Tigers.mlb.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch spent more than a decade trying to build the Tigers into a winner. Now that he has it, he's starting to realize how much it means to Detroit, and how much he's willing to do to keep it.
"I really kind of feel like the fans feel," Ilitch admitted, "just kind of surprised from a standpoint of being reminded how big the sport is if you perform and the effect it's had on the whole state, not just region. It's something I always dreamt about."

In his annual Spring Training interview with reporters, Ilitch was in an altogether different situation Wednesday than in such interviews in the past. He doesn't have to talk anymore about how badly he wants to win, and how much it would mean to him. That became evident with last year's run to the American League pennant.

He no longer has to talk about modeling his organization after another franchise, because he has that franchise. He looks to future years, and he likes what he sees.

"Sports, we know how unpredictable it is and how it humbles you," Ilitch said. "But this kind of reminds me of when you do get your organization together -- I've had some experience -- that if you take care of it and you're lucky enough to have a foundation, a solid foundation, then it can be repetitive as far as how you protect it. You set up the danger areas, the farm system and signing free agents, and it just all falls into place and it's not that complex. When you're performing poorly, you're looking 10 different ways."

He doesn't have to look in many directions now. Thanks to a developing farm system, the danger areas aren't that numerous, though free agency is looming. He has been briefed on talks regarding shortstop Carlos Guillen, whose contract is up at season's end, and he gave his approval over the winter on long-term contracts for Brandon Inge and Jeremy Bonderman.

He played an active role in recruiting big-name free agents over the past four years. At one point Wednesday, he recalled the decision he made on whether to sign Ivan Rodriguez after the 2003 season, weighing the injury risk and medical information on Rodriguez's back against what it would mean for the franchise to have him. He's still active, but when it comes to keeping the team intact, he is entrusting those decisions to the Tigers front office.

"To be honest with you, from here on out, I'm going to rely on [president/CEO/general manager] Dave [Dombrowski] a lot and [assistant GM] Al Avila and the manager," Ilitch said. "So I've got to get their feelings on all that."

He gave no clear indication, however, that finances would be an obstacle. He said in past years that he's willing to spend to bring impact players to Detroit, and though he called the recent salaries of free-agent contracts "pretty frightening," his approach doesn't seem to have changed.