There was never a doubt that former Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch would have done anything he could to win a World Series title before he died. Unfortunately, despite spending (some would say overspending), the Tigers were never able to seal the deal before Mr. I passed away.
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Now, Christopher Ilitch, who is the Tigers chairman and CEO, is running the show and there has been plenty of doubt amongst the fans that he has the same desire to win as he father did.
On Friday, Christopher Ilitch was in Lakeland, FL and he had a message for Tigers fans.
“You know, I get it. I understand the frustration,” he said. “Tiger fans are the greatest. We’re exceptionally grateful for the loyalty and dedication of Tiger fans. Tiger fans want to see winning teams on the field and they deserve to see winning teams on the field. And I can tell you everybody here in the Tiger organization is working exceptionally hard to deliver winning teams on the field.”
“I believe in the process. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we … will … get there,” Ilitch said slowly for emphasis. “We know how to win. We have rebuilt the Tigers successfully before and we’re going to do it again.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to do it again. Having lived through it before, having lived through it in a different sport, these things are on their own timetable sometimes. A lot of factors, as you know, go into it.”
“At the end of the day, for us to be competitive on a longer term basis, we are building this team the right way,” he said. “I have absolute confidence that we are building a Tigers team that Tiger fans will be proud of, a team that will live up to the tradition of our storied franchise.”
Nation, do you trust Christopher Ilitch? Do you believe that he has the same fire to win that his father had?
–Quotes via Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press– LINK
