Don't be that fan.
Excuse me.
What I meant was, don't be that person.
Because those of you cheering Wednesday's dismissal of Dmitri Young aren't fans.
Don't be the person to kick Young when he's down, possibly further down than ever before.
Young's five-year tenure with the Tigers officially ended with the club's unconditional release of the 32-year-old designated hitter, whom battled back from substance abuse problems to join
the first place Tigers down the stretch.
General Manager Dave Dombrowski cited the move was "strictly performance related."
But it's clear to everyone not wearing a blindfold that something transpired Wednesday, before or during a rain delay exceeding 3 hours, which proceeded a 5-4 extra innings loss to the Seattle Mariners.
What that was, however, remains to be seen.
It could have been a confrontation between Young, who was batting in third in the lineup Wednesday, and manager Jim Leyland, after Young popped out with the bases loaded in the third inning.
The count was 2-0, and Mariners pitcher Gil Meche was laboring, allowing a Vance Wilson home run followed by a Brandon Inge double and back-to-back walks before Young stepped to the plate.
Conventional wisdom says he didn't have the green light.
But Young took a rip at the 2-0 offering, and popped out for the 2nd out, virtually killing a Tiger rally.
Or it could have been in the eighth, when Leyland pinch-hit for Young with recent call-up Kevin Hooper.
Hooper, who his known to have good success buting, was used to sacrifice two runners into scoring position.
Two runners that scored one batter later on Craig Monroe's early Christmas gift, a double misplayed by Seattle rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who lost his footing in Comerica Park's wet grass.
But something tells me Young has been around long enough to understand a baseball move when he sees one.
And quite possibly, this could be the final chapter in the demise of Dmitri Young, who arrived in 2002 with a golden smile, ready to turn this team, still years away from winning, around.
The substance abuse and domestic violence problems that nearly forced Young into rehab and out of baseball could have relapsed, punching a one-way ticket out, that same smile now turned to the look of a shameful man, weary and battered.
What the next month has in store for the reeling Tigers is anybody's guess. But Young was a nice comeback story on a team that is this season's best story.
Activated from the disabled list on July 21 after a tumultuous couple months battling personal issues, Young was awarded new life, one equipped with base hits, home runs, a first-place team, and yes, that contagious cheek-to-cheek grin.
Since he rejoined the Tigers as their potential answer to a lack of left-handed bats in the lineup, Young hit .292 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI. Young exceeded expectations in his return, and as recent as Wednesday routinely hit in the middle of the lineup.
A performance-based decision, huh?
Hardly.
On the field, the Tigers will attempt to spark their offense, putrid as of late, without Young, a left-handed hitter, which has publicly been touted as one of their needs.
The Tigers brass decided it was in the best interest to move on without Young, for the good of keeping the team's morale high.
Maybe it was.
Compounded with his recent issues, Young has a history of attitude problems, most notably last year, when he had run-ins with Pudge Rodriguez and then-manager Alan Trammell.
The release, now lingering above the Tigers as they head to Minnesota for a four-game series with the 2nd place Twins, is unfortunate and sad.
It would have been nice to see Young win with this team, after enduring the past five losing seasons, including the horrid 2003 season, where the Tigers lost 119 games, an American League record.
They have lost a hitter who can certainly help them wrap up the A.L. Central and secure a playoff birth.
But most importantly, Dmitri Young may have lost himself, to a place nobody wants to be. A place that was seemingly in the rearview mirror just a couple weeks ago.
That can turn a smile into a frown on anybody's face.
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3 comments:
Dombrowski has been making some good moves in the last couple years. So lets see how this pans out. As much as I like DY, if getting rid of him makes the team better so be it. Baseball is still a business.
I just wanted to say that was a heart felt look at a troubled player. Hopefully DY will find a home somewhere else, like a place with prohibition, where he will be able to succeed. As for the decision, if he was acting like an idiot and disrupting the club, as mentioned he did last year, then i'm glad he's gone. The Tigs have suffered enough over the last month, and they don't need another distraction.
I just wanted to say that was a heart felt look at a troubled player. Hopefully DY will find a home somewhere else, like a place with prohibition, where he will be able to succeed. As for the decision, if he was acting like an idiot and disrupting the club, as mentioned he did last year, then i'm glad he's gone. The Tigs have suffered enough over the last month, and they don't need another distraction.
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