But the Tigers listened, absorbed the message, and went out and started kicking tail. They lost on April 18, 4-3 to Oakland, but through Tuesday's win over the Twins, they were 18-6, a .750 winning percentage.

They’re not winning by playing things safe. The New York Yankees, known for their patience at the plate, had 166 walks and 198 strikeouts as of the close of business Sunday; the Tigers just 92 walks and a whopping 257 Ks, bit they also had 56 home runs — eight more than the powerful Yankees.

They’re becoming what Leyland is — aggressive. You may strike them out a lot, but they only need one swing to beat you. They approach at-bats like salesmen approach sales calls — every time they fail means they’re that much close to a home run.

It may have seemed like a risk when the Tigers hired him after his failure in 1999 and his long sabbatical. But in retrospect, it’s clear that Leyland has not forgotten how to win, probably because he doesn’t know any other way.

He had made his reputation with Pittsburgh beginning in 1986, eventually taking the Pirates to three straight divisional titles. But he could never get to the World Series. And then, the realities of the baseball’s financial structure came crashing down on the Pirates, who couldn’t afford to keep such great stars as Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla together to keep trying to get over the hump.

After 11 seasons, he left, moving to Florida in 1997 and promptly taking the Marlins to a world championship. When the Marlins were sold for scrap, he left, unable to tolerate coaching a team built to lose, resurfacing in Colorado in 1999 and promptly losing his passion for the game.

Six years is a lot of time to sit on the sidelines, but that’s what Leyland did, living in Pittsburgh, scouting for the Cards, and never having to sweat the losses or celebrate the wins.

Finally, after last season, he’d sat long enough. When he heard the Tigers job was open, he drove to Detroit and asked for the job. Right now, it’s the best decision the team has made in a long, long time.

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