An Overdue Goodbye to Granderson
by Ian Casselberry on Dec 20, 2009 10:00 PM EST
in News
41 comments
It's been more than a week since Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson were traded, and probably too late to write about it now. But while scrolling through the Tigersosphere's varied thoughts and lamentations, I realized I hadn't really expressed my feelings about the whole situation. I mostly just passed along what had happened, and let you guys take it from there.
Considering, however, that I once wrote that Curtis Granderson was the face of the Detroit Tigers franchise (ESPN.com still has it online; just click on the Tigers logo), I thought I should probably respond to him being traded.
First, here's what I wrote, back in 2007:
For the face of their team, some Detroit Tigers fans might choose a player who persevered with the team during those really bad years, but can now revel in its success. Others might prefer one who joined the Tigers at their lowest point after having achieved success elsewhere.
But I like a guy who symbolizes the newfound prosperity of baseball in Detroit, whose performance has shown that the fans can actually believe the organization when it says this player is going to be good.
He might draw his loudest cheers when blazing around the bases for a triple or making a smooth, assured catch in the outfield. But Curtis Granderson also evokes love and respect from Detroit fans for striving to be something more than just a ballplayer. Because of that effort, and the promise of more to come, Granderson represents the Detroit Tigers like no other player.
If you'd told me on October 7, following the Tigers' loss to the Twins in the AL Central tiebreaker, that Granderson (and Jackson) wouldn't be a part of next year's team, I'd have made a face and told you to do something inappropriate (and possibly illegal) to yourself. No way. Especially Granderson.
When the trade happened, I was deep into the analytical mindset, and thought the Tigers made a pretty good deal (though I would've felt better if they got another starting pitcher from the Yankees). I told myself that the Tigers were smart for seeing what they could get for players such as Granderson, and if he was one of the few players that could be moved in an attempt to improve the team's fortunes, then that was the cost of doing business. (And in terms of handing out contracts recently, business has been bad in Tiger Town.)
But there's the rub, right? Did the Tigers make themselves better with this trade? We won't know for a few years, unfortunately. Which is one reason why this was so hard to digest. Granderson is what's happening now.
What was happening, however, may have been obscured by the general goodwill toward Granderson. His past performances, personality, and public service greatly enhanced his popularity. And maybe that caused us to overlook some growing flaws in his game. Lynn Henning seems more than happy to point those out, continuing to lob grenades of Granderson's failings in what almost appears to be a vendetta against him. But perhaps that speaks to why the Tigers became willing to trade the type of player whom every team would seem to want on their roster.
Granderson has literally been an ambassador of baseball, teaching the game overseas. He was also a presence in the local community, using his celebrity standing to raise money for schools throughout the state. Maybe other professional athletes do that sort of work too, and just don't publicize it as much. But Granderson seemed to enjoy being more than a baseball player. It's kind of a shame that he's now being criticized for having aspirations outside the game.
Of course, it's that game that allows him such opportunities in the first place, and as his employer, the Tigers are entitled to demand a full commitment. We'll see if this ever becomes an issue in New York.
I'll admit I'm a soft touch for Granderson. Being the rare non-pitching prospect that developed into an everyday player appealed to me as a fan. (Remember when it was between him and Nook Logan for the center field job?) As I've said on several occasions, I don't think it's a coincidence that Detroit's return to baseball relevance occurred at the same time the Tigers found a regular center fielder. As a fledgling sportswriter back in 2006, I certainly appreciated Granderson being one of the few players who stayed by his locker until every question was answered. Not to mention that he treated me the same as the (clearly) more established reporters.
(And when I had an assignment for a magazine that ended up never seeing publication, Granderson gave me an interview. It was on really short notice, too. But I thought it was worth a shot, and he helped me out. It's too bad that the thing never saw print. He and his publicist probably thought I made the whole thing up.)
Maybe this has clouded my perspective of Granderson. Perhaps he's a player that's already reached his peak, and the Tigers were smart to get what they could while his value was still relatively high. But I'll stick to my assertion that he's also the kind of player you want on your team, the kind of player that makes it easy (and fun) to be a baseball fan (casual or hardcore). I know I felt pride as a Tigers fan when he appeared as an analyst on TBS' postseason broadcasts, or blogged at ESPN.com and Big League Stew. That was our guy. Our Tiger.
Will Granderson become just another guy on the Yankees? You can't help but wonder that, as he joins the team of Jeter, A-Rod, Teixeira, Sabathia, and Rivera. But maybe it's also not giving him enough credit. Maybe he'll be their best center fielder since Bernie Williams. Even though Grandy's now playing for the team so many love to hate (and watching him in the pinstripes will feel vaguely like watching an ex-girlfriend with a better-looking guy who makes more money), I'll be rooting for him to achieve that status. I'm still a resident of Grandyland.
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dammit
You made me start tearing up again. :(
I hate the Yankees with a passion, but I hope Granderson kicks butt all over that billion-dollar bandbox. He deserves it personally no matter what team he plays on.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
Well said, Ian.
I agree with your point about Henning, though I would extend the vendetta point to say that he appears to have a vendetta against the entire organization, or perhaps Ilitch.
Back on point, now. The time since the trade has actually made me feel even worse about the deal than when it started. This article echoes many of my thoughts-some of which are very non-sabermetric. Sure, he had trouble with lefties. Sure, his defense wasn’t up to his own standards this year. But he was our guy. And we just dumped our guy and our #2 starter for one major league player, two more bullpen arms, and a guy who will be cursed with Granderson comparisons from the moment he lands at Metro. I still think we got fleeced-in an enormous way.
I hope I start to feel better about it by the time spring training rolls around. But I’m not looking forward to spring training at all right now. I saw Game 163 listed as one of the Games of the Year on a couple sites this week. Had we gotten one more hit, or a double play ball, or had Inge gotten the HBP call, none of this would have happened. At least not Grandy.
And while that may sound emotional, well, guilty as charged. But emotional attachment to players is a big part of why people watch sports. I suspect Mr. I and DD are going to find that out in a big way this summer. Or maybe they knew already and did this anyway, which is an even more chilling thought.
I’ll never root for the Yankees,not under any circumstance. But I will root for Grandy to go 4-4 and for the Yanks to lose every game.
by rook34 on Dec 20, 2009 10:18 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
+1
You took the words right out of my mouth. I have a feeling that Grandy will continue to be my player for quite some time; after all, it was his play and demeanor that caused me to take my baseball fanhood from casual to crazy. I would love to see him come back some day and join the organization again, in whatever capacity he can. But I still hate the Yankees….
God that's right...
if he continues blogging for BLS it’s gonna be as a Yankee. The thought disgusts me.
And you’re right about him being the face of the franchise. I can’t believe Eric Young said Gary Sheffield. What an idiot.
Unfortunately I feel that Granderson has peaked as a ballplayer and unfortunately I feel he peaked because he was paying more attention to his charity work than to improving his game. However I do not feel that his peak was low and I think he would have gotten back there this coming season. As much as I like some of the pieces from the trade…I think a great defensive centerfielder with a potentially big bat is something better to have. Home grown talent doesn’t get much better than Curtis. We should’ve held on to him.
My Music: new song up! (mp3 site isn't working, hopefully download available soon.)
My Blog: Inside A Head
Fittingly enough...
Last night I spoke to a Yankees fan for the first time since the trade. He loves Granderson and he wasn’t about to hide that (though once I gave him Grandy’s numbers against lefties, he seemed to have no problem with the idea of platooning him), but he agrees with me that the loss of Granderson does not mean the Tigers are going to suck. In his opinion, as long as one of our #4 starter candidates steps up and wins 13-14 games (something which is definitely possible), the Tigers can be more than competitive in 2010.
As far as DD’s rationale is concerned, I’m skeptical that payroll was the primary motive (a set of comparatively minor moves would’ve accomplished the same amount of savings, and both Billfer and TigsTown ran excellent articles detailing why the financial situation may not be as dire as the media would like us to believe). Therefore, my guess is that DD feels that this move makes the Tigers a better team, in the near (if not immediate) future. Either he felt that Grandy had peaked or he felt that Austin Jackson will surpass him in ability, or both. Now, he may be right. He may be wrong. I don’t know (consider me Juror #8 from 12 Angry Men) and we likely won’t know for a while. Now, as for the stockpile of relievers, one would have to think that some of them will eventually be flipped for other needed pieces, or they’ll all go down with injuries all at once, or something.
It is most definitely NOT a death sentence, but Granderson will no doubt be missed. In my quest to get a lifetime Tiger for my generation, I must now set my sights on someone else.
by SabreRoseTiger on Dec 20, 2009 10:38 PM EST reply actions
I think DD decided to trade high.
Perhaps he saw something that made him want to move Granderson sooner rather than later. I am waiting for 2010 just to see what the hell the front office is planning for 2011.
Maybe he checked baseball-reference
and discovered Granderson, through age 28, is most statistically comparable to (drum roll) Bobby Higginson.
by StringTheory on Dec 21, 2009 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
That's not good.
"The Dallas Cowboys might be America's Team, but the New York Giants are America's DREAM team." -- Robert Tisch
It's especially disappointing to me
that my two sons (8 and 6) won’t be able to watch Granderson’s brand of exciting baseball and classy behavior up close for the next few years.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Dec 20, 2009 11:20 PM EST reply actions
2007 set up unreasonable expectations
I don’t believe Granderson “peaked” because he did too much charity work. I think he has gotten as much out of his talent as one should expect. Some scouts thought he would end up as a fourth outfielder so you could make the case that he exceeded expectations. 2007 was a fluke year which set up unrealistic expectations for the rest of his career. He has pretty good tools across the board but does not have star tools. That being said, I think he’s a good player who will be difficult to replace. I’m not a fan of the deal.
Lee
Pretty much, yeah
The same thing with Curtis Granderson in 2006, where he was an enigma and we had no idea what he was capable of may be the case with Austin Jackson this year. I have a good feeling it will.
"The Dallas Cowboys might be America's Team, but the New York Giants are America's DREAM team." -- Robert Tisch
Granderson had better minor league numbers
but he also came into the pros after college, as opposed to Jackson being a 22-year-old. I take some solace in reading Jackson was named the most exciting player in the international league, but I really have reservations about his track record so far.
by Kurt Mensching on Dec 21, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
You have a point
but I’ve never been so high on a potential star as a Tigers fan. I hope I’m right with him.
"The Dallas Cowboys might be America's Team, but the New York Giants are America's DREAM team." -- Robert Tisch
It's gonna be okay, really...
We need to get over this. We sold high on him, which is something the Tigers have not done much of lately. Imagine, for instance, what they could have gotten for Nate Robertson after the 2006 season, and look how that worked out.
The thing a lot of people are missing
is that baseball is not always just about the numbers on the back of a baseball card. Yes, it is not smart to run a baseball team on emotions alone. But it is also a pretty risky endeavor to piss off your paying customers by trading the guy they universally love and rally behind.
Especially for some relief pitchers.
I know a whole lot of Tigers fans who are feeling pissed off and betrayed by the team right now. Maybe Dombrowski made the right moves and will win both now and later and people will forgive him. But if this doesn’t work out, he’s forfeit a whole lot of goodwill toward the team.
What?
Anyone who turns their back on this team because of Curtis Granderson being traded is a fairweather fan. There, I said it.
I grew up in the Randy Smith era, and I remember the shame of those dark days. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t happy about CG going to the hated Yankees, but this organization has committed far greater sins. Speaking of which, firing Randy Smith and taking this team to the World Series has given Dave Dombrowski a lot of leeway in my opinion.
by metatron5369 on Dec 21, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
there's a problem with your logic
fairweather fans are necessary to a team’s financial well being. The 10,000 loyalists were nice in 2003, and I’m sure finding a great place to sit was nice. But the team started being able to spend more money when they were able to entice those fairweather fans to come out to the stadium nightly. You want to send them away, you’re back to a smaller payroll and a team without a lot of future.
by Kurt Mensching on Dec 21, 2009 7:33 PM EST up reply actions
If fairweather fans are important to your team's economy, there's only one solution:
If you win, they will come. So win.
And I’ll just add that nothing will make me turn my back on this team. I could’ve done it in 2008 when they traded Pudge (and, unlike this trade, got absolutely nothing in return). But a team is so much greater than its players.
by SabreRoseTiger on Dec 21, 2009 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
And you win
By using young, cost-controlled players supplemented by more expensive free agents or franchise cornerstones.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Dec 21, 2009 8:04 PM EST up reply actions
Was that meant as an addendum or disagreement or...?
It seems to me that’s kind of what we have right now, or at least the beginning of it.
by SabreRoseTiger on Dec 21, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
That's Not Neccessarily True
There’s a strong consensus that most, if not all teams, make enough to cover payroll before anyone sets foot in a stadium.
by metatron5369 on Dec 21, 2009 9:02 PM EST up reply actions
Not turning my back.
I am very disappointed, and I sat through the Randy Smith years, and before that too. My worry, as I’ve posted before, is that attendance crashes to the point where Mr. I spends no money in the 2010 offseason, claiming that revenues are down. Then you have a baseball death spiral.
You need people to come to the park. And this time around, the Tigers don’t have a grand old stadium to use as bait for attendance. There was a lot of godawful baseball in the last Tiger Stadium years, and of course the first several seasons at the Copa. There’s only so much patience a fanbase can, and should, have with the organization. The Cubs are the obvious exception to having to put a good product on the field, due to the park and the fact that it’s the world’s largest open-air bar for twentysomethings and creepy fortysomethings who go to hit on the twentysomethings.
No one loves the Olde English D more than I do. But it’s pretty tough for me to feel good about the direction of the organization right now. That’s just my opinion, and of course those who are thrilled have every bit as valid an opinion as I do.
If we can make it through 2003
We can make it through anything.
"The Dallas Cowboys might be America's Team, but the New York Giants are America's DREAM team." -- Robert Tisch
I love the logo on the front more than any player
But seeing him leave hurts the most of having any player leave this team. He was homegrown, he was good and you never had to worry about what kind of message the organization was sending by having him on the field everyday (see Cabrera, Miguel).
He made it easy to root for the Tigers because he was such an ambassador of baseball and he was our guy.
What can I say, I’ll miss him, but players come and go, and no matter what the team does, I’m always going to root for the Tigers.
I root for the Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings and yes, the Lions.
www.twitter.com/zajareich
I agree 90%.
Except for the cheap shot at Cabrera.
2100 Woodward and Twitter
by john.kmiecik on Dec 21, 2009 6:03 PM EST up reply actions
Root of all Stupidity
The problem with the 2009 Tigers was Lloyd McClendon and his horribe approach to teaching hitting!! Almost every Tiger suffered from Lloyd’s inability to teach hitters to go with pitches and stop pulling the ball!!! Curtis Granderson has a horrible year at the plate thanks to Lloyd telling him to pull the ball! What would you rather have a leadoff hitter with 20 HR, 20 TR and a .300+ average or a .250 hitting 30 hr guy with 5 TR??? Hmmmm Duh Lloyd gave us the second guy!!!
Lloyd McClendon?
The bullpen coach for the Indians in 2009?
2100 Woodward and Twitter
by john.kmiecik on Dec 21, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
I think Lloyd should get very little blame...
alot of the players that were struggling at the beginning of the year weren’t at the end of the year. (Polly, Maggs) I see it unlike that it was a matter of teaching leading to Curtis’ poor hitting…the problem might have been more with the application of the lesson.
My Music: new song up! (mp3 site isn't working, hopefully download available soon.)
My Blog: Inside A Head
beat me too it
Stupid little phone keypad…
http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com
by rock n rye on Dec 22, 2009 11:49 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
really, this again?
Its his fault Curtis had a bad year, but he had nothing to do with Raburn, Polanco, and Magglio have good second halves?
http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com
by rock n rye on Dec 22, 2009 11:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well said Ian
This hurts almost as much as when we traded Jeff Weaver. I remember how he was our young stud, in love with the D and determined to turn the franchise around. I remember how he cried bitterly in the press conference. That hurt.
But I also remember how we got Carlos Pena, Jeremy Bonderman, and Franklyn German back for Weaver, and how Yankee Weaver never reached the potential scouts thought he had. There was no way you could have convinced me that was a good trade at the time, but I would have been dead wrong.
Just some food for thought.
A lifelong Tigers fan
Yeah, the Weaver one bummed me out too
I remember being in Charleston, SC when I heard about the trade, and just staring at the carpet for a few minutes because I honestly wondered what Dombrowski was doing with my team.
But honestly, if this deal works out the same as that one did, I’d be pretty happy. (I hope Grandy has more success than Weaver did, of course.)
by Ian Casselberry on Dec 22, 2009 10:28 AM EST up reply actions
Charleston
I hope you were at the Blind Tiger on Broad St. That’s a good place in Charleston to watch sad Tiger things. I remember watching them lose the World Series there, but being consoled somewhat by the pleasant surroundings. :)
A lifelong Tigers fan
I was in a near-empty apartment, actually
Just me in a living room, with a TV on a crate. Not the most pleasant surroundings.
by Ian Casselberry on Dec 22, 2009 10:18 PM EST up reply actions
Wow
This gets my nomination for most depressing Tigers related mental image ever.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Dec 23, 2009 1:27 AM EST up reply actions
Gets my vote for “true display of fandom.” Sounds like Ian was sitting “indian” style on the floor in front of the TV. He probably said to himself in the store “futon for bed and couch or TV to watch my beloved Tigers? I AM MAN. I CHOOSE TV!” and than the Tigers lost and Ian said to himself “maybe I should’ve bought the futon.”
(and that’s how you make up a depressing life for someone folks)
My Music: new song up! (mp3 site isn't working, hopefully download available soon.)
My Blog: Inside A Head
Truth, depressing or otherwise
I was helping my sister move from Baltimore to Charleston, and she had no furniture. She was sleeping off a migraine, while I was watching TV.
by Ian Casselberry on Dec 23, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions
This is a great rationalization.
That being said, it’s still really depressing.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Dec 24, 2009 3:07 AM EST up reply actions
Grand Grandy
I may be a Tiger’s fan, but I’m sure gonna watch more Yankee games when I can!
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