Per Anthony G.

This site says so too. Crazy, I wonder why:

http://www.tigerscentral.com/comments.php?id=831_0_1_0_C

saddly, i dont think theres any question why. he must have relapsed. i know alot of people were rooting for him, but this really shouldnt be a surprise. staying sober for an addict is hard enough, but when you throw in the whole mlb thing, it was just a matter of time.

i mean, everyone who is familiar with addiction said demitri almost certainly would relapse. i guess its doubly disapointing cuz he was really producing for us, too.

I agree with B-diddy...

No way it is performance related, he is hitting .25 not great but has 7 HR's and 23 RBI's since the end of July, while that is not great it is likely better production line except for BA than Magglio. Plus it is after Sept 1st, it's not like we don't have extra roster spots. You don't cut a decent Switch hitter, after all he has been through without cause or because of a bad stretch. DY f'd up again that is the bottomline, but DD is being classy by not revealing it.

There must be a salary cap reason too for cutting him. I know he makes a boatload of cash, maybe they saved some money from this. I'd rather see Clevelan in the lineup than him anyway, so no big loss IMO.

I was shocked when I saw this on the crawler on ESPNNews last night around the end of the game. It's gotta be a relapse.

In addition to his addiction problems, he's hot headed (just like Delmon) and maybe he got into it with Leyland over playing time?

In any case, this has the potential to be a pretty big distraction, and the timing sucks.

DD can say that it's 100% performance related, but if that was the case he wouldn't have even been in the lineup yesterday, and once Dmitri starts to talk to the press and gives his side of things, DD might be forced to open up a bit.

Terry Foster
http://www.sportsinferno.com/TruthSpeak.php


Tiger Player Speaks During Tough Stretch

OK. I am officially scared. Panic has hit as this Tigers pennant race stumbles down the stretch.

There are major issues with this team and the Tigers got rid of one of them when they released first baseman Dmitri Young. He was not accepted by teammates. Most of the smiles and hugs were public relations spin to convince the public all was ok. Tigers manager Dave Dombrowski got rid (sic-BG) of Young because he was not producing at the plate. But he also got rid of him because of growing resentment in that clubhouse.

Young damaged his reputation in the clubhouse with his drinking and with unprofessional behavior toward teammates. Some guys could never get past that. Even though Young hit well early in his come back after being suspended, the Tigers were never the same team when he returned.

I am banking this move is partly to get team chemistry back. You know the old saying: "addition by subtraction."

I got an email from my Tiger player and he was happy with the move. Here is what he had to say "In DY's (sic-BG) case, you did not honestly believe that DY would be accepted back with open arms, all the welcome back was all for PR. The guy's (sic-BG) playing time was severely limited; letting him hit third was to get the heat off of pudge, and of course let's (sic-BG) not forget Magglio's (sic-BG) inability to play a decent game consistently since all star break. Magglio is not carrying his weight. Most of the guys feel that Magglio is only going to get worse as time goes on. That knee is not as good as they want people to believe. That is getting to be a sore spot in the club house."

I firmly believe that Mag`s knee is a trouble spot and have said it several times on the air. I don`t care what anybody says. If you don`t believe me look at the way he turns on a fly ball. It is a struggle for him. And I have to believe it has affected his push at the plate. Do you notice the guy barely hits home runs any more?

Pudge Rodriguez is struggling in the clutch again and now this is a ship trying to struggle back to shore with a sputtering motor.

To make matters worse both the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are hovering. The Twins are four games back and the White Sox 4 1/2 and the Tigers and Twins are about to hit a four-game set in Dome of Doom. I hate that place. It is loud and nasty and Detroit baseball and football teams struggle in there.

Down the stretch we come.

I think Jethro was someone here who basically called DY not being welcomed back by the rest of the players, looks like he was right.

yikes. hopefully the clubhouse can restore any chemistry that might have been dwindling lately. this upcoming series should be huge.

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060908/SPORTS08/609080334/1129


Young was a 'growing cancer'

Source: Designated hitter, who was released by Tigers on Wednesday, didn't care about team.

By Tom Gage
Detroit News

MINNEAPOLIS -- Why did the Tigers really release Dmitri Young?

"To put it bluntly," said a source within the organization, "he was a growing cancer, someone who cared too much about himself, and not enough about the team.

"I thought this was going to happen. You could see it building. People will say all the right things, but the truth is he won't be missed by many of us."

Young, the Tigers designated hitter, was released in a surprise move following Wednesday's game against the Mariners at Comerica Park.

The reason given by Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland was Young's lack of performance, despite the fact he hit .292 after returning to the team in July from treatment for depression and alcohol abuse.

Three sources within the team, however, indicated there was much more depth to the decision than that.

"It was the manager's call," one said.

"I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner," another said.

"He was a different person when he wasn't hitting," the third said.

That's not to say Young didn't have supporters. First baseman Sean Casey talked to him Thursday to say how sorry he was about what happened.

"I think Dmitri was shocked, but I don't know if he was that shocked," Casey said. "I think he was more sad than anything."

What can be ruled out is that the Tigers' decision was a knee-jerk reaction to a supposed confrontation between Leyland and Young -- after Young was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 5-4 loss.

There was no confrontation.

"Dmitri didn't like it, you could see that," a source said, "but he didn't make a big deal about it. He just sort of sat there sulking."

Two factors made Wednesday's move unusual:

Young hit third in his final game with the Tigers, not a spot conducive to thinking team officials were going to jettison him any time soon.

Plus, it's rare for any player with an ounce of value to get released in September during a pennant race. It just doesn't happen.

This time, it did happen -- with the explanation of "he wasn't performing," while believable, it did not provide all the answers.

Young mutifaceted
Indeed, many of the Tigers were still wondering Thursday -- with a crucial four-game series against the Twins in the works -- why Young was flat-out released.

"He was a fighter, a winner, and we're going to miss him," pitcher Todd Jones said after it happened.

On Thursday, though, some of the blanks were filled in.

No one spoke on the record, but they were more than ready to, off the record.

"We were getting concerned again about his weight," one source said.

"He wasn't mixing as he once did," another said. "He seemed more withdrawn."

"He was a puzzle," a third said. "There was more than one side to him. They weren't all team sides."

Young declined to comment after being released and couldn't be reached Thursday.

Fast start, abrupt finish
It has been a tumultuous year for Young, certainly.

He left the team in May to take care of "personal problems," only to return in July after a month of rehabilitation and another month of getting back in baseball shape.

He charged out of the gate upon his return, contributing instantly, but tailed off. With a club option next year, he was likely in his final year in Detroit, anyway.

Of course, there were those who didn't like the way he remained a Tiger for this season. After his option kicked in for 2006, Young missed much of last September because of a leg injury.

"We never forgot that," said one of those speaking off the record Thursday.

Young, at his best, was a solid hitter in his four years with Detroit. He never hit 30 home runs or even drove in 90, but he was an All-Star in 2003 and provided some memorable moments, such as the three home runs he hit on Opening Day last year.

But his mix of emotions perplexed some -- so much so that it seemed the club released him at the first chance it got.

"I know there was a stipulation when he came back from his rehab that if he didn't hit, this was a possibility," a source said. "When he didn't hit, they didn't hesitate.

"That tells you something, doesn't it?"

Bottom line -- it tells you that, yes, his release was performance-related.

And much more.

Lynn Henning and Terry Foster contributed to this report. You can reach Tom Gage at tom.gage@detnews.com.

I hope that he pulls his life together but I could really see him as the next Donnie Moore. He is a guy that even when he struggled had his reputation as being a great teammate and first class character. Then came this year and his image took a mjaor hit, with the arrest then the drugs/alcohol rehab. Most people chalked up his behavior as a side effect of his battles with drugs and booze, however when he comes back and can't get his game on track like he wanted instead of being a leader he becomes the destroyer of chemistry.

I always look at professional players as being composed of three parts, one part talent, one part team ambassador/community relations/citizen, and lastly locker room presence/leader. In general as long as a person has at least one of the three at the top of expectations they can stick in pro-sports, if they have two there in no danger of being out of the game anytime soon.

With DY when he came here he was a rare guy who was talented, great in the community and was a great leader. He never had a reputation of not being liked by anyone except for Ken Griffey Jr. (who hates everyone), now it all has fallen to pieces.

His talent is eroded, his image in baseball is damaged and he is being labeled a cancer, if he doesn't find a way to get out the dark place he is in he will be out of baseball and 6 ft under not long after.

so let me get this streight. DY is still sober, he's doing pretty good statistically, but his teammates dont like him anymore? wtf? if DY is being an ass, who cares? how bout a little simpathy for the guy?

i've thought for a while now the tigers are mentally weak, and this would really validate that. if this is really what happened, it'd be pretty disgusting, to me.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2603471


Former Tigers DH Young sentenced to probation

Associated Press

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Former Detroit Tigers player Dmitri Young was sentenced Tuesday to a year of probation for assaulting his former girlfriend.
Young pleaded no contest in June to a domestic violence charge but changed his plea to guilty Tuesday so the case can be dismissed in a year. He was accused of assaulting 21-year-old Michelle Schumaker of Toledo, Ohio, at a Birmingham hotel April 14. Young had faced up to three months in jail and a $500 fine.

"I'm sorry that the incident happened," Young told Judge Diane D'Agostini. He then turned to Schumaker and said, "Michelle, I'd like to apologize for what happened and I wish you the best of luck."

D'Agostini denied Young's request to complete his probation in his home state of California or to travel to Florida to visit family.

The Tigers released the designated hitter Sept. 6. He spent 30 days at a California rehabilitation center this summer for depression and alcohol abuse.