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![The Detroit Tigers' stylish centerfielder talks great catches, his chain-smoking manager and dressing like a pro. By <a href="http://sharpformen.com/author/rohan-joseph/">Rohan Joseph</a><div id='nr_fo_top_of_post'></div><p>“Check out my tattoo, man.” The owner of a trendy sunglasses boutique on Queen west in Toronto pulls up his sleeve to reveal a large inking of the Detroit Tigers’ logo. “It started with my dad. In London [Ontario] it’s half and half between Detroit and the Jays. I haven’t missed a home opener in 16 years.” The merchant has a good reason to be giddily proud of his obsession; Detroit’s centerfielder is in his shop and more than happy to trade an autograph for a pair of shades. The storeowner rapidly hands Austin Jackson an assortment of luxury eyewear accompanied by a note of who wears each style; “These are the ones Lebron rocks…Rick Ross likes these ones.” Jackson looks into the mirror wearing a pair of lensless glasses and gives a serious stare. The hipster goggles are reminiscent of Spike Lee or basketball star Dwyane Wade but Jackson’s agent has a different famous reference in mind. “That’s your Malcolm X look.” Jackson can’t contain his laughter. The outfielder’s grin breaks through the facade of fashion and it’s clear that he’s having fun. On this sticky summer day the young man gets a brief reprieve from the major league grind – he’s dressing for a photo shoot.</p>
<p>“When I first started off in the minors with the Yankees,” says Jackson, “I walked into the clubhouse wearing baggy jeans and a big white t shirt. Then I saw the whole team wearing suits. I realized that those guys were professionals and if I wanted to get there, I should start dressing like one.” By now he has learned to do more than just look the part. In his third full season as an everyday big leaguer, Austin has maintained a strong batting average atop the Tigers’ order and is arguably the best fielder, at his crucial position, in baseball. Jackson’s success is not a surprise, no reaching movie script. He’s proof that the big baseball scouting machine works. He was always damn good and everybody knew it.</p>
<p>Jackson was preordained for the pros as a young boy in Denton, Texas. He was a natural who also had the great boon of encouragement. “My brother played ball and everything he did, I wanted to do. I used to go to the field to watch him play all the time. My dad kept working with me at a young age and he built a batting cage in our yard.” Jackson was a superb all around athlete, so capable that Georgia Tech offered him a scholarship to join both their baseball and basketball teams. Looking at his perfectly balanced and agile physique, it’s clear that Jackson could have excelled at any sport he chose. Tech made a good offer but The Yankees drafted him in 2005 and went down to Texas with a deal too enticing to pass on. Jackson would often consider the road not taken, but never regretted his decision. “I don’t have any regrets. I used to think about it a lot in the minor leagues when it seemed like I didn’t have a chance to go up, but everything ended up working out.” So the Yankees stowed Jackson in their farm system, far away from the Bronx, its cameras and voices in the bleachers. New York is one of the few teams with enough riches to hold off on calling up sure-thing prospects. “Teams are put in a situation where they have to keep players in the minors, even if they’re ready to come up. If you have a veteran guy at that position, it’s hard to take that job away and hand it to a rookie.” Jackson says, noting that he probably could have been in the majors earlier than two years ago. “In my case they let me develop and then looked for a trading spot.” In the winter of 2009, coming off a World Series victory, the Yankees decided that a proven, older player would be more suited to their roster than the spark Jackson would provide. New York traded Jackson, who had yet to plant his feet in the batter’s box of the Bronx Zoo, to Detroit for all-star centerfielder Curtis Granderson. “I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, but I was shocked. I had made a new set of friends out of high school and they were pretty much the college friends I made because I never went to college. I grew up with those guys in the minors. Being traded meant starting all over again.”</p>
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<p>Jackson’s now thumbing through old soul albums at a record store called Rotate This. I ask him about playing for his manager, Jim Leyland. This season in particular has been a media trial for Leyland, who is known as one of the last true baseball men. He is a smoking, cursing master who responds only with gruffness to the questions that poke at his strategies. Prior to a recent surge, the pricy Tigers lineup was at risk of missing the playoffs due to inconsistent play and the manager was the natural target. Between admiring Sam Cooke vinyl covers, Jackson adamantly expresses his confidence in Leyland, no matter how stubborn his mustached skipper can seem. Jackson’s belief in his manager is reciprocation for how Leyland greeted him in Detroit; “It was overwhelming when I came over, walking into a new system, but the first thing Leyland told me was ‘We want you to be yourself, we don’t want you to try to be something you’re not, we want you to play your game.’ That put me at ease.” Leyland’s in-game decisions have been skewered (rightfully) by calculating pragmatists on the internet but there is always the incalculable value of leadership, the intangible power of personality. “He gets fired up,” says Jackson, with his Texas twang, “He’s a motivator and a funny guy, always telling jokes, keeping guys loose.” A look at how the Tigers are rolling now, during the vital stretch, backs it up. Jackson and his teammates are playing with grit, confidence and freedom.</p>
<p>The Tigers are only just arriving at their preseason expectation to be a World Series contender. Last winter, Detroit’s ownership signed star first baseman Prince Fielder to a massive contract befitting the player’s girth. The financial commitment to a player of Fielder’s caliber, when the team already possessed a dominant slugger in Miguel Cabrera, was a clear message to the team and its fans. “It’s motivation for us as a team,” says Jackson, “to see that the organization is willing to take the necessary steps to win the World Series.” It seemed unusual for Detroit, a city locked in economic depression, to be zealous buyers but the Tigers are a big money team. With few other shows in town during the summer, the city leans on its ball club. Jackson and his teammates are aware of their role in the community; “This is definitely one of those situations where a city gathers around their sports team,” he says, “You can feel it. They’re selling out Tuesday night games, and the crowd is right in the game, they know what’s going on.”</p>
<p>Jackson’s drive to better himself is as impressive as his athleticism. Since he entered the majors, Jackson has struggled with strikeouts. This year he made a commitment to limit his whiffs and he has, by about 50. Being an aggressive hitter is a tough characteristic to unlearn and yet Austin has vastly improved his discipline, hitting for a consistent batting average over .300. The steady approach is crucial for the Tigers because Jackson’s visits to the base paths often end at home plate. Cabrera (likely the league’s MVP) is beating the stitches off the ball and Jackson, with his great speed, has been the beneficiary as he is set to finish in the top 5 in runs scored. In the field Jackson constantly displays his work ethic, never giving up on the ball until it’s landed in the seats. When asked to name his personal favourite of his many highlight catches, Jackson mentions an occasion where he <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17949413&c_id=mlb" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://mlb.mlb.com']);">robbed Baltimore’s center fielder Adam Jones of a home run. </a> I contend that it was his <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8615499&c_id=mlb" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://mlb.mlb.com']);">Willie Mays-like preservation of a perfect game.</a> “It’s the biggest area out there,” Jackson says of playing center field, “You have to be in shape and know the park. Detroit especially has a lot of space to cover.” As a hitter Jackson uses the space to his advantage, driving balls into the pasture he otherwise patrols so that he can zip around to third base. From that corner of the path it’s only a short jog to cash in and high five.</p>
<p>We walk to a nearby cafe and Jackson admires the summer scene. ” The culture here is wonderful. And you have some beautiful women in Toronto. On the road you don’t really get a chance to explore. ” There’s something reassuring about a rich 25 year old appreciating the beauty of a street corner in an unfamiliar city. I can imagine Austin having the same grin on his face when he first saw that private batting cage as a child. The excitement Jackson displays on the field when he rounds third or chases a deep fly ball is not restricted to baseball, it’s an extension of his passion for life. He’s genuinely thankful. When you’re around him you start to realize that his talent is a product of his disposition rather than the reverse. Inside the cafe Jackson downs two espressos and enjoys a few more laughs. He’s due at the ballpark in a couple of hours for first pitch. To be young in the big leagues.</p>
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<p>It’s Autumn now and the last days of a long campaign are blowing away. The Tigers are peaking at the right time, which is what every team hopes for in the spring. Jackson is doing his part for the club by being himself; setting the table for the big boppers that follow in the lineup, patrolling the vast centerfield of Comerica Park and sparking the positive vibes. Detroit needs his skills in the playoffs. On desperate October nights, a lead off knock or a run-saving snag can be the difference. The weather is starting to sour in the north. Soon the fields will be covered and the gates will be shut. The American daydream will be locked away for months. The bats are weighty. As the sun sets, Austin glides through the outfield shadows with the same jump he had at season’s opening. For some, the summer never ends.</p>
<p><em> Photos by Jaz Panaguiton.<br />
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<div id='nr_fo_bot_of_post'></div> <span id="pty_trigger"></span> Austin Jackson Has Every Reason To Be Smiling](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/austin-jackson/austinlast.jpg)