December 17 in Tigers and mlb history:
1888 - Former Detroit players Deacon White and Jack Rowe purchase a controlling interest in the minor league Buffalo club. Though their reserve rights have been sold to Pittsburgh, both men announce plans to play in Buffalo next year.
1889 - The Players League adopts some new rules, including the 2-umpire system and an increase in pitching distance from 55 1/2 feet to 57 feet. A lively ball is chosen, assuring high scores in the upcoming season.
1902 AL owners adopt a 154-game schedule for the next season. This will last for over a half-century.
1920 - The American League votes to allow pitchers who used the spitball in 1920 to continue using it as long as they are in the league. The National League will do the same. There will be 17 designated spitters in all, eight in the NL and nine in the AL.
For the NL: Bill Doak, Phil Douglas, Dana Fillingim, Ray Fisher, Marvin Goodwin, Burleigh Grimes, Clarence Mitchell, and Dick Rudolph.
For the AL: A.W. Ayers, Slim Caldwell, Stan Coveleski, Red Faber, Dutch Leonard, Jack Quinn, Allan Russell, Urban Shocker, and Allen Sothoron.
1928: National League President John Heydler's designated hitter idea gets the backing of John McGraw, but the American League is against it.
1928: At a joint meeting, a rule is changed that ends the practice of minor league teams selling star prospects to friendly Major League clubs for high prices, then getting the players back, forcing another ML club to pay the reputed price for the player.
Other changes ban the signing of players under the age of 17 and set a $7,500 price tag on any first-year player.
1949 - The Yankees and Detroit swap first basemen, the Tigers getting Dick Kryhoski while New York takes Dick Wakefield, signed by the Tigers in 1941 to a $52,000 bonus.
1968 - The owners announce they will increase contributions to the players' pension fund by $1 million to $5.1 million per year. Players vote down the proposal, 491-7.
1983 The Tigers sign free agent slugger Darrell Evans.
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Curtis_Pride
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pridecu01.shtml
Curtis Pride 1996-1997.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pemberu01.shtml
Rudy Pemberton 1995.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/villabr01.shtml
Brandon Villafuerte 2000.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Eric_Eckenstahler
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/eckener01.shtml
Eric Eckenstahler 2002-2003.
Tigers players who passed away:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Larry_Sherry
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sherrla01.shtml
Larry Sherry 1964-1967.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Walt_Dropo
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dropowa01.shtml
Walt Dropo 1952-1954.
from baseball reference
