Bloom Don’t mess this hire up and don’t drag your feet .Cora is our guy !!!!

[jad]

Cora could have shown even more integrity by not being Houston's ringleader. He could have chosen not to participate, and even blown the whistle.

 

As for giving up sports, fine with me. Being quarantined pretty much did that for me already. I watched maybe 3 Red Sox games this year.

 

Really? I think COVID increased my sports watching! (although yes, it pretty much eliminated my sports participation). I was desperate--watching Metopera.org every night. Which was fine. But nothing compared to listening to Joe Castiglione's mellifluous voice or watching Eck on stage.

[Thunder]

Really? I think COVID increased my sports watching! (although yes, it pretty much eliminated my sports participation). I was desperate--watching Metopera.org every night. Which was fine. But nothing compared to listening to Joe Castiglione's mellifluous voice or watching Eck on stage.

 

Nah. I got so used to watching other stuff that when sports came back, I really didn't care. Still watch football on the weekends, and I still am interested in playing whatever sports I can find, but I'm much less inclined to watch a game just because it's on.

[notin]

Not really. Almost every Beatles song is better than their best one.

 

Fine. I wanted to go wqith Head East, but how many know that song?

 

But those who do know it is one of the best...

[notin]

Dick Williams likely won't be coming through that door anytime soon.

 

True, but only because he passed away 9 years ago...

[notin]

Not that it makes it right or okay, but yes, cheating is so widespread in baseball that if you're going to quit rooting for a team because they rehire Cora, then you would pretty much have to quit rooting for any team. Cora and the Astros are not the only team who are guilty of sign stealing. Every team does it to some extent. That doesn't even take into account other forms of cheating going on.

 

But there i a difference between accepting that cheating is widespread and overtly condoning the activity by hiring a known offender.

 

But baseball fans are very fickle when it comes to cheating. With steroids? Suspicion is enough!! But throw a few spitballs? OK. Admit throwing spitters? That's ok too. tThrow tons of spitballs and admit it and win 300 games, get elected to the Hall of Fame and go on to write an autobioghraphy where you not only admit you used the spitball in the title of the book, but you give it top billing over yourself? Yea, fans are cool with that...

[dgalehouse]

Cora cheated. He got caught . He paid the penalty . It was a one year suspension . He did not get , nor did he deserve , a lifetime ban. He has every right to manage again . That should not be an issue . I do think he would be a good choice to guide the current group of Red Sox. Go for it Bloom.

[mvp 78]

Lock Cora in NOW .I demand it !!!!!!! I will Haunt you .

 

You can’t sign him right now. He’s banned for the year.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Anyone who still believes Alex Cora was "ringleader", just because that's the convenient synonym Manfred used for "scapegoat", stopped reading and listening -- or chooses to ignore -- subsequent accounts of other people who were involved and employed by the Astros in 2017. The system was formulated by the Houston organization before Cora was hired there. Yes, he was complicit -- just like every other team's coach, manager, GM, analytics analyzer, clubhouse clubby, and ballplayer who did, do and will always try to steal signs.

 

The fact that teams have already expressed interest in Cora before his suspension is even over shows how the industry truly views the so-called "scandal" (which the MLB felt forced to address, only because of an article in The Athletic). It also speaks volumes to Cora's regard as a baseball manager.

[moonslav59]

Cheating? Or trying to gain a competitive edge?

 

They cheated with the IFA signings years back and lost a signing season.

 

Call it what you want, but it's cheating.

 

The other incidents have more gray area involved.

[moonslav59]

Dick Williams likely won't be coming through that door anytime soon.

 

I have no problem with anyone calling Tito or Williams the "best ever." Williams took a team that was horrific for several years before 1967 to a very near WS victory. He put the Sox back on the map. We've been "relevant" ever since.

 

Tito was fantastic- no doubt. Unfortunately, he had some personal issues that caused him to lose control of an excellent team on paper (better than the 1967 team and others). I hated to see him go, but it had to be done. I can understand those who don't hold any of that against him, or who feel it doesn't take him down enough to make anyone else close to passing him as the GOAT Sox manager. It's hard to argue against that.

 

One could say Cora lost control of the 2019 team that was great on paper, too, and that he only had one great year and one ring as compared to several great years under Tito.I get that point and can't counter it with anything statistical. (Imagine that! LOL)

 

I still think Cora is the best we've ever had. I like his style, philosophy and knowledge of the game. I don't really hold the cheating at Houston against him. He wasn't the mastermind or the head honcho there. It's a blight on his resume, but as a manager, he's a great one.

 

[Kimmi]

But there i a difference between accepting that cheating is widespread and overtly condoning the activity by hiring a known offender.

 

But baseball fans are very fickle when it comes to cheating. With steroids? Suspicion is enough!! But throw a few spitballs? OK. Admit throwing spitters? That's ok too. tThrow tons of spitballs and admit it and win 300 games, get elected to the Hall of Fame and go on to write an autobioghraphy where you not only admit you used the spitball in the title of the book, but you give it top billing over yourself? Yea, fans are cool with that...

 

That is a fair point. But as many people said to me when I had a hard time embracing Chavis and his PEDs use, he served his punishment and should be given a second chance. Cora served his punishment. He should be given a second chance.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I find it significant that Merloni recently called Cora the best man for the job because of his big influence on the development of Devers, ERod and Bogaerts becoming star players.

[Sox75]

I think giving Cora a 1 year deal is the right way to go.

 

If the year continues to be a s*** show, I go with Ben Affleck.

 

He has made a comeback with a decent sports movie, and deserves a shot?

 

Besides.... In his last appearance at Fenway, it's fair to say that he was wasted. I think he can do much better?

[jacksonianmarch]

No way. Bloom will hire someone from TB. He isn’t going to go back to the Sox past, especially with a cheater.

[cp176]

True, but only because he passed away 9 years ago...

 

I wonder if I already knew that before I made the post.

[cp176]

I have no problem with anyone calling Tito or Williams the "best ever." Williams took a team that was horrific for several years before 1967 to a very near WS victory. He put the Sox back on the map. We've been "relevant" ever since.

 

Tito was fantastic- no doubt. Unfortunately, he had some personal issues that caused him to lose control of an excellent team on paper (better than the 1967 team and others). I hated to see him go, but it had to be done. I can understand those who don't hold any of that against him, or who feel it doesn't take him down enough to make anyone else close to passing him as the GOAT Sox manager. It's hard to argue against that.

 

One could say Cora lost control of the 2019 team that was great on paper, too, and that he only had one great year and one ring as compared to several great years under Tito.I get that point and can't counter it with anything statistical. (Imagine that! LOL)

 

I still think Cora is the best we've ever had. I like his style, philosophy and knowledge of the game. I don't really hold the cheating at Houston against him. He wasn't the mastermind or the head honcho there. It's a blight on his resume, but as a manager, he's a great one.

 

 

The landscape is just so different today than it used to be. If the overpaid boobs don't happen to like you, guess what - it makes really no difference whether you are a good baseball manager or not, you are gone. I have lost a great deal of my passion for any type of professional sport because of this. Mangers today should be required to have degrees in counciling before applying for any available position. Mangers like Dick Williams of which there were many, would not survive today without dramatically changing their style to coincide with the "softness" that society requires.

[jad]

The landscape is just so different today than it used to be. If the overpaid boobs don't happen to like you, guess what - it makes really no difference whether you are a good baseball manager or not, you are gone. I have lost a great deal of my passion for any type of professional sport because of this. Mangers today should be required to have degrees in counciling before applying for any available position. Mangers like Dick Williams of which there were many, would not survive today without dramatically changing their style to coincide with the "softness" that society requires.

 

So you define "softness" as "not following authority" or "exercising free agency." And "strength" as "following orders" and maybe the good old days of being essentially the property of an owner? That may be good ideology for plantation owners, or even the general of a standing army. But I don't think it should apply to modern businesses like sports. I agree with you that managing employees, teaching, coaching--all those things are more difficult now than they may have been 50 or 60 years ago.

[mvp 78]

I would say it's more likely than not that they get someone other than Cora. Cora coming back is like a 20% chance IMO. I think Bloom likes him, but is going to give some other guys an opportunity to come in and wow them during the interview process.

[notin]

I would say it's more likely than not that they get someone other than Cora. Cora coming back is like a 20% chance IMO. I think Bloom likes him, but is going to give some other guys an opportunity to come in and wow them during the interview process.

 

The biggest obstacle with Cora is more likely to be that he will could other offers, whereas some of the other candidates like Kotsay and Quatraro might not garner as much league-wide interest...

[mvp 78]

The biggest obstacle with Cora is more likely to be that he will could other offers, whereas some of the other candidates like Kotsay and Quatraro might not garner as much league-wide interest...

 

Maybe? Is Cora's brand tarnished across the league?

[notin]

Maybe? Is Cora's brand tarnished across the league?

 

Probably, but his combination of experience and a World Series ring (two, really) still has to have some appeal...

[notin]

The landscape is just so different today than it used to be. If the overpaid boobs don't happen to like you, guess what - it makes really no difference whether you are a good baseball manager or not, you are gone. I have lost a great deal of my passion for any type of professional sport because of this. Mangers today should be required to have degrees in counciling before applying for any available position. Mangers like Dick Williams of which there were many, would not survive today without dramatically changing their style to coincide with the "softness" that society requires.

 

I'm not even sure this is any more true now than it ever was before. Players have always hated managers, and there have been repercussions. Billy Martin's feuds with Reggie Jackson were legendary, and reportedly lead to his dismissal at least once. Bobby Valentine was notorious for clashing with players across multiple leagues.

 

The Sox did stick by Zimmer and unload the players he had trouble with (Bill Lee and Jim Willoughby for example), but that actually turned out to be the wrong move in hindsight.

 

Of course, the lack of 24 hour channels dedicated to sports and even solely to MLB might have made stories like these a lot less common...

[mvp 78]

Probably, but his combination of experience and a World Series ring (two, really) still has to have some appeal...

 

I could see the Mets wanting him.

 

Maybe AZ dumps Lovullo?

[mvp 78]

I'm not even sure this is any more true now than it ever was before. Players have always hated managers, and there have been repercussions. Billy Martin's feuds with Reggie Jackson were legendary, and reportedly lead to his dismissal at least once. Bobby Valentine was notorious for clashing with players across multiple leagues.

 

The Sox did stick by Zimmer and unload the players he had trouble with (Bill Lee and Jim Willoughby for example), but that actually turned out to be the wrong move in hindsight.

 

Of course, the lack of 24 hour channels dedicated to sports and even solely to MLB might have made stories like these a lot less common...

 

In his recently published book, "Zim: A Baseball Life," Zimmer calls Lee a "jerk" and says he is the only man he has ever met in baseball that he wouldn't let into his home. In 1978, when Lee pitched for the Red Sox, he was frequently critical of Zimmer.

 

In an interview with ESPN Radio Wednesday, Lee wondered how Zimmer could take shots at him and said, in a characteristic Lee rant, that Zimmer purposely lost the '78 pennant race to the Yankees and now has a lifetime job with George Steinbrenner as the Yankees' bench coach as a result of this "fix."

 

Zimmer, when told of the comments, went ballistic after a victory over the Royals Wednesday, calling Lee "a scumbag" numerous times.

 

"How can I take shots at him?" Zimmer said. "He's got guts saying that. I'm full of bullets. That's all he did was take shots at me."

 

During the late 1970s, Lee referred to Zimmer as "Gerbil," and he and his friends on the Red Sox, including Ferguson Jenkins and Bernie Carbo, mocked Zimmer.

 

Lee lost seven in a row at one point during the '78 season and was taken out of the rotation by Zimmer. In a key September game against the Yankees, Zimmer bypassed Lee and pitched rookie Bobby Sprowl, who lost the final game of the "Boston Massacre" series.

 

Zimmer insisted, in his book and to reporters Wednesday, that he never let his personal feelings toward Lee dictate his decisions. In 1975, when he was third base coach, Zimmer said he urged manager Darrell Johnson to pitch Lee in Game 2 of the World Series."He's the biggest scumbag," Zimmer said. "What do I care what Bill Lee says? Bill Lee, scum of the earth."

[mvp 78]

Lee was intensely loyal to his teammates and naively expected the same from management. When friend Bernie Carbo was traded on June 15, 1978, Lee was so angry that he stomped out of the Red Sox clubhouse the following day, shouting, “Today just cost us the pennant.” (The team had a six-game lead at the time, and Carbo had only 47 at-bats.) Lee angrily announced that he was retiring from baseball. He was in a rough patch at the time, taking two losses while having 16 runs scored against him in the prior three games (only six of them earned). A day later, Lee returned (sporting a T-shirt that read “Friendship first, competition second.”) That surely didn’t create a positive impression with Don Zimmer. When fined a day’s pay of roughly $500 for the Carbo walkout, he asked if they could make it $1,500. “I’d like to have the whole weekend,” he explained. Walking away from a first-place team, even for just a day, was a strong statement.

 

From July 15 through August 19, though, Lee seemed to fall apart, losing seven straight decisions. On closer inspection, one sees that in five of the seven losses, he gave up no more than three earned runs. The July 30 game was the most dispiriting defeat, a 2-1 complete-game loss to the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. Zimmer’s refusal to start Lee against the Yankees in September was a huge subplot in the collapse of the Red Sox. Lee appeared in two of the “Boston Massacre” games, but both times it was in relief. In the September 8 game, he threw seven innings in relief, allowing the Yankees just one earned run in a game New York won 13-2. On September 10, his last appearance of the season, Lee closed out the game with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief; the Yankees won nonetheless, 7-4.

 

Lee was in the doghouse the rest of the season. One more win at any point along the way and the Red Sox never would have had to play New York in the infamous single-game playoff.

 

Thinking back thoughtfully on Pedro tossing Zimmer.

[mvp 78]

Lee derived considerable pleasure from the Red Sox victory in the 2004 World Series, and even more residual pleasure from the ALCS comeback over the team he hated most, the New York Yankees, the team he once termed “brownshirts” and “Nazis” and “thugs.” Lee watched the games with his wife from a bar in Hawaii. Also present were a collection of Yankees fans that he said shriveled up with each successive New York loss, “like testicles in a cold Nova Scotia spring.” He couldn’t resist adding the spurious news that George Steinbrenner planned to move the Yankees to the Philippines where they would play under the new name “The Manila Folders.”

 

It's a shame we won't get him in the booth for a few series. Lee is a national treasure.

[notin]

I could see the Mets wanting him.

 

Maybe AZ dumps Lovullo?

 

Tigers have reportedly already expressed interest in Cora as well..

[mvp 78]

Tigers have reportedly already expressed interest in Cora as well..

 

Didn't want to keep their interim manager?

[mvp 78]

Would Cora even want to go to the Tigers? That doesn't seem to be an org that is set up to win anytime soon.

[notin]

Would Cora even want to go to the Tigers? That doesn't seem to be an org that is set up to win anytime soon.

 

Like with any other free agent, it probably depends on the money.

 

And maybe he wants to challenge of making Detroit relevant again. That team is loaded with some young talented pitching, and he might want to lead any potential charge up through the standings. Also, any opportunity in the AL Central will have at least some appeal to a managerial candidate due to the lack of any large market team that can spend its way to the top and sustain their success through financial means...