Former Red Sox manager gave VIP treatment to all

On the baseball diamond, James “Lou” Gorman was known for his keen eye for talent. He procured all-star players such as Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Jim Palmer and Lenny Dystra. In his tenure as general manager of the Boston Red Sox, which spanned from 1984 to 1993, he put together a roster of players that nearly won the 1986 World Series.

But even off the baseball diamond, he treated everyone like a VIP.

He regaled longtime friends such as Stan Rutstein with stories over long dinners. Some of his stories were legendary — like the one about Game Six of the 1986 World Series, when Boston was winning in the 10th inning. The team seemed sure to sail to victory, until player Bill Buckner made a fielding error and dropped the ball between his legs. It was just one of Gorman’s many stories from his career of more than 50 years in major league baseball.

“At midnight, he was still sitting there telling his story,” Rutstein recalls about the stories he and his wife, Jo, heard when they went out to dinner with Gorman and his wife, Mary Lou. “He just loved the game.”
The Gormans stayed at Casa del Mar, where they owned a unit for 21 years, for the first three months of each year. Gorman never left at the end of season without a farewell, thank you and, usually, a few gifts for the office staff.

“He was one of the nicest, kindest people you would ever meet,” said D.M. Williams, general manager of Casa del Mar.

Gorman, 82, of Weston, Mass., died Friday, April 1 — the opening day of the Red Sox season.

Born Feb. 18, 1929, in Providence, R.I., he grew up with a love for baseball. He previously told the Longboat Observer that he tried out for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1947 but didn’t make the cut.
His dad told him: “Lou, get a job.”

Gorman went on to graduate from Stonehill College in 1953, earn his master’s in teaching from Bridgewater Teachers College and serve a total of 34 years of active and reserve duty in the U.S. Navy.

Eventually, he got an apprenticeship in the minor leagues before beginning his major league baseball career as assistant farm-and-scouting director for the Baltimore Orioles. Gorman became familiar with the Sarasota area in 1973, when he became director of the Kansas City Royals’ Baseball Academy, which was located in Twin Lakes Park, in Sarasota. He went on to become general manager of the Seattle Mariners for five years before becoming general manager of the Boston Red Sox. Gorman remained involved with the Red Sox, serving as coordinator of the team’s hall of fame until shortly before his death — a testament, Rutstein said, to his leadership.

“Lou was their face,” Rutstein said. “It’s an amazing thing in business, because usually when you’re retired, your days are over.”

Williams said that Gorman generally kept a low presence at Casa del Mar, often spending time at the swimming pool, although his prominence was apparent in the hundreds of pieces of mail he received each day. On Longboat Key, he attended St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, where he spoke to the Men’s Club on at least one occasion.

But Gorman used his position as a way to show his generosity.

He made friends out of strangers, such as CVS pharmacist Sheri Friedrich, who wears a Red Sox lanyard around her neck every day at work. When she first met him at CVS, he let her try on his 2004 World Series ring and take pictures. He later returned with autographed copies of his book.

Friedrich recalls a time when she had planned a trip to Boston and bought tickets for a Red Sox game. At the last minute, she decided to go to a second game.

“On a Friday afternoon, I called and left a message at Fenway for him and asked if there was anything he could do,” she said. “Not more than 15 minutes later, he called and asked how many tickets I needed.”
Gorman compiled many of his stories in his books, “One Pitch From Glory: A Decade of Running the Red Sox” and “High and Inside: My Life in the Front Offices of Baseball.”

But of Gorman’s many stories, the one that his friends heard most often was the story of Game Six of the 1986 World Series. But when Gorman told it, he didn’t just emphasize Buckner’s error. He praised
Buckner as a person. He said that, despite the loss, Game Six was one of the best games he ever watched.

“Even though he lost,” Williams said, “he still understood that it was just a game.”

Gorman is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; sister, Virginia Moran; seven nieces and nephews; and eight great-nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will take place Thursday, April 7, in Weston. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, Mass., 02472.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]