Tame Tigers Lack Certain Spark

The pain radiates from Detroit to Thousand Oaks, where Sparky Anderson checks the score each morning, shakes his head, then reminds himself that his former shortstop is strong enough to withstand the beating.

Of course, it’s not just one beating. It’s almost daily, nightly, or as Sparky says, “It’s hard to see.”

He pauses, thinking perhaps about the 20 years that Alan Trammell was a bulwark in the Detroit Tigers’ infield, setting a major league record for longevity at his position, and he adds, “The only thing is, this guy can take it. I’ve said many times, cowards die a thousand deaths, heroes only once. Alan Trammell is a hero. He’ll live through whatever it takes over the next three years.”

It’s the next three months, the next three days, perhaps, that are the immediate concern.

In this first official month as manager of the toothless Tigers, Trammell’s team is 1-15, the worst start in franchise history and the worst in baseball since Kansas City opened 1-16 in 1992.

Think about it.

A 1-15 record projects to a numbing 162-game record of 10 wins and 152 losses, or less than two victories a month.

The major league record for fewest wins in a season is 36 by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. The ’16 A’s also held the major league record for losses in a season with 117, until the 1962 New York Mets lost 120.

Via phone, Trammell insists people are getting ahead of themselves. He said it’s too soon to make projections or judgments.

Then again, he acknowledged, it’s a frustrating enough compilation that “Some nights ... well, it’s disappointing and a little unbelievable when you try to fathom the extent to which we’ve struggled.

“There are times I’m at a loss for words and it’s difficult trying to stay as upbeat as I normally am, but I can’t let the team see that. My job is to keep them strong, stay the course, be a teacher more than anything.”

Too often, however, the lesson plan has disintegrated, and there is one conclusion that you can reach.

“[Our offense] isn’t going to cut it,” Trammell said.

The Tigers might be able to outscore the hometown Red Wings, but in the American League Central, they’ve been outscored, 89-31. They’ve been shut out four times, scored fewer than three runs 12 times and hit only five home runs while compiling, so to speak, a .172 team batting average. Nine of their 13 largely anonymous position players are batting under .200.

Referring to the team average, President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski said, “Even in a bad year, you should hit .230 or .240. On that basis, we should have a lot of hits left in our bats.”

Perhaps, but the Tigers scored a major league-low 575 runs last year, lost Robert Fick and Randall Simon, their runs and runs batted in leaders, through free agency and trade, and are starting a lineup in which outfielder Bobby Higginson and designated hitter Dean Palmer are basically the only veterans.

The offense, in turn, has put a major strain on a force-fed rotation that has no stopper of Jeff Weaver’s caliber. Weaver was traded to the New York Yankees last year, saves leader Juan Acevedo left as a free agent when the year ended, and that’s how it has been in Detroit, where there have been revolving doors to the front office, manager’s office and clubhouse.

Since Anderson ended his 15-year tenure as manager after the 1995 season he has been succeeded by Buddy Bell, Larry Parrish, Phil Garner, Luis Pujols and now Trammell. The Tigers have not finished above .500 since 1993 and lost 106 games last year, when their 142 errors were the most by an AL team in nine years. Over a two-year span, they’ve lost 15 consecutive games to the Minnesota Twins.

The hiring of Dombrowski, formerly the Florida Marlins’ top executive, in November 2001 led to the departure of Randy Smith as general manager and another change in direction under owner Mike Ilitch. Now, Dombrowski and Trammell refrain from suggesting any timetable other than to improve by the end of the season.

“We want to turn it around as quickly as possible but we realize it won’t be easy,” Dombrowski said. “We think we have some of the foundation in place. We hope to have a better feel for that by the end of the year.”

The Tigers, in other words, hope that 2003 is a proving ground for the double-play combination of Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago, hope that first baseman Carlos Pena can live up his billing at last, and hope that starting pitchers Jeremy Bonderman and Mike Maroth, among others, won’t have their confidence shattered in the process.

“Do we have enough talent to get it turned around?” Trammell said. “Obviously, we’re hoping some of the pieces fit the puzzle, but I don’t have an answer for that yet.

“No one wants to start off the way we have, but a lot of what we’re doing and teaching doesn’t immediately translate to wins and losses.”

He referred to restoring Tiger pride and professionalism, on and off the field. The energetic and gregarious Trammell left a coaching position with the San Diego Padres to accept this first managing job, the challenge of getting his former organization “back on track.”

Former teammates Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish joined him on the coaching staff, and Anderson has been only a phone call away, reminding Trammell that he will have done his job if the team has improved over the next three years, that his first objective is to teach the youngest roster in the major leagues how to play and win.

Trammell and staff have had the Tigers out for early work before almost every night game. If that isn’t apparent in the record, his Thousand Oaks mentor predicted that Trammell “won’t be deterred.”

“I don’t worry about him,” Anderson said. “He’s another Mike Scioscia, and it’s a great thing to see young people of that caliber getting the opportunity instead of recycling old guys like myself.”

Of course, 1-15 will age anyone in a hurry.