McAdam: Ron Roenicke departs with his ego a bit bruised, but integrity intact

There would be no guns-blazing, take-no-prisoners, burning-bridges kind of farewell Sunday night from Atlanta. Not from Ron Roenicke.

Roenicke, seated in the visiting manager's office in Truist Park, and with his characteristic understated sense of humor, invited the inevitable inquiries.

"There's a lot going on,'' said a visibly exhausted Roenicke as the Zoom camera rolled, "so ... questions?''

Roenicke, who met with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom Sunday morning and was informed that he wouldn't be returning to manage the Red Sox next season, said managing the game after being given the news wasn't difficult, since he found himself in his usual environment and had work to do.

After the game, a 9-1 Red Sox win, however was different.

"Some of the players spoke,'' said Roenicke, his voice catching, "and that was tough. That was a little emotional.''

The 24-36 record, landing the Red Sox in last place, was no one's idea of a good season, of course. But Roenicke said he was proud of what he did to get the most out of his players while also ensuring their safety during the pandemic. He also was pleased with the team's play in September, going 12-9 over their final 21 games.

"Me personally,'' said Roenicke, "I'm happy that I saw some guys playing good ball, having good years. We saw some young guys doing really well. That's my focus -- trying to get the most out of players and I feel like that's always been my strength. It was nice just hearing that from a lot of the players afterward. So it makes you feel like, what you do and when you work hard, that they realize that.''

The tough part for Roenicke,



who has always seen his strength as a communicator and a teacher, couldn't fully embrace that role because some of the protocols brought about by the pandemic. It simply wasn't allowed for him to sit in his office to talk with a struggling player, or to go out for early work with players trying to learn a new position.

"What I do best, what I feel (I do best), was restricted this year,'' said Roenicke. "And it was restricted for everybody. That's definitely what I feel my strength is and I had to things differently. I couldn't just go in the locker room and talk to somebody. I didn't even know where they were half the time. So that part really made the job more difficult.''

Over the course of the season, Roenicke uncovered ways to reach players. Some of came during games, some while batting practice was going. But it's probably not a coincidence that the Sox played nearly .500 ball (14-16) over the second half once Roenicke found a way to work around some limitations.

"It was a rough year, for everybody to try to figure out,'' Roenicke shrugged. "We did the best we can.''

The tough part, of course, is that Roenicke waited five years for a second opportunity to manage a big league team, and when it came, he was gifted a depleted, pitching-starved roster and had to operate in the middle of a highly contagious virus.

Still, he exhibited no bitterness over his dismissal, or his bad luck. Even when Roenicke got an opportunity to tee off on the Red Sox, he refused to take any shots.

Asked whether his dismissal was fair, Roenicke deftly answered with the skill of a seasoned diplomat.

"I don't really want to get into that,'' he said. "Whether it's fair or not, I think when a new GM comes in, he should have some time to get people that he knows and a manager in place that he wants. It's not just for this year; we know we had to get through this year. But I think it's for the future. And I wasn't his guy for his future. I think it's really important that the manager and whoever's in charge, they don't have to agree on everything, but they need to have the same goals and feel the same way about things.

"My relationship, I thought, was good with Chaim. So it's just hard to answer whether I think it's fair or not. I think it's baseball ... In the end, I'm just not the guy that they want to move forward with. Pridefully, that hurts because I know what I'm doing, I think I get the best out of players and I think I know how to get them to win. It's just kind of the way it goes.''

The toughest part, in retrospect, may have been listening to Bloom heap praise on him -- privately and again publicly -- and wondering, if he had performed so well, why he was not returning.

"Yeah, it is. No doubt,'' conceded Roenicke. "When you hear from everybody about what kind of (good) job you do ... well, if that's the case, then, what happened? Yes, that's definitely there.''