The Detroit Tigers are one of several teams across professional baseball that have fallen well short of expectations this season. As a result, Jim Leyland is one of several managers with whom fans are frustrated. After adding Prince Fielder to an already solid roster, the Tigers were expected to cruise through the AL Central. Fortunately for them, they are only a game out of first because the rest of the division is mediocre. Fans like Justin Spiro still want Leyland gone.
According to Detroit Sports Rag, Spiro was sitting in the front row behind the visitor’s dugout (Detroit was on the road at Chicago) holding a “Fire Leyland” sign on Wednesday and for two games before that. As you can see from the video above, Cabrera took the sign from him when he was signing autographs for fans before the game and went about his business. He supposedly folded it up and put a crease in it but did eventually give it back to the fan. Spiro was ejected three times from US Cellular Field throughout the series, most likely for giving it to Leyland and the Tigers.
Leyland may say some dumb things and do some things that make you scratch your head, but I’m not sure he deserves to be fired just yet. And I certainly don’t have a problem with Cabrera sticking up for his manager, especially the way in which he went about it.
