There are many reasons that Alex Cora is the right man to manage the Red Sox. As Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald points out, the fact that he’s Latino only adds to that list. Cora is the 47th manager in the history of the Red Sox franchise, and, up until now, every single one of them had been white. The former middle infielder will be involved with a front office that is mostly white while managing a team on the field that has often been predominantly black and hispanic. Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy has stressed that Cora’s minority status is “a bonus rather than impetus”, but regardless, it looks great for a franchise that took 12 years longer to integrate their roster than the first MLB team to do so. Interestingly, Silverman notes that in 2017, 43 percent of major league baseball players were players of color, while only three of 30 managers were non-white.
More from around the AL…
- While Tigers are unlikely to make any significant additions to their major league roster this winter, Evan Woodbery of mlive.com says that the organization will be very active on the minor league free agent market. Detroit will focus on making moves to bolster their depth at Triple-A Toledo and will hope to “find a diamond in the rough or lightning in the bottle”, according to GM Al Avila. Woodbery lists 23 players in the Tigers’ system who are eligible to become minor league free agents, and while many of those will probably re-sign with the organization, it seems likely there will be some shuffling of their Double- and Triple-A rosters this winter.
- Three and a half years ago, an article appeared in Sports Illustrated with a prediction that the Astros would win the 2017 World Series. This past Thursday, Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated explains why he’s predicting a repeat for the Astros in 2018. Although only two teams have been able to win back-to-back championships since the 70’s, Reiter cites a powerhouse offense that will only lose Cameron Maybin and Carlos Beltran as a big reason the Astros can accomplish the feat next year. He also points out that more young reinforcements are on the way in five-tool left-handed outfielder Kyle Tucker and towering right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley. While Reiter cites the bullpen as an area of need, he concludes that the Astros are “unusually well-positioned to hang onto the crown”.
Being overly-concerned about racial balance in any sport is PC nonsense. If you hire a Latino manager for a team that’s majority Latino, does that mean you’re being inconsiderate of the minority “white” players? Regardless, “Latino” or “Hispanic” aren’t all-encompassing terms and there is no such thing as “white” culture. Cubans are not the same as Mexican; there’s a lot more to culture than language. Ultimately, there are 24 players who are there to do their job and if a player needs cultural support from his manager in order to do that, the GM needs to start shopping him ASAP.
I know what you’re trying to say, and some of it is very valid.
But delivering it in this way and using terms such as “PC nonsense” is just taking away from your argument.
The reason this is important is because it has never happened before for this team.
Once every team has gone full circle and all cultures has been involved in every facet of the game, then this will no longer be news. Until that day, stuff like this is relevant.
Cora was hired because he is good at what he does. Being closer in demographic to his players could boost comradery. I don’t see why pointing that out could ever be considered “nonsense.”
It’s only relevant because the media keeps telling us it is. As a human, I don’t care what color the man’s skin is, or where his parents were born. Can he manage the damn ball team?
yes this
So what difference does it make?
Lol yup
This comment is unacceptable
How on earth is that racist? I hope you’re joking. The commenter clearly said “As a human, I don’t care what color the mans skin is or where his parents were born can he manage the team?” Where in that is a shred of racism?
Yet by commenting on it, you show you do care. The actual results of human action show many still care whether they admit it consciously or not. It’s incredibly relevant to many who are persecuted daily.
“It’s incredibly relevant to many who are persecuted daily”…do yourself and everyone a favor and actually know the meaning of the word “persecuted”!
Persecuted defined – hostility or ill treatment, especially because of their race, religion or political beliefs. So what is your point?
Now that you’ve offered the definition, how is that currently relevant to MLB?
It’s relevant to society as a whole. Minorities are handed terrible schools, no role models, then incarcerated for non violent crimes. The solution is to even the playing field and that includes including minorities in prominent positions in sports.
It’s relevant to society as a whole only if persecution exists in society “as a whole”. It does not exist in MLB. You’re obviously confusing failed advocacy with “persecution”. If an interest group doesn’t succeed in gaining advantage, it doesn’t follow that their members are victims of persecution. Using your logic (such as it is), if a minority group’s participation isn’t equal to their demographics, all other factors are irrelevant, so ergo, an injustice exists. At the very least, you’re logic is seriously flawed.
So, we have to endue this sort of thing until “all cultures” are involved in MLB? Regardless, you’re being more than a bit naive if you think the issue would magically disappear even then. It was only a few days ago that a reporter inquired whether or not the Administration supported slavery.
What exactly do you have to “endue”. Does addressing a mere fact that the Red Sox have never had a minority manager enrage you that much? Are you really that insecure about yourself you have to be this angry when people talk about the imbalances of racial diversity in any setting?
Fallacy much? You can’t get more blatant than implying both anger and insecurity on my part for simply pointing out how ludicrous it is to inflate the importance of factors that have nothing to do with managerial skills.
Does it seem reasonable to you that we must endure this sort of thing until all cultures are represented? If so, you need remedial instruction on the logical process.
Kettle black? Did i at any point say we must this “thing” as u say, until all cultures have gotten an opportunity that has been elusive to them? Please enlighten us on how you must..endure and..endue conversations on race. it must be so difficult for you.
You not only misapplied your idiom, as I avoided fallacies but you continue to do so by conflating a typo into something meaningful. Note the question mark at the end of the sentence; a “yes” or “no” response would have sufficed. Regardless, “enduring” certainly applies if we choose to access a website for MLB player transaction info, only to have to wade through PC nonsense in the process. If it’s “difficult” for me to enlighten you, that’s certainly not a reflection on me; the onus is on yourself to grasp what should be a very simple concept.
It isn’t important that it has never happened to this team or not.. The red sox have had what.. a dozen managers since 1980.. none of them latino? oh no! That’s why it is Nonsense… mostly by the media and public relations to draw up publicity… or simply have nothing else to talk about.
Now if there was a legit story that said Alex didn’t get the job because he was Latino of if the red sox hired him because they just wanted the publicity…. then you got something. but he got the job… sounds like he is qualified.. lets move on.
None were black or any other minority either for a franchise and fanbase with a history of racism.
“PC nonsense” is exactly the correct term. Well said, Lysander. It’s unfortunate such social engineering garbage has crept into baseball. Cora was hired because he had a solid track record as a player, experience in running a ball club as a coach, and an interest in managing. Political correctness is exhausting. Sometimes the best candidate gets the job, regardless of the historical impact.
I don’t understand why some people get so upset whenever race is discussed. Cora was hired for his credentials, but it’s definitely noteworthy that he’s the first non-white manager of a historic club.
Diversity is a key component of the human experience (not just racial diversity, but it’s one of the more obvious ones) and we should celebrate it. If nothing else, Cora’s Puerto Rican heritage is clearly very important to him, and I think it’s pretty disrespectful to the guy to groan about it wherever it’s mentioned.
I think it’s entirely disrespectful to Cora to constantly mention his heritage, such practice gives a ‘training wheels’ feel to his hiring, as if he’s getting a shot only because he’s Puerto Rican. Cora was hired because of his baseball IQ and ability to relate to players. Routinely attaching a politically correct component to Cora’s hiring diminishes the man’s accomplishments.
Was it disrespectful to mention Jackie Robinson’s race? Did it diminish the man’s accomplishments?
It would be disrespectful to say that Cora’s race was a key factor in his hiring, but I don’t think it was, nor have I heard anyone say that. It does have plenty of historical significance after the fact though.
Robinson would have preferred the focus to be on his skills, rather than the shade of his skin
You are comparing Robinson breaking the “color barrier” in 1947, a significant point in the Civil Rights Movement, to a qualified manager getting a job in 2017? Apples and oranges – PC nonsense.
Not to add that being bilingual was a huge advantage for Cora (not to mention being fluent in English and Spanish is an advantage in almost every job industry in America).
If you hire anyone because they are a minority, you are still being racist. Forcing quotas for minority managers etc is not helping. The best person should get the job. No one should get a job or be denied a job because of their ethnicity or color of their skin. Alex Cora has always, to my knowledge, been a standup guy and good clubhouse presence. To suggest that his hire is good because he is Latino is a slap in the face to all he has done and to his character. PC bull crap is doing more harm then good. I’m glad he got the job because I think HE deserves it. That’s the only reason that should matter to anyone.
R u serious? How does it make the Red Sox racist if they hire a latino manager?
I think you missed the point, he was saying if you’re hiring based on race then how is it different from hiring someone because they are white.
RyKlug, as “wearing Purple” said, you did miss the point. If they hire him strictly because he is Latino, it’s no better then not hiring him because he is Latino. This man has earned a shot as an MLB manager based on his qualifications, and to hire him because of his being Latino would be a slap in the face to him and all he has done.
That’s why I don’t like the Rooney Rule in football; it undermines the skills of people of other races and ethnicities just to fulfill some made up quota. If I were a minority candidate, I’d probably feel insulted that some team interviewed me just to follow a rule and not necessarily because they had genuine interest in me. I like the intent behind it, but there might be a better way to handle it.
Then how is a race subjected to slavery and Jim Crow for hundreds of years ever supposed to field an equal portion of “best candidates”? If someone kidnaps your family, sells your children, doesn’t allow them to be educated, then granted freedom and put in terrible schools with no money your great grandchildren will never be the “best candidate” either. The best man for the job fallacy is just another of the many ways to keep the money and power in the hands of the white.
This sounds so self gratifying…
“The best candidate for the job” is hardly a fallacy. What is a fallacy is racially stereotyping people, then using the perception to further a political agenda.. Regardless, the life experience of a great-grandparent has literally nothing to do with individual responsibility and achievement of their descendants, although it does provide a convenient excuse for failure. How your assertion applies to MLB is a mystery.
Actually it has a lot to do with it. How else do you explain the current inequality in society?
I usually don’t like to get involved in race topics.. It’s a sensitive topic and there are no winners.. only losers.
But I still can’t believe Cora’s the 47th manager in the history of the Red Sox franchise and, up until now, every one of them had been white.
That’s Crazy! even if back then, it wasn’t commonplace like today.
If/when Cora retires… they’ll be saying the same thing if/when they hire an African American manager lol.
This’ll follow the Sox for a while, and people could use it to their advantage to falsely accuse them…..
Still, Hire based on Talent, not on race.. But 47’s a crazy #…
This is a delicate topic guys, approach with caution…
If/when he retires? I’m pretty sure it will be when because I doubt very seriously he is the first immortal on Earth. I could be surprised though.
Fired is the other option, I’m trying to avoid it because I am trying to be classy, considering we haven’t seen Cora manage 1 game (firing managers is common MLB)
I’m sure there are other ways managers aren’t kept such as not renewing their contracts when expire (technically fired, but literally)
Retiring is considered best possible outcome in this brutal job, when there are many other ways to lose it.
It was a great try, trying to be funny, we need more humor,
But you missed.
(Technicallly fired, but not* literally )
How many white presidents has this country had until recently?
47 is not a crazy number when you consider how long baseball has been in existence. It’s all part of the games history which is good and bad.
Cora being the first Hispanic manager does not make Boston or the Red Sox insensitive to racial issues. They are following the exact pattern of the vast majority of the other teams in Major League Baseball.
I find it ironic that the issue only becomes an issue when someone writes about it. When Cora was hired The only thing that entered my mind was I hope he is the right guy. Not for one second did I even entertain he was the first Hispanic or non-white manager of the Red Sox.
It matters not that David Ortiz is Hispanic. When I think of Big Papi I think of one of the greatest Red Sox players ever.
These types of articles often cause division not unity. Bringing up factoids or history that is mostly irrelevant with current day reality is divisive in my opinion.
If people wanted to have an honest conversation about racial issues they probably wouldn’t start with the one sliver of society that has always been decades ahead of society in general in that regard. In baseball you get drafted or signed into an organization because they believe in your talents and skills. You work up through the system based on a qualitative assessment of what you can do on the field and how it fits with the team’s needs. Aside from stuff like minor league options and contract concerns the only thing that can get you into the league is your contributions on the field, and the only thing that will cause you to fall out of the league is your contributions diminishing. Coaching and FO positions are filled similarly – coaches that can get more out of their players work their way to more and more prominent coaching positions, and scouts and other FO personnel get to where they are because of their insight into the game and their philosophies regarding identifying and cultivating talent and constructing rosters.
That is unifying. That is why so many of us like baseball.
Bobby Valentine is white?
I’m not convinced he is even from Earth
Orange white.
I called it at the beginning of the offseason. “Diversity” is going to be the buzzword for new manager and front office hires for teams. It’s an unofficial edict from Major League Baseball, in part to spite the President and his policies.
Martinez, Cora, and Kapler. So far, two out of three. We’ll see what happens with the Yankees.
I understand that extrapolating meaning from the meaningless is our new national pastime but even then it’s a stretch to suggest that diversity in FO and coaching hires is anything new in the MLB. They’ve actively talked about this stuff with essentially every managerial vacancy the over the last 20 years.
“It’s an unofficial edict from Major League Baseball, in part to spite the President and his policies.”
Nonsense. Bud Lite was pushing for diversity hires back when Traitor Don was still cheating on his second wife with his third wife.
Majorflaw, a wonderful post. Terrific. Beautiful. Everyone’s saying so.
You’ve just revealed your major flaw.
Why does everything have to reduced to racism. Why can’t a person simply be chosen based on their talent and ability to do a job. It’s bad enough that we still have to endure affirmative action, which targets white males only. But why must you always reduce everything to a decision that must be based in racism. Pathetic.
Oh, Lord. Poor white males. When WILL they get a fair shake?
This.
Considering the number of Hispanic players on Every team, they could say that Alex Cora would be the perfect hire for any team, not just Boston. That’s assuming, of course, that you’re the type of person that feels race is a qualification. Bilingual is the word that should be the qualification.
Will the next JD please apply to Toledo. The Tigers were the worst team in baseball in 2003, and made the world series in 2006. Not many of the players came from the minors, then. This team, with the right development, has much more to work with already.
Many thought the same of the Cubs after they won. It’s just not likely.
The season is long and the postseason is short. A great many things have to go right to win a championship.
This is going to sound very politically incorrect, but a large reason there are mostly white
managers is because they usually speak better English than their Hispanic counterparts.
I’m not saying that no Latinos know how to speak English, but many of them need an interpreter. Teams are simply not going to hire a manager who can’t speak English.
Racism is not the reason that white managers are being hired in the KBO, it’s because they usually can’t communicate well in Korean.
Although I do not think the reason Cora was hired was to promote diversity. Being able to communicate in English and Spanish is a major advantage in baseball (and pretty much any industry for that matter), and he is obviously a well-respected baseball mind.
This is a stupid article if it comes to race. I would take it down before you lose some subscribers
They would lose subscribers for discussing race? Then those subscribers are no great loss.
The U.S. is a market-based economy, not race-based. People spend their time and $ for products and services that are relevant to their needs, and if a supplier (in this case, a web site) replaces one product or service that is in high demand for one that is in low demand, the result will be fewer subscribers. That would indeed be a “great loss”.
Leaving a forum due to feeling uncomfortable discussing race would increase the overall level of intelligent discourse. They’d be doing us all a favor.
That would make sense if the primary purpose of the forum was to discuss racial issues, but Injecting race into sports and justifying it with numerous fallacies is not “intelligent discourse”..
Shouldn’t you be trying to keep Ezekiel off the field, Roger? Or giving Papa John his money back? Everyone, the world reknown economist, Mr. Goodell…
Some of these racially bias comments of entitled “ white men” are the reason that this type of discussion exist
Exactly
Please point out ONE “racially biased comment” on this thread, along with any evidence that the commenter was “white” or “entitled”.
HiHeat45 is more then likely white himself and sits at home constantly reading what is trending. In between episodes of “The Kardashian’s” and while listening to Kanye music(careful not to sing the words). Shouting at the screens “you don’t know what it’s like” and planning to support the next movement he’s told is important.
WAY TO ASTROS!!!!! World Series champs 2017!!!!! Great chance of a repeat in 2018.. Congrat Cora best wishes and good luck in Boston, you will be highly missed in Houston
Can’t it just be about baseball
It’s not about skin color. Everyone should have an equal chance at the job, but the best candidate should be chosen.
Such a novel idea-it works for players, so why not managers.
Sick and tired of everyone everywhere turning everything into a racial issue, I would guess that most people don’t experience racism at all yet talk about it as if they were slaves themselves
Show the man the respect he deserves Cora is the best man for the job !!!