MONDAY MUSINGS

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by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you. So, let’s kick off this week’s musings…

So many feelings – both good and sad – watching Lou Whitaker’s number retirement ceremony.  The biggest one is that the Tigers have finally caught up with the rest of MLB by honoring the truly great who aren’t yet in the Hall of Fame.  And despite what so many may feel about Chris Ilitch, he was the one who green-lighted this move.  Not his dad.

And then, as we watched his former teammates gather at Comerica, we saw how much they had aged.  All except for Lance Parrish who looked terrific and still capable of reducing anyone to jelly with 1 hand tied behind his back.  And then we realize that this is the last group of players to win the World Series – 38 years ago.  That large gap of time is really inexcusable and the ageing process we witnessed only highlighted it how long it’s been. No fan should be reduced to celebrating something that last happened almost 4 decades ago.

Did you also notice that both Chris Ilitch and Al Avila weren’t introduced to the crowd?  That was done on purpose although those boos could easily have been translated to “LOOOOOUUs”. Ilitch was quite gregarious with everyone on the dais but Avila really didn’t seem happy or chatty at all.

Jim Leyland was there, as he always is for ceremonies.  His ties to Lou go back to the 70’s when he managed Whitaker in A ball, albeit he was the only one present who was not part of the 1984 crowd.  Willie Horton was there, not just because of his role with the team, but he and Lou are close, with Whitaker always reminding others that Horton was his idol.

Interestingly enough, Lou did an interview recently in which he mentioned JL and his comments would not surprise many fans.  “He hasn’t changed the way he manages.  I saw him when he first came to Detroit in 2005 and as I watched him, I could go back in time to 1976 and say, ‘Wow, he hasn’t changed a bit.’  Leyland still hasn’t changed as he advises and scouts for the team, in contrast to Al Avila’s insistence that the organization is much more modern and analytics-driven.  I’m still scratching my head over how an organization can have 2 completely different ways of how to evaluate talent co-exist with each other. Oil and water.

Hopefully, Lou’s number retirement will help push Cooperstown’s nominating committee to act faster.  However, reports this past week say that the restructuring of the voting committees is a speed bump for Whitaker being recognized this year and that his nomination will most probably be delayed yet again.

The MLB trade deadline is still shaking out with analyses of GMs and what they did or didn’t do.  To no surprise, the best ones are creative and manage to make moves that other teams couldn’t.  Farhan Zaidi was once again painted as a genius for moving both Matthew Boyd and Trevor Rosenthal despite the fact that both were injured and not currently pitching.

Yet Al Avila told us the market for relievers was saturated and no one wanted anyone from the Tigers’ bullpen which is ranked #3 in MLB.  Yet at least 6 other teams, with lesser relievers, moved theirs.

What is the value of a GM if he can’t trade or sign impactful free agents to move this team forward?

Don’t look now but Justin Verlander is on his way to winning yet another Cy Young Award.  He currently has more wins than any other pitcher (15) and MLB’s best (starter) ERA.

He recently did an interview in which he praised the Astros to the moon and back.  JV said that Houston’s staff really knows pitching and how to help their hurlers.  He also stated that the organization is tremendous about how they welcome and treat their players.

Ouch.  He never said anything like this about the Tigers.

And I’m hoping my greatest fear doesn’t get realized.  If Verlander wins that third Cy Young, coupled with his recent comments, it may just push him into wearing an Astros hat when he goes into the Hall.  He’ll have 2 of these awards with Houston, only 1 with the Tigers.  And while group awards such as World Series championships carry less weight than individual records, that ring could help do some nudging.

JV’s RoY and MVP with Detroit still are leading reasons for him to wear that Old English D into Cooperstown, as do the strikeout records, pitching Triple Crown, ERA record and no-hitters.  But the Tigers need to be careful and really nurture that relationship once he retires or they may just repeat the mistake they made with Jim Bunning who chose to go into the Hall as a Phillie.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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23 thoughts on “MONDAY MUSINGS”

  1. What I found interesting was the size of the crowd in attendance for Lou’s ceremony on Saturday given he hasn’t played in so long. You compare that as to when Miggy got his 3,000 hit and his ceremony in June. Lou Whitaker clearly is loved by so many to this day.

    Liked by 10 people

  2. The Roar of ‘84. Bless you Boys. “He Ain’t gonna pitch to you.” 35-5! Was there ever a season of Tiger baseball that was defined by so many magical moments? Yes, ‘68 was great, but ‘84 and all its memorable moments resonate still to this day. A well deserved and long overdue moment for Whitaker indeed

    Liked by 8 people

    • ‘68 resonates as much, if not more for me. No one expected us to come back from a 3-1 deficit, but Mickey Lolich was totally up for the task, out-dueling the great Bob Gibson for the game 7 win. And, iirc, Lolich is the last pitcher to pitch 3 complete game wins in a World Series.

      Liked by 5 people

  3. I got misty eyed watching the ceremony. It was sad and emotional seeing a aged Trammell,Brookens,Herndon etc. And I wondered how many are left from the 68 championship team. I miss those teams and players. Darn this passage of time!

    Liked by 6 people

  4. What struck me on Saturday, was the great disparity in talent between that 1984 team and the team the Tigers were putting on the field Saturday. That alone should have been a deep embarrassment for Chris Ilitch. That also got me to thinking about how much talent Al Avila has cost this club over the years just by his inability to make trades not to mention the few costly bad ones he’s made.

    Liked by 9 people

    • I agree, and I’ll add that Illitch and Avila must have been pretty embarrassed at being on the stage but not getting recognized – even if it was their choice. What an uncomfortable feeling they must have had. Hopefully, it will spur CI into making many improvements during the off season. Will AA still be around to attend the Winter Meetings?

      Liked by 6 people

      • I would certainly hope the Al Avila and his long time cronies are “long gone” by the winter meetings. But I have my doubts tha CI will finally clean house and modernize the front office.

        Liked by 3 people

  6. I havent been to a game since 2019 and had no intention of going, but the lure of honoring Sweet Lou and a free ticket with good friends got me down to the park. Lou was my favorite playing growing up, I bat left handed and would imitate his stance for hours trying to perfect it. It felt good to remember why I fell in love with baseball in the first place and to see how much the 1984 Tigers still mean to this fan base.

    Liked by 7 people

  7. I was also at the game and for reasons I won’t go into now I won’t go again. It was so hot but all the fans appreciated and respected the legacy of our Detroit Tigers something I’m not sure ownership and management does. I’ll never forget the 68 Tigers.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Two divergent philosophies running things leads to complete inertia. The host becomes stagnant and It is why the Tigers are so dysfunctional. Watching Leyland prance around this weekend with Ilitch and Avila sitting there was enough to sour this weekend’s event. They are pivotal to this teams current state of affairs. Your referencing Avila and his constant accuses, always blaming the market for his continued failures to make trades.

    Liked by 5 people

  10. The only bad thing about Lou’s Tiger weekend was the presence of the owner, the GM and the present players.

    Like

    • It was comical how they went out of the way not to mention Chris I or Al. Very deliberate effort to not even get them on camera. Lou thanked Mrs I but didn’t mention Chris or the family.

      Liked by 3 people

  11. What is sad is that as JV works towards his inevitable HoF retirement (in 5 years or so) he remains the last Tiger ML level player developed and he is pushing 40. I think there may be an issue there to be worked on.

    Liked by 6 people

    • It’s almost statistically impossible for a team to be so bad at player development. When you think of how few MLB caliber players of any talent level come up through the Tiger organization it’s stunning. Other teams employ systems that function at the level of Greek philosophers while the Tigers operate at the level of Mediocrates, “Meh, good enough”.

      Liked by 6 people

  12. In the free agent era the cap a player wears when entering the Hall is becoming irrelevant. So many good ones jump from team to team. It’s really about the player and not the uniform.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Currently the Hall of Fame itself determines which team is shown on the plaque for inductees based on significant history. May that be a problem with JV, yes but I think at present the Tigers lead with the longevity factor and some significant moments like those stated plus 2 no hitters.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hi, Fred – The Hall does make the suggestion but they also ask the player about his preferences for the hat he wears. Even recently, they have allowed the player to make the call. My greatest fear is that one is often more attached to their most recent experience while the past can fade. JV will be pitching for the Astros next year and conceivably longer than that which could take away from his Detroit experience. Thanks for adding to this conversation! – Holly

        Liked by 2 people

  13. Lou and Tram were the best part of the ‘84 team for me. It’s wonderful to see their names (finally) together on the wall, which is as it should be. Now we just need Lou to join Tram in Cooperstown – they both belong there, as they made each other the great DP combo we remember so fondly.

    Liked by 4 people

  14. I thought the ceremony was very well done and obviously choreographed so as not to introduce or include Chris and Al so as not to have attention taken away from Lou.

    Liked by 1 person

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