Baseball, Class, The Old School, and Cigarettes

Last night I was watching Superman, the 1978 movie.

I couldn't remember the last time I had seen it in it's entirety. So in viewing the hallowed film, I realized that it's half Gone With The Wind, half Star Wars. The scale and scope of the film is completely ridiculous, made even more amazing by the composing of amazing music from John Williams. Sorry, back to the point. In the first half, Clark returns home from football practice, after having showed us that he's far more powerful than a locomotive. He then begins to talk with his father. It's an honest conversation about the reason Clark is on Earth. Jonathan Kent has always been a wise character, one of good moral standing and true fatherhood. He's always been the constant, keeping Clark clear and focused. Then, as the conversation ends, Clark's challenges Pa Kent to a race for the Barn. It's in that moment that Pa Kent clutches his arm and collapses; one of the most moving sequences in cinema. In the span of a half hour or so, we've seen 2 very key people in Clark's life die and it's heartbreak city both times. It's the one thing that Clark, despite all of his amazing abilities, couldn't stop. Nature. The cycle. Life. After a brief moment of discovery inside the Kent Barn, Clark now knows he must leave to find his purpose. The day that Ma and Pa knew would come had finally arrived. We are greeted with a sweeping shot of the plains, Clark stands stoic on the horizon. Ma Kent goes to meet him and they exchange a few words, chief among them, "Remember Us, Clark.....Always Remember Us."

Fast forward. The Tigers have scheduled a press conference. I knew it would be Leyland-related. Whether he was coming back or not, this felt like the first thing to address just a day or so after being knocked out of Boston. Over the years my opinion of this man fluctuated, but I never called for his head. Even with a few mistakes in huge games during his tenure, I never wanted him canned. He was too much of a baseball figure, a baseball man, to be given the pink slip. If he was gonna go, it was on his terms. And so I watched as Jim Leyland announced he was stepping down. I'd like to think we all hoped this day would have come with Leyland getting another ring around his finger, but sadly, 1997 will be the only one scraping his knuckle. The man who came into our homes and showed us how to play has arrived at the point that all men reach, the point of acceptance that he's got nothing left to offer. A sad, but inevitable milestone. 

He does not, however, leave this post unaccomplished: Two American League Championships, three-straight Division Titles and two World Series appearances, not to mention the knowledge and demeanor passed on to those around him. He came in and laid down the blueprint for us to succeed. While the ultimate goal couldn't be reached, he still used steady (and sometimes shaky) hands to guide this team into a new school era with old school skill. He's my first manager as a fan, a guy who told it like it was. He didn't beat around the bush, and he certainly wasn’t afraid to drop an F-bomb or 12. In this world of grown men being paid to compete in a game they played for free as kids, Jim Leyland knew when to push and when to let go. Do we all wish he was better at it recently? Of course. But time and fate have their own plans. I'll always think of his meals, his stories, his smiles, his tears, his class, his words, his cigs, his heart, and his fire with great fondness, bewilderment, and joy. He's a Tiger forever, and I couldn't be happier. 

Back to my opening thoughts. With the passing of his father and the discovery of the Krypton crystal, Clark is now aware that there's more to his destiny. In order to fully realize this, he must reflect on his past. That whatever he may encounter next, he must remember where he came from. The Tigers have choices to make moving forward. Sure, Jim Leyland is still very much alive and will be taking a job with the team, but for this Tigers team to succeed and forge their new path to glory, they must always remember their past. The story of Leyland's tenure helps fuel the torch to find greatness, and I've said this before and I'll say this again: It's Not About How Hard You Can Hit. It's About How Hard You Can Get Hit, And Keep Moving Forward. Detroit embodies this sentiment more than any other city right now. And we rise because of it.