MLB WORLD SERIES: INDIANS v MARLINS

October 17, 1997

Jim Leyland

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I didn't know him very well. Obviously I wasn't here last year when he came over. So all I know is that I think it took him some time. I'm sure there's some culture shock to all of that for him. And I think it took him some time to mature, which he certainly has. He's gotten himself in great shape. He had a great look in his eye in Spring Training, even though he obviously did not make the ball club out of Spring Training. And I think he's a very great guy. I think he's a very intelligent person. And I could see that adjustment, he showed no fear, he's an anxious competitor. He's a very interesting young man. And of course we don't really talk a whole lot, because we don't really understand one another. I kind of like it that way, the way things have gone.

JIM LEYLAND: He's okay so far. Everything seems okay. Everything seems systems go. As I've told you before, the one thing that I'm concerned about is, I assume, being a native of Ohio I know it's probably going to be cold, that's the one concern I would have, once we get up to the cold weather. I think it will be fine here. Once you get to the cold weather I assume I'll be just a little more leery of it, or a little more protective of it, possibly.

JIM LEYLAND: I can tell you one thing for sure, Bonilla, unless he can't play at all, will not DH. I don't want to get that started. He will play third base. And we have some candidates, Conine, Abbott, Eisenreich, depending on the way we go with the line-up. We have about three candidates that should fit in that role and be fine.

JIM LEYLAND: No, I'm supposed to talk with Dave Dombrowski before we leave. And I'm going to make one last check, with the trainers, and I think we'll have that decision today. I don't know if you'll still be here or not. I think we'll probably have that decision today.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, fear is not a good choice of words, but I think we have a tremendous amount of respect for the entire Cleveland ball club. Alomar has a great year, I could go on and on, I would be boring you, obviously Ramirez, obviously Justice, and Vizquel, they're here for one reason, there's a lot of threats on their club. Neither team is going to fear one another. I'm certain we'll have much respect.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, we know a little bit more about David, I don't know if that's going to help or not, but at least we've got a little feel for those fellows, we don't know much about their ball club, being in a different division we didn't compete in inter League play with them. We're strangers to one another, and we'll have to see what happens.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I think the reason the two teams are here, is because they played extremely hard. Cleveland plays 9 innings, we know that going in. We have a lot of respect for that. We only hit 170 and got here, or something like that. I think the lowest batting average in the history or since a certain date, but there's a reason they got here, they make big plays. Mike Hargrove made a tremendous call on a wheel play. They got a great out on that game. Even though they didn't get as well as they normally do, they got the big ones. Alomar tied the one game with the homerun. Sometimes it's not how many you get, it's when you get them. They got them at the right time. And everybody said they're on a roll coming in, and we feel we are, too. Somebody hasn't been hustling, you wouldn't make it. So like I said all along, there's a reason these two clubs are here, and those are just some of them.

JIM LEYLAND: I talked to Tony shortly after we clinched a couple of times. And we were going to talk again, but I haven't up to this point. But I talked to Gene Lamont, who also played the Indians, but I'll see him tonight.

JIM LEYLAND: First of all it's true. Second of all it was in 1954. I was born in '44, I saw my first game in 1954, Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, and I was kind of a Tiger fan growing up because I was a little closer, 90 miles west of Cleveland and 50 or 60 south of Detroit. And I can tell you that they had Jim Eagen, Al Rosen, Larry Doby, Dale Mitchell.

JIM LEYLAND: I think Garcia and Winn pitched that, it was a double play, and Larry Doby hit a homerun.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, my reaction was probably sad, like everybody else, but I think everybody was looking for people to be upset. I think people were upset but they were upset for the right reason. Wayne Huizenga for the players and myself is a great owner, anybody that went out and did what he did for the ball club, so we didn't want to lose him as an owner. I felt all along and I feel to this moment, that's Wayne Huizenga's business, that's not my business. But I was saddened because he's such a great guy and a great owner. And obviously players love Wayne Huizenga, why wouldn't they? He's done a lot for South Florida and a lot for Major League Baseball in a short period of time. He's put a couple of bucks in their pockets, obviously. It was a sad day. But there was no anger or anybody mad at Mr. Huizenga, we were all disappointed, because he's a great owner.

JIM LEYLAND: In about seven days we'll know.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I'm here for the very reason I told everybody I came here in the first place. I felt like it was going to get to a point where I wasn't going to do a good job in Pittsburg. After we won -- had we won the year before, then I wouldn't have left Pittsburg, but that had been going on for a while. So it was getting to the point where I felt like I was beating my head against the wall. And I felt also to be honest with you, that I made a lot of money in Pittsburg. And I just felt like -- I like to compete, and that's what I'm in it for. And I didn't want anybody to get the impression that I was making a nice buck, I didn't have to win, there was no pressure on me. I don't know whether I'm a good or bad manager, but I am a competitor, that's why I came here, I knew we were going to have a chance to win, because this is no secret, the Florida Marlins when they are talking to me about coming here, they told me they would spend money if I came. I knew if they did that that we were going to have a chance. That's just the way it goes. I'm not going to apologize for that. I wanted to get that feeling back, between 7:30 and 10:30, that you need to have. I felt like this was a great place for me to get that back.

JIM LEYLAND: I don't think I brought anything special here. I brought some experience. I think that was the biggest thing. I think that for whatever reason, right or wrong, fair or unfair, I don't know and I don't really care. But for whatever reason I was fortunate enough, and really by way of mostly the players, but to be honest with you, you guys, because a lot of things you guys wrote about me. I think I got a little bit of a leg upcoming into this organization. I was very cautious when I came here about not trying to put Jim Leyland's stamp on this ball club. This is not my ball club, it's the Florida Marlins. I was very cautious about that. You guys helped me more than anything else, getting quotes from players that gave me decent reviews for whatever reason. So it kind of got my foot in the door with my club right off the bat. In other words, I wasn't probably going to be really tested by these guys too much. They were probably going to give me the benefit of the doubt until I screwed it up. And I have a lot of things going for me in that way, and like I say -- a lot of it -- to be truthful, was because of the television media and the writers that had written some nice things about me over the years, it helped me, there's no question about that. But this is not my team. This is not Devon White's team, or Sheffield's team, this is the Florida Marlins. One day Bobby Cox said, and it stuck, and I kind of stole it and used that as a theme here, one heartbeat. And I think we showed during the playoffs, during the course of the season, that we're all ticking the same. And I think the guys bought into that. And it's been very rewarding.

JIM LEYLAND: My wife rented eight beds today that were brought at noon to my house in Florida. To be honest, I don't know who the hell is staying at my house (laughter.) But it's going to be like a dormitory. And it is coeducation, I can tell you that. But that's the fun part. And I like to get all that stuff out of the way, got a car for my mom on Tuesday, going to pick my mom and all my brothers and sisters to Cleveland. And that's the fun part of it. I'm working but they'll have a hell of a party.

JIM LEYLAND: I'm going to be sleeping at home, but I'm going to be sleeping with my wife and two children, we're all going to be in the same bed, I can promise you.

JIM LEYLAND: Really. I'm saying I got mixed reviews, because like I said my graduating class it was 125, and so far it's up to 625 that I graduated with asking for tickets. So it's good in a lot of ways, and it's certainly more good than bad. But it can be a little distracting if you're not careful. But it's amazing, I guess. I don't know how you figure all this stuff out, I don't know if there's something to it or what. To think I saw my first game in Cleveland and I'm going back as the manager of the World Series team. I don't know how that works out, but I guess there is something to all that stuff up there.

JIM LEYLAND: Luke Easter at first, Bob Avilla at second, I think it was George Strickland at third, Jim Hegan was the catcher, Mitchell was in left, Doby was in center and I want to say either Minoso or Eric "Suitcase" Simpson in right.

JIM LEYLAND: The staff was Mike Garcia, Early Winn --

JIM LEYLAND: Chicago White Sox.

JIM LEYLAND: I don't think so, at all.

JIM LEYLAND: No, I've never second guessed him. Tony, I know, talked to him all the time. I think I've only talked to him one time.

JIM LEYLAND: First of all, I don't really think we had any problem with the media. I think the media was a little unhappy. I probably made a couple of mistakes, I didn't know you had to let them in right after the game, I didn't know you had to allow the media on a workout day, they gave me instructions on that and I think everything went smooth. I did want to keep the media out of the dugout, I still would like to, even though the Commissioner, Mr. -- The acting Commissioner, Bud Selig and Len Coleman (National League President) told me I couldn't do that. I think what happens is, let's face it, it's only normal, when the hitters come in to get their bats for the BP, I'm talking about during our working hour, it's only natural for you ladies or gentlemen, whatever, to say, hey, have you got one second, just one question. And the first thing you know we get distracted on what we're trying to do and all I wanted to do was make sure that my team was zeroed in on what we're trying to do and not for one time was I ever trying to shrug you people. I respect that you have a job to do. But if you go in our clubhouse prior to and after some of these workouts you will agree there's a lot of times you're just standing around looking at each other. It gets pretty crowded. I did not mean it out of any disrespect. I know Tony LaRussa gave me a pretty good comment, I guess one of the writers said Jim cut the access down a bit and you had great access in St. Louis last year. And Tony said Jim won and we lost. Not that that would have had anything to do with it, but during the working time it's hard in the clubhouse, when you've got this mass of people for the guys to even get dressed. There's camera crews, there's people, I said it at the series, you know, the last series and I'll say it again, if I offended anybody, I apologize, but I didn't mean to. But I do think that -- I think you all agree we can get carried away, but I understand that's part of your job.

JIM LEYLAND: Not too much. I shouldn't say that, I was back in Cleveland when I coached with the White Sox for four years. I was there. That's when it was still Municipal Stadium. I have been back there some, I have a nephew that lives there now. I have some ties there.

JIM LEYLAND: Yes, I've been at the ballpark. When I was a member of the Pittsburg Pirates we played an exhibition game. I've got a great one for you guys. I was the first person -- I was the first ^ uniformed person ever to be introduced at Jacob's Field. Now, is that a big one? (Laughter.) We played an exhibition game there.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, the first year it was there. And we came up and played an exhibition game and because of that they wanted to announce the teams and I was the first guy that they announced at Jacob's Field.

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