MOVE HAD BEEN EXPECTED BY MANY [Grady Little to be fired today]

espn ^ | 10/27/03 | staff

[Chancellor Palpatine]

You have a point - announce the replacement, and just let the implication hang. Everybody is much happier that way.

[Prodigal Son]

So if they announce it beforehand like this, why does Grady even need to bother showing up?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

He ought to show up, stinking drunk, with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and an arm around a cheap blond he picked up in a bar. As they're making their announcement, he should go into a profanity laced tirade against the ownership for being feckless.

Heheh- I'd pay to see that.

[Teacher317]

They should hire Zimmer!

Err, that would be "re-hire"...

Red Sox: 1976-1980, total record 411-304 (.575)

Exceptional choice, though. I sure would add a new angle to the Pedro-is-a-Punk Curse! ;^)

[misterrob]

With only 2 front line starters (Burket and Wakefield are not that stable), a POS bullpen and no team speed they managed to win the wild card and win a tough series against Oakland. Yes, there were some career years but Nomar slumped for almost two months and Manny continued to play like the selfish pr!ck that he is.

There is far too much emphasis on stats today. The Marlins won the series based in part on some of the gut calls made by their manager. Back in 2001 the Diamondbacks's manager, Brenley (sic?) made some curious decisions that worked out in his team's favor.

Little did a good job with what he had to work with. He went with his money pitcher and Pedro failed. Recall that Clemens came out in game 6 of the 86 series vs the Mets and after the Sox lost that game he took heat forever as a guy without the stones to finish a game.

Sometimes the decisions go against you. That's baseball. And I'll take baseball over Moneyball any day.

[b4its2late]

Little Out As Red Sox Manager

Handful Of Candidates Named As Possible Replacements

 

POSTED: 1:04 p.m. EST October 27, 2003

UPDATED: 1:16 p.m. EST October 27, 2003

 

BOSTON -- Grady Little is apparently out as manager of the Boston Red Sox. The team has called a news conference Monday when it's expected they will announce a decision not to exercise the option on Little's contract for 2004.

 

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Do You Agree With The Red Sox's Decision?

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  Despite leading the Red Sox to their first playoff appearance since 1999, Little has come under fire for his decision to leave in starting pitcher Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The Yankees scored three times in that inning to tie the game and won 6-5 in 11 innings on Aaron Boone's home run off Tim Wakefield.

 The Boston Herald reported Monday that former Cleveland Indians manager Charlie Manuel, who is currently a roving hitting instructor for the Phillies, is a candidate to replace Little. Little had been the Indians' bench coach for two seasons under Manuel before getting the Red Sox job.

  Another name being mentioned to replace Little is former Red Sox second baseman Jerry Remy. He currently works as a television analyst for NESN, which carries Red Sox games. Others believed to be in the running are Dodgers third base coach Glenn Hoffman, former Phillies manager and current A's bench coach Terry Francona, Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph and Yankees first base coach Lee Mazzilli.

  Little, 53, led the Red Sox to second-place finishes in the AL East in each of his two years with the team, both times behind their nemesis, the New York Yankees.

  In 2002, Boston finished 93-69 but was 10.5 games out of first place. This season the Red Sox went 95-67 and settled for the AL wild card.

  Boston rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Oakland in the Division Series but then fell apart in Game 7 to the Yankees. That kept intact Boston's curse of not winning the World Series since 1918. The team was also denied its first World Series appearance since 1986.

  Little's winning percentage of .580 was the best by any full-time Boston manager since Steve O'Neill's .602 (150-99) in 1950-51.

[gdani]

No....please hire Bobby Valentine, so I can start watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN again. He is one of the most annoying analysts they've had and I refuse to watch the show.

I agree re: Valentine (although I still watch the show).

Actually, having watched Baseball Tonight during the playoffs, it sounds like Bobby V. is seriously considering going back to Japan to manage having received a serious offer.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

My greatest hope is that the Remdog takes the job.

[ambrose]

Grady...

[kinghorse]

On the worst manager of all time: Bob Valentine. His eye job is so darling. Hey Bobbie, I got a great idea. Pitch Al Leiter for 9 innings of shutout World Series ball and then trot him back out there for the 10th. That's genius.

On Grady Little. He seems like he handled the pressure of playing the yankees very well. He shouldn't have been booted. It'll turn out about the same as the 49'ers giving Steve M. the boot. Nothing better out there worth trading.

[kinghorse]

Winnie. Gallops away.

[StatesEnemy]

"I feel you will have to deal with this matter in the harshest possible way, Mr. Torrance"