When Alex Cora interviewed for the Red Sox job back in October 2017, then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski asked him how he would feel about having an experienced former manager working for the club.
Cora knew Dombrowski had long-standing relationships with Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland, so the idea of being able to pick either of their brains was an appealing one for the fledgling manager.
“I love talking baseball; I love learning about the game, so I had no issues with it,” Cora said. “It was Tony, and he was great. He would always leave me a letter after each homestand, so I can read it on the plane; the pros and cons, the good things and the bad things. The things that we can do better; that's the way he put it.”
This weekend, Cora and La Russa are in opposing dugouts for the first time as managers, as the Red Sox and White Sox meet in a four-game set. Cora has had a chance to match wits with some of the finest managers in the game -- he mentioned Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia and Terry Francona, for example -- but the chance to manage against La Russa, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, is one that excites Cora.
“He’s a Hall of Famer already, not a future Hall of Famer,” Cora said. “He meant so much for us as a group in ‘18 and ‘19. It was always cool to have dinner [with] Dave, Tony and the group, just listening to those two guys talking about their experiences. Very knowledgeable people who care about the group, a lot of experience.”
Like many around the game, Cora was surprised when he learned that the 76-year-old La Russa would be returning to the bench this season to manage the White Sox a decade after retiring from the same role with the Cardinals.
“It's funny, because he never mentioned that he wanted to manage again in two years that he was here,” Cora said. “I remember the day it was tweeted out; I was like ‘What?’ I texted him and he didn't answer, so I was like, ‘Oh well, there goes that job. The White Sox got their guy.’ I’m happy for him. If he wanted to do it, he had his reasons. It's good to see him managing a team.
“I love Tony La Russa. I love everything about him as a person, and it's a privilege for me to be managing against him this weekend.”
New look
The Red Sox will wear Patriots’ Day-inspired City Connect uniforms this weekend, a stark departure from Boston’s traditional look. The yellow and light blue are designed to match the color scheme of the Boston Marathon, which has traditionally taken place on Patriots’ Day.
“I think it means a lot in different ways; people have their own feelings about it,” Cora said. “It's something different; it feels good. You look around the other leagues and they're very open-minded it about stuff like this and people like it. From what I'm getting, the feedback and all that, people are very excited about it. It should be a fun weekend.”
Xander Bogaerts is a fan of the new uniforms, though the color scheme holds a double meaning for the shortstop.
“It’s much different from red, I will tell you that,” Bogaerts said. “We have a yellow and a light blue, so it’s kind of the colors of my country’s flag, Aruba. I don’t know if that had anything to do with that, but I feel like I'm playing for Aruba.”
Quick turnaround
After Friday night’s game was postponed due to winter-like conditions, the Red Sox and White Sox will play three games in a span of roughly 24 hours. That’s not ideal for any team, but Bogaerts doesn’t believe either team will have an advantage from the condensed schedule.
“It's definitely going to be tough on us, but it's going to be tough on them, also,” Bogaerts said. “Whoever wants it more, that's the one that's going to get it in the end.”
Sunday will feature a split doubleheader, with seven-inning games beginning at 1:10 and 5:10 p.m ET. The teams will return to Fenway Park Monday morning for the annual Patriots’ Day game, which is slated to begin at 11:10 a.m.
“When you play here, you know you're going to get that 11 a.m. game; I think that that's one of the coolest things that we have,” Cora said. “People love that game. Obviously for, where we live, it’s not the perfect day, but that Monday is so special around here. I love it; I love everything about it. We love this weekend. It’s a fun weekend.”