It was well below freezing Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, with ice on the streets and snow on the field; indeed, it was an apt opening snapshot of a Detroit Tigers team seemingly frozen in the rebuilding process.
Inside the stadium's Tiger Club sat a couple dozen players, many identifiable only by their name cards on the table in front of them. Daniel Norris had a beard. Michael Fulmer had shaved his off.
Their teammates — some meeting each other for the first time as the Tigers embarked on their annual Winter Caravan across the state — conversed around the tables that lined the room.