At 70, Detroit’s Jim Essian still racking up rings, and ringing endorsements, with USPBL
When Andy Appleby had the idea to start an independent professional baseball league, practically in the shadows of the Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park, there were more than a few snickers and crooked eyebrows, mostly from the media.
The skepticism subsided, and much of that can be traced to one man, former major-league player and manager Jim Essian, a native Detroiter who gave the United Shore Professional Baseball League instant credibility when he signed on as assistant coach for Year 1 in 2016.
“Oh, yeah, for sure,” said Justin Orenduff, the USPBL’s director of baseball operations.
“People respect him.”
Essian,