Lakeland, Fla. — In a touching union only baseball could have melded, a Tigers team’s grief process continued Friday at the same time it was celebrating a new baseball complex at Tigertown.
Two weeks after his death, Mike Ilitch was honored, rather perfectly, during a 15-minute farewell at the new Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, minutes before the Tigers began their Grapefruit League season against the Orioles.
Ceremonies began with a silent, somber single-file march by Tigers players and staff members who walked from the clubhouse, down the right-field line, turning sharply right and proceeding until they eventually formed a semi-circle around the infield’s outer edge.