I am driven to move quickly because I think there could be a lot of interest in Jim Leyland.

I don't have any steadfast rule. I think it's more of a generality. I think in Mike's case, he's a guy who expressed a desire to have a multiyear deal. Based upon his past performance, we were open-minded to it.

I think injuries played some part in our club not performing as well [during the season]. We never had our club together very long. Unfortunately, the little bit of time we did have them, we didn't play very well during that time period.

I think we are going to move hastily to get this done. I had a long talk with Jim Armstrong today on the addition of the senior center to the community center,

You will not find a more dedicated, hardworking and respected individual that cares more about the Tigers and his coaching staff. However, for the Tigers to reach the next level, I feel it is appropriate to make a change at this time.

We're extremely pleased to have a person of his makeup and his ability to bolster the bullpen.