Detroit Tiger Ian Kinsler’s 0-162 comment “a joke”

Feb 28, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (3) runs back to the dugout during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The sports world has been up in arms this morning because of a recently released excerpt from an ESPN The Magazine article where new Detroit Tigers second baseman, Ian Kinsler has stated, among other things, that he hopes his old team goes 0-162.

The entire quote from ESPN The Magazine is as follows:

"“I’ll miss all my teammates,” he says. “I’ll miss Elvis and Beltre, Mitch [Moreland], Matt Harrison and [Ron] Washington.” But the frustration — with his play, with the team, with the organization — is still so raw. “To be honest with you, I hope they go 0-162. I got friends, and I love my friends, but I hope they lose their ass.”"

That is the juiciest tidbit from the article, that Kinsler wants his teammates to do something mathematically impossible. The Texas Rangers are a good team, which stands to reason that they will at least win three games, right? The fact that Kinsler had to come out to say that the 0-162 comment “was a joke,” is in of itself a joke.

Kinsler also told Tigers’ beat writers that it was taken ” a little out of context” and “It’s written. It’s out there. I’m not happy about it. I think the story was written for drama.”

Well of course it was written for drama. This Kinsler story is red meat for the 387 ESPN debate shows to talk about for hours. Of course, the 0-162 comment was a joke, but it overshadows the pretty hard criticisms that the long-time Ranger had for his former organization, including being upset he was constantly on the trading block, finding out about the trade through the media, and saying GM Jon Daniels pushed Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan out of the organization.

"“Daniels is a sleazeball,” he told ESPN. “He got in good with the owners and straight pushed [Nolan] Ryan out. He thought all the things he should get credit for, Ryan got credit for. It’s just ego. Once we went to the World Series, everybody’s ego got huge, except for Nolan’s.”"

Not sure how that could be taken out of context, it seems pretty straightforward.

Not really knowing what went on in Texas, I don’t know how to take Kinsler’s comments here. On one hand, he’s telling the truth and we always hammer athletes for speaking in cliches and never really saying anything of substance. But on the other, you gotta wonder what his old teammates think of him throwing them under the bus a bit–even though he really only tore the GM apart.

Either way, it seems Kinsler has a chip on his shoulder and has something to prove in 2014. Which is nothing but good news for the Detroit Tigers.