Think Warm! Detroit Tigers baseball is back in 44 days

It may be close to single-digits right now in Detroit, but it is never too early to think about the sun, warmth and Detroit Tigers baseball.

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Being one of the last MLB teams to announce Spring Training report dates, the Tigers have scheduled pitchers and catchers to report on Friday, February 19 with full squad workouts commencing on Tuesday, February 24.

One day after another tough day for the Tigers’ legend, the team also announced today that Alan Trammell will join the team in uniform for the workouts in Lakeland. Trammell, passed up again for the Hall-of-Fame yesterday, will be wearing the Tigers’ uniform for the first time in 10 years following his dismissal as manager after the 2005 season. He’ll join other special assistants to the general manager Al Kaline and Willie Horton.

Spring Training actually starts about a week later than it has in the past. This means that a couple of exhibition games will be played in April. This will push the World Series into November making for a cool, crisp evening at Comerica Park when the Tigers win Game 7 of the 2015 World Series…right? Right? Remember hope springs eternal and all…..

Before the Tigers think about November baseball, they will begin their spring games with the annual exhibition game against Florida Southern College at Joker Marchant Stadium on Monday, March 2. The first Grapefruit League game pits the Tigers against the team that outed them from the postseason several months ago, the Baltimore Orioles, the next day.

Most of the games (22) will be featured on radio via either 97.1 FM or 1270 AM and five games (all day games) will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit, including:

• March 22: Tigers at Braves in Walt Disney World
• March 25: Tigers vs Marlins in Lakeland
• March 26: Tigers vs Orioles in Lakeland
• March 30: Tigers vs Braves in Lakeland
• April 3: Tigers vs Rays, final game in Lakeland

ESPN will televise one Tigers’ game, shockingly, against the New York Yankees on April 2.

The Tigers will wrap up Spring Training with an exhibition game at Tropicana Field on April 4 before preparing to open the regular season at home on April 6 against the Minnesota Twins.

See the full spring schedule here.

This season marks the 79th year of the Tigers-Lakeland relationship and the 50th year at Joker Marchant Stadium. Easily the longest among any major league team and their spring home. The facility, which has received several upgrades over the years, is slated to undergo a complex $37 million renovation following the 2016 Spring Training.

Next: 5 Tigers that MUST success in 2015