TIGERS OPEN SPRING TRAINING:Even Sweet Lou says to think big

LAKELAND, Fla. -- It was dark when Tyson Steele arrived at Joker Marchant Stadium on Friday morning. Steele unlocked the clubhouse doors, turned on the lights and started the coffee.

The clocks read 5:40.

"When you walk in and it's empty, it's kind of a weird feeling," said Steele, a clubhouse assistant for the Tigers since 1995. "Then all of a sudden, everyone's in here and you can hardly move."

By the time Steele spoke, around 9 a.m., the locker room was alive with ambition. The Tigers' pitchers and catchers were busy preparing for the first official workout in a season many fans -- along with some pundits -- believe will culminate with championship glory.

Justin Verlander, the likely Opening Day starter, sat at his locker and joked with new teammate Dontrelle Willis.

Pudge Rodriguez, the Hall of Fame-bound catcher who may be entering his final season in Detroit, sported a new buzz cut and talked about a training regimen that, in the opinion of manager Jim Leyland, added bulk to his arms.

Brandon Inge, bumped from his job as the everyday third baseman by the arrival of Miguel Cabrera, strapped on shin guards -- a sign of his new role as a super-utility player. Inge, who has not caught in a regular-season game since 2004, crouched at his locker to test the gear. He tipped forward, if only slightly, and put a hand down to balance himself.

"It's been awhile," he acknowledged.

Inge might have been the most closely watched Tiger on Friday because of his popularity and his request to be traded. More than 100 fans had gathered by the time he took the field. One yelled, "We love you!" Another shouted, "Stay in Detroit!" Inge later caught two bullpen sessions and intentionally allowed several pitches to smack him square in the mask -- a playful gesture of his rust at the position.

Inge is among the Tigers whose playing time could be adversely affected by the bold moves that delivered Cabrera, Willis, shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder Jacque Jones. The Tigers' daring winter lifted the hopes of an already enthralled fan base and helped sell thousands of season tickets.

On Friday, though, theory gave way to practice, and work began amid soaring expectations. Leyland met with the pitchers, then the catchers, to tell what he will ask of them this season.

"We didn't mention the word 'winning,' because I never talk about that," Leyland said. "I told them the preparation starts today. I believe in that. I'll be a stickler on that. No shortcuts."

"October's a long way away," right-hander Zach Miner said. "You can't fast-forward. You have to do all this stuff to get ready."

The crowd thickened throughout the day and probably included more than 200 spectators at its peak. Miner thought there were more fans and television cameras than last year, when the Tigers were the defending American League champions. Fans cheered loudly when former second baseman Lou Whitaker, now a spring instructor, walked past. Whitaker smiled and said, "You know you've got a World Series team, right? Think big, think big."

Some people came from Michigan and carried obvious enthusiasm with them. Plymouth resident Andrew Zazula, there with his three daughters, called the trip his family's "rite of spring." The girls -- Emily, 17; Natalie, 15; and Leslie, 8 -- wore sterling-silver necklaces with charms of the Olde English D.

When right-hander Kyle Sleeth emerged, Emily produced an orange sign that read, "SLEETH IS SUPER" -- even though Sleeth was not among those invited to major league camp. Sleeth, a 2003 first-round draft pick, saw the poster and signed it. Emily then tucked it away in a tote bag, along with other posters the sisters had made.

They had 50 posters in all, Natalie guessed, including at least four in honor of left-handed reliever Bobby Seay.

They are affectionately known, their father said, as "the poster girls."

"They truly support everybody on the team," said Andrew Zazula, a sergeant in the Ann Arbor Police Department. "If you ask them their favorite, they'll start out with one player, and, by the time they're done, they've named the 40-man roster."

Friday was full of moments that come only in spring training. Among the more memorable snapshots: Kenny Rogers, 43, was paired with Rick Porcello, 19, during fielding practice. Porcello said he was amazed at how Rogers, who is old enough to be his father, dove at the third ground ball hit to him. "He's really good," Porcello marveled.

Later, during batting practice for the catchers, Rodriguez was in a hitting group with James Skelton, who spent last season at Class A West Michigan.

When Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star, finished his rounds, Skelton, a wiry 22-year-old, stepped into the cage -- with Leyland, hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, president and general manager Dave Dombrowski, and assistant GM Al Avila watching.

"He was my idol," Skelton said of Rodriguez. "I've always looked up to him."

The Tigers have seven one-time All-Stars in their everyday lineup and four more (Verlander, Rogers, Willis and Todd Jones) on the pitching staff, which accounts for almost half of the 25-man roster. Still, the Tigers are not without potential weaknesses.

Four of the five starting pitchers had varying degrees of arm trouble last season, and, without reliever Joel Zumaya until at least midseason, the team likely will need to rely on some untested middle relievers.

With the opener six weeks away, though, there is plenty of time to debate the merits of Francisco Cruceta and Denny Bautista, off-season acquisitions who will contend for bullpen jobs. Friday was just the start. Most players were gone by 1 p.m., but Steele was still in the clubhouse, standing beside a building mound of dusty white uniforms.

There were several hours of work ahead, but Steele was hopeful for a 6 p.m. departure -- two or three hours earlier than when he will leave after the full squad starts working out Wednesday.

"A short day," Steele said, grinning, jersey in hand. "Everybody's not here -- yet."

Contact JON PAUL MOROSI at 313-223-4097 or jmorosi@freepress.com.


I thought that this article was pretty sweet, it was in the Free Press here. The part in red is my friends, they said that they just loved Jon Paul Morosi and want his job. lol

mrsrabelo wrote:

They had 50 posters in all, Natalie guessed, including at least four in honor of left-handed reliever Bobby Seay.

And at this part Natalie was being VERY modest, they might of only had 50 in the bag but there is probably 50 more at home! And they have at least 7 Bobby Seay posters.

It is so fun to go to games with them!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Lucky family to be able to attend ST!!! Must have taken lots of time making the posters.

They go every year, they have a condo near wheere Bobby Seay grew up, and being BIG Tiger fans ST is a must!! I think they have been doing it for a couple years, so they make them as the players come up or whenever they come up with a new idea to make one.