Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines (and give your bosses an early heads up that you’ll be sick on Friday). The Tigers kickstart their 25th baseball season at Comerica Park against the White Sox, and the city kicks off one of its biggest parties of the year. While we can quibble about whether there is such a thing as a moral victory, let alone one to be found in a series sweep, the Tigers played the Dodgers tough, and were a controversial review and reversal away from a ninth inning go-ahead run on Friday night.

The Pelicans might not have anything to play for, having already been eliminated from playoff contention, unable to overcome another injury-plagued season that saw Zion Williamson miss most of November and all of December to a hamstring strain. But make no mistake — Williamson is healthy now and playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 25/7/6 splits since the start of February and displaying the speed and explosiveness that made him such a tantalizing prospect coming out of Duke, and makes this game more than worth the price of admission. The home stretch of the regular season sees the Pistons’ schedule get hellishly difficult, making the task of containing Williamson all the more important.

Fresh off their big win at the defending USL champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Le Rouge look to continue their hot start in their home opener this Saturday against Birmingham Legion FC. Grab your scarves and get a head start on the action at the New Dodge, where the Northern Guard will be pregaming and then marching through Hamtown to the game at 3 p.m. Party starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday; New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck.

Surreal times for Pistons fans. Just last season, the Wizards were the Pistons’ cellmate in the NBA penitentiary of awful teams. The Pistons lost a record-tying 28 games in a row, while the Wizards countered with two separate 16 game skids.

The Red Wings look to right the ship against a feisty Utah Hockey Club. Coyotes no more, this marks the first time the Red Wings have hosted Utah since their move from Arizona. The move, along with the development of former high draft picks Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther and really solid goaltending from Karel Vejmelka, has breathed some life into the franchise that was a perennial bottom feeder for a decade.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic brings his Denver Nuggets to town to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons in a Friday night tilt that sees both teams jockeying for playoff position in their respective conferences. With the Pistons amid their first playoff push since the 2018-2019 season, this will be the first time the Pistons faithful will get to see Jokic in his prime play in a meaningful game. As Cunningham turns in a season worthy of some light MVP chatter himself, this is the sort of measuring stick game Detroit fans are waiting to see.