Best manager in Red Sox history

[FredLynn]

At the request of Moonslav, here is the manager poll. No writeins allowed.

 

1. Bobby Valentine

 

2. Joe Kerrigan

 

3. Butch Hobson

 

4. Pete Runnels

 

5. Pinky Higgins

[Jasonbay44]

I don't think I was ever less interested in a baseball season than during the Bobby Valentine year.

[bosoxmal]

None of the above. WHERE'S CORA'S NAME?????

[bosoxmal]

None of the above. Williams #2

[notin]

No Chick Stahl?

 

The guy committed suicide during Spring Training. In some stories, he left a note that said "Boys, I just couldn't help it. It drove me to it." which has been interpreted to say that Stahl was referring to cutting his friend and Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins. Other versions detail the note as saying "You drove me to it boys," indicating his team's poor play pushed him over the edge. (Reportedly his team players stopped him from committing suicide on at least one previous occasion.)

 

Either way, THAT is a dedicated manager!!!

[bosoxmal]

Early in the season (maybe late April) I posted an opinion on Cora. I said (ahem) that Alex Cora would eventually become the best Red Sox manager of all time. Can somebody find that post? Anyway, I WAS RIGHT!

[Bellhorn04]

Bobby V. in a close one over Butch Hobson. Joe Kerrigan had potential, but they didn't give him much of a chance.

[Sox75]

So far? Cora & Tito

[moonslav59]

To me, Cora is easily top 3 in Sox history, and I voted for him as the best ever. Edited October 20, 2018 by moonslav59

[Bellhorn04]

I voted him second to Tito. Tito's got 2 rings.

[Thunder]

I voted him second to Tito. Tito's got 2 rings.

 

Okay, but Cora could end up with more.

 

I say it's too early to vote on this. It's still year 1

[Bellhorn04]

Okay, but Cora could end up with more.

 

I say it's too early to vote on this. It's still year 1

 

True, but it's something to do until Tuesday night gets here.

[Youk Of The Nation]

I should have looked at this thread first. I merged the other one because I figured we could talk about Alex Cora's rankings compared to other managers in the context of the larger debate about best manager in Red Sox history. I guess I didn't figure that this thread was just a joke taking up front page space. And I can't seem to edit the poll options.

[TylerD]

I don't think I was ever less interested in a baseball season than during the Bobby Valentine year.

Lol agreed. He turned this team into a boring train wreck.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Alright, I figured it out. I used the last 9 managers chronologically and Other for the rest, since there are only 10 slots. I debated about that since adding Valentine as an option seems unnecessary, but whatever.

[Youk Of The Nation]

I vote Francona, by the way. His seasons in Boston went: WS Championship, ALDS appearance, no postseason, WS Championship, ALCS appearance to game 7, ALDS, no postseason, no postseason. That's 8 seasons, with two WS championships, an ALCS that went down to the wire, and two mediocre showings in ALDSs, which is far more than any Sox manager in the previous 80 years. Until Cora at least matches Terry for three or four seasons, he's the standard.

[moonslav59]

1. Cora

2. Tito

3. Dick Williams

[FredLynn]

I should have looked at this thread first. I merged the other one because I figured we could talk about Alex Cora's rankings compared to other managers in the context of the larger debate about best manager in Red Sox history. I guess I didn't figure that this thread was just a joke taking up front page space. And I can't seem to edit the poll options.

 

Of course it was a joke, and I certainly didn't expect it to last on the front page for very long. Gotta have a little humor interjected-next game is still three days away.

[fxkatt]

I voted Other. It's hard to say because there are no great ones. But I would say the Joe Cronin-Joe McCarthy teams were pretty impressive.

[mvp 78]

Tito for now. If Cora wins this WS and has sustained success, it’ll be a conversation.

[moonslav59]

No love for Bill Carrigan.

 

Never had a team with less than 91 wins in seasons 151-154 games long.

 

World series wins in 67% of his seasons as manager.

 

[Sox75]

Pretty easy pick with Tito. Cora clearly had the GREATEST SEASON, but 67 & 75 definitely felt better. I guess that's the sign of the times? Cable dilutes EVERYTHING, & it's tough to get a consensus on anything anymore.... yeh. More choices, but less cohesiveness. :'(

 

8t still has to go to Tito right now, but there is no telling what Cora could do IF HE WINS IT ALL in 2018???

 

YET to be seen?

 

p.s. it's stunning to see the general lack of EXCITEMENT for this Red Sox Team. Sure... the hysteria will heat up with the band-wagon crowd jumping on the wagon, but it's still somehow muted? I've never seen anything like this in Boston?

 

Sad! :'( is baseball really dying?

Edited October 21, 2018 by Sox75

[Youk Of The Nation]

No love for Bill Carrigan.

 

Never had a team with less than 91 wins in seasons 151-154 games long.

 

World series wins in 67% of his seasons as manager.

 

 

In a league with half the number of teams, with only one postseason series. He had a lot less to compete against. On top of that, at the time about a quarter of the population was barred from playing in Major League Baseball. Imagine those Sox playing against 30 teams all season, then through 3 rounds of the postseason against teams that included the best Negro League stars of the time. He was definitely successful, but like those Yankees teams of the days when they were winning five seasons in a row or 15 out of 20 or whatever, I grade on a curve.

[cp176]

I would go with with Francona being number 1 and Dick Williams being number 2. If Cora stands the test of time and deals with the issues that always come up when things don't go as planned, I'm thinking that he could become historic.

I will say that even though based on the record and because of the type of person that he is, I go with Francona but it isn't without some reservation. I might be the only one here who feels uncomfortable with the way he left Boston regardless of whether all the reasons were right. Although I like chicken and beer immensely, that incident did not sit well with me. I think that Cora might be tougher than we think behind the closed doors. DD has brought in some wonderful guys with respect to overall attitude and approach but I also think that Cora has had a great impact in who is currently playing and who has and is being brought in.

[cp176]

Pretty easy pick with Tito. Cora clearly had the GREATEST SEASON, but 67 & 75 definitely felt better. I guess that's the sign of the times? Cable dilutes EVERYTHING, & it's tough to get a consensus on anything anymore.... yeh. More choices, but less cohesiveness. :'(

 

8t still has to go to Tito right now, but there is no telling what Cora could do IF HE WINS IT ALL in 2018???

 

YET to be seen?

 

p.s. it's stunning to see the general lack of EXCITEMENT for this Red Sox Team. Sure... the hysteria will heat up with the band-wagon crowd jumping on the wagon, but it's still somehow muted? I've never seen anything like this in Boston?

 

Sad! :'( is baseball really dying?

 

From the mid to late 50's to the present, if I had to pick an ultimate favorite Red Sox team this would be it but boy it would be close. 67 and 75!!!

[Kimmi]

Early in the season (maybe late April) I posted an opinion on Cora. I said (ahem) that Alex Cora would eventually become the best Red Sox manager of all time. Can somebody find that post? Anyway, I WAS RIGHT!

 

Good call Mal. He's not there yet, but he's off to a great start!

[Kimmi]

Tito for now. If Cora wins this WS and has sustained success, it’ll be a conversation.

 

+100

[notin]

Of course it was a joke, and I certainly didn't expect it to last on the front page for very long. Gotta have a little humor interjected-next game is still three days away.

 

I am one of the few on this thread who got the joke. On the bad manager list, I had to find the one guy you didn’t think of and had to go back over 100 years to do it...

[jung]

Pretty easy pick with Tito. Cora clearly had the GREATEST SEASON, but 67 & 75 definitely felt better. I guess that's the sign of the times? Cable dilutes EVERYTHING, & it's tough to get a consensus on anything anymore.... yeh. More choices, but less cohesiveness. :'(

 

8t still has to go to Tito right now, but there is no telling what Cora could do IF HE WINS IT ALL in 2018???

 

YET to be seen?

 

p.s. it's stunning to see the general lack of EXCITEMENT for this Red Sox Team. Sure... the hysteria will heat up with the band-wagon crowd jumping on the wagon, but it's still somehow muted? I've never seen anything like this in Boston?

 

Sad! :'( is baseball really dying?

 

No MLB Baseball is not dying assuming that MLB was really the frame of reference. Clear evidence that its not thriving either. Not sure it will survive once my generation is pushing up daisies.

 

Remember, MLB and baseball were once referred to as the "National Pastime". Nobody considers Pastimes meaningful any longer unless they come in the form of dancing fingers across a keyboard or thumbs on a game controller or over a video monitor.

 

Once my generation dies off, I am not even sure what percentage of the sporting populace will actually even understand what is happening on the baseball diamond. I think I am doing my part to prevent that. Gotta' tune into game threads to find the people on baseball forums that actually know what is going on between the lines and in the dugouts for anybody actually interested in learning something about baseball from baseball forums. They don't always agree nor even often agree. But at least they for the most part actually know what the f*** is going on within the game itself.

 

Its the lack of understanding and appreciation for the physical and mental intricacies of the game that is going to kill it as sports entertainment if anything does because buried in those intricacies is the beauty of this beautiful game.

Edited October 21, 2018 by jung

[S5Dewey]

In a league with half the number of teams, with only one postseason series. He had a lot less to compete against. On top of that, at the time about a quarter of the population was barred from playing in Major League Baseball. Imagine those Sox playing against 30 teams all season, then through 3 rounds of the postseason against teams that included the best Negro League stars of the time. He was definitely successful, but like those Yankees teams of the days when they were winning five seasons in a row or 15 out of 20 or whatever, I grade on a curve.

I can't find a link to back this up but Satchel Paige, when asked how he felt about not being able to play against the greatest players of his time is reputed to have replied, "What makes you think I didn't?"