Inge, Guillen lead Tigers' charitable charge

Inge, Guillen lead Tigers' charitable charge
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 11/24/10 4:00 PM EST

DETROIT -- Brandon Inge had his heart in Michigan long before he moved his family to the state year-round. Carlos Guillen makes his winter home in Venezuela, but casts a wide focus on his spirit of giving.

They have a lot of company wearing the Olde English D.

As the holiday season nears, and the area still struggles from the impact of the economic slowdown, the Tigers know they have a lot of reasons to be thankful. Those who have been around for a while know the spirit of the fans, but they also know their challenges. It's all around them over the summer, from downtown to the suburbs.

Part of the job, at the very heart, is to provide a distraction from the real-world troubles. But their heart also would like to help find a solution.

For Inge, that has involved a keen interest in the patients and families of Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, not far from his home. Inge and his wife, Shani, donated $100,000 out of his last contract to the hospital in 2007 to help fund a pediatric cancer infusion center, then held a naming contest rather than put their name on it. The Dugout won out.

Inge continues to be a frequent visitor to patients at the hospital. He drew some attention in 2009 for a young heart transplant patient named Tommy Shomaker, who wrote his autograph on Inge's right arm in hopes it would get on TV. Inge hit a home run that night. Inge had a similar autograph on his arm from a terminal cancer patient when he homered later in the season.

"They do a lot in the community," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said upon announcing Inge's contract extension last month. "For us, it's great, but it's something that they do that sometimes gets a lot of publicity, but a lot of times, they do it very quietly. And to have people in your organization do that, it's an added plus and something that means so much to a community."

Inge's efforts drew notice from his peers, not only in his own clubhouse but around the Majors. Players voted him as this year's winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given to the player whose on- and off-field performances most inspire others. He's the second consecutive Tiger to win the honor, following up Curtis Granderson's election last year and marking the first repeat in the award's history.

For Inge, the only current Tiger to live in Michigan full-time, there's an attachment to that community that goes beyond a house and an address.

"I wouldn't want to go anywhere else," Inge said. "I just love everything about the community, the people, the organization. I'm proud to be a part of it, and I really appreciate it."

Much of Guillen's efforts go relatively unnoticed here, because it takes place in his native Venezuela. He, too, has taken a focused interest in kids and mothers. For the latter, through his foundation, he donated 17 warming units to a hospital near his native Maracay, along with other advancements for expecting moms. For kids, his foundation helped renovate three baseball fields and donated another for children ages 4-7 to play ball.

"We've been doing it for the last four or five years in Venezuela," Guillen said recently, "but with the foundation in Detroit and the people recognizing the work we've been doing with the people who need help, we've been doing better. Because in Venezuela, there's a lot of people who need help."

At the center of the Tigers' outreach in that regard is the Detroit Tigers Foundation. The affiliate of Ilitch Charities provided nearly a quarter-million dollars in grants to 18 charitable organizations, providing funding for projects that included the improvement of 13 baseball and softball diamonds and four batting cages for about 7,000 aspiring players. The centerpiece was a collaboration with Magglio Ordonez, Detroit PAL and the Southwest Detroit Business Association to renovate a field near Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood for several youth leagues.

An expanded tee-ball field and junior baseball league provided a place to play for more than 600 kids at local Boys & Girls Clubs. Another 100 special-needs children competed at the 2010 Special Olympics Summer Sports Classic softball tournament with help from a Tigers Foundation grant.

Gloves for Kids, the Tigers' season-long drive to collect new and gently used baseball and softball equipment, resulted in more than 2,000 pieces of equipment for donation to youth leagues across the region serving more than 600 kids. Five organizations shared a $5,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund and a $5,000 contribution from the Tigers Foundation.

Two years after an assist from Tigers All-Star Miguel Cabrera helped launch Play Baseball Detroit, the effort continues to help strengthen urban youth baseball and softball programs in greater Detroit. The program ranges from equipment collections to youth clinics, school rallies and a tournament to help turn young athletes toward baseball. This year alone, Play Baseball Detroit touched the lives of more than 10,000 young ballplayers.

A more recent effort for the Tigers, especially this season, was to recognizable area service members, both at home and abroad. Nearly 50 of them had the chance to walk out to the mound at Comerica Park through the Armed Forces Game Ball Delivery Program, which honors military personnel currently serving or having just returned from a tour of duty. Nearly 100 more service members were recognized in pregame ceremonies for the Fourth of July.

The Tigers and their players also made their contribution through tickets. Together, they donated more than 181,000 tickets through the MLB Commissioner's Initiative and other donation programs.

The team's charitable efforts don't end in the offseason. Tigers front-office staff were scheduled to serve dinner at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries shelter, whose residents will also receive more than a thousand clothing and personal care items. On Dec. 6, the Tigers and SportService will team up to adopt a foster home of teens and families for a holiday feast in the Tiger Club along with an evening of gifts.

PAWS will also be visiting kids and families in December. In addition to the giving party in the Tiger Club, he'll visit the City of Southfield Pavilion on Dec. 9 to take part in the Bikes for Kids party with Variety, the Children's Charity. On Dec. 16, he'll join the Silverliners at Metro Airport for a "Trip to the North Pole" with pediatric cancer patients.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.