Detroit's recent run is fool's gold. Truth is, the Tigers could hasten their transition from decade-long rebuild to legitimate contention by moving E-Rod.
After an abysmal start, the Tigers are nearly at .500 and just a stone's throw out of first place in the AL Central. Imagine where they would be if their owner had invested even minimal resources into the team this season.
In fact, their origins go back to 1895 when owner George Vanderbeck decided to build Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, which would remain the home for the Detroit Tigers for the next 104 seasons, until the final game in 1999.
Paws - that loveable character you see milling around Comerica Park on a warm summer day - is at the top of the list of America's favorite team mascots.
Until or unless Ilitch is willing to share the burden of responsibility, via engaged ownership and committing to spending like a serious contender, it won't matter who the Tigers' general manager is — Detroit will continue to wander the baseball wilderness.
Through one-third of the season the Tigers are one of the worst teams in baseball, just one year after a surprising 2021 campaign gave fans hope that the team's five-plus-year rebuilding period was over.
Coincidentally the story of the film is about an aging Detroit Tiger who is attempting a Swan Song season and make it to the World Series. This is of course what happened the very next year, as the Tigers would go on to be World Series Champions.