BBTF's Sox Therapy Discussion :: another New Englander on board

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

another New Englander on board

The Sox really seem to like the New Englanders. They entertained the idea of hiring Bowden and Beattie, and now they’ve brought in New Hampshire native Allard Baird to be a special assignment scout.

The Kansas City Star explains that Baird grew up a Red Sox fan in Rochester, NH:

Baird will perform various scouting tasks for Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, including the evaluation of possible trade targets and free-agent acquisitions.

“Basically,” Baird said, “I’ll be doing whatever Theo and their management team wants me to do. I’m really looking forward to working with Theo and everybody there.”

Baird is the guy who signed Johnny Damon for the Royals, according to the Boston Herald. But he’s been savaged by Rob Neyer and others for his tenure at KC. I don’t see the downside to this move for Boston, as long as Baird is being used for his apparent strength—he comes from a scouting background—rather than his weaknesses.

Is the Sox FO biased in favor of New Englanders? Certainly seems that way.

Do native New Englanders have a disproportionate number of front office jobs across MLB? Certainly seems that way, too.

Toby Posted: July 11, 2006 at 02:31 PM | 13 comment(s)
Related News: Boston

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1. Carl Yastrzemski, A Well-Paid Slav (GGC) Posted: July 11, 2006 at 03:32 PM (#2095619)

Littlefield and Ricciardi are New Englanders. I forget if anyone else is, but I recall Joe and Jerry bringing that up, oh, 1,000 times.

2. chris p Posted: July 11, 2006 at 03:50 PM (#2095644)

the duquettes are from new england, too, right?

3. Carl Yastrzemski, A Well-Paid Slav (GGC) Posted: July 11, 2006 at 04:45 PM (#2095704)

the duquettes are from new england, too, right?

Dan's from Daulton, MA (or somewhere around Pittsfield). No idea about Jim. Harry Dalton was from New England, If I read Nine Innings correctly. Is he contemporary enough to count?

4. Pastor Toastman (PH) Posted: July 11, 2006 at 04:49 PM (#2095706)

Dan's from Daulton, MA (or somewhere around Pittsfield).

He runs -- or at least has put his name on -- a sports academy in Hinsdale, MA.

5. Judges 20:16 (the Lord's bullpen) Posted: July 11, 2006 at 06:08 PM (#2095781)

FWIW, Baird has a reputation as good at finding scrap-heap players that can be useful for a bit (see Brown, Emil). I think it's likely that the PawSox can look forward to some good seasons by unheralded late-20s slugging first basemen and corner outfielders who are waiting around for someone to tweak a hammy.

6. Robert Machemer Posted: July 12, 2006 at 04:01 AM (#2096533)

Harry Dalton, an Amherst College graduate, hired Dan Duquette, another Amherst College graduate, who hired Ben Cherington, still another Amherst College graduate.

7. Josh Posted: July 12, 2006 at 08:33 AM (#2096568)

someone to tweak a hammy

Or tear a meniscus.

8. bwright Posted: July 12, 2006 at 10:07 AM (#2096620)

maybe the selection bias is inversed. people who grow up in NE want to work for the Sox. Failed GMs getting a job as freelance scout with a team is not that unusual.

9. Dave Cyprian Posted: July 12, 2006 at 02:13 PM (#2096904)

#6, what!??? I graduated from Amherst College, I love the Red Sox, I am unemployed. Give me a job!

10. Robert Machemer Posted: July 12, 2006 at 04:07 PM (#2097012)

I too graduated from Amherst and contacted Cherington in the summer of 2000 when I knew I was leaving a job. He encouraged me to apply for a low-level position (and I would have if I wanted to wait until November -- the hiring time for baseball is after the season, for fairly understandable reasons).

If you're seriously interested in applying for a job, I suggest you go to the Amherst alumni website, look up Ben's email address, and drop him a line before applying. He and I went to college at the same time (although we didn't really know each other), so that was at least one "in" I had with him. It probably can't hurt for you to write him, though you'd actually send any application to someone else, of course.

11. The Run Fairy Posted: July 12, 2006 at 04:25 PM (#2097037)

...and if youre a UMASS-Amherst grad, call the Brockton Rox for a job. They always need people to pick up the peanut casings after the game.

/juss playin

12. Mudpout Posted: July 13, 2006 at 02:18 PM (#2097698)

Baird took a lot of grief over his time with the Royals, and it's clear the organization is in a bad way, but it was also clear that he was a GM with definite strenghts, and that he was in one of the worst ownership situations around. I think this is a good pickup in that I think Baird can play a good "platoon role" in the front office. I like him as an advisor, but I'm glad someone else has the final say.

13. villageidiom Posted: July 13, 2006 at 11:14 PM (#2098407)

Is the Sox FO biased in favor of New Englanders? Certainly seems that way.

Hometown discount?

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

another New Englander on board

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