The Tigers yesterday announced that for the first time in franchise history, the club "will host an LGBT Pride Night at Comerica Park" on June 3. In Detroit, Tony Paul reports the Tigers' LGBT night, "co-sponsored by the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce, will offer tickets in the lower base line for $40." Tickets to the game "will be available "in coming days" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/7).
MAKING UP THEIR OWN RULES: ESPN's Keith Olbermann said the "flagrant disregard for the rules exhibited by the Angels” regarding LF Josh Hamilton's situation should be investigated by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Hamilton was not suspended by the league for his recent substance abuse issues, but the team is attempting to turn the incident "into some kind of business decision over which the fan shrugs his shoulders instead of recognizing it for the human atrocity it is.” Olbermann added it “defies logic” the Angels could have signed Hamilton, who has a “history of drug and alcohol addiction, to a five-year contract without any language in it that could have voided all or parts of it” ("Olbermann," ESPN2, 4/6).
GLASS HALF FULL: Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts said of the club's optimism in '15, "Now people are saying, ‘What’s going to happen on the field?’ It’s really shifted to a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of excitement about this season and we have a team that will compete and we think we’ll win our division and we’re going to have a great year.” Ricketts, on signing marquee free agents like P Jon Lester: “We trust our baseball organization to make the right recommendations and we let them allocate their resources as they see fit.” Ricketts, on the club being labeled "loveable losers:" "We hate the ‘loveable loser’ thing. That’s just not us. We’re here to win. Obviously, Wrigley is a great experience, maybe the best experience in live sports. People have a great time there and we’re happy with that and we want to encourage it but the fact is that we’re not about ‘loveable losers.’ We’re here to win” (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN, 4/4).
