“It’s happened before. Inevitably, it’ll happen again.” Thus sighed the Detroit News’ Tom Gage after Tigers manager Jim Leyland cut a postgame press conference short following his club’s miserable showing in Baltimore last night. “Like an argument with an umpire, the many ways in which his fires burn within also make Leyland realize how much passion he still has for the game.” So in other words, the manager should’ve remembered to lose his temper with reporters more often when he cashing checks in Denver?
Questions were being asked and answered. You could see and hear Leyland wasn’t happy, but he had a right not to be happy. The Tigers had just lost a stinker. They’d gone 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
That’s when the one-too-many was asked.
“How encouraged were you by Galarraga’s performance?”
“I’m not going to talk about that, because you guys are worried about Bonderman taking somebody’s place,” Leyland said.
“I’m not going to talk about that (stuff). Galarraga pitched a great game. But that’s all you guys are looking for. Forget it. Good bye. Good night.”
And with that, the post-gamer ended.
Leyland doesn’t get upset with his team often. For that matter, he doesn’t get upset with the media often.
But he hates it when he thinks reporters are fishing, although whether there were lines in the water this time almost wasn’t the entire point.
Because of the game, the lack of execution, the stranded runners, a late home run by the Orioles breaking open a game that had been for grabs, it all boiled over after one question Leyland considered suspicious.
David Roth already covered the matter of Tom Ilitch’s generosity earlier this week, though left unmention was one tiny factoid. ; allowing the local newspapers employ your team’s director of P.R. means there’s more money to spend on talented baseball players.