Tigers Fire Manager Buddy Bell

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 1, 1998 / 5:49 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

Buddy Bell was fired today as manager of the Detroit Tigers, and bench coach Larry Parrish was appointed interim manager for the rest of the season.

Detroit has lost 22 of its last 27 games and at 52-85 has the worst record in the American League.

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General manager Randy Smith said that Bell brought the situation to a head when he insisted on knowing now whether he would be brought back next season.

Smith said if Bell had not forced the issue, he would have been kept through this season and possibly the start of next season.

"Buddy wanted a definitive answer today. He wanted a clarification," Smith said. "We looked at it and decided things just weren't going as smoothly as they should be."

" Obviously if you arrive at this decision, it's been in the back your mind. This is where it ended up."

Owner Mike Ilitch, who last week would not give Bell a vote of support when questioned by reporters, did not attend the news conference.

"There's never a good time to change the flat tires, but sometimes you do what is best at the time, and that's what we thought we did today," team president John McHale said.

Bell, 47, had two years left on his contract, and finished with a 185-277 record. His winning percentage of .400 is the worst of any Tigers manager since Frank Dwyer had a .385 percentage in going 52-83 in 1902.

The Tigers won 79 games last season, an improvement of 26 games over 1996 and expected to be more competitive this season. But Detroit got off to a 4-17 start and never recovered.

In bell's first season, 1996, the Tigers lost 109 games. Their 1997 record, 79-83, was the best ever recovery among the 19 teams with 109-loss seasons.

Smith gave Bell a vote of confidence on Friday, saying he knew of no reason why Bell wouldn't be back in 1999.

"I know Buddy's not being evaluated strictly on wins and losses," Smith said. "I think our relationship is great."

But Ilitch was not as supportive.

"He's had a difficult job in terms of mixing very young players with veterans and being able to deal with it when it's not going well," Ilitch said Friday.