|
|
| Author |
Message |
| 8 new of 116 responses total. |
jep
|
|
response 109 of 116:
| 
Sep 29 14:19 UTC 2003 |
The Terry Foster article Joe mentioned quotes Mike Ilitch as vowing to
spend to improve the team:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/tigers/0309/29/a01-282569.htm
Some Ilitch quotes:
"I am going to do what I feel is necessary to field a good team. I am
going to go out and sign free agents. I am going to operate like other
teams because I feel I have a foundation. I understand our youth and
it is not real complicated now. We are going to fill the holes and see
how it works. Everybody can pass judgment on it."
"People kind of laughed at me, but they asked me what team do you want
to pattern yourself after and I said Minnesota. And they laughed and
they roared. But they drafted right and look where they are.
"It boils down to assessing talent and hiring the best people.
"You are talking about the past, and I want to talk about the future.
I don't know what good it does to talk about the past."
"I am telling you we are going out and getting ball players, and we are
going to have a good team. We are on our way up. I cannot tell you we
are going to have a championship caliber team (in 2004), but we will be
a better team."
"This is what major-league league sports is all about -- talent and
leadership. Alan can do a much better job if he's given talent. He
hasn't had a lot of talent to work with. We turned the kids over to
him. We knew we we're going to take a bit of a hit. Of course, we
didn't ever think it was going to be this severe."
|
jep
|
|
response 110 of 116:
|
Sep 29 14:42 UTC 2003 |
That article says many of the things I've been waiting to hear. It
appears to acknowledge that there is not enough talent within the
Tigers organization to compete; that the only near-term solution is to
go to the free agent market; and that Mike Ilitch is committed to
making the Tigers into a winner.
Now that he's said it, he just has to do it, and Dave Dombrowski, the
general manager, has to spend the money wisely. We can't have more $10
million per year Bobby Higginsons and $8 million per year Dean Palmers
and Damion Easleys; guys who were all, at one time, above-average ball
players but never anywhere near being stars.
We need to see some guys brought into the minors who have the talent
and are given the coaching to succeed at the major league level.
Before that, we need some starting-quality every day baseball players.
Immediately, we need a catcher, shortstop and center fielder who can
field as well as an average major league baseball player and also hit
well. The Tigers don't have anyone on the team, or in the minors, with
any hope of achieving at that level.
The Tigers were able to cut salary for next year by some $20-25
million, and now need to invest that money. They cut Damion Easley
($14 million for this year and next year), and Dean Palmer ($8
million), Craig Paquette ($2 million). They'll also probably lose
Shane Halter ($2 million) and Matt Anderson ($3.2 million).
In another year they'll be able to dump Bobby Higginson ($12 million);
there's no reason they can't apply that money to better baseball
players as well.
All of those guys were signed to big contracts by Randy Smith, who
never had any idea what constituted a good baseball player. Dave
Dombrowski is better at evaluating talent. Therein lies my hope for
next year and the next few years. If Dombrowski is given the money
that Randy Smith was allowed to spend, I think he can build a good
baseball team with it.
But, we'll see.
|
murph
|
|
response 111 of 116:
|
Sep 29 14:43 UTC 2003 |
Wouldn't it almost be better if the Tigers had beaten the record? Then they'd
have undoubtedly hit bottom and would only be able to improve. It's like the
Lions: why can't they go completely winless and be a memorably horrible team,
instead of dragging out one or two wins per season and being merely on the
low end of mediocre?
I'm at least half trolling here...
|
jep
|
|
response 112 of 116:
|
Sep 29 15:27 UTC 2003 |
Imagine that... (-:
The Tigers can always be worse as long as their record is not 0-162. I
think it's a pretty fair bet that they'll win more than 43 games next
year. I don't distinguish much between 43 and 70 wins, though; either
way you're a last place team. They haven't improved until they're not
last place in their division. I hope they won't be in last place again
next year.
They haven't really improved until they break this string of
consecutive losing seasons. This was the 10th or 11th straight year
with a less than .500 record. I'd be delighted if they win game #82
next year.
They aren't a good team until they make it into the playoffs. They're
at least a couple of years away from that. I can wait if they start to
improve. (If they don't start to improve, I'll wait anyway, of course.)
|
albaugh
|
|
response 113 of 116:
|
Sep 29 17:31 UTC 2003 |
No, it would not have been better for them to have set any more records for
being the worst team in some regard. Losing 4 more games and having all the
"worst" records for themselves would not have made Illitch decide to do
something different than what he has already announced. At least this way
people (at least outside of Detroit) will quickly forget about how bad they
really were.
|
flem
|
|
response 114 of 116:
|
Sep 29 19:04 UTC 2003 |
I was hoping the Tigers would lose out also. As one of my friends put it,
"Stupid Tigers can't even lose right."
|
albaugh
|
|
response 115 of 116:
|
Sep 29 19:06 UTC 2003 |
Then s/he is just as "stupid" as the Tigers. ;-)
|
willcome
|
|
response 116 of 116:
|
Nov 27 07:44 UTC 2003 |
I wish I knew how to whorek out what you're saying. I just don't understand
it. These guys are from England, and who gives a shit?
|
