Leyland hoping to keep emotions in check for Hall speech taken in Downtown (Pirates)

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Jim Leyland takes questions during the Hall of Fame Press Conference at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center on Dec. 4, 2023.

Throughout his 22-year managerial career, Jim Leyland was known for building up franchises. 

He took over a Pirates organization that had lost 104 games the previous year and eventually led it to the National League Championship Series three years in a row. He led the Marlins to a World Series in the fifth year of their franchise and then won two American League pennants while recording a winning record in seven of his eight seasons in Detroit.

After winning 1,769 games, which ranks him 18th all-time, giving a speech in front of fellow Hall of Famers and the plethora of fans who decide to attend the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 21 shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Normally, it probably wouldn't be for a guy like Leyland, who will be inducted alongside Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer. But, the 23rd manager to enter the sacred halls of Cooperstown knows he'll have to overcome a few different things.

He's studied the speeches of the Hall of Famers who have come before him and said that while it may be difficult to do, he's hoping to keep his emotions in check.

"I've watched almost every Hall of Fame speech and a lot of them are emotional," Leyland said during a Zoom conference call Wednesday. "I'm kind of an emotional guy so I hope that I can keep that to a minimum. But, a lot of these guys get emotional, so I'm not gonna be embarrassed about it. I'm sure I'm gonna get a little emotional but I'm really anxious and I can't wait for it to happen. You know, I'm so excited and so thrilled and honored to be going in."

As far as his speech goes, Leyland said it's finished but he's still making a few tweaks to it as it's something that he's not used to. 

"You kind of have to talk about yourself and that's really kind of awkward, to be honest with you," Leyland said. "I'm not used to that, but you do kind of have to explain your journey and that's kinda what I'm going to try to do."

Leyland's baseball career started as a player when the Tigers drafted him out of high school in 1964. He played seven seasons but never made it past Class AA ball. However, Leyland quickly found success as a manager in Detroit's minor league system. 

Starting in 1971, Leyland earned a winning record in seven of his 11 seasons, and by 1982, he was coaching third base for Tony La Russa and the White Sox.

Over the next four seasons, Leyland built up his reputation as a managerial candidate and while he interviewed for a few different jobs, he was never successful. Leyland said his brothers always picked on him for it because he would always get called for interviews but would never get the job. So, when Syd Thrift came calling, Leyland thought one of his brothers was pulling his chain.

"He said, 'This is Syd Thrift' and I said 'This is Casey Stengel.' I was, you know, I was getting back at my brothers because I thought they were, you know, kidding me," Leyland said about his phone call with Thrift. "Then he said, 'No, this is Syd Thrift and we'd like to interview you.'"

"It worked out and I think on November 20, 1985, I was named the 33rd manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates," Leyland said.

Leyland led the Pirates to the National League Championship Series in 1990, 1991 and 1992. They won 297 games over that stretch and Leyland had a roster that included Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla and others. Due to his experience working in the minor leagues with the likes of Kirk Gibson and other future stars, Leyland said he was able to tap into what made each player tick, but added that it wasn't hard to get his players all on the same page. 

"They were winners and they wanted to win," Leyland said. "They came every day and they wanted to beat the other team. It really wasn't that big of a problem, but I did have a lot of conversations with those guys and, you know, quite frankly, sometimes you have to have some tough conversations." 

The Pirates lost to the Braves in seven games in both 1991 and 1992 and have never gotten that close to a World Series again. However, Leyland was able to get vindication in 1997 with the Marlins. Behind a talented roster, the Marlins reached the World Series and defeated the Indians in seven games. 

Leyland said he thinks winning that World Series is a big reason why he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, but it was also a special thing to accomplish after coming so close in Pittsburgh.

"We had come so close in Pittsburgh to getting there and we never quite got there," Leyland said. "So I knew how tough it was to get that accomplished. So, I think you know, that's the pinnacle. You want to end up being a world champion." 

Next Sunday, Leyland will reach another pinnacle when he joins baseball's greats.

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