The End Of The Beginning

Rob Sanford

When England prevailed in the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill told the nation..."This is not the end, or the beginning of the end....but it is the end of the beginning." That's how I feel about the Tigers beating the Yankees 3 out of 4. The team's struggles are not over and this doesn't mean they are instantly going on from here to crushing the American League. But maybe when the season is over we can point to this week and say it was the start of the turnaround. I hope so. Is just luck that the Bengals offense woke up when Victor Martinez returned to the line up and Scott Sizemore was called up from Toledo???? Probably not, but don't discount the starting pitching really came through, and they did it against the league's most potent offense. So before you call for the firing of Jim Leyland (which fans always call for when the Tigers are slumping) let's just see what happens from here.

I take no joy in saying for the last 2 seasons that Joel Zumaya will never repeat what he was able to do in 2006. He puts too much strain on his shoulder and elbow which in the end catches up to you. Just like "The Bird" I suspect he rushed his recovery from his bad shoulder a few years ago, changed his delivery slightly, thus causing his problems. He will likely never pitch again for the Tigers because he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Here's hoping that Magglio Ordonez can continue the hitting he has shown in the Yankee series. I will be forever grateful for his home run that sent the Tigers into the 2006 World Series. That's not the only reason...he has been nothing but professional on the field, and off the field his character is above reproach. Detroit needs more athletes like him setting a positive image.

With the death of Sparky Anderson this winter, another death in the Tiger family went almost unnoticed. Steve Boros passed away as well.... spending much of his baseball career with the Bengals. Boros played 3rd base for the Tigers in the early 60's...and after managing the San Diego Padres and Oakland A's, he came back to Detroit. He served in many capacities in minor league system...where I met him when I was broadcasting White Caps games. He was a true gentleman and forgot more about baseball than I can ever hope to know. As the director minor league operations during spring training and evaluating the players, he would make the final decisions on their baseball futures. He once told me the toughest thing he had to do was to tell someone their dream of being a major leaguer was over...and see their eyes water up or head drop in discouragement. I thought his passing could not go without paying him tribute.