Ex-Tiger Aguirre Makes a Pitch to Buy Club

Former Tigers pitcher Hank Aguirre said today that he has a group of investors willing to buy the Detroit Tigers, but a club spokesman said the American League club is not for sale.

Aguirre held a news conference today but refused to reveal names of his other investors or detail any offer for the club, which is owned by Domino’s Pizza Inc. owner Tom Monaghan.

Aguirre said the firing of longtime broadcaster Ernie Harwell and the possibility of moving the Tigers out of Detroit prompted him to submit a proposal to Monaghan.

“How much heat can one guy take?” Aguirre asked. “He might want out. He’s a pretty big man. I don’t think he has to stand the heat.”

Aguirre said he had not heard from the Tigers owner. A woman who answered the telephone at Monaghan’s office at Domino’s headquarters said he and his staff were on vacation and unavailable for comment.

“I did talk to Tom Monaghan today, and he said the club is not for sale, and that’s the only statement that will be issued,” Dan Ewald, Tigers public relations director, said when reached at home after the news conference. Asked if Monaghan would refuse to even consider any offer, Ewald said, “The club is not for sale, so I guess that would indicate no.”

Aguirre has tried to get major-league ownership before. He was part of a group that bid on a franchise for Denver.

Aguirre said the group’s interest was piqued by the outcry over the Tigers organization’s decision to look in the suburbs for a new location for Tiger Stadium. The club hasn’t ruled out a Detroit location.