The Blue Jays are looking to hire a new manager for their Eastern League affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and the Union-Leader’s Kevin Gray proposes that Toronto consider former Red Sox 3B and manager Butch Hobson.
Hobson (above) managed the past six seasons for the Nashua Pride , not to mention those three years with the Boston Red Sox from 1992-94 , and he’s very much interested in the Double-A vacancy at Manchester.
With the Pride ownership seeking to join the short-season Canadian-American Association next season year, Hobson, a Nashua resident, would love to join the Blue Jays organization up the road. Former Fisher Cats manager Mike Basso was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse earlier this week.
It wouldn’t be Hobson’s first foray into affiliated minor league baseball. He managed Triple-A Pawtucket leading up to his position as manager of the Red Sox. He was later named manager of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Not only is Hobson qualified, he believes he could be a perfect fit with the Fishers. Dick Scott, the Toronto farm director conducting a search to replace Basso, will be getting a phone call from Hobson today.
“Developing talent and instilling a winning attitude on and off the field is what organizations expect and demand. I know I’m good at that,” said Hobson, who guided the Pride to the 2000 Atlantic League championship. “I would like for them to consider me. I’m experienced enough, and I think my resume speaks enough for itself.”
Unmentioned by Hobson or Gray is that said resume includes a 1996 termination by Wilkes-Barre after Hobson was arrested upon receiving a Fed Ex package filled with cocaine. While Hobson certainly doesn’t deserve to be blackballed by MLB-affiliated clubs as a result, this is hardly an irrelevent point to raise, especially if you’re essentially saying “why won’t someone hire this guy?”
At least that’s what I learned from Wally Backman’s Online Journalism School.
In other Eastern League news, Sidearm Delivery reports that the Norwich Navigators have changed their name to the Connecticut Defenders. Not to be outdone, the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish are mulling a change to the Bridgeport Bunnybrains.