Monday, April 8
Tigers' 0-6 start seals Garner's fate
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ESPN.com news services
DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers, baseball's lone winless team, fired manager Phil Garner and general manager Randy Smith on Monday.
Luis Pujols, a coach with the Tigers, will take over as manager on an interim basis, said team president Dave Dombrowski, who will assume the GM's job.
Tiger Clawed
The Tigers are 0-6 but have a ways to go to match the worst starts in history:
Team Start Final
1988 Orioles 0-21 54-107
1997 Cubs 0-14 68-94
1904 Senators 0-13 38-113
1920 Tigers 0-13 61-93
1988 Braves 0-10 54-106
1968 W. Sox 0-10 67-95
1918 Dodgers 0-9 57-69
1919 Braves 0-9 57-82
1962 Mets 0-9 40-120
1983 Astros 0-9 85-77
1963 Mets 0-8 51-111
1955 Pirates 0-8 60-94
1952 Tigers 0-8 50-104
1945 Red Sox 0-8 71-83
1914 Indians 0-8 51-102
"It's a sad day for me and also a happy day," Pujols said.
Felipe Alou, fired last year as Montreal's manager, was considered a top candidate to wind up with the Tigers' job.
"I'm interested in managing," Alou said from his home. He would not say whether he had been contacted by Detroit officials.
Although among the earliest firings in major league history, the dismissals of Garner and Smith were not the first this season. The Boston Red Sox replaced manager Joe Kerrigan and general manager Dan Duquette during spring training.
Detroit, which hasn't had a wining record or a winning April since 1993, sputtered in the first week of the season, dropping three games each to Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
The Tigers hired Garner in October 1999. He was considered a well-respected manager despite a losing record with Milwaukee. At the time, Garner also was a candidate for an opening with the Chicago Cubs.
In two-plus seasons with Detroit, Garner had a 145-185 record and a 708-802 record overall, including nine straight losing seasons before the current campaign.
Many had questioned Smith's future when Dombrowski, one of baseball's most respected executives, was hired away from the Florida Marlins in November to be team president and, in turn, Smith's boss.
Smith was in his seventh year as GM of the Tigers. Both men's contracts were set to expire after the 2003 season.
"I think that whenever you start off 0-6 is not pleasant," Dombrowski said. "You sit back and you evaluate and there's never a great time to make a change like this.
"I think we're a better club than we performed. ... I also don't want to look you in the eye and say we're a championship caliber club."
Smith was often criticized in Detroit for moves that didn't work. He has seen players such as Juan Gonzalez, Luis Gonzalez and Hideo Nomo go on to success with other teams after leaving Detroit.
Owner Mike Ilitch hoped Comerica Park, the Tigers' home since 2000, would provide the financial boost that would translate to a higher payroll and a better team.
However, Detroit finished 66-96 a year ago and 79-83 in 2000.
In Garner's first season in Detroit, the team reflected the competitive spirit that Tigers executives hoped would be instilled by the man who as a player was nicknamed "Scrap Iron."
However, last year's payroll was cut, stunting any momentum the franchise gained in 2000.
The 2001 season was marred by cliques and clashes among the team members and squabbling between Garner and some of the players, including outfielder Roger Cedeno, who departed via free agency to the New York Mets.
Garner replaced Larry Parrish as the Tigers' manager.
Garner came to Detroit after being fired in August 1999 after eight years at Milwaukee. He left the Brewers with a 563-617 record.
Last month, Smith insisted that he wasn't worried about his job security.
"This will be my 10th year as a GM, and I'm just going to continue doing my job," Smith said at the time. "I'm looking forward to working with Dave, who I think has enabled us to move forward with some stability."
Pujols, who spent last season as manager of the Tigers' Double-A affiliate in Erie, Pa., served as a coach in Montreal from 1992-2000. He spent his last two seasons with the Expos as bench coach.
Pujols, 46, was a teammate of Garner's with the Houston Astros from 1981-1983.
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