Maybe I just have a poor eye for such things but I attended more than 20 home games this season and I don't know if I ever saw a play where I thought lack of hustle was the reason for a poor outcome.
I'll grant you the lack of 'rah rah' leadership wasn't present but I've also always been of the opinion that grown ass men shouldn't need to be yelled at every 20 games to remember that they need to play hard. I know there are plenty of others that think otherwise though.
I also see about 20 games a year in person and many more via MLBTV. Bad baseball, despite the team, is distinguishable. Getting picked off. Overthrowing the cutoff man. Running through a stop sign. The list goes on.
In different times, and with some managers, these "mental" mistakes causes a player being removed from the game (and maybe sat for a game or two). Physical mistakes happen all the time and is expected. Getting picked off 1B because a player was snoozing is unacceptable. Ausmus allowed mental mistakes to happen without any overt signs of correcting them. And they happened time and time again. That is where I had serious issues with Ausmus. The manager sets the style of play, even if he cannot control what type of talent he has.
Also, players used to hold "kangaroo courts" and take it upon themselves to discipline "bad" play. By all accounts, this isn't (or hasn't) been happening in Detroit for quite some time.
Being 20 years in the Army, a leader does not have to be vocal to be effective. Just like good parents don't need to say anything for a child to feel bad for having screwed up. But if a military leader loses respect, apathy sets in. Apathy breeds apathy. If you walk into a room, and everyone is a "Debby-downer", it will eventually bring you down.
Players know when they or others screwed up. When this goes unchecked, it creates a negative atmosphere. The Tigers had an opportunity here to correct the atmosphere. Instead, they choose a manager who has a record of being a players friend, rather than a respected superior. Huge difference. As a military leader, you can be friendly, but your subordinates must be able to follow your orders without hesitation.
Sure, at the end of the year, regardless of who is the manager, DET is going to lose 100 games. The difference is the attitude that gets set in place that may take years to resolve. The Tigers had their chance and they missed it. They didn't need a "strict" manager (Showalter), but they didn't need a manger that will pamper.
