Generally speaking, when a team loses 100 games in a season, it?s assumed that they?ve bottomed out. They can?t get much worse, can they?
The Detroit Tigers, who play the Orioles tonight at Camden Yards, know all about bottoming out. In 2002, they finished 55-106. A year later, they dropped to an almost unbelievable 43-119, the worst finish by a big-league club since the 1962 Mets. The first-year New York expansion club went 40-120, redefining awful baseball in the process.
When the Tigers finished their nightmare season, there were statistical analyses done that indicated the Tigers, man-for-man, were actually worse than those inaugural Mets, the extra three wins and one less loss notwithstanding. The 2004 Tigers jumped to 72 wins, a 29-game turnaround. It wasn?t realistic to expect another 29-game jump in 2005, and in fact, they slipped a notch to 71 victories. Manager Alan Trammell was fired and replaced by Jim Leyland.
When Orioles? fans speak of their club bottoming out, they usually recall the 1988 season, when the Birds dropped their first 21 games en route to a 54-107 season. That team rebounded to contend in 1989, but that year, in retrospect, was a total fluke. They haven?t lost 100 games in a season since then, although they came close a couple of times under Mike Hargrove.
Last year, both the Orioles and Tigers had similar records ? Baltimore won only three more games than Detroit, but the major difference is that the Orioles teased their fans, spending a long time in first place before the wheels came off in the second half of the season. Tigers? fans haven?t experienced that kind of buzz for a long time, but there?s a small vibration under way in Motown, as we approach the quarter pole of the current campaign.
Detroit came to town in second place in the AL Central, eight games over .500. The Tigers, throughout their struggles the past several years, had a plan all along, and it appears to be coming together. They?ve put together a balanced, mostly young starting rotation. Offensively, they?ve got guys who hit for average, guys who hit for power, and guys who do both. Defensively, they?re more than adequate. It?s a good club.
Jim Leyland is the right guy at the right time to manage this club. His reputation preceded him, and it?s likely that some of his players are caught up in the adrenaline rush that accompanies the arrival of a high-profile manager. Time will tell on that front.
The Orioles can aspire to the top of the AL East ? a difficult proposition given the presence of the Yankees and Red Sox. But sometimes you have to get worse to get better, and honestly, is there any real difference in the entertainment value between fourth and fifth place? If there?s a plan ? and the hiring of razor-sharp executive Jim Duquette as VP of Baseball Operations tells me there is ? there?s reason for optimism.
Hear Phil Wood every Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN Radio 1300 AM.
