Detroit Red Wings, Tigers owner and Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch dies at age 87  —  DETROIT (AP) — Mike Ilitch, founder of the Little Caesars Pizza empire and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, died on Friday, according to his family.  He was 87.

Families of two men killed in boat crash suing estate of late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez  —  Sun Sentinel  —  The parents of the two men killed in a boating accident last September along with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez are filing negligence and personal injury lawsuits in Miami …

The Marlins might sell for $1.6 billion, and you can bet the players will notice  —  Next time you're tempted to complain about baseball player salaries, consider this:  —  Jeffrey Loria bought the Marlins in 2002 for $158.5 million.  Fifteen years later, he might sell them for $1.6 billion.

Compacted snow and ice create slick roads across Connecticut Friday  —  WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — The morning after a blizzard hit Connecticut, snow and ice were still causing headaches for drivers on the hills of Waterbury.  News8 reporter Kent Pierce and photojournalist Kevin Pflaumer staked …

Pirates Acquire Phil Gosselin, Designate Nefi Ogando For Assignment  —  The Diamondbacks announced that they've traded recently designated infielder Phil Gosselin to the Pirates in exchange for minor league righty Frank Duncan.  Right-hander Nefi Ogando has been designated for assignment …

2017 Draft Defined By Depth  —  Plus notes on the Niners, the 2017 opener and more  —  Breer to Patriots' fans: Why so angry?  —  The MMQB's Albert Breer heads to Boston to find out why New England fans still harbor such harsh feeling toward the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell.

Orioles Acquire Gabriel Ynoa From Mets, Designate Francisco Pena  —  The Orioles have acquired right-hander Gabriel Ynoa from the Mets in exchange for cash and designated catcher Francisco Pena for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement.

Dodgers To Sign Franklin Gutierrez  —  The Dodgers have agreed to sign outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, according to Manolo Hernandez of beisbolporgatas.com (via Twitter).  He'll earn $2.6MM and can tack on another $400K in incentives, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter link).

Vic Carucci's Bills Mailbag: With Taylor, it's an either-or proposition  —  You have Buffalo Bills questions (not surprisingly, the majority of which are about Tyrod Taylor's future with the team) that you've submitted to me via Twitter @viccarucci.  —  I've got answers:

Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper Played Through “Issue” in 2016  —  According to agent Scott Boras, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper played through an “issue” last season, causing his disappointing performance at the plate.  —  Bryce Harper is one of the best young superstars in all of baseball.

Revolutionary Change Brings Pitch Counts To Prep Baseball  —  Your browser does not support iframes.  —  Long before he was a Baltimore Oriole, Dylan Bundy was one of the best high school pitchers scouts had ever seen.  In 2010 as a high school junior with a low-to-mid-90s fastball …

Josh McCown says Jimmy Garoppolo has the potential ‘to carry a franchise’  —  Josh McCown, who's mentored many young quarterbacks, believes Jimmy Garoppolo is the real deal.  (Steven Senne)  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — Josh McCown was sad to be released by the Browns Wednesday because he loved it here.

Prince Fielder's career was cut short, but he's still cooking ... literally  —  Prince Fielder is surprisingly upbeat just six months after medical issues brought his baseball career to an abrupt and tearful end.  —  He spends a lot of time shuttling his sons, Jadyn, 12, and Haven, 10 …