Q AND A: SHANE BATTIER
It had been a long time since I'd been in downtown Detroit. The Pistons, of course, play 31 miles north of the city, in a place called Auburn Hills, which is as relevant to Detroit as Quito, Ecuador is. Structurally, there's a lot that's right about downtown. The GM Renaissance Center is still gleaming and still commanding almost 30 years after its construction.
Like many other cities, Detroit has turned to casinos to generate revenue; there are three within a mile or so of one another. Like many other cities, Detroit has built its most recent sports buildings downtown; Ford Field, where the Lions play, is next door to Comerica Park, where the Tigers play, and where I was covering their Division Series against the Oakland A's.
But unlike most cities, Detroit is, officially, bankrupt. There are decades' worth of blame to throw around (this story in the Detroit Free Press last month is revelatory and what great newspapers, like great cities, used to produce regularly). But what was striking about downtown was that there were so few people around. It was like that History Channel show Life After Humans, which hypothesis how the world created by man would collapse if man suddenly were not there.
And yet, those that remain refuse to yield, and those athletes from there like Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Derrick Coleman and Jerome Bettis, to name four, brought that grit and toughness with them. Shane Battier wasn't from the city; he grew up in the Detroit 'burbs, in Birmingham, Michigan. But he has won everywhere he's been, from County Day High to Duke to the Grizzlies and Rockets, and now, finally, with the Heat, where his defense and clutch 3-point shooting have been central to Miami's two championships.
At 35, Battier's basketball career is winding down, but his lifelong love of the Tigers has never been greater.
Me: When did the Tigers become important to you?
Shane Battier: My first sports memory was of the '84 Tigers. I was 6 years old when they won the title. I can still tell you the lineup to this day. George Kell, Paul Carey, Ernie Harwell, the Bless you Boys. I've been a Tiger Fan for a long time.
Me: All right, name 'em.
SB: First base, Darrell Evans. Up the middle, Lou Whitaker at second, Alan Trammell at short. Dave Berman at third. Lance Parrish behind the plate. Larry Herndon, Chet Lemon and Hojo [Howard Johnson] in the outfield. Jack Morris, Dan Petry, Juan Berenguer. The MVP and Cy Young winner was Willie Hernandez. I just remember going to Tiger Stadium. That was the first sporting event I went to. Tiger Stadium, before it got demolished, you understood why it was special. You thought about the old days, and Al Kaline. Michigan and Trumbull was something that's still important to Detroiters.
Me: Which Tiger did you idolize growing up?
SB: Well, I loved them up the middle, with Whitaker and Trammell. Every time Lou Whitaker went up to bat, the whole stadium went 'Looooo.' I was too big to play second base but I always wanted to play shortstop.
Me: But after that team won in '84, things went downhill: one playoff appearance in the next 22 years, until the 2006 team got back to the Series. How hard was it to stay a fan during that drought?
SB: The '90s were a tough era. Cecil Fielder was probably the only bright spot in the 90s. And I suffered with the year that Jeremy Bonderman lost 20 [actually, just 19] games. The Mike Maroth era [Maroth actually did lose 20 games, in 2003, the only major leaguer in the previous three decades to lose that many games in one season]. I stayed loyal. That's why this team now, it's really fun to watch. We stuck with those guys for a long time.
Me: With the current team, which superpower would you most covet: Justin Verlander's knee-buckling curve, Miguel Cabrera's opposite field power or Jim Leyland's ability to chain-smoke?
SB: I'm going Miggy's opposite field power. There's a lot of great curveballers out there. Those guys are not pitching inside to Miggy any more. But Jim Leyland's chain-smoking is pretty impressive. I threw out the first ball at a game this year and I brought my son, Zeke, to the game. And I almost had to take him out of the manager's room before the game. It was great talking to those guys, but I was like, coach, I've gotta go.
Me: When you watch a performance like Verlander's in Game 5 against Oakland this year, athlete to athlete, are you impressed?
SB: I think players are defined by the postseason. The pressure's the highest. You really find out what players and athletes are made of when the flame's the highest. We were actually playing in Detroit that night so I was getting updates from the fans courtside. They were telling me, he's gone through the first three innings, and he still hasn't given up a hit. Fourth inning, no-no. Fifth inning, no-no. Sixth inning, no-no. This guy's an animal.
Me: I know that sports matter to people, but do you think, given the terrible trouble Detroit is in economically, that even something like the Tigers potentially winning a World Series will have any real effect on the city?
SB: People from Detroit are tough. Their toughness is being tested right now. There's not a lot of optimism. People are grinding to get through this tough period. Detroit's going to come back. It'll come back. We'll figure it out. If we have to reinvent ourselves, we will. It does amazing things for the city. It's always been the case for a tough city. It really brings the city together. It sounds like a cliché, but it really does. I think it's a case where a team can bring a city together.
Me: A couple of work questions. Why are you still playing? You have two rings; I'm sure you don't need the money, and your next job is almost certainly going to be more important and impact many more thousands of people, directly and indirectly.
SB: It's what I do. It sounds corny. It's what I've done for so long. Past successes the last couple of years notwithstanding, it's what I do. August 1st rolls around, OK, let's get in shape. September 1st rolls around, OK, let's really focus on the season. October 1st rolls around, the ball goes up. It's in my blood. It's what I can do, and I'd like to think I can still do it at a high level.
Me: You are a big believer in process, preparation and living with the results of what occurs on the court. How does winning validate those beliefs? Would it be harder to believe in those things if you were on a losing team?
SB: I'd like to think no. Even though I wasn't competing for NBA championships with the Grizzlies and the Rockets, I could live with the results. I did everything I could to make those teams successful. That's all I can ask for, to help to make my team as successful as possible. And for the Heat, it's the mountaintop. In Memphis, it was helping a team that hadn't made the playoffs in 10 years get to the postseason. It wasn't the championship, but it was fulfilling in a totally different way. When I can't help a team reach it's maximum potential, that's when I know it'll be time to step away.
Me: So what will you be doing when you hang 'em up?
SB: A little of this, a little of that. I could see myself speaking. I could see myself writing. It'll be dynamic. It won't be confined to a cubicle. That is for certain.
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