ðə dɪtɹˈɔɪt tˈaɪɡɚz tˈiːmz ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪks nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪt, ˌɔn wˌɪtʃ kˈɔflɪn plˈeɪd, wɜːɹ ɐmˌʌŋ ðə mˈoʊst kˈʌlɚfəl ɡɹˈuːps ɪn bˈeɪsbɔːl hˈɪstɚɹi, wɪððə flˈaɪɪŋ spˈaɪks ʌv tˈaɪ kˈɑːb, ˌɔnfˈiːld ˈæntɪks fɹʌm dʒˈɜːməni ʃˈiːfɚ ænd tʃˈɑːɹli oʊlˈɪɹi hˌuː tˈʊɹd æz ɐ vˈɔːdvɪl ˈækt ɪnðɪ ˈɔfsˈiːzən, fˈɪstɪkˌʌfs fɹʌm kˈætʃɚ bˈɔs ʃmˈɪt, ænd ðə ʃˈaʊts, dʒaɪɹˈeɪʃənz, ænd dʒˈɪɡz ʌv hjˈuːi "ˈiːjˈɑː" dʒˈɛnɪŋz fɹʌmðə θˈɜːd bˈeɪs kˈoʊtʃɪŋ bˈɑːks.
The Detroit Tigers teams of 1906–1908, on which Coughlin played, were among the most colorful groups in baseball history, with the flying spikes of Ty Cobb, on-field antics from Germany Schaefer and Charley O'Leary (who toured as a vaudeville act in the off-season), fisticuffs from catcher Boss Schmidt, and the shouts, gyrations, and jigs of Hughie "Ee-Yah" Jennings from the third base coaching box.