Jim Leyland's Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech mentions Cincinnati's Ed Brinkman

Jim Leyland introduced and thanked his family during his National Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday in Cooperstown, New York, and then told a funny anecdote about Cincinnati native Ed Brinkman.

Leyland was inducted as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, but he joked in his speech about how his playing career was considerably less impressive.

Brinkman attended Western Hills High School with Pete Rose, and played for five big-league teams over 15 Major League Baseball seasons. He won a Gold Glove at shortstop, and was an American League All-Star in 1973. He also had a long coaching career, first with the Detroit Tigers and then with the Chicago White Sox organization. He died in 2008 at age 66, and was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

"Shortly after high school, I signed a pro contract with the Detroit Tigers," Leyland said in his speech. "The scout that signed me was named Herman Kander. And I think he was fired 24 hours after that transaction was announced. I bounced around the minor leagues for seven years, as a player and player-coach, but I want to sum up my playing career real quick with this quick little story: Eddie Brinkman played shortstop 15 years in the big-leagues. We both managed in the Tiger organization, and were on the White Sox coaching staff at the same time. One day I said to Brink, 'I looked up your career batting average, and it was .224.' He said, 'That's right.' I said, 'Heck, Brink, mine was .222.' And Brink said, 'Yeah, but mine was in Washington, Detroit, St. Louis and New York, and yours was in Lakeland, Jamestown and Rocky Mount. That's a big difference.'"

Leyland's No. 10 is scheduled to be retired by the Tigers on August 3.

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