The Detroit Tigers have established themselves as the team to beat in the American League for the second straight season.
It's a remarkable turnaround from a franchise that came within a game of having the worst record in the history of Major League Baseball in 2003.
Many Tiger fans give credit to Detroit Manager Jim Leyland, who previously showed his magic touch in championship success with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Florida Marlins. It took Leyland only one season to take perennial loser to the World Series.
Leyland is only human
But Leyland proved to also be a bust in Colorado. When he was hired by the Tigers October 2005, Leyland said in a press conference that he didn't do "a very good job. To be honest, I was burned out and left after one year," he said at the same press conference.
He came to Detroit at the right time to take the pieces General Manager David Dombrowski had put together and turn the Tigers into the most exciting sports team in the Motor City at the moment.
But it was only a matter of time before Dombrowski's magic would work in the Motor City regardless of who was filling the role of manager. Leyland's predecessor, Alan Trammell, now a coach with the Cubs, has all the tools to be a top notch manager. But he didn't have near the talent in Detroit that Leyland enjoys.
Dombrowski had worked his magic with the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. He perhaps is the best baseball mind in the Major Leagues right now.
True, Dombrowski gave Trammell better material the second and third years of his three-stint with the Tigers. But unlike Trammell, Leyland enjoys a team that generally has avoided major injury, although the loss of fireballing middle reliever Joel Zumaya can't be ignored. Leyland deserves credit for keeping the Tigers in first place despite a shaky relief pitching staff.
But Dombrowski was able to get Tiger owner Mike Ilitch to open his wallet and bring in the likes of Ivan Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers, Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield. Trammell had Rodriguez for two seasons but didn't have a healthy Ordonez in 2005, Trammell's last season. Trammell could get another managerial shot in the MLB, hopefully at a franchise not as woeful as the Tigers during his three seasons there.
When the Tigers were struggling through mediocrity, they actually had quality managers like Phil Garner, who could never win in Detroit. But in Houston, Garner produced a World Series team in 2005, that arguably had less talent than what Leyland has had to work with in Detroit.
A bright future
The Tigers could remain a power to come for many years. It's Dave Dombrowski, and not Jim Leyland, who Tiger owner Mike llitch needs to focus on keeping in the fold. Dombrowski is the most valuable nonplayer in the Tiger organization right now.
Leyland, who turns 63 later this season, likely only has a few more seasons left as a manager. Dombrowski might eventually leave Detroit to pursue other challenges. Such a move could endanger the Tigers' sudden emergence as a Major League Baseball power.
John Raffel - John Raffel has been a professional sports writer for 31 years and has cover virtually all sports on the high school, college and ...
