Glenn
03-22-2006, 11:17 AM
[smilie=anxious.gif]
http://tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060321&content_id=1358858&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=det
http://tigers.mlb.com/images/2006/03/21/PeKyTpHk.jpg
Ilitch itching to get more involved
03/21/2006 11:45 PM ET
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mike Ilitch and Jim Leyland haven't talked often enough to know each other. After a 15-minute conversation Tuesday night, they could relate to each other pretty well.
"I want to hear his assessment of what we have," Ilitch said after Tuesday's 10-7 Tigers win over the Astros. "We had a nice talk about that. He was very direct and he tells it like it is. That's very refreshing."
The owner asked straight questions, and the manager gave straight answers. And the owner left feeling as good about the team as he does about the guy he put in charge.
"I think we have some talent, we've always known that," Ilitch said. "And I think one of the key factors is we've got a manager with a wealth of experience. ... The way he covers every aspect of the game that a lot of people wouldn't even think of without any baseball background kind of reminds me of [former Detroit Red Wings head coach] Scotty Bowman from the standpoint that not one thing gets by him. He knows everything about every player, every situation, and he lives, eats and breathes the game. Those guys don't come along that often."
Tuesday marked Ilitch's first visit to watch his ballclub this spring. He watched the game from his box at Joker Marchant Stadium with president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, then made his way to the clubhouse.
Most of the veterans had already left, and only a few players at all were still around. He talked with closer Todd Jones, then made his way to the manager's office. Leyland compared it to a quiz.
"It was very enjoyable," Leyland said. "It was right to the point. I told him what I thought."
As for Ilitch's reactions, Leyland said, "He'd be a good poker player. He never showed any signs of anything. He just listened and asked the next question. And I enjoyed it. It was straight to the point."
Leyland compared that directness to what he saw from Marlins manager Wayne Huizenga during his two years in Florida.
"There's something about certain people like Mr. Ilitch or Mr. Huizenga," Leyland said. "When they walk in the room, there's a presence. It's there. Don't ask me to explain it, but it's there. I saw that tonight -- dignified, right to the point. You can see why he's been successful. And hopefully we're going to make this successful."
Success, in Ilitch's view, is a relative term. He didn't put it in terms of a championship, nor did he point to a winning season for the first time since 1993. It was more relative than that, more about having this club play meaningful games in the second half.
"A successful season," Ilitch said, "would be for players to play up to their potential and have about three or four players exceed their potential. It would be a great year. ... Then I figure we've got a real ballclub. You get real excited, and you want to drastically improve it and you're in the hunt. It gets everybody excited."
If he gets to that point, he wants to get involved. Really, he wants a chance to get involved.
"I haven't had an opportunity where I've had a ballclub that's displayed some talent, some will and desire and performed at a high level," he said. "When you get to that point, then you want to do everything possible for a team to win, and then you want to go out and get the players that you feel you should to fill the holes because you know it's going to mean something, because you've got a tremendous foundation.
"I haven't been able to make a difference -- in other words, to be able to get in there and say, 'This is what we need. OK, let's go get him, because you know you're on a roll now and you've got a chance.' I've never been in that position in baseball, and that's the position I want to be in."
This team, he said, will have to show him it can get into that position before he can make that difference. At this point, this early in the season, he wants to believe that it can.
"This is the best I've ever felt about it," he said, "because we've got a farm system. We know that every year we'll be able to have somebody come up that's going to be able to come close to making the ballclub or make the ballclub. We have that type of farm system now. So that's a wonderful feeling.
"You know you've got the foundation. You know you're going to have the players coming, and the guys will perform at their level, what their potential is. Generally when that happens, you're going to get people exceeding their expectations. That's the way sports run.
"I'm happy with what I see. I am. We know how long it's been, and I feel bad. We've got a great tradition. We've got great Tiger fans, and they deserve a better ballclub."
http://tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060321&content_id=1358858&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=det
http://tigers.mlb.com/images/2006/03/21/PeKyTpHk.jpg
Ilitch itching to get more involved
03/21/2006 11:45 PM ET
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mike Ilitch and Jim Leyland haven't talked often enough to know each other. After a 15-minute conversation Tuesday night, they could relate to each other pretty well.
"I want to hear his assessment of what we have," Ilitch said after Tuesday's 10-7 Tigers win over the Astros. "We had a nice talk about that. He was very direct and he tells it like it is. That's very refreshing."
The owner asked straight questions, and the manager gave straight answers. And the owner left feeling as good about the team as he does about the guy he put in charge.
"I think we have some talent, we've always known that," Ilitch said. "And I think one of the key factors is we've got a manager with a wealth of experience. ... The way he covers every aspect of the game that a lot of people wouldn't even think of without any baseball background kind of reminds me of [former Detroit Red Wings head coach] Scotty Bowman from the standpoint that not one thing gets by him. He knows everything about every player, every situation, and he lives, eats and breathes the game. Those guys don't come along that often."
Tuesday marked Ilitch's first visit to watch his ballclub this spring. He watched the game from his box at Joker Marchant Stadium with president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, then made his way to the clubhouse.
Most of the veterans had already left, and only a few players at all were still around. He talked with closer Todd Jones, then made his way to the manager's office. Leyland compared it to a quiz.
"It was very enjoyable," Leyland said. "It was right to the point. I told him what I thought."
As for Ilitch's reactions, Leyland said, "He'd be a good poker player. He never showed any signs of anything. He just listened and asked the next question. And I enjoyed it. It was straight to the point."
Leyland compared that directness to what he saw from Marlins manager Wayne Huizenga during his two years in Florida.
"There's something about certain people like Mr. Ilitch or Mr. Huizenga," Leyland said. "When they walk in the room, there's a presence. It's there. Don't ask me to explain it, but it's there. I saw that tonight -- dignified, right to the point. You can see why he's been successful. And hopefully we're going to make this successful."
Success, in Ilitch's view, is a relative term. He didn't put it in terms of a championship, nor did he point to a winning season for the first time since 1993. It was more relative than that, more about having this club play meaningful games in the second half.
"A successful season," Ilitch said, "would be for players to play up to their potential and have about three or four players exceed their potential. It would be a great year. ... Then I figure we've got a real ballclub. You get real excited, and you want to drastically improve it and you're in the hunt. It gets everybody excited."
If he gets to that point, he wants to get involved. Really, he wants a chance to get involved.
"I haven't had an opportunity where I've had a ballclub that's displayed some talent, some will and desire and performed at a high level," he said. "When you get to that point, then you want to do everything possible for a team to win, and then you want to go out and get the players that you feel you should to fill the holes because you know it's going to mean something, because you've got a tremendous foundation.
"I haven't been able to make a difference -- in other words, to be able to get in there and say, 'This is what we need. OK, let's go get him, because you know you're on a roll now and you've got a chance.' I've never been in that position in baseball, and that's the position I want to be in."
This team, he said, will have to show him it can get into that position before he can make that difference. At this point, this early in the season, he wants to believe that it can.
"This is the best I've ever felt about it," he said, "because we've got a farm system. We know that every year we'll be able to have somebody come up that's going to be able to come close to making the ballclub or make the ballclub. We have that type of farm system now. So that's a wonderful feeling.
"You know you've got the foundation. You know you're going to have the players coming, and the guys will perform at their level, what their potential is. Generally when that happens, you're going to get people exceeding their expectations. That's the way sports run.
"I'm happy with what I see. I am. We know how long it's been, and I feel bad. We've got a great tradition. We've got great Tiger fans, and they deserve a better ballclub."