SHAWN WINDSOR

The last time Jim Leyland saw Al Kaline: 'It felt like he was saying goodbye'

Shawn Windsor
Detroit Free Press

Al Kaline was never in a hurry. That’s how it is when you know where you’re going, whether chasing a line drive in the outfield of Tiger Stadium, or a slider as it dips and veers across the plate, or a prospect on the backfields at Tiger Town in Lakeland, Florida. 

And if you move at your own pace in life, you tend to see more of it than most. That’s what Jim Leyland remembers about the Tigers’ legendary outfielder who died Monday at age 85.  

Mr. Tiger didn’t miss a thing. 

Leyland absorbed as much as he could.  

He last saw Kaline a month ago. They were in Lakeland for spring training, two semi-retirees still helping the club that gave each his start. 

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It was a Saturday night. Kaline asked Leyland to join him and his wife, Louise, for dinner. The three  met at the Terrace Grille. For the next couple of hours, they reminisced, talking about old managers and former scouts and the players and baseball lifers who had shaped them, about how much Lakeland had changed since they had first arrived — Kaline in 1953, Leyland in 1964. 

“It was one of the greatest nights of my life,” Leyland said, “the kind of night you don’t want to end.” 

Former Tigers outfielder Al Kaline, center, reacts as he watches outfielder Mickey Stanley walks into the dugout during Detroit Tigers celebration of the 50th anniversary of 1968 World Series championship at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit, Saturday, September 8, 2018.

When they got back to the hotel and said goodbye in the lobby, Kaline leaned in and gave his longtime friend a hug. 

“And he said, ‘Thanks for being my friend all these years,’ ” Leyland said. “It felt like he was saying goodbye. And you know how emotional I get. It was a weird feeling. I was flattered.” 

He wasn’t shocked by news of Kaline’s death. He could see something wasn’t quite right in Lakeland. Still, hearing the news was difficult.  

“This is a tough one,” Leyland said. “Everyone called him Mr. Tiger. I called him Mr. Gentleman.” 

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Kaline’s grace and easy demeanor were almost as legendary as his Hall of Fame play. Though in his role as special assistant to the general manager, he wasn’t afraid to share his opinion. 

But with Leyland, Kaline didn’t just offer it up when he felt like it. 

“He became a constant presence in the clubhouse,” Leyland said. “We had a lot of conversations. But he would always tell me that if he had thoughts on a hitter, he would always tell me or Lloyd (McClendon) first. He didn’t have to do that. That's what a good guy he was. He never interfered when I was the manager. He was always so respectful.” 

He was helpful, too, especially when the losses began to pile up. 

“I’ve always said that players don’t need managers when they’re hitting .300 and the team is winning and the fans are happy,” Leyland said. “Players need managers when it’s going like horseshit, when they’ve gone 0-for-18. It can be lonely. Well, the same is true for managers.” 

He felt that isolation from time to time when he managed the Tigers, when the team struggled and the fans were unhappy. Yet that’s when he saw Kaline the most. 

“When you are getting your ass beat, it can be a real lonely time,” Leyland said. “Even when you won, it wasn’t a perfect day. Winning was the only salvation. Somebody is always pissed off. Somebody didn’t play, or get their contract extended, or like the way I handled the staff. The point is … somebody is always going to be on your ass. Al understood all that.” 

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Kaline would go into Leyland’s office early in the day and the two would talk.  

“He would pump me up,” he said. “That’s the true sign of a baseball friend.” 

Sometimes Leyland just needed to vent.  

“I could get loud,” he said.  

Kaline never did. He listened. Spoke when he felt he needed to. Stayed calm. 

“If we had a meeting, I could get pissed, start arguing about players," Leyland said. "Al was always cool. He’d make his point, but he never raised his voice.” 

He was like that as a player, he was like that in his role as Mr. Tiger, as the face of the organization. He was like that behind the scenes. 

“When I began coaching in the minors for the Tigers, I’d throw batting practice to the big-league guys at spring training,” Leyland said. “Al always made me feel like I was a big leaguer.” 

Al Kaline talks with Detroit Tigers draft pick Riley Greene after batting practice Friday, June 7, 2019, at Comerica Park.

But he never big-timed anyone. He knew who he was. And while you could tell he was someone special by the way he carried himself, he never acted it.  He was always there, but never in the way. 

That came naturally. Effortlessly. Like the way he ran down line drives in the gap.  

“He was as fundamentally sound a player as you will ever see,” Leyland said. "He was a perfect player. Not that he was the fastest, though he could run. Or that he had the most power, though he could hit home runs. Or that he had the strongest arm, though he could throw out runners at third. But he did everything well. And he got the most out of his talent.” 

In a way, he was a kind of overachiever. That endeared him to fans, to his managers and teammates, to players on other teams who respect fully tapped potential. 

Kaline helped Leyland tap into his. Helped him survive the droughts and the losses, the unmet expectations and the frustration. 

“He understood everything about baseball,” Leyland said. “Everything.” 

For a manager, and for everyone else who loves the game, you can’t ask for anything more than that.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.