Leyland and Avila Asked If They Feel Guilty For Making So Much Money in Detroit
By: Jeff Riger
@riger1984
Both the A's and Tigers arrived in Detroit early Sunday morning, and while most of the players and coaches had an off day to get ready for game three of the series, there were a select few that were obligated to show up at Comerica Park to answer questions.
Two of those men were catcher Alex Avila and manager Jim Leyland...
Both Avila and Leyland were asked the usual!
What's wrong with the offense?
What kind of atmosphere do you expect in game 3 in Detroit?
Do you feel guilty for making so much money while living in a bankrupt city?
Wait, what?
Yep, you read that last question correct.
Some reporter, I wish I knew where he worked, asked both Leyland and Avila that exact question. Granted it was a little more detailed, but the gist of it was trying to find out how both guys handle making so much money while living in an area with so many struggling people.
"I never feel guilty because I think the Detroit Tigers do a lot of wonderful things for the city" Leyland said. "We try to have all kinds of interaction with the city and all kinds of programs to help people out, I think the Detroit Tigers have done an outstanding job at that. I think if you've ever watched my interviews when I start bawling, I get very sensitive to that. I'm not going to ball today by the way. I think we are very sensitive to that, we really are, I know how hard those people work and it's a tough thing."
Granted the Tigers are a business and while they're very charitable, they're not handing out bundles of cash to the public, nor should they be. It's the Tigers job to make as much money as possible, however Leyland does believe his team is really helping the city.
"During tough times athletics usually blossom and you can make a lot of people happy and forget the tough times that they're having" Leyland said. "That's kind of been a history of tough, financial economic times, sports teams do pretty well. We're trying to put a smile on their face and make it as bearable as possible."
So what about Avila's answer to relatively the same question?
"We definitely are aware of the situation of where we play" Avila said. "One thing that motivates us is that we want to be able to bring a championship to Detroit, a place that has longed for one, it's been a while since there has been a championship here. We feel we are a big part of the reason that people are coming back downtown."
Check out the Leyland and Avila audio below and then decide for yourself how both guys did answering a question they couldn't possibly see coming.
