"I've got patience with talent."

Patience. There's a concept in short supply these days. A friend says we live in the "microwave age." We want everything – the high-paying job, the promotion, the new car, the hot babe – in under a minute, with the push of a few buttons. Bing!

In sports, it's championships. We want them now! Or … fire somebody, cut somebody, trade somebody … do something!

Jim Leyland, the man who uttered the words at the start of this post, comes from another age. In fact, the 64-year-old Detroit Tigers manager has lived through a few "ages," which may be why he's able to make an old-school strategy work in this new, "microwave" age.

You can see it at work as he sits in the dugout, void of highs or lows. And particurlarly when he strides to the mound to talk with a pitcher. Most often he's not out there long enough for station identification, stopping by only long enough to say, "How ya doin'?" or "Go get 'em."

The Tigers reached the World Series in 2006 behind another couple of Ps – pitching and power – then fell on hard times last season when the plan went awry. Justin Verlander, the young arm that was supposed to anchor the staff, fell from an 18-6 season in 2007 (3.66 ERA) into a runt of a year (11-17 last season with a 4.84 ERA). And the hailed acquisition of Dontrelle Willis didn't pan out.

The Tigers have gotten off to one of the most surprising starts this season. Not spectacularly so, sneaky so, in part because last season's misery was not an excuse to flush patience down the drain. With much the same leading cast, Detroit is 11-9, good enough for first place in the mediocre AL Central. Verlander, 26, remains the anchor and though only 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA, his last start –  seven innings of BBs that shut out on the Yankees – indicates he just might be rounding into his earlier form.

And there've been unforeseen contributors. Before going 14-11 last season for World Series-bound Tampa Bay, Edwin Jackson languished for the Dodgers under the burden of being a top prospect. Now, after shutting down the Yankees for six innings on Tuesday, he's 1-1 with 21 Ks and a 2.25 ERA.

The Yankees acted like they were on the driving range once Jackson left the game, teeing off on reliever Ryan Perry and the rest of the Tigers' pen for 10 runs in the seventh on the way to an 11-0 victory.

In some cities, the manager's office might have been a bit warm after such a night. But that's when Leyland uttered his "patience" line, adding, “I’m not going to get all up in arms over one outing."

Tonight, Leyland goes with 20-year-old Rick Porcello, the team's first-round pick in the 2007 draft and a kid so good he pitched just a year in the minors before making his "show" debut this season. He's 1-2 with 11 strikeouts and three walks, having thrown 57 strikes in 89 pitches in his last outing.

Number like that don't require much patience but when the time comes – and it likely will with such a young staff – Leyland will have it in reserve.

Image courtesy Getty