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.WHERE ARE THEY NOW
By David Driver May 5, 2008 He played football for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama. “My favorite player was Brooks Robinson,” Hobson said of the Little Rock native. “I wanted to be a third baseman, just like Brooks Robinson. He was my favorite.” Hobson did make it to the majors as a third baseman, but no one would ever confuse his play at the hot corner with that of the former Orioles star. “He won 16 Gold Gloves. I won none,” said Hobson. But some 33 years after his debut with the Boston Red Sox, Hobson and Robinson are on the same team. Robinson is among the ownership group of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the newest member of the independent Atlantic League. Hobson was named the first manager in team history prior to the 2008 season. The team opened a new stadium in Waldorf, Maryland this spring. The former Red Sox manager is no stranger to independent baseball. Hobson came to Southern Maryland after several years as the manager of the Nashua Pride, a New Hampshire-based former member of the Atlantic League, which he led to two league titles. "There is no farm director in baseball that doesn’t know Butch,” said Peter Kirk, part-owner of the Blue Crabs. Hobson was called a blue-collar player by Robinson. “That is what I am, that is what I have always been,” Hobson said. Hobson gave up football as a senior at Alabama to focus on baseball. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the eighth round in 1973. Hobson played eight years in the majors, sticking with the Red Sox from 1975 to 1980. Hobson recalls his first game with the Red Sox. “I was a September call-up in 1975 during the pennant race,” he said. “I got to start that last game of the season since [lefthander] Rick Waits was pitching for Cleveland. I remember the first time walking into the ballpark at Fenway. I don’t think there is a better place than Fenway and New England. It is exciting and special to go to that ballpark with those fans.” Hobson's best season was 1977, when he hit 30 homers and recorded 112 RBIs. After six seasons in Boston, Hobson played for the California Angels in 1981, and for the New York Yankees in 1982. He hit .248 with 98 homers and 397 RBIs in 738 career games. “I had the chance to play with two Hall of Famers, Yaz and Carlton Fisk, and two guys that should be in the Hall of Fame, Jim Rice and Luis Tiant,” he said. Following his major league playing days, Hobson played Triple A ball for three years in the Yankee system, then worked as a manager in the minors for New York Mets. He then rejoined the Red Sox system as a minor league manager, leading Pawtucket to the International League championship series in 1991, and being named minor league manager of the year that season by Baseball America. Hobson's post-playing career is highlighted by his time as manager of the Red Sox, from 1992 to 1994. After the 1991 season he was named to replace Joe Morgan as the manager of the Red Sox. He had a record of 207-232 in three years before being replaced by Kevin Kennedy. He also managed in the Phillie system before taking over at Nashua. From 2000 to 2007 Hobson managed the manager of the Nashua Pride in the Atlantic and Can-Am leagues, winning crowns in 2000 and 2007. “My goals will be simple – to get players back to the big leagues and win a championship,” Hobson said of managing in Southern Maryland. “I want to find the type of player that our fans can relate to. Hard-nosed, blue-collar guys are the type of guys we will go after. We will spend most of our time on the field, not in the clubhouse…I am excited about it, the birth of a new team. I have never had that opportunity." Of today's Red Sox, Hobson is especially fond of first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who came up through the Red Sox system as a third baseman. “My son and I love him,” said Hobson, who lives in California during the off-season. “He is the epitome of a blue-collar baseball player.” Was he surprised that the Red Sox, after so many years of near-misses, won two World Series titles in four years? “It was just a matter of time. I guess we don’t have to talk about the curse anymore." David Driver, the former sports editor of a Baltimore daily, is a freelance writer who has covered baseball for more than 20 years. He has contributed to Baseball America, Baseball Digest and other publication,s and can be reached through his website at www.davidsdriver.com
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