TV special on Tigers' Leyland to premiere Tuesday

Tigers fans got the occasional glimpse at Jim Leyland tantrums.

From the sounds of it, you'll see and hear a whole lot more when MLB Network debuts, "Jim Leyland: A Life in Baseball," next week. Leyland will be featured in the latest episode of "MLB Network Presents" at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Leyland, a special assistant to Tigers general manager Al Avila and an ambassador to the Commissioner's Office since retiring as a manager, was interviewed at his Pittsburgh home by Bob Costas for the special.

Among the others interviewed include Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont, former Tigers Sean Casey and Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and Barry Bonds.

Bonds and Leyland had a famous blowup, caught on camera in 1991 at spring training, during their days together in Pittsburgh.

They've gone on to become great friends.

"I would run through a brick wall for that man," Bonds said during the special. "Back then, and I still would today."

Leyland has spent more than 50 years in professional baseball, including 22 seasons as a manager, in Pittsburgh, Florida, Colorado and Detroit. He won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997, and took the Tigers to two World Series, in 2006 and 2012. He fell short of the World Series his final year, 2013, when the Tigers collapsed against the Red Sox.

Rarely seen footage from that crushing 2013 American League Championship Series, as well as the 1997 World Series and the 1992 National League Championship Series, is included in the MLB Network special.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

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