'Twas the night before the World Series (two nights, actually), and all through a certain Perrysburg house, not a creature was stirring.
Except, of course, for Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland and a few of his family members, and maybe a mouse.
While the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets were fighting it out in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday, Leyland wasn't scouting his potential World Series opponents in person or surrounded by coaches and scouts in some plush office.
He was sitting on an old, dusty couch in the house his parents bought in 1951 at 213 West Indiana Ave., watching the game with a few of his siblings on a 19-inch Quasar television.
It's no wonder Perrysburg is rallying around Leyland and his Tigers.
He still belongs.
If the manager were to drive through downtown Perrysburg right now, he'd see the storefronts along Louisiana Avenue filled with well wishes for him and his ballclub.
Some of the messages, like the "We Love You Jimbo" written in the window of Sargent Associates Realtors, are more personal than others.
With Detroit's Comerica Park just an hour's drive from Perrysburg and the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate Mud Hens residing in Toledo, it's natural for the people here to be rooting for a Motown stroll to a title.
But with a member of the Perrysburg High School Class of 1962 wearing an Old English "D" on his uniform, the Tigers' tussle with St. Louis in the Fall Classic means so much more.
"It's one of our own in the dugout," said Mike Barthold, 59, of Perrysburg. "The hometown boy makes good. It's the classic story. It says, 'You too could do this.' "
Like so many others in town, Mr. Barthold feels a loose connection with the Tigers' skipper. Mr. Barthold's older brother, John, was in Leyland's class at Perrysburg High and played on the same sports teams.
Paul Sargent, 83, of Sargent Associates, is a lifelong Perrysburg resident. He used to watch Leyland play football for the Yellow Jackets.
Even as a 5-foot-7, 150-pound quarterback, "Jimbo," as he was called back then, never put himself before the team, despite his star status.
"The character you see from him today, he was the same way in high school," Mr. Sargent recalled. "That's why we're proud to say he's from here."
Though Leyland no longer lives in Perrysburg, his ties to the city are strong.
One brother, the Rev. Thomas Leyland, is the pastor of St. Rose Catholic Church in Perrysburg. His brothers Larry, Daniel, and Bill, and his sister, Judy Garn, all live in Perrysburg or Toledo. His parents and another sister are deceased.
Perrysburg High's baseball field, which can be seen from I-75, was renamed "Jim Leyland Field" in 1992. Naturally, a sign hanging on the diamond's backstop reads, "Perrysburg Supports Detroit Tigers Hometown Manager Jim Leyland."
"I can't go anywhere without someone mentioning Jim or the Tigers," Father Leyland said. "We're just so grateful for the success he's had. He's always had it in his heart to win it for the Tigers."
Well, not always.
Jim Leyland was actually more of a Cleveland Indians fan growing up, but switched his allegiance to the Tigers when they signed him to a minor-league contract in the spring of 1963.
Despite 18 seasons spent in Detroit's farm system - six as a player, one as a coach, and 11 as a manager - he never made it to the big leagues wearing Tiger Blue.
Leyland eventually got his shot as a major-league manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, where he eventually led three teams to division titles. He took over the Florida Marlins in 1997 and immediately directed them to a World Series triumph over the Cleveland Indians.
Last offseason, he signed a three-year contract to turn around a Detroit team that hadn't been to the playoffs since 1987.
He's done more than that in just one season, and currently has the Tigers looking to take a 2-1 lead in the series with a Game 3 victory tonight in St. Louis.
This is not the first time Leyland has been in the limelight, but his success has never been greeted with as much fanfare back home as it is receiving now.
Then again, when was the last time he managed the team in his own backyard into the World Series?
"We're Tigers fans through thick and thin," Mr. Barthold said. "After years of losing, our team is finally making good on our support. And it's our boy who's leading them."
Contact Joe Vardon at:
jvardon@theblade.com
or 419-410-5055.
First Published October 24, 2006, 12:37 p.m.
