Take A Bow, Jim Leyland

DETROIT -- Ever notice how the media makes head coaches or managers larger than life in the post-season?

Anything you read or hear over the next week about Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is well deserved and then some.

You could bring in ESPN's volatile Dick Vitale for a comment. Vitale rants and raves about each coach in an NCAA hoops regional game and does the same in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Well, you could roll the praise for all four of those coaches together and it would be fitting for Leyland, for what he achieved this year.

Leyland is a recycled manager, but at age 61 has been around longer than the blue recycling boxes. This was his 15th season managing.

When he took over the Tigers in the spring , his gravelly voice expressed dismay at what he saw from a club coming off a 91-loss season and without a winning season since 1993.

One day in Lakeland, Fla., during spring training, Leyland looked around and told reporters: "This team, has no personality, no charisma. It has got good players; the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I wish I had a couple of more (expletives) and people would rant and rave more."

Leyland compared his team to an office worker, who gets up, grabs his briefcase, goes to the office, sets down the briefcase, grabs a cup of coffee, does his thing, at 5 p.m., picks up his briefcase, gets in his car and drives home.

"I want to see a fight once in a while. I want to see someone mad at me, throw a stool," Leyland said. "You can't make guys do this. I'm concerned."

"I don't want guys who won't sign a ball for a kid or someone who is not going to act like a good human being," Leyland explained that day. "I want somebody who when they put that uniform on, is a different person for three hours a night."

A week later he dialled it back a notch, as the Tigers raced out of the dugout congratulating one other against the New York Yankees. Leyland told his players to cool it.

By swagger, Leyland explained what he meant: "I'm not talking about rah-rah stuff, I want an inner swagger. No high-fiving when something went great, then sitting pouting when it goes bad. I want a dedicated, hard-nosed-playing team."

In what could be argued as the best division -- the American League Central certainly had the best race -- the Minnesota Twins, defending champion Chicago White Sox and the Tigers all won 90 or more games and at one point, the Tigers were 40 games over .500.

Leyland pushed the buttons, drew to more inside straights than Brett Maverick, listened to his gut and for the first time since 1984 he has the Tigers in the World Series.

Being away from the game made Leyland a better manager. He won the National League East three times in 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also coached the Florida Marlins for two seasons, winning the 1997 World Series.

This season was the first he had managed since the 1999 Colorado Rockies in which he barely went through the motions on the way to a 90-loss season.

"I stunk at my last job, I was lousy," Leyland said. "I was burned out. When I left, I believed I would not manage again. But, I did not want my managerial career to end like that."

Leyland, like Dick Williams, like Sparky Anderson, is a tremendous manager, who never was a major-league all-star. His highest average was .279 -- his final year of high school.

He was a career .222 hitter in six seasons in the Tigers system, in which he never climbed above double-A.

When Tigers slugger Sean Casey went down with a torn calf muscle, Leyland wanted another left-handed hitter against Oakland A's pitcher Esteban Loaiza. Alexis Gomez hit a two-run homer and a two-run single in Game 2 against the A's.

In both series, Leyland had the option of starting his best pitcher, Kenny Rogers, in New York or in Oakland. He chose to wait to pitch Rogers at Comerica Park. Rogers was dominant both games.

We remember snickering when we read Tigers owner Mike Ilitch speak this spring after a meeting with Leyland. He said Leyland reminded him of Scotty Bowman.

"Not one thing gets by him, he knows everything about every player," Illitch said. "He lives, eats and breathes the game. Those guys don't come along that often."

Bless You, Boys! (pt 2)

Thank you, Jim Leyland!

For all the problems, the unemployment, the negative reputation, the decay of the inner city because of idiotic self-serving anticapitalism politicians, this is still an awesome place to live. The next World Series champs, great NBA and NHL teams, great concerts in great venues on a regular basis, and we even kept Barbra Streisand out of town!

Could it be better? Of course! Could it be worse? Easily!

Go Get 'Em, Tigers!

2 posted on 10/16/2006 4:36:35 AM PDT by TheTruthAintPretty (G-d Bless our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers in harm's way!)

Anyone who lives here for any length of time know this is the best (most supportive of their teams) sports town in the county. You won't see an empty seat in a playoff game in this city, unlike many others.

4 posted on 10/16/2006 4:42:57 AM PDT by MadelineZapeezda (Madeline Albright ZaPeezda, no doubt about it!)

"They gave me the Penske file."

"I want to see a fight once in a while. I want to see someone mad at me, throw a stool," Leyland said.

"throw a stool"

LOL .............. who flung poo?

7 posted on 10/16/2006 5:04:39 AM PDT by beyond the sea ( Either hold your nose on Election Day ......... or grab your ankles for the next few years)

GO TIGERS. I'm in Pittsburgh and I'm loving your success.

I never liked Leyland back in the early 90's in Pittsburgh. He was a nervous wreck and made all the players uptight in the playoffs year after year. He took himself way too seriously.

But he seems to have greatly matured now. Good for him and the Tigers!!!

8 posted on 10/16/2006 5:08:16 AM PDT by beyond the sea ( Either hold your nose on Election Day ......... or grab your ankles for the next few years)

"I stunk at my last job, I was lousy," Leyland said. "I was burned out. When I left, I believed I would not manage again. But, I did not want my managerial career to end like that."

Understatement of the century. Leyland spent most nights after Rockies home games barhopping in LODO, getting s***faced and then going back to Coors Field to sleep it off in his office. Funny how some pukes like Leyland keep getting chance after chance after chance while decent people get one shot and that's it.

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"...and we even kept Barbra Streisand out of town!"

Hadn't heard about that - what's the scoop?

11 posted on 10/16/2006 7:09:41 PM PDT by decal (Building a wall on the border is like treating lung cancer with cough syrup.)

We remember snickering when we read Tigers owner Mike Ilitch speak this spring after a meeting with Leyland. He said Leyland reminded him of Scotty Bowman.

A hockey reference! Nice compliment, IMHO!

Jim's always sneaking a smoke at the door to the locker room.

Her show(s) here were cancelled because they didn't sell out. I guess empty seats were too much of a freak-out for her!

13 posted on 10/18/2006 4:50:20 AM PDT by TheTruthAintPretty (G-d Bless our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers in harm's way!)

"I guess empty seats were too much of a freak-out for her!"

Yup, doesn't make much sense to beller STFU to a piece of furniture that isn't making any noise in the first place.

Not that that would stop her, y'understand...

14 posted on 10/18/2006 6:52:17 PM PDT by decal (Building a wall on the border is like treating lung cancer with cough syrup.)

"Home Ice Advantage" according to one sign I saw in the paper. :')

15 posted on 10/20/2006 5:30:19 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Dhimmicrati delenda est! https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)

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