Lakeland, Fla. — Twenty-three years.
That’s how long it’s been since Leon “Bull” Durham has been in the big leagues. Twenty-three years in the bushes — six in the Angels system coaching at outposts in Vancouver and Edmonton, and the last 17 with the Tigers coaching hitters at Triple A Toledo.
That’s a lot of bus rides and bad food. Needless to say, his heart could’ve burst with joy, and relief, when he got the call from the Tigers to be assistant hitting coach alongside Lloyd McClendon.
“It gave me a little chill,” he said when he got the call from Al Avila.