For Detroit Tigers, This One Has Been an Endless Summer

DETROIT —  Sparky Anderson’s season is captured in a needlepoint picture that hangs from the wall of his office.

A tiger’s head droops beneath the folksy phrase: “Leave Me Alone -- I’m Having A Crisis.”

The Detroit Tigers are last in the American League East with the worst record in baseball. They struggle to make a necessary transition, finding rookies to replace the men who helped the team to 11 consecutive winning seasons. The strain of this summer shows on the face of the manager.

Anderson, a man unaccustomed to losing, admits this is the most difficult year of his career. He is the 10th-winningest manager in major-league history with 1,742 victories. His goal is to climb to fifth on the all-time list, ahead of Walter Alston’s 2,040 wins, but he says, “At this rate, I might be older than Moses by the time I get there.”

Lighthearted moments are rare. This is a season for brooding.

“I have the same fire,” Anderson says. “But you have to face facts when you’re in last place. I work harder now trying to win a game.”

Monday, he sat in his office underneath the third-base box seats at Tiger Stadium, preparing for that night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. He puffed on his pipe and discussed the changes in his life brought on by this season of crisis.

Losing caused sleepless nights. Sleepless nights caused exhaustion. And for 2 1/2 weeks in May and early June, Anderson stayed home, under doctor’s orders.

“This is the first time in 20 years that I’ve been in last place,” Anderson says. “I can’t think of anything worse in our game. But the game is one thing, and life is another. The game doesn’t mean anything in comparison to real life.”

Anderson no longer accepts speaking invitations or grants every interview request. He is delegating his time, ordering room service and taking daily one-hour walks.

“I’ve always put the real things ahead of baseball,” Anderson says. “I never thought that baseball was the thing. I’ve been very fortunate. But I never thought of myself as some VIP. My God, I’ve had people come up to me and just want to touch me. I can’t imagine that.”

But he won’t walk away from baseball. Asked if he will return next season, Anderson quickly states: “God, Yes.”

He warms to the subject of the Tigers’ future, even while dissecting their present predicament.

“It’s not a question of making a complete overhaul,” he says. “The last 10 years we’ve put one player from our farm system on the field every day -- that’s Kirk Gibson (now with the Los Angeles Dodgers). We’ve had the stopgap and stopgap and stopgap. It finally catches up with you.”

This is the season everything went wrong for the Tigers. Fifteen players went on the disabled list. Trades backfired. The pitching collapsed.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing,” said shortstop Alan Trammell. “But don’t make it sound like hell. After 11 successful seasons, we’re going through one that is not that fun. We hope we can win a few games, play good ball. It’s not drudgery. It’s not life or death. But this kind of season won’t happen again. The injuries. Sparky leaving. The fact we haven’t jelled. That just won’t happen.”

Outfielder Chet Lemon says it will take time for younger players to learn their roles on a new Tigers team.

“We’ve taken success for granted,” he says. “We used to have guys who knew how to play the game. Everyone in the lineup knew how to win and knew their roles. For the most part, these new guys have the ability, but they’re still learning. And eventually, they will learn. But now, we have to be patient.”

Lemon says Anderson provides stability and continuity as the Tigers undergo a makeover.

“Sometimes, the game can take such a toll on you,” Lemon says. “Sparky is so energetic now. We’re happy to have him back. He’s the same as he always was. But next year, you’ll see a tremendous change on this team, period. You’ll see a different Detroit Tigers.”

Anderson is looking forward to next season. Unfortunately for him, he has to finish this one.

“The worst part of this is that October 2 doesn’t get here quick enough,” he says. “Once that day comes, it’s all over. You go home the same as everyone else. I’ve said all along that once the World Series is over, no one cares. No one ever remembers the next spring who was second.”

The Tigers could help determine the winner of the American League East, but Anderson loathes playing the role of spoiler.

“It’s an honor to play this game,” he says. “On the last day of the season, our best team will play. I’ve never made a joke out of this game. If only one fan pays to see a game, they deserve to see the best. Spoiler leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

But Anderson hasn’t soured on baseball. He loves the game, and enjoys the fantasy.

“Sports are not reality,” he says. “Reality is something we do every single game. In sports, we have a six-month season and then we’re off for six months. Reality is if you have heart trouble, cancer, diabetes. You’ve got that for the rest of your life. Baseball only lasts a season.”