James Richard Leyland, photo by Buzz Click Photography

In 11 Reasons Baseball Is Going To Seriously Miss Jim Leyland Buzzfeed, Emily Orley & Matt Kiebus offer some really great reflection on the career of one of the great managers of the last two decades, concluding simply:

He was the last of his kind.

Jimmy Leyland never cared about being politically correct. He cared about his players, the fans, and winning baseball games. He rarely had a filter with the media and never met an umpire he wouldn’t give a piece of his mind. He was old-school in the greatest sense of the word, and he was beloved for it. He helped make Pittsburgh a baseball town, led the Marlins to a World Series, and embodied the city of Detroit. He enjoyed a cigarette and stiff drink, but most importantly he loved baseball, and baseball is going to miss him.

Definitely read the whole piece for some good thoughts (and video) about a Tiger legend. More about Leyland:

• Jim Leyland on Wikipedia says that Leyland began his baseball career with the Tigers when they signed him as a catcher on September 21, 1963. A career .222 hitter, he managed the Montgomery Rebels. His last victory on Sept 26 was his 700th for the Tigers and clinched his 3rd straight Central title. He and Tony La Russa are the only managers who have led two different MLB franchises to three consecutive division titles.
• Leyland’s entry at Baseball Reference details his career record. Leyland spent just over a decade managing in the Tigers minor league system before being taped as an assistant coach by Tony La Russa for the White Sox. He was named Pirates manager in 1986, moved to the Marlins in ’97 (when they won the Word Series), and spent a year with the Rockies in 1999. In 2006 after serving as a scout for 7 years, he returned to the  dugout for the Tigers. He compiled a 1769-1728 record in 3499 games over 22 seasons, winning 3 pennants and one World Series.
• Here is Leyland’s press conference on retirement along with an article detailing his career from the Detroit Tigers. They note his 700 regular-season managerial wins are the third most in Tigers history, trailing only Sparky Anderson (1,331) and Hughie Jennings (1,131). His .540 winning percentage as Tigers manager ranks only behind Steve O’Neill (.551 from 1943-48) among managers with at least 500 wins.
• Detroit writer Michael Rosenberg has a nice piece in Sports Illustrated that gives a little more in-depth look at the man from someone who covered him well.

About his photo from late September 2007, Spike says:

Now THIS is a rare shot: Jim Leyland smiling! The Tigers Manager usually shows no emotion but took this opportunity at the last 2007 home game to leave the umpires in stitches. Who knows what Leyland cracked before his audience on the mound but they quickly hid their grins as the opposing manager approached and scolded them.

Check it out on black and see more in great shots of Detroit moments in Spike’s sports slideshow.