Little out as Red Sox Manager

ESPN TICKER ^

[rs79bm]

The Boston Red Sox, still smarting from a bitter seven-game loss to the rival Yankees in the ALCS, fired manager Grady Little on Monday, a high-ranking team official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

ESPN's Peter Gammons, who reported earlier Monday that Little would be fired Monday, reports that the team will formally announce the move at a 3 p.m. ET news conference at Fenway Park.

Monday's Boston Herald, citing a Red Sox source, reported that two candidates to succeed Little could be former Indians manager Charlie Manuel and former Red Sox second baseman Jerry Remy, a television analyst for NESN, a regional sports network partly owned by the Red Sox.

According to the report, others on the Red Sox list are Yankees third-base coach Willie Randolph, Yankees first-base coach Lee Mazzilli, Dodgers third-base coach Glenn Hoffman and former Phillies skipper Terry Francona, now the A's bench coach.

[Lib-Lickers 2]

Little's worst move was to put a cold knuckle ball pitcher in an extra innings game 7 when he had fireballers in the bullpen all warmed up,,,,,,what happens when one knuckleball doesn't knuckle well?,, a crap hitter takes you deep ala Boone and your season is over,,,,,,,,

[F16Fighter]

"And the Yankees are bashing and trashing Aaron Boone who hit the home run that won the Boston game!"

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Boone was a prime suspect in the Yanks losing to the Marlins. He's got the heart of a '62 New York Met.

[F16Fighter]

"And if he'd pulled Martinez and his replacement had given up a home run, they'd have fired him for that, too."

Grady Little: D@amn if he did; D@mn if he didn't.

Quite Frankly, Joe Torre's bringing in baseball's worst pitcher --Jeff Weaver -- into an extra-inning tie game in the World Series rates a much more justifiable case for firing.

[F16Fighter]

"I would take Bucky Dent in a heartbeat!"

And who would be Dent's bench coach -- Bill Buckner??

I would also nominate Bob Stanley as Pitching Coach.

[L.N. Smithee]

The only announcer that has done well out of the video booth is Bob Brenly.

Actually, Larry Dierker had some good years with the Astros, but never advanced to the NL Championship Series. Brenly is the only one who came straight out of the booth and won the World Series, to my knowledge.

Brenly was one of the key cogs in the S.F. Giants' late 80's renaissance under manager Roger Craig (the "Humm-Baby" era with Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, and Matt Williams). Guys on those teams have made quite a name for themselves as managers: Brenly, Dusty Baker, and Bob Melvin of the Mariners.

[L.N. Smithee]

I would also nominate Bob Stanley as Pitching Coach.

While Stanley must be continually heartbroken over 1986, he also must be relieved that the enduring image of that fatal Game 6 is the ball sneaking past Buckner, and not his wild pitch that put runners in scoring position.

[L.N. Smithee]

Grady Little: D@amn if he did; D@mn if he didn't.

That's the curse of being the manager of the team that won the pennant, but not the World Series. There will always be something people will point to, and say, "He shoulda taken him out, and put the other guy in" or "He should have kept that guy in and kept the other guy out."

Last year, it was Dusty Baker, who pulled Russ Ortiz in the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead. Up until the Angels tied the game and pulled ahead in the eighth inning, it would have been Mike Scioscia, who left struggling Kevin Appier in the game long enough for the Giants to touch him for four runs.

Quite Frankly, Joe Torre's bringing in baseball's worst pitcher --Jeff Weaver -- into an extra-inning tie game in the World Series rates a much more justifiable case for firing.

I questioned Little's leaving Byung-Hyun Kim off the roster for the AL series, but that move came durn close to paying off. Weaver was combustible throughout the season despite the Yanks' dedication to prove they got the better of the Tigers in that deal. A good case could be made that he should have been scratched.

[F16Fighter]

"While Stanley must be continually heartbroken over 1986, he also must be relieved that the enduring image of that fatal Game 6 is the ball sneaking past Buckner, and not his wild pitch that put runners in scoring position."

True. Bob Stanley might have been wearing the goat-horns if not for Buckner. Some of us do remember that inopportune wild pitch amidst his own personal choking on the moment.

[F16Fighter]

"Last year, it was Dusty Baker, who pulled Russ Ortiz in the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead. Up until the Angels tied the game and pulled ahead in the eighth inning, it would have been Mike Scioscia, who left struggling Kevin Appier in the game long enough for the Giants to touch him for four runs...."

Fate sure is a fickle lady to Dusty Baker, ain't she? Wonder if he listens to his pitching coaches?

OTOH, I supposed every Yankee Fan is still scratching their head about the inexplicable move by Torre to calling for Jeff (6.49 ERA) Weaver to pitch the 11th inning of that 4th Game with 3 pitchers including Mariano Rivera still available. Those of us who watched the improbable of having the "combustable" Weaver warming up on the mound will never forget it. It was THE moment we knew the Series was tied, and of course up for grabs.

As a Yankee Fan, we were hoping to see BH Kim. Definitely a great move by Little to omit him. The rest of the Sox pen was magnificent (although, with the way the Yanks were hitting, who could tell??)

[F16Fighter]

"One rumor I heard was that Grady Little might be offered the Yankees' bench coach position under Joe Torre, taking Don Zimmer's former job."

Interesting. I like Grady Little, but I believe Little's "demand" for a multi-year contract helped both sides save face. Both parties knew Grady was getting canned either way after leaving Pedro in...

Speaking of Pedro, poor Zim was pushed over the edge by his "fight" with Martinez.