Guest blogger -- Detroit Tiger fan "The Gazelle"

This seems like a sin devoting digital space to anything Michigan but since this is ripping the Detroit Tigers, let's go for it. Today I hand the reigns over to The Gazelle.

Theory on James Leyland

By The Gazelle

Look, this guy is a “legend” and has won a lot of games in baseball. He is probably a Hall of Famer. But let’s cut straight to the bottom line here: he must be fired and right now, while the season can be salvaged. His Tiger teams have some qualities that have repeated year in and year out and it shows that he just isn’t good enough. I know most people would say “it’s only a couple weeks into the season! Don’t over-react!” Yeah, I used to think like that, but 5 seasons with Jim Leyland has taught me the warning signs.

1. Teams start slowly. Everyone makes excuses why a team starts slowly – cold weather, etc. But it is clear that SOME teams have figured out how to break spring training ready to play. The Tigers were not ready to play and they never start the season ready to play. It is almost as if they use the first few weeks of the season to round into shape. Unacceptable.
2. Ridiculous lineups. Leyland all but gives away games with his out-of-the-blue wonky lineups. He hit DON KELLY 3^rd last night. This guy isn’t even a major leaguer. Some of this has to do with missing guys (like V-Mart), but the top 3 guys in their lineup are completely incapable of producing runners.
3. Late season collapses. This has happened nearly every year he has been here, including 2006 when they went to the World Series (boy that seems like a long time ago). They will start the second half near the top of the division and by the end of the season they are clawing for a playoff spot, usually to get nipped right at the end. So basically his teams start slow and end slow.
4. Handling pitchers. This is a complaint every fan has about every team’s manager, but in Leyland’s case it is almost predictable that he will misuse a pitcher. The primary example here is trotting Verlander out for the 8^th inning. Yes, he can sometimes complete a game. He is a real workhorse. But more often than not, and I mean WAY more often, he will come out in the 8^th and either walk the first batter or give up a hit. This invariably leads to a 2-run inning and him getting pulled. I don’t care how good Verlander looks, unless he is throwing a no-hitter he has only got 7 innings in him. And that’s fine. Save him for the next start. We have a $15 million set-up man – use him.
5. Can’t figure out how to manufacture runs. Tiger teams score because of their best players hitting home runs or a shot into the gap. When was the last time you saw a Tiger player bunt for a base hit? How often do you even see a bunt sacrifice from the team? He does not stress these things to his players. Countless times I’ve seen a guy on third with 1 out and the batter pop up or strike out.

The reason he isn’t being fired is because his fate is tied to Dombrowski. Illitch isn’t going to let DD fire Leyland and hire the next manager. The next manager will be hired by the next GM. Plus, Illitch is desperate because he probably doesn’t have 5 more years on this planet.