Baseball lifer Rich Dauer died Feb. 3 at the age of 72. His funeral is set for Saturday. A.J. Hinch will miss the Tigers' first spring training game.

On a chilly Friday morning in TigerTown, Hinch stood in the right-field corner, quietly reflecting on the late Rich Dauer — a mentor, a friend and a baseball lifer. "He was a coach," Hinch said.

Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard will manage the team in Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Manager A.J. Hinch will be away from the club to attend the ...

Hinch was scheduled to fly to Cincinnati Friday night and attend the funeral service of his friend and former coach, Rich Dauer. “It gets emotional for me,” Hinch said Friday morning.