Jim Leyland Quotations

We have hit 14 more home runs this year than we did last year, which may be good because it's helped us win some games. But it's not necessarily going to help us, because you start thinking that way and we've got to find all kinds of way to produce runs.

Makes a big difference. Players always make the difference.

Mind-boggling. Just enjoy it. It's not going to continue forever.

I don't care about personal success. It's all about winning. When you have a chance to take three of four from the Indians, you've got to do it.

If it was a young guy pitching, we would have just put him on.

Kenny Rogers made the All-Star team this year. He's 50-some games over .500 lifetime. He brings a lot to this party. I think we got a tremendous deal here.

I think there's no question we got the right guy for the situation. I've been impressed. I've had good (coaches). I've been lucky throughout my managerial career with that kind of stuff. He's very good at what he does. He came highly recommended by some very bright baseball people. He's quickly become a friend, a nice buffer between me and the pitchers, a good guy to hang out with.

I think for a young hitter, he uses the whole field as well as any young hitter. I think that's probably the biggest thing, to be honest with you.

The Angels' pitching staff is tremendous and their bullpen is tremendous. I don't think most people are going to wear this pitching staff out. I mean, Shields hasn't given up a hit to a left-handed hitter all year. So they've got all the ingredients. That's why they go to the post-season.

We got good starting pitching again. There's no such thing as momentum in baseball -- you are only as good as your next pitcher.

You get in a catch-22. A club like ours that needs to get re-established -- we have to win every one we have a shot to win. But I'm not going to do that at the expense of hurting our pitchers, because in the long run it will blow up in our face.

I've always been a big believer that it's just as important to learn to handle success as it is failure.

See, that's the thing that pisses me off.

This guy was an all-star six months ago. I cannot tell you how happy I am about that.

There's a lot of things this team has had going for it. It's good timing. But if you had to say what's been the biggest factor so far, you'd have to say it's starting pitching.

It's a Catch-22 situation. With a club like ours trying to reestablish that we can win and compete, we have to win every game we have a shot to win. But I'm not going to do that at the expense of hurting our pitchers.

It's certainly better to see what we're seeing than getting shut out.

The need to get away from it. They're playing too many innings. We've got a gruesome stretch here the next few days. I thought long and hard about it when I went back to the park last night ... I just made a decision that this might make sense.

I'm glad it happened. If I don't get mad when I should be mad, then I should be home.

I met five presidents. I had dinner with a president of the United States in the White House. I played golf with a president of the United States. I made money. I mean, when I look at it, I had a unbelievably fabulous career. And I'm extremely grateful.

I have no comment. I know the job is open, but I don't know anything.

I just didn't like the way we went about our business. You get some cookies and guys try to hit home runs, and they pop the (expletive) thing up all day long.

I don't pay attention to that stuff. We've turned the page on all of the things from the past.

I don't know if they will Wednesday, but that was a good feeling.

He's more of the show mode than the tell mode.

He pitched great. We only got one hit against him. That pretty much sums it up. But we were into it the whole game and competed out butts off. That's all you can ask for, so I have no complaints.

I had 11 years of managerial experience and four years of coaching before I managed a big-league team. To me, it was important, because I learned a lot through trial and error. And it's tough to have to go through trial and error when you're a big-league manager.

Momentum is your next day's pitcher.

My eight years in Detroit, obviously, were my most successful years managing. I think that Pittsburgh and Detroit are probably very, very similar. We kinda rekindled the fire of baseball in Pittsburgh. We did the exact same thing in Detroit.

Everyone in the world disagrees with me, including some managers, but I think managing in the American League is much more difficult for that very reason (having the designated hitter). In the National League, my situation is dictated for me. If I'm behind in the game, I've got to pinch hit. I've got to take my pitcher out. In the American League, you have to zero in. You have to know exactly when to take them out of there. In the National League, that's done for you.

I learned this a long time ago. If you call a guy into your office and shut the door, if theres media around, it sends up a red flag. I never wanted to embarrass a player.

When somebody talks about your career, most people are gonna talk about wins and losses, a World Series or pennants. But if somebody asked me how I would sum up my career, I would say I had a unbelievable, fabulous career.

I'm second in doubles - double vodkas, double scotches.

If anybody says they get used to it, you don't.

I've managed 25 years, and I can probably count on one hand players that I didn't really care for, and that's probably thousands of players that I've managed. I think that's pretty good. I love the players and I always will.

It takes time to get the whole package. Freshmen can't be seniors.

It's well known that I interviewed with Philadelphia last winter, and I'd like to manage again,

We need our veterans to set an example, like being the first ones there. A veteran is entitled to a bigger paycheck, but not a special set of rules.

We need to have preparation to win. A disciplined team will win more close games over a period of time.

Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him.

You don't lead by lip service, you lead by example.

He represented the Twins , but I think everyone in baseball felt like they were a teammate of Kirby Puckett.

Still. Smokers out there, you know what I'm talking about. That moment, after you've had a huge meal, say at Thanksgiving, when you step outside in the cold, light up a cigarette and take a deep inhale ... that's about the best moment in the world, you know? All the smokers out there, you know that feeling. Sometimes, smoking is fantastic.

You're not always going to be at your best, but it better be the best you've got that day.

When it’s time, it’s time … and it’s time.

I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.'