Rumors rumbling that Tom Gores might buy the Tigers

Submitted by Stephen Y on
Per our own Frank Beckmann on AM 760 this morning. He mentions that there have been rumblings for five or six weeks now. Here's to hoping Tom's got deep pockets to bring the Tigers back to contention.

lilpenny1316

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.  

Glennsta

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…

Manitou

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.

Maynard

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.

Alton

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.

 

mGrowOld

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.

lilpenny1316

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.

Ali G Bomaye

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.

lilpenny1316

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).

HimJarbaugh

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.

yourmom_is_hot

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.  

Mercury Hayes

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.

LSAClassOf2000

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.

mgoblue0970

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.

Bando Calrissian

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.