Bless You Boys - Jim Leyland steps down as Tigers' managerA detailed list of nope about the Detroit Tigershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47585/default.png2013-11-04T11:15:04-05:00http://www.blessyouboys.com/rss/stream/46261972013-11-04T11:15:04-05:002013-11-04T11:15:04-05:00Leyland’s Legacy
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<figcaption>Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY</figcaption>
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<p>How the nicest asshole in the game transformed Detroit's baseball culture</p> <div class="main-wrap">
<p class="intro">Before the tears, before the swears, before the wins, before the rants, there was the admission. "I didn't attack the manager's job the way you should," said Jim Leyland, a Tigers minor-league never-was from below the Michigan border, meeting the press for the first time on an early October day in Detroit and acknowledging his ignominious exit from the game six years earlier when he resigned as manager of the Rockies.</p>
<p>"Running a team, there are always egos involved and little fires you have to put out. I didn't put out those fires." Fitting, then, that on a pleasant September evening following a victory over the Royals in Kansas City Leyland made the decision that 2013 would be his last year as skipper, whether he guided the Tigers to their first World Series victory under his tenure a month later or not. Speaking six weeks after that night, the plainspoken, gray-haired 68-year-old stayed good to his word: "I’ve told most all of you in the past when it's time, it's time," he said. "It’s time. It's time to step down from the managerial position of the Detroit Tigers." With those words, the career of one of the most unique characters in franchise history came to a close. The Jim Leyland era was over. But the Jim Leyland legacy has only just begun.</p>
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<h3>The Jim Leyland era is over. But the Jim Leyland legacy has only just begun.</h3>
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<p>"My moments here are priceless," Leyland said, speaking on his final day as the team’s manager. "To be in that Tigers dugout, see all the fans, see all the celebrations. It’s been absolutely fantastic." Eight years is a long time to manage the same team. In the Tigers’ history, just two other managers have stuck around for more games. Sparky Anderson spent an amazing 17 seasons in Detroit, taking over the club in 1979 and guiding it to a World Series victory in 1984 before finishing the final decade with just one additional playoff appearance. Hughie Jennings is lesser known, though his name came up recently due to the accomplishments of Leyland. Leading the Tigers for 14 years from 1907 through 1920, Jennings was in charge the only other time in franchise history the Tigers made baseball’s postseason three consecutive years. Those years were 1907-09, and a club with Ty Cobb in its lineup had no World Series victories to show for it. Then we have Leyland, who took over the Tigers after a disappointing 2005 season cost Alan Trammell his managerial job. Leyland didn’t do what Sparky did, or Steve O’Neill did, or Mickey Cochrane did; that is, bring a World Series title to Detroit. But Leyland’s spot in franchise history is just as sure as any of theirs, and that’s because of what he did during his first six months after being named the team’s manager in October 2005.<br><br>You can’t give Leyland all the credit for the team’s success over the past eight years, of course, for this golden era in Tigers history. Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski have stocked the roster with several of the best players fans in Detroit have ever watched represent them. Justin Verlander has won both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. Miguel Cabrera has been named MVP as well after earning the sport’s first Triple Crown in 45 years. But before Verlander, before Cabrera, before we knew how this story would turn out, there was Leyland and a team that didn’t know how to take the next step. "I came here to make talent a team," Leyland later said. And that’s just what he did.</p>
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<div align="right" class="chorus-snippet browser_wide_media"><span> <a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3507197/Matt_Marton-USA_TODAY.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3507197/Matt_Marton-USA_TODAY.jpg"></a><i><font size="1">Matt Marton-USA TODAY</font></i></span></div>
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<p>At his core, Leyland is a bit of a softy, more emotional than he’d like to be. He became choked up on more than one occasion when speaking of the fans of the team or of his emotions regarding the players. Famously, he cried when speaking about Don Kelly’s home run in the ALDS in 2011. It’s thought that he always keeps an underdog on his roster as an emotional lift and as his way of helping a player do what Leyland, a career .222 hitter in the minor leagues, never could: reach the big leagues. "I'm going to miss the players," Leyland said upon retirement, fighting back the emotion he promised he wouldn’t show in his final press conference as manager. "I'm going to miss the people I worked with." But to get to that emotional core, you first have to get through one of the tougher exteriors in the game. It’s that very dichotomy that made the Tigers the team they are today.</p>
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<a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3507213/Kyle_Terada-USA_TODAY.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3507213/Kyle_Terada-USA_TODAY.jpg"></a><i><font size="1">Kyle Terada-USA TODAY</font></i>
<h3>"I want to see a fight once in a while. I want to see someone mad at me, throw a stool. You can't make guys do this. I'm concerned."</h3>
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<p>The Tigers hadn’t had a winning season in 12 years when Leyland took over and hadn’t finished better than third place in 14. They were just two seasons removed from a 119-loss season in which they narrowly avoided recording more losses than any team in major-league history.</p>
<p>They had some franchise players -- Ivan Rodriguez signed in 2004, Magglio Ordonez in 2005, contracts of convenience for players whose maladies would otherwise keep them from earning the kind of paychecks they desired, and the Tigers a club that had to overpay to dig out of the hole created during a decade of mistakes -- added to veteran leadership in Kenny Rogers, strength up the middle with Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco, and interesting prospects like Justin Verlander and Curtis Granderson.</p>
<p>That gave Leyland some clay to work with when he went south to Lakeland during the opening months of 2006. He immediately started to shape it, not unsurprisingly in his own image. "This team, has no personality, no charisma," he said. "It has got good players; the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I wish I had a couple of more assholes and people [who] would rant and rave more." He continued: "I want to see a fight once in a while. I want to see someone mad at me, throw a stool. You can't make guys do this. I'm concerned."</p>
<p>Leyland wanted swagger. He wanted the Tigers to play take the field like the Yankees, feeling confident the game was theirs to win and that’s what they’d do. Instead he had a team that could play with anyone, but only until the stakes got too high. Then they’d fold. Leyland had folded once, but he wasn't about to do it again.</p>
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<p>Leyland had his own reasons for swagger. Before he flamed out as the Rockies manager, he won a World Series in 1997 with the Florida Marlins, a team led by the likes of Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Edgar Renteria and with a rotation led by Kevin Brown. And before that ring, Leyland won three straight NL East titles as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Leyland, too, knew a thing about hard-nosed players, the kind who may be hard to manage but you want them on the field playing for your team rather than against it. Famously during spring training in 1991, the middle year in Pittsburgh’s trio of success, Leyland went head to head with his best player in a video shown countless times since. "Don’t fuck with me," Leyland said in Bonds’ face. "I’ve had enough of this fucking shit. … I’m the fucking manager of this fucking team. If you don’t want to be here, get your fucking ass out of here and quit."</p>
<p>Mets manager Terry Collins, who was then a coach in the Pirates organization, stood only a few feet away,witnessing it all. "Jim Leyland was all about respecting the game of baseball," Collins told the New York Daily News 20 years later. "Respecting it to the max. He always said, ‘When you can’t give your all, get out. This game demands the best you’ve got.’" Those who knew Leyland wouldn’t have been surprised by his outburst. In 1978, as a 33-year-old, he put the then 21-year-old Kirk Gibson in his place pretty quick, telling him "I don't care how much you're making or what you did in football or college baseball. I'm the manager here. You'll do what I say and do it every day! Is that understood?" But if you play the game the right way, and respect the game, you’ll have an ally in Leyland. "People who aren't around him don't see how much fun he's actually having and how easy he is to play for," Todd Jones once said. "If you prepare and play hard and get beat, he's OK. If you're not ready, he's going to have issues." That is what Leyland brought to Detroit in the winter months as 2005 turned to 2006 and spring training transitioned into the regular season.<br><br>It was not easy to shake all the losing the Tigers had done before Leyland’s arrival, and in April when the team looked like it had stopped being the nice guy Washington Generals and started being the league’s assholes, there was a relapse. Detroit opened the season 5-0, winning games with scores of 14-3, 10-6 and 7-0. That was followed by four straight losses, and after a 10-2 loss in Cleveland on April 17, Leyland had seen enough. "We stunk and that's not good enough," he told the press minutes after an explosive closed-door meeting with the team. "This stuff has been going on here before and it's not going to happen here. We had a chance to take a series. I'm not talking about anyone in particular. I'm talking about the team, myself, the coaches, and everybody else included. It's my responsibility to have the team ready to play today, and they weren't ready to play. They were ready to get on the plane and go to Oakland. If they won it was OK and if they lost it was OK. That's not good enough."</p>
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<h3>"If they won it was OK and if they lost it was OK. That's not good enough."</h3>
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<p>There would be periods of time when the Tigers weren’t good enough during Leyland’s years, such as when a team bound for the World Series in 2008 finished instead in the basement of the division, or in 2009 when they held a three-game lead in the Central Division with four games to go in the season, yet failed to close the deal and missed the playoffs after giving up the lead in the extra innings of Game 163. But that team of nice guys was never the same again in 2006. The rant became a thing of legend, to be hearkened back to each time the team showed a bit of struggle. In little more than six months after being introduced as manager of the Detroit Tigers, Leyland molded the team in his image as one of the nicest assholes in baseball. They went 52-23 in the first half, knocked off the Yankees in the ALDS in the famous "JV vs. the varsity" contest, swept the A’s in four games in the ALCS and brought the World Series back to Detroit for the first time since 1984. <br><br>Jim Leyland might disagree with praise, bat away the credit given to him. Ask him about team chemistry or his role with the team and you’re just teeing him up for verbal batting practice. "I don't believe in chemistry," he said once. "Show me a winning team, and I'll show you a good clubhouse. Show me a losing team, and I'll show you a horseshit clubhouse. I've gone to chapel with them and eaten with them, and we've lost 100 games. I've had 'em all hate me and want to punch me in the nose, and we've won 100. I'll take talent. I don't buy all that other stuff." Or another time, when asked about his role in turning the franchise around in 2006: "I've done nothing. I picked a good staff. And I picked a good job. That pretty much sums it up." Ask him about his lasting legacy, and you might get a response like this one, also from 2006: "They didn't need me when I got here. And they won't need me when I'm gone. If they can play, they can play. Fortunately, they can play."<br><br>But Leyland’s wrong to sell himself short. Through eight years as Tigers manager, his teams won 700 games, earned two American League pennants, earned three consecutive AL Central Division titles and made the postseason four times. The team may never have won a World Series under his leadership, but Leyland -- by never being afraid to show a little emotion, refusing to back down, and taking a team of losers and turning them into winners -- sparked a baseball renaissance in Detroit and reignited the city’s passion for the game. Today, announcements of sellout crowds and seasons of 3 million attendance are the norm. That's a credit to Leyland. "I came here to change the team," Leyland said, eight years after his arrival. "I think we’ve done that. I’m happy to be a small part in that." That will forever be Jim Leyland's legacy in Detroit.</p>
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<div align="right" class="chorus-snippet browser_wide_media"><span> <a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/3273509/KellyUNH2.JPG" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3507181/Ronald_Martinez.jpg"></a><i><font size="1">Photo credit: Ronald Martinez </font></i></span></div>
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<b>Producer:</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/justinbopp" target="new">Justin Bopp</a> | <b>Editors: </b> <a href="https://twitter.com/hookslidebyb" target="_blank">HookSlide</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/tigerdog_1">Patrick OKennedy</a> | <b>Title Photo:</b> Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY</div>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/11/4/5063810/jim-leyland-retirement-legacyKurt Mensching2013-10-22T08:30:06-04:002013-10-22T08:30:06-04:004 faces of Jim Leyland: A character study
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<figcaption>Jim Rogash</figcaption>
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<p>He's been in Detroit for eight years, but who really is Jim Leyland?</p> <p>There is an old story often told to teach a lesson on perception (and religious pluralism, but I digress).</p>
<p>There are four blind men, each groping in the dark. The first takes hold of a thick, rough cylinder and cries out, "I have found a tree trunk!" The second blind man grabs hold and says, "No, I feel thin, wispy strands, this must be a broom". The third grabs hold and says, "no no, this is smooth and long like a pipe". The forth reaches up and down and proclaims, "no, this is broad like a wall"</p>
<p>Of course all the blind men were all wrong, they were, in fact, touching an elephant. They had hold of a leg, tusk, tail, and side respectively.</p>
<p>Perhaps the story holds true when we ask the question "who is Jim Leyland?" It depends on your perspective. Here are four of the main perceptions of Jim Leyland.</p>
<p><b>Profile: </b>Bumbling old-man whose time has passed him by</p>
<p><b>Advocates: </b>Sports radio talk show hosts, website commenters, that one uncle everyone has</p>
<p><b>Evidence:</b> Loyalty to certain players, slavish reliance on right/left match ups, bunting, eating during the post game interviews, smoking.</p>
<p><span> </span>There is a segment of the fan base that has claimed for years that Leyland has been completely incompetent. Not just subject to some errors, but a man whose judgments were so fundamentally flawed he single-handedly cost the tigers 7-15 games a year. He pulled pitchers too early, he put in the wrong reliever, he didn't bunt enough, he bunted too often, he stuck too long with struggling players, his lineups stunk... These people knew his judgments were wrong because food flew out of his mouth during interviews and he smoked. "He's just a senile old man" these people would yell while dissecting each managerial decision, usually with the benefit of hind-sight.</p>
<p><b>Profile: </b>Hard-nosed, old school baseball man who does things "the right way"</p>
<p><b>Advocates:</b> Jim Price, grandpas, some national writers, Barry Bonds?</p>
<p><b>Evidence: </b>Chewing out umpires, love of the hit and run, foul mouth</p>
<p><span> </span>Leyland has been in baseball 50+ years, he must be tough and old school! Look at his grumbling! Look at his swearing! Unlike the previous camp, this group loves these attributes. If only today's whippersnappers would learn to respect the traditions of the game. One story captures this Leyland beautifully. Evidently after the top of the 7th inning Skip came out to argue a call with the umpire. When God Bless America started to play he stopped yelling and took of his hat for the song only to resume his rant when the song was over.</p>
<p><b>Profile: </b>Clever, self-deprecating motivator who has people duped</p>
<p><b>Advocates: </b>many of the beat writers, other managers</p>
<p>Evidence: Never makes excuses, uses subtle motivational tactics, wins (quite a few wins)</p>
<p><span> </span>If Jim Leyland is such an out-of-touch bungler, how has he made it so long? The answer is: he's not an idiot. You might not always agree with his conclusions, but Leyland always does something for a reason. And often they are reasons that that are behind the scenes. How many times has there been clubhouse drama? How about drama with management or other teams? Leyland always falls on the sword for other's crap. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2013/10/jim_leyland_definitely_colorfu.html">Chris Iott </a><a href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2013/05/detroit_tigers_13.html" target="_blank">tells a story</a> about how Leyland, his office full of media, calls Ryan Raburn into his office and tells him ""Get that healed up, I need you in the lineup." This was a calculated move to instill confidence in his guy and get him to perform. I'd be stunned if there are not hundreds of these stories.</p>
<p><b>Profile: </b>Tenderhearted, emotional player's manager</p>
<p><b>Advocates:</b> Front office staff, players</p>
<p><b>Evidence:</b> Post clinch celebration tears, hugging, more tears, players dedication</p>
<p><span> </span>When I met Phil Coke this spring about my silly twitter account he was suspicious but pretty cool about everything with one important exception: you can't say anything bad about Skip. I don't know if I've always followed his edict, but it surely does tell you something about how he felt about his manager. This is not an anomaly, players love Jim Leyland and give him their all. Don't buy all the gruff stuff and the language, when it comes down to it Leyland is a guy who pours out everything he has for his team, for his guys.</p>
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<p>So, which is it? Who was Jim Leyland as a manager? Perhaps, like the elephant, there are fragments of truth to each perception. Leyland was dedicated to doing things the right way. He loved his players. He was brilliant at relating to his stakeholders. He doesn't know how to turn on a computer He made occasional tactical blunders. He was a really good manager and a terrific person.</p>
<p>But now that Leyland is retired and heading back to suburban Pittsburgh, the time for perception and study is over. Perhaps this is a more applicable story:</p>
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<p><font face="sans-serif" size="2"><span>Six blind elephants were discussing what men were like. After arguing they decided to find one and determine what it was like by direct experience. The first blind elephant felt the man and declared, 'Men are flat.' After the other blind elephants felt the man, they agreed.</span></font></p>
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<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862810/mlb-tigers-jim-leyland-steps-down-so-who-should-replace-him?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Who should be the next Tigers’ manager?</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863432/the-aftermath-or-a-farewell-to-leyland?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A farewell to Leyland</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863092/jim-leyland-tigers-memories-videos-gifs?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Our favorite things about Leyland </a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/22/4864386/jim-leyland-tigers-facesComericaEric2013-10-22T07:00:08-04:002013-10-22T07:00:08-04:00Leyland's Cooperstown credentials
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<figcaption>Leon Halip</figcaption>
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<p>Jim Leyland spent 22 seasons as a major league manager with the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers. Did he do enough in his career to warrant induction into the Hall of Fame? </p> <p><span>Wi</span><span>th</span><span> the announcement that he was hanging up his spikes after a 22-year managerial career, Jim </span><span>Leyland</span><span> leaves behind quite a track record. But is it good enough for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown? </span></p>
<p><span>As of the end of the 2013 season, he is the </span><span>winningest</span><span> active manager in the game.</span></p>
<p>Here is where Leyland ranks among managers:<br><br>- 14th all time in games managed with 3,499<br>- 15th all time in wins with 1.769<br>- 10th all time in losses with 1,728<br>- 7th all time in playoff appearances with 8<br>- Six division titles<br>- Three pennants<br>- One <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> title<br><br>There are 19 managers in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Leyland has managed more games than eleven hall of fame managers, and more wins than ten of them, including Tommy Lasorda, Dick Williams, and Earl Weaver. His winning percentage of .506 is better than three hall of fame managers, and very close to Casey Stengel’s .508.<br><br>A few more recently retired managers are hall of fame candidates. Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre are strong candidates, each with more career wins and a higher win percentage than Leyland. The only managers with more wins who are not in the hall are Lou Piniella and Gene Mauch, Mauch has a career percentage of .483 with no World Series wins.<br><br>While Leyland has just one World Series title, with the Florida <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> in 1997, one must consider that there are almost twice as many teams now than there were for the first sixty years of major league baseball, and there is a gauntlet of post season play to get through in the modern age. <br><br>If Leyland is not admitted to the hall of fame, it is likely his win percentage and lack of multiple world championships that keeps him out. <br><br>What makes a hall of fame manager, anyway. Is it wins? Most would agree that wins have a lot more to do with the players on the team than the manager. I would suggest that longevity might be a better indicator of a successful manager. Ultimately, a manager has to win games in order to survive. Just keeping a job more than two decades is a hefty accomplishment. <br><br>The fact that Leyland has more total wins and more total games managed than most managers in the hall of fame are the strongest points to be made in his case for entry into baseball’s elite club.</p>
<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862810/mlb-tigers-jim-leyland-steps-down-so-who-should-replace-him?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Who should be the next Tigers’ manager?</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863432/the-aftermath-or-a-farewell-to-leyland?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A farewell to Leyland</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863092/jim-leyland-tigers-memories-videos-gifs?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Our favorite things about Leyland </a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/22/4864948/jim-leyland-mlb-hall-of-fame-hof-cooperstownPatrick OKennedy2013-10-22T06:30:04-04:002013-10-22T06:30:04-04:00Jim Leyland Links: National reactions
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<figcaption>Leon Halip</figcaption>
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<p>The national media and Detroit Tigers bloggers react to Jim Leyland's announcement that he's stepping down as the Detroit Tigers manager. </p> <p><b>Jim Leyland retires as Tigers manager; is Hall of Fame in his future? </b><a href="http://mlb.si.com/2013/10/21/jim-leyland-retires-tigers-manager/" target="_blank"><br>The Strike Zone, Jay Jaffe</a></p>
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<p>Two days after the Tigers were ousted from the American League Championship Series, Jim Leyland announced his retirement from managing.</p>
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<p><b>Jim Leyland: Possibly a Hall of Fame manager, definitely a HOF man </b><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/24116863/jim-leyland-possibly-a-hall-of-fame-manager-definitely-a-hof-man" target="_blank"><br>CBSSports.com, Gregg Doyel</a></p>
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<p>He won three pennants and a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>. Hall of Famer? Absolutely yes, in my book.</p>
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<p><b>In Honor of the Retiring Jim Leyland, Here Is a Video of Him Cursing Out <span>Barry Bonds</span> </b><a href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/79026/in-honor-of-jim-leyland-retiring-here-is-a-video-of-him-cursing-out-barry-bonds" target="_blank"><br>The Triangle Blog, Chris Ryan</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>They broke the mold with this guy. May he infuriate his retirement community with his incessant swearing and cigarette smoking.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>When Jim Leyland made an ass of himself </b><a href="http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/21/4863086/jim-leyland-retiring-tigers-manager-barry-bonds-pirates-video" target="_blank"><br>Baseball Nation, Rob Neyer</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Jim Leyland's retiring, and more than the World's Championship he won while managing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>, we'll always remember that day he dropped a bunch of f-bombs on Barry Bonds.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Jim Leyland’s best of times: Remembering him after he stepped down as Tigers skipper </b><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/jim-leyland-greatest-hits-video-172657180--mlb.html" target="_blank"><br>Big League Stew, David Brown</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>At 68 years old, and as he was nearing eight full seasons in Detroit, Leyland simply felt like he was running out of energy to the job properly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Like him or not, Jim Leyland made <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> baseball relevant again</b><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20131021/COL08/310210098/detroit-tigers-jim-leyland-drew-sharp" target="_blank"><br> Detroit Free Press, Drew Sharp</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Criticize him for the situational blunder inevitable for a manager entrusted with making dozens upon dozens of split second decisions over the course of a single game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Leyland announces retirement from managing </b><a href="http://beck.mlblogs.com/2013/10/21/leyland-announces-retirement-from-managing/" target="_blank"><br>Beck's Blog, Jason Beck</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>It's time, Jim Leyland said. "It's time to step down from the managerial position of the Detroit Tigers."</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Leyland's legacy: Borderline Hall of Famer </b><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/41643/leylands-legacy-borderline-hall-of-famer" target="_blank"><br>SweetSpot Blog, David Schoenfield</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>One of the things I liked best about Jim Leyland is that he never really gave you a song-and-dance response to questions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Moving on from a legend </b><a href="http://walkoffwoodward.com/?p=8948" target="_blank"><br>Walkoff Woodward, Sam Genson</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Perhaps more important than who manages the Tigers will be to what extant he has control over his caching staff.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Detroit Tigers Tweet Support, Respect for Jim Leyland </b><a href="http://motorcitybengals.com/2013/10/21/detroit-tigers-tweet-support-respect-jim-leyland/" target="_blank"><br>Motor City Bengals, Matt Snyder</a><br>I really want to be friends with Brayan Pena. He just seems kind of awesome.</p>
<p><b>stepping down </b><a href="http://roarofthetigers.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/stepping-down/" target="_blank"><br>Roar of the Tigers, Samara Pearlstein</a><br>This is pretty great. Nope, it's fantastic.</p>
<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862810/mlb-tigers-jim-leyland-steps-down-so-who-should-replace-him?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Who should be the next Tigers’ manager?</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863432/the-aftermath-or-a-farewell-to-leyland?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A farewell to Leyland</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863092/jim-leyland-tigers-memories-videos-gifs?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Our favorite things about Leyland </a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/22/4864986/jim-leyland-links-reactionsMelissa Heyboer2013-10-21T15:57:24-04:002013-10-21T15:57:24-04:005 of our favorite Jim Leyland moments
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<figcaption>Hannah Foslien</figcaption>
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<p>From the arguments with umpires to the tears after big wins to dancing the moonwalk, Jim Leyland has never held back. That emotion is what we loved about him. Here are some of our favorite memories.</p> <p>Jim Leyland's eight years managing the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a> were not all puppy-dog tails and sunshine. There were disappointments, letdowns, off years, bullpen moves that blew up spectacularly and no <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series" class="sbn-auto-link">World Series</a> title to show for it all when it was time to go.</p>
<p>But Leyland was for the most part a likable character whose quirks provided countless entertaining moments both on the field and off. We could go on and on cataloging them.</p>
<p>We dug up a few of the most iconic ones for your enjoyment, but feel free to add your favorites in the comments.</p>
<h5>The rant</h5>
<p>After taking the reins from Alan Trammell, who managed the 2005 club to a 71-91 record, Leyland had to find a way to whip the team into shape. They had the talent, but they didn't know how to win.</p>
<p>These Tigers seemed better right from the strat, but following five wins to open the season by losing four consecutive games. After the third such loss, 10-2 to the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indians</a>, Leyland blew up behind the closed doors of the clubhouse clubhouse and in speaking to the press gave a speech he's been remembered for ever since.</p>
<p>Via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.detroittigersweblog.com/2006/04/when-managers-attack-jim-leyland-rants/">Detroit Tigers Weblog</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Leyland: We Stunk. Next question.</p>
<p>Reporter: What bothered you the most?</p>
<p>Leyland: It was lackluster, the whole ball of wax was lackluster. We had a chance to take the series, take 3 out of 4, and we came out like we brought our luggage to the park like we had to play a game before we went on the road. That's not good enough.</p>
<p>Reporter: It seems like this was your worst loss...</p>
<p>Leyland: Yeah we stunk period. We stunk and that's not good enough. This stuff has been going on here before and it's not going to happen here. We had a chance to take a series. I'm not talking about anyone in particular. I'm talking about the team, myself, the coaches, and everybody else included. It's my responsiblity to have the team ready to play today, and they weren't ready to play. They were ready to get on the plane and go to Oakland. If they won it was okay and if they lost it was okay. That's not good enough</p>
</blockquote>
<h5>The tearful joy</h5>
<p>Leyland was often criticized by fans and in the media, and he knew that's just part of the job and let the water fall off his back. You could tell just how much delivering big wins meant to Leyland when he couldn't help but get choked up while talking about them.</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SIKeAWW0g9Q" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>But Leyland didn't just get choked up about the Tigers' fans. Here's a video of Leyland crying about Don Kelly's home run in the ALCS (skip to the 3 minute mark):</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="224" width="400" src="http://wapc.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=19854857&topic_id=25370912&width=400&height=224&property=mlb">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<h5>The pranks</h5>
<p><span>Justin Verlander</span> wasn't the only guy on the team that liked to have a good time. In 2011, Leyland waited for Lloyd McClendon to look away for a moment while the two were against the railing watching a game. At that moment, Leyland stealthily snuck a piece of gum down and waited for the fun to ensue.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-YfpxWpUL3Y" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<h5>The arguments</h5>
<p><span>Andy Dirks</span> put down a bunt on June 27, 2011, and was called safe at first. (Replays showed it wasn't even close, he was out.) Then the umps decided Dirks was out after all. <span>That may have been the right call, but Leyland wanted to know exactly what was going on with the decision.</span></p>
<p>Then one of the greatest things ever happened. I could explain it, but you'll just have to watch for yourself to get the full enjoyment as Leyland mimed the play and aftermath before getting run. You can jump straight to the 1 minute mark.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nAREWLK3NvE" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h5>The dancing</h5>
<p>Jim Leyland can cut the rug. He taught a Michael Jackson impersonator how to do the moonwalk before one game this year, and wow'd everyone with his moves during the clubhouse celebration following clinching the AL Central title this September.</p>
<p>First, here's the moonwalk, via MLB.com:</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/3136465/tumblr_msf6rcpRCk1rrjtcto1_400.gif"></p>
<p>But here's one of our more favorite moments ever, which is why we saved it for last.</p>
<p>Leyland was off to the back of the clubhouse when the Tigers celebrated their 2013 division title in Minnesota. Torii Hunter picked him up and carried Leyland into the party. The skipper got doused in bubbly and broke out the dance moves, (GIF credit to MLB.com):</p>
<p><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/4fb8b27e6a09f4f91a4ad2fb2ba12bec/tumblr_mtpuaiLcFJ1rrjtcto2_400.gif"></p>
<p>And here's the video of the entire sequence (click to make it full screen)</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="224" width="400" src="http://wapc.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=30951171&width=400&height=224&property=mlb">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>Displaying so much emotion, with so much love for his team and its fans, and having so much fun, it's easy to see why Leyland will be remembered fondly ... despite those questionable moves to the bullpen.</p>
<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Jim Leyland ends run as Tigers’ manager</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A eulogy for the 2013 Tigers</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Prince Fielder needed to show us more</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/19/4857142/prince-fielder-flying-whale-gif?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">GIF: Flopping fielder</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4863092/jim-leyland-tigers-memories-videos-gifsKurt Mensching2013-10-21T14:19:21-04:002013-10-21T14:19:21-04:00Who should be the Tigers' next manager?
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<figcaption>Leon Halip</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers have some important things to consider before they choose Jim Leyland's successor.</p> <p>Jim Leyland has stepped down as the Tigers' manager. It was a great eight-year run that fell just short of World Series glory. Here's how it looked:</p>
<ul>
<li>2006 - 2nd place; ALDS, ALCS winners</li>
<li>2007 - 2nd place</li>
<li>2008 - Last place</li>
<li>2009 - 2nd place</li>
<li>2010 - 3rd place</li>
<li>2011 - 1st place; ALDS winners</li>
<li>2012 - 1st place; ALDS, ALCS winners</li>
<li>2013 - 1st place; ALDS winners</li>
</ul>
<p>Not bad, considering that for the 15 seasons prior to Leyland's arrival, the Tigers never finished above third place.</p>
<p>But now that Leyland is leaving, who will take over at the helm of this great ship? Who should take over?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>More</b>: <br><a target="new" href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction">Fielder, fans need to see the others' point of view</a> <br><a target="new" href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement">Leyland steps down after 8 years as Tigers' manager</a> <br><a target="new" href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories">A eulogy for the 2013 season</a></p>
<p>There are several things to consider. This has been a World Series-contending team for three straight years, and most of the core team will be back again in 2014. Whoever takes over as manager is stepping into the middle of something already in motion.</p>
<p>Do you want a veteran manager in this spot, someone with past postseason experience? Do you need to bring someone up from within the organization, so as not to upset the existing team/clubhouse chemistry? How well has it worked in the past to use in-house managerial options? Does that even really matter? Does anyone really want to try to bring Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell back?</p>
<p>The in-house options right now are Tom Brookens, Lloyd McClendon, and Gene Lamont. Are any of those options good enough?</p>
<p>Lamont may come with Leyland's stamp of approval. He was a coach for Leyland in the Pittsburgh days, and when Leyland left, the Pirates put Lamont in the manager's seat, and he got them to second place. He also had two winning seasons with the Chicago White Sox in 1993 and 1994.</p>
<p>Interestingly, when Gene Lamont was fired by the Pirates, it was Lloyd McClendon who replaced him. He managed the Pirates for five years and compiled a win record of .430, never getting beyond fourth place.</p>
<p>Tom Brookens, of course, actually played for the Detroit Tigers for 10 years. He was part of the 1984 World Series championship team, and also part of the 1987 division-winning team. He has been managing or coaching in the Tigers' organization for the past nine years. He managed the team's Class A short-season Oneonta Tigers in 2005 and 2006, then went to West Michigan to manage the Whitecaps to a 2007 Midwest League championship. In 2008, Brookens moved up to manage the Class AA Erie SeaWolves, and then rejoined the Tigers as a base coach in 2009.</p>
<p>So how should it go from here? Are any of the internal options good enough? Does hiring from within and preserving the existing chemistry trump going outside the organization for someone with postseason experience? Does it really matter, as long as the core playing team stays the same?</p>
<p>Vote and tell us your opinion in the comments below!</p>
<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Jim Leyland ends run as Tigers’ manager</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A eulogy for the 2013 Tigers</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Prince Fielder needed to show us more</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/19/4857142/prince-fielder-flying-whale-gif?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">GIF: Flopping fielder</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862810/mlb-tigers-jim-leyland-steps-down-so-who-should-replace-himHookSlide2013-10-21T13:27:17-04:002013-10-21T13:27:17-04:00Leyland reacts to Fielder's 'It's over' quote
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QHC4dwK7vNfK-c5UC3P5zxQPJao=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21524643/20131017_ter_st3_493.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Leyland believes there's a little bit of misunderstanding about what Fielder meant when he said "It's not really tough, man. It's over."</p> <p>Sometimes you have to read between the lines, outgoing Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Reading between the lines Monday, you could tell he hoped fans would give Prince Fielder a break for a postgame question-and-answer session that immediately sat wrong with fans grieving the end of the team's 2013 season.</p>
<p>"Sometimes people make a baseball game bigger than life," Leyland said. "I'm not sure if maybe Prince was trying to see there are other things besides this baseball game. Maybe it should have come out different. [It] probably should have come out different."</p>
<div class="read-more">
<strong>More</strong>: <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction" target="new">Fielder, fans need to see the others' point of view</a> <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement" target="new">Leyland steps down after 8 years as Tigers' manager</a> <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories" target="new">A eulogy for the 2013 season</a>
</div>
<p>Fans were reacting to what appeared to be a nonchalance about the end of the season when speaking with the media after the game.</p>
<p>"It's not really tough, man. It's over," Fielder <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freep.com/article/20131020/SPORTS02/131020001/Fielder-says-Tigers-loss-ALCS-won-t-linger-gotta-move-video-">said in the clubhouse </a>after a 5-2 loss in Game 6 of the ALCS. "I got kids I got to take care of, I got things I got to take care of. It's over."</p>
<p>After a postseason with no RBI and a .225 average, .311 on-base percentage and .350 slugging average, resulting in boos at Comerica Park, and following a disappointing second season in Detroit in which he hit his fewest home runs during a complete season in the majors (25) and had his lowest OPS (.819), Fielder's quotes did not sit well with some.</p>
<p>Though the relationship between Fielder and the team's fans is not going well at the moment, Leyland has a prescription for how to win them back in 2014.</p>
<p>"I will say this, a few home runs in April and May and they'll be all right."</p>
<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Jim Leyland ends run as Tigers’ manager</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A eulogy for the 2013 Tigers</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Prince Fielder needed to show us more</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/19/4857142/prince-fielder-flying-whale-gif?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">GIF: Flopping fielder</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862684/prince-fielder-quotes-jim-leylandKurt Mensching2013-10-21T13:12:05-04:002013-10-21T13:12:05-04:00Leyland on ALCS loss: 'This one hurts bad'
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BWj4Z2G7Lr0UTM9zQeZse-kS9_o=/0x521:2666x2298/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21523595/20131017_ter_st3_490.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>"I don't have any regrets. I have some pain today, I've had pain the past ocuple days after that loss." -- Jim Leyland</p> <p>"This one hurt bad," Jim Leyland said of the Tigers' failed bid to win the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series" class="sbn-auto-link">2013 World Series</a>.</p>
<p>In his eighth -- and it turns out, final -- year as the manager of the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a>, Leyland may have had his best chance to bring a World Series title to the organization he grew up in. With a six-game defeat in the American League Championship Series, that opportunity came to an end.</p>
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<strong>More</strong>: <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement" target="new">Leyland steps down as Tigers' manager</a>
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<p>The Tigers the best rotation in the postseason and were one of the highest-scoring clubs in the regular season, but were unable score runs when they needed to to get past the Red Sox.</p>
<p>Though Leyland said during his press conference on Monday he believes he'll still be able to get that World Series ring as a member of the organization, the inability to deliver it as the team's manager continues to hurt him days after the loss at Fenway Park.</p>
<p>"I thought we let one get away," he said. "We did it collectively. I'm just as guilty as everyone else. That's what hurt. With all due respect to the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Red Sox</a> -- they earned it, they won it -- I truly believe the Detroit Tigers should be playing there (in the World Series Wednesday). This hurts. We let it get away."</p>
<p>But, Leyland wasn't going to let the loss detract too much from the legacy of the 2013 season. It was one of more enjoyable ones for fans and one of the more successful ones for the club. The Tigers won 93 games, drew more than three million fans, had the AL's ERA leader, the likely Cy Young Award winner and a former Cy Young and MVP in the rotation -- <span>Anibal Sanchez</span>, <span>Max Scherzer</span> and Justin Verlander. On top of that, for five months, before his injury, reigning (and possibly the soon-to-be-repeat) MVP Miguel Cabrera had one of the best seasons by a right-handed hitter in the history of the game.</p>
<p>"People think this was a disappointing season, I disagree with that," Leyland said.</p>
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<h4>More Roars</h4>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862178/jim-leyland-retirement?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Jim Leyland ends run as Tigers’ manager</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858620/2013-detroit-tigers-memories?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">A eulogy for the 2013 Tigers</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4859372/prince-fielder-quotes-reaction?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Prince Fielder needed to show us more</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/19/4857142/prince-fielder-flying-whale-gif?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">GIF: Flopping fielder</a></p>
<p>•<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4855690/detroit-tigers-2014-mlb-offseason-roster-decisions-rumors?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Tigers should stay the course this offseason</a> | <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/20/4858224/2013-mlb-playoffs-detroit-tigers-offseason-rumors-2014-season?utm_source=blessyouboys&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=moreroars">Roster decisions</a></p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/10/21/4862616/jim-leyland-resignations-world-seriesKurt Mensching