Okay, I just saw this: Lynn Henning is miffed about being stiffed by Inge, too. I can see being upset if three writers were told that Inge would meet with them after his autograph session with fans, only to be left hanging afterwards. Henning is also ticked that Inge hasn't returned any of his phone calls (including one to a South Carolina golf course Inge plays, which is certainly... persistent). However, he ends his column thusly:
Raise your hand if you're ticked that Brandon Inge hasn't said anything to the media about losing his third base job. Anyone? Nobody's left such comments here or on any of the other Detroit Tigers blogs I read. I haven't heard any complaints on sports talk radio (though I can't say I've been listening devotedly lately).
[EDIT: In my haste to post, I forgot that Mike McClary noted Inge's continued silence last week at The Daily Fungo. No ice cream for me tonight.]
But didn't this supposed snubbing take place after an event in which Inge signed autographs and talked to these same fans? If it was such a nasty slight, why didn't Tom Gage say anything about it in his story on Saturday? Was it a bad fit in an article detailing how happy the fans were to meet Inge?
And Henning probably isn't responsible for the headline to the article - "Commentary: Tigers' fans deserve explanation from Inge" - but the remark about owing the fans is almost a throwaway comment. 3/4 of the column is about Inge stubbornly refusing to talk. Henning even rationalizes why Inge is upset about his situation. Saying the fans are entitled to some feedback is one last feeble swing when his argument is running out of gas. Don't try to speak for the people when it's not even how they're feeling.
As I said on Saturday, Henning and the rest of the media will get a crack at Inge when Spring Training begins. The Tigers might schedule a sit-down session specifically to get this issue out of the way from the start. If that doesn't happen, and Inge continues to duck the media, forcing his teammates to answer questions on his behalf, then Henning, David Mayo, and their colleagues have a legitimate beef. Until then, quit throwing snits in print. It looks just as petulant as Inge is accused of being.