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12-14-2006, 07:51 AM
Tigers' Dorm Gets a 'DIY' Rescue
By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger
LAKELAND - The cameras were on Eulogio Delacruz at Tigertown on Tuesday. But instead of Delacruz throwing from the mound, he was working on paneling in the Tigers' recreation room.
Delacruz is not your typical homeowner. He's a pro pitcher on the Detroit Tiger roster.
But "DIY to the Rescue,'' a TV series best known for helping people on the do-it-yourself network, stepped out of the box for two episodes documenting the face lift to the Tigers' Lakeland digs.
Crew members pried dart boards with Tiger insignia out of foam packing during three days of filming. Pool stick holders went up on walls. And Detroit-emblazoned easy chairs with cup holders waited for the blue and orange transformation to be complete.
Gone was the look that Karl Champley, a master builder and home inspector on the series, described as "hospital.''
"It looks more lively. More colorful,'' said Ron Myers, director of Florida operations for the Detroit Tigers.
Myers said the Tigers had already put $150,000 - about $25,000 just in bedding - into improving the dorms typically used by minor leaguers and by rehabbing injured major league players. But while Myers felt comfortable adding wireless capabilities to rooms, he wasn't so sure about how to jazz up the complex.
So Myers turned to Cheryl Evans, the director of minor league and scouting administration, and Shannon Follett, administration and operations manager for Detroit. The women sought out DIY, and before long the network was on board.
Now the effort to redo the rec room, dorm entry and common area will be revealed during shows that will coincide with spring training.
DIY finished filming Wednesday but did not yet have a figure on the cost of renovations.
Kevin Lethers, president of Paul Davis Restoration, which has a base in Winter Haven, said his team had about $30,000 invested in materials and labor.
"To us, it's giving back to the community because they're (the Tigers) an integral part,'' Lethers said.
Delacruz, meanwhile, got to play a little pool with DIY host Champley and learn a few things about remodeling.
"It was different...,'' Delacruz said. "It was good.''
http://theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS/612140474/1004
By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger
LAKELAND - The cameras were on Eulogio Delacruz at Tigertown on Tuesday. But instead of Delacruz throwing from the mound, he was working on paneling in the Tigers' recreation room.
Delacruz is not your typical homeowner. He's a pro pitcher on the Detroit Tiger roster.
But "DIY to the Rescue,'' a TV series best known for helping people on the do-it-yourself network, stepped out of the box for two episodes documenting the face lift to the Tigers' Lakeland digs.
Crew members pried dart boards with Tiger insignia out of foam packing during three days of filming. Pool stick holders went up on walls. And Detroit-emblazoned easy chairs with cup holders waited for the blue and orange transformation to be complete.
Gone was the look that Karl Champley, a master builder and home inspector on the series, described as "hospital.''
"It looks more lively. More colorful,'' said Ron Myers, director of Florida operations for the Detroit Tigers.
Myers said the Tigers had already put $150,000 - about $25,000 just in bedding - into improving the dorms typically used by minor leaguers and by rehabbing injured major league players. But while Myers felt comfortable adding wireless capabilities to rooms, he wasn't so sure about how to jazz up the complex.
So Myers turned to Cheryl Evans, the director of minor league and scouting administration, and Shannon Follett, administration and operations manager for Detroit. The women sought out DIY, and before long the network was on board.
Now the effort to redo the rec room, dorm entry and common area will be revealed during shows that will coincide with spring training.
DIY finished filming Wednesday but did not yet have a figure on the cost of renovations.
Kevin Lethers, president of Paul Davis Restoration, which has a base in Winter Haven, said his team had about $30,000 invested in materials and labor.
"To us, it's giving back to the community because they're (the Tigers) an integral part,'' Lethers said.
Delacruz, meanwhile, got to play a little pool with DIY host Champley and learn a few things about remodeling.
"It was different...,'' Delacruz said. "It was good.''
http://theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS/612140474/1004