Detroit – His arms wide with elation, his mouth agape, Ivan Rodriguez waited to hug Magglio Ordoñez as he crossed home plate and into a city’s open arms. The symbolism was impossible to ignore.
As the Detroit Tigers pause for reflection and wait to continue their playoff demolition Saturday, can you guess who is being singled out as the genius who triggered the renaissance? Try the future Hall of Fame catcher who was dumb enough to join the Tigers in the first place.
Rodriguez was the welcoming committee before Saturday’s welcome committee.
“If Pudge doesn’t sign here, then Magglio doesn’t sign here,” closer Todd Jones said. “And if those guys don’t come here, other guys don’t. It all just kind of snowballed.”
Go back to the winter of 2003. The Tigers were in a free fall, losers of an American League record 119 games. On most nights, they appeared nothing more than a collection of overmatched Double-A prospects and fringe veterans. Winning a championship wasn’t a goal – how about avoiding embarrassment.
A few weeks before that season mercifully ended, owner Mike Ilitch reached his flash point. Going cheap had saddled him with a product no one in their right mind would pay to see. Sufficiently humiliated, Ilitch opened his wallet to general manager Dave Dombrowski, freeing him to chase premier free agents.
Having money is one thing. Getting players to take it is another. The Tigers were considered a joke, which was ultimately reflected in Rodriguez’s contract. Coming off his MVP performance in the NLCS and guiding the Florida Marlins to a World Series title, Rodriguez wanted respect. The industry, however, wanted a discount, most teams unwilling to offer no more than two years for an aging catcher.
The Tigers landed him with a four-year, $40 million deal, appealing to his ego. The contract language included protection if Rodriguez’s back flared up in 2005 or this season, but the perception was that the Tigers had grossly overpaid. But as Dombrowski explained, this wasn’t about money as much as providing legitimacy to a lonely franchise.
“It was the biggest turning factor in opening people’s minds about coming to Detroit,” Dombrowski said. “It was the first time we were able to attract a quality player to sign here. He’s a perennial all-star. A future Hall of Famer.
“And for him to come to Detroit was huge.”
The magnitude was understood this season, and more specifically Saturday.
Rodriguez, less focused on power hitting and more intent on grooming pitchers, helped knead a career season from Kenny Rogers and a battery of young starters.
And more than anything he bought into manager Jim Leyland after spending last year bickering with Alan Trammell while undergoing a difficult divorce off the field.
“There were a lot of people who thought I would have problems with Pudge and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Leyland said. “He’s been great.”
When Placido Polanco injured his shoulder Aug. 15, Rodriguez shifted to second base as a late-inning replacement. When Sean Casey, who will return for the World Series, tore a calf muscle last Tuesday, Rodriguez volunteered to play first. On Saturday, he was at his familiar place behind home plate – mobbing Ordoñez and triggering the city’s wildest celebration in 22 years.
“It was the moment I have been waiting for since I came here,” Rodriguez said. “It’s awesome. I feel very happy for my teammates that were here when they lost 119 games. This World Series is for them.”
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
