![]() Indeed, Lucchino may have had more trouble convincing Henry to back Little over Alou. "We know we satisfied their concerns," he said. Lucchino said the Sox consulted the commissioner's office about the minority issue throughout the search process. But Selig's staff approved Little's hiring over Alou, according to Lucchino, despite Alou's lofty credentials. ![]() "He is a man of extraordinary dignity and class, and we were very fortunate he was willing to consider this franchise."īaseball commissioner Bud Selig has made a top priority of increasing the number of minorities in management. "He had the opportunity to convey to the enormous respect we have for him and the great appreciation we have for his career and his achievements," Lucchino said. Henry did not attend the news conference because he remained on the opposite coast of Florida tending to other business interests. "He's been deserving of a chance for a long time."Īlou, 66, whose rejection of former general manager Dan Duquette's offer to manage the Sox last year led to Kerrigan's hiring, received word from principal owner John Henry yesterday that he would not get a second chance. "I've known Grady for a long time and I told him today when I saw him, `It's about time you got a job,' " Cubbage said. Cubbage's coaching job is considered safe. Little would not discuss potential changes in the coaching staff, though it's a strong possibility he will recruit former Yankees coach Tony Cloninger - now a scout for the Giants - to serve as pitching coach, according to two baseball sources.Ĭubbage, 51, who has served as interim manager since Joe Kerrigan was fired last week, said he would manage the team in games against the Cardinals today and Expos tomorrow in Jupiter, Fla., before handing over the reins to Little Thursday in Fort Myers. "The Red Sox have afforded me an opportunity to be in a position where it might just happen at this level. "I've had players win me championships at every level in baseball except for one," he said. Little posted a record of 1,054-903 in his 16 seasons in the minors. "But at the end of the day we chose Grady Little to be the manager because Grady did it the old-fashioned way. "We had three exceptional candidates, people whose careers and characters command and deserve respect, three men whose reputations were impeccable," Lucchino said. The only problem: Lucchino referred to Little at least twice as "Brady" before he caught himself.īeyond the respect Little commands among Sox veterans, including Manny Ramirez, whom he coached in Cleveland, he won over the new Sox regime with the dogged determination he showed toiling for nearly two decades in the minors and as a major league understudy. "There's something about someone who knows your system, knows your people, knows your personalities, knows your division, knows your league, knows your media, etc. "It's almost like promoting from within," Lucchino said. And he helped coach the Sox to the playoffs in 1998 and '99 when Port was vice president for baseball operations. Little helped coach the San Diego Padres to the top of the National League West in 1996 when Lucchino was that team's president. Little beat out two other finalists - former Montreal manager Felipe Alou and Boston third base coach Mike Cubbage - largely because his ties to the new Sox bosses made them feel more comfortable entrusting their $700 million franchise to him. "At that time, I decided I would like to be managing in the major leagues by the time they finished the Big Dig," he joked in his introductory news conference. Little had 16 years of minor league managing experience when he was coaching with the Sox in the late '90s under former manager Jimy Williams, living in Boston's North End, and contemplating his future in baseball. He got a two-year deal with club options for a third and fourth year. In his rich Southern drawl, Little seized the opportunity. Little, 52, who was poised to start his third year as bench coach for the Cleveland Indians after serving in the same role for three years with the Sox, was nearly asleep just before midnight Sunday when Lucchino and interim general manager Mike Port called to offer the coveted job. Now, we are on course for the 2002 season." "While there still are decisions to be made," said team president Larry Lucchino, "the decision today is really a fundamental and important one. His arrival marked the last major change in a sweeping makeover of the team by the franchise's first new owners in 69 years. Little stepped out of the shadows at City of Palms Park to a roar of approval from his new players at 11:33 a.m., the dawn of a new era in Sox history.
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