Grady Little

From SoSH

Grady Little

Born:	March 3, 1950
Birthplace:	Abilene, Texas
Height:	5' 11"
Weight:	190 lbs
Bats:	Right
Throws:	Right
Drafted:	1968: 12th Rd by the Atlanta Braves
College:
High School:
Other Teams:	Minors Only
Others Managed:	LA Dodgers 2006-Pres
Years with Boston:	2002 - 2003 Manager

William Grady "Gump" Little was born March 30, 1950 in Abilene, Texas. He managed the Red Sox in 2002 and 2003 and presently manages the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Overall Career

Early Playing / Managerial

Before his managerial career, Grady was drafted in the 12th round by the Atlanta Braves in 1968, playing six unremarkable years in the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees organizations as a minor-league catcher, eventually beginning a transition to the coaching staff in 1974. He stepped away from organized baseball during the the 1975-1979 seasons, spending time as a cotton farmer in Texas. In 1980, he was was named manager of the Baltimore Orioles rookie league team, the Bluefield Orioles.

Grady Little

He toiled as a minor league manager for much of the next decade and a half, reaching the postseason eight times and winning a title four times between 1980 and 1995(10 of those years were with the Braves organization).

Finally getting his break into the majors, he caught on briefly as the bullpen coach with the San Diego Padres for the 1996 season.

Little was a bench coach for the Red Sox between 1997 and 1999 under Jimy Williams. Immediately afterwards, he took a job with Charlie Manuel as the bench coach for the Cleveland Indians.

Head Coach - Red Sox

After the sale of the Red Sox and the dismissal of manager Joe Kerrigan, Little was named manager during Spring Training of 2002, a decision that was rumored to be warmly accepted by certain players.

Grady was appreciated by many during his tenure during the 2002 and 2003 seasons for his ability to keep Manny Ramirez happy and productive. However, that minor positive attribute was not considered enough by many, who considered his handling of the team to be weak at best. It is rumored that Owner John Henry considered firing Grady after the 2002 Season.

Post-Boston

Little spend the 2004 and 2005 seasons as scouting consultant and assistant to VP Jim Hendry with the Chicago Cubs, and was a roving catching instructor, occasionally mentioned as a possible replacement for field manager Dusty Baker.

On December 8, 2005, the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Little to replace their previous manager Jim Tracy. In 2006, Little guided the Dodgers to their longest winning streak in 13 years, an 11-game skein in August that propelled the blue from last to first in the National League West. Of course, The long Winning streak followed a long losing streak of 8 games, and losses in 13 of 14 games after the All-Star Break.

Grady "resigned" from the Dodgers after the 2007 season, after the Dodgers negotiated with Joe Girardi and then started negotiating with Joe Torre.

Not-So Good Moment in the Sun

Grady Little will best be remembered in Boston for his terrible bullpen handling. His most memorable bullpen blunder was in the 2003 ALCS when he left a tiring Pedro Martinez in too long, removing Martinez for Alan Embree only after the 3 run lead was blown by a sequence of 7 hits allowed to 9 batters. Embree, Scott Williamson, and Mike Timlin combined to throw 24 1/3 innings that postseason while allowing only 1 run and 8 hits. This was the last game managed by Grady Little in a Red Sox uniform.

Trivia

Little currently lives in Pinehurst, N.C. when not managing the Dodgers and is married with one child and two grandchildren. His younger brother, Bryan, played five seasons in the Major Leagues with the Expos, White Sox and Yankees.
According to an unattributed story, after Little visited the mound in Game 7 and decided not to remove Pedro, John Henry reportedly asked Larry Lucchino, who was standing next to him, "Can I fire him now?"
Some claim that Grady Little was not fired by the Boston Red Sox, claiming a difference between firing a manager and not renewing his contract. In reality, the effect is the same; a manager one day is unemployed the next.

Quotes

Grady little: “Knowing what I know now,” Little said to reporters, “I’d have still stuck with my man Petey. He’s my guy, and he’s the one I’d go with.”