But we hoped we might win 75 games. When I've criticized Bell, my startled colleagues have demanded to know what, specifically, Bell did wrong this season. Bell is a good, bright man, and his players loved him. Maybe their affection grew because he didn't demand culpability. The Tigers made the same baserunning and fielding errors last week that they had made all season.
Patience lasts only so long, and then it becomes stubbornness.
Smith's patience isn't endless, and neither is Ilitch's. The next step is to open the owner's wallet, as urgency grows.