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It's almost always good to be first. Almost.
In sports, it's not good to jump the starting signal. And in sports journalism, being way ahead of the news doesn't score points either.
Still, sports blogger Justin Spiro of Bloomfield Hills deserves a nod, a grin and a wink for scooping everyone on Ron Gardenhire's selection to replace Brad Ausmus . . . 25 months ago.
"The search for the next manager of the Detroit Tigers is effectively over. . . . . The team expects to hire Ron Gardenhire shortly after the conclusion of the 2015 season," he posted Sept. 8, 2015 in Detroit Sports Rag.
At the feisty blog, where he was managing editor from 2013-16, Spiro added:
"It’s pretty much done," a source within the organization said.
The source indicated that Gardenhire was the choice of team owner Mike Ilitch, but new President and General Manager Al Avila is fully on board with the expected hire. . . .
"[Hiring Gardenhire] is a formality," the source said. "I don’t see how it wouldn't happen." . . .
Recently, the Tigers quietly reached out to the former Minnesota Twins skipper to gauge his interest in the job. When their interest in him was quickly reciprocated, informal discussions began in earnest. Gardenhire is expected to sign a three- or four-year contract. . . .
Ilitch was firm in his desire to replace Ausmus with an experienced manager, and Gardenhire fits the bill.
As Gardenhire stood alongside Chris Ilitch and Al Avila at Comerica Park on Friday, Spiro's premature delivery became a healthy two-year-old. The plucky blogger can't resist a tweet that's part boast and part self-tease:
You guys can credit @TheAthleticDET all you want. I had the "Gardenhire is replacing Ausmus" story all the way back in 2015.
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) October 19, 2017
Behind that strutting sarcasm is a legitimate question, which the Spiro Avenue blogger and podcaster raises:
Ron Gardenhire thought this job was his in 2015. Al Avila convinced Mike Ilitch to stick with Ausmus. This decision is Chris Ilitch's.
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) October 19, 2017
Someone at the introductory press conference needs to ask Gardenhire about the 2015 negotiations. The framework of that deal was done.
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) October 19, 2017
The independent journalist is a graduate of Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School and Lahser High in Bloomfield Hills, followed by Michigan State (2011) and John Marshall Law School in Chicago 2015.
