On Monday Oct. 21, the Detroit Tigers lost one of the best managers ever, as Jim Leyland called it a career. Leyland, who turned 68 this past season, stated that the job at his advanced age became too much to handle. 

“Coming back would have been selfish and for all the wrong reasons, I was low on fuel and I could see it coming,” Leyland said. “The trips were starting to get tough. It had just become such a tiring job at my age, so much more than just making out a lineup … the travel, dealing with players’ personal problems and the media obligations.” 

Leyland leaves after 22 years as an MLB manager, finishing in first or second place 11 of those years. He finishes with 1,769 career wins, ranking him 15th on the all-time list. Baseball will be losing a true legend and character that can’t be replaced, only remembered and celebrated. 

Baseball is a game of dedication and a band of brotherhood. To know what a true player is, you have to be one first, and Leyland was just that.

Leyland played catcher in the minor leagues for the Tigers, the team he would one day manage and do so with the best of them.

Fellow manager and Oakland University’s own baseball coach John Musachio shed some light on what Jim Leyland provided and what the team will miss.

“His steadiness & willingness to stick his neck out for his players, and the loyalty and trust for him, within the clubhouse, was truly exceptional,” Musachio said. “Jim’s loyalty to his team and players is something we should all learn to emulate.

“He never publicly criticized his players, he chose to handle criticism behind closed doors. The ability to manage 25 different personalities, from a wide range of ages & cultural backgrounds, also his communication with these men and ability to maintain cohesiveness within the group, was exceptional.” 

Although Leyland’s teams in Detroit came up shy of winning the World Series, they consistently posted winning records and played the game with great passion, a true reflection of their manager. 

Leyland, who is viewed as hard-nosed and old-school, was also very emotional. Leyland cried at his retirement press conference. Throughout his career he had broken down, but this was different.

Leyland was truly humbled. He usually reserved letting the tears roll for when his team clinched their division, or won a big playoff game. But this time, it was simply to say thanks, and goodbye.