It's unlikely -- after all, Jim Leyland turns 66 in December -- but the Tigers' skipper could someday find himself managing his own son. That has happened before in baseball -- but not every often.
    Eighteen-year-old Patrick Leyland, the Tigers' eighth-round draft pick, has decided to pass up a scholarship at the University of Maryland and turn pro. The younger Leyland, who, like his father, is a catcher, kissed his girl friend, sister and mother good-bye and  flew to Lakeland on Thursday for his physical. Once he passes that, he will fax his contract back to Detroit for his dad's approval, then join the Tigers' entry-level team in the Gulf Coast League, which is based in Lakeland.
    Jim Leyland played for six years in the Tigers' farm system, never rising higher than Double-A. He hopes his son won't meet a similar fate.
    But that will be up to Patrick.
    "This is his bag, this is all about Patrick, this isn't about me,"  Leyland said. "I can't help him. He's on his own.
    "We gave him his options," the elder Leyland continued. "This is what the kid wants to do. I'm certainly not going to take his dream away from him."
    But for Patrick, who just graduated from high school and had grown accustomed to the luxuries of big league life, hanging around the ballpark with his dad, the low minors will mean a big adjustment.
    They play their games in the afternoon in the Gulf Coast League. For young Leyland, that will mean catching each day in 100-degree heat. He will share a room at the Tigers' minor league complex with Bo McClendon, the son of Tigers' hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who was also drafted this month.
    "He's going to see stuff he's never seen before," the elder Leyland predicted. "He's going to see guys throwing 95 mph. He's got some talent but he's never seen stuff like that.
    "This is just a break-in, to get his feet wet," Leyland continued. "I'm not going to get too excited if he does well. And I'm not going to get too excited if he doesn't.
    "Hopefully, he'll play for a few years, and then we'll see."
    Nevertheless, it is an exciting time for Jim Leyland, who embarked on a similar adventure of his own, traveling to Florida with his catcher's mitt and his dreams, 46 years ago.