I mean, it's got to be in your mind. But I'm not losing any sleep over it. I adore sleep."
One of his favorite expressions is "Nobody's perfect." When he fouls up a game for whatever reason: "Well, that's the way it is. Nobody's perfect." Last month, after victory No. 25 in Boston, he spent two solid days hopping around New York and Detroit, appearing on the Today show, huddling with his agent, attending promotional meetings for his Quintet records. In 48 hours, he managed only five hours of sleep, and when he went out to pitch the second half of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, Denny was dreadful. He was sent to the showers in the sixth inning, and the White Sox won 10-2. Denny had no excuses. But he had no apologies for his energy-sapping extracurricular activities either: "If I have to sit still, I lose my mind. If I'm going or coming I'm okay, but once I stop, I get nervous." Despite these occasional lapses, Denny boasts: "On the days I pitch, I'm the best there is."
To his credit, there have been few games like that for McLain this year. Except for him, the Tigers have no reliable starting pitcher. He is their "stopper," the man they count on to save the big ones and allay any possibility of a losing streak that could demoralize the team. Indeed, twelve out of McLain's 28 victories have followed immediately after Detroit losses. Yet for all that, Denny is no one-man team, and he knows it. "I tend to coast unless I'm pressed. I've been in trouble almost every game this year," he says. "But with this ball club, all I have to do is keep the score close." Although Detroit's team batting average is only .230, fifth best in the American League, the Tigers hit when it counts. They lead in runs scored (586), and they have clouted 159 home runs, 34 more than any other team.