An 8-year-old boy and a left-handed hitting 62-year-old Grandma simultaneously take swings, as two Toledo Mud Hen assistants toss balls in the team’s indoor batting cages in the basement of Fifth Third Field.

One ball sails over the netting into the “outfield” while the other face falls in disappointment at a missed timed swing. Around the corner in the dugout, a young woman poses for a picture with the red dugout phone as she mockingly calls in a reliever from the bullpen.

This is Mud Hens Fandemonium. It provides fans with a back stage pass to connect with their favorite players and the life of the professional athlete. A steady stream of people tour the field, locker rooms, clubhouse and the many backstage areas of beautiful Fifth Third field that are off limits to most of us on game day.

Detroit Tigers coaches and players Jim Leyland, Rick Porcello, Alex Avila, Don Kelly and Casper Wells were all in attendance to get fans excited about what should be a good year for both Tigers’ and Mud Hens’ fans.

“We’re all doing the same thing right now. We’ve made some great additions in the off-season. We’re a very good ball club, but so are the White Sox and Twins. It just comes down to who plays the best for the longest period of time…In my opinion, we have a team that can win it,” says Tigers manager and Perrysburg native Jim Leyland.

This off-season the Tigers have been busy signing starting pitcher Brad Penny, power hitting catcher Victor Martinez, and power reliever Joaquin Benoit. The moves shored up the clubs biggest weaknesses. They also re-signed Ryan Raburn, Brandon Inge, Joel Zumaya, Magglio Ordonez, and Jhonny Peralta.

The Tigers veteran additions are good news for the Hens. The Tigers depth will be the Hen’s gain as some key contributors from last year should see some time in Toledo. Some key prospects and former Tigers like Casper Wells, Brennan Boesch, Timo Perez, Clete Thomas, Scott Sizemore, Will Rhymes, Daniel Schlereth and Andrew Oliver should see some time in Toledo this year.

Leyland, the coaching staff, and players then addressed the crowd and answered questions. Leyland stole the show with an energetic and poignant speech about the upcoming season. As only he can do, he went straight to the heart of matters with brutal honesty.

“For those of you that want me to steal more, we’re not a fast team. We don’t have a lot of guys that can go. Who do you want me to steal? Maggs? Miguel? I’d love to run more. As a manager, you manage the talent you have. You adjust to the type of team you have. You can’t turn a player into something you want,” says Leyland.

Leyland spoke to what he thought were the team’s keys to success, “We have to eliminate the five- and six-game losing streaks. We had too many of those. We also have to play better in the second half. I don’t have an answer for that. Are we pushing them too hard? Not pushing them enough? I don’t know, but the coaching staff and I are going to evaluate that this off-season.”

Added third base Coach Gene Lamont, “We had a winning record against the Twins and the White Sox, but a losing record against the Royals and the Indians…We have to beat the teams we’re suppose to beat.”

At the end of the show, fittingly, a 10-year-old boy jumps up in excitement as Rick Porcello reads his winning raffle ticket. The youngster snakes through the crowd and all you can see is a little bobbing Tigers hat weave to the stage to get a large basket filled with Miguel Cabrera autographed memorabilia. With a smile as wide as the Maumee River he jumps up on stage with his heroes and receives a round of applause. Porcello understands the moment and gives the kid a look of approval. For better or for worse, he’s now a Tigers fan for life. 

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