Could Jim Leyland be any different from Colin Kaepernick?
Last night, Team USA dominated Puerto Rico 8-0 to win the World Baseball Championship for the first time. Leyland, 72, the Hall of Fame-bound manager and baseball lifer who came out of retirement to manage the U.S. team got emotional in a post-game interview.
… I think this is the best part about it. I had the honor of managing for our country, you know, the coaches having the honor of coaching for our country, the players have the honor of playing for our country, but this is really about the men and women that serve our country. That’s who this is for.
A reporter asked about Team USA’s first title in the tournament: “Symbolically, what does this mean to have the World Baseball Classic come to the home of America's pastime?” Leyland grinned. “Well, like I said in my pregame, we're just trying to make America great again.”
Leyland is a guy from a working class background, known for coffee- and cigarette-fueled gruffness and intensity managing in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Miami and Colorado, and an old-school dedication to the game. Old-school patriotism too. Refreshing in the age of Kaepernick.
