Former Red Sox GM Lou Gorman dies - Extra Bases - Red Sox blog

Though I did not agree with many of his trades and free agent signings, I will give him credit for not standing pat. He went out and made the deals to help improve his ballclub. He was not afraid to take a shot. He went down swinging, not with the bat on his shoulders. No doubt, there were some free agent signing busts: Jack Clark; Danny Darwin; Matt Young; Andre' Dawson; etc. He pulled off some good trades: a couple of pitchers in '86 to Seattle for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen. Both played major roles in the playoffs. Also, in '86, he acquired young relievers Wes Gardner and Calvin Schiraldi for Bobby Ojeda. Later, he acquired Lee Smth from the Cubs for Al Nipper and Schiraldi. Then, he ended up trading Smith to the Cardinals for Tom Brunansky, having signed closer Jeff Reardon in the offseason. The deal for Larry Anderson in exchange for Jeff Bagwell will certainly go down in history as a bad one. But, we all make decisions and deals we would like to have back. I heard him interviewed once. He seemed like a gracious man. In short, he wanted the 'Sox to win it all and he came so close in '86. For his efforts, I tip my hat to him and grieve for his family. Former Red Sox GM Lou Gorman dies - Extra Bases - Red Sox blog