Tigers Racing For Survival

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There are certain checkpoints in the baseball season which are good gauges for which a team can determine whether they'll be buyers or sellers.

First, Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone as Auto Racing fans had their share of excitement with the Indianapolis 500 along with the Coca Cola 600.

Second, there is Fathers Day and it won't be very long until the All-Star Break takes place in early July at Marlins Park in Miami.

During Spring Training, the Detroit Tigers had high hopes that they would be playoff contenders as they nearly made the postseason in 2016.

The Tigers brought back a familiar face in Lloyd McClendon to be their hitting coach.

McClendon was a finalist for the job when Jim Leyland retired but Detroit hired Brad Ausmus to manage the club. McClendon would later manage the Seattle Mariners then proceeded to be fired after the Mariners brought in a different General Manager.

McClendon told me that the only thing he would predict is that "we'll score a lot of runs."

Time will tell during the course of the 162-game season whether McClendon's prediction comes to fruition. The recent loss of DH Victor Martinez due to an irregular heartbeat hasn't helped matters.

To date, the Tigers record is 32-37 following a 6-2 loss Monday Night in Seattle against the Mariners.

They're currently fourth in the AL Central ahead of the last place Chicago White Sox (31-37) by a half game.

Detroit is 5.5 games behind division leader the Cleveland Indians (37-31). This is a division which is definitely there for the taking providing the Tigers can put together a sustained winning streak and then play more consistent baseball in the second half of the season.

By now the Tigers problems are well documented as the lingering dilemma Detroit has faced the past several years remains a concern, The Bullpen.

Former closer Francisco Rodriguez has been replaced by Justin Wilson.

Shane Greene has done a nice job, while Alex Wilson has been solid at times.

Detroit has had a Super Shuttle to Triple A Toledo as there has been plenty of movement as the Tigers continue to find answers for The Bullpen.

Since trading away centerfielder Cameron Maybin to the LA Angels, there were hopes that Jacoby Jones could become his replacement. That hasn't transpired and Tyler Collins had an opportunity to win the job but he was sent packing to Toledo.

The most common name who has been in centerfield is Mr.Versatility, Andrew Romine.

This is a guy that hit a grand slam homer early in the season then was drug tested and he passed the test. No harm, no foul.



Romine could have played in any era even at a time when there was a 24-man roster many years ago. For a team loaded with many high profiled players, this guy is so valuable because he plays so many positions.

The only position Romine has never played is catcher.

During Spring Training, I spoke with Romine and he took a lot of pride about this and he said, "I'll do whatever it takes to help the team. I enjoy playing different positions because you get a different perspective of each game and are exposed to different positions."

When I asked Romine about playing catcher, he smiled and laughed then said, "One of these days I wouldn't mind catching. But it would have to be the right situation for Brad (Ausmus) to do this."

One of the interesting story lines in Spring Training was Detroit experimenting with the idea of converting outfielder Andrew Gose to a relief pitcher, figuring it would be an everything to gain and nothing to lose approach.

Ausmus said that he figured "Anthony would be a one inning pitcher, not two. We'll just see what happens."

Gose is currently pitching for the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League, Detroit's Advanced Class A- Affiliate.

It will be interesting to see how this experiment plays out as time progresses.

Since the passing of Owner Mike Ilitch on February 10, 2017, it has been an emotional year for the Tigers. There have been patches on the team's jersey's, as well as tributes on the team's flag at Comerica Park and in the on deck circle.

Ilitch's Son Chris is running the show and now it remains to be seen what will happen in his regime.

Tigers Bench Coach Gene Lamont said, "It will be an emotional season for us. Mr. Ilitch meant so much to the city, fans, and everybody around him. I enjoyed working for Mr. Ilitch. He's treated me great and wasn't afraid to spend the money to make us an upper echelon team."

There is no question that the Tigers have a lot to do to make the playoffs and over the next month or so we'll find out whether J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler will be playing in new area codes and perhaps others.

Unfortunately for the Ilitch family, the Detroit Red Wings 25-year playoff streak came to an end this Spring.

But Manager Brad Ausmus and General Manager Al Avila definitely have a lot of work to do and it seems like they have their work cut out for them.

I and everybody else will be curious to see how the Tigers Race For Survival Turns Out to make the playoffs, or whether they'll be headed for a long rebuilding process.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Florida Spring Training Travels 2016

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

Although Spring Training is over, it's always great to see different or return to ballparks every year.

This year our Florida Travels took us to Kissimmee, Lakeland, Bradenton and Fort Myers.

On Friday, March 11, the Detroit Tigers faced the Houston Astros. Last month, I wrote a story on The Memories of Osceola County Stadium so I won't get into much detail in this post.

To re-summarize the experience, My first visit to this facility was in 1985 for the Florida State League (FSL) All-Star Weekend. This was the first year this venue was open.

The bugs weren't worked out as I had difficulty transmitting the two stories to the Tampa Tribune, thus, I wound up dictating them to My Desk Editor Rick Nelson. Thankfully, that bit of distress became an incredible learning experience for years to come.

My return on this day was much easier and there would be no technical problems and the Astros had a newer clubhouse compared to the one they used in 1985.

Next year, they're supposed to relocate to a new stadium with the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, FL.

On Saturday, March 12, I enjoyed taking an annual trip to Lakeland to see the Tigers versus their inter-league rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I had the opportunity to see old friends like Tom Gage, Ron Myers, who runs the Lakeland Operation for Detroit and oversees the Advanced Class-A Flying Tigers, and interviewed prospect Wynton Bernard. There will be a future story on Bernard in the coming weeks as he continues his quest to make Comerica Park his future home.

What was interesting about this trip to Joker Marchant Stadium is this was the last time I'd see the venue in its' current state as you can tell by the construction in right field.

In October 2014, the Lakeland City Commission announced that as part of a new agreement with the Detroit Tigers, a $41 Million Renovation and upgrade of the 50-year-old stadium has started.

Funding will be provided in part by the Detroit Tigers, The City of Lakeland and Polk County.

The Lakeland Flying Tigers of the FSL are playing at Historic Henley Field, which is located 1 1/2 miles from Marchant Stadium for the 2016 Season.

On Sunday, March 13, we went from I-4 West to I-75 South and followed the Tigers to see the Pirates at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.

I caught up with Tigers Trainer and long-time Friend Kevin Rand, and spoke with Tigers General Manager Al Avila before the game. I was surprised at the amount of South Florida baseball connections that Avila and I had.

McKechnie Field is a very unique facility.

When the Pirates play their Regular Season Games at PNC Park, home runs that leave the park wind up landing in the Allegheny River, as boats scoop the balls up.

Here in Bradenton, it's a much different situation as foul balls fly outside the park and onto the street with on-coming traffic.

I wouldn't dare to take a guess how many foul balls lead to broken windshields or dents which damage automobiles. But you can rest assure that those who go to Bradenton are accustomed to this because in addition to Spring Training, the Pirates have an FSL team play during the summer.

But overall, this is a nice building that been renovated through the years, and the Pittsburgh Pirates staff treated us great. There were lots of palm trees in the outfield.

A few miles down the road, Pittsburgh's Main Headquarters is Pirates City and the entire complex is completely first class.

Finally, the Best Spring Training Ballpark I've ever seen to date is in Fort Myers!

On Easter Sunday March 27, we took the trip on I-75 North/Alligator Alley, and saw the Boston Red Sox face the Philadelphia Phillies at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.

Ground was broken on March 4, 2011 and it opened on March 3, 2012. The capacity is 10,823 and the Field Size is the same as Fenway Park. It's amazing that this venue has a replica of the famed "Green Monster."

When I was speaking to the Red Sox PR Department and New England Media, I told them this park should be renamed Jet Jewel Park, because that's how amazing this place is.

Due to a non-compete clause with The City of Fort Myers and Minnesota Twins, who play at nearby Hammond Stadium, Boston can't field an FSL team.

Instead, the Rookie Short Season Gulf Coast League Red Sox play during the summer months.

There were many things which stood out about our experience.

First, this was the second to last game for Red Sox Legend David Ortiz in Fort Myers. The slugger is retiring at the end of the 2016 season.

Second, I had the opportunity to see an old friend of mind from our days with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees in the early 1980's. I rarely hug athletes, but Red Sox Coach Brian Butterfield was the exception to the rule.

In the coming weeks, there will be a Question & Answer Story with Butterfield so stay tuned.

The cost to build JetBlue Park was $77.9 Million, but this is a "Complete Masterpiece."

The Detroit Tigers have trained in Lakeland for 80 years which is incredible.

If the Red Sox are at JetBlue Park another 80 years, I'll be age 153 buried someplace.

Fenway Park in Boston is on My Bucket List before I die, but at least on this Easter Sunday, we both got a taste of it, thus wetting our appetite for a future trip to Massachusetts.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a Member of The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.