Tigers take measures to keep rust away this time

• Minor leaguers to participate in intrasquad games
• Team pondered working out at spring training facility in Florida
• Justin Verlander among those to throw batting practice Saturday

DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a cut on his head from a bottle after being doused with champagne by reliever Phil Coke on Thursday during the celebration of the team's American League Championship Series sweep of the New York Yankees.

"I went back into my office and the top of my head was covered with blood," Leyland said. "I thought my head was split open. It just cut a scab."

Leyland will happily trade a small cut for another postgame party, this time for a World Series victory.

The Tigers are spending the next three days working out in Detroit while they watch the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals contest the National League Championship Series. The winner will host Game 1 of the World Series starting Wednesday.

In the meantime, the Tigers are bringing in players from their instructional league to play intraquad games Sunday and Monday. The Tigers wanted to make a drastic change in their preparation from 2006, when they also swept the ALCS and had a six-day layoff before losing the World Series in five error-filled games to the Cardinals.

"We wanted to change what we did last time," Leyland said. "Last time we just sat around for six days. We tried to do something, but the weather was so bad we ended up going to Ford Field and running pass patterns on the carpet."

This time, the weather forecast is friendly, but had it gone the other way, the Tigers were prepared to go to their spring training facility in Lakeland, Fla. The team will stay in Detroit until Tuesday when it flies to the NL city.

Saturday, the Tigers worked out for 2 1/2 hours, with everyone from ace Justin Verlander to embattled closer Jose Valverde pitching batting practice.

"This is perfect. I was really happy with this," Leyland said. "It couldn't work out any better. I don't know if we'll be good enough, but we'll be ready."

The Tigers were entertained during workout by comedian George Lopez, who invited everybody to attend his show Saturday night at the Fox Theater. Verlander was the first to ask if he could get a ticket, to which Lopez joked, "I'll try to make room for you."

Lopez, a diehard Los Angeles Dodgers fan, said he will be rooting for the Tigers, especially if they play the Giants. When asked about his Dodgers, Lopez said, "They are going in the right direction. They are not taking funds from the team and building lap pools for the old lady."