Whitecaps entering 20th season as a Tigers affiliate
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps opened the 1997 Midwest League season on April 5 against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers under sunny skies and balmy spring temperatures at what was then Old Kent Park.
Hillary Clinton was in the White House, only as First Lady with husband and then-President Bill Clinton, Puff Daddy hadn't switched his name to P. Diddy - and back again - and the average price of gas was $1.23.
The Whitecaps' Opening Day roster featured such names as Dave Borkowski, who would go on to throw the team's first-ever no-hitter just two weeks later, Francisco Cordero, Jesus Cedeno and Rene Capellan. Robert Fick's solo home run in the third inning provided the only run the Whitecaps would need in a 1-0 victory that lasted less than two hours and jump-started West Michigan to a 92-39 record only a few months after it had claimed its first Midwest League championship the previous fall against those same Timber Rattlers.
"It was so exciting," Whitecaps Vice President Jim Jarecki recalled. "But the day went so quickly. You wished it could have lasted forever."
The Whitecaps clinched their first title with a four-game series win against Wisconsin on Sept. 12, 1996, but the biggest offseason news in franchise history was revealed five days later when the Whitecaps held a news conference to officially announce their minor league affiliation with the Detroit Tigers.
That was the start of a relationship that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this season - and it's one the team hopes will never end.
"I'd love to sign it for infinity," Jarecki said. "We don't want to go anywhere."
Lew Chamberlin grew up in Grand Rapids in the 1950s and '60s rooting for the Tigers and players like Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan. He had no idea then that he would one day serve as a founding partner and CEO of the Whitecaps, let alone work side-by-side with his favorite team.
"It was one thing to be affiliated with a Major League club," Chamberlin said. "But to be affiliated with the Tigers is like a dream come true."
The affiliation change may have seemed like strange timing, given the Whitecaps' championship run and the strong relationship they already held with the Oakland Athletics, but signing with Detroit made too much sense for a number of reasons, most notably proximity and the strong support the Tigers have in West Michigan.
"We knew that it was going to be hard to say goodbye, and Sandy Alderson and Billy Beane, who were the GM and assistant GM at the time, could be pretty persuasive," Chamberlin said. "They came to town and we had some serious discussions. In the end, I think they understood just how much sense it made for our organization and our fans to see the players they watch at our ballpark make it up the system and potentially play Major League Baseball two hours away as opposed to 2,000 miles away."
The Tigers, meanwhile, had just concluded a contract with the Fayetteville Generals of the South Atlantic League, who are notable for being featured in the classic 1988 movie "Bull Durham." Signing the Whitecaps would put the Tigers' Class A affiliate only 161 miles away from Detroit, as opposed to more than 700 in North Carolina.
The Tigers were also gaining access to the state-of-the-art facility now known as Fifth Third Ballpark and the support of a community whose passion for minor league baseball had been reignited by the Whitecaps.
"They knew that their players were going to be playing in front of some large crowds and they were going to have to learn how to deal with the attention and with the media, which I think was important," Chamberlin said. "They're trying to develop these kids in a bunch of different ways and they were excited with the kind of market and attendance they were moving in to."
Over the ensuing two decades, the Whitecaps have been able to parlay their partnership with the Tigers into success, winning five more league titles (1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2015) and sending litany of players to major leaguer, including fan favorites like Brandon Inge, Don Kelly, Ramon Santiago, Cameron Maybin and Joel Zumaya.
"The Whitecaps have developed and maintained a truly spectacular environment not only for our players to play, but also a very comfortable and supportive host family program where our players truly feel a part of a family, which provides them a safe, secure place to live during the season," said Dan Lunetta, Director of Minor League Affiliations for the Tigers.
Detroit also has taken advantage of the in-state connection to assign a number of big names to West Michigan for rehabilitation stints, a list that notably features Curtis Granderson, Kenny Rogers and Magglio Ordonez.
"That night that Magglio came is the best Monday night that we'll probably ever have," Chamberlin said with a chuckle. (For the record, 10,592 packed the stands on July 14, 2008.)
While the Tigers may not have fielded their strongest teams in the 1990s - they wouldn't post a winning record until 2006 - the Whitecaps have enjoyed watching Detroit blossom into a perennial World Series contender and build lasting relationships with club personnel, a list that started with John McHale and extends to Dave Dombrowski and current General Manager Al Avila.
"That's one of the best things about this business," Jarecki said. "You get to know these guys and it becomes not only a business partnership, but a friendship. When they're sending players here, they know exactly who they're sending them to."
The current affiliation agreement is scheduled to run through 2020. Given the mutual respect displayed by both organizations, it's hard to picture a time when the teams won't be connected in some fashion.
"They always say time flies when you're having fun and we're certainly having fun," Chamberlin said. "It's been a great relationship and we try to honor it in every way that we can."
"You don't have to say the West Michigan Whitecaps are affiliated with the Detroit Tigers anymore, people know right away," Jarecki said. "They don't even think twice."