The Latest Episode of “The Knee Jerks” With Special Guest Bob Page!!

It was a no-holds barred episode of “The Knee Jerks” last night on Blog Talk Radio, as Big Al and I welcomed former Detroit and New York broadcasting legend Bob Page to the program.

As expected (and hoped), Bob told it like it was. It was a wonderful first hour of a special, expanded, two-hour edition of TKJ.

Here are some highlights:

On being down on major league baseball: “After the 1994 strike, when they canceled the World Series, I was essentially done. You think I’m going to pay to see that nonsense?”

On his time in Detroit: “It’s my hometown, and always will be. I would have liked to have come back and done something in Detroit, but it’s a soft market and everyone is afraid of their own shadow.”

On working in New York: “They brought me in the back door, on a little-known network and a little-known show. Other guys, like Eli Zaret and Bernie Smilovitz, were brought in as these big stars. Maybe that’s why I lasted so long and they didn’t.”

On New York as a sports town: “I will tell you that New York is, by far, the most overrated sports town. By far.”

On the U-M football program: “Les Miles should be the coach at Michigan. All (AD) Bill Martin had to do was call Les, say, ‘It’s time to come home. We don’t care what you’re making at LSU.’ And Les would have been on the next plane. Bill Martin screwed that up terribly!”

And that’s just scratching the surface.

Tune in, and after Bob, Al and I talked Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings, plus named our respective Jerks of the Week (mine wasn’t even about sports!).

You can listen to the show here:

20 Years Ago, Russ Thomas Had One Last Contract Squabble

Russ Thomas was a curmudgeonly soul, a sort of modern day Charles Dickens-type character.

He walked with a limp and had an old, craggy face and seemed to live in a time about two generations before the rest of us.

And he was tight-fisted with the cash that his boss charged him with overseeing.

Thomas was the Lions’ GM, way before Matt Millen soiled himself in that role.

Thomas had played for the Lions in the early-1950s, was a radio broadcaster for the team, and ended up in the good stead of Bill Ford when Ford bought out the syndicate owning the Lions in 1964.

Ford made Russ Thomas his general manager, and it was as if the Lions were under the thumb of Ebeneezer Scrooge reincarnated.

Thomas had yearly go-rounds with players and coaches, almost always about money. Ole Russ had this funny thought: why pay them fair market value before putting them through the wringer first?

And even then, Russ might not loosen his grip on the wad.

The Lions, maybe out of blind luck than anything else, had drafted some Hall of Fame players in the middle of the 1960s. Legendary names, truth be told.

Receiver Fred Biletnikoff. Safety Johnny Robinson. Quarterback John Hadl.

Trouble was, each and every one of them were legends for teams in the American Football League—Biletnikoff with the Oakland Raiders; Robinson with the Kansas City Chiefs; Hadl with the San Diego Chargers.

This is because the tightwad Russ Thomas wasn’t willing to meet the contract demands of these priceless players, so they jumped to the rival AFL.

Who knows how successful the Lions might have been with players like that toiling for them in the 1960s and part of the ’70s.

It was stuff like that, and more, that made Russ Thomas Matt Millen in Detroit before Millen even graduated from high school.

Thomas was vilified in Detroit; the most-hated executive this town has ever seen. And we’re talking about a city that has seen the likes of Ned Harkness with the Red Wings and the lightning rod Millen with the Lions.

It’s the view of this grizzled rabble-rouser that the hatred for Thomas ran deeper than that for Millen, because Thomas’ own players despised him.

Twenty years ago, Thomas had announced that 1989 would be his last season. But he had time for one last go-round with a superstar player.

The Lions, those blind squirrels, had lucked upon a nut in the ‘89 draft. The Green Bay Packers gift-wrapped running back Barry Sanders for them after passing on Barry to take mammoth tackle Tony Mandarich.

Yeah, I know.

So here comes Barry, the most electrifying player the Lions had on their hands since the days of Billy Sims and, before Billy, Lem Barney.

But Russ Thomas was being miserly again.

Barry and his dual agents wanted a certain dollar figure to sign with the Lions. Russ balked. Lions fans rolled their eyes, but with a twist.

If Russ Thomas blows this for us, they said, then there’s no telling what we’re capable of doing—to the Lions financially, and to Russ physically.

There was no AFL, of course, for Barry to use as leverage, but there was the Canadian league. Rumors started that Barry Sanders might take his jitterbug running style north of the border.

Training camp came and went. The stand-off between Thomas and Sanders’ people dragged on throughout the summer.

The exhibition season came and went. Still, Sanders remained unsigned.

Then, just days before the Lions’ season opener against the Cardinals at home, the word came: Barry Sanders had, finally, come to agreement on a contract.

But it was only about 72 hours before game time. And Sanders hadn’t so much as attended one practice session.

The Lions hosted the Cardinals, and Barry was in uniform, though he didn’t start. Information leaked that Sanders would certainly play, at least a little—though it was unknown when in the game he’d get the chance.

In the second quarter, Sanders jogged onto the field with the rest of the Lions’ offense, and the Silverdome crowd went mad. He was wearing no. 20, the number worn so well by Sims and Barney.

He took a handoff, and, without the benefit of training camp, practice, or anything football-related, Sanders slithered through the Cardinals’ defense to the tune of 17 yards.

He earned his first contract on that initial carry alone.

Sanders’ contract squabble was Thomas’ going away present. He retired, as promised, at the end of the 1989 season.

Russ is gone now, but he’s not forgotten, at least not by fellow curmudgeons who’ve been following the team for almost 40 years, like the one banging on his keyboard right now.

Twenty years later, the Lions got their prized rookie, Matthew Stafford, signed in a heartbeat.

No CFL for him, I guess.

I wonder what Russ Thomas would think of Matthew’s contract terms? If he wasn’t already dead, it would no doubt kill him.

Monday Morning Manager

My weekly take on the Tigers, also known simply and affectionately as “MMM.”

Week of 7/6-7/12: 4-2

This week: 7/13-7/16: All-Star Break; 7/17-19: at NYY

Goat of the Week

The Tigers did what they were supposed to do this week—take four of six from the lowly Royals and Indians at Comerica Park. So this week at MMM we don’t really hand out a Goat label, per se, but we do raise a concern—because that’s what we do here!

Fernando Rodney was inserted in a non-save situation on Friday night and promptly decided to make it into one—even though MLB rules say that’s impossible.

Rodney and non-save situations are like oil and water.

His ERA in such scenarios, as the good folks at FSD displayed on our TV screens, was a ghastly 7.71 entering Friday’s contest, compared to under 1.00 in save situations.

Opponents hit about .280 against Rodney when there’s not a save at stake, compared to below .200 otherwise. The walks and strikeouts are similarly skewed.

On Friday, Rodney entered the game with a four-run lead. An error and a walk made things interesting, and Rodney was shaky until the final out.

So what gives?

It might just be a statistical fluke, but the numbers are so out of whack that it might go beyond that.

His concentration might waver. He’s not as locked in. Something.

It’s not just Rodney, though. Many closers run into the same trouble when there isn’t a save on the table.

Maybe the real goat is manager Jim Leyland, for continuing to put Rodney into games where there’s not a save involved. Fernando’s not doing anything for the skipper’s smoking habit in those circumstances, that’s for sure.

Hero of the Week

There were more than a few of them this week.

Justin Verlander, for giving the Tigers’ bullpen a break on Sunday with a solid performance after a few dicey ones.

Freshly-added All-Star Brandon Inge, for his statement game on Sunday: two home runs with the big game looming, along with the home run derby, in which he’ll participate.

But how about Clete Thomas, eh?

Thomas, recently adorned the Tigers’ right fielder against right-handed pitchers in a platoon operation with Magglio Ordonez, went bonkers on Sunday in a game that the Tigers needed to complete their 4-2 week.

Thomas tripled in the Tigers’ first run, then slugged a three-run homer in his next at-bat, giving Verlander all the breathing room he really needed. Not finished, Thomas added a single, leaving him a double shy of a cycle.

It was a terrific way of validating, at least for the time being, Leyland’s decision to give Thomas the bulk of the at-bats in right field.

Quick scouting report: Yankees

Seems as though the New York Yankees have themselves a billion-dollar band box in the Bronx.

Baseballs have been flying out of the new Yankee Stadium—to the tune of about 3.3 per game.

I’ll save you some research for comparison; that’s a LOT.

But what that number doesn’t tell you is how many of the dingers hit are of the solo variety, as compared to with men on base.

I’m fine with a starting pitcher who surrenders a home run now and then—even more than now and then—as long as most of them are solo shots.

It’s the relief pitcher who serves up gopher balls that ought to get the hair on the back of your neck to stand up—for those are almost always with ducks on the pond.

The Yanks took two of three from the Tigers in Detroit back in May, but there was something very significant about the Detroit victory.

It was Verlander’s first gem in a string of them, as JV was on his way to being named pitcher of the month for May. Verlander will have another shot at the Yankees this weekend—or is it vice-versa?

The Yankees have a high-octane offense, no doubt helped by playing in their new, cozy ballpark.

Johnny Damon, for example, has 16 home runs in the leadoff spot.

The pitching has been a mini-mess, and the Yanks’ being in second place has more to do with them slugging their way to wins than anything else.

Every time the Tigers play members of the “old” AL East, like New York, Boston, etc., I’m reminded how much fun it was to play them more than just six times a year.

The Tigers were in the East when MLB realigned in the mid-1990s, but got shifted to the Central when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved to the National League in 1998. The newly-formed Tampa Bay Devil Rays took the Tigers’ place in the East.

It’s kind of like how the Red Wings rarely play Original Sixers like the Rangers, Bruins, Canadiens and Maple Leafs anymore.

Under the microscope

Only three games this week due to the All-Star break, so we’ll simply say this about the dreaded microscope in this edition: we’re eager, at MMM, to see how the Tigers do in New York in their first visit to new Yankee Stadium.

That’s all.

But next week, we’ll have a dandy for you under the microscope—supported by stats and facts and everything! I can hardly wait to start banging on the keyboard next Monday.

Bottom line: Last week, MMM beseeched the Tigers to go at least 4-2 with the bottom-feeding Royals and Indians coming to town. Mission accomplished, and the Tigers are comfortably nestled in first place at the break.

Moreover, the Tigers kept their home-winning formula active and working, which is key because of the lopsided schedule the rest of the way; 41 of the remaining 75 games will be played at Comerica Park.

The team had a good first half, despite some warts. I predicted 90 wins before the season, and right now that’s looking good. Inge is turning into one of the best stories in baseball this year. Verlander and Edwin Jackson have given the Tigers a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that few could have imagined.

But they still need some more offense. There are 18 days until the July 31 interleague trade deadline.

Stay tuned to this station for further instructions.

That’s all for this week’s MMM. Join me every Monday!