“The reason? I think the reason was the time off before the two world Series. I think we had the talent to do it, for many, many years. When it comes to playoff time, it’s kind of a roll of the dice — it comes down to the hottest team at the right time. I think we were that team twice. We got cooled off by the week layoff before the World Series both times. It sucks. It’s the name of the game. This is probably the only sport where time off like that will hurt you. Every other sport, I think it’s a benefit. This sport it is absolutely a negative. ... Mr. I (late team owner Mike Ilitch) put his heart and soul into this organization and did everything he possibly could, to allow us to win a championship. We came close a couple of times. It’s probably one of my biggest regrets, not winning one for him.”
