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TIGERS' WINTER TOUR: Leyland Says Jones, Rogers Won't Baby-Sit

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 06:00 CST

By Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press

Jan. 24--New Tigers manager Jim Leyland wanted to make one thing clear Monday. He didn't want Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones so they could become caretakers of a young pitching staff.

He wanted them because they knew how to win.

"Everybody's talking about Kenny and Todd's veteran leadership," Leyland said. "That's not why I wanted them. I wanted them because they're good pitchers.

"Kenny Rogers made the All-Star team seven or eight months ago. He's 59 games over .500. This guy knows how to win. Todd Jones saved 40 games last year.

"We didn't get them to come here to baby-sit our younger players or to necessarily come here and share everything that has made them successful. If that happens, those types of things are bonuses. I got them because they can produce some wins."

Rogers, 41, was among those who joined Leyland as the Tigers began their winter promotional tour in Detroit. Rogers will receive scrutiny from fellow left-handers Mike Maroth and Nate Robertson, and he seemed ready to pass along what he has learned in 17 major league seasons.

"I don't think you have to be dazzling every day," he said. "I try to be consistent and keep my team in games. If you pitch a great game, you're probably going to win those. The more you can limit damage and understand how to pitch around damage and give your team a chance to come back and win ... I kind of have an understanding how to do that.

"Hopefully, everyone else here will figure that out, too, and that will change one-run losses into one-run wins. That's where you go from being 10 games under to 10 games over. Just a few games here and there, and we're going to be a team people are going to have to take a look at."

Rogers was an All-Star last season at Texas, where he went 14-8 with a 3.46 ERA.

"I know it's not in the job description, but I've been around a long time and been through pretty much everything, good and bad," he said. "I think that has influence for anybody. Being able to prepare yourself for the hard times that are coming can shorten those slumps. Not dwelling on the bad things is tough, mentally, but it's a matter of moving on and not letting the bad things bother you.

"That's (what) makes you a better person, player and teammate. Whatever knowledge I have I'll impart it to them, and hopefully I'll have an answer that they need or can use."

EXPERIENCED CREW: Leyland will have an experienced staff. He and coaches Lloyd McClendon and Gene Lamont are former Pirates managers. Another coach, Andy Van Slyke, was a gifted outfielder who should help Curtis Granderson, Nook Logan and Craig Monroe. Rafael Belliard was a solid infielder throughout his career, and hitting coach Don Slaught and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez bring a ton of experience to the bench.

"What I like about our staff is that I've always tried to put a staff together with some older people, and I don't want that to be taken the wrong way," Leyland said. "You can find older people that know a lot, but physically they can't do a lot anymore. You can find a lot of young guys that can do the physical work, but they haven't experienced all of baseball yet.

"I like to find a combination of middle-aged guys who can still do the physical work and have a lot of experience. That's the kind of staff you want to put together if you can."

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Source: Detroit Free Press

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