Red Sox Memories: A look at four previous managers and a new one

The Boston Red Sox have a new manager due to a set of circumstances few saw coming. Now a look at four managers from Red Sox past and how they failed and succeeded.

Baseball players come in all shapes and sizes as the sport is quite democratic in the physical qualities of players. A behemoth first basemen next to a diminutive by comparison second baseman. As with any organization, the temperaments can also be as diverse with passive players to those with extreme volatility. This also applies to the intellectual capabilities of understanding the game and applying the right decision-making. There are players simply lack baseball smarts. All of this applies to managers who are usually culled from the player pool.

The first Red Sox manager from deep within what is left of my functioning memories was Lou Boudreau (1952-53) who was for Boston – rather briefly – a player-manager. Since that time I have seen many take the helm with the result eventually being canned or in the case of Pinky Higgins, his managerial incompetence was rewarded with a promotion to general manager. Being a drinking pal with the owner certainly had advantages. I will refrain – and it is difficult – with Higgins’s legacy of racism.

My focus will not be targeting this century but will focus on certain select managers that left an impression both favorable and unfavorable. As with much in the history of baseball information seeps out that sheds a new perspective or solidifies one that already existed. Now a look at my hit list of four different managers and their success and/or failures. The last frame will be incomplete since it will be about the latest entry to the Red Sox extensive managerial list.