*Nice timing to write the article, it drives home all of the points oldschool and I have been making.

Valverde, who went from a pivotal player in Detroit to a forgotten man to relevant again in a span of six months.

via Detroit Tigers’ Jose Valverde quite a resurrection story – ESPN.

…might have simply worn down after making a total of 146 appearances during the 2011-2012 seasons.

After Valverde joined the Tigers three weeks ago, his agent, Scott Boras, attributed the pitcher’s October woes to fatigue.

“We just had to get to the gas station,” Boras told the Detroit Free Press. “There’s nothing wrong with the car. Just needed to get to the gas station and refuel the tank.”

The Tigers insist that their decision to sign Valverde was less a desperation move than a reaction to an unexpected shift in the market. They assumed Valverde would be out of their price range when he filed for free agency in November, so they began to make alternate arrangements.

“Our feeling was that he was going to be looking for a long-term contract and a lot of money, and the organization just made up their minds that we weren’t going to do it at that time,” Leyland says. “As it turned out, things didn’t go the way he expected, I assume, or the way I would have liked it for him, because he deserved it.

“He’s been absolutely terrific here. He’s one of my favorite all-time teammates. He’s a great guy who comes here every day, ready to save a game for you. He’s never turned the ball down.”

Casual observers might see Leyland pacing the dugout and hankering for a smoke when Valverde falls behind yet another hitter and get the impression that Papa Grande drives his manager crazy. But it’s not that simple; Leyland watched Valverde convert 110 saves in 118 opportunities over a three-year stretch, and he can appreciate the man’s flair for summoning happy endings from chaos.

Leyland takes issue with the perception that the closer’s role is overrated or a mere contrivance. He knows what it’s like to sit at a desk and get peppered with questions when his team is closer-impaired, and he draws a distinction between pitchers who yearn to get that final out and those who merely tolerate the role or quake under the pressure.

“There are people who say you don’t need a closer, but I disagree with that totally,” Leyland says. “It doesn’t mean you can’t get by without it. But if you look at the teams that have won in recent years — like the Yankees, Phillies and Boston — they all had closers. The game has changed a little bit.

“A lot of it has to do with your mental outlook on things. First of all, you can’t be afraid and you’ve gotta know how to do it. Jose Valverde knows how to do it and he’s not afraid. That’s why we have two legs up. He knows how to get [outs number] 25, 26 and 27. Some guys can get 25 and 26, but they can’t get 27.”

After throwing five straight scoreless innings and converting his first three save opportunities, Valverde mixed in a clunker Sunday against Cleveland. He threw 15 strikes and 14 balls and surrendered the tying RBI single to Michael Brantley in the ninth to blow the save before the Tigers lost in the 10th.

Valverde needs his splitter as a complement to his fastball, so it was an ominous sign when he threw 29 straight heaters against the Indians. Leyland claims that the inclement spring weather has been an impediment to Valverde throwing his splitter, and Valverde points to his abbreviated spring training.

*I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR BOOS AFTER THE OVATION WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED: Valverde was encouraged recently when he made his 2013 debut and 30,347 fans at Comerica Park treated him like a conquering hero.

Let’s get back to that treatment of someone who got us here. Would Red Wings fan turn on Jimmy if he let one in?