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Dmitri Young's Act Is Old
There has been much talk about how Jim Leyland blasted Dmitri Young in a meeting with writers in Lakeland on Tuesday. It was in response to Young essentially saying the Tigers, by releasing him, abandoned him when he had several personal issues to face in 2006.
In reality, it could have been much worse. Leyland said he liked Dmitri Young. General manager Dave Dombrowski said the same thing. The question is, why? He was a cancer in the Tigers clubhouse. It was plan and simple. He got a big-money contract and then didn’t take care of himself physically, and it led to eroding skills. His ego was out of control. Off the field, he went to court on a domestic violence change. He had a good year and handled himself well when the Tigers were failing in 2003. Other than that, he did little in Detroit to justify the four-year, $28 million contract the franchise rewarded him. It was embarrassing, when the option kicked in for the 2006 season, the way Young left the clubhouse literally minutes after games in 2005. Last season, when the Tigers got on a roll, they had one, lone distraction - Young. He was unprofessional in every way. When the Tigers released him, it was addition by subtraction.
Random Thoughts
- In addition to probably clinching an NCAA tournament berth, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did get the Bo Ryan monkey off his back with Tuesday’s victory over Wisconsin. State's Drew Neitzel is turning into an exceptional player. I just wonder if he will be able to defend well enough man-to-man to play at the NBA level. Wonder if he will make first-team All-Big Ten.
- Don’t be surprised if the Red Wings bring back Martin Lapointe, who is with Chicago. He is expensive relative to his skill at this point, but his grit is much needed by the Red Wings.
- Want a treat? Go to the Plymouth Whalers game Saturday night. John Tavares, The Hockey News coverboy, will be playing for the Oshawa Generals. In 55 games, Tavares has 58 goals and 50 assists for 108 points. At 16, he is the best player in the OHL - and perhaps all of junior hockey. He is already being projected as the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and is drawing comparisons to Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky - among others.
In reality, it could have been much worse. Leyland said he liked Dmitri Young. General manager Dave Dombrowski said the same thing. The question is, why? He was a cancer in the Tigers clubhouse. It was plan and simple. He got a big-money contract and then didn’t take care of himself physically, and it led to eroding skills. His ego was out of control. Off the field, he went to court on a domestic violence change. He had a good year and handled himself well when the Tigers were failing in 2003. Other than that, he did little in Detroit to justify the four-year, $28 million contract the franchise rewarded him. It was embarrassing, when the option kicked in for the 2006 season, the way Young left the clubhouse literally minutes after games in 2005. Last season, when the Tigers got on a roll, they had one, lone distraction - Young. He was unprofessional in every way. When the Tigers released him, it was addition by subtraction.
Random Thoughts
- In addition to probably clinching an NCAA tournament berth, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did get the Bo Ryan monkey off his back with Tuesday’s victory over Wisconsin. State's Drew Neitzel is turning into an exceptional player. I just wonder if he will be able to defend well enough man-to-man to play at the NBA level. Wonder if he will make first-team All-Big Ten.
- Don’t be surprised if the Red Wings bring back Martin Lapointe, who is with Chicago. He is expensive relative to his skill at this point, but his grit is much needed by the Red Wings.
- Want a treat? Go to the Plymouth Whalers game Saturday night. John Tavares, The Hockey News coverboy, will be playing for the Oshawa Generals. In 55 games, Tavares has 58 goals and 50 assists for 108 points. At 16, he is the best player in the OHL - and perhaps all of junior hockey. He is already being projected as the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and is drawing comparisons to Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky - among others.
posted by Pat Caputo at
2:23 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Pat,
Will the baseball roundtable on the Internet only last night be posted on WXYT's website as a podcast. I'm sorry I missed it.
Thanks,
John
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