Today marked the end of an era for 2 Pro Sports franchises: The Detroit Tigers and the Tennessee Titans. Today the Tigers got the news that Jim Leyland, who has managed the club since 2006, would not be returning to the team, and will take another front office position with the Tigers, and Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers owner/founder Bud Adams passed away at the age of 90. Sure, he was criticized for his decision making as all managers are, but Leyland was overall a great baseball man. Leyland began his big league managing career in 1986 when he took over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were at that time at one of the lowest points in franchise history, having just lost 108 games the year before. By 1988, the Bucs were back, and Leyland would go on the lead Pittsburgh to 3 straight division titles in 1990-92. Unfortunately, the Bucs were eliminated in the NLCS all 3 years, the last 2 against the Atlanta Braves. 1992 will always be remembered for Sid Breams infamous slide.
Although he never got to a World Series in Pittsburgh, Leyland took a team that was at the bottom and brought them to the top, and he should always be remembered in Pittsburgh for that. Unfortunately, the loss of star players(Barry Bonds, Doug Drabek, etc.) finally caught up with Pittsburgh, and the glory days would end. Leyland would stay in Pittsburgh through 1996, when he left to take over the then Florida Marlins, who were in just their 5 season of existence.
In Leyland's 1st season in Florida, Leyland did what he could never do in Pittsburgh: He won the World Series, on a walkoff hit by Edger Renteria in Game 7 to beat the Cleveland Indians.
The fun would not last, however, as Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga decided to sell off many of the team's star players in attempt to sell the team. The Marlins would lose 108 games in 1998, and Leyland would leave Florida, stating that he thought his job there was to win games, but that apparently that was not what Huizenga wanted. Leyland would then go on to manage the Colorado Rockies, where he had an uneventful 1 year reign. Leyland would not manage again for 5 years, spending that time as a Pittsburgh based scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, until he got to call to manage once again by the Detroit Tigers in 2006.
Like the Pirates, the Tigers were a losing baseball team when Leyland took over them, having lost 91 games in 2005 and being 3 years removed from one of the worst seasons in MLB history, where they lost a woeful 119 games. In his first season with the Tigers, Leyland led them to the AL Pennant. Although they would lose the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games. Despite the loss, Leyland's turnaround of the Tigers was remarkable, and he was named AL Manager of the Year. Leyland would lead Detroit to the playoffs 3 more times in his tenure, including a return trip to the World Series in 2012, where they were swept by the San Francisco Giants. That brings us to today, where Leyland ended his managing career. I wish him the best in the future, and hopefully his accomplishments land him a plaque in Cooperstown.
The second person I would like to talk about tonight is Bud Adams, who passed away today at the age of 90. He was the owner/founder of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. I will not get into too much detail about Adams, because there is a lot to talk about in his life. He founded the Houston Oilers in 1960, than part of the long-defunct American Football League. The Franchise has had many up's and downs, the ups being in the 1970's and late 1990's. Adams decided to move the Oilers in 1996, a decision for which he is still frowned upon for in Houston, similar to the way Art Modell is viewed in Cleveland. I look at Adams as one of the men who helped make Football what it is today, as he was a part of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. In conclusion, both Leyland and Adams are influential figures in sports, and they should be talk about with some form of respect.
That wraps it up for this post. Thanks for reading.
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