Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila raised some eyebrows when he likened skipper Brad Ausmus to Joe Torre, the former manager of the New York Yankees, and winner of four World Series titles.
Avila clarified his comparison by referring to the demeanor of Ausmus, rather than his record and accolades.
“He’s one of the guys in the dugout who doesn’t get overly emotional,” Avila said on Thursday. “He’s more like a Joe Torre type of guy. He’s very quiet, you don’t see him go ranting and raving — although you did see him last year one time, and I think everybody enjoyed that.”
Of course, the “one time” Avila was referring to was Ausmus’ tirade against umpire Doug Eddings, which ended with the skipper being ejected – but not before removing his sweatshirt and leaving it on home plate as a final act of defiance.
His record of 250-234 entering his fourth year on the job isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but it was apparently enough for Avila to bring Ausmus back for another season.
“I attribute a lot of our success last year to him putting together the pieces he had left in order to move forward and win some games at the end,” Avila said.
However, in order to truly be compared to some of the greats, Ausmus is going to need to start winning more. 2017 could very well be his last chance.
