Detroit Tigers manager and former Pirates manager Jim Leyland has had it up to here with second-guessing by the media, and he let members of the press know that in a classic rant after they questioned his decision to remove Rick Porcello from the game on Sunday after Porcello had one-hit the Pirates through eight innings.
↵↵↵Leyland: "I think that's the entertainment business. That's what we're in. I don't blame any fan ever who second-guesses taking out Rick Porcello. But I don't listen to talk shows, guys that don't know (bleep) about baseball. If you're asking if I listen to those guys, no, I don't ...
↵"But that one yesterday was a legitimate second-guess. But you know what? Everyone forgets that the Tigers won the game. And if Jose Valverde is not better in the ninth inning than Rick Porcello after eight innings, then we might as well not have a closer.
↵"I don't pay attention to your (bleep) stuff, because that's what it is" ...
↵"I'm glad I did it, and I'll do it again tonight if we've got the same (bleeping) situation, if I think it gives us the best (bleeping) chance to win the (bleeping) game.
↵"Are there any other questions?"
↵
That's awesome.
↵For what it's worth, I think Leyland's decision was a completely defensible one. It was a close game, and Porcello is a young-pitcher. Leyland isn't obligated to buy into the romance of allowing Porcello to finish a one-hitter, and there's not even much romance attached to one-hitters anyway. Leyland's job is to help the Tigers win games, and thinking Valverde gave the team a better chance was completely reasonable.
↵Via.