Rumors rumbling that Tom Gores might buy the Tigers
January 19th, 2017 at 11:59 AM ^
There were a lot of people worried he may move the team for a bigger market and payday. Few thought the move would be such a short distance.
The rumor, or hope I guess, was that Dan Gilbert wanted to own the Tigers. I guess he decided to own every building around Comerica Park instead.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
at the Palace. Got rid of a lot of capable people, and brought in a bunch of douchebags that don't know what the hell they're doing.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
I doubt he'll be owning the Pistons 5-10 years from now. He bought an NBA team with its own building and is flipping it. He made minor upgrades to the building and will sell it for a profit. That means goodbye to maintenance costs, utility bills and property taxes. I assume that will be a shared cost with the DRW at the Pizza Oven.
And he moved his team to a more desirable location for future prospective owners. The Pistons, with an improving on-court product, will be sold once he thinks he can get maximum value.
January 19th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
I'd agree 100% if Platinum were still in the picture. Platinum is all about flipping properties.
However, Gores individually bought out Platinum's share of the Pistons in 2015. He owns it all and isn't answerable to a bunch of private investors.
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2015/09/04/detroit-piston…
January 19th, 2017 at 9:37 AM ^
He is building a new pad for $100 million.
January 19th, 2017 at 9:32 AM ^
I wasn't aware the Tigers were for sale
January 19th, 2017 at 9:43 AM ^
Technically my wife isn't for sale either... but for the right price... meh.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
Photos will enhance your listing!
January 19th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^
In my opinion he has supported the team financially, arguably beyond the means of the market to support it the level he has. I would be quite surprised if he sold as the World Series ring, in his own words, is the thing he covets the most at this point.
January 19th, 2017 at 9:45 AM ^
No thanks. I don't want an absentee landlord situation. I want whoever owns the Tigers to be around the Tigers and the city. There is great value in knowing the pulse of the fanbase in the present. Not saying he wouldn't be a great owner. I just want one that lives and works in Michigan full-time.
January 19th, 2017 at 9:57 AM ^
Its not like the Pistons have taken off under Gore. I would rather have someone like Dan Gilbert buy the Tigers. He got Cleveland a championship. Maybe he could buy the Tigers and Lions together, the Big Cat package deal.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
Highly unlikely that MLB will allow Gilbert to buy the Tigers due to his ownership of 5 casinos in Ohio. Other major sports are more lax when it comes to that. MLB is not.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^
Do those casinos have sports books?
January 19th, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
They do not, but that doesn't matter to MLB. MLB owners are not allowed to "own or operate" a casino--even a slot machine only casino. Marian Ilitch was listed as co-owner of the Tigers for the first 5 years after they purchased it, but her name disappeared from all Detroit Tigers publicity as soon as Motor City Casino opened.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
He didn't get Cleveland a championship, he was blessed by the fact LeBron James is from Cleveland and wanted to return to his hometown.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
Either way, no matter who Ilitch sells to, they will clean house, that means Avila and Ausmus will both be gone after this season. I'm on board with that
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January 19th, 2017 at 10:12 AM ^
Don't agree. Dan Gilbert's been the best owner I've ever seen and is a major force behind not only the Cavs rebirth and success (he pays more in cap overage tax than half the league's total payroll) but also downtown Cleveland. He's done more for our city than anyone in my lifetime and last time I checked he lived in Michigan, not Ohio.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:15 AM ^
He pretty much brought Detroit downtown back from the dead too
January 19th, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
He's been a major part of CBD reinvestment, but let's not give him too much credit here. He's part of a critical mass. A big part, but not the only part.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:05 PM ^
But he didn't do it alone. You've had a strong presence from DMC, GM, Ford, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Karmanos. He's a huge part of the revival, but he's not alone.
Personally, I'd rather him bring the Lions back from the dead than the Tigers, but the Ford family will never sell that cash cow unless they lose interest in making millions without doing anything.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^
He seems to have committed to Cleveland and Ohio as he has casinos and maybe even some Quicken Loans operations there.
January 19th, 2017 at 9:45 AM ^
Does this mean that Illitch will go back to focusing on the Red Wings?
January 19th, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
The rumor last week was girlbert was going to sell the cavs for triple worth because of Lebrun then buy the pistons from Gores so idk
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January 19th, 2017 at 10:08 AM ^
I hope that doesn't happen. Gilberts been the best owner I've ever seen and he's pouring money into downtown cleveland.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^
He's been pouring a lot of money into Detroit aswell
http://cavaliersnation.com/2016/12/18/cavs-rumors-dan-gilbert-could-sel…
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January 19th, 2017 at 10:09 AM ^
have not been resurrected under his ownership. Not impressed.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
Stan Van is a good coach, but he's sort of stuck in the same old rut alot of NBA teams are in. You need a couple of stars to really compete. He's been trying to build up around Drummond, but I think he's clearly overreached for some players (Like Reggie Jackson).
January 19th, 2017 at 10:20 AM ^
Success isn't automatic in the NBA even with good ownership, since the NBA largely depends on your ability to either sign a star or luck into one. Gores has shown that he's willing to spend money and stay out of the way, which are the two most important qualities for an owner in any sport.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
Have you been paying attention at all? By all accounts he's been a very good owner so far.
January 19th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
It's 50/50. It's not a Center league anymore and they just locked up Drummond for ever, you need superstars especially at the 1-3 and he hasn't made a blockbuster move yet.
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January 19th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
Injuries derailed this season before it started, but they're close to 100%. If they can stretch this 2-game winning streak into something substantial, they can be back in a playoff spot within a week.
This is a much better product than what he inherited. I mean, he gave KCP his name back (no longer Kid Can't Play).
January 19th, 2017 at 10:20 AM ^
Is this one of those buys that would be done under the Platinum umbrella? If so, no thanks. It hasn't worked for the Pistons and it makes the team easy to move to another city.
It took Illitch almost 15 years to build a contender from those Cecil Fielder/Rob Deer/Mickey Tettleton home run or a strikeout teams. Unless Gores has some magic touch, I don't see him building a championship team.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^
I'd be good with this move.
People crapping on him because of the Pistons haven't been paying attention. That franchise became morbid under Karen Davidson, the roster have been overhauled. The team stil has it's holes (a shoot first PG, a center who can't do anything outside of the paint), but Gores has been a present and good owner.
January 19th, 2017 at 7:11 PM ^
He hired a bozo Ron Jeremy look alike as coach/president (which has worked how many times in Sports?).
If I have to deal with a Sparty owner I'll take the one who won a Championship in a MORIBUND sports town known as Cleveland.
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January 19th, 2017 at 7:57 PM ^
How fucking stupid is this guy? Good lord, some people were born with sickeningly poor cognitive abilities.
January 19th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^
I have connections in the journalism industry. A trusted reporter (not one spoken about often here) told me the tires were being kicked by Gores. And this was a year ago. This is not a rumor.
January 19th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
Yes by definition it's a rumor
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January 19th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rumor
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January 19th, 2017 at 10:48 AM ^
do it
January 19th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
The fear is in what will Chris Ilitch's willingness to spend money once his father passes away and he assumes ownership.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:04 AM ^
It'd be nice to see an owner pass a franchise into capable hands, for once, instead of over to their family members.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
I have to wonder if this springs from the mumrmurings around town that Chris Illitch and Tom Gores will be getting together on various projects outside of the Pistons move to downtown. I've heard some speculation from various people in the business community that I interact with that one of those projects may be the Detroit Tigers, but nothing is in the news or nothing has been committed to paper yet, so take it as speculation for now, I would say.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^
Chris: Hey Tom, you come downtown for basketball and incur overhead and I'll give you a money sucking ball club. Win/win!
Tom: Uh, wut?
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January 19th, 2017 at 2:34 PM ^
Sell not give
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January 19th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^
Maybe Dan Gilbert can buy them...
January 19th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
The NFL cross-ownership rules (see below) would prevent this from happening. This is why Stan Kronke transferred his ownership in the Denver Nuggets to his son, Josh.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^
Deep pockets hasn't been a recent Tigers problem. They were luxury taxed last season by way of comparison.
January 19th, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
There are rumblings every year or two that the Ilitch family is looking to sell. Then they issue some press release saying it's bunk, reinforcing the children are taking a bigger role--even though they don't have the passion for sports their parents do.
Could be true, I guess? I just don't see them doing this while Mike is still alive and chasing a World Series. Would make sense to sell after he dies, too, since Marion's casino connections means she can't own the team.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
An overhaul of the front office and to also get rid of Ausmus. If the Illiches are willing to do that, then great.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^
Maybe he can return the Tigers to where they belong... Corktown!