Recently, I asked him some questions about his career. These questions were asked, and answered, over the phone. However, Mr. Northrup did let me tape his answers. That tape is saved in the nBo Baseball archive.

Joe's Question #1: On June 24th, 1968 you hit two Grand Slams in the same game against the Cleveland Indians. What was that experience like for you?

Mr. Northrup's answer: Well, I was in a horrible slump and I actually wasn't supposed to play that game. I went down early to the ballpark and talked to Wally Moses, who was a good friend of our manager Mayo Smith. I talked Wally into telling Mayo that I wanted to play. You know I was still fielding good, not hitting much, but I really wanted to play. I talked my way into the line up and the first time up I stuck out with the bases loaded. I said, "You dummy, why did you talk your way into the line up, you can't hit." I missed a ball right down the middle.
Well, the next two times up I hit Grand Slam Home Runs. So it was quite an experience. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I got lucky and hit balls back to back out.

Joe's Question #2: In the 1968 World Series against the Cardinals, you hit a Grand Slam in game six. You had a two run triple in the seventh inning of game seven, off Bob Gibson that gave the Tigers the lead and won the series. What was playing in that World Series like for you?

Mr. Northrup's answer: Well for me it was a boyhood dream to be able to get into the World Series. And to win it, and to become World Champions, that was my ambition and my aim ever since I came out of college and signed to play baseball. I wanted to be a world champion someday.
You know we missed it in '67 on the last day. Then in '68 to be down three games to one, and come back and win, it was just the thrill of a lifetime. Of course we beat a pretty good pitcher, Bob Gibson. He had some of the best stuff that we'd ever faced. He got 17 (strikeouts) of us, I think, the first game he pitched against us. But we ended up winning it, and it was just a big thrill.

Joe's Question #3: What are your fondest memories of playing in Tiger Stadium?

Mr. Northrup's answer: I guess may-be playing in front of the hometown fans. You know Tiger Stadium wasn't an ideal stadium for me to play in, because center field was so deep, 440 feet. I had good power but it was straight away and in the allies. That's the big part of Tiger Stadium so had it only been like most stadiums, 410 or 415 I probably would have hit more Home Runs.
But to play in your home state, in front of the great fans of Detroit, was special. I loved the ballpark. It was a great park. To be a hometown boy, so to speak, even though I came off the farm. But I was a Michigan boy, so it was an awful lot of fun to play here in Detroit. Like I said, the fans are fabulous.

Joe's Question #4: What players were the biggest influences during your Major League Baseball career?

Mr. Northrup's answer: I think Al Kaline helped me out an awful lot with my fielding. I was having some difficulty, I used to throw almost three quarters side arm. Al showed me how to get my body out of the way so I could come up over the top and throw.
I had a locker next to him for 10 years. To play with a Hall of Famer, it was something else. And my roommate, Bill Freehan was a very close friend. And those two kind of helped me.
Like Bill and I, we thought alike. We were very tough minded and we wanted to win. There wasn't anything we wouldn't do in terms of effort and spirit on that ball club. We had most of the players the same way.
So it was fun to play with a bunch of guys that played for the love of the game, and real wanted to win. That was our motivation. We all grew up together and in about three to five years, that entire ball club had played in the minors and majors together. So it was fun.