Former Tigers President, CEO & GM Dave Dombrowski yesterday "was among those puzzled" why team Owner Mike Ilitch "would choose Tuesday to end a relationship marked, on balance, by success," according to a front-page piece by Lynn Henning of the DETROIT NEWS. It was a partnership that "had delivered five postseason runs, two World Series appearances, and a steady box-office bonanza as the Tigers rebuilt from earlier desolation a 115-year brand name." He said, "I respect that when you own the team you can run it however you like. I’ve had a wonderful 14 years here. ... Owners can do whatever they like. It’s their particular desire, and I understand that. Nobody owes me any explanations." He said that one commonly suspected cause for his exit -- that he was in the final year of a five-year deal -- "could be ignored." Dombrowski: "It had nothing to do with contract negotiations." Sources said that the Dombrowski-Ilitch relationship "endured, for a lengthy time by professional sports’ standards, despite squabbles and tensions two forceful businessmen might long ago have found untenable." Dombrowski said that he "will take time deciding on a new job that is almost certain to come his way, perhaps soon" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/6).
TOUGH CALL: In Detroit, Anthony Fenech reports Dombrowski on Tuesday "received a phone call from Ilitch, who informed him that the team was moving in a different direction with the leadership of the organization." He said, "It was really very nice and short and quick. He was very nice to me and just thanked me for everything here and he said you probably heard that I decided to go in a different direction with the leadership of the organization and I said, ‘Yes, sir,’ I appreciate that, thank you and I thanked him for everything and I just thanked him for everything he did for me and my family and wished him nothing but the best" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/6). Also in Detroit, John Niyo notes Dombrowski was "fired over the phone in his own clubhouse, leaving his teenage son in tears, consoled by players, while his replacement" Al Avila -- "a trusted confidant for more than a decade -- hears that same news 72 hours earlier." Tigers 3B Nick Castellanos, who was one of the players who sat with Dombrowski's son in the clubhouse after the firing, said, "I don’t really know what to think of this whole thing" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/6).
FUTURE FOR THE CLUB: In Detroit, Shawn Windsor writes Dombrowski "was given the money to compete with the richest teams in baseball and couldn’t get it done." His "most impressive achievement" was that "he created expectation." Windsor: "This is his legacy, too. Unfortunately for him, unmet expectation turns toxic after awhile." Dombrowski also "cared too much about what was written about him and could be stubborn and intractable. ... Yet he was one of the game’s best architects, a leader who turned an afterthought franchise into a relevant one" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/6). SI.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote the dismissal "was personal" and "there is really no other way to look at it." But Avila "has spent almost his entire career with Dombrowski." The Ilitches "did not change philosophies" nor "decide to go in a different direction. ... They just got rid of the guy at the top." Ilitch just turned 86 and "isn’t thinking about '18; he wants to win immediately." He is "angry it hasn’t happened yet, and that explains why he got rid of Dombrowski" (SI.com, 8/5). ESPN.com's Buster Olney wrote now that Dombrowski is out, "there is a new overriding question for the Tigers -- and, by extension, their fans: What will the Detroit payroll be in the years ahead?" If "there is a sudden curtailment in the team's budget, the transition years could be very difficult, for Avila and for a fan base accustomed to a roster of great stars" (ESPN.com, 8/5). The N.Y. Daily News' Frank Isola wondered if the Tigers can truly "find a better executive" than Dombrowski ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 8/5). The Detroit Free Press' Fenech said the Tigers "are essentially managing
with a rookie general manager, so there will be some learning pains
down the road" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 8/5).
WHAT'S ON DECK?: In Detroit, Tony Paul writes odds "are strong" Dombrowski "will end up in a front office for 2016, and several big-market, big-spending teams have openings he’s already being tied to." The Blue Jays "would make sense for a few reasons," including President Paul Beeston retiring. The Blue Jays also are "big spenders, with an owner in Edward Rogers who, like Mike Ilitch, is worth billions." Also "keep an eye on the Red Sox." But many in baseball "don’t see this as a great fit, given the Red Sox place atop the mountain of believers in sabermetrics." The "other big opening" is the Angels, whose current GM Bill Stoneman is "just serving out the rest of this season." The Orioles "could key in on Dombrowski if the Blue Jays decide they want to make one more run" at Dan Duquette (DETROIT NEWS, 8/6). CBS Sports' Jon Heyman ruled out the Angels as a landing spot because the GM position there is subordinate to manager Mike Scioscia ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 8/5). In Toronto, Richard Griffin writes if Dombrowski "were to become the Jays’ president, it might work out better" for team GM Alex Anthopoulos than it did for former Tigers GM Randy Smith, who was fired by Dombrowski in '02 after only a few months. Dombrowski and Anthopoulos "have a history and genuinely seem to like and respect one another." Anthopoulous: "I can’t say enough good things about him. ... Dave’s been doing it a long time and had success in a lot of places and I would think his phone will be ringing off the hook" (TORONTO STAR, 8/6). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes the White Sox "aren't mentioned as a possible destination" for Dombrowski, "though they probably should be." If Dombrowski "is willing to return to the place he began his career," Chair Jerry Reinsdorf "should consider the idea seriously." Sullivan: "The odds of this happening are slim" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/6).
