Hobson interview

“There are so many players who have it right there in front of them and for one reason or another it just kind of gets away from them and the organization lets them go. A lot of times they come to independent ball with the attitude that baseball owes them something. You can hear that in a voice. Do I think I might be able to change their mind? Yeah, I do.”

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Butch Hobson is expected to return to the Atlantic League as either the manager of the Barnstormers or Southern Maryland Blue Crabs next season. The former Nashua Pride skipper will bring a history of winning to his new organization. With Nashua, his teams qualified for the playoffs five times in eight seasons and won two championships.

In this interview, you’ll see why Hobson is highly respected by his former players. He’s a natural leader who specializes in dealing with people.

Why do you want to come back to the Atlantic League?

I’ve decided at this point in my career, I’ve done eight years in Nashua, I feel like it’s time for me to move on. I really want to see if I can get back into an organization one day and try to get back to the major leagues in some capacity. The best route for me is to get back into the Atlantic League because of the caliber of league that it is.

Assuming you‘re the manager either in Lancaster or Southern Maryland, how would you build your roster for next season?

What I have tried to do every year is whoever the general manager or player procurement guy is, we see players and say, ‘This will be a good fit for us.’ I get them on the phone and talk to them personally. I think I have been fortunate to have the knack of being able to talk to a young person and get a feel of where he is in his life and where he wants to go. We always try to bring classy individuals that will represent the organization in a class way. The best way to do that is get on the phone personally and talk to the players. If I can find their mother and father, I’ll talk to them, too.

There are so many players who have it right there in front of them and for one reason or another it just kind of gets away from them and the organization lets them go. A lot of times they come to independent ball with the attitude that baseball owes them something. You can hear that in a voice. Do I think I might be able to change their mind? Yeah, I do. Sometimes it does work, sometimes it doesn’t.

Did you have any affiliated offers during your time in Nashua?

I really did not. I left the Red Sox in 1997 as a special assignment scout. In 1999, the Red Sox wanted me to get back on the field. They signed me to the Sarasota team in the Florida State League. They said they could possibly send me to Double-A the next year. This opportunity (in Nashua) came up. I was living in Vermont and I had a young family. This opportunity gave me a chance to be a little bit closer to home. I took it. I have often said how much I believe in independent baseball, the opportunities that it offers to players to get back into an organization or back to the big leagues. I think it offers them an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the game and they can in turn be better coaches, managers or wherever it is they go. I’m a firm believer in independent baseball and hopefully that hasn’t steered somebody away from me — saying, ‘He’s just an independent league guy.’ I’m a baseball guy.

You’ve stressed communication as one of your strengths and your former players rave about how much they enjoyed playing for you. How do you gain their respect?

Definitely you have to be a good communicator. You try to share life’s experiences. I think when you share life’s experiences, good or bad, with any individual, they look at you differently. You’re not afraid to open up and say this can happen to you. I’ve tried to do that with my players.

As far as the on-the-field baseball stuff, I try to stay with the basic fundamentals. We work. In spring training we’ll start in the morning and we’ll pretty much be out there until we get done what we need to get done. I’m not afraid to tell my players how much I care about them. Bear Bryant told us every Sunday after we watched the game day film, ‘I want you to go home and call your mommas and let them know you’re all right. And just remember how much I love every one of you.’ And he would walk out there door.

When I was managing in Boston, and they didn’t rehire me, one of the articles by Peter Gammons said I got fired because I loved my players too much. If that’s the case, I’ll get fired any day for that reason. Hopefully that has a way of showing my players, You know what? Go out and give 110 percent and you’ll get 120 percent from me.

I’ve heard stories about your on-field discussions with umpires and I’ve seen them on Youtube. Some of them have become famous. Is there something about the competition that brings that side out of you?

Any manager will tell you if you’re going to get ejected and get fined, you might as well get your money’s worth. I have always had a really good relationship with any umpiring crew in any league I’ve been with or been around. There has become an entertainment aspect to it, I guess. I don’t think I did it to get on Youtube. I didn’t know anything about it until I got home and my son said, ‘You know you’re on Youtube?’ I said, ‘I don’t even know what Youtube is.’ He pulled it up and showed it to me. I think sometimes something just clicks in you that says take this base or maybe climb the left-field foul pole or something like that. I have a really good rapport with the umps. They either think I’m really stupid or they laugh at me. The next day the game is over and I’ll send them a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer or something.

What motivates you after all these years?

I love the game and I love the teaching. I love to manage and I love being around people that love the game of baseball. My sons and I, when we’re sitting around the house, we’ll pass the baseball around and smell it. I’ll tell them that’s the best smell I’ve ever smelled. I just have that love for the game. It’s what I’ve done for 35 years now.

I really look to this opportunity in the Atlantic League because over the last few years I’ve been looking at the possibility of just stepping away. After this year, I brought my son’s high school coach (Dan Lemon) out with me as my pitching coach. He brought that high school rah-rah atmosphere back and rekindled something in me. It lit a fire in me and going and winning (the Can-Am League) championship, I thought, ‘Butch, you’re good at this. Why would you want to go do something else?’