The Tigers will "pay homage" to late Owner Mike Ilitch "with a 'Mr. I' design mowed into the center field grass" for the Comerica Park home opener against the Red Sox on Friday, according to the DETROIT NEWS. The tribute will "only be for the home opener" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/4). In Detroit, Shawn Windsor writes for Tigers Exec VP/Baseball Operations & GM Al Avila, this season "won't be like the past." No more $200M signings, no more "loading up on the game’s best free agents" and no more "spending whatever it takes to chase a ring." This "isn’t to say that the Tigers plan on acting" like the Twins, a "small-market squad content to contend by developing players in its farm system." But they are "headed more in that direction." Windsor: "Which makes this season the beginning of something new. Even if it feels like the end of something old" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/4).
LOWER THE CRANE: In Detroit, Kurt Nagl reported just beyond the outfield wall at Comerica Park, crews yesterday "lowered a red 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and silver 2018 2500HD Silverado into their places at the Chevrolet Fountain." Chevy Experiential Marketing Manager Ben Honingford said that the center field vehicle display is "important for brand exposure and image." Honingford: "It's a symbol of us in the community and it's a source of pride for us" (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 4/3).
