Community
The Detroit Tigers organization believes strongly in the need to invest in our community's future. In 2008 the Tigers launched Play Baseball Detroit. Through the generosity of Tigers players Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in partnership with the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, Play Baseball Detroit has become a comprehensive youth baseball outreach program dedicated to encouraging and supporting youth baseball and softball programs in the greater Detroit community. The multi-faceted program features an equipment collection, school rallies, youth clinics and a competitive tournament to encourage and develop the young athletes of our city into the baseball stars of tomorrow.
Hundreds of young tee ball, softball and baseball players in the greater Detroit area participate in Team Tigers, an on-line registration and reward program that provides new and expanding youth baseball programs the resources and tools needed to succeed.
Attention coaches! Join "Team Tigers" and help your baseball or softball team receive equipment, instruction, field enhancements and the opportunity to receive complimentary Tigers tickets!
The youngest members of Play Baseball Detroit are the Tiny Tigers. Tiny Tigers is an inner-city tee ball and junior baseball program in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan for over 550 children ages 6-10.
At two Boys and Girls Clubs of Detroit, the Play Baseball Detroit campaign hosted the inaugural All-Star Tee Ball Classic. The event showcased coaches and players within their league through a Home Run Derby, Pitch & Run Competition, Pack Attack and the All-Star Tee Ball Classic game. In addition, through the generosity of Tigers pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, the Detroit Tigers Foundation awarded a grant to the Lloyd H. Diehl Boys and Girls Club to build two new baseball diamonds on the grounds of the club. 
Tiny Tigers Photo Gallery »
Through the Baseball 101 program, the Tigers host a series of energetic middle school rallies aimed at encouraging students to register for organized baseball programs. Tigers centerfielder, Curtis Granderson, pitcher Edwin Jackson, outfielder Marcus Thames, second baseman, Placido Polanco and pitcher, Dontrelle Willis visited multiple middle schools as part of Play Baseball Detroit rallies. These events were filled with games, music, videos and more and encouraged over 2,600 middle school students to register and start playing baseball and softball in their area.
In addition, members of the Tigers Major League coaching staff went to community fields to lead clinics, teaching baseball fundamentals as part of Play Baseball Detroit. Tigers bullpen coach Jeff Jones, hitting coach, Lloyd McClendon, pitching coach, Rick Knapp, strength and conditioning coordinator, Javair Gillett and bullpen catcher, Scott Pickens, promoted the game of baseball to youth, during 4 different clinics held at Balduck Park, Jayne Field, St. Scholastica and Clark Park. The series of clinics nearly 300 youth ballplayers.
Now in its 14th year, the Detroit Tigers Hometown Championship is a competitive end of the season tournament hosted in partnership with the Youth Development Commission, Think Detroit PAL and the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department. With champions crowned in 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, boys high school, girls 14 and under and 19 and under, the tournament showcases the very best young baseball and softball talent in the City of Detroit.
This season, 500 baseball and softball players, spectators and Community Fun Day participants were on hand for the event. To kick off the tournament, Tigers centerfielder, Curtis Granderson, threw the ceremonial first pitch as part of the opening ceremonies. In addition, Cass Tech High School's Marching Band led the parade of 35 teams onto the field. The Championship weekend included a Community Fun Day, which was free and open to the public. The Fun Day included Tigers mascot, PAWS, face painting and arts and crafts.
At tournament's end, the Tigers donated tickets to the participating groups to attend the August 19 game against the Seattle Mariners, where the winning teams were recognized as part of a pregame ceremony celebrating Play Baseball Detroit on the field at Comerica Park.
Championship teams included:
10 & Under Baseball: Think Detroit PAL Orioles
12 & Under Baseball: Southfield Cardinals
14 & Under Baseball: Padres Baseball
High School Division Baseball: Detroit Yankees
14 & Under Softball: Love Train
19 & Under Softball: Rosedale Raiders
Detroit Tigers Hometown Championship photo gallery »
Providing Detroit's youth with the proper sporting equipment to participate in organized baseball and softball has been an important part of the Detroit Tigers Play Baseball Detroit program. On behalf of this year's Gloves for Kids program, the Tigers partnered with ABC Warehouse, 97.1 The Ticket and Fox Sports Detroit and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund to collect new and gently used baseball and softball equipment totaling over 2,700 pieces, including 575 gloves and 239 bats. On August 29, a collection was held at Comerica Park where more than 600 pieces of equipment were donated.
The Tigers continue to support the growth and preservation of baseball and softball throughout the Detroit area and are proud to be part of an initiative, like Play Baseball Detroit and Gloves for Kids, that successfully delivers the necessary equipment to youth in need.
More information about Gloves for Kids »
Since 1981, the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association has hosted an annual all-star game featuring the top baseball talent in the State of Michigan. For the third consecutive year, the East-West All-Star Classic was presented by the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, in an effort to strengthen the game of baseball in the state while Michigan's best players are showcased at Comerica Park.
The game featured 36 of the best senior players from public and private high schools throughout Michigan, as selected by the Coaches Association. This year, five players - Daniel Fields, from U of D Jesuit and son of former Tigers coach Bruce Fields, Derek Dennis, from Forest Hills Central, Mike Schaaf, from Saginaw Arthur Hill, Almon (Victor) Roache, from Ypsilanti Lincoln, and Patrick Biondi, from Dearborn Divine Child were selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Fields, Roache and Biondi were drafted by the Tigers.
In this year's game the West beat the East 13-4, with pitcher and first baseman, Matt Conway of Birmingham Brother Rice (East) and infielder, Torsten Boss of Lowell (West), winning MVP honors.
More than 350 Detroit-area youth had the opportunity to participate in a baseball clinic and competition at Comerica Park as part of the 8th Annual Willie Horton's "Batting for Kids" event to benefit Don Bosco Hall. The event was held for youth ages 7-17 to compete in base running, throwing and batting competitions supervised by Tigers legend, Willie Horton. The winners of the competition were recognized on-field, prior to the Tigers game on September 14.
Don Bosco Hall, established in 1954, is a not-for-profit agency that responds to human service needs of children's families in the Metro Detroit area through mentorship, residential treatment, transitional living and community enrichment programs. Don Bosco Hall has been a long time supporter of the development and enrichment of Detroit Public School students.
Willie Horton's Batting for Kids Photo Gallery »
Aquafina MLB Pitch, Hit & Run is a national grassroots initiative in which youngsters ages 7-14 have the opportunity to showcase their skills in pitching, hitting and running. Boys and girls participate together, with winners advancing from local competitions to sectional competitions to individual MLB team championships and finally national finals at the All-Star Game. To showcase this competition and the athletic talent of youth around Detroit, the Tigers hosted the sectional competition and honored the participants during a pregame ceremony at Comerica Park.
2009 Competitors included:Promoting a Lifetime of Activity among Youth (PLAY) is a program of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society and the Taylor Hooton Foundation in conjunction with Major League Baseball that promotes healthy living by teaching children and their families the importance of staying fit, being active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to prevent childhood obesity. In support of this initiative, the Tigers hosted an event at Comerica Park for more than 90 youth from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Michigan. During the even, the children rotated through 4-5 stations, each featuring instructional lessons on healthy living. Injury prevention, agility drills, stretching techniques, setting personal fitness programs and the dangers of using steroids and performance enhancing substances were all examples of the topics discussed during the clinic. Tigers head athletic trainer, Kevin Rand, assistant trainers Steve Carter and Doug Teter, team physician Stephen Lemos, M.D. and strength and conditioning coordinator Javair Gillett all lead the sessions during the on-field clinics at Comerica Park. In addition, Tigers catcher, Gerald Laird was on hand to share his personal experiences with fitness and how he stays healthy year-round.
The PLAY program was created in 2004 to raise awareness about young people's health issues in result of the obesity problem throughout the United States. Since its creation, The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society has conducted over 60 PLAY events inside all 30 MLB ballparks reaching thousands of children with positive messages about making smart life choices and living a more active and healthy lifestyle.
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative of Major League Baseball and the Players Association. Created in 1999, BTF is designed to promote and enhance the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by funding programs, field construction and renovation projects and equipment purchases.
Since 2005, BTF has partnered with MLB clubs, including the CLUB, on the BTF/MLB Equipment Day, an initiative to organize equipment collections at Major League ballparks throughout the country.
Click here for more information on BTF and to learn how to apply for support.
