Leyland Smiling About Smyly

The headline of this article is untrue.  Jim Leyland rarely smiles.  Not even when the subject is a 22-year old second year pro who by all rights should be pitching where every other second year pro pitches, which is to say, "A" ball.  Instead, the 22-year-old to whom we here refer, Drew Smyly, is impressing here in Detroit at the Major League level.

He's impressing me, at least.  Smyly held the Texas Rangers, only the best-hitting team in the American League, to a single run here the day before yesterday and he should have gotten the win but the Tigers gifted the Rangers the game-tying run in the 8th which meant Smyly was no longer the pitcher of record and he took a no decision and the Tigs wound up losing in 11 and that is why they enter player here tonight TIED for the AL Central lead with the Chicago White Sox who are really pitching well these days what with that guy Phil Humber tossing the perfect game Saturday (against the same Mariners who are town here tonight) and with Jake Peavy throwing a 107-pitch complete game shutout last night in Oakland and so on.  At any rate, after the off-day Monday, Smyly's impressive outing was one of the main topics of discussion at The Gaggle™ today.  (The Gaggle™, you may or may not know, is the daily gathering of the media in the office of Tigers Manager Jim Leyland).

I could tell you about it, but let's try something new, shall we?  How would you like to listen to Mr. Leyland yourself?  That would be great, wouldn't it?  I've been working on my (not-so) mad blogging skills, so let's see if this works.  The next thing you see should be an little media player, containing ACTUAL GAGGLE AUDIO!   And, when you hear the question being asked in the middle, that would be me.  Anyway, here's Jim Leyland on Drew Smyly...

(I was going to write more afterwards,  but it was so much of a hassle just getting the audio posted that I need a break...)