AP Interview: Tigers GM Dombrowski acts like a fan, briefly

By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
October 16, 2006

DETROIT (AP) -- The man who built these turnaround Tigers still has work to do before the World Series.

Like getting his voice back.

General manager Dave Dombrowski hollered himself hoarse after Magglio Ordonez homered to clinch the AL pennant on Saturday, throwing his hands in the air and hugging everyone around him. It was a rare display for the reserved, buttoned-down executive.

"When you're in charge, you often have to keep your emotions inside," Dombrowski said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press.

"People don't see the emotional side of me often, but there are times you just let it go -- like when you win the pennant in dramatic fashion at home like we did," he said. "Now, it's time to get composed again and hopefully we can react like that again because there's still another notch to go."

Ordonez's ninth-inning homer finished a sweep of Oakland in the AL championship series. It gave Detroit a whole week to calm down and rest up for the World Series, starting Saturday night at Comerica Park against either St. Louis or the New York Mets.

The Tigers will play for their first championship since 1984 just three years after losing an AL-record 119 games and being baseball's losingest team the past 13 years.

They could not have done it without owner Mike Ilitch's money and Dombrowski's moves.

Ilitch was so embarrassed by the 2003 season that he desperately wanted to sign free agents at whatever costs were necessary.

The owner of the Tigers since 1992 knew he would have to overpay to lure some stars to Detroit, but some such as Miguel Tejada, wouldn't even take the Tigers seriously when they called.

All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez did, signing a $40 million, four-year deal the winter after the long-suffering franchise hit an all-time low.

Ordonez, an All-Star outfielder coming off an injury-shortened season, followed in 2005 with a $75 million, five-year contract that could be worth as much as $105 million over seven seasons.

Baseball analysts and fans laughed at the Tigers for giving such lucrative offers to both players, but they're not anymore.

"Dave's credit needs to be laid at Mr. Ilitch's feet for spending the money to get Pudge and Maggs," said 38-year-old closer Todd Jones, who signed last winter along with 41-year-old starter Kenny Rogers. "That gave the other guys reasons to come. If you're an older player and you don't have a chance to win, there's no chance coming.

"But Dave gets credit for getting the right guys."

Detroit's opening-day payroll was $82.3 million -- putting it in the middle of the pack in the majors -- and it grew by making trades during the season for first baseman Sean Casey and Neifi Perez.

After leading Florida to a title in 1997, Dombrowski was lured away from the Marlins to be the Tigers' president and CEO on Nov. 5, 2001. Dombrowski fired and replaced GM Randy Smith five months later.

Along with the signing free agents -- Rodriguez, Ordonez, Jones and Rogers -- the 50-year-old Dombrowski has pulled off some trades that turned out to be steals, made some savvy picks in the draft and reconnected with an incredible manager.

Quite a bit of success for someone who started his baseball career at 21 as an administrative assistant with the Chicago White Sox in their minor league and scouting department. He kept working his way up and by 1990 was GM of the Montreal Expos.

Perhaps the biggest player coup with the Tigers was acquiring shortstop Carlos Guillen from Seattle two years ago for minor league infielder Juan Gonzalez and infielder Ramon Santiago. And Santiago is now back with Detroit.

Trading AL championship series MVP Placido Polanco for closer Ugueth Urbina in June 2005 and acquiring Nate Robertson for Mark Redman in a swap of pitchers were among the other moves that were unpopular at the time, but seem brilliant now.

"I looked at some of the moves he made when he came in and I wondered what he was thinking," said third baseman Brandon Inge, one of the handful of players still around from the Smith (1996-2002) years. "That's why Dave is in the front office and we're not.

"At this point, you understand what he was thinking."

Smart drafts also have helped build these Tigers. They took center fielder Curtis Granderson (third round) and fireballer Joel Zumaya (11th round) in 2002 and selected future ace Justin Verlander second overall in 2004.

The No. 1 move Dombrowski likely pulled off was putting manager Jim Leyland back in the dugout for the first time since 1999.

Dombrowski and Leyland won a title together in Florida about 15 years after they met in Chicago, where Dombrowski worked in the White Sox's front office and Leyland was their third-base coach.

Leyland said he would probably still be scouting for the Cardinals in Pittsburgh had Dombrowski not called him after firing manager Alan Trammell last season.

"It wasn't like somebody was knocking down my door," Leyland said. "I have so much respect for Dave because he kind of learned on the job like I did. He was in the minor leagues. He went out with baseball people to learn more about the game.

"He's not just an executive. He knows what he's looking at when he sees a player."
The tags I provided pretty much summarize the article.