Tigers close Rogers deal

December 13, 2005
The first time Kenny Rogers pitched at Tigertown, the trip took about 10 to 15 minutes from home.
This time, his trek there will have covered a pro career lasting 23 years.
Rogers recalled Monday how he visited the Tigers' training camp on a rainy day in 1982. A Texas Rangers scout wanted to see him throw off a mound. Rogers, a high school senior in nearby Plant City, Fla., did so in a hangar in the Tigers' facility at Lakeland.
"I had never pitched," Rogers recalled Monday. "I didn't know what I was doing. The scout was taking a flier on somebody who played rightfield for his high school team."
The Rangers drafted Rogers, then 17, in the 39th round. He debuted in the majors seven years later -- against the Tigers. This off-season, the Tigers were looking for a veteran starting pitcher, and Rogers was looking for a new team.
"I'm looking forward to coming to Lakeland and to coming to Detroit," Rogers said Monday, when the Tigers announced they had signed him to a two-year contract. "The Tigers have a young team and an organization with a desire to win, and that appealed to me."
The Tigers finished 28 games behind the World Series-champion White Sox in the American League Central last season.
"Cleveland is good and Chicago is good," Rogers said. "But I think it's a winnable division.
"The Tigers have a history, and I'd love to add to it."
Rogers has won 190 games, most of them since 1993, the Tigers' last winning season. Given the dark dozen years since then, fans can't be blamed for skepticism. Ever since Rogers' $16-million deal with the club became public last week, the skepticism about it has centered on two points:
Why did the Tigers sign someone who just turned 41? Aren't they getting the angry guy who attacked two TV cameramen this year?
"Kenny Rogers made the All-Star team this year," manager Jim Leyland said Monday. "He's 50-some games over .500 lifetime. He brings a lot to this party. I think we got a tremendous deal here."
Without a pause, Leyland added, "Everybody I talked to told me Kenny is an outstanding person. That is what we're trying to get in Detroit. Having good people is the only way you get things done in the long run. When you're a team, you find a way to win games. When you play as individuals, you find ways to lose."
Rogers' assault of the cameramen culminated a months-long spell of unhappiness with the media that apparently began with spring training reports that he would quit if he didn't get a contract extension.
"When people question my integrity or honesty, there is only so much I can deal with," Rogers said Monday. "That's the gist of it. I can't take that kind of criticism when it's unwarranted.
"Do I regret some of my actions? Yes. Do I regret standing up for my character? In no way, shape or form. That is what I'm defined by. That is what everyone on the field is all about."
Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski gave three reasons the team signed Rogers from the several free-agent starters on the market. First, he said, the club wanted a leader. Second, it wanted a quality pitcher.
And third, Dombrowski said, "One of our pro scouts, Dick Egan, has known Kenny since he was a youngster, and he always has spoken highly of him."
With that, Rogers is on his way back to Lakeland.
Tigers notebook: Right-hander Kenny Baugh was traded to San Diego for right-hander Ricky Steik, who pitched in the low minors last season. Baugh, the Tigers' top pick in 2001, never pitched in the majors. ... Reserve catcher Vance Wilson agreed to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
Arizona: Free-agent utility infielder Damion Easley, an All-Star with the Tigers in 1998, agreed to a $700,000, one-year contract.
Boston: The Red Sox promoted two of Theo Epstein's former assistants -- farm director Ben Cherington and assistant GM Jed Hoyer -- to be co-general managers.
Houston: First baseman Mike Lamb agreed to a $1.7-million, one-year contract. He hit .236 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs last season with the Astros.
San Diego: Leadoff hitter Dave Roberts agreed to a $2.25-million contract, and the Padres closed in on a $1-million deal for reliever Doug Brocail, an ex-Tiger.
San Francisco: Right-hander Matt Morris agreed to a $27-million, three-year contract, leaving St. Louis after nine seasons. Morris, who passed a physical Monday, went 14-10 with a 4.11 ERA.
Texas: Former All-Star right-hander Vicente Padilla was acquired from Philadelphia for a player to be named. He was 9-12 with a 4.71 ERA in 27 starts.

Source: http://www.freep.com/