Larry Lucchino dead at 78
- Thread starter bosockboy
- Start date
A week from the death of Peter Angelos, the guy Lucchino sold the Orioles to. He was the disruptive force that spurred much of the success for 2004-2018. He also mentored Theo, and brought him into baseball and then to the Sox.
The ride with Larry wasn't always a smooth one, but there's no denying his role in the success of the franchise with the change in ownership as well as his role in transforming Fenway Park.
The Globe just sent out a news alert on it. So... as long as we still believe in the Globe this is valid.
Big man in Sox history. We aren’t as forgiving of the current team’s recent failures without the success he helped bring
That's one way of describing murdering professional baseball in Rhode Island I guess.
Wow, do we know if he was sick or was this sudden? 78 is not exactly young but it does not qualify as old in today's age.
Very shocking news. The Red Sox are not the Red Sox we follow today without him. Neither is baseball.
Prayers to his family and the Red Sox family.
Very shocking news. The Red Sox are not the Red Sox we follow today without him. Neither is baseball.
Prayers to his family and the Red Sox family.
As the "bad cop" for this ownership, he got a lot of crap -- and some of it was deserved, but this guy could keep the trains running and get big projects done. He's a very, very important part of Sox history and it's legit shocking to hear that he passed away.
He also is the reason we had Theo Epstein in our lives, who became possibly the best GM in history.
In addition to his work on the operations side he was also more than willing to fan the flames of the biggest rivalry in baseball. Without him we don't have @EvilEmpire.
He was a bull in a China shop, but I never got the impression that he didn't really love baseball or want to do what he thought was best for the team's biggest fans. We need more guys who think the game is the most important thing in leadership positions.
In addition to being a good baseball man, he is responsible for the construction of Camden Yards, Petco Park, and the renovations at Fenway Park. Changed the landscape of baseball at the end of the 20th century for the better. And saw the talent in a young Theo, who he hired as an intern right out of college. RIP Mr. Lucchino.
There have always been contradictory reports about whether LL or Werner was responsible for this move or that, but everyone seems to agree that LL was the principal in charge of the Fenway Park renovations, which imo were brilliantly done. Today’s news is sad, but with the recent unexpected sale of the WooSox it’s hardly a surprise. RIP.
Monster seats are a HUGE thing. Jersey Street closed during games with concessions and entertainment. VASTLY improved concessions. Reutilization of spaces like the clubs in RF, downstairs and upstairs, instead of being industrial laundries. Extra seating on the RF roof. Concerts. Football games. Rugby. Soccer.
We get it. These may not be @Ale improvements, but they are a big fucking deal
FTFY. This is not Larry Lucchino's fault or Red Sox ownership's fault. Unless you have a solution he missed?
Anyone who doesn't recognize how Fenway has been upgraded since FSG took over either doesn't remember its state during Yawkey Trust or is being dishonest. Just something as simple as no longer being locked into whatever section of the park your ticket was located. Screens with the game on added virtually everywhere so you can keep up with the action. Or simply picking up the trash between games.
RIP Larry. His imprint will be felt in New England baseball for a long time.
RIP Larry. His imprint will be felt in New England baseball for a long time.
Yeah that’s part of what set me off. A man just died that did a lot of good for not just the Red Sox but baseball as a whole. A man that contributed to the game far much more than he took from it, yet we have posters that feel the need to shit on Lucky. They should stick to Reddit.
RIP Larry. We gave him a lot of crap around here over the years, but on balance he did great things for the Red Sox. Who knows the balance of credit deserved between Henry, Theo, Werner and Lucchino, but the alchemy between them turned the leaden hearts of Red Sox fans to gold. An achievement that will stand the test of time. We should all be so lucky as "Lucky" Lucchino.
He was a huge part of the Sox for awhile there. I have footage of me telling my brother that “Larry Lucciano called the Yankees the Evil Empire”.
It’s pretty funny. And what a nickname at the exact right time.
It’s pretty funny. And what a nickname at the exact right time.
He never tried to be the most liked guy, and he surely wasn't. He played the game with sharp elbows both publicly and by most all reports privately as well. And without him there is no 2004 Red Sox, no Theo, likely no 2007 or 2013 or 2018 titles, or in all probability the great Fenway refurb among other things. So in the big picture, all of those are the wins he always focused on anyway.
Thank you for what you enabled, even acknowledging the costs and what it took to make it happen
RIP LL
Thank you for what you enabled, even acknowledging the costs and what it took to make it happen
RIP LL
It sounds like he lived a good life and I am happy for him, though like many others he could and probably should have had a few more years. I didn’t know him at all, of course, and am agnostic as to how much of a driving force he was behind all the things in his job, given the presence of many other people. But he was part of the Sox family that brought me so much joy. RIP.
It was mostly after Larry Lucchino left the Red Sox that I was able to look in the rearview, and fully appreciate what he did for the organization. Thank you sir, your legacy is intact.
Guess what, he did a lot of terrible for baseball fans in Rhode Island. Sorry I'm not ready to give him a tongue bath upon his death on the day I should be going to see the PawSox in McCoy or a new park built near Slater Mill.
I'm fine with that deal. Fenway is a jewel, better polished than ever replaced.
Bless him for his part in that, and the four more championships than the older fans among us could ever have hoped to live to see.
Rest in Peace Larry; you earned it!
Bless him for his part in that, and the four more championships than the older fans among us could ever have hoped to live to see.
Rest in Peace Larry; you earned it!
Just saying nothing is also an option. I understand you’re upset about the loss of professional baseball in RI. The Paw Sox situation has nothing to do with Fenway. Take the “L” and move on.
I'm not strict about "speak no ill of the dead" sort of guy, there are some people for whom there's no fair evaluation of them without focusing on the negative. George W Bush will forever be associated with the Iraq War, for example. But I think it's more than a little unfair to give Larry Lucchino the Rush Limbaugh treatment and "RIP bozo" meme equivalents. Maybe he made some mistakes with moving the PawSox. Maybe blame is diffuse between him and RI people, fans, Ben Mondor, Worcester officials with stars in their eyes, etc - seems a bit hard to pin down, to me. There's things to critique, no doubt. But is that really the first thing that comes to mind when you think about how he's impacted our lives, our fanhoods? Is that really a fair and necessary thing to bring up, first last and only, in your post about his passing? C'mon now.
Maybe a shittier sports executive doesn't have the ambition to take on a new minor-league project in his 70s... and likewise, doesn't have the security to mentor a young Theo Epstein, or commit to investing in and preserving Fenway, or to find the financial and budgeting solutions and management strategy that let us compete on more or less level terms with the Yankees for the better part of two decades, getting one up on them over and over again. Would our lives be better without all of that, and the PawSox still playing in McCoy stadium? Or would your post instead have then been "I guess it's great that he ran the team, but I wish he would have run it better"? I'd bet that you're a lot happier to have had 2004, 2007, 2013, and the seeds of 2018, than you are upset about the PawSox.
A man is dead, relatively early, of a terrible disease. This man did a lot for the Sox ballclub (which is nominally why we're posting on this board) and the city. He did some good stuff for other cities too. Like just about all human beings he wasn't an unmitigated saint who pleased everyone who came across him.
So - maybe you show a little class here?
I hated the old Dennis & Callahan show, but damned if I didn't tune in occasionally for Lucchino's weekly interview just to hear him clap back at Callahan over his takes (baseball & political).
Yeah, and Lucchino was definitely the right guy at the right time for the Sox. After 2001 season, the Sox were on the verge of having Pedro's tenure suffer the same demise as Ted, Yaz, Rice, Dewey and Clemens....great careers without a WS title. Lucchino, Henry, Werner, Theo, et al changed the trajectory, and Lucchino's attitude was perfect for that time.
Ah, this explains your vitriol. I agree you should take this to reddit. Especially on a day like today.
IMO, one of his greatest contributions to the game
I came here to post something similar. Camden Yards was really the first of the new stadium era and it's just a beautiful park to watch baseball in. She may not have all the bells and whistles of the parks that followed, but it really captures the feel of another era. I was so hoping he would be able to work similar magic when he came to Boston. The renovations at Fenway have transformed the old park, but I still can't help but to wonder what an architectural wonder a new Fenway might have been.