Changing With The Times

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During my 41 years working in the Media, the majority of the work I’ve done is in Sports. I’ve covered four Super Bowl Games in addition to being at many championship contests.

I’ve also written about Muhammad Ali, Tom Lasorda, Sugar Ray Leonard, former Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ernie Harwell along with many others.

My writing mentor is Tony DeMarco, while George Eichorn and I have done lots of projects on and off the air.

In the past two years, I’ve had the great pleasure of being introduced to Internet Radio with Peter Wein. I’ve seen the numerous shows he’s had on the weinetwork.com as he possesses tremendous versatility to choose from.

In the past year, Wein’s wife Harriett passed away and he suffered a major stroke for which he’s still recovering from.

My career in the Media has given me the opportunity to work in both print and broadcasting.

Thanks to Jeff Adelman, who is a personal injury attorney that is in my Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce Referral Group, with Wein’s departure, he introduced me to Podcasting.

It’s been quite a transition from my old radio days. Many years ago, all I had to do was line-up the guests, prepare the content and we had lots of call ins.

There is another individual that has helped me get through this learning curve! I met Rudy Reyes on LinkedIn and he’s guided me with equipment. He’s taught me a lot about Social Media.

Rudy and I have a show on the World Sports And News (WSAN) Network.

We have seven different shows on WSAN Network.

The main ones include The Sports Exchange, 108 Stitches...Baseball Talk, The South Florida Tribune Podcast and the newest one is ‘No Limits’.

While all of our main programming has focused on Sports, things are drastically changing.

The South Florida Tribune Podcast is designed for our local market. We’ve made great progress developing it the past few weeks.

Before my wife and I left town for Memorial Day, we needed a strong national show.

With the help of my wife, two other guests which include Jacksonville Jaguars writer David Levin and former MLB pitcher Mark Littell, ‘No Limits’ was born.

In life, we have to adapt to it’s numerous changes.

The South Florida Tribune Podcast and No Limits will serve that purpose.

I will no longer be just a sports guy. I’ll be multi dimensional. We’ll have versatility on the local and national levels.

No Limits will live up to it’s name!

While we don’t talk about politics or religion on the South Florida Tribune and we won’t on the air, there will be no shortage of guests on these broadcasts!

The business model will be greatly enhanced because of the versatility.

There will be more ways to get involved as we create a Media Package.

First things first as this versatility will create more followers.

I’m excited about the direction, but there is a lot more work to do during these changing times. I’m very thankful for the people that have helped us grow and kudos to Rick Curti, Ron Renzy, David Levin, George Eichorn, and Mel Farr Jr. as they continue to help us on this growing journey.

The bottom line is that if we don’t accept todays changes then we’ll simply let the times pass us by. In other words, we’ll miss the bus.

That’s not going to happen with us.

For more updates, go to www.southfloridatribune.com. Also, please like the South Florida Tribune Page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

If you want to reach me, then drop me an e-mail at southfloridatribune@gmail.com.

Back To The Future

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
DAYTONA BEACH, FL

The first time I saw the movie "Back To The Future" was back in the 1980's when my long-time colleague George Eichorn and I watched it in a cinema in Southfield, MI.

When I made the decision to cover the Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday August 28th, I was curious about who was playing the following night in Florida State League (FSL) action, Advanced Class A Professional Baseball in Daytona Beach.

As it turned out, the Daytona Tortugas were hosting the Tampa Yankees at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

This game brought back some fond memories from my past.

The Tortugas are the Advanced Class A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Yankees are the Advanced Class A Affiliate of the New York Yankees.

What made this real special for me is I was a beat writer for both organizations from 1982-86. There were a lot of great memories at Fort Lauderdale Stadium and Al Lopez Field. I worked with the Yankees from 1982-84, then with the Reds from 1985-1986.

It was a pleasure working with future major league players, coaches, managers and trainers.

Fort Lauderdale Manager Stump Merrill was fantastic.

My best memory of Merrill, though it didn't feel that way at the time, was when my tape recorder stopped working during a 40 minute interview.

Thanks to My Photographer Ken Rotberg, who used his tape recorder to track players, I used his recorder, and Merrill was nice enough to do the interview all over again.

He said to me, "I'm here to develop young players. I'm glad that I can help a young reporter." He patted me on the back and said, "Hang in there Scott, you're doing fine and I appreciate you promoting the team. I enjoy working with you and please keep it up."

I got to know the Fort Lauderdale Yankees really well and the most notable prank they played on me was letting me wear one of their hats, only for it to be filled with shaving cream. I was stunned to say the least.

During the season, I had an unforgettable interview with late Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner. He was very cooperative, but if you asked a certain question about his managerial revolving door, he'd abruptly end the interview. Early in the conversation, we talked about some interesting topics, then I saved the managers question for last, which saw the interview come to an end.

I don't feel bad about this because weeks later, Ted Koppel of ABC News Nightline, did the same thing and Steinbrenner ended the interview quickly on National TV.

All in all, I learned a lot from the Steinbrenner experience.

The players that stood out in my tenure with the Yankees included, DH Pete Dalena, Infielder Todd Demeter, Pitcher Tim Birtsas (Pontiac, MI), Catcher Scott Bradley, Pitcher Bob Tewksbury, Infielder Rex Hudler, Pitchers Jose Rijo, Jim Deshaies, Rey Fontenot, Eric Plunk and Infielder Orestes Destrade.

Rijo, ironically played for both the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. He won a World Series in 1990 for the Reds and was a key contributor on that squad.

During the 1982 season, Hudler went on to rip Steinbrenner in the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel about his ways of handling the Yankees farm system while The Boss was in town. Hudler went on to have a solid carer in the major leagues. There were many players in this group that made it to the majors.

I'll never forget Pete Dalena, who played for the 1983 team.

My Hallandale Digest Editor Dan Bluesten didn't think Dalena could make the majors by being a DH. I asked Merrill about this and he said that Dalena would go as far as his bat would take him.

Two days after I wrote the Dalena article, he was promoted to Class AA Nashville, then eventually played for the Cleveland Indians in 1989.

There were many instances Bluesten questioned my gut feelings on story ideas and he was proven wrong several times.

It didn't hurt that My Mentor Tony DeMarco always taught me to trust my instincts. Whether DeMarco ever gets into the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame remains to be seen, but he's in My Hall of Fame as a Mentor and a Friend.

Merrill would eventually manage the Yankees in the Major Leagues and Steinbrenner always found a role for him in the organization.

Players such as Brian Butterfield and Chuck Hernandez have been coaches in the major leagues. Hernandez, a former Yankees left-hander had one of the best moves to first base that I've ever seen.

Hernandez, who was a pitching coach under former Tigers Manager Jim Leyland, told me during an interview in Lakeland, FL., that he had to have a good move because he had troubles getting hitters out, and had no difficulty joking about it.

Merrill went on to win two titles with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees in three years while I was covering the team. One of these titles was against the Tampa Reds.

It was an incredible three-year run covering the New York Yankees in Spring Training as well as the FSL Yankees.

Two of the nicest people I worked with in the Press Box were Doug and his wife Dee Pett. Doug was the PA Announcer and Official Scorekeeper while Dee assisted him. They are both former Metro Detroiters.

When the Miami Marlins came up I-95 to Fort Lauderale, two incredible people that became friends were executives and media personalities, Larry Bluestein and the late Sonny Hirsch.

In 1985-86, I covered the Tampa Tarpons for the Tampa Tribune.

The Manager of the Tarpons was Marc Bombard. He's worked with the Reds when I was in Tampa and has moved to other organizations.

During my tenure with the Tarpons, his two teams were real competitive.

In 1986, he guided the Tarpons to the FSL Playoffs. I joked with Bombard that we were rivals and now we're teammates.

He laughed when I told him you need to win a championship while I'm here. He said, "We'll try Scotty," smiling.

We had a good two-year run and the two players who stood out were left-hander Chris Hammond and Catcher Joe Oliver.

In my only year with Hammond in 1986, he posted a 3-2 record with a 2.81 ERA.

The thing that Hammond will best be remembered for was when I wanted to interview him, he turned me down. He said that he doesn't talk to the media. I told him "OK and I hope you're as good as Phillies legend Steve Carlton. You're Just a Minor Leaguer that is Just a Prospect with no guarantees to make it to the Major Leagues, who could use the publicity to promote yourself."

Hammond was a member of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds Championship team, but wasn't on the post-season roster because Manager Lou Piniella lacked confidence in him.

His ride to the majors was attributed to the fact that he was a left-handed pitcher. Left-handers are always in demand and Ray Fontenot took the Southpaw route to get to the majors.

As for Hammond, he was a mediocre pitcher, who had a 66-62 record with a 4.14 ERA. He was a journeyman pitcher that played for seven teams.

One of the nicest players I ever worked with was Tarpons 1985 Catcher Joe Oliver. He had a .269 average in 112 games, with seven home runs and 62 RBI.

Oliver would play for the Reds from 1989-1994 and was also a member of the 1990 World Series Championship Team. He would play two stints with the Reds.

Joe's other baseball stops were with the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

In case you were wondering, I never fell for any shaving cream pranks with the Tarpons. I got just a little smarter to let it happen again.

To this day, Joe and I remain good friends. He lives in Orlando, FL.

My employer the Tampa Tribune gave me lots of flexibility with the Tarpons.

My Executive Sports Editor Joe DiSalvo was great to work with. Joe allowed me to also free-lance write for RedsVue Magazine in Cincinnati. He allowed me to use their computer system to send stories, plus allow his Editor Rick Nelson to proof read them before I sent them.

One of my fondest memories of Nelson is when I covered the FSL All-Star Game in Osceola, FL in 1986. This was a new stadium for the Houston Astros.

The Tribune allowed me to use a company computer. I typed my story into it but the phone lines wouldn't allow me to send it after four attempts.

Nelson would get me a 25 minute extension, and I dictated two stories to Rick and made it with two minutes to spare. Rick did an excellent job typing the story which was approximately 25-30 inches under extreme pressure. We would joke around about this the following week, but it wasn't fun at the time.

The stories look real good when I saw them in the paper. This pressure situation was good for me.

RedsVue Editor Mark Schmetzer was also a great guy to work with. In addition to the Tarpons, he utilized me during Spring Training as well as Fantasy Camps.

Schmetzer got me credentialed for a three-game series at Riverfront Stadium against the LA Dodgers.

Schmetzer and I also remain good friends.

Former Tarpons Official Scorekeeper Bill Campbell and his wife Cathy were tremendous folks to work with.

So now "We're Back To The Future" in 2015 at a very Historical Ballpark.

I saw one familiar face for Daytona Beach. He was a USF Alumnus and also worked for a year as a pitching coach for FAU when I worked with the Owls. His name is Tony Fassas. I will be writing on him at a later date.

But Jackie Robinson Ballpark is a must see if you're a baseball junkie. It has a Museum throughout the park with a lot of commemorative photos, plaques and a Statue Outside.

This is a real neat place.

I was impressed by the way the Daytona Beach Community has embraced this team.

The fans were also great to us. It was just as fun before the game as it was during the contest just taking pictures with Jackie Robinson's historical breakthroughs which changed MLB forever.

As for the game, it was 0-0 and Rained Out after four innings.

But that didn't matter to me. The score meant absolutely nothing!

Seeing the history about Jackie Robinson was fantastic.

More importantly, the two organizations that were facing each other meant everything.

I met so many great people during my five years covering both that I can proudly say I was covering these people at the beginning of their careers.

The Hallandale Digest and Tampa Tribune were my employers throughout college.

Not only did I enjoy working in baseball, but I was getting paid to do it.

It doesn't get any better than that.

This night was a collection of a memorable past that brought me "Back To The Future" even though I'm not Michael J Fox.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Lions Wrap-Up

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
GREEN BAY, WI

Before the Detroit Lions 30-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers December 28, 2014 at Lambeau Field, Fox 2's Sports Director Dan Miller and I agreed during lunch about one standout defensive player.

Miller, also the Lions radio play-by-play announcer and I believe Ndamukong Suh will either get franchised, become a transition player or reach a long term contract.

Like My Mentor Tony DeMarco, I have no use for Social Media! Much of the junk written goes against how we were trained as Journalists!

In Suh's five years with the Lions, Detroit's reached the playoffs twice.

His presence on the field makes his teammates better around them.

I don't care that he's amassed $420,669 in fines during his career.

He's aggressive and old school. He'd be an impact player in any era.

Opponents may not like his tactics, but don't think for a minute that they'd love to have Suh playing for them. He causes headaches for opposing offensive coordinators, QB's, etc...

Throughout the years with previous Lions management, many never retained their core players. One defensive guy that should have retired a Lion was Chris Spielman, who played with the team from 1988-95 and played in four Pro Bowls with Detroit.

I do believe that Martin Mayhew and Coach Jim Caldwell won't make the same mistake with Suh. The salary cap will increase and they seem committed to getting the Ford Family a Super Bowl title.

During the 2014 season, Caldwell did a nice job handling the kicking situation getting it right on the third try with the addition of Matt Prater.

Neither of these guys were pleased with the lack of production from running back Reggie Bush, who could be an off-season salary cap casualty.

On March 12, 2014 Detroit signed free agent wide receiver Golden Tate away from the Seattle Seahawks giving him a 5-year $31 Million contract with $13.25 guaranteed.

How did this work out? This has "Genius" written all over it!

Tate played and started in all 16 games. He had 99 receptions for 1,331 yards and four touchdowns. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

Caldwell managed to win despite injuries to Calvin Johnson and Nick Fairley among others. Overcoming this showed the organization is headed in the right direction.

QB Matt Stafford didn't reach the 5,000 yard mark, however, who's complaining about his 4,257 yards, 22 TD's and 12 interceptions. He led the team to some exciting come from behind victories to get the Lions into the playoffs.

If there is any improvement from rookie Tight End Eric Ebron, Stafford will have another quality target in 2015.

Would the presence of Center Dominic Raiola at Green Bay have made a difference in the Lions leaving Wisconsin with their 24th consecutive loss? The Lions also dropped to 10-31-3 all-time at Lambeau and 24-57-4 in Wisconsin. Detroit's all-time record against Green Bay is now 67-95-7.

We'll never know but he didn't use good judgement and wasn't available. As a result, the Lions had to play the Dallas Cowboys on the road in the first round of the playoffs instead of hosting a home game that would have resulted in a higher seed.

Now the Lions aren't bringing Raiola for the 2015 season thus completing his 14-year run in Detroit.

Before the 2014 season, there were many people in the Local and National Media that felt Detroit would finish under .500 and fail to make the playoffs. They look quite stupid and I have a feeling Detroit will get more games in prime time in 2015.

I was amused by many of these so called experts that Detroit was going to get blown out in Dallas by at least 14 points. The Cowboys escaped with a 24-20 win thus making these analysts look stupid. This actually turned out to be the best game of the weekend. Fox had excellent ratings for the contest.

In Green Bay, the Lions punt team failed them as Micah Hyde had a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown and enjoyed his Lambeau Leap.

Against the Cowboys, Punter Sam Martin's 10-yard punt in the fourth quarter led to the Cowboys game winning drive that gave Dallas a 24-20 lead. Once again, a key special teams situation failed Detroit.

One thing that I'll say about the Lions is the NFL Rule Book gets re-written and often analyzed.

On November 26, 1998 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a Thanksgiving Game Lions 19-16 win at the Pontiac Silverdome will be known as the "Botched Coin Toss" as Jason Hanson converted a 42-yard field goal in overtime.

The "Calvin Johnson Rule" was created on September 12, 2010 where the receiver must have control to complete the process in a 19-14 loss at Chicago's Soldier Field. This happened with 31 seconds left in the game.

The 2012 Thanksgiving November 22, 34-31 OT loss to the Houston Texans is infamously known for the "Mistake Challenge" where former Coach Jim Schwartz overreacted on a scoring play that prevented it from getting reviewed.

Now to the Cowboys game. The Lions made headlines but also made a few friends in an unfortunate way.

Did the Cowboys get some home cooking?

Figure it this way, the NFL admitted that it blew seven calls, including the controversial "Pass Interference That Wasn't."

Hello Competition Committee.

Do you think that Suh wants to see his Lions career end that way now that he's playing for a contender?

I doubt it and so does Miller.

How many Lions fans did the Green Bay Packers amass when Dez Bryant fell victim to the "Calvin Johnson Rule" as the Cowboys lost 26-21 at Lambeau Field in the Divisional Round? America's Team lost Ice Bowl II and this was talked about all over the Media and analyzed in Social Media.

No breaks for the Cowboys in Wisconsin.

Unlike other sports, 31 teams are miserable when the NFL Playoff Tournament comes down to a one-game elimination compared to a series in the NBA, NHL and MLB.

All losses are agonizing and everybody is scratching their heads, etc...

In the Lions loss to the Cowboys there were other opportunities to score touchdowns but the team had to settle for field goals. The team knows it,

But considering where the franchise was a year ago at 7-9 that saw Schwartz get fired, Detroit had to patiently wait for his successor.

Former Arizona Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt and former Bears Coach Lovie Smith were high on Detroit's wish list.

Smith decided to coach the Tampa Bay Bucs and Whisenhunt the Tennessee Titans. Neither of these teams had a franchise QB in place and as a result finished with identical 2-14 records. The Bucs get the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft while Tennessee is second.

Caldwell got recommendations from Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and the Lions season was much, much better than Smith and Whisenhunt.

Even if the Lions had beaten Green Bay, who knows how far they would have advanced.

The loss in Green Bay was tough for Lions Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi, whose grandfather Vince Lombardi won championships in this venue plus has a street named after him.

But there is no sense of dwelling on what would have been because they Packers experienced a tough 28-22 OT road loss Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl Champions in the NFC Championship Game.

After the Packers game, Caldwell reflected on the positive by saying, "There are only 12 teams working at the end of the night, and we are one of the 12. You better be excited about that opportunity."

Stafford added, "We are a battle-tested team. We have won 11 games this year. We found ways to win a lot of them and we will continue to do that. We are a mature football team."

There is no question Detroit acquired a lot of valuable lessons in their season ending two-game losing streak.

Mayhew, Caldwell and the rest of the scouting staff are now evaluating tape from this past bowl season enabling the Lions to retool by adding additional pieces.

The Senior Bowl is Sunday in Mobile, Alabama. There were lots of interviews with players and practices to scout this week.

One thing is for certain, Caldwell changed the culture, instilled discipline to a franchise which hasn't seen at least 11 wins since the 1991 season when Detroit was 12-4.

If Suh stays because of Caldwell's calm demeanor then this will solidify that Jim may not have been the First Choice, but he was indeed the Best Choice.

The keys to success in the NFL are:

1) Have to be Good.
2) Have to be Lucky.
3) Have to be Healthy.

Seems like a simple formula but yet so complicated and difficult to conquer.

We find that out on Black Monday at the end of every season and those that do succeed in the Super Bowl have the right to cherish the accomplishment.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Detroit Tigers Next Skipper?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I don't think the Detroit Tigers Managerial Search will be as complicated as it seems.

There are some good names out there but it's just a matter of determining if this team needs an overhaul or stays with continuity.

Are they looking for a Big Splash?

Or a Diamond in the Rough?

There is no question that I thought they were blindsided by this move because they thought they could get one more year out of Jim Leyland.

With Torii Hunter, Victor Martinez becoming free agents and Max Scherzer in line for a big payday either through arbitration or free agency after the 2014 season, Leyland could have had a great shot at a fourth straight post-season bid.

But this is where we are at.

The Tigers didn't have what the Pistons had when they fired Rick Carlisle and hired Larry Brown with their Succession Plan.

Brown led the team to the NBA Finals twice and won a championship in his only two years roaming the sidelines at The Palace of Auburn Hills. He bolted for his dream that turned out to be his nightmare job with the New York Knicks and Detroit proceeded to hire Flip Saunders, who led the Pistons deep into the playoffs, however, falling short of a championship losing in the Conference Finals.

Here is My Breakdown as to who the Next Tigers Skipper should be. Again, it's My opinion and I encourage any kind of feedback.

According to the Online Sports Book Bovada, I will attach the odds in parenthesis to what I believe and mention a few more names.

1. Brad Ausmus (4-1) is what Leyland said the Tigers need and that's young at the age of 44. He was the Tigers catcher in 1996, 1999-2000. He's played 17 years and is regarded as one of the smartest players in baseball.

2. Lloyd McClendon (9-2) age 54 is a great internal candidate. He's been a Tigers Coach since 2006 under Leyland. His only stop was with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001-2005 where he was 336-446 and a .430 winning percentage. Considering that Pittsburgh has been dormant for 20 years, Lloyd deserves a second chance.

Once upon a time a guy by the name of Chuck Daly coached a horrible franchise in 1981-82 and went 9-32 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. All he did was win two championships with the Detroit Pistons in his second stop and compiled a 13-year coaching record of 638-437 mark, 12 playoff appearances en route to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.

I'd say that Daly did pretty well. I see no reason McClendon can't have success plus if he keeps coaches Gene Lamont and Jeff Jones then this becomes a seamless transition.

3. Tom Brookens (5-1) at age 60 is a Tiger in every sense of the word. But I see him more as a coach than a manager.

4. Torey Luvullo (5-1) is 48 and is another former Tiger that is serving as Bench Coach of the Boston Red Sox. He figures to be busy until October 31. If he's the Tigers choice, they'll wait otherwise he'll manage someday, somewhere.

5. Gene Lamont (11-2) will be 67 on Christmas Day and he's been a manager for the Chicago White Sox  (1992-1995) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1997-2000). Can't hold the Pirates gig against Lamont but at this point of his career, his knowledge is best served as a bench coach to assist a young manager.

6. Larry Parrish (8-1) will be 60 on November 10 and has previously managed the Tigers. He's a company man having spent plenty of time managing Detroit's farm teams. But I don't see a second tenure as Tigers skipper for Parrish.

7. Manny Acta (8-1) will be 45 on January 11, 2014 and is 372-518 with the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians. The Tigers are familiar with him as a divisional manager. If he interviews well then he could be a long shot for the job. But there are too many good candidates for this opening, however, he could still be a coach for Detroit because he can relate to the Latin players.

8. Dusty Baker (15-1) is 64 but I believe he has one more managerial stop left in him. According to My Mentor Tony DeMarco, he believes that Baker could land with the Los Angeles Dodgers if Don Mattingly is removed as pilot. I'll take Tony's word and Baker did play for Los Angeles from 1976-1983. He also played and managed for rival the San Francisco Giants. Need I say more about a Southern California Homecoming. He would be a safe choice for the Tigers if it ever happened.

9. Tony Pena (15-1) is 56. He's a bench coach for the New York Yankees as Joe Girardi right-hand man. He has one managerial stop with a down franchise leading the Kansas City Royals to a 198-285 mark and a winning percentage of .410 from 2002-2005. Again, another prominent Latin name, but is he a fit with the Tigers? I don't know. I'd like to see him get another opportunity.

Here are some other names that were not on the board worth thinking about,.

Tampa Bay Rays Coach Dave Martinez, 49, is currently a bench coach for Joe Maddon. Look for his name to come up as a promising candidate as he learns the trade from the Best Small Market Manager in Baseball, speaking of Maddon.

Two past managers that have won the World Series include Charlie Manuel, who will be 70 on January 4, 2014 and 49-year-old Ozzie Guillen.

We'll start with Manuel.

In a 13-year managerial career with the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies he compiled a 1000-826 mark. He's an intriguing short term candidate for a team that feels it's close to winning a title. His downfall in Philadelphia was attributed to trades that sent key players to contenders.

Manuel's 2008 World Championship with Philadelphia does make him a good candidate if team's are willing to overlook his age.

As for Guillen, his body of work was great until he took the Miami Marlins job.

In his lone season with the Marlins in their new ballpark, the team was 69-93 with a .426 winning percentage. He alienated the fan base by proclaiming he loved Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro.

Prior to coming to Miami, Guillen won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005. He has a career record of 747-710 with a .513 percentage. The last time the White Sox won a World Series was in 1917.

If you want drama, great quotes and to see the Tigers vs White Sox rivalry get more intense, then he's your pick. Is he a good fit for Dombrowski and Ilitch, I have major doubts. I've always thought of Guillen as the Latin version of the late Tigers Manager Billy Martin. He's fiery, passionate and I enjoy the way he goes about getting the best of his players. He's well liked and respected in the clubhouse.

Baseball does miss him in a dugout and I have a feeling that he'll get another chance. Has he learned his lessons and is he more trouble than he's worth with the drama he brings? Stay tuned. There is another chapter to be written.

Finally, if you want a long shot candidate, here is one.

He's not mentioned on any of the lists that I've seen but he'd be a great fit.

Because of tampering rules, the Tigers wouldn't be allowed to contact Oakland A's Manager Bob Melvin, who will be 52 on October 28th.

But Melvin made his debut playing for the Tigers in 1985 under Sparky Anderson. He played 10-years for seven different teams.

He's managed 1,388 games with three different teams and has a career mark of 705-683 with a .508 percentage for the Seattle Mariners (2003-2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-2009) and the Oakland A's 2011-Present.

He won the 2007 National League Manager of the Year and the 2012 American League Manager of the Year Award.

His team plays in a stadium that draws poorly and has sewer problems. He managed two great playoff series against the Tigers only to come up short.

Give Melvin lots of resources and talent, plus he's a good age, then you have a guy that's more than capable of filling Leyland's Big Shoes.

A few other names that were mentioned in preliminary searches include former Tiger Kirk Gibson, Future Hall of Fame Manager Tony LaRussa, former Pirates Manager Jim Tracy and LA Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.

I could see Tracy as a candidate but Gibson has committed to stay in Arizona and Scioscia  is under contract. He would be a good fit in Detroit as would Tracy, 57. Any former Pirates manager is worth of consideration since the franchise had 20-consecutive losing seasons.

I would also look at San Diego Padres Manager Bud Black, a former pitching coach.

Look for Boston Red Sox Third Base Coach Brian Butterfield to get some interviews down the road. I covered Brian back in our days with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees back in 1982.

During the 2010 off-season, the 55-year old native of Bangor, Maine., was one of four finalists for the Toronto Blue Jays job. He is the son of Jack Butterfield, the former Vice-President of Player Development and Scouting for the New York Yankees.

This guy is a baseball lifer and being in a baseball family, a good showing by Boston in the 2013 World Series could easily put him on a team's radar for a future managers job.

I could see Butterfield filling out a line-up card one day.

Now it will be interesting to see who the Tigers next manager will be but with this list of names mentioned in this story, I'll also be curious to see where these other skippers land.

My longtime friend Tom Gage, in the photo with me at Marlins Park in the Press Box, of the Detroit News has worked with many managers through the years and I'll be curious as to what he has to say next spring about the newest hire.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

The Beginning Of A Journey

By SCOTT MORGANROTH

Sports has been a part of my life ever since I was a little boy and being raised in Detroit, MI., I’ve been fortunate enough to have grown up in a town with four major teams. Watching my father play softball in Oak Park and later open up a sporting goods store named All Pro Sporting Goods in the same town was just the beginning of a passion.

     Thanks to his involvement, as a youngster, I was fortunate enough to have played baseball for six years, basketball and hockey each one season. Being a youngster, I always enjoyed watching these games and my Aunt Tina Caplan was an inspiration to pursue a dream as a Play-By-Play announcer. I would turn the volume off and do the Red Wings play-by-play. I idolized Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell and Red Wings great Bruce Martyn. I’d go to Tigers games alone and did play-by-play in the bleachers at Tiger Stadium.

     But the transformation from being a fan to getting involved in the media began in 1979 when Sam Greenblatt, who was the manager of my father’s sporting good store. used to be a frequent guest on WXYZ’s Sports Talk with Ron Cameron. 

     Sam and Ron used to discuss amateur hockey which was huge in Michigan. My father and Sam asked me if I wanted to visit the station and watch the show in person. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.

     The star of this show turned out to be my best friend George Eichorn. We formed an incredible bond that has now lasted 30 years and our work with the Detroit Monitor has led to unbelievable memories together.

     Both of us are members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. We’ve covered the Detroit Pistons, Lions, Red Wings and Tigers. This has allowed me to create other friendships as well including one with Harwell and the late Joe Falls of the Detroit News and Free Press.

     While it would take me forever to list all the great sports assignments,  some which stand out are three Super Bowls, the Final Game at Tiger Stadium in 1999, the NBA Finals, 1984 USFL Championship Game, Spring Training, numerous Auto Races at Michigan International Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Miami/Homstead Speedway, an NHL All-Star Game, a few Orange Bowls in addition to writing about the Lions during the Barry Sanders era and the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” Championship Years.

     When Eichorn and I pursued other radio opportunities together and I moved to Florida to do remote reports, the 1981 Lynda Carter Maybelline Tennis Tournament in Deerfield Beach, and Baseball Winter Meetings in Hollywood, began a new journey in my sports career. 

     My first major interview was with Tom Lasorda of the World Champion LA Dodgers. Former New York Daily News Columnist Phil Pepe helped me prepare for it. My late uncle Fred Cullen gave me the time off from his roofing company to cover this event at the Diplomat Hotel.

     In Florida, Eichorn introduced me to Tony DeMarco. Early in my journalism career, DeMarco took me under his wing and was a big mentor. DeMarco worked for the Hollywood Sun Tattler and the Miami Herald.

     In addition to radio, I have been affiliated with the following organizations.

      I was Sports Editor for the Broward Community College South, Pembroke Pines, Fla., “The New Horizons” for three years. I worked at the Hallandale Digest, Tampa Tribune, Reds Vue Magazine in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently work with the Deerfield Beach Observer. 

     In 1984, the same year the Tigers won the World Series against the San Diego Padres, I won an award for Best Sports Reporter for Junior College Newspapers. My adviser Betty Owen informed me in Tampa.

     At the Digest, I worked with one of the greatest people I’ve ever known in Peter Bluesten. Peter was more than an employer; he was a father figure, mentor, who was loved by all those whom he came in contact with. 

     When I couldn’t go back home to Detroit, Peter treated me as family and invited me for Thanksgiving Dinner as well as other holidays. He supported all of my educational endeavors and we can all hope to meet a man of his caliber. 

      If there were more Bluesten’s in todays “work force,” employee loyalty would be much higher because he treated everybody as family!

     My first editor at the Deerfield Beach Observer Ric Green created a position to cover Florida Atlantic University and I’ve been reunited with former Miami Hurricanes Coach Howard Schnellenberger. If FAU’s academic program had been further developed, I might have been an Owls alumnus in 1986. Instead I graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa and had a blast covering sports events for the Tribune.

     The photos which will be posted on here are just proud memories of the great people I’ve come in contact with.

     The purpose of this Blog is to write about subjects which I have passion for. I’m not here to sensationalize or slander individuals reputations.  Back in 1982 another former colleague named Andy Liscano, who worked for NBC’s Channel 7 in Miami taught me two valuable things.

     First, work as hard as you can and out work your opponent or competition.

     Second, always be different. The things we took pride in at Channel 7 is since our sports cast was before the competition, we worked harder to find different story lines by being creative. I repeat different story lines! That’s my goal here in this Blog is to take far fetched ideas and make you readers think and perhaps learn something. 

     Liscano’s philosophy would enable him to get promoted to the No. 2 media market in the country Los Angeles and he was one of the main reporters for the 1984 Olympics.

     While I don’t expect everybody to agree with everything I say, I certainly encourage any feedback and will reply back ASAP.  Your ideas are welcome.

Things you might want to know and how it all began.