GaryMrMets
12-13-2001, 10:12 PM
I guess I will have to try & get El Tiante's autograph when the Lowell Spinners play the Brooklyn Cyclones this coming season.
http://redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news_story.jsp?article_id=bos_20011212_noteboo k_news&team_id=bos
News
12/12/2001 5:30 pm ET
El Tiante rejoins Red Sox family
By Mike Petraglia
redsox.com
BOSTON -- Luis Tiant last pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 1978. On Wednesday, the right-hander was welcomed back to the organization as the Short-A Lowell Spinners pitching coach and special assistant to the general manager.
"I've waited for a long time -- 23 years," Tiant said Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Boston. "It's a great thing to happen to my family and me. Hopefully I can do the job they waited for me to do."
"We're real happy to have him rejoin the organization," Red Sox Executive Vice President and General Manager Dan Duquette said. "He's one of the great Red Sox pitchers, and we're looking forward to mentoring our young pitchers.
Tiant, who won 122 games and recorded a 3.36 ERA in his eight seasons with Boston, will also travel to Spring Training and assist Kerrigan with both the Major League and minor league pitchers. He will additionally perform Red Sox public affairs duties, including working with community relations efforts.
"I'm proud to work for the Red Sox and coming back here and happy to be here," said Tiant, who was accompanied at the announcement by his wife Maria and sons Dan and Luis. "Cuba is my [home] country. This is my second country. I'm grateful for the people here and how they have treated my family.
"I have my own company, Tiante Cigar, and that has kept me busy," he said. Tiant also served as the pitching coach for Nicaragua at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the manager for the baseball team at Savannah (Ga.) College of Art Design.
Tiant won 20 games three times in his Red Sox career and won Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1972 (15-6, 1.91 ERA). He then won two games in the 1975 World Series for Boston.
"Our fans still love Luis Tiant," Duquette said. "Luis still big in Boston after all these years. If you walk through Fenway Park, everybody still recognizes Luis. Along with [Dwight] Evans, they're both in the Red Sox Hall of Fame. And they join [Carlton] Fisk and Yaz [Carl Yastrzemski] as some of the great treasures of the Red Sox organization."
Burkett gets friendly tour of Fenway
After meeting with reporters Wednesday afternoon at the Winter Meetings, Red Sox Manager Joe Kerrigan left to give right-handed pitcher John Burkett a personal tour of Fenway Park.
"I'm just going to show him what we do and how we break down hitters," Kerrigan said. "I want him to see our program."
Kerrigan said he sees Burkett possibly filling the number two rotation spot occupied in 2001 by Hideo Nomo. That, in turn, would take some of the weight off the shoulder of Derek Lowe.
"It would not be fair to Derek Lowe to run him out there as our number two," the Boston skipper said. "We'd like to get a buffer between Pedro [Martinez] and Derek Lowe, and we think Burkett would be a good fit."
Burkett, who finished 2001 at 12-12 with a 3.04 ERA, was selected to the National League All-Star team from a Braves' staff that included Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Kerrigan said one reason for the 37-year-old's success is learning how to adapt.
"Now that he's older, he's learned how to throw a curveball strike, and he really throws a good cutter to left-handed hitters," Kerrigan said.
"I remember what he was like when he was with the Giants. He was more a power pitcher," Kerrigan continued. "But pitching is more brain than brawn. He's got the brawn side down and now he's learned the other side."
Duquette, speaking with reporters late Wednesday afternoon, said he had no news to announce regarding his ongoing talks with "several" free agent pitchers.
Comfort level
Kerrigan said Wednesday that he wants to make Manny Ramirez more comfortable in the cramped confines of Fenway Park's home clubhouse.
The Red Sox manager made his comments after Jeff Moorad, Ramirez's agent, told reporters that an uncomfortable clubhouse bothered Ramirez during his first season with the Red Sox.
"I would love to sit down with him [Moorad] and see what we can do to make his guy more comfortable with the clubhouse," Kerrigan said. "I just want to say, 'What can we do to make him more comfortable?' I've had to do it all my coaching life.
Kerrigan said that, in one way or another, he's dealt with the "comfort" issue with other Red Sox players since taking over as manager on Aug. 16.
"I think the kid needs his space. He was in a place before (Cleveland) where it wasn't an issue. But here it's different. We've got to sit down with him and help the kid adjust," Kerrigan continued.
"I think Manny is a different case. We have addressed some of these issues with other players, helping them with different aspects of playing in Boston," Kerrigan said.
Mike Petraglia is the site reporter for redsox.com.
http://redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news_story.jsp?article_id=bos_20011212_noteboo k_news&team_id=bos
News
12/12/2001 5:30 pm ET
El Tiante rejoins Red Sox family
By Mike Petraglia
redsox.com
BOSTON -- Luis Tiant last pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 1978. On Wednesday, the right-hander was welcomed back to the organization as the Short-A Lowell Spinners pitching coach and special assistant to the general manager.
"I've waited for a long time -- 23 years," Tiant said Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Boston. "It's a great thing to happen to my family and me. Hopefully I can do the job they waited for me to do."
"We're real happy to have him rejoin the organization," Red Sox Executive Vice President and General Manager Dan Duquette said. "He's one of the great Red Sox pitchers, and we're looking forward to mentoring our young pitchers.
Tiant, who won 122 games and recorded a 3.36 ERA in his eight seasons with Boston, will also travel to Spring Training and assist Kerrigan with both the Major League and minor league pitchers. He will additionally perform Red Sox public affairs duties, including working with community relations efforts.
"I'm proud to work for the Red Sox and coming back here and happy to be here," said Tiant, who was accompanied at the announcement by his wife Maria and sons Dan and Luis. "Cuba is my [home] country. This is my second country. I'm grateful for the people here and how they have treated my family.
"I have my own company, Tiante Cigar, and that has kept me busy," he said. Tiant also served as the pitching coach for Nicaragua at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the manager for the baseball team at Savannah (Ga.) College of Art Design.
Tiant won 20 games three times in his Red Sox career and won Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1972 (15-6, 1.91 ERA). He then won two games in the 1975 World Series for Boston.
"Our fans still love Luis Tiant," Duquette said. "Luis still big in Boston after all these years. If you walk through Fenway Park, everybody still recognizes Luis. Along with [Dwight] Evans, they're both in the Red Sox Hall of Fame. And they join [Carlton] Fisk and Yaz [Carl Yastrzemski] as some of the great treasures of the Red Sox organization."
Burkett gets friendly tour of Fenway
After meeting with reporters Wednesday afternoon at the Winter Meetings, Red Sox Manager Joe Kerrigan left to give right-handed pitcher John Burkett a personal tour of Fenway Park.
"I'm just going to show him what we do and how we break down hitters," Kerrigan said. "I want him to see our program."
Kerrigan said he sees Burkett possibly filling the number two rotation spot occupied in 2001 by Hideo Nomo. That, in turn, would take some of the weight off the shoulder of Derek Lowe.
"It would not be fair to Derek Lowe to run him out there as our number two," the Boston skipper said. "We'd like to get a buffer between Pedro [Martinez] and Derek Lowe, and we think Burkett would be a good fit."
Burkett, who finished 2001 at 12-12 with a 3.04 ERA, was selected to the National League All-Star team from a Braves' staff that included Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Kerrigan said one reason for the 37-year-old's success is learning how to adapt.
"Now that he's older, he's learned how to throw a curveball strike, and he really throws a good cutter to left-handed hitters," Kerrigan said.
"I remember what he was like when he was with the Giants. He was more a power pitcher," Kerrigan continued. "But pitching is more brain than brawn. He's got the brawn side down and now he's learned the other side."
Duquette, speaking with reporters late Wednesday afternoon, said he had no news to announce regarding his ongoing talks with "several" free agent pitchers.
Comfort level
Kerrigan said Wednesday that he wants to make Manny Ramirez more comfortable in the cramped confines of Fenway Park's home clubhouse.
The Red Sox manager made his comments after Jeff Moorad, Ramirez's agent, told reporters that an uncomfortable clubhouse bothered Ramirez during his first season with the Red Sox.
"I would love to sit down with him [Moorad] and see what we can do to make his guy more comfortable with the clubhouse," Kerrigan said. "I just want to say, 'What can we do to make him more comfortable?' I've had to do it all my coaching life.
Kerrigan said that, in one way or another, he's dealt with the "comfort" issue with other Red Sox players since taking over as manager on Aug. 16.
"I think the kid needs his space. He was in a place before (Cleveland) where it wasn't an issue. But here it's different. We've got to sit down with him and help the kid adjust," Kerrigan continued.
"I think Manny is a different case. We have addressed some of these issues with other players, helping them with different aspects of playing in Boston," Kerrigan said.
Mike Petraglia is the site reporter for redsox.com.