Jim Leyland's Legacy

Retiring a number is always a huge deal for a franchise. So big in fact that some teams have yet to even retire a number (not counting Jackie Robinson's league-wide 42). The Marlins, only in existence since 1993, are still waiting on their first, though an argument could be made for Pudge. The Rockies technically don't have one retired yet, but with Todd Helton retiring last year, I would be willing to bet my first child's college tuition on him getting his #17 in the proverbial rafters or whatever they will do at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks recently retired Luis Gonzalez's #20 for leading them in almost every offensive category, including World Series walkoff hits. The Expos have a few retired, but the Nationals don't so if you want to get megatechnical on me, then fine, the Nats are still waiting, too.

Now, the Tigers have no shortage of retired numbers, but that doesn't mean the achievement should be taken lightly. So here is my question: should Jim Leyland's number 10 be retired in Detroit?

No.

Here's why.

A) No rings. Before Leyland, the Tigers were the laughing stock of the league. In his first year as manager, Leyland brought Detroit to the World Series, sure, but also brought their first .500 season in 13 years. I was still in diapers in 1993 and didn't even know what baseball was. He also won three straight AL Central titles, including another AL Pennant in 2012. While this is great for Detroit and her fans, there are a few things that need to be noted: the AL Central, other than last year, was an absolute joke. The 2nd best team in the Central in 2011 was the 80-82 Indians. In 2012, it was a slightly closer race, where they squeaked out a title over the 85-77 White Sox, but the third place team was 72-90. The two World Series the Tigers made were quite embarrassing, only winning one game out of nine, and scoring 17 runs in those 9 games. He got them there but couldn't quite take that final step.

B) Managers don't often get their numbers retired. The Tigers 'retired' Sparky's number, but he brought the city a championship and was in Detroit twice as long as Jim. The Mets retired Casey Stengel's 37, mostly as an apology for dragging him out of retirement for coaching the game's worst team ever. As a more recent example, Bobby Cox's was retired for the Braves, but rightfully so. They won 14 out of 15 NL East titles (11 straight), as well as 5 pennants and a World Series. In comparison, Joe Torre doesn't have his number retired by the Yankees, and he brought them 4 World Series and another 3 pennants.

C) Likeability. This is a tough one, but a lot of people blame the inability to win the big game directly on Jimbo. Many put Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS (the bullpen cop game) directly on him. Scherzer was humming and only at 105 pitches, but he went to the bullpen, and....well we know the rest. Leyland was loyal to a fault and because of that, the way he defended his choices made him some enemies. For example, again in the 2013 playoffs, why did Jackson stay at the top of the lineup after setting the ALDS strikeout record? Why did a very offensively capable Brayan Pena not get more playing time over the "we can rebuild him, we have the technology" Alex Avila? Why did Andy Dirks play so much through injury? I can go on and on, and Leyland haters can go on even longer. When his team did not perform, every once in awhile Leyland would snap and go on a rant of how the performance was unacceptable, but the same habits would appear in the clubhouse again a week later. 

I love Jim Leyland, I really do. When he started sobbing and then moonwalked after a Torii Hunter bear hug, I admit I was speechless and shed a tear myself. But the Tigers came too close to winning it all. I genuinely felt physical pain when Koji slammed the door in October last year! 

Okay sorry, I'm getting a little dramatic, but the Tigers never won when it truly mattered. With the last 3 AL MVPs, 2 of 3 CYA, as well as a bevy of wins, strikeouts, and ERA leaders, a title should have been won. While he had a great run in Detroit, unfortunately, it was not great enough. If I had a vote, I wouldn't retire Jimmy's #10. Maybe a memory patch in the shape of a cigarette or something. 

As always, thanks for reading. Here's a picture of Don Kelly and Patrick Leyland at a Steelers game this fall. What a man.