Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 2

0' 7- a AVAILABLE NOW! PISTONS BOOK, POSTER AND T-SHIRT! Celebrate the Pistons' third NBA title with Free Press souvenirs. To order go to www.freep.combookstore or call 800-245-5082. TUESDAY June 22, 2004 Auto racing 2 Scoreboard 3 Baseball 4, 5 Tennis ,6 i. ONTHE WTB www.freep.com ihonc 313-222-66GQ." Section T. i iv! Ill i i Tigers set Guillen through '0 7 rrjj-" it.

-I 'l i-J j- 1 ft I MtrA uririi i rii innii in-r- 1 i GOOD RETURNS Carlos Guillen's batting statistics this season: AB 2B 38 HR RBI AVG Extension worth about $13 million By JOHN LOWE FREE PRESS SPORTS RITER II i Guillen, at least based on the star level at which he has performed. His new three-year deal is said to be worth about $4.5 million a year half of what the Tigers offered shortstop Mi 258 49 83 17 7 10 47 .322 SLUGGING TIGER Guillen has a big lead among major league shortstops in on-base plus slugging percentage, or OPS. Many baseball people think it's the best statistic to show how a player combines two key elements of hitting getting on base and hitting with power. The top five through Sun gers) and driven in 47 runs (tied with Ivan Rodriguez for the team lead). He's hitting .322.

And in baseball's most illuminating offensive statistic on-base percentage plus slugging percentage he outranks all other big league shortstops. Guillen, who joined theTigers in a January trade from Seattle, has bypassed the chance to hit the open market and parlay his big season into a monster contract with an established contender. He has decided to stay because the Tigers have offered him security something he has never had Please see GUILLEN, Page 5D RICHARD LEEDetrolt Free Prest Carlos Guillen day: In a major victory, the Tigers have persuaded shortstop Carlos Guillen to stay instead of leaving as a free agent after this season. The Tigers could announce as soon as today that they have signed Guillen to a three-year contract extension through 2007, the Free Press has learned. Unlike with the free agents they recruited last off-season, the Tigers have not overpaid to keep PLATER TEAM OBP SLG OPS Carlos Guillen Detroit .386 .558 .944 Jose Valentine White Sox .324 .547 .871 Jack Wilson Pittsburgh .363 .504 .866 Michael Young Texas .364 .498 .862 Royce Clayton Colorado .355 .466 .821 ri guel Tejada as a free agent last off-season.

If Guillen continues to produce, the Tigers will have done exceptionally well with this deal. Guillen already has hit a career-high 10 homers (most on the Ti- Dave Lewis, co-owner of Joe and Lewie's Penalty Box restaurant in Fenton, shakes hands with 10-year-old Jordan Fluder. Hi. Big Ben a role model tor Wings Lewis: Team must become tougher like Detroit icon The Tigers will commemorate their 1984 World Series title this weekend. Willie Hernandez and Darrell Evans, key newcomers to that team, share their memories TTTY 0 By HELENE ST.

JAMES FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER By BILL DOW FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER FENTON There is a mural at Joe and Lewie's Penalty Box restaurant that may show the perfect team. Steve Yzerman is seated next to a young Gordie Howe, who is next to Ben Wallace. Brett Hull is next to Joe Dumars. Ted Lindsey is in the picture, as are Scotty Bowman, Chuck Daly and Sparky Anderson. Plus, of course, restaurant owners and Red Wings coaches Dave Lewis and Joe Kocur.

The two held a grand opening for their Fenton restaurant Monday, though it has been open to great success since April 7, the night the Wings began a playoff run that would end two rounds and four weeks later with a loss to the Calgary Flames. Though the Wings clearly need a makeover Howe and Lindsey in their prime would be nice Please see WINGS, Page 6D Bobcats could take Piston Big men likely candidates or tonight expansion draft II ByPERRYAFARRELL free press sports writer One of the worst days of Rick Mahorn's life came on the day of the NBA expansion draft. ''Mahorn and his teammates were celebrating the Pistons' 1989 championship on the Palace floor I. V- At 1 ff 1 7 I -A lv -x 1 i Twenty years ago, the Tigers were on the way to their fourth World Series championship, their first in 16 years. They had gotten there with a core of young players the team had drafted and groomed in the farm system Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris and Lance Parrish.

But after the Tigers finished second in the American League East in 1983, six games behind the World Series champion Baltimore Orioles, general manager Bill La-joie sensed something was missing. So he acquired two key players in the off-season first baseman Darrell Evans and relief pitcher Willie Hernandez, who later reverted to his birth name of Guiller-mo. "There's no question that Bill Lajoie saved us by getting Evans and Hernandez, because I don't think we would have otherwise won," longtime manager Sparky Anderson said this month from bis home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. This weekend, the '84 Tigers will reunite at Comerica Park for the 20th anniversary of that season. Among those appearing willbe Evans and Hernandez.

"After '83 we came close to winning it, but we needed two things; a veteran leadership guy like Darrell who could put the ball in the seats and a closer, because we didn't know if Aurelio Lopez was coming back," said Lajoie, now a special assistant to the general manager with the Boston Red Sox. Evans made the first impact On Opening Day at Minnesota, he hit a three-run homer in an 8-1 victory. In the home opener, he hit another three-run homer with his first swing at Tiger Stadium. "Although Darrell didn't end up doing the offensive damage that year like he would do later, I believe those homers carried the team for weeks as other guys then picked it Please see TIGERS, Page 4D '84 REUNION TheTigers will honor the 1984 World Series championship team this weekend at Comerica Park, The schedule: Saturday: Tigers vs. Arizona, 7:05 I p.m.

First 1 0,000 fans receive a 1984 collector card, which includes a scratch-and-win sweepstakes for autographed baseballs. At 5:30 p.m., many '84 Tigers will sign au-J tographs. Other promotions: fireworks and car giveaway. Sunday: Tigers vs. Arizona, 1 :05 p.m.

i An on-the-field ceremony honors the '84 team at 12:15 p.m. Other promotion: Kids run the bases. Corliss Williamson hours after returning from Los Angeles, where they had just won their first title. The same day, the NBA was holding a draft to stock rosters in Orlando and Minnesota. The Pistons could protect eight players, leaving the rest available for the draft.

Mahorn was one of the unprotected. He found out during the celebration that the Timberwolves had selected him. Mahorn put some belongings in a black plastic bag, threw it over his shoulder and left the Palace, telling well-wishers that the Pistons didn't want him anymore. Fifteen years later, the league is holding another expansion draft, and the Pistons have won another title their third. But this time they had 48 hours after winning the championship last Tuesday to inform the league which player will be Elden Campbell pmade available to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats.

Pistons management wouldn't leak the name li Please see PISTONS, Page 3D BUILDING BLOCKS What NBA expansion draft. When: 7 tonight. Where: Charlotte, N.C. I TV: NBA-TV. Format Charlotte Bobcats will select a mini-, mum of 1 4 players, with no more than one from each team.

Pistons: Can protect eight players. Most likely to be unprotected Corliss Williamson and Elden Campbell. MARY SCHROEDEWDetrot Free Prma Tigers left-hander Willie Hernandez, middle, is embraced by shortstop Alan Trammell, left, and first baseman Darrell Evans after the final out against Kansas City at Tiger Stadium. It gave Detroit the 1984 American League pennant.