Demarlo Hale to be promoted to bench coach Options

[mikeford]

Linky goodness

Good for him.

Just don't bring back Sveum to take his place at 3rd.


Edit: ah, hell. Didn't see the wholesale thread on the coaching changes. Just fold this into that or clip it.

This post has been edited by mikeford: Nov 23 2009, 02:13 PM

[Smiling Joe Hesk...]

The article states that Bogar is moving to 3rd base coach.

Well done by the Sox. Hale has been highly regarded throughout his coaching career and if anything should happen to Tito, Hale will be the guy to step in and manage. I am pleased by this move.

[bosockboy]

Complete no brainer. Great baseball guy and I assume a very possible successor to Tito. Not to bring race into this, but I think it would have looked pretty crummy to have Bogar get the job over him after one year, as white as this team is.

[bd11]

My only concern here is that DeMarlo has been the best third base coach the Red Sox have had in at least 25 years. I worry that there may be a learning curve for Bogar with respect to the Wall, knowing the runners etc. and that it will take him a while to be as good as DeMarlo.

[Buckner's Boots]

Complete no brainer. Great baseball guy and I assume a very possible successor to Tito. Not to bring race into this, but I think it would have looked pretty crummy to have Bogar get the job over him after one year, as white as this team is.

I don't disagree with you about it being a complete no brainer. Hale is highly qualified, and I think it would have looked pretty crummy for Bogar to get the job over him after one year, PERIOD. Hale is the man for the job.

But my major problem with this is your "as white as this team is" caveat. No caveat is needed, first of all. Hale has earned this. I'm just hyper-sensitive to the old "the Red Sox are SO white" discussion, since they have become very Asian and Latin in their nature over the past few years.

Unfortunately--and this may be just my bias and interpretation--I think Hale's accomplishments are diminished when we say "not to bring race into this", and then speculate on a hypothetical, with a hint that race might have entered into the decision because of the team's makeup. I don't think that was your intention, but that's the way it reads to me.

[bosockboy]

I don't disagree with you about it being a complete no brainer. Hale is highly qualified, and I think it would have looked pretty crummy for Bogar to get the job over him after one year, PERIOD. Hale is the man for the job.

But my major problem with this is your "as white as this team is" caveat. No caveat is needed, first of all. Hale has earned this. I'm just hyper-sensitive to the old "the Red Sox are SO white" discussion, since they have become very Asian and Latin in their nature over the past few years.

Unfortunately--and this may be just my bias and interpretation--I think Hale's accomplishments are diminished when we say "not to bring race into this", and then speculate on a hypothetical, with a hint that race might have entered into the decision because of the team's makeup. I don't think that was your intention, but that's the way it reads to me.

It wasn't my intention; he is the man for the job no doubt. My point was it would have looked very poorly on the team if Bogar was selected, for both baseball reasons and the "other" reason. I'm stunned Bogar was even a consideration.

[Buckner's Boots]

I'm stunned Bogar was even a consideration.

Agreed.

[TheoShmeo]

I'm stunned Bogar was even a consideration.

It shouldn't be stunning. Seniority with the Sox was undoubtedly not the only consideration.

Factors such as perceived "managerial IQ," compatibility with Tito and ability to relate to the players could have tilted this in Bogar's direction, regardless of the fact that Hale has been around longer. And these jobs are not fungible. As bd11 noted, Hale has been a strong third base coach; the Sox could have reasoned that third is much harder to master than first, and they'd rather not risk weakening third in the name of giving Hale a promotion.

And apart from those factors, I think it was natural from a process perspective to consider both base coaches if nothing else as a way of letting Bogar know that he has a future with the organization.

This post has been edited by TheoShmeo: Nov 23 2009, 07:23 PM

[bakahump]

Is there a reason a Bench Coach couldnt also coach third?

Are the Job functions really that heavy for both that they could not be one and the same?

Is it a "traditional" thing ("its called Bench Coach for a reason")? A "promotional" thing (as a Bench coach he would be above the "on field drudgery")?

Should Tito be tossed and Demarlo take over could he not perform the huge number of pinch hitting lineup changes as he marches in from 3rd?

Maybe this is trying to kill a fly with a Nuke (IE not worth the effort/chaos). Maybe its like killing a fly (IE just not that big a deal...).

[Lose Remerswaal]

Is there a reason a Bench Coach couldnt also coach third?

Are the Job functions really that heavy for both that they could not be one and the same?

Is it a "traditional" thing ("its called Bench Coach for a reason")? A "promotional" thing (as a Bench coach he would be above the "on field drudgery")?

Should Tito be tossed and Demarlo take over could he not perform the huge number of pinch hitting lineup changes as he marches in from 3rd?

Maybe this is trying to kill a fly with a Nuke (IE not worth the effort/chaos). Maybe its like killing a fly (IE just not that big a deal...).

Of course a Bench Coach could coach third. And a Hitting Coach can coach first (Bobby Doerr comes to mind). Teams used to only have 4 coaches, maybe 3 (1B, 3B, pitching). Now they have six of them: 1B, 3B, Hitting, Pitching, Bullpen, Bench. More eyes and ears. And your third base coach can't remind Tito that 'Tek is a crappy hitter, he's too far away to do that.

Do you want to go back to 6 coaches in the NFL (and 1 Coach/GM a la Red Auerbach in the NBA)?

Genie's out of the bottle, baka.