Britton: How team lawyer Sandy Alderson became one of the most influential GMs in baseball history
From Tim Britton at The Athletic on October 15, 2018:
Billy Beane knew Sandy Alderson was different at first sight.
“When I saw him on the field the first time, he was walking in a pair of shorts. Back then, nobody wore a pair of shorts. Quite frankly, nobody could pull it off like Sandy,” Beane said. “I knew this was my kind of guy.”
Alderson was indeed unlike anyone else who had been a general manager before him. And almost 30 years after that initial meeting, after Beane got a job in Alderson’s front office and replaced him as general manager and carved his own mark on Oakland and the sport, perhaps the game’s most famous executive traced his rise back to Alderson.
“The term ‘mentor’ is used, but to be honest with you, I idolized the guy,” he said. “I’ve been around Hall of Fame players, but I found Sandy just so fascinating and interesting.
“I idolized him.”
Read the full article here: https://theathletic.com/590246/2018/10/15/hes-as-smart-as-anyone-ive-met-in-baseball-or-anywhere-how-sandy-alderson-went-from-a-team-lawyer-to-become-one-of-the-most-influential-gms-in-the-sports-history/
- Related link: Listen to highlights from Sandy Alderson’s session at the SABR 47 convention at Citi Field in New York
Originally published: October 15, 2018. Last Updated: October 15, 2018.