PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He grew up trick-or-treating at Jim Leyland’s house, noting with a smile it was because he gave out the full-size candy bars. Now it’s what else Don Kelly learned from Leyland as he takes over as the Pirates manager.
Kelly played for Leyland with the Tigers and he was the kind of that player to Leyland that John Wehner was to Leyland with the Pirates. The do-everything, try-hard, tough-nosed Pittsburgher. It created a bond between Kelly and Leyland. After finding out Thursday he would be taking over as the Pirates skipper, he called Leyland.
“I can't share some of the things, but yes I did,” Kelly said. “And for those of you that know him, what a tremendous guy. Awesome resource for me personally and has been and learned a lot from him playing for him. But yeah, I've had a few conversations with him."
While not his hometown, Leyland knows about first managerial jobs with bad Pirates teams. The Ohio native took over the Bucs in 1986 after a 54-107 season. He would win only 64 games his first season, but then winning seasons in four of the next six (including three straight division titles).
You can imagine the conversations between the two. As for what he tries to take away from those interactions with the Hall of Fame manager?
“The one thing with Jim is that he cares about people,” Kelly said. “He cared about his staff. He cared about his players. The way he went about it every day, it was relentless that he wanted to win.”
Leyland was consistent with how he treated people and how he made decisions. Kelly pointed back to the famous shouting interaction with Barry Bonds in spring training over 30 years ago.
“Why did he do that?” Kelly asked. “He didn't do that for Jim Leyland. Ultimately, he did that for Barry Bonds. And I think Barry, if he were here, he would tell you that he respected that and that's why Jim did that.”
“I learned a lot from Jim. There's a long list.”
Part of that list wasn’t always being nice. Kelly said Leyland would get after you. He never told you what you wanted to hear. As Kelly put it he told you what you needed to hear.
Can the guy who doesn’t have any MLB managerial experience, be that type of voice if needed?
"Absolutely, because you know at the end of the day I think that's when the players know you care about them,” Kelly said. “And they know that bottom line you care about the team, you care about winning. That's what we tie back to."
He’s also learned from others, as far back as Al Liberi who coached him in high school and then at Point Park University. Former Pirates manager Jim Tracy, Brad Ausmus, AJ Hinch are others. Kelly said you are a piece of everybody’s path that you come across and he holds that close.
All of that packed into Kelly being from Mt. Lebanon and a Point Park graduate, makes this even better.
"I think that growing up watching those teams of the 90s and Jim (Leyland) and Lamont, McClendon, Belliard, VanSlyke, Bonds, Bonilla,” Kelly said. “I mean you could go down the list. That was my team growing up, watching those guys play and compete. And I think that I dreamed of playing in the big leagues and I was blessed to be able to accomplish that, played for a long time.”
“And then to get into coaching and to be sitting here as the Pirates manager, yes it was a dream and really humbled to be here."