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/



Originally published: October 15, 2018. Last Updated: October 15, 2018.