With managers, it’s also a subjective affair. But there’s no doubt that Leyland, who honed his skills with some very good Pirates teams back when Barry Bonds was a pup and teaming up with Bobby Bonilla. When the Pirates dismantled their roster, he went to Florida, where he led the Marlins to their first World Series win in 1997.

After that great season, Florida’s owners dismantled the team and scattered the parts all over the baseball landscape. After a year of misery, Leyland left, briefly took the head job with the Colorado Rockies, then escaped to a quiet life of scouting for the next seven years.

Give Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski a big dollop of credit first for being able to see the promise in the train wreck of a team the Tigers were two years ago. Dombrowski, who had also laid the groundwork for the Marlins’ second championship in 2003, also had the guts to haul Leyland out of semi-retirement and give him the team after home-town hero Alan Trammel presided over the 2004 disaster and a 2005 season that wasn’t all that much better.

Other than Rodriguez, Dombrowski hasn’t gone after big-ticket stars, instead taking guys like Magglio Ordonez, a good hitter, but one who is in no danger of hitting even 30 home runs.

The Tigers don’t have anyone who is likely to hit 30, although Brandon Inge and Marcus Thames have managed to break the 20 barrier. They may not even have anyone who will have 100 RBIs — Ordonez leads with 81 and no one else has more than 70.

You can question just how great a manager Joe Torre is with the Yankees. After all, he’s got a $194 million roster loaded with All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers. He’s supposed to win.

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But you can’t question Leyland’s greatness. He took a core of players who knew nothing but losing and refused to allow them to think of themselves as anything but winners. He’s climbed on them just twice, early in the season when they stumbled after starting out 5-0 and during the recent 3-9 streak. In between, he’s just insisted on playing the game right.

He’s the AL Manager of the Year. Of that, there can be little doubt. And, while the same naysayers who have said all year that the Tigers are headed for a fall are sure to say they won’t be able to stand up to teams like the Yankees in the playoffs, by now, it should surprise few if he proves those people wrong.

Again.

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