LAKELAND, Fla. -- Sparky Anderson will never manage the Detroit Tigers again, and that's the way he wants it.
Anderson should be a hero for his refusal to manage replacement players, but as it turns out, he's not a hero at all.
He's a man who pocketed $350,000 of his $1.2 million contract, then told his employer to stick it.
He's a man who said the Tigers have been run "with phoniness" under owner Mike Ilitch.
And he's a man who waited until the last possible moment to bolt, further alienating a front office that no longer was in his corner.
He's a man with a death wish.
A man begging to be fired.
Indeed, Anderson's stance against replacement players is but a surface issue, a scab covering a deeper wound.
The real problem is that Anderson doesn't want to answer to his front office, doesn't want to be held as accountable as the other 27 managers in baseball.
Anderson had free rein when his friend Jim Campbell ran the Tigers, but Campbell was fired at Ilitch's request in August 1992, shortly before the change in ownership.
It bothers Anderson no end that he no longer can do as he wishes. Suddenly, the Tigers have a GM (Joe Klein) trying to act like a GM. And Anderson wants out.
He wants out because Klein had the audacity to fire two of his incompetent coaches, Billy Muffett and Dan Whitmer.
And he wants out because the Tigers haven't been to the postseason since 1987, and won't be returning any time soon.
Replacement players?
True, they'd taint the game.
Even worse, they'd taint Anderson's record.
"You mean to tell me we're going to count stats?" Anderson asked Friday. "I need 26 more wins to be third on the all-time list.
"You want me to accept those wins? I ain't accepting nothing. There is no place in our game for replacement players."
Fair enough. But if Anderson was so anxious to protect his integrity, he would have informed the Tigers of his position before spring training.
That's not what happened.
Anderson said he made his decision two months ago but kept it from club officials, hoping that the strike might be settled.
Why should he talk to them? He's Sparky Anderson.
And when he arrived in Florida on Feb. 12 for a promotional appearance in Orlando, he immediately began telling friends that he would not manage.
Club officials learned of Anderson's remarks but didn't believe them. Only after Anderson met with club president John McHale Jr. the next night did his intentions become clear.
This was three days before the Tigers reported. Anderson knew he had put the team in a bind, but he offered to remain in spring training as an observer in minor-league camp.
Fat chance.
Ilitch is a hard-line owner. He already had paid Anderson about $500,000 during the strike. He wasn't going to keep paying him to stand in open defiance of the owners. But that's what Anderson expected.
He not only misread Ilitch, but he also bypassed Klein with his request, going straight to McHale. The irony is, Klein said he would have tried to find a solution.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we could have put together a job description that could have enabled Sparky to delay his decision, if he had come to me," Klein said.
McHale apparently is the only club executive Anderson trusts, but he isn't another Jim Campbell. Heck, McHale only joined the Tigers last month. His loyalty is to Ilitch, and he proved it by placing Anderson on an unpaid leave of absence.
Anderson doesn't own the Tigers, he manages them. And if he had complaints with the front office, he should have tried to resolve them.
As Klein put it, "It's very difficult to argue with someone with whom you've never had a cross word."
But why should Sparky talk to his GM? He's Sparky Anderson.
You can argue that Anderson merits special treatment, having managed the Tigers longer than anyone else in their history. But his 1995 contract, the first he signed under Ilitch, is worth $450,000 more than he has ever earned. And it's debatable whether he even deserved it.
You could also argue that the Tigers could have avoided the entire problem if they allowed Anderson to work only with minor-leaguers, the way Toronto is doing with Cito Gaston. But the truth is, Anderson started looking for trouble last summer.
It was then that Anderson accused (without actually naming) assistant general manager Gary Vitto of trying to get him fired. Vitto is a longtime friend and confidant of Ilitch's. Anderson would have been fired right then, if not for the strike and the $1.2 million the Tigers owed him.
Now, the team might be free of its obligation -- Anderson is on an unpaid leave, and when the Tigers fire him, they can claim breach of contract. Interim manager Tom Runnells isn't a long-term answer, but the Tigers need a fresh start. They'll be better off without Anderson.
Klein took over 13 months ago, and he wants to start over with young players. The Tigers had the highest payroll in baseball last season. Their rebuilding plan is five years overdue. And Klein can't accomplish his goals with a manager whose hands-off style is more effective with veterans.
It's time for a change.
Anderson knows it.
He asked for it.