I'm looking forward to his battles with Rich Gedman from opposite dugouts. On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Tom Salemi <[email protected]> wrote:
> *Bill Buckner to manage Brockton Rox > ------------------------------ > *By Gordon Edes > ESPNBoston.com > > BOSTON -- Bill Buckner is coming back here, and in uniform, too. > > The former Red Sox > <http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/bos/boston-red-sox>first baseman has been > hired to manage the Brockton (Mass.) Rox, a team in > the independent Can-Am League, Rox co-owner Van Schley confirmed Tuesday. > > "We're thrilled," Schley said Tuesday. "They're just crossing the t's and > dotting the i's on the contract." > > Buckner e-mailed his acceptance of the offer to team owner Chris Carminucci > over the weekend and was expected to sign his contract Tuesday. It's a > two-year deal. The Rox plan to formally introduce Buckner at the team's Hot > Stove Dinner Jan. 21. > > Buckner, 61, will be managing a team for the first time. He was recruited > to do so by Mal Fichman, a longtime independent league manager and > big-league scout who, like Buckner, lives in Idaho. > > More On The Red Sox > > Gordon Edes and the rest of the ESPNBoston.com team have the Red Sox > covered for you. > *Blog*<http://espn.go.com/boston/columns/redsox/blog?name=redsox> > > "Mal and Bill have done clinics and camps together," Carminucci said, "and > Mal asked him if he might have some interest in managing. We tried to get > him before last year, but it didn't work out -- Bill wanted to spend time > with his son, who is playing college baseball, and had some other things, > but we stayed in touch." > > In the end, Carminucci said, "we basically made Bill an offer he couldn't > refuse. We told him, 'We want you and nobody else.' " > > And, in a twist evoking memories of Connie Mack, the manager Buckner is > replacing is Carminucci, who was Brockton's field manager the last two > seasons while also running the club. Carminucci is owner of a business that > helps out financially distressed ballclubs, and the Rox had fallen on hard > times, with one former president accused of embezzling money from the club, > or as Schley put it, "using it as his personal ATM." > > "We used to joke around that I was CEO, president, manager and picked up > the trash when I needed to," Carminucci said. > > Buckner's last job in baseball was as hitting coach for the Chicago White > Sox <http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/chw/chicago-white-sox> in 1996 and > 1997. In 2008, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox home > opener as part of the celebration of the team's 2007 World Series title. > > On that occasion, an emotional Buckner spoke about coming to terms with the > notoriety that has hounded him because of the error he made in Game 6 of the > 1986 World Series, his name becoming a cultural touchstone. > > "I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston, per se, but I would have > to say in my heart I had to forgive the media," Buckner said at the time. > > "For what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I've done that > and I'm over that." > > Carminucci said '86 never came up in his negotiations with Buckner. > > "People are going to think, 'Oh, you're bringing back a controversial guy,' > " Carminucci said. "No, I'm bringing back one of the best baseball people > that has ever played in Boston. We think Bill will be great for the > community, great for our players." > > *Gordon Edes covers the Red Sox for ESPNBoston.com.* > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<redsoxcitizens%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en. > -- Author of Robot Haiku<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440511977?ie=UTF8&tag=rayspicks&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1440511977> : Poems for humans to read until their robots decide it's kill time. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Red Sox Citizens" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en.
