Thursday, September 29, 2005

Exciting last week can't make up for Tigers' inefficiency

By Rob Parker / The Detroit News

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DETROIT -- On Wednesday night, disappointment outnumbered fans at Comerica Park.

That was the word fans used most often to describe this Tigers season gone awry. It seems as if it has been three years since Dmitri Young hit those three home runs in the opener on a perfect day for baseball.

On that day, so many believed this year would be different, that the Tigers would finally turn the corner. Getting to .500 wasn't an issue. It was expected. And, for the first time in almost a decade, anything short of that level wasn't acceptable.

Sure, the Tigers have won a few exciting games this week against the White Sox, who are heading to the postseason -- even if they haven't played as if they want to do so. It always feels good when you win -- the Tigers' four-game winning streak ended Wedneday -- but it can't cancel out the season as a whole.

"I'm a little disappointed," said Marlene Burgess, of Dearborn, who wore a Tigers jersey and cap. "They started out with a bang.

"Each year, it seems like they're doing a little bit better. I still thought things would be better. Hopefully, they'll get better next year."

The Marlins example

This was supposed to be next year. You can't keep talking about next season when your franchise hasn't been over .500 in 12 seasons. It hurts even more when you realize that the Florida Marlins joined the major leagues in 1993. In that time, they have won two World Series.

The Tigers?

Nothing. Zip. Nada.

Vic Kowachek, a retiree from Sterling Heights, isn't mad at the poor results. He has been a Tigers fan for more than 60 years. He heard all the talk before the season and said he thinks things got out of hand.

"I really don't think it fell apart," he said. "The expectations were probably too high with basically the players.

"We got a couple of key guys, but you need more than key guys. And then the key guys didn't make it -- hurt, injured and some probably didn't play as well as they should have."

The injury excuse, though, doesn't work. Sure, the Tigers lost some guys to injury, but so did other teams. The White Sox are in the midst of winning the Central Division despite not having their biggest star, Frank Thomas, for most of the season.

The Yankees lost two of their starting pitchers -- Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright -- and are still competing for a playoff spot.

What about Trammell?

Then there's Alan Trammell. The Tigers leave you feeling as if they might have been able to do more with another manager. There's no proof of that. But you get the sense that everything wasn't pulled out of this group, that there's more here than we've seen.

"I hope they give Trammell another year," Burgess said. "They need to give him something to work with."

It's only normal for fans to want to protect Trammell. He's a legendary figure in this town, and people honestly have a connection with him. They can't separate Tram the player from Tram the manager.

Not surprisingly, most of the disappointment is directed at the players.

"They just didn't seem as if they played with Detroit pride," said Carlus Jackson of Detroit.