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SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

Earning his stripes

New manager Brad Ausmus brings a diﬀerent vibe to Tigers’ clubhouse that, so far, has caught on

Chris I ot t t@ml Byy C B hris hr is Iott/ciott@mlive.com ottt / ci ott@ mliive e.co com m

AKELAND, Fla. — Brad Ausmus came to spring training with zero games of managerial experience. So, naturally, one of the first things he did was send a pitching prospect to the circus. And set up a basketball shooting contest to help boost team chemistry. The Tigers have gone through many changes since their 2013 season ended in the American League Championship Series. They traded Prince Fielder and Doug Fister and let free agents Jhonny Peralta and Omar Infante walk. Three of the starters on the infield are new, and the other — Miguel Cabrera — moved from third base to first. They signed a surefire closer. They will have less power but more speed in the starting lineup. One of the biggest changes involves the manager. Gone is Jim Leyland, 69, who managed 3,497 games in the majors. Replacing him is Ausmus, 44, who has managed the same number of big-league games as, well, you. Ausmus has consistently shrugged off the newness of the situation. He played catcher for 18 seasons in the majors and has been through spring training in the years since he retired. He seems to feel

the si the situ tuat atio ion n is isn’ n t ne new w to to him him at at all, alll, that al situation isn’t he simply is sitting in a different chair and watching from a different angle. “As a manager, you’re privy to some conversations you wouldn’t be as a player,” he said. “Overall, there haven’t been any surprises. I can’t really think of anything that’s taken me by surprise or made me pause for more than a few seconds. “It just seems like a typical spring training; I’m just wearing a different hat. And I don’t mean the hat with the English ‘D,’ I mean metaphorically.” Tigers players have noticed his calm demeanor and approach. “He’s been very positive, upbeat,” Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander said. “He seems very even-keeled from what I’ve noticed. Not light-hearted, but even-keeled.” Detroit catcher Alex Avila said he is not surprised to see that approach from Ausmus, even though it is his first go-round as the manager. “I don’t think that’s something that’s difficult for him,” Avila said. “That’s his personality.” On the field, Ausmus has stressed aggressiveness on the bases. He SEE AUSMUS, B2

BRAD AUSMUS Born: April 14, 1969, New Haven, Conn. Age: 44 College: Dartmouth Drafted: New York Yankees, 48th round, 1987 Years in majors: 18 (San Diego, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles Dodgers) Totals: 1,971 games, 6,279 at-bats, 1,579 hits, 80 home runs, 607 RBIs, 102 stolen bases, .251 batting average. All-Star games: 1 (1999) Gold Gloves: 3 (2001, ’02, ’06) Career MLB salary: $36.3 million Notable: Ausmus ﬁnished his career ranked third in MLB history with 12,839 putouts as a

catcher, trailing only Ivan Rodríguez and Jason Kendall ... Was seventh in games caught with 1,938 ... Threw out 30.2 percent of potential basestealers ... Was chosen the ninthsmartest athlete in sports by Sporting News in 2010. Post-playing career •Hired as special assistant to baseball operations for the San Diego Padres, November 2010 •Named 37th manager in the history of the Detroit Tigers on Nov. 3, 2013, succeeding Jim Leyland Source: Baseballreference.com (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

WHAT’S INSIDE

• Player proﬁles, including capsules and photos of the Tigers’ roster, B2

• How will the MLB division races shape up this season? Predictions from the MLive beat writers, B2

• Introducing your weekly guide to the team, including ﬁve things to watch, a Q&A with beat writer Chris Iott, statistics and more, B3

• Tigers game/TV schedule, B4 • Tigers radio afﬁliates, B4 • Five players to watch, B4

• Beat writer James Schmehl takes a look at the AL Central, B4

B2 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

Detroit Tigers 2014 Season Preview PREDICTIONS

How will league races shape up this season? MLive’s Detroit Tigers beat writers — Chris Iott and James Schmehl — offer their predictions for the 2014 season. AL CENTRAL DIVISION 1. Detroit Tigers 2. Cleveland Indians 3. Kansas City Royals 4. Chicago White Sox 5. Minnesota Twins Total victories for Tigers: 89 AL division winners: Red Sox, Tigers, Angels AL wild cards: Rays, Athletics NL division winners: Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers NL wild cards: Reds, Giants World Series: Nationals over Angels

Comment: The Tigers have been clear favorites to win the AL Central the past two seasons. They remain the favorites, but it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if they didn’t win the division, especially if injuries knock a key player or two out of the lineup. As for the World Series, I’m going to keep picking the Angels and Nationals until it happens. Trying to predict in March what will happen in October is stupid, anyway. I’m taking the Nationals this season, though, just to change things up a bit and because the Angels will probably miss the playoffs, anyway. — Chris Iott

AL CENTRAL DIVISION 1. Detroit Tigers 2. Kansas City Royals 3. Cleveland Indians 4. Chicago White Sox 5. Minnesota Twins Total victories for Tigers: 90 AL division winners: Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers AL wild cards: Yankees, Athletics NL division winners: Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers NL wild cards: Braves, Reds World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox Comment: Injuries have crippled the Tigers this spring. But when I consider how many games they’ll lose as a result

Ausmus

of injuries to Bruce Rondon, Jose Iglesias and Andy Dirks, I seem to settle at three. Entering camp, I thought the Tigers would capture their fourth straight division title with another 93-win season. I still think they can win the AL Central with 90. As long as Detroit’s rotation remains intact, starting pitching can make up for the lack of power and an inexperienced bullpen. But if injuries force Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander to the disabled list, expect Kansas City to ﬁnally end its 29-year playoff drought. — James Schmehl

the exercise was the Tigers’ organization catcher prospect. “We set it up. We asked CONTINUED FROM B1 one of the guys if he knew Justin Verlander and they gave every player the green said no. We asked if he knew light to steal in spring trainMax Scherzer and he said ing and encouraged them to no. Then we asked him if he take an extra base at every knew Drew Smyly, and he’s opportunity. like, ‘Oh, yeah, the shooter! Take Austin Jackson, for The big shooter!’ He said, example. Jackson had the ‘He’s very famous in our green light throughout the country.’” 2013 season but finished The idea of the videos and with only eight steals. the lightheartedness was to Ausmus wants that to bring the team closer. A change. positive effect might be seen “We want him to change in the future, when young his frame of mind,” Ausmus players like VerHagen show said earlier this month. “We up in training camp with a want him to get to first and legitimate shot to make the want to be on second. He’s team. got the ability to do that.” The young guys will be Off the field, Ausmus has less likely to tiptoe around tried to encourage team the established veterans bonding and camaraderie. because they’ll already know He instituted a 9:30 a.m. them. meeting each day early in “The VerHagens and the camp as well as later in camp other guys who have been in on days the team plays at camp, he’s kind of empowhome. Ausmus used part of those ered them — that they’re meetings for baseball discus- part of the team as well and they have a purpose as well,” sions, to get points of focus Avila said of Ausmus. “It’s across to his players. He used part of it to get the play- important to give everybody that type of feeling that ers to know each other betyou’re part of a team, you ter, to break down barriers matter. You’re not only doing between established vetera job for yourself, for your ans and young players with own success, but for the little experience and high team’s success.” jersey numbers who either Ausmus, a graduate of need more development to Dartmouth, is known for get to the big leagues or will being a smart guy. That never get there. comes through in his sense Ausmus instituted a of humor. He can be snarky basketball shooting conat times and often has a test — which was won by quick, pointed comeback. the catchers — as a teamAn example of that came building exercise. Outfield through one day when a prospect Daniel Fields led a reporter showed up in his group that made a video at office after being gone for a Gatorland, a nearby Florida few days. attraction, and brought a Ausmus: “Welcome back.” live alligator back to the Reporter: “Thanks. Nice to clubhouse that had Miguel be missed.” Cabrera running in fear. Ausmus: “Didn’t say I And at Ausmus’ direcmissed you.” tion, pitching prospect “He’s very witty,” Avila Drew VerHagen visited a circus — located in the Joker said. “He’ll come back with a line that you just wouldn’t Marchant Stadium parking expect. He definitely keeps lot — in the early days of things loose. I think he’s spring training. been a really good influHe was part of a group ence on everybody. It’s just that filmed one of the first brought a different style that videos shown at the a lot of us haven’t seen. 9:30 a.m. meeting during “A lot of us have only which he interviewed a parknown Jim as our manager, ticipant in the circus who so sometimes change can was from Russia. be difficult, but it’s been as “James McCann came up with a good idea,” VerHagen smooth a transition as I can imagine.” said, noting his partner in

TIGERS ROSTER STARTERS

13 ALEX AVILA

Position: Catcher 2013 stats: .227, 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 112 strikeouts, .693 OPS Notes: The offensive struggles Avila has gone through the past two seasons makes it easy to forget he started the AllStar Game and ﬁnished 12th in American League Most Valuable Player voting in 2011. The Tigers need him to swing the bat better than he did in 2012 and 2013. How much better? Somewhere closer to his second-half numbers from 2013 (.303, .876 OPS) and not anywhere near his ﬁrst-half numbers (.177, .572 OPS). 24 MIGUEL CABRERA

Position: First baseman 2013 stats: .348, 44 home runs, 137 RBIs, 1.078 OPS, 90 walks Notes: Can Cabrera match his 2012 or 2013 numbers in 2014? Since he’s coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, that seems like a lot to expect. But don’t forget he posted the numbers listed above while playing injured down the stretch. He would have pushed 50 home runs and certainly would have had a higher OPS if he had been healthy all season. 9 NICK CASTELLANOS

Position: Third baseman 2013 stats: 5 for 18 (.278), ﬁve singles with Tigers; .276, 18 home runs, 76 RBIs, .793 OPS, 100 strikeouts with Triple-A Toledo Notes: Castellanos will receive plenty of attention from Tigers fans as a hot prospect who is taking over at third base (almost) full-time. He is adjusting to his return to third base and likely won’t be a Gold Glove winner, but all indications are that he will hit. Will he struggle at times and go through growing pains as a rookie? Certainly. Fans should judge him as a rookie on his entire season and not how he fares in April. 20 RAJAI DAVIS

Position: Left ﬁelder 2013 stats: .260, .312 OBP, 24 RBIs, 45 steals, 360 plate appearances with Toronto Blue Jays Notes: Davis will give the Tigers an element they were missing sorely in 2013: speed. The Tigers stole 35 bases as a team last season. Davis had 45 last season and has had 34 or more steals in each of the past ﬁve seasons. Davis was slated to be more than a straight platoon player even when Andy Dirks was healthy, but he will see more time against right-handed pitchers with Dirks out. Davis has hit .294 with a .779 OPS against left-handers in his career and .255 with a .650 OPS against right-handers. 28 ALEX GONZALEZ

2013, his ﬁrst season with the Tigers. Hunter, who will turn 39 this season, has to slow down at some point. A healthy and productive Hunter is extremely important to the Tigers, especially early when they will be short-handed in the outﬁeld because of Andy Dirks’ injury. 14 AUSTIN JACKSON

Position: Center fielder 2013 stats: .272, 12 home runs, 49 RBIs, 99 runs, 8 stolen bases, 129 strikeouts Notes: There will be a lot of eyes on Jackson, who is just two seasons from free agency. Will being dropped from the leadoff spot for the first time in his career be helpful? Will he continue to hit the ball like he did during spring training? Will he be more aggressive on the basepaths this season? Jackson had the green light for the entire 2013 season but finished with just eight steals. That number should go up now that he’s no longer batting ahead of Cabrera in the lineup. 3 IAN KINSLER

Position: Second baseman 2013 stats: .277, 13 home runs, 72 RBIs, 85 runs, 15 stolen bases with Texas Rangers Notes: Kinsler hit .277 last season for Texas, his highest average since 2010. But some of his other numbers (runs scored, slugging percentage, OPS) have fallen steadily since 2011. It will be interesting to see how Kinsler fares with a new team and a new manager while playing in a new ballpark. 41 VICTOR MARTINEZ

Position: Designated hitter 2013 stats: .301, 14 home runs, 83 RBIs Notes: With the departure of Prince Fielder, Jhonny Peralta and Omar Infante, Martinez will move back into the cleanup spot directly behind Cabrera and will be depended upon to produce runs. Martinez got off to a slow start in 2013 after sitting out the 2012 season due to knee surgery. The Tigers will need him to knock in 100-plus runs, like he did in 2011 (103 RBIs). They deﬁnitely will need him to ﬁnish with more than the 83 RBIs he had in 2013. BENCH

72 TYLER COLLINS

Position: Outﬁelder 2013 stats: .240, 21 home runs, 79 RBIs, .760 OPS with Double-A Erie Notes: Collins entered spring training with little hope of making the opening day roster. But an injury to Andy Dirks opened the door for an outﬁelder, preferably with a left-handed bat. Collins didn’t hit for a high average this spring, but he racked up several extra-base hits and impressed the Tigers with his approach to the game. 50 BRYAN HOLADAY

Position: Shortstop 2013 stats: .177, .433 OPS in 41 games for Milwaukee Brewers Notes: The Tigers headed into spring training with a young starting shortstop who was not expected to provide much offensive. They will start the regular season with an old shortstop who likely will provide even less. The Tigers traded utility man Steve Lombardozzi for Gonzalez, a 37-year-old shortstop who has played 65 games and has fewer than 200 at-bats in the past two seasons combined. Gonzalez has a .246 career average and .686 career OPS. 48 TORII HUNTER

Position: Right ﬁelder 2013 stats: .304, 17 home runs, 84 RBIs, .800 OPS Notes: Many baseball followers thought the 2012 numbers Hunter posted were a bit of an aberration, but he basically matched those numbers in

Position: Catcher 2013 stats: 8 for 27 (.296) with Tigers; .260, 24 RBIs, 320 plate appearances with Triple-A Toledo Notes: The Tigers likely will not get much offensively out of Holaday, a .243 hitter in four seasons in the minors, and likely will rely more on Avila in 2014 than they have the past few years. But the Tigers like what Holaday brings defensively. 32 DON KELLY

Position: Outfielder 2013 stats: .222, 6 home runs, 23 RBIs, 216 at-bats, 112 games Notes: Kelly was slated to be the fifth of five outfielders on the roster before Andy Dirks’ injury but certainly will get more starts in left field with Dirks out for the first two months. Kelly’s career numbers against righthanders — .235 with a .657 OPS -— aren’t that much different than

those posted by Rajai Davis. But Kelly is a better defensive outﬁelder who will give some breaks to Davis.

62 AL ALBURQUERQUE

27 ANDREW ROMINE

Throws: Right-hander

Position: Shortstop

2013 stats: 4-3, 4.59 ERA, 70 strikeouts, 34 walks, 49 innings

2013 stats: .259, three doubles, 10 RBIs in 108 at-bats with Los Angeles Angels Notes: Romine will not hit a ton, but the Tigers like what they see in him defensively. In addition to getting some starts at shortstop in place of Alex Gonzalez, Romine will serve as a part-time second baseman and third baseman. STARTING PITCHERS

21 RICK PORCELLO

Throws: Right-hander 2013 stats: 13-8, 4.32 ERA, 142 strikeouts, 177 innings pitched, 1.28 WHIP Notes: Porcello is an interesting story. He is 25 years old but entering his sixth season in the majors. He hasn’t had an ERA below 4.32 since his rookie season, yet he is slated to make $8.5 million in 2014 and almost certainly will get $10 million-plus for 2015 as an arbitration-eligible player next offseason. Porcello took a step forward in 2013 by increasing his strikeout numbers and lowering his WHIP substantially from the previous season. 19 ANIBAL SANCHEZ

Throws: Right-hander 2013 stats: 14-8, 2.57 ERA, 202 strikeouts, 182 innings pitched, nine home runs, 1.15 WHIP Notes: The Tigers seemed to stretch the budget when they re-signed Sanchez as a free agent before the 2013 season. One year later, he looks like a bargain based on how he pitched last season and how much the market changes from year to year. Keep an eye out for shoulder issues, which knocked him out of the rotation in 2013 and popped up this year in spring training. 37 MAX SCHERZER

Throws: Right-hander 2013 stats: 21-3, 2.90 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 214⅓ innings pitched, 0.97 WHIP Notes: Scherzer got his mechanics aligned consistently and won the 2013 AL Cy Young award. Tigers fans might want to enjoy the 2014 season, because it very well could be his last season in Detroit. Scherzer is in line to get a huge contract as a free agent next offseason, and could make it bigger if he puts together a 2014 season that’s even close to as good as last year. 33 DREW SMYLY

Throws: Left-hander 2013 stats: 6-0, 2.37 ERA, 81 strikeouts, 76 innings pitched, 1.04 WHIP Notes: Smyly is the real deal, but the expectations many Tigers fans have for him in 2014 might be a bit too high. The transition from bullpen to fulltime starter will provide challenges, even though Smyly spent his career as a starter before coming to the big leagues. The Tigers will watch his innings total carefully. 35 JUSTIN VERLANDER

BULLPEN

Notes: After not allowing a regular-season home run in 56⅔ innings in 2011 and 2012, Alburquerque surrendered ﬁve home runs in 2013. The Tigers want him to trust his fastball more and throw it for strikes instead of relying too heavily on his slider. 44 JOBA CHAMBERLAIN

Throws: Left-hander 2013 stats: 2-1, 4.93 ERA, 26 walks, 42 innings, 1.74 WHIP for New York Yankees Notes: The biggest storyline for the Tigers bullpen this season is whether they have someone who can lock down the eighth inning. With Bruce Rondon out with an injury, Chamberlain appears to be the leading candidate to ﬁll that role. But Chamberlain has had injury issues of his own and hasn’t posted great numbers the past two seasons with the Yankees. 40 PHIL COKE

Throws: Left-hander 2013 stats: 0-5, 5.40 ERA, .291 opponents’ batting average, 1.67 WHIP Notes: This is a make-or-break season for Coke, who will be a free agent for the ﬁrst time next offseason. In the short term, the Tigers need Coke to be the No. 1 lefty out of the bullpen or serve as a lefty-on-lefty specialist. 46 IAN KROL

Throws: Left-hander 2013 stats: 2-1, 3.95 ERA, 1.317 WHIP for Washington Nationals Notes: The Tigers like the potential Krol brought with him in the trade that sent Doug Fister to the Nationals. Krol, in his second majorleague season, is a lefty-on-lefty specialist, but he’ll have to make a big step forward against right-handed hitters if his role is to increase in 2014. 36 JOE NATHAN

Throws: Right-hander 2013 stats: 6-2, 1.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 43 saves for Texas Rangers Notes: Nathan, 39, is the lone proven veteran in the bullpen. He showed no signs of slowing down last season, when he converted 43 of 46 save opportunities for the Texas Rangers. Based on the question marks in the rest of the bullpen, there is pressure on Nathan to stay healthy and perform. If he falters, the bullpen will be a mess. 39 LUKE PUTKONEN

Throws: Right-hander 2013 stats: 3.03 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 29 ⅔ innings for Tigers; 1.91 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 37 ⅔ innings, 1.009 WHIP for Triple-A Toledo Notes: Putkonen had some success in the majors last season and built upon that this spring. He has been a starter in the minors and certainly could be a multi-inning guy this season.

Throws: Right-hander

57 EVAN REED

2013 stats: 13-12, 3.46 ERA, 217 strikeouts, 218 ⅓ innings pitched, 1.31 WHIP

Throws: Right-hander

Notes: Verlander put together a solid 2013 by the standards of most pitchers. But for a guy who won Cy Young and Most Valuable Player in 2011 and almost repeated as the Cy Young winner the next season, 2013 was a disappointment. Verlander underwent core muscle surgery and believes the injury might have caused some of his issues in 2013.

2013 stats: 4.24 ERA, .301 opponents’ batting average, 23⅓ innings pitched for Tigers; 2.54 ERA, 49 strikeouts, 49 ⅔ innings, 1.168 WHIP for Triple-A Toledo Notes: The Tigers claimed Reed off waivers from the Miami Marlins last season in part because they like pitchers who throw hard. He had a great spring for the Tigers, but how will it translate to the regular season?

Tigers

MUSKEGON CHRONICLE / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / B3

YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO THE TEAM

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

B 1

The bullpen appears to be a weak spot for the Tigers, especially after they lost Bruce Rondon for the season because of an elbow injury. Joe Nathan is a proven closer, so the ninth inning doesn’t appear to be a major issue. But the eighth? The seventh? The sixth? Tigers fans could be in for a wild ride.

Verlander

Q: A:

UPCOMING SERIES

BALTIMORE ORIOLES AT COMERICA PARK

KANSAS CITY ROYALS AT COMERICA PARK

Friday through Sunday, all games at 1:08 p.m. on FSD Tigers fans expected to see Steve Lombardozzi play at Comerica Park early in the season. They will. The Tigers traded for Lombardozzi during the offseason, then shipped him off to Baltimore for veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez near the end of spring training.

Monday, 1:08 p.m. on FSD: Justin Verlander vs. RHP James Shields Wednesday, 1:08 p.m. on FSD: Max Scherzer vs. LHP Jason Vargas Thursday, 1:08 p.m. on FSD: Anibal Sanchez vs. Yordano Ventura

Shields

2013 STATISTICS BATTERS Cabrera Infante Hunter Iglesias Peralta Martinez Pena Holaday Fielder Castellanos Jackson Dirks Tuiasosopo Avila Santiago Kelly Perez Worth Team Totals

AVG .348 .318 .304 .303 .303 .301 .297 .296 .279 .278 .272 .256 .244 .227 .224 .222 .197 .000 .283

OBA .442 .345 .334 .349 .358 .355 .315 .367 .362 .278 .337 .323 .351 .317 .298 .309 .217 .000 .346

AB 555 453 606 350 409 605 229 27 624 18 552 438 164 330 205 216 66 2 5735

R 103 54 90 39 50 68 19 8 82 1 99 60 26 39 27 33 13 0 796

Do you think the Tigers will trade Max Scherzer before the trade deadline? — Rick LeClair@dcchief06 Wow. Schtick just got real. To answer the question: absolutely not. The Tigers are still the favorites to win the American League Central this season. The only way they would trade Max Scherzer is if they find themselves out of the division race before the trade deadline. They won’t. How much could Jose Veras help our bullpen right now? And why did general manager Dave Dombrowski cut him? Seems more reliable than Joba Chamberlain. — Daniel Casey-Dunn@ DanielCaseyDunn I was surprised the Tigers did not exercise the team option on his contract. The bullpen could use the help. The only reasonable possibilities for why they cut him involve money and performance. Since we never have any idea about the nature of the budget Dombrowski has to deal with, well, it’s tough to know for sure. There’s certainly a chance Dombrowski felt it was best to spend the money that would have been dedicated to Veras elsewhere. There also is a chance the Tigers simply didn’t think that much of Veras. There’s a good chance it was a combination of both. Do you expect Rajai Davis’ hot spring to continue into the season? The .230 BA vs. RHP last year isn’t encouraging. — Matthew@matthewuchno Players are what they are. History tells us Davis hits .255 with a .650 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Recent history (2013) tells us Davis hit .228 with a .594 OPS against right-handers. So, it would be crazy to predict those numbers will improve drastically in 2014, which will be the ninth season in the majors for Davis. He might be hot to start the season. He might not be. But water finds its level. Davis will be much more effective against lefthanders than right-handers this season. Why do the Tigers hate Danny Worrh? — Ken Ostroff@kso3165 “Hate” is a strong word. But I can’t think of a word for “Apparently don’t think very much of.” Is Chamberlain getting the eighth inning or will it be more of a mix-andmatch situation? — Ryan Sauvage@potatogod93 Mix and match unless someone locks it down with solid, consistent performances.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus stressed aggressiveness on the basepaths from the first day of spring training. Rajai Davis gives the Tigers more speed on the bases than they’ve had in years. The 2014 Tigers will try to take an extra base when they can. — Chris Iott

Tigers fans will get their first steady dose of Nick Castellanos, who will be the regular third baseman for the Tigers after being touted as one of baseball’s top prospects for the past few years. He won’t ever be the best defen-

sive third baseman in the league, but he can hit.

How will Tigers fans respond to Max Scherzer? Some Tigers fans feel he showed a lack of loyalty when he passed on a contract offer that was worth a reported $144 million over six seasons. That seems unfair. Loyalty — or lack thereof — is overrated in contract negotiations. Money is not.

Ü@Chris_Iott

aseball is back. Opening day is Monday. Wondering what you should look for in the first week of the Detroit Tigers’ season? Glad you asked. Here are some things to keep your eye on as the Tigers begin their defense of the American League Central Division title.

Justin Verlander had a sub-par season — at least for him — in 2013 and underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason. How will he perform in his opening day start? If spring is any indication, he appears to be ready to go. Verlander threw 20 shutout innings this spring.

Q&A WITH CHRIS IOTT

H 193 144 184 106 124 182 68 8 174 5 150 112 40 75 46 48 13 0 1625

2B 26 24 37 16 30 36 11 1 36 0 30 16 7 14 8 6 0 0 292

3B 1 3 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 23

HR 44 10 17 3 11 14 4 1 25 0 12 9 7 11 1 6 0 0 176

RBI 137 51 84 29 55 83 22 2 106 0 49 37 30 47 14 23 5 0 767

BB 90 20 26 15 35 54 6 2 75 0 52 42 25 44 21 27 2 0 531

SO 94 44 113 60 98 62 26 3 117 1 129 84 57 112 32 28 15 1 1073

SB 3 5 3 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 8 7 0 0 0 2 1 0 35

CS 0 2 2 2 3 2 2 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 20

E 12 10 3 6 4 0 3 2 6 0 2 2 1 6 2 2 2 1 76

PITCHERS Benoit Smyly Sanchez Scherzer Veras Putkonen Rondon Verlander Fister Reed Porcello Alburquerque Downs Bonderman Coke Alvarez Dotel Team Totals

W 4 6 14 21 0 1 1 13 14 0 13 4 0 2 0 1 0 93

L 1 0 8 3 5 3 2 12 9 1 8 3 2 4 5 5 0 69

ERA 2.01 2.37 2.57 2.90 3.02 3.03 3.45 3.46 3.67 4.24 4.32 4.59 4.84 5.40 5.40 5.82 13.50 3.61

G 66 63 29 32 67 30 30 34 33 16 32 53 29 18 49 14 6 162

GS 0 0 29 32 0 0 0 34 32 0 29 0 0 7 0 6 0 162

SV 24 2 0 0 21 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 39

IP 67.0 76.0 182.0 214.1 62.2 29.2 28.2 218.1 208.2 23.1 177.0 49.0 35.1 55.0 38.1 38.2 4.2 1462.2

H 47 62 156 152 45 30 28 212 229 28 185 39 36 58 43 42 10 1369

R 15 20 56 73 23 11 11 94 91 16 87 25 20 36 24 26 7 624

ER 15 20 52 69 21 10 11 84 85 11 85 25 19 33 23 25 7 587

HR 5 4 9 18 6 4 2 19 14 2 18 5 4 7 3 7 0 128

BB 22 17 54 56 22 9 11 75 44 8 42 34 11 27 21 16 4 462

SO 73 81 202 240 60 28 30 217 159 17 142 70 37 32 30 31 4 1428

QUOTABLE “I was never thinking about going to free agency. I want to be here. I want to stay here. I want to be a Tiger.” — MIGUEL CABRERA, AFTER SIGNING AN EIGHT-YEAR, $292 MILLION CONTRACT EXTENSION

B4 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

Detroit Tigers 2014 Season Preview TIGERS SCHEDULE SUN

TUE

MON

THU

WED

FRI

SAT

MARCH/APRIL 31

1:08 FSD

BAL 1:08 FSD

21 CWS 7:08 FSD

27 at MIN 2:10 FSD

KC 1:08 FSD

at LAD 9 at LAD 10:10 10:10 FSD FSD

13 at SD 4:10 FSD+ 20 LAA 1:08 FSD

CLE 7:08 FSD

22 CWS 7:08 FSD

23 CWS 7:08 FSD

24 CWS 1:08 FSD

CLE 7:08 FSD+

CLE 1:08 FSD

BAL 1:08 FSD

11 at SD 10:10 FSD+

12 at SD 8:40 FSD

LAA 7:08 FSD

LAA 1:08 FS1

25 at MIN 26 at MIN 2:10 8:10 FSD FSD

29 at CWS 30 at CWS 8:10 2:10 FSD FSD

MAY

4 at KC 2:10 FSD

5 HOU 7:08 FSD

6 HOU 7:08 FSD

7 HOU 7:08 FSD

12 at BAL 7:05 FSD

13 at BAL 7:05 FSD

14 at BAL 12:35 FSD

18 at BOS 19 at CLE 8:05 7:05 ESPN FSD

20 at CLE 7:05 FSD

21 at CLE 12:05 FSD

MIN 1:08 FSD

25 TEX 1:08 FSD

8 HOU 1:08 FSD

2 at KC 8:10 FSD

3 at KC 7:10 FS1

10 MIN 1:08 FSD

MIN 7:08 FSD

16 at BOS 17 at BOS 7:10 7:10 FSD FSD 23 TEX 7:08 FSD

24 TEX 4:08 FS1

26 at OAK 27 at OAK 28 at OAK 29 at OAK 30 at SEA 4:05 10:05 10:05 3:35 10:10 FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD

31 at SEA 10:10 FSD

22 TEX 1:08 FSD

JUNE BOS 7:08 FSD

BOS 7:15 Fox

9 at CWS 10 at CWS 11 at CWS 12 at CWS 13 MIN 8:10 8:10 8:10 8:10 7:08 FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD

MIN 4:08 FS1

1 at SEA 4:10 FSD 8

BOS 1:08 FSD MIN 1:08 FSD

16 KC 7:08 FSD

17 KC 7:08 FSD

TOR 7:08 FSD

TOR 1:08 FSD

20 at CLE 21 at CLE 7:15 7:05 Fox FSD

18 KC 1:08 FSD

24 at TEX 25 at TEX 26 at TEX 27 at HOU 28 at HOU 4:10 8:05 8:05 8:05 8:10 FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD

22 at CLE 1:05 FSD 29 at HOU 2:10 FSD

TOR 7:08 FSD

30 OAK 7:08 FSD

JULY 1

TB 1:08 FSD

LAD 7:08 FSD

OAK 1:08 FSD

LAD 1:08 FSD

TB 7:08 FSD

TB 4:08 FSD

10 at KC 11 at KC 12 at KC 7:10 8:10 8:10 FSD FSD FSD

15 at MIN ALL-STAR GAME

13 at KC 2:10 FSD 20 CLE 1:08 FSD

OAK 7:08 FSD

18 CLE 7:08 FSD

19 CLE 7:08 FS1

21 at ARI 22 at ARI 23 at ARI 24 at LAA 25 at LAA 26 at LAA 9:05 9:40 9:40 3:40 10:05 10:05 FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD

27 at LAA TBD FSD

CWS 30 CWS 31 CWS 7:08 7:08 1:08 FSD FSD FSD

AUGUST 1

COL 7:08 FSD

4 at NYY 7:05 FSD

5 at NYY 7:05 FSD

6 at NYY 7:05 FSD

7 at NYY 1:05 FSD

8 at TOR 7:07 FSD

9 at TOR 1:07 FSD

10 at TOR 11 at PIT 1:07 7:05 FSD FSD

12 at PIT 7:05 FSD

13 PIT 7:08 FSD

14 PIT 1:08 FSD

15 SEA 7:08 FSD

16 SEA 7:08 FSD

COL 1:08 FSD

19 at TB 20 at TB 21 at TB 22 at MIN 23 at MIN 7:10 7:10 7:10 1:10 8:10 FSD FSD FSD FSD FSD

17 SEA 1:08 FSD

24 at MIN 2:10 FSD

NYY 7:08 FSD

NYY 29 at CWS 30 at CWS 7:10 1:08 8:10 FSD FSD FSD

31 at CWS 2:10 FSD

SEPTEMBER 1 at CLE 4:05 FSD 7

SF 1:08 FSD

CLE 1:08 FSD

21 at KC 2:10 FSD

KC 7:08 FSD

2 at CLE 7:05 FSD 9

KC 7:08 FSD

3 at CLE 7:05 FSD

4 at CLE 7:05 FSD

10 KC 7:08 FSD

15 at MIN 16 at MIN 17 at MIN 8:10 8:10 8:10 FSD FSD FSD 22 CWS 7:08 FSD

23 CWS 7:08 FSD

24 CWS 1:08 FSD

25 MIN 7:08 FSD

SF 7:08 FSD

SF 1:08 Fox

CLE 7:08 FSD

19 at KC 8:10 FSD

20 at KC 7:10 FSD

26 MIN 7:08 FSD

27 MIN 7:08 FSD

28 MIN 1:08 FSD All times p.m. Eastern. Subject to change.

TICKET INFORMATION Detroit Tigers tickets can be purchased at the Comerica Park box ofﬁce, by calling 866-66-TIGER, online at detroit.tigers.mlb.com and through Ticketmaster and other ticket outlets.

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Looking to play key roles for the Tigers this season are, from left, Nick Castellanos, Austin Jackson, Joba Chamberlain, Alex Avila and Al Alburquerque. (Katie Karnes/MLive.com illustration)

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Which players will step up? AUSTIN JACKSON

By Chris Iott

ciott@mlive.com

LAKELAND, Fla. — Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander have won the past three American League Most Valuable Player awards. Max Scherzer and Verlander have won two of the past three Cy Young awards. Joe Nathan converts almost every save opportunity that comes his way. Detroit Tigers fans know what to expect from their superstars. But which players could step up with big individual seasons and play a key role for the Tigers in 2014? Here are five to watch: ALEX AVILA

Some Tigers fans refuse to believe it, but Avila has the potential to be an impact player offensively. Avila turned in a very good season in 2011 (.295 average, 82 RBIs, .895 OPS) and hit .303 with an .876 OPS in the second half of 2013 after an absolutely atrocious first half. The Tigers need more offensive production from Avila after the departures of Prince Fielder and Jhonny Peralta. Will they get it? That’s impossible to tell, but Avila has the ability to carry more of the load.

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN

Jackson will look to make the transition from table setter to run producer as he spends his first season outside of the leadoff spot. It was a small sample size, but Jackson had some success in the AL Championship Series last season after former manager Jim Leyland dropped him in the order. Jackson has said multiple times that he is more comfortable batting lower in the order. The 2014 season will provide proof of how the move works out.

Beyond Nathan, there are multiple question marks in the bullpen. Someone will need to step up in the setup role or the Tigers will run into trouble once their starters leave the game. Is Chamberlain up to the task? Can he stay healthy for the entire season? The Tigers rolled the dice with Chamberlain in the offseason. If the move pays off, he will be a key member of the bullpen. If it doesn’t, the bullpen could be in trouble.

NICK CASTELLANOS

AL ALBURQUERQUE

Castellanos will face a lot of pressure this season. Many Tigers fans will expect the world from him after they’ve heard his name touted among the top prospects in all of baseball for the past few years. But I expect him to have a successful rookie season based on realistic expectations, not the unfair expectations of those who expect him to carry the offense. There will be growing pains. He might not get off to the best start. But if the season goes well, Castellanos will finish with respectable offensive numbers and likely will come up with some clutch hits along the way.

The question marks elsewhere, the uncertainty of what Chamberlain will bring and the season-ending injury to Bruce Rondon will add pressure to Alburquerque, who is the most dominant relief pitcher the Tigers have when he is on top of his game. Alburquerque is absolutely unhittable at times. At other times, he can’t find the strike zone. Alburquerque will have to throw strikes, cut down on the walks and find some consistency this season, which will be a tough task if he finds himself pitching in key situations more than he has in the past.

AL CENTRAL OUTLOOK

Division should be a close race this season

AKELAND, Fla. — The Tigers needed to hold off a September charge from the Cleveland Indians and narrowly avoided a lateseason meltdown to capture their third straight division title last year. Will it be as challenging for Detroit to pull off a fourpeat this season, particularly in the wake of crippling injuries to several star players this spring? Let’s take a look:

DETROIT TIGERS

Outlook: Brad Ausmus will have his hands full in his first year as manager, as significant injuries to Jose Iglesias, Andy Dirks and Bruce Rondon have left him with a drastically different team. Injuries — coupled with questions about starting pitching depth and a lack of proven pitchers in the bullpen — could be Detroit’s downfall this year. But a highly talented lineup — even without Prince Fielder protecting Miguel Cabrera — make Detroit the team to beat in the division once again. Key losses: Joaquin Benoit, Prince Fielder, Doug Fister, Omar Infante, Brayan Pena, Jhonny Peralta, Ramon Santiago, Matt Tuiasosopo, Jose Valverde, Jose Veras. Key pickups: Joba Chamberlain, Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler, Alex Gonzalez, Andrew Romine, Ian Krol, Joe Nathan. 2013 record: 93-69 2014 prediction: 90-72

James Schmehl jschmehl @mlive.com

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Outlook: It seems every year, Kansas City is considered a legitimate threat to contend for the division title. Last year, the Royals took a significant step toward ending their 29-year playoff drought, finishing above .500 for the first time since 2003. Yet, they still finished seven games behind Detroit in the division. Closer Greg Holland headlines arguably the best bullpen in baseball this year, but outside of starting pitcher James Shields, Kansas City’s rotation has a lot to prove. With Ervin Santana no longer in the mix, the Royals are counting on Jason Vargas to plug the gap. Key losses: Emilio Bonifacio, Chris Getz, George Kottaras, David Lough, Luis Mendoza, Ervin Santana. Key pickups: Norichika Aoki, Omar Infante, Danny Valencia, Jason Vargas. 2013 record: 86-76, third 2014 prediction: 88-74, second CLEVELAND INDIANS

Outlook: Coming off of a playoff-capturing season in which it tied for fourth in the league in runs scored, Cleveland welcomes back a lineup with very little change. The Indians’ pitching staff,

on the other hand, has undergone a complete overhaul. Justin Masterson becomes the ace of the staff after the departure of Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir. Outside of Masterson, the Indians will rely heavily on a trio of inexperienced arms in Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister and Danny Salazar. The core of last year’s bullpen is gone, too, as former closer Chris Perez and Joe Smith moved to the West Coast. In turn, the Indians signed John Axford as their new closer, while Cody Allen and Marc Rzepczynski are expected to be their set-up guys. Key losses: Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Kazmir, Chris Perez, Mark Reynolds, Joe Smith, Drew Stubbs. Key pickups: John Axford, Elliot Johnson, David Murphy, Nyjer Morgan, Josh Outman. 2013 record: 92-70, second 2014 prediction: 87-75, third CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Outlook: There’s nowhere to go but up for the White Sox, who finished at the bottom of the division last with a 63-99 record — their worst record since 1970. With Paul Konerko relegated to part-time duty, the White Sox signed Cuban defector Jose Abreu to a $68 million contract to be their first baseman. He should provide a welcome source of power for a team that finished last in the AL with 598 runs last year. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana give the White Sox a solid one-two punch in their starting rotation, but their

everyday lineup lacks proven starting position players and run support could, once again, prove to be their Achilles’ heel. Key losses: Jesse Crain, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy, Addison Reed, Hector Santiago, Dewayne Wise. Key pickups: Jose Abreu, Ronald Belisario, Mitchell Boggs, Matt Davidson, Scott Downs, Adam Eaton, Avisail Garcia, Felipe Paulino. 2013 record: 63-99, fifth 2014 prediction: 72-90, fourth MINNESOTA TWINS

Outlook: The Twins went into this offseason with a strong emphasis on addressing their starting rotation, committing $84 million to three veteran starters. They signed free-agent righthanders Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes and re-signed Mike Pelfrey. They also managed to lock up closer Glen Perkins, who already was under team control through 2015, to an extension that runs through at least 2017. But the Twins still are far away from returning to their glory days. A questionable defense and less-than-mediocre lineup will, once again, prevent them from climbing up the division ranks. Key losses: Drew Butera, Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit, Liam Hendriks, Justin Morneau. Key pickups: Phil Hughes, Jason Kubel, Ricky Nolasco, Kurt Suzuki. 2013 record: 66-96, fourth 2014 prediction: 67-95, fifth

For the latest breaking news, go to mlive.com

Sports

SECTION

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

LOCAL SPORT S / C2

JACKS WIN SHOOTOUT, STAY IN PLAYOFF HUNT NATIONAL/STATE NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT

Scores, schedule Saturday’s games •(1)Florida 62, (11)Dayton 52 •(2)Wisconsin 64, (1)Arizona 63, OT

OUTDOORS / C7

BRANDING MICHIGAN AS A TRAIL STATE

NCAA TOURNAMENT

Encore performances

Today’s games •(4)Michigan State vs. (7)UConn, 2:20 p.m., CBS •(2)Michigan vs. (8)Kentucky, 5:05 p.m., CBS Final Four •Florida (36-2) vs. MSU/UConn, TBA, Saturday, April 5 •Wisconsin (30-7) vs. U-M/ Kentucky, TBA, Saturday, April 5 NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

Scores, schedule

Saturday’s games •(1)Notre Dame 89, (5)Oklahoma State 72 •(2)Baylor 80, (3)Kentucky 72 •(1)UConn 70, (12)BYU 51 •(3)Texas A&M 84, (7)DePaul 65

Michigan’s Jordan Morgan reacts after taking a charging foul in the ﬁnal seconds against Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes (5) on Friday. (Melanie Maxwell/MLive.com)

Today’s games •(1)Tennessee vs. (4)Maryland, noon, ESPN •(3)Louisville vs. (7)LSU, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 •(2)Stanford vs. (3)Penn State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 •(1)South Carolina vs. (4)North Carolina, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 BASEBALL

Trout signs for six years, $144.5 million Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels agreed Friday night to a $144.5 million, six-year contract, keeping baseball’s brightest young star under club control through 2020. Few players in major league history have approached the speedy, 22-year-old outfielder’s accomplishments in his first two full major league seasons. The Millville, N.J., product was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year in 2012, and he finished second in AL MVP voting to Miguel Cabrera the past two years. He gets a $5 million signing bonus, of which $2 million is due within 30 days of the contract’s approval and $3 million by Oct. 15. Trout’s salaries are $5.25 million in 2015, $15.25 million in 2016, $19.25 million in 2017 and $33.25 million in each of the final three seasons. He receives a full-no trade provision and the right to a luxury suite at the ballpark for 20 games per year starting in 2015. TIGERS

Collins signs MLB deal

Moments after the Detroit Tigers’ final exhibition this spring was canceled, assistant general manager Al Avila pulled outfield prospect Tyler Collins aside in the visiting clubhouse and asked for his signature. “He said, ‘Hey, you have to sign this,’” Collins said. Avila placed a document in front of the 23-year-old Collins and pointed to the dotted lines. Collins signed it without even reading the fine print. Turns out, Collins had just signed his first major league contract. The Tigers purchased Collins’ contract from Double-A Erie on Saturday. “It’s a dream come true,” Collins said.

Michigan State’s Branden Dawson goes to the basket for two points Friday night against Virginia. (Mike Mulholland/MLive.com)

Today, MSU faces Shabazz Napier and UConn, while U-M faces Julius Randle and Kentucky. (AP)

‘Dawson makes all the difference’ Don’t tell Morgan it’s a mismatch By Gillian Van Stratt

gvanstratt@mlive.com

NEW YORK — Branden Dawson will tell you the truth of the matter now — he thought long and hard about transferring after his freshman season at Michigan State. “We need more out of you,” coach Tom Izzo continued to say. Unable to be who Izzo knew he could be and struggling with the aftermath of a torn ACL, Dawson figured he’d just get out of East Lansing, go somewhere where what he was right then was enough. “Every freshman goes through the process of not getting all the balls and not getting all the touches, not scoring a lot of points,” Dawson said. “It was frustrating. I was ready to leave, and Coach, he hung in there. And I believed him; I trusted him.” A dominating 24 points and 10 rebounds against the nation’s top defense in the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. A career-high 26 points against Harvard. The most outstanding player in the Big Ten tournament. It’s what Izzo knew in his heart Dawson was capable of. It’s what Dawson was unable to grasp. It’s what eventually manifested out of his worst decision. When Dawson punched that table

ELITE EIGHT What: No. 4 seed Michigan Sate (29-8) vs. No. 7 seed Connecticut (29-8) When: 2:20 p.m. today Where: New York TV: CBS

back in January — breaking his fifth metacarpal — he did it with all the passion his coach had ever asked for. He did it because the things ESPN’s Dan Dakich was saying were true — in order for Michigan State to get to win a national championship, it needed the Dawson Izzo believed in but no one had seen. Late Friday night, after watching Dawson assert his will on his ACC champion Cavaliers, Tony Bennett echoed Dakich’s exact words. “Dawson makes all the difference,” Bennett said. Only this time, he followed with, “He did today.” Dawson missed nine games this season with his right hand in a cast. During that time, the Spartans (29-8) went 4-5. Since his return on March 1, Michigan State has gone 7-2 — including the Big Ten tournament title and a run to the Elite Eight, where it will face No. 7 seed UConn at 2:20 p.m. today. “I’m thinking about going and breaking my hand with the way SEE DAWSON, C6

By Brendan F. Quinn bquinn@mlive.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Walking off the elevated floor at Lucas Oil Stadium, Jordan Morgan delivered a message. His game already had done the talking. The Michigan senior pounded and pummeled his way to 15 points and seven rebounds, drew a pivotal offensive charge to secure the Wolverines’ 73-71 Sweet 16 win over Tennessee and, in the process of it all, outplayed Jarnell Stokes, the Vols’ bruising forward. The matchup was talked about all week leading up the game: Morgan vs. Stokes. Morgan was hounded with question about how he planned to stop Stokes, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound fire hydrant. The bout between the two was painted as a Tennessee advantage. That paint turned out to be blue, not orange. So walking off the floor, Morgan yelled one word into the airy, 65,000-seat stadium. “Mismatch!” Not only did Morgan drop 15 and pull down seven on Friday night, he held Stokes to 11 points and six rebounds. The UT junior entered the night averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Vols’ three previous NCAA tournament wins.

ELITE EIGHT What: No. 2 seed Michigan (28-8) vs. No. 8 seed Kentucky (27-10) When: approx. 5:05 p.m. today Where: Indianapolis TV: CBS

Asked about his postgame declaration, Morgan noted “I guess people forgot we play in the Big Ten, and we won the Big Ten outright. So we’re not really soft around here. That’s not who we are. We lift a lot of weights. “So it’s just, I don’t know, it’s a pride thing for us. We’re not about to get punked.” Morgan finished 7 for 9 from the field with one steal, one block and one crucial defensive stand in 32 minutes played. The stand was just the latest March memory for Morgan, sitting alongside last year’s drawn charge against Syracuse in the national semifinals. Only 9.6 seconds remained. Michigan, nearly dizzy from seeing a 15-point lead with 10:56 to go whittled all the way down to one point, desperately needed a defensive stop. A barrage of late-game U-M turnovers served up an opportunity for Tennessee to steal a win SEE MORGAN, C6

STATE FINAL FOURS

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Teams from the same state have reached the Final Four eight times.

Since more than one team from a conference has been allowed into the NCAA tournament, there have been multiple teams from the same conference in the Final Four 22 times in those 39 years (1975-2013). The Big Ten has done it seven times, more than any other conference. Only once have three teams from the same conference reached the Final Four (1985, Big East).

1954 La Salle and Penn State (La Salle d. Penn State 69-54 in semiﬁnals) 1960 Ohio State and Cincinnati (did not play each other) 1961 Ohio State and Cincinnati (Cincinnati d. Ohio State 70-65 in championship) 1962 Ohio State and Cincinnati (Cincinnati d. Ohio State 71-59 in championship) 1975 Kentucky and Louisville (did not play each other) 1977 North Carolina and UNC-Charlotte (did not play each other) 1991 Duke and North Carolina (did not play each other) 2012 Kentucky and Louisville (Kentucky d. Louisville 69-61 in semiﬁnals)

Two Big Ten teams in Final Four 1976 Indiana and Michigan 1980 Purdue and Iowa 1989 Michigan and Illinois

1992 Michigan and Indiana 1999 Michigan State and Ohio State 2000 Michigan State and Wisconsin 2005 Illinois and Michigan State

C2 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

Local Sports BASEBALL

Former Whitecap Travis makes impression with Tigers Muskegon’s Tommy Panico, right, and Lincoln’s Tye Ausmus ﬁght for the puck during Saturday’s game at L.C. Walker Arena. (Natalie Kolb/MLive.com)

Second baseman gaining national attention from scouts, impressing coaches within organization By Chris Iott

ciott@mlive.com

LUMBERJACKS 5, STARS 4 (SO)

Jacks rally late, top Lincoln in shootout By Scott Brandenburg

Lampasso missed the net. sbranden@mlive.com Muskegon outshot Lincoln MUSKEGON — Playoff 40-39 after being outshot fever has hit Muskegon. 19-8 in the first period. A total of 3,306 fans were The pro-Muskegon crowd in attendance Saturday was deflated when John at L.C. Walker Arena to Simonson scored what see if the Lumberjacks looked like an insurance goal could improve their playoff for Lincoln on the power standing in the Eastern play with 2:31 left to make Conference as the regular it 4-2. season nears its final week. The game was tied Just when it looked like 2-2 through two periods. the answer would be a disMagnus Hoff picked up a appointing night down 4-2 loose puck in front of the net late in the game, Muskegon with 12:27 left in the game staged a miracle with two and scored to give the Stars goals in the final 1:13 of regu- a 3-2 lead. Simonson and lation. David Parrottino drew the Jack Rowe scored both assists. times, including the equalThe Lumberjacks got the izer with 7.4 seconds left, and jump on the Stars in the first the Lumberjacks went on to five minutes of the game. secure the much-needed two They recorded two shots on points in a shootout for the goal on their first shift, and second consecutive night, eventually struck first at the defeating the Lincoln Stars 4:17 mark thanks to team 5-4. leaders Matt Iacopelli and Muskegon, Green Bay, Mason Jobst. Chicago and Team USA are Iacopelli opened the scorbattling for the final playoff ing with his team-high 40th spot. goal, converting a breakaway The shootout win keeps set up by an over-the-top the Lumberjacks in control pass from Jobst, who drew with three games to go. They his team-high 32nd assist. play at Team USA today, at Lincoln surged the rest of Chicago next Friday and host the period, and was rewardGreen Bay next Saturday. ed with a pair of goals from Rowe’s first goal was a Lamposso just eight seconds deflection off of his body, but apart. it gave the hosts life. Then, Lamposso’s first tally with Lumberjacks goalie came on a scramble after Eric Schierhorn off for the Schierhorn thwarted extra attacker, Rowe struck Lincoln’s initial chance on a rebound from a bad with a hustle play out close angle which beat Stars goalie to the blue line. The loose Jacob Nehama to send it to puck found its way onto overtime. Lamposso’s stick, though, and Neither team could conhe fired it past a Muskegon vert in the extra five minutes, defender in front of the net to so the game went to a shoot- tie the game at 1-1. out. Dominick Sacco scored The Lumberjacks confor Lincoln to start, but trolled the ensuing faceoff Muskegon’s final regulation but mishandled the puck in shooter Matej Paulovic tied the defensive zone, and it it up and Daniel Willett won cost them as Lamposso burit five-hole after Christian ied a rebound.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Bloomﬁeld Hills senior named state’s Gatorade Player of the Year MLive.com

Bloomfield Hills senior Yante Maten was not named Mr. Basketball. That honor went to Muskegon’s Deshaun Thrower. Maten wasn’t even a finalist for the award. But Maten, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound center wasn’t shut out in the prestigious honor category, as he was named the recipient of the Gatorade Player of the Year for Michigan.

Maten was the best player in the Oakland Activities Association this season and continues to gain interest from Division I colleges. For the season, Maten averaged 19.5 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, to go with 6.9 blocks, 4.8 assists and shot 66 percent from the field. Maten led Bloomfield Hills to the Class A state finals, where it lost to Muskegon, 91-67.

AKELAND, Fla. — Devon Travis has been called a “little guy” since he first picked up a baseball. That hasn’t stopped him from posting big numbers and opening eyes around baseball.

The Detroit Tigers prospect is starting to get some attention nationally — he is on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospects list — and to impress those who have seen him up close. “He reminds me a little bit of Curtis Granderson in the fact that you’ve just got to put his name in the lineup,” said Larry Parrish, who managed Travis at Single-A West Michigan last season. “He shows up to play every day. Just a great mental approach to the game along with being able to play. “I’ve watched him here in camp. He just looks like he belongs here.” Travis Travis is listed at 5-foot-9 and might not even be that tall. A 13th-round pick in 2012, he didn’t get much attention from Tigers fans until he tore up Class A ball last season. He was in big-league camp with the Tigers and is expected to open the season with Double-A Erie. But if Travis continues on his current path, he could be the guy to eventually replace Ian Kinsler as the everyday second baseman. He could be one of the building blocks for the Tigers infield of the future. WHO IS DEVON TRAVIS?

“You want a water?” Travis asked. He had just grabbed himself a bottle from the clubhouse kitchen at Joker Marchant Stadium as we headed out of the clubhouse to talk. Was it a small gesture? Sure. But it is indicative of the kind of guy Travis is. He’s the type of person who will listen to people repeatedly botch his first name — it’s “DEH-vin,” not “duh-VON” — and not say anything about it. “He’s a high-energy guy, and he’s a very personable guy,” Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila said. “Those are two things that are really great to have on your club. High-energy guys with personality that are good guys — that can be special.” Travis, who grew up in West Palm Beach, Fla. and played for Florida State University, has gained a reputation for playing the right way and treating people the right way. “Everyone in the organization that knows him, they can’t say enough good things about him,” Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said. “He is just a very sincere individual. He loves to play the game, as you can see. He’s got enthusiasm. His game is based upon a lot of energy. But he just brings those same qualities off the field.” Parrish agreed. “He’s just got that infectious personality,” he said. “He likes showing up at the ballpark every day. He likes to play the game. He likes the competition. He’s a smart kid.” The only time Travis breaks eye contact during a conversation is when he is pressed to talk about his numbers or his accomplishments. Ask him about hitting .352 with a .936

Tigers prospect Devon Travis, middle, is congratulated by his West Michigan Whitecaps teammates after scoring a run during a game last season. (MLive.com ﬁles) BY THE NUMBERS

DEVON TRAVIS The 13th-round pick was voted minor league baseball’s Offensive Player of the Year in a fan vote and named the Tigers’ Minor League Player of the Year last season. Here are his statistics from last year: Team West Michigan Lakeland

Level A A+

G 77 55

BA .352 .350

2B 17 11

OPS last season with the Whitecaps or being named minor-league baseball’s Offensive Player of the Year in a fan vote and the Tigers organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2013. He will say the thing that made him most proud was staying healthy all season. Ask him about what his goals and expectations are for 2014 and his entire answer will be about making the playoffs. Players at Double-A want to advance to Triple-A so they can get to the majors. Of course, Travis wants to do that, too, but he’s hungry to play in the postseason. “One thing no one can take away is winning, so I just want to win,” said Travis, who said he was jealous when Erie made the playoffs last season. “I want to make a little playoff push and have a little fun.” Ask Travis about what he’s most proud of as a player and you’ll get two answers. The first one is about playing defense. The second? “I like to keep everyone going around me,” he said. “When someone’s struggling a little bit, I feel like it’s my job to pick them up a little bit and crack jokes and keep everyone loose and just instill fun. Just have fun. That’s the way I’ve always played the game. That’s the most important thing in the game is to continue to have fun. “It’s a job, but once you turn it into just a job, that’s when the whole aspect of it changes.” INJURY ISSUES

At one point while at Florida State, Travis wondered how long his baseball career might last. A left hand injury that bothered him in high school plagued him throughout his freshman year of college. He played through it until eventually it got to the point where he couldn’t squeeze his hand. At that point, he underwent surgery to have his hamate bone removed. Travis battled his way back from that injury as a freshman only to injure his knee falling down while rounding first base. “I’m real pigeon-toed, and I run weird,” Travis said. “I hit first base with my left foot, and I just wiped out. I felt my knee a little bit, but I thought it was fine.” It wasn’t. Travis battled the knee issue throughout his sophomore year. The diagnosis was that he had a bone bruise. Eventually, the injury got worse. “It was just killing me,” Travis said.

3B 2 2

HR 6 10

RBI 42 34

SO 32 32

BB 35 18

SB OBP 14 .430 8 .401

“That summer, I’m like, ‘I can’t go into pro ball hurt. I’ve got to get this fixed now. Something’s wrong.’” He had another scan. He got another diagnosis for a bone bruise. “I’m like, no freaking way did they just tell me that,” he said. “I wanted to have surgery, because I knew there was something wrong. I’m like, ‘Damn, I guess my baseball career is going to come to an end one day because of this knee.” Eventually, a doctor found cartilage damage — Travis calls the discovery “great news” — and Travis had a procedure called OATS (osteoarticular transfer system) where damaged cartilage on the inside of the knee is replaced by healthy cartilage from the outside. The constant battle with injuries is why Travis puts so much stock in staying healthy last season, his first extended season as a professional. “From Day 1,” he said, “I was, like, ‘I’ve got to stay healthy. I’ve never done it. I couldn’t do it in college for 60 games. I don’t know how I’m going to do it for 140.’ But I’m a big believer, and God took care of me.” POSTING BIG NUMBERS

Travis did much more than stay healthy during the 2013 season. He thrived. Travis hit .352 with six home runs, 42 RBIs, 14 steals and a .916 OPS in 77 games for Low-A West Michigan before moving to High-A Lakeland. He thrived there as well, hitting .350 with 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, eight steals and a .962 OPS. “When we drafted him, we felt that he had the potential to be a real good player,” Avila said. “But all of a sudden, when you go in there and you get in the Florida State League and you hit .400 for a couple months, that does open your eyes, because that’s not easy to do. There’s not too many people who have done it.” Travis has been a second baseman his whole life because he says he was told repeatedly that he was too short to play shortstop. Ask him for a baseball role model and he naturally points to Dustin Pedroia, the 5-8 second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. “He’s a small guy who comes to the yard every day and wants to do everything in his power to make his team better, help his team win,” Travis said. “He plays hard every single pitch. To me, that’s the model player.”

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MUSKEGON CHRONICLE / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / C3

National Sports BASEBALL

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Florida ends Dayton’s Cinderella run in workman-like fashion

Final Four no Flyers zone

Pitching prospects could have impact Position players also could provide help in playoff races

By Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Florida Gators are first yet again this season. Scottie Wilbekin scored 14 of his 23 points in the first half, and Florida became the first team to advance to the Final Four with a 62-52 win Saturday night over the 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers in the South Region final. The Gators reached their fifth Final Four after losing at this point in each of the past three NCAA tournaments. This time, they came in as the country’s top-ranked team and the overall No. 1 seed. Florida won its 30th straight game and improved to 36-2, topping the 35 wins by the 2007 national championship squad. Patric Young scored 12 points, and Michael Frazier II added 10 for Florida. The Gators will play either UConn or Michigan State in Arlington, Texas, in the national semifinal. Dyshawn Pierre led the Flyers (26-11) with 18 points. Devin Oliver, from Kalamazoo, added 12 points. Dayton came in trying to become only the fourth 11 seed to advance to the Final Four. The Flyers had upset Ohio State and Syracuse in reaching their first regional final since 1984. They missed their second Final Four and first since 1967 with Florida holding them to their lowest scoring game this season. The Flyers outshot Florida 39.6 percent (19 of 48) to 37.5 percent (18 of 48), but the Gators outrebounded them 37-26. Florida also had a massive edge at the free-throw line (21 of 28) compared to Dayton (6 of 8). Florida finished the first half on a 15-1 run to take the lead for good, going up 38-24. The Flyers opened the second half with two quick 3s to pull within eight, only to watch the Gators push their lead to 17 with 11:35 left on a layup by Young. The Flyers kept coming but couldn’t get closer than eight in the second half, the last at 58-50 as the Gators went cold down the stretch, once missing five shots on one possession. Dayton missed chances to cut the lead as Oliver missed a 3-pointer with 2:07 left, then Scoochie Smith threw it away trying to pass out to Matt

The Associated Press

Dayton forward Devin Oliver, right, attempts a shot as Florida center Patric Young defends during the ﬁrst half in Saturday’s regional ﬁnal game in Memphis, Tenn. Oliver, a 2010 Kalamazoo Central graduate, scored 12 points in the 62-52 loss. (AP)

Kavanaugh. Then Wilbekin ended the Gators’ scoring drought at 4:39 with a pair of free throws. He hit four of six at the line to finish the game. Dayton took over the FedExForum so thoroughly that the Gators were booed when they came out for warmups and pre-game introductions. Archie Miller tried to use his deep bench, using 10 Flyers trying to wear out the Gators with sheer numbers. Florida coach Billy Donovan nearly matched Dayton by going nine deep himself. In the first half, the Gators went cold for nearly 6 minutes between a dunk by Casey Prather with 11:55 left and a baseline drive by Frazier with 6:00 to

go. The Flyers scored eight straight when Scoochie Smith’s 3 gave them their first lead of the game at 21-19 with 6:58 remaining until halftime. Kendall Pollard’s layup tied up Florida for the last time at 23, then Dorian Finney-Smith hit a free throw with 4:22 left putting the Gators ahead to stay. As Florida went on its run, Dayton missed its final five shots of the first half. Finney-Smith grabbed a rebound of a missed 3 by Frazier and threw the ball back out so the Gators could finish the half by taking the last shot. Wilbekin then beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer that helped quiet the Flyers’ faithful for the first time all day.

Some of the young arms have arrived, and a few more will make it to the majors this summer. Either way, there are a lot of promising pitching prospects poised to impact the playoff races in 2014. Check out these rookie pitchers, along with a couple of up-and-coming position players. • Masahiro Tanaka, RHP, New York Yankees: The 25-year-old Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last season, helping Rakuten to a Japan Series title. It was enough to convince the Yankees to hand over a $155 million, seven-year contract in January, plus another $20 million posting fee to his Japanese club team. Tanaka looked good in spring training, displaying a terrific split-fingered fastball. He is slotted to make his debut April 4 against Toronto. • Yordano Ventura, RHP, Kansas City: Ventura will begin the season as the Royals’ third starter after a dazzling spring training. The 22-year-old has one of baseball’s best fastballs, consistently 97-99 mph and touching 100 occasionally. He made his major league debut last summer, going 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in three starts. • Archie Bradley, RHP, Arizona: The elbow injury for Diamondbacks ace Patrick Corbin could accelerate the timetable for Bradley, who went 12-5 with a 1.97 ERA at Double-A last season. The 21-year-old right-hander, who has a mid-90s fastball and a big curveball, was competing for a spot in Arizona’s rotation this spring. • Oscar Taveras, OF, St. Louis: Taveras missed most

of last season after ankle surgery and had hamstring trouble this spring. He will begin the year at Triple-A Memphis but remains the top prospect in one of baseball’s most talent-rich franchises. • Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston: Bogaerts made his major league debut in August, then went on to help the Red Sox win the World Series. He Bogaerts hit .296 with two RBIs in 12 postseason games while spending most of his time at third base. Now, Stephen Drew is gone, and the 21-year-old Bogaerts gets to move back to his natural position of shortstop. He also joins a deep Boston lineup, making for ideal conditions for the Aruba native to shine. • Billy Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati: The time is now for Hamilton, who was handed the job in center after Shin-Soo Choo signed a big free-agent deal with Texas. There are concerns about Hamilton’s ability to get on base, but his speed makes him one of most exciting players in the game. He had 13 steals in 14 attempts over 13 games last year with the Reds. • Nick Castellanos, 3B, Detroit: When the Tigers traded Prince Fielder to Texas in November, it created an opening in the lineup for Castellanos, who hit .276 with 18 homers at Triple-A Toledo last year. • Javier Baez, INF, Chicago Cubs: It looks as if Baez could be on that first wave of prospects coming through Chicago’s highly regarded minor league system. The shortstop drew attention for his bat speed during spring training and could get promoted to the foundering Cubs this summer.

BASEBALL

In a century at Wrigley, innovations abound $500 million project includes massive Jumbotron By Andrew Seligman and Don Babwin The Associated Press

CHICAGO — It’s hard to think of Wrigley Field as anything but a place of heartbreak — a place where fans wait, season after season, for an elusive World Series title that never comes. Yet, in the century without a championship, the ballpark has been in first, time and time again, in changing the way America watches baseball. It was the first to let fans keep foul balls. The first with permanent concession stands. The first with organ music. The first to clean the park and broadcast games as part of an effort to diversify the fan base and attract women and their children to a game traditionally more popular among men. “We think of all this as so obvious, but back then, this was considered revolutionary,” Chicago Cubs historian Ed Hartig said. The ballpark will mark its 100th birthday this spring, and the Cubs plan a celebration in April to honor one of the nation’s most classic ballparks, where runs still register on a manual score-

board and watching a game is like taking a step back in time. As the centennial approaches, the Cubs and Chicago have found themselves stuck in a debate about how far to go in modernizing the ballpark with the same Jumbotron that towers over other fields. “When you put a Jumbotron in the outfield, I think you are messing with what makes Wrigley Wrigley,” said Phillip Bess, director of graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame’s architecture school and who helped lead an effort to save Fenway Park from demolition. “If the Cubs do that, it means they really don’t understand what it is about Wrigley that is unique (and) the kind of place people will come to even when the team is bad.” But don’t be so quick to call Wrigley Field a tired, old home of a perennial loser. It might have been the last ballpark to install lights for night games, but the park’s ivy-covered walls are a defining feature of what once was a sparkling, modern ballpark run by men who were trying to create a new experience for fans. FROM THE GROUND UP

The park was built by Charles Weeghman for a team in something called the Federal League, which was trying to give the more-established National and American

This ﬁle photo provided by the Chicago Cubs shows an artist’s rendering showing planned renovations at Wrigley Field. (AP ﬁles)

Leagues — which the Cubs and the crosstown White Sox played in — a run for their money. After hiring the same architect who, a few years earlier, designed Comiskey Park for the White Sox, workers needed only two months to demolish the buildings that once housed a seminary and build a simple, single-story grandstand and the rest of the 14,000-seat Weeghman Park just in time for the start of the 1914 season. Finished two years after Boston’s Fenway Park, it cost about $250,000. Two years after the park opened, the Cubs moved in. “It was considered a great looking park, a lot nicer than the rat-infested park the Cubs were playing in on the West Side,” said Stuart Shea, author of “Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines.” More important is it was built with an eye to the future: It could be retrofitted and expanded, something that was considered genius, he said.

From almost the day the park was built, the owners started tinkering with the place. After nine homers were hit in the first three games — an astronomical total for the time — the Chicago Federals, the original tenants, picked up the left field fence and moved it back about as much as 50 feet in some spots. In the early 1920s, the Cubs expanded the seating capacity and the size of the playing field by slicing the grandstand into 11 pieces and moving them to create more space. The pitcher’s mound today sits where the batters’ box used to be. Wrigley also was keen to understand the Cubs were losing money because women refused to come, or let their children come, to a filthy and unsafe ballpark. CUBS FIRST ONES TO CLEAN

The park, renamed Cubs Park in 1919, began to feel different than anyplace else. Shea believes the reasons start with Weegham’s obsession with cleanliness, something he learned in the

restaurant business. Hartig said it was William Wrigley Jr., team owner P.K. Wrigley’s father, who, after a couple of years of investing in the team, bought Weeghman’s shares and started making changes. “The Cubs were really the first ones to start cleaning the ballpark after every single game and (make) sure that the players always had the cleanest uniforms,” Hartig said. Wrigley also cleaned the way the park operated. “You could have a ticket and someone would be sitting in your seat already because the usher was bribed,” Hartig said. “So, coming home from the game with a bloody nose because there was a fight over a seat was not uncommon.” To fix that, Wrigley hired a professional ushering service. The Cubs also started to view the park as a “green space,” kind of like an urban oasis, said Tim Wiles, former director of research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Cubs didn’t invent Ladies Day. But that didn’t

matter; they just did it better than anyone else, letting women in the park for free for every Friday home game. At the same time, they rejected the popular notion that if they put home games on the radio, fans would listen to games instead of attending them. The games simply whet the appetite of fans. A HOT TICKET

By 1927, two years after the first regular-season broadcast, the Cubs became the first National League team to draw more than a million fans. Now, the famed ballpark is in for another makeover. The $500 million project, which includes a Jumbotron proposal, is on hold because the team wants assurances from the neighboring rooftop owners that they won’t sue over obstructed views. The Cubs also said repeatedly they don’t want to destroy what makes Wrigley one of the most popular and recognizable sporting venues in the country.

C4 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

TV TODAY

AUTO RACING 12:30 p.m. — NASCAR Sprint Cup: STP 500. Fox 3 p.m. — IndyCar: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. ABC

BASEBALL 1:30 p.m. — College: Baylor at West Virginia. Fox Sports 1 2 p.m. — College: UNLV at Nebraska. Big Ten Network 2 p.m. — College: Kentucky at Vanderbilt. ESPNU 8 p.m. — MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres. ESPN

BASKETBALL Noon — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Maryland vs. Tennessee. ESPN 2:10 p.m. — NCAA Men’s Tournament: Michigan State vs. Connecticut. CBS 2:30 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Louisville vs. LSU. ESPN2 4:30 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Penn State vs. Stanford. ESPN2 4:55 p.m. — NCAA Men’s Tournament: Michigan vs. Kentucky. CBS 7 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: North Carolina vs. South Carolina. ESPN2

GOLF 1 p.m. — PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open, Final Round. Golf Channel 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open, Final Round. NBC 7 p.m. — LPGA Tour: Kia Classic, Final Round. Golf Channel

HOCKEY Noon — NHL: Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers. NBC 5 p.m. — NCAA Tournament: Northeast Regional Final. ESPNU 5 p.m. — NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings. FSD 7:30 p.m. — NCAA Tournament: West Regional Final. ESPNU 7:30 p.m. — NHL: Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh. NBC Sports Network

SOCCER 8:30 a.m. — Fulham vs. Everton. NBC Sports Network 11 a.m. — Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur. NBC Sports Network 1:50 p.m. — Deportivo Toluca vs. Tigres U.A.N.L. Univision

TENNIS 2:30 p.m. — ATP: Sony Open, Men’s Final. ESPN MONDAY

BASEBALL 1 p.m. — MLB: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates. ESPN 1 p.m. — MLB: Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers. FSD 3 p.m. — MLB: Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles. ESPN2 4 p.m. — MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds. ESPN 7 p.m. — MLB: Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins. ESPN2 10 p.m. — MLB: Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels. ESPN2

BASKETBALL 7:30 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Regional Final. ESPN 7:30 p.m. — NBA: Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons. FSD 9:30 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Regional Final. ESPN

HOCKEY 7:30 p.m. — NHL: Florida Panthers at New Jersey. NBC Sports Network 10 p.m. — NHL: Minnesota Wild at L.A. Kings. NBC Sports Network TUESDAY

BASEBALL 7 p.m. — MLB: New York Yankees at Houston Astros or Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays. MLB Network 10 p.m. — MLB: Cleveland Indians at Oakland Athletics. MLB Network

BASKETBALL 7 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Tournament: Regional Final. ESPN 7 p.m. — Men’s NIT Semiﬁnal: Teams TBA. ESPN2 8 p.m. — NBA: Houston Rockets at Brooklyn Nets. TNT 9 p.m. — Women’s College: NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Teams TBA. ESPN 9 p.m. — Men’s NIT Semiﬁnal: Teams TBA. ESPN2 10:30 p.m. — NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers. TNT

HOCKEY 8 p.m. — NHL: Philadelphia Flyers at St. Louis Blues. NBC Sports Network WEDNESDAY

BASEBALL 1 p.m. — MLB: Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers. FSD 1 p.m. — MLB: Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers. MLB Network 8 p.m. — MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers. ESPN2

BASKETBALL 7 p.m. — NBA: Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks. ESPN 7 p.m. — Girls High School: McDonald’s All-American Gamet. ESPNU 7 p.m. — NBA: Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers. FSD 9:30 p.m. — Boys High School: McDonald’s All-American Game. ESPN

HOCKEY 8 p.m. — NHL: Boston Bruins at De-

Scoreboard troit Red Wings. NBC Sports Network 10:30 p.m. — NHL: Phoenix Coyotes at L.A. Kings. NBC Sports Network

SOCCER 2:30 p.m. — UEFA Champions League: Quarterﬁnal:Paris SaintGermain vs. Chelsea. Fox Sports 1 11:15 p.m. — Men’s: United States vs. Mexico. ESPN THURSDAY

BASEBALL 12:30 p.m. — MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds. MLB Network 1 p.m. — MLB: Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers. FSD 2 p.m. — MLB: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox. WGN 7 p.m. — Baseball: Michigan State at Lansing Lugnuts. Big Ten Network 7 p.m. — MLB: Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles or Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays. MLB Network 8 p.m. — College: South Carolina at Arkansas. ESPNU

BASKETBALL 7 p.m. — Men’s College: NIT Final. ESPN 8 p.m. — NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder. TNT 9 p.m. — Men’s College: Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championship. ESPN 10:30 p.m. — NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers. TNT

GOLF Noon — LPGA Tour: Kraft Nabisco Championship, First Round. Golf Channel 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: Shell Houston Open, First Round. Golf Channel 6 p.m. — LPGA Tour: Kraft Nabisco, First Round. Golf Channel

HOCKEY 8 p.m. — NHL: Minnesota at Chicago Blackhawks. NBC Sports Network 10:30 p.m. — NHL: L.A. Kings at San Jose Sharks. NBC Sports Network

TENNIS 1 p.m. — WTA: Family Circle Cup, Round of 16. ESPN2 FRIDAY

AUTO RACING 8:30 p.m. — Nationwide Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. ESPN2

BASEBALL 1 p.m. — MLB: Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers. FSD 2 p.m. — MLB: Milwaukee Brewers at Boston Red Sox or Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs. MLB Network 2 p.m. — MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs. WGN 6:30 p.m. — College: Penn State at Purdue. Big Ten Network 7 p.m. — MLB: N.Y. Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays or St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates. MLB Network

BASKETBALL 7 p.m. — NBA: Denver Nuggets at Memphis Grizzlies. ESPN 7:30 p.m. — NBA: Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets. FSD 9:30 p.m. — NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets. ESPN

GOLF Noon — LPGA Tour: Kraft Nabisco, Second Round. Golf Channel 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: Shell Houston Open, Second Round. Golf Channel 6 p.m. — LPGA Tour: Kraft Nabisco, Second Round. Golf Channel

HOCKEY 7 p.m. — NHL: Washington Capitals at N.J. Devils. NBC Sports Network

TENNIS 1 p.m. — WTA: Family Circle Cup, Quarterﬁnal. ESPN2 SATURDAY

BASEBALL 1 p.m. — MLB: Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers. FSD 1 p.m. — MLB: Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians. Fox Sports 1 2 p.m. — MLB: Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals. WGN 4 p.m. — MLB: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers. Fox Sports 1 7 p.m. — MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates or Atlanta Braves at Washington. MLB Network 7:30 p.m. — College: Mississippi State at LSU. ESPNU

BASKETBALL 10 a.m. — Girls High School: Dick’s Sporting Goods National Tournament Final. ESPN2 Noon — Boys High School: Dick’s Sporting Goods National Tournament Final. ESPN 6 p.m. — NCAA Men’s Tournament Semiﬁnal: Teams TBA. TBS 7 p.m. — NBA: Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards. WGN 8:30 p.m. — NCAA Men’s Tournament Semiﬁnal: Teams TBA. TBS

GOLF 1 p.m. — PGA Tour: Shell Houston Open, Third Round. Golf Channel 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: Shell Houston Open, Third Round. NBC 5 p.m. — LPGA Tour: Kraft Nabisco, Third Round. Golf Channel

HOCKEY 7 p.m. — NHL: Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens. FSD

TENNIS 1 p.m. — WTA: Family Circle Cup, First Semiﬁnal. ESPN2

BASKETBALL

NBA

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic

x-Toronto Brooklyn New York Boston Philadelphia

41 38 30 23 16

31 33 43 49 57

.569 — .535 2 ½ .411 11 ½ .319 18 .219 25 ½

Southeast y-Miami Washington Charlotte Atlanta

W 50 38 35 31

L 22 35 38 41

Pct GB .694 — .521 12½ .479 15½ .431 19

Orlando Central y-Indiana x-Chicago Cleveland

21 W 52 40 29

52 L 21 32 45

.288 29½ Pct GB .712 — .556 11 ½ .392 23 ½

Detroit Milwaukee

26 14

47 59

.356 .192

26 38

WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct

Southwest

Pct

x-San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

57 49 43 44 32

16 23 29 30 41

.781 — .681 7½ .597 13½ .595 13½ .438 25

Northwest x-Oklahoma City Portland Minnesota Denver

W 53 47 36 32

L 19 27 35 41

Pct GB .736 — .635 7 .507 16 ½ .438 21 ½

Utah Paciﬁc x-L.A. Clippers Golden State

23 W 52 45

50 L 22 27

.315 30 ½ Pct GB .703 — .625 6

Phoenix Sacramento L.A. Lakers

44 25 24

29 48 48

.603 7½ .342 26½ .333 27

17 28

EASTERN CONFERENCE GP 74 76 74 74 76 73 75 74 GP 74 75 73 74 74 74 74 74

W 51 43 41 34 36 30 27 20 W 47 41 39 38 34 31 32 29

L 17 26 24 26 32 29 40 45 L 22 30 27 30 28 28 32 35

OT Pts 6 108 7 93 9 91 14 82 8 80 14 74 8 62 9 49 OT Pts 5 99 4 86 7 85 6 82 12 80 15 77 10 74 10 68

RED WINGS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2 Detroit

1 —

Toronto

0 —

First Period—1, Toronto, Franson 5 (Gardiner, McClement), 10:57. Penalties—Legwand, Det (roughing), 14:48; Kessel, Tor (roughing), 14:48. Second Period—2, Detroit, Helm 8 (Andersson), 3:05 (sh). 3, Detroit, Nyquist 26 (Franzen, Kindl), 4:37. 4, Detroit, Helm 9 (Kindl, Alfredsson), 7:57. 5, Toronto, Lupul 22 (Rielly, Gardiner), 18:57. Penalties—Sheahan, Det (holding), 2:09; Bolland, Tor (roughing, interference), 14:23. Third Period—6, Detroit, Helm 10 (DeKeyser), 8:38. Penalties—Tatar, Det (roughing), 6:38; Kessel, Tor (roughing), 6:38; van Riemsdyk, Tor (hooking), 11:30; Helm, Det (tripping), 18:24. Shots on Goal—Detroit 7-10-11—28. Toronto 11-8-8—27. Power-play opportunities—Detroit 0 of 3; Toronto 0 of 2. Goalies—Detroit, Howard 18-18-11 (27 shots-25 saves). Toronto, Bernier 25-19-7 (28-24). A—20,270 (18,819). T—2:30. Referees—Francois St. Laurent, Brad Meier. Linesmen—Derek Nansen, Derek Amell.

MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT

NHL

GF 237 199 221 199 220 210 179 142 GF 228 200 210 208 214 178 186 206

GA 155 189 198 211 239 246 244 222 GA 184 183 206 200 222 192 208 247

WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts GF x—St. Louis 73 50 16 7 107 238 x—Colorado 74 47 21 6 100 227 Chicago 75 42 18 15 99 247 Minnesota 74 37 26 11 85 183 Dallas 73 35 27 11 81 210 Winnipeg 74 33 32 9 75 206 Nashville 75 32 32 11 75 186 Paciﬁc GP W L OT Pts GF x—San Jose 76 47 20 9 103 232 x—Anaheim 73 47 18 8 102 234 Los Angeles 74 43 25 6 92 185 Phoenix 74 36 26 12 84 205 Vancouver 75 34 30 11 79 183 Calgary 74 31 36 7 69 189 74 26 39 9 61 184 Edmonton

GA 164 202 196 188 210 216 226 GA 184 186 157 209 201 217 244

NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. x-clinched playoﬀ spot y-clinched division Friday Philadelphia 4, Toronto 2 Pittsburgh 2, Columbus 1 Ottawa 5, Chicago 3 Dallas 7, Nashville 3

vs. Milwaukee 7:30 p.m. FSD

EAST REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best—of-3) (x—if necessary) Monday Siena vs. Fresno St., 10 p.m. Wednesday Siena vs. Fresno St., TBA Friday x—Siena vs. Fresno St., TBA

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT LINCOLN REGIONAL SECOND ROUND March 24 DePaul 74, Duke 65 BYU 80, Nebraska 76 March 25 At Storrs, Conn. UConn 91, St. Joseph’s 52 At College Station Texas A&M 85, James Madison 69 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Saturday At Lincoln, Neb. UConn 70, BYU 51 Texas A&M 84, DePaul 65 STANFORD REGIONAL SECOND ROUND March 24 Stanford 63, Florida State 44 March 25 At Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina 62, Michigan St. 53 At University Park, Pa. Penn St. 83, Florida 61 At Seattle South Carolina 78, Oregon State 69 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Today At Stanford, Calif. Stanford (30-3) vs. Penn State (24-7), 4:30 p.m. South Carolina (29-4) vs. North Carolina (26-9), 7 p.m. NOTRE DAME REGIONAL SECOND ROUND March 24 Notre Dame 84, Arizona St. 67 Kentucky 64, Syracuse 59 Oklahoma St. 73, Purdue 66 Baylor 75, California 56 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Saturday At Notre Dame, Ind. Baylor 90, Kentucky 72 Notre Dame 89, Oklahoma St. 72 LOUISVILLE REGIONAL SECOND ROUND March 24 Tennessee 67, St. John’s 51 March 25 At College Park, Md. Maryland 69, Texas 64 At Iowa City Louisville 83, Iowa 53 At Baton Rouge, La. LSU 76, West Virginia 67 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Today At Louisville, Ky. Tennessee (28-5) vs. Maryland (26-6), noon

Today Connecticut vs. Michigan State, 2:20 p.m. SOUTH REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

DETROIT TIGERS 2014 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday Memphis, Tenn. Dayton 82, Stanford 72 Florida 79, UCLA 68 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday Florida 62, Dayton 52 MIDWEST REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Friday Indianapolis Michigan 73, Tennessee 71 Kentucky 74, Louisville 69 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Today Michigan vs. Kentucky, 5:05 p.m. WEST REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS Thursday Anaheim, Calif. Wisconsin 69, Baylor 52 Arizona 70, San Diego State 64 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday Wisconsin 64, Arizona 63, OT FINAL FOUR Arlington, Texas April 5 East champion vs. Florida (36-2) Midwest champion vs. Wisconsin (30-7) NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP April 7 Semiﬁnal winners

MEN’S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS March 25 Clemson 71, Belmont 68 Minnesota 81, Southern Miss 73 March 26 Florida State 78, Louisiana Tech 75 SMU 67, California 65 SEMIFINALS Tuesday Clemson (23-13) vs. SMU (26-9), 7 or 9:30 p.m. Minnesota (23-13) vs. Florida State (22-13), 7 or 9:30 p.m. CHAMPIONSHIP Thursday Semiﬁnal winners, 7 p.m.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL QUARTERFINALS

March 26 At Albany, N.Y. Siena 61, Illinois State 49 At Fresno, Calif. Fresno State 71, Old Dominion 64

THU

FRI

SAT

vs. KC 1:08 p.m. FSD

vs. BAL 1:08 p.m. FSD

vs. Boston 8 p.m. NBCSN

vs. Buffalo at Montreal 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. FSD+ FSD

at Indiana 7 p.m. FSD

at Brooklyn vs. Boston 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. FSD FSD

vs. MICHIGAN Connecticut STATE 2:20 p.m. CBS

Friday New York Connecticut 81, Iowa State 76 Michigan State 61, Virginia 59 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 24 Siena 54, Penn State 52 Old Dominion 82, Radford 59 Illinois St. 62, Texas A&M 55 Fresno St. 72, Princeton 56 SEMIFINALS

WED

vs. Kentucky MICHIGAN 5:05 p.m. CBS

FRIDAY MICHIGAN ST. (29-8) Payne 5-12 4-4 16, Appling 1-3 0-1 2, Harris 2-5 2-3 6, Dawson 9-16 6-8 24, Valentine 1-4 0-0 3, Byrd 0-0 0-0 0, Ellis III 0-0 0-0 0, Costello 1-1 0-0 2, Trice 1-4 2-2 5, Kaminski 1-2 0-0 3, Schilling 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 14-18 61. VIRGINIA (30-7) Tobey 2-4 0-0 4, Harris 6-14 3-5 17, Brogdon 4-14 7-8 17, Perrantes 2-6 2-2 7, Mitchell 2-7 0-0 4, Anderson 1-4 0-0 3, T. Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Nolte 1-2 0-0 2, Gill 1-5 1-2 3, Atkins 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 20-57 13-17 59. Halftime—Michigan St. 31-27. 3-Point Goals—Michigan St. 5-14 (Payne 2-5, Kaminski 1-1, Valentine 1-2, Trice 1-3, Appling 0-1, Harris 0-2), Virginia 6-18 (Brogdon 2-4, Harris 2-7, Perrantes 1-3, Anderson 1-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Michigan St. 32 (Dawson 10), Virginia 35 (Mitchell 6). Assists—Michigan St. 13 (Harris, Valentine 3), Virginia 10 (Perrantes 4). Total Fouls—Michigan St. 16, Virginia 16. A—19,314.

HOCKEY

TUE

vs. KC 1:08 p.m. FSD

DETROIT PISTONS

MICHIGAN ST. 61, VIRGINIA 59

30 — 98 25 — 123

MON

DETROIT vs. RED Tampa Bay WINGS 5 p.m. FSD

FRIDAY

3-Point Goals—Detroit 6-21 (Jerebko 2-3, Singler 2-3, Caldwell—Pope 2-5, Siva 0-1, Stuckey 0-1, Datome 0-1, Bynum 0-2, Jennings 0-2, Smith 0-3), Philadelphia 12-21 (Thompson 4-4, Nunnally 2-2, Young 2-4, Carter—Williams 1-2, Williams 1-2, Anderson 1-3, Wroten 1-3, Ware 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Detroit 54 (Monroe 10), Philadelphia 52 (Sims, Carter—Williams 7). Assists—Detroit 20 (Siva, Stuckey 4), Philadelphia 29 (Wroten 9). Total Fouls—Detroit 20, Philadelphia 25. Technicals—Jennings 2, Smith. Ejected—Jennings. A-17,438 (20,328).

Atlantic y—Boston Montreal Tampa Bay Detroit Toronto Ottawa Florida Buﬀalo Metropolitan x—Pittsburgh N.Y. Rangers Philadelphia Columbus Washington New Jersey Carolina N.Y. Islanders

DETROIT TIGERS

TENNESSEE (24-13) Stokes 5-9 1-2 11, Maymon 1-4 0-0 2, Richardson 9-14 0-0 19, Barton 1-2 0-0 3, McRae 9-18 6-11 24, Moore 3-5 0-0 6, Thompson 1-4 1-1 3, Reese 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 30-57 8-14 71. MICHIGAN (28-8) Robinson III 5-8 2-2 13, Morgan 7-9 1-1 15, Walton Jr. 2-2 3-3 9, Stauskas 5-12 1-2 14, LeVert 4-10 0-0 10, Albrecht 1-2 0-0 2, Horford 0-1 1-2 1, Irvin 3-5 0-0 9. Totals 27-49 8-10 73. Halftime—Michigan 45-34. 3-Point Goals—Tennessee 3-11 (Reese 1-1, Barton 1-2, Richardson 1-2, Moore 0-1, McRae 0-5), Michigan 11-20 (Irvin 3-3, Stauskas 3-8, Walton Jr. 2-2, LeVert 2-5, Robinson III 1-1, Albrecht 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds— Tennessee 28 (McRae, Moore, Stokes 6), Michigan 26 (Morgan 7). Assists—Tennessee 11 (McRae, Moore, Richardson, Thompson 2), Michigan 14 (LeVert 5). Total Fouls—Tennessee 13, Michigan 13. A—NA.

DETROIT (98) Smith 2-8 0-0 4, Monroe 7-16 6-8 20, Drummond 3-5 2-6 8, Jennings 1-5 0-0 2, Singler 3-6 2-2 10, Stuckey 3-11 11-11 17, Jerebko 3-4 2-2 10, Bynum 2-11 1-1 5, Caldwell—Pope 6-12 2-2 16, Siva 1-4 0-0 2, Mitchell 1-1 0-0 2, Datome 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 33-85 26-32 98. PHILADELPHIA (123) Thompson 5-8 0-0 14, Young 9-17 1-1 21, Sims 8-14 0-0 16, Carter—Williams 6-14 8-10 21, Anderson 2-8 0-0 5, Varnado 4-8 1-1 9, Wroten 2-6 1-2 6, Williams 5-8 2-3 13, Davies 2-2 0-0 4, Ware 3-5 2-2 8, Nunnally 2-2 0-0 6. Totals 48-92 15-19 123. 28 37

SUN

MICHIGAN 73, TENNESSEE 71

76ERS 123, PISTONS 98

23 33

SPORTS CALENDAR

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

x-clinched playoﬀ spot y-clinched division Friday Orlando 110, Charlotte 105, OT Washington 91, Indiana 78 Toronto 105, Boston 103 Brooklyn 108, Cleveland 97 Miami 110, Detroit 78 Portland 91, Chicago 74 Minnesota 143, L.A. Lakers 107 Oklahoma City 94, Sacramento 81 New Orleans 102, Utah 95 San Antonio 133, Denver 102 Phoenix 112, New York 88 Golden State 100, Memphis 93 Saturday Philadelphia 123, Detroit 98 L.A. Clippers 118, Houston 107 Washington 101, Atlanta 97 Dallas 103, Sacramento 100 Miami 88, Milwaukee 67 San Antonio 96, New Orleans 90 Today Utah at Oklahoma City, 3 p.m. Indiana at Cleveland, 3 p.m. Toronto at Orlando, 6 p.m. Minnesota at Brooklyn, 6 p.m. Chicago at Boston, 7 p.m. New York at Golden State, 9 p.m. Memphis at Portland, 9 p.m. Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. Monday San Antonio at Indiana, 7 p.m. Washington at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Toronto at Miami, 7:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Chicago, 8 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Sacramento at New Orleans, 8 p.m. Memphis at Denver, 9 p.m. New York at Utah, 9 p.m.

Detroit Philadelphia

Calgary 4, N.Y. Rangers 3 Edmonton 4, Anaheim 3, OT Saturday N.Y. Islanders 2, New Jersey 1, SO Boston 4, Washington 2 Colorado 3, San Jose 2 Tampa Bay 4, Buﬀalo 3, OT Detroit 4, Toronto 2 Montreal 4, Florida 1 Columbus 3, Carolina 2, OT Dallas at St. Louis, late Minnesota at Phoenix, late Anaheim at Vancouver, late Winnipeg at Los Angeles, late Today Boston at Philadelphia, 12:30 p.m. Calgary at Ottawa, 5 p.m. Tampa Bay at Detroit, 5 p.m. Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Nashville, 8 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Monday Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Florida at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Anaheim, 10 p.m. Minnesota at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.

BASEBALL

Opponent Mon, March 31 Royals Wed, April 2 Royals Royals Thu, April 3 Fri, April 4 Orioles Sat, April 5 Orioles Sun, April 6 Orioles Tue, April 8 at Dodgers Wed, April 9 at Dodgers Fri, April 11 at Padres Sat, April 12 at Padres Sun, April 13 at Padres Tue, April 15 Indians Wed, April 16 Indians Thu, April 17 Indians Fri, April 18 Angels Sat, April 19 Angels Sun, April 20 Angels Mon, April 21 White Sox Tue, April 22 White Sox Wed, April 23 White Sox Thu, April 24 White Sox Fri, April 25 at Twins Sat, April 26 at Twins Sun, April 27 at Twins Tue, April 29 at White Sox Wed, April 30 at White Sox Fri, May 2 at Royals Sat, May 3 at Royals Sun, May 4 at Royals Mon, May 5 Astros Tue, May 6 Astros Wed, May 7 Astros Thu, May 8 Astros Fri, May 9 Twins Sat, May 10 Twins Sun, May 11 Twins Mon, May 12 at Orioles Tue, May 13 at Orioles Wed, May 14 at Orioles Fri, May 16 at Red Sox Sat, May 17 at Red Sox Sun, May 18 at Red Sox Mon, May 19 at Indians Tue, May 20 at Indians Wed, May 21 at Indians Thu, May 22 Rangers Fri, May 23 Rangers Sat, May 24 Rangers Sun, May 25 Rangers Mon, May 26 at Athletics Tue, May 27 at Athletics Wed, May 28 at Athletics Thu, May 29 at Athletics Fri, May 30 at Mariners Sat, May 31 at Mariners Sun, June 1 at Mariners Tue, June 3 Blue Jays Wed, June 4 Blue Jays Thu, June 5 Blue Jays Fri, June 6 Red Sox Sat, June 7 Red Sox Sun, June 8 Red Sox Mon, June 9 at White Sox Tue, June 10 at White Sox Wed, June 11 at White Sox Thu, June 12 at White Sox Fri, June 13 Twins Sat, June 14 Twins Sun, June 15 Twins Mon, June 16 Royals Tue, June 17 Royals Wed, June 18 Royals Fri, June 20 at Indians Sat, June 21 at Indians Sun, June 22 at Indians Tue, June 24 at Rangers Wed, June 25 at Rangers Thu, June 26 at Rangers

Time 1:08p 1:08p 1:08p 1:08p 1:08p 1:08p 10:10p 10:10p 10:10p 8:40p 4:10p 7:08p 7:08p 1:08p 7:08p 1:08p 1:08p 7:08p 7:08p 7:08p 1:08p 8:10p 2:10p 2:10p 8:10p 2:10p 8:10p 7:10p 2:10p 7:08p 7:08p 7:08p 1:08p 7:08p 1:08p 1:08p 7:05p 7:05p 12:35p 7:10p 7:10p 8:05p 7:05p 7:05p 12:05p 1:08p 7:08p 4:08p 1:08p 4:05p 10:05p 10:05p 3:35p 10:10p 10:10p 4:10p 7:08p 7:08p 1:08p 7:08p 7:15p 1:08p 8:10p 8:10p 8:10p 8:10p 7:08p 4:08p 1:08p 7:08p 7:08p 1:08p 7:05p 7:15p 1:05p 8:05p 8:05p 8:05p

TV FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D+ FS-D FS-D+ FS-D FS-D+ FS-D FS-D FS1 FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS1 FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D ESPN FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS1 FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FOX MLB.TV FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS1 FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FS-D FOX MLB.TV FS-D FS-D FS-D

Fri, June 27 Sat, June 28 Sun, June 29 Mon, June 30 Tue, July 1 Wed, July 2 Thu, July 3 Fri, July 4 Sat, July 5 Sun, July 6 Tue, July 8 Wed, July 9 Thu, July 10 Fri, July 11 Sat, July 12 Sun, July 13 Fri, July 18 Sat, July 19 Sun, July 20 Mon, July 21 Tue, July 22 Wed, July 23 Thu, July 24 Fri, July 25 Sat, July 26 Sun, July 27 Tue, July 29 Wed, July 30 Thu, July 31 Fri, Aug. 1 Sat, Aug. 2 Sun, Aug. 3 Mon, Aug. 4 Tue, Aug. 5 Wed, Aug. 6 Thu, Aug. 7 Fri, Aug. 8 Sat, Aug. 9 Sun, Aug. 10 Mon, Aug. 11 Tue, Aug. 12 Wed, Aug. 13 Thu, Aug. 14 Fri, Aug. 15 Sat, Aug. 16 Sun, Aug. 17 Tue, Aug. 19 Wed, Aug. 20 Thu, Aug. 21 Fri, Aug. 22 Sat, Aug. 23 Sun, Aug. 24 Tue, Aug. 26 Wed, Aug. 27 Thu, Aug. 28 Fri, Aug. 29 Sat, Aug. 30 Sun, Aug. 31 Mon, Sept. 1 Tue, Sept. 2 Wed, Sept. 3 Thu, Sept. 4 Fri, Sept. 5 Sat, Sept. 6 Sun, Sept. 7 Mon, Sept. 8 Tue, Sept. 9 Wed, Sept. 10 Fri, Sept. 12 Sat, Sept. 13 Sun, Sept. 14 Mon, Sept. 15 Tue, Sept. 16 Wed, Sept. 17 Fri, Sept. 19 Sat, Sept. 20 Sun, Sept. 21 Mon, Sept. 22 Tue, Sept. 23 Wed, Sept. 24 Thu, Sept. 25 Fri, Sept. 26 Sat, Sept. 27 Sun, Sept. 28

at Astros at Astros at Astros Athletics Athletics Athletics Rays Rays Rays Rays Dodgers Dodgers at Royals at Royals at Royals at Royals Indians Indians Indians at D-backs at D-backs at D-backs at Angels at Angels at Angels at Angels White Sox White Sox White Sox Rockies Rockies Rockies at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees at Blue Jays at Blue Jays at Blue Jays at Pirates at Pirates Pirates Pirates Mariners Mariners Mariners at Rays at Rays at Rays at Twins at Twins at Twins Yankees Yankees Yankees at White Sox at White Sox at White Sox at Indians at Indians at Indians at Indians Giants Giants Giants Royals Royals Royals Indians Indians Indians at Twins at Twins at Twins at Royals at Royals at Royals White Sox White Sox White Sox Twins Twins Twins Twins

8:10p FS-D 4:10p FS-D 2:10p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D, ESPN 4:08p FS-D 1:08p MLB.TV 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D 8:10p FS-D 8:10p FS-D 7:10p FS-D 2:10p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS1 1:08p FS-D 9:40p FS-D 9:40p FS-D 3:40p FS-D FS-D 10:05p FS-D 10:05p FS-D 9:05p FS-D TBD FS-D 7:08p 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D FS-D 7:05p FS-D 7:05p FS-D 7:05p FS-D 1:05p FS-D 7:07p 1:07p FS-D 1:07p FS-D 7:05p FS-D 7:05p FS-D FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p 7:10p FS-D 7:10p FS-D 1:10p FS-D 8:10p FS-D 7:10p FS-D FS-D 2:10p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p FS-D 8:10p 7:10p FS-D 2:10p FS-D 4:05p FS-D, ESPN 7:05p FS-D FS-D 7:05p FS-D 7:05p FS-D 7:08p FOX 1:08p FS-D 1:08p 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D FS-D 1:08p FS-D 8:10p FS-D 8:10p FS-D 8:10p 8:10p FS-D 7:10p FS-D 2:10p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D FS-D 1:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 7:08p FS-D 1:08p

AUTO RACING

NASCAR SPRINT CUP STP 500 LINEUP AFTER FRIDAY QUALIFYING; RACE TODAY AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY MARTINSVILLE, VA. LAP LENGTH: .526 MILES (CAR NUMBER IN PARENTHESES) 1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 99.674 mph. 2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 99.548. 3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 99.428. 4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 99.178. 5. (24) Jeﬀ Gordon, Chevrolet, 99.048. 6. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 99.048. 7. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 98.883. 8. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 98.846. 9. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 98.625. 10. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 98.165. 11. (16) Greg Biﬄe, Ford, 97.764. 12. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 97.382. 13. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 98.965. 14. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 98.929. 15. (47) A J Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 98.888. 16. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 98.877. 17. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 98.712. 18. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 98.707. 19. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 98.661. 20. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 98.625. 21. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 98.61. 22. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 98.61. 23. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 98.599. 24. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 98.599. 25. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 98.43. 26. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 98.379. 27. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 98.359. 28. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 98.333. 29. (32) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 98.246. 30. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 98.206. 31. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 98.2. 32. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 98.002. 33. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 97.957. 34. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 97.886. 35. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 97.82. 36. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 97.759. 37. (33) David Stremme, Chevrolet, owner points. 38. (83) Ryan Truex, Toyota, owner points. 39. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, owner points. 40. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, owner points. 41. (30) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, owner points. 42. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, owner points. 43. (66) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, owner points.

GOLF

PGA VALERO TEXAS OPEN SATURDAY AT TPC SAN ANTONIO, OAKS COURSE SAN ANTONIO; PURSE: $6.2 MILLION; YARDAGE: 7,435; PAR: 72 (36-36) THIRD ROUND Steven Bowditch 69-67-68—204 Matt Kuchar 70-72-65—207 Andrew Loupe 67-70-70—207 68-71-69—208 Pat Perez Kevin Na 70-70-69—209 Daniel Summerhays 72-68-70—210 Chad Collins 71-66-73—210 Ryan Palmer 72-71-68—211 Zach Johnson 70-71-70—211 Will MacKenzie 69-72-70—211

— The Associated Press; all times Eastern

MUSKEGON CHRONICLE / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / C5

State Sports LIONS

TIGERS

Was $292M too much?

Caldwell brings Lions ‘calmness and maturity’ By Kyle Meinke

kmeinke@mlive.com

Chris hris Iott

ott@mlive.com ciott@mlive.com

AKELAND, Fla. — For the most part, Detroit Tigers fans were ecstatic when they first heard the news that the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera had reached an agreement that will keep Cabrera in town for a long, long time. How happy will they be in the final years of that contract? That remains to be seen. Jon Morosi, of Foxsports.com, reported that the agreement is for an extension of eight years and will mean the Tigers are committed to almost $292 million to Cabrera over 10 seasons. That’s $22 million per year for the next two seasons, under the terms of his current contract, and an average of $31 million per season after that. Would that be too much money for a player who will turn 31 years old in April and will be 40 at the end of the deal? Yes, probably, and, well, maybe not. Let’s take a look at why. 1. The market keeps going up. Anibal Sanchez is a perfect example. When the Tigers re-signed him for five years and $80 million as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, many baseball followers thought they had overpaid. One year later, it appears that Sanchez is a relative bargain. That’s not solely based on performance in 2013, even though he was excellent. It’s partially based on the market. Homer Bailey signed a six-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds that will guarantee him $105 million, even though he still was a year away from free agency. Bailey is younger than Sanchez, but Sanchez’s contract is much more teamfriendly than the one Bailey signed. Sanchez, in my opinion, is a better pitcher. Of course, every year when a premier free agent signs a deal, fans think — wow, that’s a lot of money. They should. It’s a ton of money. But there’s another ton behind that one. And another. And another. And two or three after that. Think about it. Whatever you and I make today won’t buy as much 10 years from now. Neither will, gulp, $30 million. You don’t even want to imagine how much money baseball players will make in 2022. It would blow your mind

Detroit Tigers ﬁrst baseman Miguel Cabrera signs autographs March 21 before a spring exhibition baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Kissimmee, Fla. (Carlos Osorio /AP)

(as if $30 million or so a year doesn’t already). 2. Cabrera will keep getting older. That, of course, is an obvious point. But it’s worth looking at considering the Tigers are committed to paying Cabrera around $30 million during the season in which he turns 40, then another $30 million or so the year after that. Cabrera is not a normal hitter. He’s likely the best hitter on the planet. His sharp eye and ability to hit for both power and average isn’t likely to abandon him for several years. Still, this deal will lock him up for 10 seasons. Until he’s 41. At some point between now and then, Cabrera likely will become a designated hitter. He’s a solid first baseman — he’s clearly better there than at third — but one would have to believe that the Tigers will take him off the field at some point as he ages. Doesn’t $30 million or so seem like a lot of money to pay a designated hitter in his late 30s?

Well, it is. But, as we noted before, it might not seem like as much money in another eight or 10 years. This year’s “holy cow!” contract might not be next year’s bargain. But with the way the market keeps climbing, it might not be as shocking at the end as it is today. David Ortiz, the 38-year-old DH who just led the Boston Red Sox to the World Series title, just extended his contract. The terms: $15 million per year for this season and next, and $16 million for 2015, when he is 41. Plus, the team has a $16 million option for 2016 and 2017, when Ortiz is 42 and 43. Did the Tigers do the right thing by reaching an agreement with Cabrera on this massive deal? Time will tell. It seems like two or three too many years to me. But something tells me the majority of Tigers fans don’t care either way. They’re just thrilled that the best hitter in the majors will be on their team for a long, long time.

PISTONS

The baddest Bad Boys together again

UBURN HILLS — The Bad Boys entered two by two, just like the biblical tale of species preservation against Mother Nature, which is something akin to what those Detroit Pistons of a quarter-century ago are, dinosaurs of a bygone era, never to be recreated by design of rules and business. Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn entered together, fitting because they were the baddest of the Bad Boys. So definitively the designated enforcers, when they were broken apart after the 1989 championship and Mahorn went in for a dunk late in a game the following year when the Pistons would win it again, but he was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Laimbeer took the ball out of the hoop and shoved it in his face. Dennis Rodman restrained Mahorn, while Charles Barkley went after Laimbeer. It’s the kind of thing you always see in Bad Boys recollections, even if it tends to overshadow the real basketball skill involved in overcoming the Celtics and Lakers of the 1980s and fending off the oncoming Bulls for a while. “When you say ‘Bad Boys,’ you think of bad things, and, basically, they’re going to show all the physical play,” Mahorn said. “We had role players who were very skilled. Everybody committed. You commit to one common goal,

David Mayo

dmayo @mlive.com

which was to win a championship, and the one common goal was to win. We played the game like the game was supposed to be played. We used our tools.” They entered two by two, most likely, in the interest of protecting Joe Dumars from the boobirds. The president of basketball operations entered the court with his former backcourt running mate, Isiah Thomas, and there’s no way the greatest Piston was getting booed. Attendance was 21,231, and the Pistons really meant it this time. It was loud, and these were fans who came to celebrate, not denigrate. Still, their identities were so unique, not just Zeke and Joe D., but Worm, and Spider, and The Microwave, and Buddha, and even the two toughest of the bunch. That’s why Laimbeer said it was such a special era to grow up around Detroit basketball during the years surrounding those 1989 and 1990 titles, because young players could pattern their games around a variety of Pistons, “depending on who they thought was

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jim Caldwell has been around the Detroit Lions’ headquarters for only a couple months and has yet to meet most of his players. He’s prohibited from working with any of them until next month. But that hasn’t slowed him from laying a foundation for how business Caldwell will be done in Allen Park. And though the Lions are trying not to dwell on the failed Jim Schwartz regime, it is clear they’re pleased with the direction of the franchise. “I think Jim has brought calmness and maturity immediately to the organization,” Lions vice chairman Bill Ford said this week at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. “His demeanor is something everybody remarks upon. And I like very much the staff he has put together.” His demeanor seems to stem from, of all places, Ross Perot. The politician and former U.S. presidential hopeful once said that “everything’s on the razor’s edge.” In other words, success is attained by walking a disciplined and fine line. Once the small stuff starts to slip, everything can fall apart. So Caldwell’s job now is to establish the line, then make sure everyone is walking it. “It’s got to be fought for every single day, and that’s

the way it is,” Caldwell said. “Otherwise, things start to slip just a little bit. And particularly when it’s new, you have to repeat it over and over and over and over again to make certain everybody understands exactly what you want done. “Things you see, you have to point out. You have to be able to set standards, you have to be able to give them guidance and direction without being overbearing, without being a micro-manager. But things that matter to you in terms of standards and things of that nature have to be set, and set early, and they have to be fought for on a daily basis.” Caldwell said he’s already met with the various departments in Allen Park to relay what he expects, and he has done the same with his new coaching staff. “All those guys haven’t been together,” Caldwell said. “That’s all new. We have to go through all that so they get a feel, so they get an understanding of what we expect. “Now, the great thing we’ve done at this point in time is we’ve set the stage for the entire year on how we’re going to practice in terms of OTAs, how we’re going to meet, the content of the information we’re going to make certain we distribute. That’s constant. “When we do get a chance to go on the field with them — it’s going to be a couple weeks after we start — how we want that to go, what message we want sent and things of that nature, that’s constant.”

RED WINGS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2

Helm hat trick keys big win By Ansar Khan

akhan1@mlive.com

TORONTO — Darren Helm started Saturday’s game in the unfamiliar role as the Detroit Red Wings’ top-line center. Midway through the third period, he was back in his customary third-line center slot. And by the end of the night he was looking like the best third-line center in the NHL, which coach Mike Babcock has called him several times in the past. Helm recorded his first career hat trick to lift the Red Wings to a pivotal 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. The Red Wings (34-26-14) snapped a three-game losing streak and sent the Maple Leafs to their eighth consecutive loss. Detroit (82 points)

moved two points ahead of Toronto and Washington in the battle for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are tied with Columbus, which beat Carolina 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. The Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Capitals have two games in hand on the Maple Leafs. Columbus owns the non-shootout wins tiebreaker over Detroit. Gustav Nyquist scored his 26th of the season and Jakub Kindl had a pair of assists for the Red Wings, who finished 3-0-1 vs. the Maple Leafs this season. Jimmy Howard made 25 saves for Detroit. UPDATE Next: Tampa Bay Lightning at Red Wings, 5 p.m. today, FSD

76ERS 123, PISTONS 98

Former general manager Jack McCloskey, center, stands for a team picture alongside the 1989 NBA championship trophy during a Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boys 25-year reunion halftime event Friday at The Palace of Auburn Hills. (Jake May/MLive.com)

better, or how they wanted to play basketball.” Could their games have translated today? “Sure, why not?” Laimbeer said. “The athletes are bigger, stronger, faster and make a lot more money. That’s the only difference.” The way teams are constructed is different, too. The champion Miami Heat are built around three stars. The Pistons had one true superstar, Thomas, and a 10-deep roster. Mahorn was muscle but also a student of post play who knew how to neutralize much bigger men. Laimbeer was muscle but also a deft pick-and-pop player before the term was

popularized. Laimbeer was the child of privilege, who joked while with the Pistons that he was the only NBA player who earned less than his father. Mahorn worked his way to the NBA against small-college odds. He got upside down financially in the real-estate bust, and lost his 1989 championship ring in the effort to pay creditors. He’s a working-class man making a living in basketball, which is neither bad nor what he envisioned. Yet he has something money can’t buy. “The one thing that no one ever took from me,” Mahorn said, “is I won a championship in the NBA.”

No match for worst ever By Brendan Savage bsavage@mlive.com

PHILADELPHIA — In a season filled with forgettable games, the Detroit Pistons played one Saturday night that’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons. Not only was it the Pistons’ worst loss of season gone terribly wrong, but it’s one nobody is going to forget as Detroit heads toward a fifth straight season without a playoff berth. The Philadelphia 76ers, on the verge of setting a record for the most consecutive losses by a team in any of the four major U.S. pro leagues, instead snapped a 26-game losing streak by hammering the Pistons 123-98. The 26 straight losses matched the record set by the NFL’s Tampa Bay

Buccaneers in 1976-77 and matched by the NBA’s 200910 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sixers also lost their previous 18 at home, leaving them one shy of matching the NBA record set by the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks. The 76ers put up 70 first-half points — the most the Pistons have allowed this season — en route to a 19-point lead at halftime, when Detroit point guard Brandon Jennings was long gone after being ejected in the first quarter. Michael Carter-Williams had 17 of his 21 points in the first half to lead Philadelphia (16-57). Thaddeus Young also scored 21 for Philadelphia. The Pistons (26-47) never got closer than 18 points in the third quarter and trailed 98-68 entering the fourth.

C6 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

National&State Sports COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Cauley-Stein doubtful for Kentucky Kentucky forward Willie Cauley-Stein had a walking boot protecting his injured left ankle Saturday and coach John Calipari said the sophomore was doubtful for the regional final against Michigan. “He’s acting like he thinks he can do something,” Calipari said. “I would be stunned if he played.” Cauley-Stein left Friday’s win over Louisville with about 13 minutes left in the first half and did not return. He told trainers he felt something pop in his ankle. The 7-foot forward, considered a top-15 pick if he decides to leave for the NBA after this season, averages seven points, 6.2 rebounds and 24 minutes per game for the eighth-seeded Wildcats.

Wisconsin, Florida go to Final Four

Frank Kaminsky had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Wisconsin to a 64-63 overtime win over Arizona on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif., to earn a trip to the Final Four. Scottie Wilbekin scored 14 of his 23 points in the first half, and Florida advanced to the Final Four with a 62-52 win Saturday night over the 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers in the South Region final. Florida (36-2) reached its fifth Final Four after losing at this point in each of the past three NCAA tournaments.

Buckeyes acquire Temple transfer

Ohio State has confirmed that Temple big man Anthony Lee is transferring to play for the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-9 Lee, set to graduate from Temple in May, would be eligible next year for one season. Lee averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Owls last year.

Ware to transfer A year after his gruesome leg injury in the NCAA tournament, Kevin Ware is transferring from Louisville. He had a rod inserted in the leg and tried to come back this season. He averaged 1.7 points over nine games but took a medical redshirt. BASEBALL

Drug penalties stiﬀened

contract on Jan. 15, won the Dodgers’ season opener 3-1 against Arizona last weekend. TENNIS

Serena is champ; Nadal, Djokovic ‘win’ •Serena Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title Saturday when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony Open. •No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic advanced to the Sony Open final without playing a point. Both received walkovers when their semifinal opponents withdrew for health reasons. That left Nadal and Djokovic to play for the title today in their 40th career meeting and their first of 2014. It was the first time since at least 1968 that an ATP Tour event had two walkovers in the semifinals. TRACK

Pistrorious trial delayed The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius has been delayed until April 7 because one of the legal experts who will assist the judge in reaching a verdict is sick, abruptly ending expectations Friday that the double-amputee athlete was about to testify on his fatal shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UConn, Notre Dame, Baylor, A&M win •Kaleena MosquedaLewis had 19 points to lead four Connecticut players in double figures, and the defending national champion Huskies (37-0) shook off BYU early in the second half to win 70-51 in the NCAA women’s regional semifinals Saturday. •Natalie Achonwa got Notre Dame going and finished with 23 points, and Jewell Loyd added 20 to lead the Fighting Irish (35-0) to an 89-72 win over Oklahoma State. •Odyssey Sims scored 25 points, including her 1,000th this season, to lead No. 2 seed Baylor (32-4) to a 90-72 rout of third-seeded Kentucky. •Courtney Walker scored 25 points, and Texas A&M (27-8) beat DePaul 84-65. GOLF

Bowditch leads; Phil withdraws

Steven Bowditch opened a three-stroke lead Saturday In the wake of the in the Texas Open, while Phil Biogenesis scandal that led Mickelson withdrew after to 14 suspensions last sum10 holes because of a pulled mer, Major League Baseball muscle in his right side. and its players’ union Bowditch, the 30-yearannounced they are toughen- old Australian seeking his ing penalties and increasing first PGA Tour title, shot a the frequency of testing in 4-under 68 to reach 12 under the most substantial reviat TPC San Antonio. Matt sions to their drug agreeKuchar and Andrew Loupe ment in eight years. were tied for second. Kuchar Players suspended during shot 65, and Loupe had a 70. the season for a performanceMickelson withdrew after enhancing drug violation will pulling the muscle teeing off not be eligible for that year’s on No. 1 — his 10th hole of postseason. In addition, disthe round. He hopes to play cipline will increase from 50 next week in the Houston games to 80 for a first testing Open, the last event before violation and from 100 games the Masters. to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains Kerr leads in LPGA a lifetime ban. Cristie Kerr made a 55-foot par-saving putt after hitting Kershaw on DL her final approach into the Los Angeles Dodgers ace water Saturday at Aviara, Clayton Kershaw was placed giving her a share of the lead on the 15-day disabled list with Lizette Salas after the Saturday for the first time in third round of the Kia Classic his seven-year career because in Carlsbad, Calif. of a swollen muscle in his left FOOTBALL upper back. Kershaw, 26, has made 33 starts, struck out at least 229 Steelers add Blount batters and logged 227 2/3 The Pittsburgh Steelers innings or more in each of the and free agent running last three seasons — includback LeGarette Blount have ing a career-high 236 innings agreed on a two-year conlast year, when he finished tract that will give the team 16-9 with an NL-best 232 needed depth in the backstrikeouts and a 1.83 ERA. field behind budding star Kershaw, who signed a Le’Veon Bell. $215 million, seven-year — The Associated Press

NCAA TOURNAMENT

Beilein: Respect the veterans By Nick Baumgardner

like terrific basketball players. “I wish we’d all just embrace the kid INDIANAPOLIS — For Michigan and that’s a grinder for four years instead of making this huge thing about freshmen Kentucky, the kids have most certainly stars.” been all right. While most of Kentucky’s five freshJohn Calipari’s Wildcats start five freshmen. They’re the youngest team in men starters — Aaron and Andrew Harrison, James Young, Julius Randle America. and Dakari Johnson — will have to John Beilein’s Wolverines have one answer NBA-related questions soon, if senior, and get almost all of its production from sophomores. They’re the sec- they haven’t had to already all season, Michigan’s old veteran talked about a ond-youngest team in the tournament. few different things Saturday. So it seemed natural Saturday in Michigan fifth-year senior Jordan Indianapolis that both Calipari and Morgan spent a portion of his interview Beilein were peppered with questions session Saturday discussing his grad about youth in advance of their Elite school project as a post-grad student in Eight matchup today. Michigan’s college of engineering. Calipari seemed fine with the line of Beilein and Calipari are similar in questioning. that both of their teams rely heavily on Beilein had a different take. young, talented, future NBA players for “I understand that’s a media thing. their success. Freshmen playing is such an interestBut there’s a marked difference in ing fact that people make so much of it, and I get it. I get it,” Beilein said. “But my there, too. Calipari does this on purpose. goodness, there’s so many freshmen out He seeks out players with one and done there. I pointed out the two freshmen the potential, and — better than anyone other day that are playing for Tennessee going in the game today — reels them in, that hardly played as a freshman. Hardly gets them ready and gets them drafted. “We have kids from all over the played as a freshman. And now they’re nbaumgardner@mlive.com

Caris LeVert takes a shot. (Melanie Maxwell/MLive.com)

Spike Albrecht inbounds the ball. (Melanie Maxwell/MLive.com)

country,” Calipari explained Saturday. “If they’re from Texas or California or Wyoming or South Dakota, and they’re going to be good players for us, and they want this challenge. “This isn’t for every player.” Beilein, on the other hand, never intended for this to happen. Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. were three-star recruits. Glenn Robinson III was not a top 150 player when he committed to the program. Nik Stauskas was basically an unknown. The only true nationally highly-publicized recruit on Michigan’s roster is Mitch McGary — who won’t play today. On top of that, Beilein said he wasn’t even aware that Kentucky started five freshmen until he looked at the team’s roster Saturday morning. Freshmen are the focus in today’s college basketball world, and probably will continue to be as long as the NBA’s one-and-done law continues to be in existence. But that doesn’t mean Beilein has to enjoy it. “Let’s reward the (veteran) kid that really works hard just as much as the freshmen stars,” he said.

Adreian Payne dunks for two points. (Mike Mulholland/MLive.com)

Tom Izzo instructs his team. (Mike Mulholland/MLive.com)

Trice hopes for a memorable game with UConn By Mike Griﬃth

that knocked out the Spartans’ diminutive guard for 19 days and five games. NEW YORK — When Travis Trice “It was kind of a freak accident. I didn’t tells you he doesn’t remember much mean to head butt him. I was hoping he about Michigan State’s 2012-13 seasonwas fine. I didn’t think it was going to be opening game against Connecticut at that serious, but it was.” Ramstein Air Base in Germany last seaTrice, whose health issues have been son, it’s not a matter of being coy. well-documented, tried to joke about It’s physiological — not psychological. the injury but maintained a more seriTrice doesn’t remember, because he ous undertone. can’t remember. The concussion he “I saw the play, Shabazz put me out suffered in the second half robbed his half the year,” Trice said. “But it’s cool, brain of the capacity to retain his short- I’m just looking forward to it, I just term memory from that experience. want to make the Final Four. “To be honest, we had the game on “After watching it, he did a spin move, earlier this year, and I don’t even remem- and I went over there to take a charge. ber the second half. I don’t even remem- It sucked, but everything happens for a ber the game to be honest, just from the reason.” concussion and being so long ago,” Trice More recently, Trice has applied said. “I don’t remember the game.” that logic to the wrist injury that Keith UConn senior point guard Shabazz Appling suffered. It led to Trice making Napier remembers, because he torched three starts and gaining valuable expethe Spartans for 25 points in the 66-62 rience running the team from the point. UConn victory. With Appling still struggling in some That was then, and this is now. But aspects of his game, Trice has had to as the East Region Elite Eight matchup step up and hit some timely shots to fuel between No. 7 seed UConn (29-8) and No. the Spartans’ NCAA tournament run. 4 seed Michigan State (29-8) approaches, Trice’s 3-pointer against Harvard the teams’ last meeting is recalled. in the Round of 32 game in Spokane, “I think I, I think I broke his nose Wash., enabled Michigan State to or something like that,” Napier said, reclaim the lead after the Crimson had asked about the collision with Trice made a second-half run. mgriffith@mlive.com

Morgan

Against Virginia, Trice’s 3-pointer put the Spartans back on top, 43-40, with 9:12 left to play after the Cavaliers opened the second half with a 9-1 run to take the lead. “That was a big 3 by Trice,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “I felt like momentum shifted.” Trice, a carer 42.3-percent shooter beyond the 3-point arc (112 of 265, including 5 of 10 in this year’s NCAA tourney), said he’s never lacked confident in his shot. “It’s just a lot of hard work and preparation,’’ the 6-foot, 170-pound Trice explained. “Early in the year, I didn’t’ have some of those opportunities, but with injures and guys being out, it forced me to step into that role,” he said. “I’ve always been confident in what I do, but with that experience, it took it to another level.” As for avenging the concussion against UConn, Trice made it clear that his efforts will remain within the framework of coach Tom Izzo’s scheme. “(Ryan) Boatright and Napier are two of the best guards in the country, so we’ve got our hands full coming into this game,” Trice said.

been a block, a charge or a no-call will be discussed in Knoxville for years to come. CONTINUED FROM C1 Referee David Hall made and a trip to the Elite Eight. the decisive call. He blasted Having defended Stokes his whistle, reached back, and all night, Morgan expected pointed down the floor. the Vols to run a play for one Foul on Stokes. Michigan of their two high-scoring ball. guards, Jordan McRae or “I don’t think I fouled him, Jordan Morgan. Then, though, but it was a smart play for the realization set in that the him to try to take the charge,” game was in his hands. Stokes said. “He pretty much “I knew they were going anticipated it.” to throw it to him when they “I knew it was a charge set up the screen to get him itself, but as far as them actuopen.” Morgan said. “From ally calling it and maybe getthere, it was just, I didn’t want ting it right, I didn’t know,” to foul, and I know he likes to Morgan said. play bully ball, so I just got in The play and Morgan’s position to not let him get to stat line debunked a week of the middle.” doubt. When Michigan was Morgan planted his feet like gameplanning for Tennessee a gale force wind was coming. and Stokes, coach John Stokes stormed in. Beilein decided to practice Whether it should have double-teaming in case

Morgan needed help. “Jordan took it as an insult all week,” Beilein said. “He wanted No. 5 — Stokes — by himself. No help. ... He was going to handle it. And he did it.” Afterward, Morgan was swarmed by media upon entering the Michigan locker room. Reporters left Nik Stauskas (15 points) and Glenn Robinson III (13 points) and Caris LeVert (10 points) to talk to the night’s star. In his 140th career game at Michigan, he recorded the 104th win of his career. That now stands as a program record. “I’m telling you, that young man, when it’s all said and done, he’s going to be one of the great Michigan winners and leaders that we’ve ever

had,” Beilein said. Asked about a torrid NCAA tournament that’s seen him average 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game, Morgan drew a long pause. After yelling his way off the court in Indianapolis, he softly said, “I don’t want to go home.” Today, Morgan gets another “mismatch” in the form of Kentucky freshman star Julius Randle, the 6-9 forward who is averaging 15.1 points and 10.7 rebounds. “Sometimes it gets personal when people talk about our inability to compete with people,” Morgan said. “And it’s like, we’ve been competing all year long.” Sounds like Morgan sees the mismatch the other way around.

Dawson

8.2 rebounds in his past six games. In the NCAA tournament, he’s averaging 20 points and nine rebounds. “Coaches kept telling me, and my teammates kept telling me, ‘We just need more and more out of you,’” Dawson said. “Sometimes I look at them like, ‘How much do you need?’” The answer from Izzo, of

course, is — even more. “I think sometimes adversity or a slap in the face or whatever you want to call it, sooner or later you got to put up or shut up,” Izzo said. “And to Branden’s credit, he really has gotten better. “But I swear to you, I think he’s got a long way to go yet. And that’s the exciting part for me.”

CONTINUED FROM C1

he’s playing right now,” Travis Trice said. “Knock on wood. “But seriously, BJ is a great player. I think, honestly, when he broke his hand, and even when he tore his ACL, it made him appreciate basketball. After he broke his hand, just

his rehab and how much harder he’s worked, it’s a testament to him.” And it’s a testament to what everyone told Dawson he could be, all the we-wantmores that almost pushed him away. Dawson — who averaged 8.7 points in his first two years at Michigan State — is averaging 17.5 points and

MUSKEGON CHRONICLE / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / C7

Outdoors “We wanted to celebrate the trails we have and resurrect the Trailways program.” SEN. JOHN MOOLENAAR, R-MIDLAND, A SPONSOR OF SB 873-877

Volunteers from the North Country Trail Association create a new section of the seven-state trail that runs through Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas, portions of which will become part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s showcase trail. (Howard Meyerson/ MLive.com)

MICHIGAN

Five-bill package seeks to leverage local byways

Branding Michigan as a trail state

ichigan has had a number of nicknames: The Water Wonderland, The Great Lakes State, The Wolverine State, The Mitten State — and now we may get another: The Pure Michigan Trails State. A five-bill package introduced to the Michigan Senate on March 20 seeks to establish that brand for Michigan. The sponsors are working together to amend the 1994 Michigan Trailways Act in an effort to provide an official boost to all things “trail.” The sponsors are Sens. John Moolenaar, R-Midland; Arlan Meekhoff, R-Olive Township; Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell; Geoffrey Hansen, R-Hart; and Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba. Their bills, SB 873-877, are tiebarred and have been sent to various committees. What the package does is establish the Pure Michigan Trail Network by establishing designations for Pure Michigan Trail Towns, Pure Michigan Trails and Pure Michigan Water Trails. Those designations would be made by the Michigan DNR director upon recommendation of the Natural Resources Commission. Designated trails and towns would be eligible for funding from the Pure Michigan Trail Fund, the new name for the Michigan Trailways Fund. That was established to receive revenues from a variety of uses along the trails, from billboards and easements to concessions, which never really amounted to much money. The bill sponsors are looking to celebrate Michigan’s prospective status as the top trail state in the nation. “I represent districts in northern Michigan where recreational use of trails is of tremendous importance,” said Sen. John Moolenaar. “We wanted to celebrate the trails we have and resurrect the Trailways program. There is growing emphasis on developing a true, statewide integrated trails network.

funding. And that means a commitment by the state to find those funds. Otherwise, it will amount to little more than a momentary marketing splash. howardmeyerson @gmail.com Bob Wilson, a policy advisor for the Senate Majority Policy Office, said some money will be available the first year — likely $100,000 to $200,000 — a one-time appropriation that will “There is no question that the Pure require finding a “dedicated funding source Michigan campaign has been a huge success. to continue.” Gov. Snyder also has proposed And the governor has recognized goals with a $2.5 million appropriation for his border to respect to trails, so we felt this was a good border showcase trail, which would become a opportunity.” Pure Michigan Trail. The legislative push follows up on rec“It’s a one-time appropriation to jump start ommendations made in 2013 by the state’s the program,” Wilson said. “It will give them Snowmobile and Trails Advisory Council, money to make designations and work with which worked with the DNR to develop the latcommunities that want to be trail towns, but est state trail plan. That was the group formed we don’t want to keep going back to the by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who began the general fund.” statewide conversation about interconnected Moolenaar added: “Our goal in the short run trails and communities. is to gather a critical mass and move the ball That this next iteration of Michigan’s longforward because it is a great idea.” As for longThe Pure Michigan Trail network will include established trail history comes from the term, sustainable funding, he said: “We will some of the state’s top trails for hikers. Republican side of the Legislature speaks have to think creatively and out of the box.” volumes about how things have advanced with One exciting provision of the legislation calls Ç GO ONLINE regard to the value of recreation trails — for for the creation of an electronic trail database Follow Howard Meyerson on his blog, The health, for recreation and for the economy. It that people may access with mobile applicaOutdoor Journal, at howardmeyerson.com. also speaks to Gov. Rick Snyder’s vision. Word tions, thus expanding and modernizing a very in Lansing is this is a “slam dunk.” limited set of state resources. It is a bright idea “The Michigan Trailways Act is so outdated, that is right for the time. and we have come so far since that time, we But amid the gloss of this recent legislative really needed to do something to elevate all If you’ve not heard of the Michigan move is an important core element that should trails in Michigan,” said Nancy Krupiarz, Trailways Act, you’re not alone. That 1994 not be forgotten. The history of Michigan’s executive director of the Michigan Trails and legislation called for designation of certain trail success goes back more than 20 years. Greenways Alliance, a Lansing-based nontrails as “Michigan Trailways,” a special cachet This effort has been made possible by the profit. “That’s what this does for equestrian reserved for top-quality trails that would DNR, local communities and thousands of trails, water trails, multi-use trails, ORVs and be eligible for funding from the Michigan volunteers. Those are the regular people like snowmobiles. Trailways Fund, now to be renamed the Pure you and me who got excited, who took it upon “Water trails have (historically) been left Michigan Trails Fund. Nonprofit friends themselves to do the work, find the money, out of the mix. There are grassroots groups groups and others will be able to apply for convince their neighbors and push the DNR who are working on them, but they were not grants from the fund. further when needed. getting recognition at the state level. These What may come of this remains to be seen. Those folks are the real shining stars of the are great new trails, and they need to be recog- Pure Michigan is a catchy slogan and brand, future Pure Michigan Trail State. I thank you nized within the law.” but to make it work will require significant all.

Howard Meyerson

EMPIRE

Sleeping Bear Dunes crews pledge to be mindful of bat habitats The Associated Press

Officials at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore say crews will take care to avoid displacing roosting endangered bats while they are removing diseased and dying trees from the park. National Park Service officials are reworking their hazard tree management plan to allow them to take down more diseased trees before they become dangerous to visitors at the popular northern Lower Peninsula

GO ONLINE nps. gov/slbe

attraction along Lake Michigan. From March or April to October, they’ll be mindful of the endangered Indiana bat. The bats like to roost in large trees with peeling bark and many crannies, and that could include diseased and dying trees. “The bats might be using those trees during the summer time for maternity roosts or any other kind of roost-

ing habitat,” said Vincent Cavalieri, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “It’s just something for the park to make sure any tree removal will be accompanied by some sort of checking for bats during summer months when the bats will be using the trees.” Both the Indiana bat and the northern long-eared bat, which is on a proposed list of endangered species, can be found in the area. Bats tend to hibernate through the winter

The Indiana bat is an endangered species that roosts in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. (MLive.com ﬁles)

in caves, but once temperatures rise, they head out to

forests to mate and roost. Roosting bats could become disoriented or killed if their roosting trees are removed, Cavalieri said. “It likely would just displace them, and they’d have to go searching for a different habitat,” Cavalieri said. “It could be especially stressful for pregnant bats or bats that recently gave birth.” Fish and Wildlife officials don’t want any trees with bats to be removed. “If we want to cut trees

during that period, we have to find ways to minimize and mitigate impacts to those species,” said Kevin Skerl, the Chief of Natural Resources at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Earlier this year, the National Park Service said it wanted to stay ahead of beech bark disease at Sleeping Bear Dunes and create a more aggressive tree take-down and restoration policy. The lakeshore’s ash trees also are being hit by the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle.

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C8 / SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 / MUSKEGON CHRONICLE

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