MONDAY MUSINGS

/ totallytigersblog

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 bring them out in the open and invite conversation about some of these subjects.

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…

This has been the week for whackadoodle owners to shine.

First, Orioles owner John Angelos who went nuclear on their main beat reporter in a room full of media.  It had to do with the owner’s possible sale of the team and whether the Orioles would stay in Baltimore.  Angelos then promised to release the financials of the Orioles so everyone could see that the team was stable but now those records aren’t available and the owner is refusing to accept any follow-up phone calls.

No report would be complete without mentioning Angels owner Arte Moreno who made a big deal about putting the team up for sale.  But now he claims he’s not selling.  It may have something to do with MLB adding 2 new expansion teams in the near future which would net Moreno 1/30th of a $2+ billion franchise fee.

It now appears that the whackadoodle owners may be adding another member to their group – Astros owner Jim Crane.  Notorious first for the cheating scandal and now for firing his GM and Asst. GM immediately after winning the World Series.

Crane, despite having no experience with running a baseball team, became the GM (and Asst. GM) de facto at the winter meetings and oversaw all trades and transactions.  And he’s taken his own sweet time in finding a new GM.

Last week it was reported that his choices had boiled down to 2 candidates.  Dana Brown, an experienced baseball man, exceptional scout and VP of Scouting for the Braves.  And the other?

Brad Ausmus.

Yes, the same man Tiger fans know painfully well.  Also the same guy who managed for exactly 1 year with the Angels (and Arte Moreno) and got the job because he aced the written exam. The Angels actually admitted out loud that this was the reason why they hired Ausmus.

Nevermind that Brad was unsuccessful once he retired from playing.  He couldn’t manage 26 men on a roster but somehow Crane thought he could take over running the entire Astros organization.

If you’re looking for some humor, check out some of the social media threads when Astro fans heard that Ausmus was a top contender for the job.

Fortunately for them, Crane ended up hiring Brown. It shouldn’t have even been a contest.

We’re starting to see some significant changes in the Tigers organization now that Scott Harris and new personnel are in charge.

Some of the more notable moments are pictures of some Tigers participating in Pilates.  I had been lobbying for that to be included in the team’s training for years.  Pilates not only lengthens and strengthens, but it builds the core better than any other exercise and helps to prevent injury.

A recent interview with Matt Manning was quite revealing.  It mentioned that under the old leadership, he was quite stubborn and uncoachable.  But now, he worships the ground under pitching coach Robin Lund who broke down his mechanics and saw what potentially was creating his injuries.  Manning is now a believer and listening/practicing every bit of advice given to him.

He also let it slip that while the Tigers incorporated analytics under Al Avila, there was never a program that used them correctly.  Manning said of the new staff “We’ve broken down film, broken down numbers that I didn’t even know we had.  They’re starting to explain it in certain ways, and it’s all starting to really make sense. I’m really proud to be in this organization and be taking the next step forward.”

The undercurrent of the entire interview hints of frustrations created because of lack of proper resources. Iffy pitching mechanics, experimentation instead of analysis and communication issues appear to have existed for quite awhile under the old regime due to outdated coaching and the team’s hesitation to be among the last to integrate kinesiology and biomechanics.

It now sounds like the hiring of Lund has paid off even before the season starts. Manning’s mechanics have been improved, there is a pitching plan and he’s now listening to coaches. Hopefully, others to follow….

As expected, the company that owns Bally Sports is about to file for bankruptcy. Bally has been tightening its budget over the past 2 years and this probably was one factor in the departure of the Detroit Tigers’ Jack Morris.

This potentially means that the Tigers could lose significant income from tv rights. Diamond, which owns Bally, only has 1/4th the cash on hand to pay all the teams in its system what they are owed.  Under the presumed restructuring laws, the debtors will become the new owners of Bally and will earn the right to cancel any tv rights contracts and renegotiate them.

It’s unclear how much revenue the Tigers will lose if contracts are terminated. Other teams like the Cardinals are expected to take huge hits.

The Tigers recently signed a 10-year contract w/Bally. The old contract paid them $50mill/year. The new one is speculated to be as much as $100mill/year.

All of that may be out the window.

So why is this important to fans? The Tigers are a business and therefore they will end up having to restructure their budget. It may impact the roster and also the costs that fans see.

Unfortunately, a streaming option per game that was discussed last year is too late to enact for Bally.  And at one point, Chris Ilitch explored starting his own sports network like the Yankees YES.  Names were trademarked but we heard nothing after that.

And the Red Wings also fall under the Bally debacle so it will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Ilitch family decides to do.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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26 thoughts on “MONDAY MUSINGS”

  1. I cut the cord a few years ago and not long after lost access to what is now Bally. The teams have been so wretched that I missed it less than I imagined I would. I wonder if Illitch wishes he had followed through on his notion of creating a network for the family’s two teams and the Pistons.

    Liked by 5 people

    • The ineptness and stupidity of Sinclair Broadcasting (Bally Sports) blaming their financial trouble on declining cable subscriptions and their expensive contracts with MLB teams is hilarious to me. Another beef I have is with MLB Network and their blackout of live Tiger games within Michigan. We live in northern Michigan 250 miles from Detroit and the live games are blacked out, not to mention when we are 400 miles away in the UP, the games are still blacked out.

      Liked by 6 people

  2. My guess is that you may see the Ilitch family start their own sports network. If they add the Pistons, they will have a big start. Two things might turn off our fans: rehiring Shep and streaming games to other services forcing fans spend more to see all the games.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. The Matt Manning situation is a great example of how a strong infrastructure, one that teaches and prepares, can begin to build a culture. The culture where everyone has an opportunity to improve, not just the incoming that have been picked to fit the culture, but those current who are seeing a new more expanded culture in step with other MLB franchises. I am quite excited to find out who will stay and who will not be part of the new Tiger Way.

    Liked by 6 people

  4. I had the same reaction to the pilates classes and understand that the team is investing in skilled sports nutritionists as well. It is great to see Harris take such a comprehensive approach to player development. Hopefully if Illitch takes a hit from Bally’s bankruptcy he won’t put the minor league players back on Ramen noodles and Mac & cheese.

    Liked by 4 people

    • The thing that irks me about the sports nutritionists, and pilate training, good trainers , medical, is DD and AA had to know (you can’t tell me they did not) what other organizations were doing and knew they did it better which fostered better health and play. Yet….crickets. I don’t understand how they could be ‘in the know’ and not do anything, The changes SH is making are refreshing and just seems to be common sense

      Liked by 3 people

  5. I recently read where the RSN model is also losing money, so that may be why Chris I hasn’t pursued starting his network. Streaming and sports apparently are still ‘finding their way’, much like the way cable did back in the day.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. It is great news that Manning is praising Robin Lund for his advice and how he broke down his mechanics and saw what potentially was creating his injuries. My question is this – Why is the blame for that Manning was “uncoachable” in the past put on Avila and not Hinch and Fetter?

    Liked by 5 people

    • Hi, Pondo – To answer your question, for multiple reasons. Manning has been with the Tigers since 2016 and it started years before Hinch and Fetter came on board. Beginning in the minor leagues and their poor corporate culture. It continued with the lack of a viable player development system in which Manning was not getting the advice and proof he needed. Then the recent reports that while the Tigers had analytics, they didn’t know how to use them with players. You can understand how Matt came to not take their advice. Even with the hiring of Hinch and Fetter, there were still pieces missing. You can’t expect someone who has 5+ bad experience to suddenly turn around. It’s a process to change your belief system. Lund was that missing link and quite frankly, someone the Tigers should have hired years ago. – Holly

      Liked by 3 people

      • Holly – I’ll have to agree to disagree. Fetter has been there for 2 years. Lund has been there for roughly 2 months and he has apparently suddenly turned Manning around. Hopefully, Lund can do the same with all the other young pitchers who suffered injuries under Fetter’s tutelage.

        Liked by 2 people

        • I’m with you Pondo as Hinch was in the dugout when we had all the injuries and the dreadful offense. We gave him great credit in ’21 and can’t blame the ’22 mess on the field and in the trainer’s room on Avila. AJ needs a bounce-back year too.

          Liked by 1 person

        • Hi, Pondo – I hear you but allow me to play devil’s advocate and ask a lot of questions. Do we know that Fetter made Manning a completely different pitcher with different mechanics? As for injuries, do we know it was Fetter’s doing? If so, why then was his contract extended and why are other teams in pursuit of him? Did the same thing happen to the pitchers at U-M before he came to the Tigers? With pitchers as a prized commodity wouldn’t teams get rid of their pitching coaches if they believed the coach was responsible for all those injuries?

          Or could injuries instead be a result of the Tigers not training/conditioning their pitchers well or not having a coach trained in kinesiology/biomechanics on the managerial staff? If you listen to Justin Verlander, he blamed the Tigers for their outdated training methods. I think it’s easy to blame 1 person when in actuality there are a number of people who are involved in a pitcher’s development. – Holly

          Liked by 4 people

          • Plus, remember the lockout/walkout this past off season where Mize (and possibly others) attempted to change or add the knuckle curve (?) to his repertoire without any coaches or management assistance or even knowledge. It’s generally thought that was a large factor in his injury.

            Liked by 2 people

            • The knuckle curve is an easy pitch to learn and Chris Fetter teaches it a lot, it is different grip and arm action than a regular curve and can be taught safely even to youth pitchers with little danger of damage. It is the ‘Splitter’ that Fetter and many others do not like and Mize used as his primary pitch at Auburn, and later brought back during the lockout without the Tigers knowledge. Few can throw this pitch without damaging their arms severely.

              Liked by 7 people

              • Thanks Nick. I couldn’t remember if it was the knuckle curve or the splitter that caused the bru-ha-ha (thus the question mark).

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          • All are great questions. However, my question remains. How was Lund able to fix Manning in such a short period of time when Fetter has had 2 years to do it? If Lund gets credit for this part of the job as a pitching coach, why is Fetter not getting blamed for not doing this part of the job?

            Liked by 2 people

            • Hi, Pondo – It’s because Lund is a full-blown college professor of biomechanics, statistics and anatomy. He is also a certified strength trainer and had a Masters and PhD in exercise science. At Iowa, he was considered one of their best professors for how well he taught students. Fetter doesn’t have any of this – he’s not a doctor like Lund. Lund’s job is to break down video and data and apply it solely to the body. He won’t be doing what Fetter is. His role is very different with the team. – Holly

              Liked by 3 people

              • Ah, that makes more sense then. So Lund isn’t really a pitching coach in the traditional sense like Fetter, he is more of a trainer. Regardless, if he can keep these kids healthy, he will be worth his weight in gold! Thanks for the clarification!

                Liked by 2 people

            • Why was Lund able to fix Manning in a short period of time? I contend that we do not yet know if Manning is indeed “fixed”. He may be, but we will likely not know for certain until well into the season.

              Liked by 2 people

  7. One can infer from the fact that Jay Sartori is still here that his analytics department was putting out a good product that nobody in the Avila organization knew how to use properly even in the unlikely event they were inclined to do so. Manning’s comment above is more evidence of that. What a waste of what would seem to have been an excellent resource.

    Liked by 3 people

    • I have been curious about Jay Sartori as well. Perhaps the data collection and measurement has been done effectively, but putting the data for use by players was the responsibility of coaches and player development personnel and was not done effectively. Or perhaps, it is still early and SH does not want to clean house too much and too quickly.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I wondered the same thing about Sartori and the analytic program called ‘Caesar’ that he was developing. Reading between the lines re: Manning, it would seem that that department was producing good data and it wasn’t being used correctly if at all. It will be telling whether or not SH keeps him and his department or cleans house eventually.

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  8. I learned that MLB has plenty of cash to take over Bally’s RSN. With a Bally bankruptcy, they could just buy them out, and the teams would all get their money due them. MLB already controls the Streaming packages, so if they buy out Bally they could have a monopoly. They would also likely end the blackouts. This could very well happen this year rather than in 2024.

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    • If MLB takes over the RSNs, do they pay anything to the NHL and NBA teams that have contracts with the RSNs? Do the NHL and NBA buy shares of the RSNs? It could get quite messy to sort out.

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  9. When the Tigers drafted Mize, Pedro Martinez pointed out the flaws in his mechanics. I wonder if he will be as open as Manning to any changes Lund may suggest.
    If JV had resigned with the Astros, I wonder what he might have said to Crane about the possible hiring of Asmus.

    Liked by 3 people

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