Sox have hired Jerry Narron as bench coach

canderson

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Jul 16, 2005
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He was a horrible in-game manager at Texas. Had partial season tickets for them when he was hired after firing Johnny Oates.

That’s all I got.
 
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JimD

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Nov 29, 2001
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Not surprised, since he was Roenicke's bench coach in Milwaukee. Would have liked to see a younger guy who could be more approachable by the players, preferably one who could speak Spanish, but it's probably just for one year so no big deal.
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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Not surprised, since he was Roenicke's bench coach in Milwaukee. Would have liked to see a younger guy who could be more approachable by the players, preferably one who could speak Spanish, but it's probably just for one year so no big deal.
+1...Febles would have been the obvious move.

Narron, Old baseball dude. Nothing to get excited about, consistent with the 2020 theme
 

barclay

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Jan 27, 2006
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Someone with more knowledge of how things work with the FO can correct me -- and please do. But after the Cora fiasco and the Sox response (which amounted to yes, we had to fire him but wait a year), two things occured to me: 1) we do not know for sure whether "firing Cora" means they did not give him some form of financial buyout -- did they? maybe they gave him an extra "something". Which leads to: 2) firing Cora does not mean, so far as I know, that he cannot be "called" (by phone or otherwise) if need be -- either with respect to players, strategy, or some disturbance in the clubhouse -- which includes being present in the clubhouse if need be (not illegal, or is it?). If they truly want this to blow over and bring back Cora (I assume they do), then he's hardly "out of the picture", right? There are all kinds of things that can be done on the down-low without incurring the wrath of MLB. Or so I would think. For those that know more, educate me.
 

Harry Hooper

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Jan 4, 2002
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If Cora gets suspended by MLB like Hinch, any contact between the Sox and Cora will be viewed harshly by MLB.
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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While I do believe there is a non-zero chance that Cora returns to Boston at some point, it's not happening this year, and there is zero chance he'll be used as a "consultant" to the manager or any other such nonsense. For better or for worse, this year's team will be Ron Roenicke's to manage.
 

Shaky Walton

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Nov 20, 2019
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What, John McNamara's bench coach wasn't available?

(I know, I know, he didn't have one.)

Narron is probably a great coach and I'm glad he and Roenicke have history and chemistry.

But damn, enlisting the bench coach who didn't want to or couldn't save Grady from making the worst series of decisions ever made by a manager or head coach in Boston sports history just feels kind of perfect in this off season from Hell.

Yes, your mileage may vary on where Grady's Boner ranked. And it's patently unfair to judge Narron on that one set of decisions, especially since the buck stops with Little.

But given the overall context, I'm not feeling very charitable or fair.
 

JimD

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Nov 29, 2001
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This is all about making Roenicke as comfortable as possible in what everyone knows is a one-year gig. Barring a surprise playoff run, Bloom will graciously thank Ron and Jerry for their efforts next October and then set about finding the next Kevin Cash to implement his vision.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
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I don't understand why anyone expected the bench coach hire to be all that exciting. It's not like the bench coach is a make or break spot. He's a sounding board for the manager, but he's not making any strategic decisions. Over the last two years, how often has Roenicke even been mentioned? When Cora was ejected from games and.......?

Also, it's late February. Anyone that might have been an intriguing hire already has a job. Narron is the pick in part because he didn't already have a gig.
 

mwonow

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Sep 4, 2005
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Merkle's Boner

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Apr 24, 2011
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In my memory, Narron hit a HR in the first game I ever went to, a Yankee game at the old Stadium in 78 or 79. That’s all I got.