Since long-time owner, Mike Ilitch, passed away in the spring of 2017, Tigers fans have seen a lot of his son Chris, who took over as chairman and CEO of the franchise. That’s not particularly common. Many owners stay almost totally in the background, emerging only if something good happens. Ilitch, knowing that the franchise and its fans are going through a tough transition, has made numerous appearances and spoken to reporters at length on several occasions. After Tigers photo day on Tuesday, he did so again, touching on a wide range of topics.
Probably the key takeaway here, was Ilitch’s continued insistence that he and his family are in this for the long haul, and have no interest in selling the franchise.