Detroit – Want to see what veteran leadership looks like?
Manager Ron Gardenhire had just left the clubhouse after castigating the entire squad after a particularly horrendous performance in yet another loss in late July, when talk was starting to swirl about the Tigers being on pace to become the worst team in the history of the game.
The room was still quiet, players still looking downward absorbing the tongue-lashing when veteran Gordon Beckham’s voice shattered the silence.
“In front of everybody, I just said, ‘We’re not going to be the worst! No! It’s not going to happen,’” Beckham recalled Thursday morning.