http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2647242


AL champ Tigers extend GM Dombrowski through 2011

Associated Press

DETROIT -- After turning around the Detroit Tigers during his first five seasons, Dave Dombrowski was given a four-year contract extension on Thursday that runs through 2011.

Dombrowski, the team's general manager, president and chief executive officer, helped lead the team this year to its first playoff appearance since 1984.

"Dave is a great leader and a great 'baseball guy' who is bright, hardworking and committed to success," owner Mike Ilitch said in a statement. "He is clearly the top executive in baseball today and unmatched in terms of his ability to oversee this club both on and off the field.

"I am confident that we will continue to make the same great strides in the years ahead that we did this season under his strong leadership."

Through savvy trades and signings along with sound drafts, Dombrowski helped the Tigers build a team good enough to reach the World Series for the first time since 1984 and to end a streak of 12 straight losing seasons. Detroit lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games, three years after setting an AL record with 119 losses.

Just five of the 25 players on Detroit's playoff roster were a part of the franchise before Dombrowski arrived.

Dombrowski was hired away from the Florida Marlins, where he helped the expansion team win a World Series, on Nov. 5, 2001, and he assumed general manager duties the following April.

"I am very happy that we have been able to agree to a contract extension," Dombrowski said in a statement. "Mr. Ilitch has been great to me and I look forward to being in Detroit for years to come."

Dombrowski's career began in 1978 with the Chicago White Sox, working as an administrative assistant in their minor league and scouting departments. He was hired to lead the Montreal Expos 10 years later when he was just 31. Dombrowski became the Marlins' first executive vice president and general manager in 1991.

Detroit also extended the contracts of vice presidents Al Avila, David Chadd, Scott Reid and John Westhoff; minor league operations director Dan Lunetta; player development director Glenn Ezell; and major league scouts Scott Bream, Dick Egan, Al Hargesheimer, Mike Russell and Greg Smith. The Tigers did not say how long their extensions were for or when their new deals end.

Boo, he's terrible.


Oh wait, this isn't a Matt Millen thread?


Good move, no brainer in fact. Now work your magic again Dave.

This is great. No team has ever really seen what he can do with a winner once it's built. If he can continue to make this team better, the way he has every single year, his tenure in Detroit could be historically the best run the Tigers have had, which would be amazing considering the Cobb era.

By the way, I realize the Tigers never won a World Series with Cobb, but don't even try to say that 3 consecutive appearances in the World Series is bad. 34-35 when they went back to back and won the 2nd is arguably better, but now you're just nitpicking. Compare the current team with the best runs in history - don't argue exactly which previous run was the best.

nicely done. with Dumars and Dombrowski........it's like they have zippos and Millen is trying to start a fire rubbing two sticks together.

nicely done. with Dumars and Dombrowski........it's like they have zippos and Millen is trying to start a fire rubbing two sticks together.

Excellent analogy, except I believe Millen would be using his ass as wind power as well as the sticks.

figuring dombroski would stick around is what kept me level about the tigers coming up short. imo, dude has the best resume of any gm in sports. the success was no fluke. the copa is going to be insane. day in and day out for years and years. our budget is going to get big, and guys will take less to get here.

baseball is different than other sports. each team is like its own country. its like the tigers had been a starving third world country for the last 20 years and stumbled into nuclear technology--out of nowhere we're right there with the top dogs.

Fuck'n A

Must be nice negotiating an extention after your team just went from worst in the league to the World Series, not that he didn't deserve it.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/wires/11/03/2010.ap.bba.tigers.coaches.0199/


Tigers hitting coach Don Slaught resigns; Van Slyke returns
Posted: Friday Nov 3, 2006 1:56 PM

DETROIT (AP) -Detroit Tigers hitting coach Don Slaught resigned Friday, and Andy Van Slyke agreed to remain on as first-base coach for the AL champions.

"The drain of being away from my family and other business interests proved to be too much,'' Slaught said in a statement. "I love coaching and I enjoyed my time with the players, a special group that got us all to the World Series.''

Slaught said he doesn't want to miss any more time with his wife and four children.

"I understand Don's situation because I was in a similar situation following the 1999 season when I left the Rockies to be with my family in Pittsburgh,'' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Don did a good job for us and we will miss him and wish him all the best.''

Slaught spent 16 years as a catcher in the majors. His one-year stint as the Tigers hitting coach was his first coaching assignment.

Van Slyke was a three-time All-Star during his 13 seasons with St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Van Slyke and Slaught played for Leyland in Pittsburgh.

I suppose this means that Leon Durnham (Triple A hitting coach) is going to be promoted.

I can't say that I'm broken up over Slaught retiring. I wouldn't automatically annoint Durham, though I would love it since he gets a lot out of his players offensively. Fact is, Durham isn't a Leyland guy like the rest of the staff. For all I know we'll have Sid Bream or Bobby Bonilla as our next hitting coach. How is it that we aren't employing Jose Lind, Mike Lavalierre and RJ Reynolds?

I can't say that I'm broken up over Slaught retiring. I wouldn't automatically annoint Durham, though I would love it since he gets a lot out of his players offensively. Fact is, Durham isn't a Leyland guy like the rest of the staff. For all I know we'll have Sid Bream or Bobby Bonilla as our next hitting coach. How is it that we aren't employing Jose Lind, Mike Lavalierre and RJ Reynolds?

This made me laugh.

Don't sleep on John Smiley as our next pitching coach.

I'm hoping the coaching shakeup extends to the 3rd base coach, Lamont. He should go to the dugout and be next to JL, but I'd like someone else at 3rd.

I didn't think he was on top of his game sending runners or holding them.

This made me laugh.

Don't sleep on John Smiley as our next pitching coach.

Ever notice that for the first 3 years of his career never once did anyone manage a photo of this kid with a smile?

I stocked up on Smiley's rookie card back in the day because I thought he was going to be a superstar.

Luckily, his card was going for about a dime at the time, so no real damage.

McClendon shifted to hitting coach
Former Bucs manager was Tigers' bullpen coach in '06

Lloyd McClendon is getting the call out of the Tigers' bullpen with a bat in his hands.

Manager Jim Leyland on Thursday shifted McClendon, Detroit's bullpen coach this past season, to hitting coach in a shuffling of the staff that returns Triple-A Toledo pitching coach Jeff Jones to the big-league staff as bullpen coach.

The moves fill the opening created last week when Don Slaught resigned after one year as hitting coach.

It's not exactly a leap for McClendon, who knows the role well. He spent four years as hitting coach in Pittsburgh under then-Pirates manager Gene Lamont from 1997-2000, during which the Bucs transitioned from a running game into more of a power-based team behind Brian Giles and Kevin Young. McClendon was popular enough among the players that he was named the manager once Lamont was dismissed after the 2000 season.

McClendon won't face the same challenge this time, not with a more veteran lineup, but his experience will be tapped in Leyland's effort to reduce the free-swinging nature of his club and increase the Tigers' ability to manufacture offense without relying on power. Detroit put up runs based in no small part on balance throughout the lineup, especially with home runs from the bottom third of the order.

"Lloyd McClendon is a quality member of our coaching staff," Leyland said in a statement, "and I feel very confident in his abilities to be our hitting coach based on his previous experience in that role with the Pirates."

Likewise, Jones is well-versed in the bullpen duties, having done it four other times under four other Tigers managers during his 18-year coaching career in the organization. He filled the job in 1995, then during then-manager Larry Parrish's tenure in 1998 and 1999, then spent the tail end of the 2000 season as interim bullpen coach once Lance Parrish moved over to bench coach to fill in for an ailing Bob Melvin on Phil Garner's staff.

Jones returned to Detroit in 2002 in the same role once then-bullpen coach Steve McCatty became pitching coach for Luis Pujols' lone season managing the Tigers. Jones had served as pitching coach in Toledo since, working with several of Detroit's young pitchers along the way. Among his accomplishments, he is credited with helping hone Nate Robertson's game during his time as a Mud Hen in 2003, while also molding Fernando Rodney into a big-league reliever.

"I'm glad that we were able to promote from within the organization by adding Jeff Jones as our bullpen coach," Leyland said. "After working with him during Spring Training and seeing the job he has done in Toledo, we're thrilled to have him on board."

Class A Lakeland pitching coach Britt Burns will be promoted to take Jones' place in Toledo, reprising the role he had the last time Jones was promoted to Detroit in 2002. Former Tigers pitcher and Tampa Bay Minor League pitching coach Joe Coleman has been hired to take Burns' place in Lakeland.

The moves mean that respected Mud Hens hitting coach Leon Durham will remain in Toledo for the 2007 season. Durham and his no-nonsense approach have proven popular with players who have come up through the organization, but McClendon's experience won out for the Detroit job.
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061109&content_id=1737587&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det