They underwent a variety of fielding drills -- covering first on grounders hit to the right side of the infield and fielding grounders hit back to the mound among them -- for about 90 minutes before running sprints and having pitchers throw off the mound to catchers.

"We make sure it's crisp and that it's fun," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "They've been covering first (base) for 100 years, but I believe in repetition. I just don't want them going through the motions."

MANY OF THE Tigers -- Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera and Nate Robertson -- look to be in better shape than they were last year. "Obviously, that was something we were zeroed in on," Leyland said. "It's always been a priority, but because of the embarrassment of last year, we all took it to heart."

LEYLAND MENTIONED selecting a fifth starter and deciding on a few bullpen additions and a final position player as some choices he will make.

LEYLAND IS GOING to make a daily effort to communicate with Taiwanese reliever Fu-Te Ni, a member of the 2008 Chinese Taipei Olympic team who knows little English and communicates through an interpreter. He said managing winter ball one year in Venezuela and struggling with communicating in Spanish made him particularly sympathetic to players in the same position.

THE Tigers' SIX-PACK ticket plans are available through March 7. Fans can select six game tickets in the upper reserved ($84), upper box infield ($144) and outfield box ($213) sections to three premium games (such as Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox) and three nonpremium games.