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Tigers
mascot
PAWs
helps
load the
trailers
every
year.
Whether
he's
lifting
a few
packages
or
taking a
quick
break,
his
presents
always
brings
smiles
and make
the
backbreaking
work a
bit
easier.
(Photo
by HB
Meeks/Tell
Us
Detroit) |
| |
Tigers
Spring
Training
equipment
truck
loaded
and
ready
for
Florida
sun
By
Aaron
Best
Tell Us
Detroit
Sports
DETROIT
-
Detroit
Tigers
Spring
Training
season
is fast
approaching
and they
are
loading
up the
moving
truck to
transport
the
club’s
equipment
from
Comerica
Park to
their
Spring
Training
home in
Lakeland,
FL. The
clubhouse
staff
started
loading
the
truck at
8am
Monday
and will
go well
into
Tuesday
morning
when
they
plan a
departure
to haul
equipment
to Joker
Marchant
Stadium.
According
to Jim
Schmakel,
the
Tigers'
clubhouse
and
equipment
manager,
the team
starts
to pack
for
spring
training
as soon
as the
previous
season
ends.
For over
40 years
Schmakel's
job to
make
sure the
players
have
everything
they
need
once
they are
there.
"Can
hardly
wait,"
Schmakel
said.
"Especially
after
last
week and
the
minus-15
[weather],
we're
ready to
go."
The
Tigers
will
fill the
first
truck,
which
Schmakel
calls
the
equipment
truck,
with
about
40,000
pounds
of gear.
The
second
truck,
which
carries
most of
the
front-office
shipments
and
remaining
clubhouse
gear,
will
have
some
space
left for
special
requests
made by
the
players.
Once the
gear is
loaded
up, the
tradition
continues.
The
Tigers
have
used the
same
moving
company
and
drivers
-- Frank
and Bob
-- for
years to
bring
the
equipment
to
Florida.
Bob
serves
as the
leadoff
man,
driving
the
first
truck,
and
Frank
handles
the
cleanup
spot.
Each
will
time his
drive in
order to
avoid
rush-hour
traffic
through
major
cities
like
Atlanta.
Once
the
first
truck
arrives
Wednesday
afternoon,
many of
the
clubhouse
assistants
who
loaded
the
trailers
are on
hand to
unload
the
equipment,
having
flown to
Florida
the
previous
day.
"We'll
probably
empty
that
truck by
about 1
or 2 in
the
afternoon,"
Schmakel
said.
"And
then we
work 12
hours a
day for
the next
two or
three
days
just to
put
everything
in their
slots.
It takes
about
two or
three
full
days to
get all
of our
stuff in
place,
and by
then
we're on
the 12th
and the
players
are in
full
force."
Tigers
mascot
PAWs
helps
load the
trailers
every
year.
Whether
he's
lifting
a few
packages,
taking
inventory
of
boxes,
or
trying
to hitch
a ride
in a
box,
PAWs is
there to
make
workers
smile
and make
the
tough
work a
bit
easier.
Tigers
pitchers
and
catchers
hold
their
first
workout
on Feb.
13. The
first
full-squad
workout
is Feb.
18.
Jason
Beck
contributed
to this
story.
Beck has
covered
the
Tigers
for
MLB.com
since
2002.
Read
Beck's
Blog,
follow
him on
Twitter
@beckjason
and
Facebook.
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