By Terry Foster
Beacon Columnist
Detroit Tiger fans are bouncing off the walls and dancing in the streets because owner Chris Ilitch finally showed that he is serious about winning.
He finally made the Tigers a top 10 payroll, which is essential to competing for a World Series.
The Tigers joined the MLB arms race — at least for one season — when they signed Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract to join two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in the rotation.
That set off the explosion of glee amongst Tiger fans who cannot wait until the home opener Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Comerica Park.
Fans like toys. Big toys.
Tigers owner Chris Ilitch has always been a businessman first and a competitor second. That was the same path his father, the late Mike Ilitch, took before finally waking up in 2004 and deciding the Tigers were worth investing in.
I sat in on the meeting at Comerica Park when Mike Ilitch turned from skinflint to Big Money Mike in the 2004 offseason. He promised that day to go all in to win. Money and desire were no obstacles.
I wrote a story about his change of heart and took criticism from my media brothers and sisters who said Mike lied to me and took advantage of me.
He kept his word, however.
Prior to that season, his goal was to maintain payroll and field a competitive team. After that meeting in 2004, he signed free-agent catcher Pudge Rodriguez and became an ally to super-agent Scott Boras and signed or traded for Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen. Ace Justin Verlander reached his prime, and two years later the Tigers were in the World Series playing to chants of “Win one for Mike.”
We won’t hear chants of “Win one for Chris” anytime soon. However, it is refreshing to see that he finally woke up to realize that if you show a little bit of passion as an owner, Tiger fans are all in and will fill Comerica Park.
The Tigers don’t need to invest stupid money like the Los Angeles Dodgers ($397 million annual payroll) or New York Mets ($366 million). However, they are 10th in baseball ($206 million), a figure I can respect.
The Tigers won two playoff series the past two years, but were heavily criticized for not being all in. Hitting was pathetic, and they refused to swing for the fences with a big free-agent signing.
Despite the success, Tiger fans were lukewarm on the team.
This is a very good team that should win the pathetic American League Central and has a good shot to at least make the AL Championship Series. With the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners looming, a World Series may not be in the cards.
“We’ve solidified ourselves as, ‘These guys can play a little bit, now they’re the team to beat,’’’ catcher Jake Rogers said during spring training. “We want to get to the playoffs and go even farther, get to the World Series and win it. It’s no easy task, but I think we’ve got a lot of talent to do it.”
There is more to be excited about than stand-out pitching. Rookie Kevin McGonigle looked like a seasoned veteran when he smacked two doubles and two singles in his Major League debut last Thursday, an 8-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.
“He’s a special talent,” Skubal said. “He doesn’t really need any help. He just needs to be Kevin. He’s a really good baseball player, and he proved it today.”
The Tigers finally have the pieces in place to be major players in the American League. It’s great to see them join baseball’s arms race.
Now it’s time to enjoy the ride.