NCsoxfan Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Tigers owner passes away today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Don't know much about him personally, but as a sports owner he seemed like a good dude. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WBWSF Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Tigers fans have to be sad about his passing. He did everything he could to bring a winning baseball team to Detroit. I wish he would have owned the White Sox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCsoxfan Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 True rags to riches story owning Little Caesars, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Seemed like a good dude who was lucky to own some sports teams that he loved and was passionate. RIP and best wishes to his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSox13 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 RIP Ilitch and condolences to your friends and family. Really enjoyed reading about how he became the person we are familiar with. Nothing but respect for the man who came into this world with very little and accomplished so much. I tip my baseball cap to Mr.Ilitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip Man 1 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 He certainly did everything he could to win the World Series for the Tigers. Remember he also owned the Red Wings and they were very successful too. Seemed like everything you wanted in an owner...money was never an issue, excuse or impediment. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokpelts Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 10, 2017 -> 06:26 PM) Tigers fans have to be sad about his passing. He did everything he could to bring a winning baseball team to Detroit. I wish he would have owned the White Sox. Zero titles and they were only "good" or free spending until after the hard cap was introduced in hockey. Oh, and he fleeced a bankrupt city for TWO free facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 A super rich owner who spent every dollar to win a World Series, but people will still think JR was better because of one lucky year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tray Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 12:49 AM) A super rich owner who spent every dollar to win a World Series, but people will still think JR was better because of one lucky year. Luck is winning in extra innings in Game 7. The Sox swept the WS 4-0. Jerry Reinsdorf saved the franchise after Bill Veeck and his son almost destroyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 12:49 AM) A super rich owner who spent every dollar to win a World Series, but people will still think JR was better because of one lucky year. One lucky year of never not being in first place and going 11-1 in the postseason. Close to unprecedented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 07:24 AM) One lucky year of never not being in first place and going 11-1 in the postseason. Close to unprecedented. Like clockwork... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 08:44 AM) Like clockwork... Look at the Tigers between 1994 and 2005 and tell me how much better he was than JR again. 346 games below .500 in a 12 year stretch. Awesome. It only took 15 seasons under his ownership to win more than 85 games. If JR did that, he would have been proclaimed the worst owner in the history of people owning anything. The Tigers were over 200 games below .500 under his ownership. His first 19 seasons they make the playoffs 1 time, getting swept in the World Series. The White Sox are over 100 games over .500 under JR's ownership. Edited February 11, 2017 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Feb 10, 2017 -> 11:32 PM) Zero titles and they were only "good" or free spending until after the hard cap was introduced in hockey. Oh, and he fleeced a bankrupt city for TWO free facilities. This isn't true. Ilitch financed at least 60% of the cost to build Comerica. Detroit pitched in $80 million, but will end up being 120 million or so over 30 years. Little Caesars arena is getting quite a bit more, but will also house the Pistons, who I can't find if they are pitching in a dime. The state is financing no more than $450 million for that stadium. The total cost is $750 million, and the Ilitch's are financing another $200 million in development around the stadium. It also moves the pistons from the suburbs back to Detroit. He also moved his business to headquarter in Detroit and spent a lot of money revitalizing Detroit. Yes, he's getting financed, but that's not free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 05:24 AM) One lucky year of never not being in first place and going 11-1 in the postseason. Close to unprecedented. Could still be considered a lucky year if you see that the master plans of the front office didn't work particularly well for most of the years Reinsdorf owned the team. But for one brief shining year everything came together. Blind squirrel/acorn theory. Edited February 11, 2017 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 09:36 AM) Could still be considered a lucky year if you see that the master plans of the front office didn't work particularly well for most of the years Reinsdorf owned the team. But for one brief shining year everything came together. Blind squirrel/acorn theory. I think ownership did its job that year providing the means for a winning roster. Anytime a team wins a WS or gets to a WS, you need some luck, but to call aseason lucky when the team was in first place every single day is crazy. That was a great team that only trailed when it was down 1-0 in the ALCS. Luck goes both ways. 2003 and 2004, 2006, I don't think you could say it was an ownership failure the team didn't make the playoffs. Edited February 11, 2017 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thad Bosley Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (miracleon35th @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 02:54 AM) Jerry Reinsdorf saved the franchise after Bill Veeck and his son almost destroyed it. I presume you're kidding, right? Jerry Reinsdorf didn't save anything. He is the one who nearly destroyed a charter American League franchise with his blackmail threats to move the team to Florida in the 80s if the taxpayers of Illinois didn't build him a new stadium. Ever remember Bill Veeck indulging in anything remotely resembling such shameful behavior? No, because he WAS busy saving the franchise, saving it from moving to Seattle in 1976. Big difference, character-wise, at least publicly, between the two owners, and not in Reinsdorf's favor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 10:06 AM) I presume you're kidding, right? Jerry Reinsdorf didn't save anything. He is the one who nearly destroyed a charter American League franchise with his blackmail threats to move the team to Florida in the 80s if the taxpayers of Illinois didn't build him a new stadium. Ever remember Bill Veeck indulging in anything remotely resembling such shameful behavior? No, because he WAS busy saving the franchise, saving it from moving to Seattle in 1976. Big difference, character-wise, at least publicly, between the two owners, and not in Reinsdorf's favor. The same Bill Veeck that wanted to sell to Marvin Davis and move the team to Denver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thad Bosley Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 11:13 AM) The same Bill Veeck that wanted to sell to Marvin Davis and move the team to Denver? The same Bill Veeck who actually tried to sell the team to Edward DeBartolo, who had the vast resources to not only keep the Sox in Chicago, but in a competitive way worthy of a big market team. And if not for a few "no" votes from some other obviously threatened AL owners in 1980, the team would have been sold to DeBartolo, and not to the Reinsdorf/Einhorn group. Often wonder what the past 36 years would have looked like for our beleaguered franchise had the sale to DeBartolo gone through! Edited February 11, 2017 by Thad Bosley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 07:51 AM) I think ownership did its job that year providing the means for a winning roster. Anytime a team wins a WS or gets to a WS, you need some luck, but to call aseason lucky when the team was in first place every single day is crazy. That was a great team that only trailed when it was down 1-0 in the ALCS. Luck goes both ways. 2003 and 2004, 2006, I don't think you could say it was an ownership failure the team didn't make the playoffs. I know you understand that no one is saying that particular team was anything but great from start to finish. So why you keep talking about it is just avoidance of the real issue. From time to time like the blind squirrel looking for the acorn, most of the time the search is fruitless. The same could be said of the Sox effort to build a winning franchise, one that can at least make 2 playoff appearances in a row. The piecemeal method of building a team worked once for which we are all eternally grateful. The Sox ownership and front office have been the blind squirrel and the Championship was the acorn but like that analogy points out, as most seasons have proven , the search usually ends in disappointment. Now, to be clear, I am not saying I have any idea into the amount of money the Sox have to spend or if the efforts are anything but 100% honorable, just that the results , outside of 2005, have fallen short and in that context , was a lucky year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Was there already a plan for the future of the Tigers and Wings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 10:32 AM) The same Bill Veeck who actually tried to sell the team to Edward DeBartolo, who had the vast resources to not only keep the Sox in Chicago, but in a competitive way worthy of a big market team. And if not for a few "no" votes from some other obviously threatened AL owners in 1980, the team would have been sold to DeBartolo, and not to the Reinsdorf/Einhorn group. Often wonder what the past 36 years would have looked like for our beleaguered franchise had the sale to DeBartolo gone through! Is this the same DeBartolo who was forced to give up the 49ers due to being convicted of a felony for bribing government officials for gambling licenses? One thing sure sure is that the ownership wouldn't have lasted long as he would've been forced to sell the sox as well. Maybe the MLB owners knew enough not to allow him to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip Man 1 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 08:10 PM) Is this the same DeBartolo who was forced to give up the 49ers due to being convicted of a felony for bribing government officials for gambling licenses? One thing sure sure is that the ownership wouldn't have lasted long as he would've been forced to sell the sox as well. Maybe the MLB owners knew enough not to allow him to buy it. That was his son. The sale to the father was turned down for some reasons that were a little nebulous at best. The owners and commissioner Bowie Kuhn felt that DeBartolo had "connections" to underworld characters, had gambling /interests, wasn't actually living in Chicago and couldn't be relied upon in their opinions. In fact the Galbraith family who owned the Pirates and George Steinbrenner had horse racing interests and owned race tracks. DeBartolo said he would move 20% of his business interests to Chicago and promised he would spend a certain amount of time in the city. That fell on deaf ears. Later after the Sox signed Floyd Bannister to what was considered a huge contract for it's time, Steinbrenner publicly said that he "regretted" not voting for DeBartolo. So the dad then used his resources to buy the 49'ers...and win a bunch of Super Bowls. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip Man 1 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 06:19 PM) Was there already a plan for the future of the Tigers and Wings? The trainer here at Idaho State is from Michigan and is a huge Tigers / Red Wings fan. He told me today that the son was already basically running the Red Wings in a transitional period and that he figured to do the same with the Tigers. It will be interesting to see where those two franchises go moving forward. Detroit still has a few major, monster contracts to players who are still productive but getting older. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 11:46 PM) That was his son. The sale to the father was turned down for some reasons that were a little nebulous at best. The owners and commissioner Bowie Kuhn felt that DeBartolo had "connections" to underworld characters, had gambling /interests, wasn't actually living in Chicago and couldn't be relied upon in their opinions. In fact the Galbraith family who owned the Pirates and George Steinbrenner had horse racing interests and owned race tracks. DeBartolo said he would move 20% of his business interests to Chicago and promised he would spend a certain amount of time in the city. That fell on deaf ears. Later after the Sox signed Floyd Bannister to what was considered a huge contract for it's time, Steinbrenner publicly said that he "regretted" not voting for DeBartolo. So the dad then used his resources to buy the 49'ers...and win a bunch of Super Bowls. Mark He already owned the 49ers. I know it is fun to think if he owned the Sox they would have about 20 titles by now, but that isn't necessarily true. He bought the 49ers, he didn't run the 49ers. His son did, and there was no indication his son would have run the White Sox or have any idea about baseball. The family was forced to sell the Penguins in 1991 due to financial issues. He died in 1994. The family still owns the 49ers. I don't think they are considered all that well run anymore. I guess I don't know why the 49ers run in the 80s would be all the proof you need the same thing would have happened to the White Sox if he owned the team, while the Bulls run in the 90s under JR ownership gets totally ignored. Overall titles, Debartolo 6, JR 7. Edited February 12, 2017 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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